A surprising new research suggests it can actually be good to feel bad at work, and that feeling good in the workplace can lead to negative outcomes.
The study of emotions in the workplace, edited by University of Liverpool researchers Dr. Lindebaum and Peter Jordan, is the topic of a Special Issue of the journal ‘Human Relations’. They found that the common belief that being positive in the workplace produces positive outcomes, while negative emotions lead to negative outcomes, may be in need for reconsideration. This is partly due to this belief failing to take into account the differences in working environment which affect outcomes.
For instance, anger does not always lead to negative outcomes and in some cases, anger can be considered a force for good through acting upon injustices. An employee, for example, could express anger constructively after a manager has treated a fellow worker unfairly. In such cases, anger can be useful. Likewise, being too positive in the workplace, rather than resulting in greater performance and productivity, can lead to self-satisfaction and being too shallow in one’s personality.
One article within the issue also finds that, within team work situation, negativity can have a good effect, leading to fewer consensuses (共识) but a further discussion or debate on an important issue among workers, which improve team effect.
Lindebaum said, “The findings of the study published in this Special Issue challenge the common belief that in the workplace positive emotions bring about a positive outcome, and vice versa(反之亦然).”
He added, “This Special Issue adds to our knowledge and understanding of how the positive and negative dynamics (动态) affect the working environment and is certain to have practical application in the workplace for the years to come.” Why did researchers of the study of emotions find that the common belief needs to be considered again?
| A．Because different people hold different attitudes towards it. |
| B．Because it doesn’t consider the differences in real working environment. |
| C．Because it has been proved to be totally wrong in real working environment. |
| D．Because it doesn’t tell the truth. |
What does the underlined word “Likewise” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Similarly | B．Differently |
| C．Extremely | D．Occasionally |
It can be inferred from what Lindebaum said in the last paragraph that ____.
| A．the findings of the study will completely change people’s belief in the end |
| B．the findings of the study will not have any influence on the workplace |
| C．the findings of the study won’t be just a theory published in the journal |
| D．the findings of the study will make us work negatively in the future |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．To Be Positive About Your Work |
| B．To Be Negative About Your Work |
| C．Negativity at Work Probably Bringing About Good Things |
| D．People Challenging the Commonly-held Belief |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING — especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value — because you are the boss.
1．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn't need power — and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50 - piece puzzle set is made of soft - edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X - ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. 
135; flaxart. com.
2．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic (磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. 
19. 95; tinylove. com.
3．ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote - control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function, which, sadly, does not include doing windows. 99; robosapienonline. com.
4．MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. 189; mininss. com (click on “gear up, ” then “Mini motoring gear”) .Which toy is said to have the special design for children's safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Which toys are fit for three - year - old kids?
| A．1 and 3. | B．2 and 4. | C．1 and 2. | D．3 and 4. |
Educational value is mentioned in all the toys EXCEPT ________.
| A．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| B．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
| C．ROBOSAPIEN |
| D．MINI PEDAL CAR |
This passage is written for ________.
| A．parents | B．children | C．the writer | D．the boss |
If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading; to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar. You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.
When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on the context to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread(主线) of the story. In all probability you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “_________”.
| A．to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book |
| B．to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book |
| C．to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you |
| D．to try to understand the main idea of the book |
When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better _________.
| A．stop and look them up in a dictionary | B．stop and think them over |
| C．try to guess their meanings from the context | D．have none of them |
From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is _____.
| A．to read very slowly | B．to read quickly and not too carefully |
| C．to read very carefully | D．to read very seriously |
The best title for this passage is “___________”.
| A．Read for Pleasure | B．Get on with the Books |
| C．Reading Skills | D．The Importance of Reading |
The World Trade Organization (WTO) founded on January 1, 1994, aims to encourage international trade to flow as freely as possible, making sure that trade agreements are respected and that any disputes (争端) can be settled.
In the five years since its founding, the WTO has become well-known as one of the world’s most powerful economic organizations, taking its place alongside the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The system of global rules for international trade, however, dates back half a century to 1948 when the General Agreement on Tariffs (关税) and Trade (GATT) was formed after World War II.
As time went by it became clear that the GATT had two major drawbacks—the limited areas of trade it covered, and the lack of an effective system to settle disputes.
After seven years of trade talks ending in 1994. the so-called Uruguay Round finally gave birth to the WTO, complete with an effective system to settle disputes and new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property (知识产权).
Even after seven years of talks and 22500 pages of agreements there were still problems, especially the difficult-to-deal-with areas of agriculture and services.
The WTO. with its head office in Geneva, has 135 members with 30 more waiting to join.Compared with the GATT, the WTO _____.
| A．can do better to settle disputes in more areas of international trade |
| B．got its members to sign the agreements more easily |
| C．has got too many areas of international trade to deal with to work effectively |
| D．didn’t pay enough attention to services and intellectual property |
In the new century the WTO will _____.
| A．take the place of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund |
| B．have new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property |
| C．make complete new rules in every area of international trade |
| D．have more members and do much more to settle more problems |
The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means _____.
| A．weak points | B．changes | C．strong points | D．improvements |
The best title for the passage is _____.
| A．WTO—Another Name for GATT |
| B．WTO—an International Service Organization |
| C．WTO—One of the World’s Strongest Economic Organizations |
| D．WTO—the World’s Most Powerful Economic Organization |
How can you find out what is going on inside a person’s body without opening the patient’s body up? Regular X rays can show a lot. CAT scans can show even more. They can give a complete view of body organs.
