"Did you hear what happened to Adam last Friday?" Lindsey whispers to Tori.
With her eyes shining, Tori brags, "You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago."
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedman, I can tell you that what they are saying is （a） not nice and （b） not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren't very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip （闲话）.I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic—breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out—that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.
If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? The answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor （传言）can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don't. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the "in group". In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority （优越感）.
Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do's and don'ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your "juicy story" might have.
1.The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to _________.
A.introduce a topic B.present an argument
C.describe the characters D.clarify his writing purpose
2.An important negative effect of gossip is that it ___________.
A.breaks up relationships B.embarrasses the listener
C.spreads information around D.causes unpleasant experiences
3.Professor David Wilson thinks that gossip can ____________.
A.provide students with written rules
B.help people watch their own behaviors
C.force school to improve student handbooks
D.attract the police's attention to group behaviors
4.What advice does the author give in the passage?
A.Never become a gossiper B.Stay away from gossipers
C.Don't let gossip turn into lies D.Think twice before you gossip
It's natural for parents to praise their children, but offering this praise could actually backfire, according to new science.
In the study, researchers at Michigan State University looked at 123 children who were about 7. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset" (believing that you can work harder to get smarter), or a “fixed mindset" (believing that your intelligence is unable to change). They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded.
Based on the data they collected, the researchers concluded that children with a growth mindset were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake, and in turn were more likely to improve their performance by paying closer attention to the task after making an error.
While previous research has shown that people with a fixed mindset didn't want to admit they had made a mistake, this study found that children with a fixed mindset were able to — “bounce back” after making an error, but only if they gave their full attention to the mistakes. “The main implication here is that we should pay close attention to our mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn study author Hans Schroder told Science Daily.
For parents, the lessons are clear—if a child hands you an A+ test, don't say “You're so smart! ”
Instead, say “Wow, that studying really paid off!" or “You clearly mastered this material — way to go!" Note the effort, not the intelligence.
Second, focus on using errors to work together and learn. Many teachers and parents avoid addressing children's mistakes, telling them “It's OK. You'll get it next time. . . ” Without giving them the opportunity to figure out what went wrong. Dr. Schroder says, "Instead, it's better to
reassure children that mistakes happen, and to pay attention and work to figure out where and how they made the mistakes. ”
1.The underlined word “backfire" in Paragraph 1 probably means “ ” .
A.make a loud noise B.leave a good impression
C.have an opposite result D.produce an explosion
2.According to the text, which one belongs to the group who has a “growth mindset" ?
A.Tom manages to correct every mistake by heart.
B.Mary believes her mistakes are made by chance.
C.John keeps an idea that he has a good gift for studying.
D.Lily thinks she can get A+ without any effort.
3.If your child gets the best mark in the test, you should .
A.praise him with some delicious food and money
B.comment him to be cleverer than other students
C.confirm his effort that he has made for the test
D.believe that he is an honest and smart child
4.What should parents do with the child's mistakes from Dr. Schroder?
A.Parents should avoid talking with child about his mistakes.
B.Parents should compare his mistakes with others' and criticize him.
C.Parents should ignore the mistakes and believe he will do better.
D.Parents should analyse the mistakes with their child patiently.
Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available. While they sound efficient and cost-saving, a recent study reports that they are not effective, primarily because depressed patients are not likely to engage with them or stick with them.
The study looked at computer-assisted cognitive （认知的）behavioral therapy （ CBT） and found that it was no more effective in treating depression than the usual care patients receive from a primary care doctor.
Traditional CBT is considered an effective form of talk therapy（治疗）for depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. However, online CBT programs have been gaining popularity, with the attraction of providing low-cost help wherever someone has access to a computer.
A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a randomized（随机的）control trial with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. The patients were split into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs. Participants were balanced across the three groups for age, sex, educational background, severity and duration of depression, and use of antidepressants（抗抑郁药）.
After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs had no improvement in depression levels over the patients who were only getting usual care from their doctors.
“It's an important, cautionary note that we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists, says Christopher Dowrick, a professor of
primary medical care at the University of Liverpool. “We do still need the human touch or the human interaction, particularly when people are depressed. ”
Being depressed can mean feeling “lost in your own small, negative, dark world," Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in combating that sense of isolation. “When you’re emotionally vulnerable (脆弱的),you're even more in need of a caring human being," he says.
