People have been listening to music to get in the mood for hundreds of years. Recently, there is scientific research to back up what we have always known about music. The studies have shown that when people are excited or happy they are more helpful. The opposite happens when people feel aggressive(好斗的) or under stress. The use of music can influence how helpful people can be.
Dr Adrian North made a study with 256 university students. Half the group took exercise in the gymnasium listening to music which can bring happiness and the other half exercised to aggressive music. When leaving the gym, the students were asked to hand out flyers (传单) in support of the local disabled athlete’s foundation.
The results showed that nearly half of the group that listened to happy music were willing to hand out flyers. But in the group that heard the aggressive music, less than 20% were willing. This study suggests that our choice of music can influence our willingness to cooperate(合作).
While a study also shows that productivity (生产效率) can increase with the right choice of background music in the workplace. As music stimulates (刺激) workers’ minds, job satisfaction is often positively influenced. Other studies have shown that workers who are in a good mood report more job satisfaction than those in a bad mood.
These studies show that music can have a powerful influence on a person’s ability to cooperate. Moods have a direct influence on cooperation and job satisfaction, etc. These factors also have a direct relationship to the success of a business.The underlined words “back up” in the paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．support | B．leave | C．refuse | D．compare |
In the studies mentioned in the passage, music is used to _____.
| A．express people’s ideas | B．change people’s moods |
| C．improve people’s health | D．show people’s love of arts |
According to the passage, people who are in a good mood _____.
| A．can understand the music | B．have a good taste in music |
| C．might do well in their work | D．are influenced by others |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．effort and success | B．music and science |
| C．work and life | D．music and mood |
For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain. Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things?
Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices. Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home. The $299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound.
The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity. The font（字体） is highly readable and adjustable by size. Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages. And you can connect it to your PC to download books.
Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain. For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails（零售） for $15.19 at the Sony site, while Amazon（卓越网） will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for $16.19.
The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music. So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many bibliophiles, a lot. Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging. You can write notes in the margins, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves.
The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material. Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today.
1．What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The age of the electronic book reader is coming
B. Printed books are out of date
C. The Sony reader meets many readers’ needs
D. The revolution in book readers
2．According to the passage, the Sony book reader _________.
A. is as light as a laptop computer B. can hold more than 200 books
C. is convenient to carry around D. cannot be connected to a PC
3．What is the author’s point when he mentions “Stone Cold”?
A. Amazon’s printed books are very cheap
B. “Stone Cold” can be got from the Sony site and Amazon
C. The Sony book reader is not very cheap to use
D. The Sony book reader can benefit its buyers a lot
4．The underlined word “bibliophiles” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. music lovers B. book lovers
C. electronic reading devices D. Sony readers
5．According to the author, what’s the future for the electronic reading devices?
A. They’ll replace printed newspapers and magazines
B. They’ll still be more expensive than printed newspapers
C. They’ll become a must in people’s daily life
D. They’ll become more popular as time goes on
Nearly everyone is shy in some ways. If shyness is making you uncomfortable, it may be time for a few lessons in self-confidence. You can build your confidence by following some suggestions from doctors and psychologists.
Make a decision not to hold back in conversations. What you have to say is just as important as what other people say. And don’t turn down party invitations just because of your shyness.
Prepare yourself for being with others in groups. Make a list of the good qualities you have. Then make a list of ideas, experiences, and skills you would like to share with other people. Think about what you would like to say in advance. Then say it.
If you start feeling self-conscious in a group, take a deep breath and focus your attention on other people. Remember, you are not alone. Other people are concerned about the impression they are making, too.
No one ever gets over being shy completely, but most people do learn to live with their shyness. Even entertainers admit that they often feel shy. They work at fighting their shy feelings so that they can face the cameras and the public. Just making the effort to control shyness can have many rewards. But perhaps the best reason to fight shyness is to give other people a chance to know more about you.
15．The main purpose of the article is to ________.
A. explain how shyness developed
B. prove that shyness can overcome
C. persuade readers that shyness is natural
D. recommend ways of dealing with shyness
16．Which of these can you conclude from reading the article?
A. The attempt to overcome shyness is always worthwhile.
B. Entertainers choose their work to fight shyness.
C. The attempt to overcome shyness is always successful.
D. Shy people never have any fen.
17．What is the source of the suggestions for fighting shyness?
A. The author of the article. B. Shy men and women.
C.Popular entertainers. D. doctors and psychologists.
18. Where would this article probably appear?
A. On the front page of a newspaper. B. In a popular magazine.
C. In a science textbook. D. In an encyclopedia(百科全书)。
China's largest water diversion project may start supplying water to Shandong Province by 2007 and Beijing by 2010, an official confirmed Tuesday.
The worsening water shortage in the two areas, caused by decades of drought, may be alleviated with water from the mighty Yangtze River in the South which will be diverted into the parched North, he said.
The water diversion project consists of three 1,300-kilometre canals that will carry water from the Yangtze along the eastern, middle and western parts of the country.
Zhang Jiyao, director of the State Council's office in charge of the South-to-North Project, told a national conference that ground will be broken in more places along two of the lines of the ambitious water diversion scheme, the largest of its kind in the world.
Before next year's flood season, construction of four new sections along the two lines will push the project further along the fast track. That would bring the total sections under construction to 13, since construction started in 2002 with an estimated investment of 124 billion Yuan (about US$15 billion).
When finished, the two water diversion canals will be capable of transferring 13.4 billion cubic meters of water a year.
