If you are looking for a creative solution to a piece of work or a school assignment，don’t lock yourself up in a quiet room.
A new study suggests that moderate background noise is a better spur(动力) to creative thinking than the sound of silence，Time magazine reported.
A paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research says that the perfect working environment should buzz(嗡嗡作响)with a little noise.
Researchers found that test subjects were at their most creative when background noise was measured at 70 decibels，the level one might find in a busy coffee shop.
A nearly silent environment(50 decibels)was too quiet. Turning up the volume to 85 decibels (a jackhammer tearing up the pavement outside your building) was counterproductive-the noise became a distraction.
The researchers asked 65 students at the University of British Columbia，Canada，to perform various creative tasks while noises recorded at a roadside restaurant were played in the background.
In one experiment，scientists asked participants to brainstorm ideas for a new type of mattress(气垫). Test subjects had the most successful discussions when the noise in the background was noticeable but not too loud.
While a quiet environment may make it easier to read a book. the authors of the study say that moderate background noise creates just enough of a distraction to force people to think more imaginatively, without breaking their focus so completely that they can’t think at all.
Should we all head for Starbucks to get creative? Not necessarily.
Researchers found limited work time surrounded by the low-level noise of a coffeehouse is what really stimulates creativity.
Equally, working in a care environment isn’t good for everybody. The productivity boost was most obvious among those who were naturally creative to begin with.The recommended level of background noise is__________.
| A．50 decibels | B．65 decibels |
| C．70 decibels | D．85 decibels |
Why is moderate background noise good for creativity?
| A．It relaxes people and stops them from getting bored. |
| B．It can help people to focus on a subject. |
| C．It can absorb sudden noises that cause distraction. |
| D．It pushes people to use their imagination but doesn’t reach a level that disturbs them. |
According to the last three paragraphs，___________.
| A．the low—level noise of a coffeehouse may be too loud for some people to work with |
| B．if a person is not a creative type, then background noise may not be of so much help to them |
| C．a person’s own creative ability is as important as the environment they are in |
| D．working in a coffeehouse is effective for most people |
Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?
| A．Negative. | B．Objective. |
| C．Enthusiastic. | D．Doubtful. |
The coyote (丛林狼) , that clever animal of wide-open spaces, has come to the nation’s capital. In fact, coyotes have spread to every corner of the United States, changing their behaviors to fit new environments and causing researchers to deal with a troublesome new kind of creature：the city coyote.
The coyote originally lived in the middle of the continent. One of its most obvious characters is its smartness, which has made the animal a notorious (臭名昭著的) pest. Hunters trapped, shot and poisoned more than a million coyotes in the 1900s. It’s still one of America’s most-hunted animals. Yet the coyote has survived. How has the coyote shown this extraordinary ability? “I guess if you wanted to use one word, it’d be ‘plasticity’ , ” says Erie Gese, an expert at Utah State University. Coyotes can live alone, in pairs, or in large packs like wolves, hunt at night or during the day, occupy a small region or an area up to 40 square miles, and live on all sorts of food, from lizards (蜥蜴) and shoes, to ants and melons.
Unbelievably people helped coyotes increase when they killed most of the wolves in the United States. The spreading of coyotes into city areas, though, is recent. They travel at night, crossing sidewalks and bridges, running along roads and ducking into culverts (钻入洞) and underpasses. No one knows why coyotes are moving into cities, but experts explain that cleverer, more human-tolerant (不怕人的) coyotes are teaching urban survival skills to new generations.
Occasionally, coyotes might attack human beings. There have been about 160 attacks on people in recent years. Therefore, people have been consistently told not to feed coyotes or leave pet food unsecured. That, plus a large trapping program in the neighborhood, has cut down on the coyote population.The underlined word “plasticity” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.
| A．the ability to fit the environment | B．notorious smartness |
| C．hunting ability | D．being human - tolerant |
The aim of the passage is to ________.
| A．tell people how to fight against coyotes |
| B．tell us why the coyote is the most hunted animal |
| C．supply the reason why the coyote is a kind of notorious pest |
| D．explain how the coyote has spread to and survived in cities |
According to the passage, coyotes ________.
| A．originally lived in the west of the continent |
| B．sleep during the day but look for food at night |
| C．are teaching survival skills to their younger generations |
| D．suffered a population decrease because people killed wolves |
According to the passage, to cut down on the coyote population, people are advised to ________.
| A．leave pet food secured | B．keep coyotes in small regions |
| C．force coyotes to live alone | D．avoid using trapping programs |
Play is the basic business of childhood, and in recent years research has shown the great importance of play in the development of a human being. From earliest infancy (婴儿), every child needs opportunity and right materials for play, and the main tools of play are toys. The main function of toys is to suggest, encourage and play. To succeed in this, they must be good toys, which children will play with often, and will come back again and again. Therefore, it is important to choose suitable toys for different stages of a child’s development.
In recent years research on infant development has shown that the standard a child is likely to reach, within the range of his inherited abilities, is largely determined in the first three years of his life. So a baby’s ability to benefit from the right play materials should not be underestimated. A baby who is encouraged, talked to and shown things and played with, has the best chance of growing up successfully.
In the next stage, from three to five years old, curiosity knows no bounds. Every type of suitable toys should be made available to the child, for trying out, experimenting and learning, for discovering his own particular ability: Bricks and jigsaws and construction toys; painting, scribbling and making things; sand and water play; toys for imaginative and pretending play—the first social games for learning to play and get on with others.
