Saying no starts small
“All right then — just one more piece...” Words every girl has said when they are faced with the delicious cheesecake. Of course, many of us know we may eat the whole thing in the end.
It isn’t just girls. Most of us find it hard to say “no” to something attractive. However, scientists now say that willpower is very important to success and a happy life.
Scientists in different countries have been studying the effects of willpower on people’s lives for a long time. The results are similar, according to an article on February 7 in the Guardian, a famous British newspaper.
In one experiment, scientists told young children that they could either have a marshmallow (圆形软糖) now, or two marshmallows in 15 minutes. Waiting obviously needed more willpower. Scientists then continued studying the children as they grew up. They wanted to see if some children always had stronger willpower. They also wanted to see how having stronger willpower affected their lives.
Years later, scientists found that the children who had waited for two marshmallows were all healthier, happier and richer adults. Oppositely, the children who had shown weaker willpower at that young age were more likely to be in low-paid jobs, to be overweight, to have social problems.
But there is hope, Roy F Baumeister, an American social psychology(心理学) professor (教授) told the Guardian. Baumeister says we can train our willpower just like we train our muscles(肌肉). Even a little practice can strengthen(加强) our overall self-control if we do it regularly.
You could start by making yourself stand up straight, speaking in complete sentences, or using a computer mouse with the other hand. Scientists have found that people who manage to change little habits often perform much better in laboratory willpower tests.
Like muscles, willpower can “get tired”. Don’t try to do too many things at the same time, or when you don’t have enough energy, for example when you are ill. If you already feel tired, you can try to recharge(恢复) your willpower with a good night’s sleep and by eating well.The example of a girl eating cheesecake is used to
A.prove that girls have weak willpower |
B.introduce the topic of willpower to the readers |
C.show that cheesecake is especially attractive to girls |
D.show the connection between willpower and success |
What can we infer from the experiment?
A.The scientists had already known the results before the experiment. |
B.It showed that willpower is the most important to success and a happy life. |
C.The children who chose to wait were more likely to be successful in their lives. |
D.The children who chose only one marshmallow at first had stronger willpower. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the training of willpower?
A.You should have a goal every day. |
B.Good rest and proper diet can help. |
C.Willpower needs to be exercised regularly. |
D.Keep willpower from being used too much. |
What is the article mainly about?
A.How willpower and muscles are similar and how they can be trained. |
B.How willpower affects people’s lives and how it is similar to muscles. |
C.How willpower is important to success and how we can make it stronger. |
D.How willpower is connected with success and how they affect each other |
“ Hello, Mrs. Black,” Peter says to his teacher on the telephone, “ Peter is ill in bed. He wants to ask for half a day’s leave ( 请半天假 ).”
“ Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” says Mrs. Black, “ But who’s that?”
“ It’s my father, Mrs. Black.” Peter is a ______.
A.middle school student | B.Young Pioneer | C.worker | D.teacher |
Peter will be in ______ next year.
A.Grade Two | B.Grade Three | C. Grade One | D.school |
Peter often reads news newspaper because _______.
A.he likes to read news |
B.he likes to read stories |
C.he want to know when and where a football match will be |
D.his father wants him to read them |
Peter wants to ask for half a day’s leave because _______.
A.his father is ill in bed |
B.he wants to watch the football match |
C.he doesn’t like to have English or Chinese lessons |
D.he is ill in bed |
Which sentence ( 句子 ) is right?
A. Mrs. Black is going to take Peter to see a doctor |
B. Peter likes to watch TV at four in the afternoon. |
C. Peter is a stupid ( 笨的 ) boy. |
D. Peter isn’t an honest ( 诚实的 ) boy. |
Do teenagers in small villages(村子) do chores at home? How about the teenagers in big cities? Here is a survey(调查). We asked 4,000 teenagers in China several questions. Half of them come from big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The others are from small villages(村子). We made a diagram(表格) of the result(结果) of our survey(调查). Let’s have a look at it. We found out that teenagers from small villages do more chores than those from big cities. Maybe it is because they live a harder life. Our advice to parents in big cities is that parents should give their children some chores to do. Doing chores teaches teenagers to take care of themselves.
Chores |
2000 teenagers in small villages |
2000 teenagers in big cities |
Take out the trash |
1600 |
1000 |
Sweep the floor |
1200 |
850 |
Make the bed |
1400 |
750 |
Do the dishes |
1100 |
600 |
Fold the clothes |
900 |
1500 |
They surveyed(调查)______ teenagers from small villages.
A.1,000 | B.2,000 | C.3,000 | D.4,000 |
There are 1,000 teenagers from the cities who ______.
A.take out the trash | B.do the dishes | C.make the bed | D.fold the clothes |
Less than ______ teenagers in big cities sweep the floor and make the bed.
A.500 | B.1,000 | C.1,500 | D.2,000 |
The number of teenagers ______ in big cities is bigger than that in small villages.
A.making the bed | B.taking out the trash |
C.folding the clothes | D.doing the dishes |
Why did they make the survey?
