E
A German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists( 悲观者)who expected their future to be worse.
The paper, published this March in Psychology and Aging, examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96. The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.
Survey respondents (受访者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, among other questions.
The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction, while middle-aged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future. Adults of 65 and older, however, were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction. Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would, the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.
“We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade,” wrote Frieder R. Lang, a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.
“Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (预防措施),” the authors wrote.
Surprisingly, compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes, respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline. Also, the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.
The authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions. Illness, medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes. However, the researchers said a pattern was clear. “We found that from early to late adulthood, individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic, to accurate, to pessimistic,” the authors concluded.According to the study, who made the most accurate prediction of their future life satisfaction?
A.Optimistic adults. |
B.Middle-aged adults. |
C.Adults in poor health. |
D.Adults of lower income. |
Pessimism may be positive in some way because it causes people ______.
A.to fully enjoy their present life |
B.to estimate their contribution accurately |
C.to take measures against potential risks |
D.to value health more highly than wealth |
How do people of higher income see their future?
A.They will earn less money. |
B.They will become pessimistic. |
C.They will suffer mental illness. |
D.They will have less time to enjoy life. |
What is the clear conclusion of the study?
A.Pessimism guarantees chances of survival. |
B.Good financial condition leads to good health. |
C.Medical treatment determines health outcomes. |
D.Expectations of future life satisfaction decline with age. |
Accidents happen almost daily. Some accidents are minor and some are serious but others may be fatal. We read about such accidents nearly every day in the newspapers. It is wrong for people to think that accidents occur only on the roads or highways, or even at worksites. Home accidents are just as common. Because very few home accidents are reported, people tend to think that there are few accidents which happen in homes.
There have been many cases where people fall to their deaths from high-rise flats. Children often fall from staircases while coming down the stairs. Old people may slip on wet or slippery floors if they are not careful.
Nowadays there are a lot of modern electrical appliances such as rice-cookers, electric irons, and kettles which make life easy for the modern housewives. These appliances can kill if they are not used in the proper way.
Gas stoves used for cooking are also dangerous if they are not properly handled. They may cause burns or, in more serious cases, they may even cause fires.
But all such accidents can be prevented if we are careful and obey simple rules of safety. For example, it is unwise for people to try repairing their own electrical appliances if they do not know how. It is safer for them to get their faulty appliances repaired by a qualified electrician.
61. Accidents take place_______.
A. mostly in homes B. mostly on roads and highways
C. mostly on worksites and factories D. almost everywhere
62. People think accidents happen only on the roads or highways because ______.
A. there are more road accidents
B. many home accidents are not reported in newspapers
C. home accidents are not serious
D. such accidents happen nearly every day
63. Which of the following accidents may NOT happen in homes?
A. People may fall to deaths from high buildings.
B. People may be knocked down by cars on the roads.
C. Gas stoves may caused burns or even fires.
D. People may get a shock from an electrical appliance
64. Which of the following is true about the modern electrical appliances?
A. They help modern housewives a lot.
B. They are very dangerous and should not be used.
C. They are usually safe unless they are used carefully.
D. They are not dangerous even if they are used carelessly.
65. People are advised________.
A. to avoid using electrical appliances
B. to repair their own faulty electrical appliances
C. not to repair their own faulty electrical appliances
D. not to throw away their faulty electrical appliances
第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项中(A、B、C和 D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Many Chinese students who have learnt English for more than ten years are still unable to speak English very well when they meet a foreigner. They seem to have mastered the basic language structure (结构), but a conversation in English will make them feel uneasy. They are afraid that other people might find out their mistakes.
It’s uncommon that many students who are bad speakers of English can write English perfectly. This proves that they are unable to organize their idea in English. The center of the problem is that they lack practice and confidence.
Why should you be afraid? Do you fear those foreigners with whom you are speaking? Don’t be shy. They will not laugh at you just for a little mistake you make. The best way to get rid of trouble is to learn to speak by speaking more. I am sure that constant practice will help you succeed.