But at the third stage of play development—from five to seven or eight years old— the child is at school. But for a few more years play is still the best way of learning, at home or at school. It is easier to see which type of toys the child most enjoys.
Until the age of seven or eight, play and work mean much the same to a child. But once reading has been mastered, then books become the main source of learning. Toys are still interesting and valuable, which lead up to new hobbies, but their significance has changed — to a child of nine or ten years old, toys and games mean, as to adults, relaxation and fun.According to the first passage we know that as a child grows up, ______.
| A．he should be allowed to choose his own toys |
| B．he should be given the same toys |
| C．he should be given fewer and fewer toys |
| D．he should be given different toys |
According to the passage, the abilities a child has inherited from his parents ______.
| A．determine his character |
| B．will not change after the age of three |
| C．partly determined the standard he is likely to reach |
| D．to a large extent determine the choice of toys |
We learn from the passage that a child has boundless curiosity ______.
| A．when he is two | B．when he is around four |
| C．when he is six | D．when he is eight |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．the role of play in a child’s development |
| B．the importance of schooling |
| C．the importance of pre-school education |
| D．the choice of toys for youngster |
TYPING
This course is for those who want to learn to type, as well as those who want to improve their typing. The course is not common. You are tested in the first class and begin practicing at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper.
Course fee: $ 125 Materials: $25
Two hours each evening for two weeks. New classes begin every two weeks.
This course is taught by a number of qualified business education teachers who have successfully taught typing courses before.
UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS
This twelve-hour course is for people who do not know very much about computers, but who need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can’t do and how to use them.
Course fee: $75 Equipment fee: $ 10
Jan. 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, Wed. & Sat. 9—11:30 a.m.
Joseph Saunders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twenty years of experience in the computer field.
STOP SMOKING
Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now is the time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking, and this twelve-hour course will help you do it.
Course fee: $30
Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23 Mon. 2—5 p. m.
Dr John Good is a practicing psychologist who had helped hundreds of people stop smoking.If you choose the UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS course, you will have classes _______.
| A．from Monday to Sunday | B．from Monday to Friday |
| C．on Wednesday and Saturday | D．on Saturday and Sunday |
Mr. Black works every morning and evening, but he wants to take part in one of the three courses. The most probable course he will attend is ______.
| A．typing | B．understanding computers |
| C．stop smoking | D．any of the courses |
If you want to learn computer and at the same time you want to improve your typing, you will pay _______.
| A．$ 75 | B．$ 15 | C．$ 115 | D．$ 235 |
The typical difference of “Typing” from the other two is that ______.
| A．people with different skill levels may learn at different speeds |
| B．you will take a test after the course |
| C．you will pay the fee before practicing |
| D．you will pay less money |
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle （婴儿包）was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me — a f-…freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft（移植）on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated,” the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. “But I must know!” he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket（棺材）. Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.The story is mainly about _______.
| A．how a boy had new ears through an operation |
| B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child |
| C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person |
| D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy |
The underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “_______”.
| A．slow-acting person | B．good-looking child |
| C．badly-behaved student | D．strangely-shaped creature |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The agreement was between the donator and the family. |
| B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president. |
| C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was. |
| D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died. |
What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
| A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known. |
| B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul. |
| C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance. |
| D．It is a virtue（美德）for young generations to learn to be grateful. |
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet
Explanation of Contents
This is the fourth edition of these pages. It is hard to believe, but once again they are new and improved. My motive in publishing these pages remains to help and stimulate others in Shakespeare studies, and especially those who might contribute their work to the Internet. The spirit of altruism (利他主义) that originally built the Internet is not quite gone, though, sadly, through the pressure of time and profit has lessened.
A major new addition to the pages is a Shakespeare Timeline, which is an online biography mounted at this site. The problems with searching for Shakespeare resources using the available Search Engines are:
---- It is difficult to focus most searches so that you get a manageable number of relevant hits;
---- It is impossible by simply reading an abstract to make any distinction between the output of a Junior High School student and that of a professional researcher.
Another change in these pages over previous editions is the “What’s News” page. If you come away from these pages with the feeling that they are very useful but slightly pedantic (学究的), I will have realized my goal.
An Apology
I am continually apologizing to the many who have written me requesting revisions of the pages. We are all too busy. I simply have not had the time to dedicate to these pages that I wish. But I love the material and so have, at long last, made some time to update them.
A Reminder to Young Students
These pages contain the best links I can find to Shakespeare on the Internet. As a reminder, I would say I very much enjoy hearing from people who view and use these pages. If you want to do Shakespeare research using the web, this page is a great starting point, and I keep it as current as I can. The web is in its infancy in bringing good, scholarly content to students. Don’t forget the best, if not quickest, resources are still in your library.
57. The passage is written to ____.
A. introduce the fourth edition of these pages
B. make an apology to readers
C. show off these pages to readers
D. let Shakespeare researchers buy these pages
58. Which of the following is the new addition to the pages?
A. The writer’s apology.
B. Search Engines.
C. A Shakespeare Timeline.
D. Receiving readers’ e-mails.
59. When searching for Shakespeare resources using Search Engines, you ____.
A. will waste some time in finding what you want
B. can easily recognize what the abstract means
C. will often come into the “What’s News” pages
D. will find something special on your computers
60. Which of the following can best conclude the last paragraph?
A. The writer will often read letters from those who use these pages.
B. The writer of the passage is very selfish.
C. The web was just created four years ago
D. Shakespeare researchers should first of all refer to these pages.