Muzak
The next time you go into a bank, a store, or a supermarket, stop and listen. What do you hear? ____1__ It’s similar to the music you listen to, but it’s not exactly the same. That’s because this music was especially designed to relax you, or to give you extra energy. Sometimes you don’t even realize the music is playing, but you react to the music anyway.
Quiet background music used to be called “elevator (电梯) music” because we often heard it in elevators. But lately we hear it in more and more places, and it has a new name “Muzak”. About one-third of the people in America listen to “Muzak” every day. The music plays for 15 minutes at a time, with short pauses in between. It is always more lively between ten and eleven in the morning, and between three and four in the afternoon, when people are more tired. ____2____.
If you listen to Muzak carefully, you will probably recognize the names of many of the songs. Some musicians or songwriters don’t want their songs to be used as Muzak, but others are happy when their songs are chosen. Why? ____3__.
Music is often played in public places because it is designed to make people feel less lonely when they are in an airport or a hotel. It has been proven that Muzak does what it is designed to do. Tired office workers suddenly have more energy when they hear the pleasant sound of Muzak in the background. 4 Supermarket shoppers buy 38 percent more groceries.
___5__. They say it’s boring to hear the same songs all the time. But other people enjoy hearing Muzak in public places. They say it helps them relax and feel calm. One way or another, Muzak affects everyone. Some farmers even say their cows give more milk when they hear Muzak!
| A．Some people don’t like Muzak. |
| B．The music gives them extra energy. |
| C．Music is playing in the background. |
| D．Factory workers produce 13 percent more. |
E. Muzak tends to help people understand music better.
F. They get as much as $4 million a year if their songs are used.
G. Muzak is played in most of the big supermarkets in the world.
“Global warming could make humans shorter,” warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world's first horses to shrink(收缩) nearly 50 million years ago. In fact, a team from the universities of Florida and Nebraska says it has found a link between the Earth heating up and the size of mammals – horses, in this case.
The scientists used fossils to follow the evolution of horses from their earliest appearance 56 million years ago. As temperature went up，their size went down, and vice versa（反之亦然）;“ At one point they were as small as a house cat,” said Dr Jonathan Bloch, curator（博物馆长） of the Florida Museum of Natural History, which was quoted by the "Daily Mail" as saying.
The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals and could even make humans smaller."Horses started out small, about the size of a small dog . What's surprising is that after they first appeared, they then became even smaller and then dramatically increased in size, and that exactly corresponds to the global warming event, followed by cooling”
"It had been known that mammals were small during that time and that it was warm, but we hadn't realized that temperature specifically was driving the evolution of body size," Dr Bloch said in the "Science" journal.How did scientists find out the horses’ earliest appearance millions of years ago?
| A．searching the data on the net |
| B．sorting through the pictures of ancient times |
| C．using fossils to follow the evolution |
| D．analyzing the related images |
What can we infer form the passage?
| A．As temperatures went up, horses dramatically increased in size |
| B．The temperature has no effect on mammals’ evolution |
| C．As temperatures went up, horses’ size went down |
| D．In history, it used to be warm at early times , followed by a certain period of sharply cooling down. |
Which is the most closest meaning to the underlined words most probably mean _______.
| A．react to | B． be contradictory to |
| C．be consistent with | D． differ from |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Global warming is to disappear |
| B．The temperature on earth is to decrease |
| C．Global warming makes human shorter |
| D．Mammals are dying out. |
People who are too happy die younger than their more downbeat（pessimistic） peers(同龄人), claims new research.
A study which followed children from the 1920s to old age showed that people who were rated 'highly cheerful' by teachers at school died younger than their more reserved classmates。
This was because people who were too happy were more likely to suffer from mental disorders such as bipolar, making them less fearful and more likely to take risks that increase the chance of having a fatal accident.
Being too cheerful - especially at inappropriate times - can also rouse anger in others, increasing the risk of a person coming to harm.
Researchers from a variety of universities worldwide also discovered that trying too hard to be happy often ended up leaving people feeling more depressed than before, as putting an effort into improving their mood often left people feeling cheated.
And magazine articles offering tips on how to be happy were also blamed for worsening depression.
One study saw participants asked to read an article offering ways to improve your mood, and follow one of the tips to see how effective it was.
