Let’s play a word game. What word can be put in front of the words “stick, maker and point” to make three new compound words? Ready for the answer? Match. Match will combine to make the words “match-stick, match-maker and match-point”. And the point of tasks like this is to measure creativity.
Maybe you have music playing as you think about the words. And, of course, many listen to music while they work. So Emma Threadgold, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire in England, and her colleagues recently used such word puzzles to investigate whether listening to music affects creativity. They asked volunteers to solve 19 puzzles, while listening to either a foreign-language tune, an instrumental version of the same song, a familiar English-language tune, or silence. In every case, volunteers listening to music solved fewer puzzles than their counterparts in total quiet, suggesting that background music does not really aid this kind of creative task. Besides, the researchers tested library noise as well, like the sounds of typing and rustling papers. None of those noises decreased volunteers’ performance at all, compared to the silent control group.
The results are in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology. Still, if you do insist on listening to music while working, you might try something a little more low-key than Lady Gaga, says Threadgold’s colleague John Marsh. A sound with a lot of changes in state information or pitches is more disruptive (干扰的) than one with fewer of those changes. So if you compared a modern pop song with some classical music, you’d expect less disruption from that classical music, just as in actual silence.
1.What is the purpose of the word game mentioned in the passage?
A.To make fun with others. B.To test memory.
C.To evaluate creativity. D.To create new words.
2.Why can the volunteers in total quiet solve more puzzles?
A.Because they can concentrate on the problems.
B.Because other groups are not as clever as them.
C.Because other groups are into listening to music.
D.Because they are better at word puzzle games.
3.What can we infer from Emma Threadgold and her colleagues’ experiment?
A.Volunteers in library can do as well as the ones in quiet.
B.Library noises can affect the volunteers’ performance.
C.Sound has a negative influence on one’s creativity.
D.Those who listen to foreign songs perform worse.
4.If you do insist on listening to music while working, which one is the best?
A.Fast-paced songs. B.High-key songs.
C.Pop music. D.Classic music.
It was Christmas Eve 1949. I was 15 and feeling sad because there was not enough money to buy the dress I wanted. After supper, I was still feeling sorry for myself. It was a cold, clear night, and Pa came in. "Come on, Elizabeth,” he said. "Get dressed. It's cold out. " Pa was dragging me out in the cold. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door.
Outside, I asked, "Pa, what are you doing?” Have you met Mrs. Clark lately?" he asked. Mrs. Clark lived about two miles down the road from us. Her husband had died the year before, leaving her with three children to raise on her own." Yeah, " I said. "Why?” "I rode by just today, " Pa said. Little Jake was trying to find a few woodchips. They're out of wood. " That was all he said. Pa then loaded the truck with a big ham, a sack of flour and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the smaller sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. I got the children a little candy too."
We rode the two miles to the Clarks' place in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. I knew we didn't have much money. The Clarks had closer neighbors than us. Why was it our concern?
When Mrs. Clark realized what was happening, she bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked at Pa as if she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. I wasn't the same person when I got the wood unloaded. We gave each of the kids a hug and said goodbye. Thank you, Brother Cotton," Mrs. Clark said.
On the way back, Pa explained that he and Ma had saved all year long to buy me a dress for Christmas. 441 spent that money on some shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand, he said. I understood very well. My father had given me a gift much greater than a dress.
1.I felt sorry for myself because ______
A.I didn't get the present I desired
B.Pa forced me to go out in the cold
C.Pa didn't have money for Christmas
D.I did a lot of housework after supper
2.What can we learn about Mrs. Clark?
A.She lived on others' help.
B.She was our closest neighbor.
C.She led a hard life that winter.
D.She was a warm-hearted woman.
3.What does the underlined sentence "I wasn't the same person..." in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.I understood what Pa was doing then.
B.I helped with unloading the wood.
C.Mrs. Clark didn't recognize me.
