People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions--and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why．
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes．
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said．“Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and ignore the mouth．”
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral．They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies．
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did．“The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said．“Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less．”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion．From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion．Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation．
1.The discovery shows that Westerners _______.
A．pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth
B．consider facial expressions universally reliable
C．observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways
D．have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions
2.What were the people asked to do in the study?
A．To make a face at each other． B．To get their faces impressive．
C．To classify some face pictures． D．To observe the researchers' faces．
3.What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A．The participants in the study． B．The researchers of the study．
C．The errors made during the study． D．The data collected from the study．
4.In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to ________.
A．do translation more successfully B．study the mouth more frequently
C．examine the eyes more attentively D．read facial expressions more correctly
5.What can be the best title for the passage?
A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul
B．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions
C．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills
D．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding
For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?
Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.
To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause ( our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.
This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them.
“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards.
1.According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______.
A. they may lose interest in their work
B. they may appear to be well-behaved
C. they may change to another person
D. the results will be worse than usual
2.What can we know from Paragraph 3?
A. Parents should promote certain ideas to help children develop.
B. Children should be responsible for their discipline.
C. Children should help build a good family atmosphere.
D. No children will adapt to society without their parents’ help
3. The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.
A. rewards B. aims C. apologies D. doubts
4.According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.
A. never pay attention to the way their children do things
B. show their children how to behave by example
C. never punish their children
D. help their children establish good values
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Do you often reward your children?
B. Should parents reward their children?
C. When should parents reward their children?
D. What can parents reward their children with?
Modern science suggests that a healthy lifestyle matters much to how long you can live and how well you live. Here are some tips for you to form a healthy lifestyle.
Keep a scientific diet. Keep in mind that sugar can be removed from our diet completely. Over intake of sugar is one of the main reasons for getting fat. Over intake of protein or fat and low intake of fiber can also lead to getting fat. We need only a few grams of protein every day to keep our body in order. Like rain to crops, not the more the better.
Be always in a good mood. There is a relationship between the mood and health. A good mood keeps you in high spirits. Thanks to the Internet, we can enjoy and learn much without going out. Take a look at some online shops and pick up some bargains, enjoy music and movies and chat with some good friends. Just keep happy.
Enough sleep. Two studies show the reasons why teens and adults don’t have enough sleep. With teens, a major reason is mobile phone use; with adults, it’s work. Meanwhile, a third study of young children shows that a lack of sleep in early life may lead to serious problems in future. Everyone needs at least 8-hour sleep to recover from tiredness and the hurt caused by hard work in the daytime.
Proper exercise. Do exercise to keep away from fatness. Because of the quick pace of modern life, you don’t have time to do exercise every day, but at least three times a week and 45 minutes each time.
1.The author wrote the passage to _______.
A. tell the readers how to take proper exercise every day
B. provide some advice on how to form a healthy lifestyle
C. ask people to care about their health rather than their work
D. make some surveys among those who have health problems
2. Which of the following can lead to getting fat according to the passage?
A. low intake of protein.
B. low intake of fat.
C. over intake of fiber.
D. over intake of sugar.
3.The main reason why teenagers don’t have enough sleep is that they _______.
A. use mobile phones too much
B. have too much homework
C. eat too much sugar every day
D. don’t have enough exercise
4.How many minutes do you need to do exercise at least every week?
A. 45 minutes. B. 90 minutes. C. 115 minutes. D. 135 minutes.
5.What can we conclude from the passage?
A. We must take in much sugar for our body’s functioning well.
B. The Internet leads to more health problems.
C. The least sleep time needed for adults is less that that of teens.
D. We need to do many things to form a healthy lifestyle.
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theater box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9 o’clock to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theater was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unfortunately, the theater is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip—so I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth hearing the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.
1.The writer is probably ______.
A. a worker B. a college teacher
C. a boss of a company D. a secretary
2.He learned ______ that there would be a concert last Friday.
A. from his friends B. from one of his colleagues
C. over the radio D. from the newspaper
3.He could go and buy the ticket ______.
A. any day before work hours B. both before and after work hours
C. only during lunch time D. on Saturday and Sunday
4.The word “relieved” in the last two sentences may best be replaced by “______”.
A. surprised B. pleased C. puzzled D. sorry
5. The story is about ______.
A. a good concert
B. someone enjoying a good concert
C. someone trying to buy concert tickets for his friends
D. someone failing to buy the concert ticket
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卷标号为16—25的相应位置上。
I have met many interesting people. I'll tell you about one of them. Many years ago, when I worked 16 a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl ___17____ (name) Liza who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of _18___ (recover) appeared to be a blood transfusion from 19___ five-year-old brother, 20_ had survived the same disease and developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy __21 he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in a bed next to his sister, 22 (smile). __23_ then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked at the doctor and asked with 24__ trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give her 25_ his blood.
When I was 11, my grandfather began to teach me how to drive. I was a fast learner. At 16, I was already a 1 driver. However, when I passed into adulthood, I began to get speeding tickets. For me, this did not reflect one’s 2 as a driver. So I 3 to drive as fast as I could.
Then in September of 2005, I received a letter 4 my presence to discuss my future ___5 rights. As I sat down, a man began to unfold my file. I was 6 to see my record was five pages long. The man gave me two 7 . I could turn in my 8 and not drive for three months or continue driving, but without tickets for one year. With two kids and a busy practice, I went with the second choice.
After the meeting, I had lunch with my friend, Nick. He noticed that my eating habits ___9 my driving habits. Nick told me that my attention was 10 paid to the destination and not the process of getting there. The car gives fun, allowing me to get to my __11 much faster. However, after reaching it, I was never truly satisfied because I 12_ the messages and lessons of the journey.
After the two 13 , I began to transform myself. I now enjoy driving, often taking the most scenic route. I have also slowed my 14 down, enjoying each bite as I go. Learning 15 is really a big lesson for me.
1. A. lucky B. skilled C. careless D. poor
2. A. interest B. belief C. ability D. character
3. A. stopped B. wanted C. began D. continued
4. A. requesting B. hoping C. suggesting D. planning
5. A. driving B. swimming C. diving D. living
6. A. disappointed B. depressed C. surprised D. terrified
7. A. tickets B. choices C. letters D. pages
8. A. license B. money C. evidence D. file
9. A. affected B. matched C. suited D. caused
10. A. totally B. partly C. slowly D. slightly
11. A. destination B. process C. place D. journey
12. A. understood B. lacked C. gained D. ignored
13. A. surveys B. events C. debates D. arguments
14. A. working B. driving C. walking D. eating
15. A. honesty B. understanding C. patience D. carelessness