Participants then took the advice offered - such as watching an upbeat film - often concentrated too hard on trying to improve their mood rather than letting it lift naturally。
This meant that by the time the film had ended, they often felt angry and cheated by the advice given, putting them in a far worse mood than when they had started watching.
However, results of the study, published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, revealed that the key to true happiness was much more simple: meaningful relationships with friends and family members.
Study co-author Professor June Gruber, from the department of psychology at Yale University in the United States, said of people who actively tried to be happy: 'When you're doing it with the motivation or expectation that these things ought to make you happy, that can lead to disappointment and decreased happiness. '
'The strongest predictor of happiness is not money, or external recognition through success or fame. It's having meaningful social relationships.'
She added: 'That means the best way to increase your happiness is to stop worrying about being happy and instead divert your energy to nurturing the social bonds you have with other people.'People who are too happy die younger than their more downbeat（pessimistic） peers because________.
| A．because they are more likely to suffer from mental disorders. |
| B．because they have more chance of having traffic accidents. |
| C．because they have meaningful social relationship. |
| D．because they stop worry about being happy. |
What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．happy | B．unwilling to show feelings | C．angry | D．narrow-minded |
The most important factor(因素) of true happiness is __________.
| A．to have meaningful relationships with friends and family members. |
| B．to stop worry about being happy. |
| C．to devote your energy to developing the social bonds. |
| D．to have feeling of success. |
Which of the following sentences is correct according to the passage?
| A．magazine articles offering tips on how to be happy can help you reducing depression. |
| B．trying too hard to be happy often leaves people feeling more depressed than before. |
| C．When you're doing things with the motivation or expectation, that can lead to disappointment and decreased happiness. |
| D．The strongest factor of happiness is external recognition through success. |
Not so long ago, the weary tourist would head off on holiday for the simple pleasures of recharging their batteries, topping up their tan and relaxing on a sun-lounger.
Now, it seems, we are more likely to spend our time away catching up online with friends and acquaintances than gaze at the horizon or the contents of a good book.
A new study has found that the average holidaymaker spends at least an hour a day of their down-time logging on to social media portals or checking other favourite websites.
In fact, so obsessed are we with the online world that a new holiday annoyance – hotels and resorts charging for wi-fi access – has joined the more familiar worries that can have travellers reaching for complaint forms and their booking terms and conditions.
The survey was conducted by accommodation group Thistle Hotels, which asked 2000 people about their regular holiday peeves.
The top frustration was still the issue symbolised by the manic(不耐烦的)face of Basil Fawlty, with 69 per cent of those questioned saying rude hotel staff were their key bone of contention.
Arriving at your resort to find that your room is still being cleaned, and is not ready, was the second most common concern – suggested by 45 per cent of respondees.
But a sign of changing times is there at number three, with a very modern complaint – being forced to pay for wi-fi – causing grumbles with over a third of people (38 per cent).
Other widespread holiday flashpoints included a poor selection of food at the resort buffet (37 per cent of those questioned) and a hotel being further from a destination’s attractions and restaurants than advertised (32 per cent).
Our determination to be tweeting and liking even when we are supposed to be taking a break from the norm is also apparent in the survey’s list of what are considered to be the most important elements of a stay at a place in the sun.
Over half of the respondees (51 per cent) said that free wi-fi is crucial to their enjoyment of their escape – ranking higher than a hotel having a swimming pool (49 per cent), being close to a destination’s attractions (41 per cent) and offering in-room TVs (37 per cent).
“It’s crazy to think that, in 2014, hotel chains are still charging for wi-fi,” says Mike DeNoma of Thistle Hotels.
“Our research shows that free wi-fi is very important to holidaymakers.”What are people most interested in nowadays?
| A．spending time on line. | B．gazing at the horizon |
| C．enjoying the contents of a good book. | D．relaxing on a sun-lounger. |
Why did accommodation group Thistle Hotels conduct the survey?
| A．To attract more customers. | B．To promote their hotel. |
| C．To find out what the customers complain | D．To evaluate their staff. |
What did nearly half of the respondees complain?
A.The hotel staff are rude. B.They are forced to pay for wi-fi.