D.Mrs. Clark noticed my change.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Christmas Gifts from Heart B.A Cold Christmas Eve
C.Helping Our Neighbors D.Clark and Her Children
Not sure how to treat the special person in your life who has a daily chocolate requirement? We pulled together a list of different gifts ranging from traditional hot chocolate kits to chocolate soaps that will take their favorite to a whole new level.
1. HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK KIT, $36
Rather than traditional powder, inside you'll find eight different chocolate sticks with flavors like peanut butter, peppermint, and salted caramel. All your giftee needs to do is steam some milk, stir in their preferred flavor, and enjoy the sweet, warm goodness.
Buy it: Amazon
2. PRECISION COOKER, $178
The secret to the right chocolate texture is finding the perfect temperature. This one promises to bring the professional temperature control technique to the home cook. And your giftee won't even have to stay in the kitchen to reap the benefits. The tool's iPhone and Android apps allow users to control the temperature and time from far away.
Buy it: UncommonGoods
3. CHOCOLATE SOAPS, $30
The magic of chocolate goes beyond the kitchen. Help your favorite chocoholics start their day off right —— with the smell of warm chocolate. Each of the soaps, which include Amber Chocolate, Chocolate Bar, and Raspberry Drizzle, are made from olive oil, coconut, refined sweet almond oil, fragrance, and cocoa butter.
Buy it: Amazon
4. CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES KIT, $35
This kit is easy to use, so even if someone has never made chocolate before, they can experiment with all sorts of flavors and combinations without any previous experience. Inside the kit is a thermometer, two bags of dark chocolate chips, organic cocoa powder, organic coconut flakes, sea salt, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract.
Buy it: UncommonGoods
1.What is special about PRECISION COOKER?
A.It can teach users temperature control technique.
B.It can be controlled from a distance by its users.
C.It can make chocolate of different flavors.
D.It can cook dishes with better smell.
2.Which one is suitable for a chocolate making beginner?
A.HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK KIT.
B.PRECISION COOKER.
C.CHOCOLATE SOAPS.
D.CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES KIT.
3.You can find this webpage on ______.
A.the website of UncommonGoods B.the website of Amazon
C.a website for chocolate recipes D.a website for gift shopping
假定你是李华，准备参加某国际中学生文化探索夏令营。请你用英语写一篇发言稿，介绍一项你最喜欢的中华传统艺术形式，如中国书法（calligraphy），国画、京剧等。
内容包括：
1.自我介绍；
2.简介该艺术；
3.欢迎大家体验。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文 中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）,并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When my father left a store and returned to his car yesterday, he suddenly realised that he' d lock his keys and cell phone inside and didn't know why he could get his spare key. A teenager ride a bike saw him kick about a tire and asked what was wrong. My father explained his situation. The teenager handed my father his cell phone, "Call your wife but tell her I'm coming get the key.” That was a round trip of seven mile, but the teenager didn't mind. An hour late, he returned with the key. My father offers him some money, but they refused. Then, like a cowboy in movies, he rode off into the sunset.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
In La Paz, Boliva, zebras dance among the cars. Well, all right, they are actually people 1. are dressed up in zebra clothes. They are Las Cebras de la Paz (“The Zebras of Peace") and they are much loved in the Bolivian capital.
The zebras can be seen waving, hugging children, and high-fiving pedestrians. Their joy is endless. The program 2. (create) in 2001 to address two of La Paz's most serious problems: noisy traffic and a high accident rate. 3. (name) after the zebra crossings on streets, Las Cebras trained its participants to educate and talk 4.( driver) into better habits — but to do so in 5. playful and joyful way.
The program handles a second problem as well. It is a chance for underemployed young people 6. (earn) a small amount of money and make a positive 7.(contribute) to the community.
The original 24 zebras have now expanded to 265 working 8.(active) in La Paz. They have both calmed traffic and improved the mood of their city. They may be dressed up 9. zebras, but they defend what 10. (be) human about the city.