What is a CAT scan? CAT stands for a kind of machine. It is a special X-ray machine that gets a 360-degree picture of a small area of a patient’s body.
Doctors use X rays to study and determine diseases and injuries within the body, X rays can find a foreign object inside the body or take pictures of some inside organs to be X-rayed.
A CAT scanner, however, uses a group of X rays to give a cross-sectional（横截面）view of a specific part of the body. A fine group of X rays is scanned across the body and around the patient from many different directions. A computer studies the information from each direction and produces a clear cross-sectional picture on a screen. This picture is then photographed for later use. Several cross sections, taken one after another, can give clear “photos” of the entire body or of any body organs. The latest CAT scanners can even give clear pictures of active, moving organs, just as a fast-action camera can “stop the action”, giving clear pictures of what appears unclear to the eye. And because of the 360-degree pictures, CAT scans show clear and complete views of organs in a manner that was once only shown during operation or examination of a dead patient.
Frequent appearance before X rays can cause skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body. Yet CAT scans actually don’t cause the patient to more radiation than regular X rays do. CAT scans can also be done without getting something harmful into the patient, so they are less risky than regular X rays.
CAT scans provide exact, detailed information. They can quickly find such a thing as bleeding inside the brain. They are helping to save lives.What is NOT true of a CAT scan?
| A．It is safer than regular X rays. |
| B．It makes use of computer techniques. |
| C．It can stop the action of an organ for a short time. |
| D．It gives clear pictures of active, moving body parts. |
The underlined words “a foreign object”（Para 3）most probably refer to .
| A．a badly injured part inside the body |
| B．a new thing that is unknown to the doctor |
| C．a strange organ that has grown in the body |
| D．an object that gets inside the body by chance |
What is the special use of the latest CAT scanners?
| A．It provides clear photos of moving organs. |
| B．It can take 3-dimension（三维）pictures of inside organs. |
| C．It won’t cause serious skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body. |
| D．It helps to find out what is going on inside a person’s body without opening it up. |
We can infer from this passage that .
| A．patients in front of CAT may suffer from a bit of radiation |
| B．doctors need no opening-up of the body with CAT scanners |
| C．CAT scanners are more expensive than regular X-ray machines |
| D．CAT scanners can take photos of either the whole body or a part of it |
The best title of this passage might be .
| A．the Newest Medical Invention |
| B．New X-ray Machine to Save Lives |
| C．How to Avoid the Damage of X Rays |
| D．Advantages and Disadvantages of CAT Scanners |
Most people hate change, which is sad since we often go through intense changes in life. And for some of us, even the smallest changes can upset our day. So the question is: Why do most of us find making adjustments to our lives so hard?
Fear of change is nothing new. Over a century ago, the Parisians were unhappy over a particular addition to their city: the Eiffel Tower. In fact, the citizens were so angry about the plans for the tower that they protested its construction. As strange as it may seem, their anger was completely natural. They were given no choice about the huge change that was going to be made, so they became angry.
But we get upset over changes even when we do have a say in the matter and think about them carefully. Changes are brought about every day by the decisions we make: which school to attend, which job to take, whom to marry. Voluntary changes also make most of us uneasy because we don’t know how those changes will affect our future.
People have discovered that the key to overcoming the fear and anger associated with change is to be flexible(可弯曲的). When they are flexible, people can adapt to new situations more easily. Being flexible is especially important in the 21st century as technology makes change occur faster than ever before. Those who oppose change, especially with technology in the workplace, may find themselves out of a job.
When change comes, and you have no choice but to face it, embrace it. A positive attitude helps a lot. In fact, the change may turn out to be the best thing for you. That new job you got may end up being much better than your old one. You may make the best friends of your life in the new city you moved to. Don’t merely focus on how you feel about change; instead decide to accept the change. The change is the reality, and it’s up to you whether the change will be a success or a failure. You never know – your next change may be your life’s Eiffel Tower!Why did the building of the Eiffel Tower make the Parisians unhappy?
| A．Because they didn’t like the design of the Eiffel Tower. |
| B．Because they couldn’t avoid accepting the Eiffel Tower. |
| C．Because it was no use building the Eiffel Tower. |
| D．Because the Eiffel Tower seemed strange. |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that what won’t disturb us are _____________.
| A．the changes that have agreement with one’s will |
| B．the small changes we meet in our daily life |
| C．the changes whose effect we can predict and control |
| D．the changes that we discuss or consider thoroughly |
How should we overcome negative emotions that the changes bring?
| A．We are not supposed to face the changes and let them alone. |
| B．We should actively accustom ourselves to the new circumstance. |
| C．We should not take the changes seriously and avoid them as much as possible. |
| D．We should know that the changes merely bring us bad influence. |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
| A．The change will probably make you fail like the Eiffel Tower. |
| B．The change is like the Eiffel Tower which is not good for our future life. |
| C．Your future life is never known just like the Eiffel Tower unknown to the Parisians. |
| D．Your future life is likely to be a great achievement due to the change. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Psychology of Change | B．The ways to Overcome the Fear |
| C．Changes That Disturb Us | D．The Bad Effect of Changes |