B.The room isn’t cleaned until they arrive at the hotel. D.The food is not satisfactory.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Tourists are not satisfied with the fact that there is no free wi-fi in the hotel. |
| B．Tourists complained about the poor sevice of the staff. |
| C．More and more people prefer to surf the Internet than go travelling. |
| D．Hotels should consider the tourists complaints and improve their service. |
My day began on a definitely sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea（杜鹃花）bush. By the time I got outside, he’d broken it. “Can I take this to school today?” he asked. With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.
The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum. If only my husband had just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. As I finished hanging up the last of my husband’s shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan’s class let out at 2:15 and I hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher’s door and peered through the glass. She rustled through the door and took me aside. “I want to talk to you about Jonathan,” she said.
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me. “Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?” she asked. I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. “Let me tell you about yesterday,” the teacher insisted. “See that little girl?” I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
“Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn’t want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, ‘Nobody loves me.’ I did all I could to comfort her, but it only seemed to make matters worse.” “I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan,” I said.
“I do,” she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. “Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, ‘I love you.’“
I felt my heart swell with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for Jonathan’s hand, “you’ve made my day.”
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: “...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak of my husband’s brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband’s eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. “I love you,” I said.Why did the woman cry when seeing her son had broken the azalea bush?
| A．Because she could not tolerate the harm to it. | B．Because she wanted to hand it to her husband. |
| C．Because her son did not ask her for permission. | D．Because it made her bad mood even worse. |
The writer wanted to hide in the mountain cave probably for the reason of .
| A．boring daily routine with a feeling of lack of love |
| B．her husband’s failing to fix the machine in time |
| C．feeling fed up with her endless daily housework |
| D．her hoping to seek happiness in a brand new place |
We can infer from the passage that the writer expressed love to her husband in that.
| A．she felt guilty that she misunderstood her husband and wanted to apologize |
| B．she was inspired by her son that love was supposed to be felt and practiced |
| C．she felt it necessary to have a complete family for the happiness of herself |
| D．she wanted to prove her love and expected the same words from her husband |
People believed for a long time that the heart was the center of a person's emotions. That is why the word "heart" is used in so many expressions about emotional situations.
One such expression is to "lose your heart" to someone. When that happens, you have fallen in love. But if the person who won your heart does not love you, then you are sure to have a "broken heart." In your pain and sadness, you may decide that the person you loved is "hard-hearted," and in fact, has a "heart of stone."
You may decide to "pour out your heart" to a friend. Telling someone about your personal problems can often make you feel better.
If your friend does not seem to understand how painful your broken heart is, you may ask her to "have a heart." You are asking your friend to show some sympathy for your situation. Your friend "has her heart in the right place" if she says she is sorry, and shows great concern for how you feel.
Your friend may, however, warn you not to "wear your heart on your sleeve." In other words, do not let everyone see how lovesick you are. When your heart is on your sleeve you are showing your deepest emotions.
If your friend says "my heart bleeds for you," she means the opposite. She is a cold-hearted person who does not really care about your situation.
In the ever-popular motion picture, "The Wizard of Oz," the Tin Man seeks a heart. He wanted to feel the emotion of love, and was seeking help from the powerful Wizard of Oz to find a heart.
The Cowardly Lion, in the same movie, did have a heart. But he lacked courage and wanted to ask the Wizard of Oz to give him some. You could say that the cowardly lion was "chicken-hearted." That is another way of describing someone who is not very brave. A chicken is not noted for its bravery. Thus, someone who is chicken-hearted does not have much courage.
When you are frightened or concerned, your "heart is in your mouth." You might say, for example, that your heart was in your mouth when you asked a bank to lend you some money to pay for a new house. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The heart was the center of a person's emotions. |
| B．There are many expressions about heart and what do they mean. |
| C．We should learn some expressions about “heart”. |
| D．It is important to learn some expressions about “heart” |
How many expressions about “Heart” are mentioned in the passage?
| A．10 | B．8 | C．9 | D．11 |
If you hear one of your family members is hurt in a traffic accident, you will feel ________.
| A．heart is in your mouth. | B．have your heart in the right place |
| C．wear your heart on your sleeve | D．lose your heart |
Why did the writer mention"The Wizard of Oz,"in the passage?
| A．To show thatit is ever popular. |
| B．To introduce a film to the readers |
| C．To give some more examples about the phrases. |
| D．To show that the Tin Man is not brave. |