11．China's largest water diversion project is being constructed to__________.
A. supply water to Shandong Province.
B. remove the worsening water shortage in Beijing.
C. alleviate the shortage of water in the North.
D. break ground in more places.
12. From the whole passage we can infer that__________.
A. the water diversion project is the biggest in China, but not in the world.
B. the water diversion project is the largest both in China and in the world.
C. the project will cost 124 billion dollars.
D. the project will be finished by 2010.
13. When finished, ________.
A. the project will solve the water problem once and for all.
B. the project will supply 13.4 billion cubic meters of water a year.
C. the shortage of water in the North will be alleviated.
D. the drought in Beijing and Shandong province will disappear.
14. According to the passage, which one is true?
A. The shortage of water in the North is only because there are too many people.
B. The whole project will be completed by the year 2010.
C. The total sections under construction will be 13 till the whole project is finished.
D. The whole water diversion project is made up of three canals.
Prisoner Mitchell King had a visitor— his wife. King was serving a six-year prison term in Auckland, New Zealand for armed robbery. But his wife didn’t want to be away from him for that long. So they held hands and they stuck. She’s rubbed her palms with super glue.
Their new-found closeness was short-lived. And their separation painful. Her technique is not one I'd recommend(introduce) for a closer relationship.
But if you want more closeness; if you desire relationships that are deeper and broader, more meaningful and longer-lasting, then remember the word "TRAVEL."
T is for TRUST. Trust is the glue that holds people together (not Super Glue). A relationship will go nowhere without it.
R is for RESPECT. "Do not save your loving speeches for your friends till they are dead; speak them rather now instead," writes Anna Cummins. It's about respecting others and letting them know that you value them.
A is for AFFECTION. Sometimes affection means love. Sometimes it means a touch. Always it means kindness.
V is for VULNERABILITY(harm). Though we may feel afraid to let another too close, no relationship will go anywhere without risking vulnerability. Entrepreneur Jim Rohn says, "The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy." And the love.
E is for EMOTIONAL INTIMACY(亲密). Learn to be open. Learn to communicate freely. What kinds of relationships you make are largely determined by how openly you have learned to communicate.
L is for LAUGHTER. Victor Borge got it right when he said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." It's also the most enjoyable.
For relationships that can really go somewhere, just remember the word "TRAVEL." Then enjoy the trip!
6．The author intends to _________ by showing us the example in Paragraph One.
A. condemn the wife for her silly behavior
B. introduce new ways for closer relationships
C. tell us King and his wife would never be separated
D. encourage us to follow the wife’s technique
7．The underlined word “it” in Paragraph Four refers to?
A. Trust. B. Glue. C. Closeness. D. TRAVEL
8．Which of the following agrees with what Jim Rohn says?
A. Walls should be built to keep out the sadness.
B. It’s unnecessary to avoid vulnerability for closer relationships.
C. Love will be kept out if you let another too close.
D. We shouldn’t let another too close because of vulnerability.
9．What does Victor Borge really mean by his word in the ninth paragraph?
A. Laughter will keep the shortest distance.
B. Laughter will make a closer relationship.
C. No relationship will go without laughter.
D. Laughter is necessary to make friends.
10．What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Relationships. B. The story of a prisoner.
C. A technique for good relationships. D. Tips on closer relationships.
Everyone agrees that it’s necessary to reduce carbon emissions （排放物） around the world. There is less agreement over exactly how nations should go about achieving a more carbon - free planet. Thus, the environmental equivalent: cap – and – trade carbon emissions, or place a carbon tax on all users?
With cap – and – trade programs, governments limit the level of carbon produced by an industry. Companies that hold their emissions below the cap can sell their remaining allowance on a carbon market, while companies that go beyond their limit must purchase credits on that market. Carbon taxes are more straightforward: a set tax rate is placed on the consumption of carbon with the idea that raising the price will encourage industries and individuals to consume less. At the moment, cap – and – trade has the upper hand, but doesn’t defeat the tax just yet.
Supporters of the tax argue that a cap – and – trade system would be too difficult to administer – and too easily gamed by industries looking to sidestep emissions caps. Cap – and – trade advocates contradict that like all other flat taxes, a carbon collection would relatively burden lower – income families, who spend a greater percentage of their income on energy than rich households.
So which system will have a larger effect on carbon consumption? A 10% carbon tax might reduce the demand for carbon about 5 % or less, according to an analysis by the Carbon Tax Center, an environmental advocacy group. That may not be enough. Businesses and governments haven’t figured out how the two competing systems can work together, but in the end, the world may need both.
1. The passage focuses on_________.
A. programs of collecting taxes
B. systems of reducing carbon emissions
C. reasons for reducing carbon emissions
D. contradictions between the two systems
2. According to the cap – and – trade program, companies_________.
A. are forbidden to produce carbon emissions
B. are allocated the same amount of carbon consumption
C. can sell their remaining allowance within their limits
D. can sell the extra amount of carbon at a higher price
3. Carbon taxes work by _________.
A. burdening well – off families
B. encouraging industries to consume carbon
C. raising the price for carbon consumption
D. limiting the carbon consumption of industries only
4. The underlined word “cap” in the second paragraph most likely refers to_________.
A. limit B. credit C. level D. rate
5. We can learn from the passage_________.
A. carbon taxes are difficult to carry out
B. cap – and – trade plays a greater role at present
C. cap – and – trade will be preferable in the future
D. carbon taxes will be preferable in the future