Being bored can encourage people's creativity-partly to escape the horrible, frustrated. And meaningless feeling of boredom-recent studies find. It could even be true at work.
Psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire had participants copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes,while others went straight into a standard creativity task.
Both groups were asked to come up with as many different uses as they could for a plastic cup. The group that felt more bored came up with more uses.
Dr. Sandi Mann, one of the study's authors said. " Boredom at work has always been seen as
something to he removed. hut perhaps we should be welcoming it in order to encourage our creativity. What we want LO do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work-or do they go homeand write novels?"
In a later study, Dr. Sandi Mann found that creativity was reduced when people were still bored but didn't have the chance to daydream.
While we tend to think of boredom as something; that certainly leads to trouble-drinking, gambling. and antisocial behavior, this research suggests differer possibilities.
More than anything, the feeling of boredom is a 8trong signal that we are stuck in some kind of rut and we need to seek out new goals. In the study above, this research led participants to new ideas.
Usually people will do anything to avoid being bored. as it's such an aversive experience. But creative people, like writers, sometimes talk ahout seeking out boredom.
Here is the comedy writer Graham Linehan talking about boredom Lo The Cuardian. "I have to use all these programs that cut off the Internet,force me to be bored, because being bored is an essential part of writing, and the Internet has made it very hard to be bored. The creative process requires a period of boredom ,of being stuck. That's actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer's block, but it's actually just part of a long process. "
So, when you start to feel bored , instead of g7ancing at your smartphone.,try being bored for a bit. Who knows what creative thought might come of it?From the study of Dr. Sandi Mann, we can learn that__ .
| A．boring tasks make people creative |
| B．daydreaming may increase creativity |
| C．plastic cups can be used very creatively |
| D．copying numbers might be very interesting |
The underlined word "aversive" in Paragraph 8 probably means _
| A．common. | B．unpleasant |
| C．unusual | D．personal |
According to Craham Linehan. .
| A．glancing at a smartphone is a solulion. |
| B．he is forced to feel bored by the Internet |
| C．the boredom period is a block for writers |
| D．being stuck for a period benefits him a lot |
What is the author's attitude towards boredom?
| A．Critical. | B．Cautious. |
| C．Positive | D．Unclear. |
第二部分:阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下面短文,从A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A
How Americans Began to Eat Tomatoes
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.
36. After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?
A. Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.
B. Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.
C. Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.
D. In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.
37. The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes___.
A. while he was in ParisB. when he was a little boy
C. because his parents told him so D. from books
38. According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?
A. the President himself B. a French cook
C. the President’s cookD. the President’s wife
39. From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were .
A. people from other countries B. from France
C. people of his own country D. men only
40. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes.
B. All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice.
C. All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice.
D. None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
D
Sure, it’s good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more pleasant.
And yes, it’s good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it’s smart to learn how to relate to the different types of people you’ll meet throughout your life.
But really, there’s one super-important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do, “learning bursts right open,” says Evelyn Vuko, a longtime teacher who writes an education column called “Teacher Says” for the Washington Post newspaper.
In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they’re more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems, such as problems with learning or school issues, such as bullying(欺负人).
As a kid in a primary or middle school, you’re at a wonderful stage in your life. You’re like a sponge(海绵), able to soak up lots of new and exciting information. On top of that, you’re able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows that, and in most cases, is very excited to be the person who’s giving you all that material and helping you put it together. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you’re open to what they’re teaching you. That’s why they wanted to be teachers in the first place --- to teach!
Some kids may be able to learn in any situation, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren’t going well, they won’t learn as well and won’t enjoy being in class.
67. In the passage, the teacher mainly talks about _____.
A. how to get along well with teachers
B. the importance of a good relation with teachers
C. how much the students are expected of to get along with teachers
D. how to make the time in the classroom more pleasant
68. “Learning bursts right open” in the third paragraph really means _____.
A. learning becomes easier for you at once
B. you find an opening to learning
C. there’ll be more problems with learning
D. there’ll be no problems with learning.
69. According to the passage, which of the following offers the best reasoning?
A. You are getting on well with your teachers, so you have more questions than others.
B. You find it comfortable to ask questions, so you can build a good relationship with teachers.
C. You have a good relationship with teacher, so you can turn to him/ her when in trouble.
D. You are in trouble, so you can build a good relationship with teachers.
70. Which of the comments is FALSE on teachers and their work according to the passage?
A. Teachers are exited even if you wouldn’t like to accept their teaching.
B. Teachers sometimes have the same feelings as students do.
C. Though few there are still some students who can learn even if they don’t like the teacher.
D. Having a bad relationship with your teachers does more or less harm to your studies.
C
Scientists used to explore on the surface of the ocean. Now they are exploring below the surface, too. They want to know about ocean water and the plant and animal life deep in the ocean.
In 1934 the scientist William Beebe dived 3,000 feet below the surface in a hollow steel ball. In 1935 August Piccard dived 10, 330 feet. In 1960 his son Jean dived to a depth of 35,800 feet.
All these early dives were deep. But the divers could not stay down for very long. They had to come back up to the surface after a few seconds. Scientists needed to stay down longer to study life below the surface. Gradually they succeeded. Cousteau, a Frenchman, was able to keep men down to a depth of 36 feet for one month and to a depth of 90 feet for a week.
Now scientists are developing even better equipment. With this new equipment, men can stay below the surface for days or even weeks. In 1962 Cousteau set up a research station 35 feet below the surface. Then in 1964 he set up another station on the ocean floor of the Red Sea. This was the first undersea station to operate without help from the surface.