56. What’s the best topic for the passage?
A. How to Speak to Foreigners
B. How to Study English Well
C. How to Organize the Idea in English
D. Practise Speaking English All the Time
57. Many Chinese students can write English very well, but they cannot speak English fluently because ______.
A. they seldom meet foreigners
B. they seldom practise speaking English
C. they had no chance to speak English
D. they think it’s enough to master the basic language structure only
58. So many Chinese students are afraid to speak to foreigners because______.
A. they are afraid they can’t understand foreigners
B. they don’t think their English is poor
C. they worry about making mistakes in their speaking
D. they didn’t like speaking to foreigners
59. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. We can speak English fluently by doing more speaking.
B. If you can write English perfectly, you are able to organize your idea in English.
C. If you can write good English composition, you can speak English very well.
D. Many Chinese students can’t speak English fluently because they are afraid of making mistakes.
60. In the last paragraph, the expression “get rid of” means _______.
A. throw away B. free oneself from
C. give up D. do with
When several different people look at the same person, it is not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you alone observe one behavior or one person at two different times, you may see different things. The following are but some of the factors that lead to these varying perceptions:
Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural condition, education, and personal experience.
Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what we’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person’s perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by some. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this person; or you may focus primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same yardstick to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.
Sometimes we see only what we want to see ,what may be observed to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory information is particularly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore the stimulus—“He’s basically a good boy, so what I saw was not shoplifting.” We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information—“All kids get into mischief(顽皮). Taking a book from the bookstore isn’t such a big deal.” We can change the meaning of the contradictory information—“It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later.”...
68.While observing a particular person, .
A. one is likely to take all aspects into consideration
B .one pays more attention to his or her advantages
C. children often differ from gown-ups in perception
D. one tends to choose certain clues to look for
69. Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because .
A. their yardsticks are not the same
B. either of them may be slow to catch information
C. the time for observations is not long enough
D. each of them uses different language to express his or her impressions
70.The underlined word “ignore” in Paragraph 4 means to_____________.
A. understand something B.try to do something
C. pay no attention to something D. know something better
A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote(引语)from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto. The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto. This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop.”
Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need.
Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.
64.The study shows _________.
A.what poems are popular
B.how many students like the motto “Believe yourself.”
C.which university should have mottoes
D.the majority of the students like to choose their favorite mottoes
65.Of the students asked, _______ students have mottoes.
A.about 57% B.about16% C. about78% D.about 8%
66.The motto “Self-improvement without stop” shares the similar meaning with ______.
A.growing by oneself continuously
B.making oneself better and perfect continuously
C.going on to improve rapidly
D.becoming better without having a break
67.The best title for the passage should be _______.
A.Students and Poet B.Mottoes and Learning
C.Mottoes and Character Developing D.Understanding Care
Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School found on Thursday.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others—even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual (yearly) income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, girls for others and donations to charity.
“Regardless of how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not,” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000. “Employees who devoted more of their bonus to pro-social spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus and the manner
in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor alterations (changes) in spending allocations (shares)—as little as $5—may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day,”Dunn said.
60. What is the general idea of the passage?
A. The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get.
B. Spending more money on yourself will make you happier.
C. Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.
D. You can spend only 5$ a day to get happiness.
61. The underlined word “boost” in the first paragraph probably means_______.
A. help to find B. help to bring C. help to increase D. help
to get
62. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Those who spend more money on others can get much more bonus.
B. People usually think spending money on themselves will make them happier.
C. Very small changes in spending your money may be enough to gain happiness.
D. Researchers think that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn.
63. It can be inferred from the 6th paragraph that ______.
A. the volunteers not given 5$ or 20$ spent their own money on themselves.
B. those who spent the money on someone or something else felt happier about it.
C. the volunteers were given 5$ or 20$ as a reward for the experiment.
D. half of the volunteers could spend the money as they liked.