Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?
Most of us know little about the mental processes（心理历程）that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind. Consider your emotions(情感). You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision-making, but in fact they are a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional centre is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasia, has studied people with damage（损伤） to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasia thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choice, which we use to help the present decision-making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems that anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机），so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there is one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.
1. What does the underlined word “central” mean?
A. in the middle B. easy to reach
C. important D. having power
2. Damasia’s study suggests that ________.
A. emotions are the enemy of decision-making.
B. our brain has nothing to do with decision-making.
C. people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds.
D. our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions.
3.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?
A. To think about happy times.
B. To make many decisions at a time.
C. To stop feeling regretful about the past.
D. To learn about the process of decision-making.
4. Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?
A. They often forget their past choices.
B. They make decisions without much thinking.
C. They tend to save time when shopping.
D. They are too angry to bargain.
5.What do we learn from the text?
A. Emotions are a part of decision-making.
B. Sad people always make worse choices.
C. No emotion seems to help us make good choices.
D. Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.
Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be in the dark. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the motion picture camera and 1200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.
Thomas Edison was born in 1847. He attended school for only three months. His mother taught him at home, but Thomas was mostly self-educated. He started experimenting at a young age.
When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train. He did experiments on the train in his free time. Unluckily, his first work experience did not end well. They fired him when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the train. Then Edison worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time in experimenting his first patent(专利权) in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity.
Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but he thought of his deafness as a blessing(福分) in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He always worked 16 out of every 24 hours. Sometimes his wife had to remind him to sleep and eat.
Edison died at the age of 84. He left a great many inventions that greatly improved the quality of life all over the world.
1.How often did Edison make a new invention?
A. About every fourteen days
B. About every seven days
C. About once a week
D. About twice a week
2.The underlined word “fired” in the passage means “__________”
A. Gave somebody a job
B. Set fire to somebody
C. Let somebody down
D. Made somebody leave his job
3.Edison considered his deafness as______.
A. something bad B. a gift from god
C. a kind of ability D. a chance
4.Which of the following sentence is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Edison had only 8 hours rest each day after his deafness.
B. Edison had his first job in 1859.
C. A Vote recorder was Edison’s only patent.
D. Edison got his education mostly by himself.
5.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The function(功能) of the electric light
B. The whole life of Edison.
C. The importance of inventions
D. Edison and his experiments
阅读理解
Once there was a man traveling in a faraway village. As he was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped. He found that these huge elephants were being held by only a small rope(绳子) tied to their front leg. No chains(锁链), no cages(笼子). It was clear that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their ropes but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and didn’t try to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that time, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they still believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free.”
How could it be? These animals could at any time break free from their ropes. But because they always stuck right where they were, they believed they couldn’t.
Just like the elephants, how many of us go through life believing that we cannot do something, just because we failed at it once before?
___________________. We should never give up the struggle(挣扎) in life.
1.What did the writer see in the village?
A. Chains B. Elephants
C. Cages D. Farmers
2.Why do the elephants never try up to break free from the ropes?
A. Because they think they cannot.
B. Because they are too old to do it.
C. Because they like their living places.
D. Because they get on well with the trainer.
3.How did the man feel after he heard what the trainer said?
A. Happy B. Surprised
C. Angry D. Nervous
4.Which of the following is the missing part in the last paragraph?
A. Failing is part of learning.
B. We should be different from others.
C. Helping animals is helping ourselves.
D. Traveling always makes people relaxed.
5.What is the best title for this test?
A. Pleasant trip
B. A Clever Trainer
C. Elephant Training
D. The Elephant Rope
完形填空。阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后面所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
It began a year ago, around Christmas. Every time I drove down our street, I an old man sitting in his front yard. He was usually smoking or drinking, and looking rather unhappy.
One day, while I was driving past him with my , I decided to wave at him with a lot of excitement. , when he noticed me waving at him, he looked a bit shocked. Then, I saw his hand go up and he waved back.
“ did you wave at him?” my daughter asked.
I told her it’s just an act of kindness that doesn’t anything. It gives both him and me a feeling of joy. My daughter replied that she felt a bit uncomfortable to wave to a , but next time she would try it as well.
We liked close to the old man, we saw him rather often. Whenever we drove by, both of us would start waving at him and, pretty soon, the old man started at everyone who passed by his house.
One time, my daughter’s friend came to visit and she told my daughter that she saw this strange old man near our home wave at her very . She mentioned that she waved back, although she didn’t know , and it felt really good.
As soon as my daughter heard this, she told her friend the of how all the waving began. Her friend answered: “Tell your mom that’s really cool!”
Other friends gave similar . This taught my daughter that an act of kindness can be natural and , if you really want to do it. It showed us how giving happiness can do good to the giver and the receiver.
Moved by the old man’s actions, we’re planning to give our waving neighbor a thank-you card to express our for his exciting waves. We are really thankful for him sharing his simple joy with all who pass by his house.
1.A. noticed B. felt C. heard D. kept
2.A. husband B. son C. daughter D. friend
3.A. Just now B. On time C. In the end D. At the beginning
4.A. Why B. How C. When D. Where
5.A. buy B. cost C. hide D. guess
6.A. friend B. driver C. classmate D. stranger
7.A. or B. but C. so D. yet
8.A. shouting B. waving C. laughing D. looking
9.A. angrily B. excitedly C. loudly D. carefully
10.A. him B. me C. her D. us
11.A. lesson B. accident C. news D. story
12. A. gifts B. notes C. opinions D. books
13. A. easy B. funny C. usual D. special
14.A. past B. between C. all D. both
15.A. attention B. thanks C. suggestions D. interests
---Excuse me. Could you please show me how to use this MP4 player?
--- .
A. Certainly. It’s here B. Sure, with pleasure
C. Yes, you can D. Not at all
---Do you know _________ the meeting?
---Tomorrow morning.
A. when they had
B. when they are going to have
C. when did they have
D. when are they going to have
