People often view the “last” moments of an event positively simply because they signal the end of an experience, say experts.
University of Michigan researchers found that even if an experience is painful or negative, but ends on a good note, people will consider it to be positive.
“Endings are powerful,” said Ed O’Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.
O’Brien and colleague Phoebe Ellsworth, the Frank Murphy Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, conducted a chocolate tasting experiment with 52 college students to test the theory.
Volunteers could taste five different Hershey’s Kisses chocolates—milk, dark, cream, caramel and almond – but did not know in advance how many pieces they would eat or the type. Participants rated how much they enjoyed the chocolate and described each flavor so that the researchers could record the order in which the randomly (随机的) selected treats were eaten.
Volunteers were assigned to the “next” or the “last ” condition by chance.
In the “next” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your next chocolate” before offering each chocolate, including the fifth.
For the “last” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your last chocolate” before offering the fifth chocolate.
These participants rated the fifth chocolate more enjoyable than volunteers in the “next” condition.
As predicted, participants who knew they were eating the final chocolate of a taste test enjoyed it more.
In fact, when asked to pick their favorite chocolate, the majority of “last” participants chose the fifth – even though the flavor of the fifth was randomly chosen.
They also rated the overall experience as more enjoyable than volunteers who thought they were just eating one more chocolate in a series.
O’Brien says these findings may have far-reaching implications. For example, the last book or film in a series or the last speaker in a symposium (研讨会) may receive unwarranted praise.
The last job applicant, meanwhile, may look more qualified.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment?
| A．The majority of “last” participants chose the almond flavor as their favorite. |
| B．Some participants enjoyed the experiment more because the last flavor tasted better. |
| C．The result would be different if researchers had used another brand of chocolate. |
| D．Some participants didn’t know it was their last chocolate when offered the fifth one. |
What does the underlined word “unwarranted” in the second-to-last paragraph mean?
| A．Fake. | B．Unwanted. | C．Unreasonable. | D．Insincere. |
Which of the following is the best title for the article?
| A．“Last” is the best. |
| B．Why “last” matters most. |
| C．It is the last step that is the hardest. |
| D．He who laughs last laughs best. |
Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens（过敏原）, prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children？
A study finds that, contrary to many parents’ fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child’s risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study’s lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was “very surprised” by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps "exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.
There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune(免疫) system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child’s allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them.Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?
| A．Because the results are contrary to their expectation． |
| B．Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs． |
| C．Because parents are so much worried about their children． |
| D．Because children with animals may develop allergies easily． |
Compared with children who have pets，those who haven’t ______.
| A．will lose the chance to develop immune system |
| B．will reduce the harm from bacteria |
| C．may suffer allergic diseases more often |
| D．can keep doctors away |
The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.
| A．the early life | B．an allergic disease |
| C．something important | D．immune system |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to protect your kids from allergies |
| B．Bacteria do good to your kids |
| C．Your pets may be helping your kids |
| D．Advantages of owning pets |
I was very sympathetic with world leaders burdened with resolving conflicts between nations. When my three children were young, in most days it was hard to keep my house from becoming a war zone. It got worse as they grew older. Three years ago, Zack, then 16, couldn’t make it through a day without playing tricks on his sisters, Alex and Taryn, then 11 and 9.
My husband and I tried to understand his adolescent moodiness. We begged, reasoned, punished, and left heartfelt notes on his bed about how his behavior was hurting our family. His response was a shrug and “I say it because it’s true”.
I even tried telling the girls to fight back. But it was a bad idea. Now I had three kids at war. At wit’s end, I poured my heart out to my sister in an e-mail. She wrote back, “Don’t e-mail me. E-mail him.”
Our son was online every day, mailing and instantly messaging his friends. So what if I was within shouting distance? Maybe he would actually hear me this way. There’d be no yelling or door slamming（猛然关闭）. Zack wouldn’t feel under attack. And with a few simple keystrokes, he could respond. Or not. Zack didn’t reply for days. When he finally did, his entire message was four words. I expected the worst, but then smiled when I read them, ”You are right. I’m sorry.” The kids still fought, of course, but Zack scaled back the abuse (恶习). Best of all, I now have an effective way to communicate with not one but three easily annoyed teens. They don’t tune me out as much. They don’t like to listen to me nag (唠叨) .Or as Alex says, “You’re so much nicer online.”