Many countries are now studying undersea living things. The former Soviet Union had an undersea laboratory in the Crimean Sea. The United States has a laboratory 50 feet down on the ocean floor off the Virgin Islands. In 1970 five men lived there for two weeks. Then a team of five women scientists stayed in the laboratory. Next came other teams of men. All were there to explore the ocean depths and to make plans for the use of its resources. Scientists hope to find enough mineral, vegetable, and animal wealth there to provide food for the entire world.
64. In order to _____, scientists are exploring below the surface of the ocean.
A. know about the ocean water deep in the ocean
B. know about the plant and animal life deep in the ocean
C. stay down longer to study life of the plant and animal below the surface
D. both A and B
65. Who set up the first undersea station?
A. A Frenchman B. An American
C. A Russian D. The passage made no mention
66. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Nobody can stay below the surface of the ocean.
B. The early divers could not stay below the surface of the ocean for very long.
C. The purpose of setting up the undersea laboratories is to make plans for the use of the resources in the ocean.
D. Up to now only five women scientists have stayed in the undersea laboratory.
B
Chinese sword play
Learn Chinese swordsmanship and practice Chinese sword play under the instruction of a professional in Ditan Park every Sunday afternoon.
Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)
Time/Date: 2 pm --- 3:30 pm, October 10.
Place: Meet at the south gate of Ditan Park, across the overpass north of the Lama Temple, Chaoyang District.
Tel: 8457-2772
See Lu Xun’s former residence
Visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun, the father of Chinese modern literature, and learn about this period of Chinese history, from 1910 to the late 1930’s.
Fee: 50 yuan(US$ 6)
Time/Date: 2:30 pm --- 4:30 pm, October 16
Place: Meet in front of Lu Xun’s Museum, Fuchengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 6432-9341
Hike on Heifengkou Great Wall
Heifengkou Great Wall is about one and a half hours’ drive north of Beijing. The hike starts from the village at the foot of the mountain where the Great Wall meanders to the top.
Fee: 150 yuan(US$ 18) for adults, 100 yuan(US$ 12) for kids under 12.
Time/Date: 8:30 am --- 5:30 pm, October 16
Pick-up: Meet at 8:30 am in front of the Big Easy, at the South Gate of Chaoyang Park, returning by 5:30 pm.
Contact Lucy at lucy @ highclub. cn, or 6553-3920 for signing up.
Tai Chi class
This is a beginner’s level of Chen-style Tai Chi class, instructed by Paul Wang, who speaks excellent English and has a lot of experience teaching Westerners. He is the 12th generation master of Chen-Style Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword, and Shaolin Temple longquan.
Time/Date: 10 am --- 11:30 am, October 12.
Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)
Place: In front of Jintai Gallery, inside the West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6432-9341
Contact Gina at linshujuan@chinadaily. com. cn.
60. The underline word “residence” in the second text possibly refers to ______ .
A. a work B. a famous person C. a park D. a house
61. If John wants to learn Chinese sword play, he may go to _____.
A. Ditan Park at 2 pm --- 3:30 pm, October 10
B. Fuchengmennei Dajie at 2:30 pm --- 4:30 pm, October 16
C. the South Gate of Chaoyang Park at 8:30 am
D. Chaoyang Park at 10 am --- 11:30 am, October 12.
62. If you are free from 10:00 am --- 11:30 am, you may go to _____.
A. learn Chinese sword play
B. hike on Heifengkou Great Wall
C. visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun
D. take the Tai Chi class
63. In which section of the newspaper can you find the information above?
A. Sports. B. Entertainment. C. Advertisements. D. Brief
第三部分：阅读理解
第一节阅读下列短文，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。（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分）
A
It was midnight in Paris and we were rolling toward Avenue Bosguet. As we came to the Pont Alexandra Ⅲ, the taxi slowed down, for the traffic light was red against us, and then, without stopping, we sailed through the red in a sudden burst of speed. The same performance was repeated at the Alma Bridge. As I paid the driver, I asked him why he had driven through two red lights.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, breaking the law and endangering your life that way ,” I protested.
He looked at me, astonished. “Ashamed of myself? I am a law abiding(守法的)citizen and have no desire to get killed either.” He cut me off before I could protest.
“No, just listen to me before you complain .What did I do? Went through a red light. Well, did you ever stop to consider what a red light is, what it means?”
“Certainly,” I replied. “It’s a stop signal and means that traffic is rolling in the opposite direction.”
“Half-right,” said the driver, “but in
complete. It’s only an automatic stop signal. And it does not mean that there is cross traffic. Did you see any cross traffic during our trip? Of course not. I slowed down at the light, looked carefully to the right and to the left. Not another car on the street at this hour. Well, then! What would you have me do? Should I stop like a stupid animal because an automatic, brainless machine turns red every forty seconds? No, sir,” he shouted. “I am a man, not a machine. I have eyes and a brain and judgment, given me by God. Ashamed of myself, you say? I would only be ashamed of myself if I let those blinking lamps do my thinking for me. Good night ,sir.”
Is this bad, is this good? Frankly I am no longer sure...
56. At the Alma Bridge,_________.
A. the writer stopped the taxi and paid the driver
B. the taxi went through a red light again
C. there was a performance the writer had already watched
D. the writer began to criticize the driver
57. To the taxi driver, a red light_________.
A. was not a stop signal
B. should not work at midnight
C. sometimes made mistakes in judgment
D. didn’t always mean that there was cross traffic
58. The main reason the driver dared to drive through the red light was that______.
A. he found there was no cross traffic there at that time
B. he thought it a shame to be controlled by a machine
C. he knew no other driver w
ould see him at this hour
D. he didn’t trust any brainless machine
59. According to the passage, the driver thought what he had done was________.
A. law abiding（守法的）B .lawbreaking
C. something to be proud of D .something to be ashamed of