1.Why has online CBT programs been increasingly popular?
A.Because of their effectiveness in fighting depression.
B.Because of their easy and inexpensive access by patients.
C.Because of their recommendation by primary care doctors.
D.Because of their attraction of changing mood and behavior.
2.What is the conclusion of the experiment done by researchers at the University of York?
A.Online CBT programs are as ineffective as regular care from physicians.
B.The combination of traditional CBT and computerized CBT is most effective.
C.The online programs are more advanced than regular care from physicians.
D.Online CBT programs have no advantages over regular care from physicians.
3.Which of the following statement can best convey Professor Dowrick's advice on online programs?
A.Their use should be encouraged by doctors.
B.They should not be ignored in primary care.
C.Their effectiveness should not be overestimated(高估).
D.They should be used to help people touch these patients.
4.What is more important to an emotionally vulnerable person?
A.A positive state of mind. B.An appropriate therapy.
C.An advanced CBT program. D.A caring human being.
I once heard this tale in India, where it is told as if true—though any naturalist would know it couldn't be. The country is India. A colonial殖民地的official and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They are seated with their guests — army officers and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist.
A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who says women have long outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era（时代、年代）3nd an army officer who says they haven’t. “A woman’s reaction in any crisis," the officer says, “is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of control than a woman has. ”
The American scientist does not join in the argument but sits and watches the faces of the other guests. As he stares, he sees a slight strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She gestures to the servant standing behind her chair and whispers to him. The servant's eyes widen. He turns quickly and leaves the room. Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the servant place a bowl of milk on the balcony just outside the open glass doors.
The American understands. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing: bait （诱饵）for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. The American’s eyes move across the room but he sees nothing. He realizes the snake can only be in one place—under the table.
His first reaction is to jump back and warn the others. But he knows any sudden movement will frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so arresting that it
quietens everyone. “I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundred—that's five minutes — and not one of you is to move a muscle. Now, ready!”
The 20 people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying "... two hundred and eighty. . . ” when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the snake emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Four or five screams ring out as he jumps to slam the balcony doors.
“There is your proof!" the host exclaims. “A man has just shown us perfect self-control. ”
“Just a minute," the American says, turning to his hostess, “How did you know that cobra was in the room?"
With a faint smile coming across her face she replies: "Because it was lying across my foot. ”
1.From the passage we can conclude that .
A.women are afraid of mice
B.the army officer's opinion is quite wrong
C.the American suggests playing a game for entertainment
D.the hostess has had previous experience addressing snakes
2.Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.
a. The American's eyes sweep the room but he sees nothing.
b. The American suggests the guests playing a game.
c. Following the instructions, the servant puts out some milk.
d. The hostess is staring ahead, a slight weird look appearing.
e. The American shuts the balcony doors safely, and several screams are let out.
f. The snake edges its way to the bowl of milk.
A.d,c,a,b,f,e B.a,b,c,e,f,d
C.d,f,a,b,e,c D.f,e,c,a,d,b
3.Who has real self-control according to the passage?
A.The American. B.The army officer.
C.The girl. D.The hostess.
4.What may be the best title for the passage?
A.A Heated Argument B.A Striking Dinner Party
C.An Unbelievable Story D.A Smart Hostess
The BBC Documentary is divided into three categories: BBC Nature, BBC History and BBC Technology. For documentary lovers, it’s a great pleasure in life to enjoy the BBC Documentary with a wide range of subjects and excellent productions, whose super wonderful pictures are also a masterpiece of photography.
Nile 2004
The Nile, the longest river on the earth, spreads through jungles, and finally into the desert. Ancient Egyptians believed that the river had magic power. This documentary will uncover its mystery—a magnificent territory, which is full of rare animals and extends to the most desolate corners of Africa.
Hiroshima 2005
It was an important moment in the 20th century when an atomic bomb was launched into Hiroshima, Japan and it was also a scientific, technological, military and political adventure. This documentary, where we can see the Hiroshima street at the moment of disaster, tries to show us the real history and what life is like for the Japanese people who have experienced the atomic bombing.
Time Machine 2006
Some creatures have to make long-term evolutionary plans in order to survive, but can any creatures live forever? People shorten the growth period of rice regardless of the weather condition, and the modern transportation enables us to reach further areas at a faster speed. But can humans really turn around time? The time machine will introduce scientists' current research on a bug and find out the key to long life.