All I know is that the house is quiet, and we’re talking. In fact, Taryn just instantly messaged me from upstairs. It’s time to take her to softball practice.The purpose of this passage is to tell us _________ .
| A．how to solve family problems |
| B．how a mother shows her love to her children |
| C．how to treat kids in a more sensible way |
| D．the value of understanding between parents and children |
By the first sentence of the passage, the author really means to be_______.
| A．humourous | B．sympathetic |
| C．serious | D．inspiring |
How did Zack react when the author first tried to stop his bad behavior？
| A．He was annoyed and got worse. |
| B．He talked back to the author. |
| C．He felt sorry and changed. |
| D．He was persuaded and acted politely. |
阅读理解
（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Marek was a farmer who lived in a village far away. One day he became very ill, and everyone thought he would die. They sent for a doctor, who arrived two days later and examined the sick man. The doctor asked for a pen and some paper to write down the name of the medicine. But there was no pen or paper in the village, because no one could read or write.
The doctor picked up a piece of burnt wood from the fire. Using the wood, he wrote the name of the medicine on the door of the house. "Get this medicine for him," he said,"and he will soon get better."
Marek's family and friends did not know what to do. They could not read the strange writing. Then the village baker had an idea. He took off the door of the house, put it on his cart and drove to the nearest town. He bought the medicine, and Marek was soon well again. He would not let anyone wash the magic words away from the door.People in the village thought Marek would die since .
| A．he was seldom ill |
| B．he was seriously ill |
| C．he was badly wounded |
| D．doctor could do nothing for him |
It took the doctor two days to reach the village because .
| A．he didn't like to go to the village |
| B．he had to prepare some medicine |
| C．the village was far from the town |
| D．there was an accident on his way to the village |
When the doctor arrived, he .
| A．gave Marek a careful check up |
| B．gave the medicine to Marek |
| C．became very tired and took a rest |
| D．became very angry |
The doctor wanted after the careful examination.
| A．a cup of tea |
| B．a pen and some paper |
| C．to light a fire |
| D．the door of the house |
On what did the doctor write the name of the medicine?
| A．Floor. | B．A piece of burnt wood. |
| C．A piece of paper. | D．The door of the house. |
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。 （共5小题，每小题2分，共10分）
Today, millions of people want to learn or improve their English, but ‘it’ is difficult to find the best method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or to study in your own country?
The advantages of going to Britain seem obvious. Firstly, you will be able to listen to the language all the time you are in the country. You will be surrounded completely by the language wherever you go. Another advantage is that you have to speak the language if you are with other people.
On the other hand, of staying at home to study. You don’t have to make big changes to your life. As well as this,it is also a lot cheaper than going to Britain.
So I think that if you have enough time and enough money, the best choice is to spend some time in the UK. But this is not possible for most people, so the most important thing to do in this situation is to catch your opportunities: to speak only English in class and to try to use English whenever possible outside the class.What is the text mainly about?（no more than 10 words）
Please complete the sentence according to the the passage. (no more than 3 words)
The English language will surround you completely ____________________.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words. （no more than 8 words）
What suggestion does the author give to those who learn English in their own country?（no more than 15 words）
What does the underlined word ‘it’ in paragraph 1 refer to ?(no more than 5words).
Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to friends. They tell your friends what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with problems. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend for help can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends; you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.Some friendships don’t last long because __________.
| A．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| B．those who receive no friendship from others never give others friendships |
| C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others |
| D．they don’t know friendship is something serious |
According to the passage honesty is __________.
| A．something countable |
| B．the base of friendship |
| C．as important as money |
| D．more important than anything else |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
What is the first step to solve the problem?__________.
| A．Turning to a friend for help |
| B．Thinking about it by ourselves |
| C．Making a plan |
| D．Talking about the problem |
The best title of this passage is __________.
| A．Honesty Is the Best Policy |
| B．A Friend In Need Is a Friend Indeed |
| C．How To Be a good Friend |
| D．Three Important Points In Life |