In China,cultural differences arose from growing rice or wheat.Different thinking styles between northern and southern Chinese people can trace(追溯)their roots to rice fields and wheat fields.
Rice farming promotes a holistic(整体的)focus on distinguishing relationships among people and objects,and valuing others as much as or more than oneself, say psychologist Thomas Talhelm of the University of Virginia and his colleagues.Holistic thinking among many modem Chinese people partly reflects regional histories of building communal irrigation systems(共有灌溉系统)and cooperatively planting and harvesting rice fields over thousands of years.
They draw that conclusion based on studies of college students from regions with different agricultural practices.Students from southern and central China’s rice.growing provinces think holistically, even though they have probably never farmed rice,Talhelm’s group reports.In contrast,students from northern and central Chinese provinces that have specialized in wheat growing exhibit a preference for abstract analysis and self over others,the scientists find.Wheat is less labor-intensive(劳动密集型)to grow than rice,SO farmers can plant and harvest crops without much help from neighbors.Analytical,individualistic thinking is not more common among students from richer
Provinces, contrary to the argument that this attitude springs from modernization. ”Rice theory might explain why East Asia is so much less individualistic than expected based on its wealth, ” Talhelm says.
Talhelm,s team tested 1,162 Chinese students,who Viewed lists of three items,such as a rabbit,a dog and a carrot. For each list,students chose two items that belonged together. Earlier research found that analytical thinkers often group items according to categories,so rabbits and dogs go together.Holistic thinkers tend to 1ook for relationships,such as rabbits eating carrots. Students from rice-growing areas made an average of around seven to nine holistic matches of 10 possible matches,compared with roughly f1ve to seven holistic matches for those from Wheat-growing areas.
Talhelm’s team also analyzed national statistics in China from 1 996,2000 and 2010 and found a higher divorce rate and a greater number of successful patents for new inventions in wheat-growing provinces than in rice-growing provinces. That trend is in line with the ides that analytical thinking develops both individualism and creativity.People who think holistically probably_____________.
A.come from wheat—growing areas |
B.1ive in northern and central China |
C.rely more on themselves |
D.think of others before themselves |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.East Asia is poorer than the other areas of Asia. |
B.Modernization contributes to analytic al thinking. |
C.Analytical thinkers tend to pick out items by type. |
D.Richer people show more individualistic thinking. |
The author develops the passage mainly by____________.
A.making comparisons |
B.listing examples |
C.telling his personal experience |
D.presenting problem and solution |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Cultural differences in China |
B.1isting examples |
C.Chinese people tracing their roots |
D.Farming influences thinking styles |
One day I took several pairs of shoes to the shoemaker to be mended. After a week I went to take them back. Four months later, my husband and I were invited to dinner. I took out a pair of shoes. I hadn't worn them since they were mended. I put one shoe on my right foot, and then I put the other on my left. But I felt that the other one was on the wrong foot. I took both shoes off for a closer look. They were nearly the same style (式样), color and size, but each was for the right foot. Then I thought of the shoemaker. Though I was sure he wouldn't remember me after such a long time, I called him. "Thank goodness you called me at last!" He said happily. "An angry woman has been troubling me for months!"How many pairs of shoes did the woman take to the shoemaker to be mended?
A.One shoe. | B.Two pairs of shoes. |
C.Only three shoes. | D.Some pairs of shoes. |
The shoemaker ___________.
A.was very careful with his work |
B.mistook one of the woman' s shoes for the other woman' s |
C.forgot the woman because it happened a long time ago |
D.was troubled by two men |
Did the woman look at the shoes carefully after they were taken back?
A.Yes, she did. | B.The story didn't tell us. |
C.No, but her husband did. | D.No, she didn't. |
The shoemaker felt very when the woman rang him.
A.sad | B.angry | C.glad | D.worried |
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer. Sports change with the season.
People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character(性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面).According to this passage we know that ____.
A.people began to play about one hundred years ago |
B.about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
C.basketball has a longer history than volleyball |
D.not all the games have a long history |
The writer didn’t tell us in this passage that ____.
A.basketball was invented in America |
B.sports change with the season |
C.games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
D.football is played all over the world |
People all over the world enjoy sports because ____ .
A.sports are interesting |
B.sports help to keep people healthy , happy and to live longer |
C.sports help to train one’s character |
D.all of the above |
From this passage we can see that _____ .
A.sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
B.sports and games should be treated only as amusement (娱乐活动) |
C.sports and games are only useful to the old |
D.none of the above is true |
What’s the writer’s attitude of the sports?
A.positive | B.negative | C.neutral | D.We have no idea. |
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to tell their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better.
A.friends | B.brothers | C.sisters | D.parents |
When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents, they usually____
A.stay alone at home |
B.fight with their parents |
C.discuss it with their friends |
D.go to their brothers and sisters for help |
The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome.” means _______.
A.You are welcome to discuss the questions with us. |
B.We have got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
C.Your answers are always right. |
D.You can give us all the right answers. |
Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
A.Parents should choose friends for their children |
B.Children should choose everything they like |
C.Parents should understand their children better |
D.Teenagers should only go to their friends for help |
Part of the purpose of this passage is to ___.
A.give information for the parents to make their own judgment (判断) |
B.give advice to children who want to choose their friends |
C.help parents to find better friends for their children |
D.get some information from many readers |
Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet. The Internet can not be used for ______.
A.studying | B.shopping | C.thinking | D.playing |
When the computer was invented, it was ______.
A.large and worked quickly1 |
B.small and worked |
C.large but worked slowly. |
D.small but worked quickly . |
The Internet was born in about _____.
A.1960 | B.1970 | C.1980 | D.1985 |
Which of the following is true?
A.Few students like going into the Internet. |
B.students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.” |
C.These “unreal friends” often meet each other. |
D.Students know the friends on the Internet very well. |
What does the writer think of the Internet?
A.It is wonderful. |
B.It can make students study harder. |
C.It is not good for students. |
D.It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor (幽默感) you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is ____.
A.writing | B.using it | C.listening | D.learning grammar |
What should you do in learning English?
A.Be careful not to make any mistake. | B.Write as quickly as you can. |
C.Speak English as much as you can. | D.Laugh more often. |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should _____.
A.not care | B.be happy | C.feel worried | D.be unhappy |
The story tells us_______.
A.only foolish people make mistakes |
B.few people make mistakes |
C.people never make mistakes |
D.there is no one who does not make mistakes |
The writer of the text has a _______ attitude towards people’s mistakes while using the language.
A.agreeable | B.negative(否定的) | C.neutral (中立的) | D.humorous |