A.Because they don’t want teenagers in China to do chores at home. |
B.Because they thought it’ll help teenagers to take good care of themselves to do chores at home. |
C.Because they wanted to know if(是否)teenagers in China do chores at home. |
D.Because they thought it’s not necessary for teenagers to look after themselves. |
On August 18,2012, the White House workers prepared for a special group of guests(宾客). The First Lady was hosting an important lunch.
At 10:00, her guests arrived. Fifty-four children, each with a parent or grandparent, walked into the White House. The lucky guests were the winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. It was a competition created by the First Lady a few months ago. She asked kids ages 8 to 12 to think up healthy, delicious lunch recipes(食谱).Winners from across the country, one from every state, were brought to Washington, DC, for the “state dinner”.
At the start of the meal, the First Lady welcomed her guests and congratulated them on winning the competition. “You were the winner in your state――the whole state,” she said. “You guys won! Cool!” She also explained what made the recipes win. “You thought of dishes that are good for you, but more importantly, they taste good, too,” she said.
Just before the dessert time, Michelle stood up to make an announcement(宣告). “We have a special guest who wanted to stop by and say hello,” she explained. “So it’s pleasant to introduce the President of the United States.”
The president walked to each table, shaking hands with the winners and their family members. For the kids, this was the icing on the cake. “It was amazing to watch the President,” Kayla, one winner said. “His visit was a surprise and that’s a really big meal.”________________guests took part in the important lunch.
A.54 | B.108 | C.62 | D.90 |
How many winners were there in each state?
A.One | B.Two | C.Three | D.Four |
What made the recipes win according to the First Lady?
A.Being big and healthy | B.Being cheap and delicious |
C.Being healthy and delicious | D.Being expensive and healthy |
What does Paragraph(段落) 4 mainly tell us?
A.The First Lady started the important lunch. |
B.The First Lady ate with the winners. |
C.The First Lady made an announcement. |
D.The First Lady shook hands with the winners. |
The underlined phrase probably means _____________________.
A.作茧自缚 | B.走马观花 | C.叶公好龙 | D.锦上添花 |
From March 12 to 17 of each year, hundreds of clowns(小丑)get together in the Bognor Regis town, UK. They all wear tall blue hats and big red noses with colourful faces. The first International Clown Festival was in 1987, UK. All the clowns from all over the world came together to celebrate the great festival in England.
During the festival, people can see clowns from the world. They are together for the world of clown shows. They try their best to please all the people for the festival. In the shows, they have big feet, funny noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people laugh. All people for the festival can have great fun. Of course, children like this interesting festival best.
Now women can take part in the clown shows , and they are very popular. But in the old days, only men could be clowns.
There are different kinds of clowns like white faces, red faces, street clowns and clowns for children. All these clowns are popular with people. All the clowns get together __________ for the International Clown Festival.
A.in London | B.in a small town,UK |
C.all over the world | D.around the whole Europe |
The first International Clown Festival was _____________.
A.in 1987 | B.in the UK | C.both A and B | D.in London |
The festival lasts __________________.
A.a month | B.six days | C.seven days | D.five weeks |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The clowns wear in a funny way. |
B.The clowns dance in a strange way |
C.The clowns try their best to make others laugh |
D.Women clowns are not popular with people. |
Which is the best title of the article?
A.The International Clown Festival |
B.Men clowns and women clowns |
C.Different kinds of strange festival |
D.Different kinds of clowns in the festival |
It has taken him about twenty years to recycle (回收)rubbish, but at last Wu Zheng bought his wife a piano.
“It was not just an instrument, but the love from my husband,” said his wife, Xie Guizhi. “I clean the piano every day and don’t allow other people to touch it,”said Xie, 58, a retired worker in Luoyang ,Henan Province.
Wu, 68, said he made up of his mind to buy his wife a piano long ago, even though their life was poor. “My wife enjoys music and love piano vey much,” Wu said. “I dreamed of buying her a piano as early as 38 years ago when we fell in love with each other.”
Yet the cost of the piano――22,550 yuan($3,500)―― was too much for the family. To make more money to support the family, Wu decided to pick up recyclable waste after work in the early 1990s. “ I felt like I was doing some wrong things when I started to look for recyclable waste in the street,” he said. “The most worrying thing for me was meeting my colleagues.”
By collecting all kinds of wastes, Wu could get about 4,000 yuan per year and save about 1,000 of that. But he had to travel around the city twice every day for more than 10 kilometres.
“I really appreciate that my husband has done so much for me,” Xie said happily.Wu Zheng’s dream is ________________.
A.to buy his wife a piano | B.to work well |
C.to recycle rubbish to protect the environment | D.to make more money |
Wu Zheng’s wife is ____________________.
A.forty-eight years old | B.fifty-eight years old |
C.sixty-eight years old | D.seventy-eight years old |
How much is the piano?
A.¥1,000 | B.¥3,500 | C.¥4,000 | D.¥22,550 |
The underlined word “ colleagues” means_____________.
A.路人 | B.敌人 | C.同事 | D.家人 |
Which of the following is WRONG?
A.Xie Guizhi doesn’t allow other people to touch the piano. |
B.Xie Guizhi is a worker from Luoyang, Henan Province. |
C.Wu decide to make more money in the early 1990s. |
D.Wu had to travel around the city to get to work. |