They say the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day. Yet in her new book, How Woman Decide, Therese Huston explores a widespread thing that many women fail to notice. “There’s a huge double standard when it comes to how men and women are viewed as decision makers,” explains Therese, a psychologist from Seattle University. Therese decided to write the book after looking at her bookshelf: bestselling books about decision-making—all written by men and featuring interviews with men like professional ball players．
“Once those women are at the table, will their decisions be taken as seriously as men’s?”Therese Wondered. “Men are respected as decision makers more than women, especially in the workplace, largely because there’s this cultural belief that women are unable to make smart choices at work.” So, Therese set out to part with the stereotypes(固有印象)to see what scientific research had found. “Scientific research shows that men and women struggle with decision-making in the similar way. The only disadvantage I found was that during the teenage years —teenage girls are more indecisive than teenage boys. That means boys can make a decision more easily. Otherwise, there’s few differences between the genders(性别).”
However, there are some differences. “Women are more collaborative(协作的),” says Therese. “A female boss is more likely to ask the opinions of those around her when making a choice. Women ask for advice, which helps make better decisions. However, this is often seen as a weakness rather than a strength.”
Therese also found that during times of stress, men and women make different choices, and the results are often better when women are involved. Study after study backs this view up. Neuroscientists Mara Mather and Nicole Lighthall from the University of Southern California studied the way men and women make decisions and found that in times of stress, they react very differently. During their study, which involved playing a virtual gambling(赌博)game, they found that when the females became stressed, they made smarter decisions—giving up while they were ahead or taking safe bets. But when the men became stressed, they did the opposite, risking everything for a small chance of a big win．
1.Why did Therese Huston write her book How Women Decide?
A.Women are less respected as decision makers.
B.Men have written too many bestselling books.
C.Women are unable to make smart choices.
D.Women ball players are seldom interviewed.
2.What does the underlined word “indecisive” most probably mean in paragraph 2?
A.犹豫不决的 B.自负的 C.灵活的 D.气急败坏的
3.What is the difference between the genders in decision-making according to Therese Huston?
A.Men can make much quicker decisions than women．
B.Women are not serious enough when making decisions．
C.Women are likely to ask for advice when making decisions．
D.Teenage girls has more advantages in decision-making.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Women show less confidence in times of stress．
B.Men prefer to make risky in times of stress．
C.Men always show great bravery in times of stress．
D.Women stop making decisions when ahead in games．
5.What’s Therese’s final conclusion(结论) according to the passage?
A.There are great differences between the two genders.
B.Men are weaker in making smart decisions．
C.We should give up all cultural beliefs about genders．
D.Women are smart as decision makers.
Do you drink water that’s been left sitting out overnight or even for another day? Have you noticed it tastes different?
Tap water(自来水) that has been left to sit out slowly begins to get an off taste. Many people think that this is because of microorganisms(微生物). But that’s not what makes old water taste not fresh. For that we can think of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳). After about 12 hours, tap water starts to go flat as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with the water in the glass, lowering its PH and giving it an off taste. But it's most likely not harmful to drink.
However, back to those microorganisms. If you use a dirty glass day after day, there will be more chances to get bacteria(细菌). The risk will increase if you share the glass with another mouth as well. But supposing you use a fresh glass every few days, you probably won't have a problem unless the glass has been touched by dirty fingers, and especially if those dirty fingers went unwashed after using the bathroom.
As for plastic water bottles that have been left out in the sun or in the car, step away from the bottles, warns Dr. Kellogg Schwab, director of the Johns Hopkins University Water Institute. “A chemical named biphenyl-A, or BPA, along with other things used to make plastic can leach(过滤) into your water if the bottle heats up or sits in the sun,” he explains. BPA, as you probably know, has been linked to everything from serious heart problems to cancer. Schwab also adds that plastic used for commercial bottled water isn’t supposed to be washed or refilled, so use only one time and recycle. Or don't buy them at all; use refillable water bottles instead.
1.Tap water begin to have an off taste because of______.
A.carbon dioxide B.BPA C.the glass D.the microorganism
2.According to Paragraph 2, tap water that's been left sitting out for 12 hours__________.
A.has few microorganisms B.is still safe to drink
C.tastes better than before D.is likely undrinkable
3.According to Paragraph 3, what is the right way to drink with a glass?
A.To share the glass with another person. B.To hold the clean glass with dirty hands.
C.To keep your hands and glass clean. D.To drink after using the bathroom.
4.What should we do with plastic water bottles that are left out in the sun or in the car?
A.Use them after they cool down. B.Clean them and use them again.
C.Throw the bottles away. D.Refill them with fresh water.
5.Which of the following is true about BPA?
A.It is safe for people to use. B.It is a kind of new material.
C.It is the main material to make plastic. D.It can cause great harm to people.
Long ago, Adana lived in a small village in Africa. Everyone in the village had jobs to do, and the villagers depended on one another. When Adana turned ten, her mother let her come around.