Super Volcano 2005
Yellowstone National Park, in fact, where the underground magma is ready to move, is one of the largest craters in the United States. With scientific evidence, reliable prediction and solid research by top geologists, the super volcano eruption is presented to the audience in a dramatic way.
1.If you are interested in history, which documentary will suit you well?
A.Nile B.Hiroshima
C.Time Machine D.Super Volcano
2.What can we learn from Time Machine?
A.People can turn around time by a time machine.
B.People have found a bug which can live a long life.
C.People now can travel faster and further in the world.
D.Rice now needs less time to grow according to the climate.
3.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Hiroshima suffered from a disaster caused by atomic bombing.
B.The Nile spreads into the desert with magic power.
C.Yellowstone National Park is about to erupt.
D.The BBC Documentary is popular only because of its wide range of subjects.
One of the executives gathered at the Aspen Institute for a day-long leadership workshop using the works of Shakespeare was discussing the role of Brutus in the death of Julius Caesar. “Brutus was not an honorable man,” he said. “He was a traitor（叛徒）. And he murdered someone in cold blood.” The agreement was that Brutus had acted with cruelty when other options were available to him. He made a bad decision, they said—at least as it was presented by Shakespeare—to take the lead in murdering Julius Caesar. And though one of the executives acknowledged that Brutus had the good of the republic in mind, Caesar was nevertheless his superior. “You have to endeavor,” the executives said, “our policy is to obey the chain of command.”
During the last few years, business executives and book writers looking for a new way to advise corporate America have been exploiting Shakespeare’s wisdom for profitable ends. None more so than husband and wife team Kenneth and Carol Adelman, well-known advisers to the White House, who started up a training company called “Movers and Shakespeares”. They are amateur Shakespeare scholars and Shakespeare lovers, and they have combined their passion and their high level contacts into a management training business. They conduct between 30 and 40 workshops annually, focusing on half a dozen different plays, mostly for corporations, but also for government agencies.
The workshops all take the same form, focusing on a single play as a kind of case study, and using individual scenes as specific lessons. In Julius Caesar , sly provocation（狡诈的挑唆） of Brutus to take up arms against the what was a basis for a discussion of methods of team building and grass roots organism.
Although neither of the Adelmans is academically trained in literature, the programmes, contain plenty of Shakespeare tradition and background. Their workshop on Henry V, for example, includes a helpful explanation of Henry’s winning strategy at the Battle of Agincourt. But they do come to the text with a few biases (偏向): their reading of Henry V minimizes his misuse of power. Instead, they emphasize the story of the youth who seizes opportunity and becomes a masterful leader. And at the workshop on Caesar, Mr. Adelmans had little good to say about Brutus, saying “the noblest Roman of them all” couldn’t make his mind up about things.
Many of the participants pointed to very specific elements in the play that they felt related Caesar’s pride, which led to his murder, and Brutus’s mistakes in leading the after the murder, they said, raise vital questions for anyone serving as a business when and ho w do you resist the boss?
1.According to paragraph 1, what did all the executives think of Brutus?
A.Cruel. B.Superior.
C.Honorable. D.Bade
2.According to the passage, the Adelmans set up “Movers and Shakespeares” to ________.
A.help executives to understand Shakespeare’s plays better
B.give advice on leadership by analyzing Shakespeare’s plays
C.provide case studies of Shakespeare’s plays in literature workshops
D.guide government agencies to follow the characters in Shakespeare’s plays.
3.Why do the Adelmans conduct a workshop on Henry V?
A.To highlight the importance of catching opportunities.
B.To encourage masterful leaders to plan strategies to win.
C.To illustrate the harm of prejudices in management.
D.To warn executives against power misuse.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ____.
A.the Adelmans’ programme proves biased as the roles of characters are maximized.
B.executives feel bored with too many specific elements of Shakespeare’s plays.
C.the Adelmans will make more profits if they are professional scholars.
D.Shakespeare has played an important role in the management field.
5.The best title for the passage is _____.
A.Shakespeare’s plays: Executives reconsider corporate culture
B.Shakespeare’s plays: An essential key to business success
C.Shakespeare’s plays: a lesson for business motivation
D.Shakespeare’s plays: Dramatic training brings dramatic results