“Adana, it is time for you to take your place in the village. You shall be the water girl. Each morning, we need you to go down to the spring, fill these buckets with water, and bring them back to the village before noon.”
Adana took pride in being given such an important job. She picked up the yoke with the buckets, flung it over her back, and walked to the spring. When she arrived, she took a drink and then filled the buckets with clean, cool water. Adana looked at the sun. It was nearly noon and she knew the villagers were depending on her.
She turned to a water girl from a nearby village and asked, “How long will it take to carry this water back to my village?”
The girl thoughtfully replied, “If you go slowly, it will not take very long. But, if you go fast, it will take you all day.”
Adana listened, and thought about what the girl had told her. She did not believe the girl, and she climbed back up the bank and headed down the path toward her village. Adana started off slowly, but increased her speed with each step. Soon, she was slowly jogging back toward her village. Half way home, she stopped to take a little sip of water. When she did, she saw that the buckets were only half full. Water had been sloshing out along the path as she travelled.
Disheartened, Adana turned back toward the spring. Once again, she filled the buckets with nice, clean water. Then, she walked slowly back toward the village.
From that day forward, Adana walked quickly to the spring each morning. On her way home, she walked slowly and carefully.
1.Adana was given the job when she was _________ years old.
A.ten B.eleven C.twelve D.thirteen
2.Adana felt _________ when she was given the job of bring water to the village.
A.sad B.worried C.proud D.sorry
3.Adana asked _________ about the time it would take to carry water back to her village.
A.her mother B.a water girl C.a villager D.nobody
4.Adana went to the spring _________ that day.
A.once B.twice C.three times D.four times
5.The passage tells us ___________.
A.taking time to do a job well can save time in the long run
B.not to stop to talk with people when there’s a job to be done
C.it is important for people to help out around the world
D.time flies when you are having fun in doing your job
A: Good morning. What’s your trouble?
B: I don’t feel very well.
A:_________.
B: Yes, I have. My temperature is a little higher.
A: Open your mouth and say “Ah”.
B: Aahh.
A: How long have you been like this?
B:_________
A: Did you sleep well?
B: No, I was very tired last night.
A: Oh, I see._________
B: Can you tell me how I got a cold?
A: Maybe you overworked yourself.
B: I think so. I have too much work to do every day. Do I have to stay at home?
A: Yes. You’d better stay at home for two or three days.
B:_________
A: No. I don’t think it’s serious. But you really need a good rest and take this medicine.
B:_________
A: Three times a day.
1.
A.Have you gone swimming? B.What do you have for lunch?
C.Have you taken your temperature? D.How are you today?
2.
A.I really hope I can. B.I agree with you.
C.Ever since last night. D.No one knew it.
3.
A.You must stop to run. B.You’ve got a cold.
C.They’re well. D.I’m glad to be here.
4.
A.What do you mean? B.Did you work there?
C.How was the weather? D.Is it serious?
5.
A.When should I take it? B.How often do I take it?
C.Do I have to take it? D.Why did I take the medicine?
Mrs. Jones was over eighty, but she still drove her old car like a woman half her age. She loved driving very fast, and was proud of the fact _________ she had never, in her thirty-five years of driving, been punished _________ a driving rule-breaking.
Then one day she nearly _________ her record. A police car followed her, and the policemen in it saw her __________a red light without stopping. Of course, she was stopped. It seemed certain that she would be _________.
_____Mrs. Jones came up to the judge, he looked at her seriously and said that she was too old to drive a car, and that the__________why she had not stopped at the red light was most probably that her __________had become weak for old age, so that she had simply not seen it.
When the judge had finished what he was _________, Mrs. Jones opened the big handbag she was _________ and took out her sewing. Without saying a word, she __________a needle（针） with the smallest eye, and threaded it at her first try. When she had __________done this, she took the thread out of the needle again and handed both the needle and the thread to the judge, saying, “Now it is your _________. I suppose you drive a car, and that you are quite sure about your own eyesight.”
The judge took the needle and tried to thread it. After half a dozen tries, he had still not succeeded. The case against Mrs. Jones was_________. And her record _________ unbroken.
1.A.where B.when C.that D.how
2.A.about B.on C.to D.for
3.A.kept B.won C.broke D.lost
4.A.pass B.go C.nod D.wait
5.A.fired B.taught C.encouraged D.punished
6.A.Before B.While C.Until D.When
7.A.reason B.result C.excuse D.matter
8.A.hands B.ears C.eyes D.brain
9.A.speaking B.saying C.talking D.telling
10.A.inventing B.lifting C.carrying D.making
11.A.took B.brought C.bought D.chose
12.A.almost B.hardly C.successfully D.wisely
13.A.time B.turn C.chance D.job
14.A.canceled B.passed C.mentioned D.studied
15.A.warned B.covered C.required D.remained
—Paper making is a great invention. Do you know_________?
—Well, in Western Han Dynasty.
A.who it was invented by B.when was it invented
C.who was it invented by D.when it was invented
