The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help clarify hospitals who are charged with wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients overcome discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Lenoardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to watch either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly paintings, or a blank panel while the team struck a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been hurt by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when considering the ugly paintings or the blank panel.
Electrodes (电极) measuring the brain’s electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings. While distractions(娱乐), such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part. The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
“Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their aesthetic(审美能力) aspects should be taken into account too,” said the neurologist. “Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into how a beautiful environment can reduce suffering.”
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis’ Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonino Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. “these people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world,” said Prof de Tommaso.
1.According to the first paragraph, people didn’t approve_______________.
A. hospitals spend money on medical equipment
B. hospitals decorate their rooms with works of art
C. hospitals make their environment pleasant to patients
D. hospitals treat patients with works of art
2.How did the researchers make the research?
A. By asking the subjects to listen to music.
B. By requiring the subjects to draw paintings.
C. By ordering the subjects to choose which picture is beautiful and ugly.
D. By aching the subjects’ hands while they are watching paintings.
3.According to the research, when designing a hospital, we should consider its____________.
A. convenient facilities
B. functional operating room
C. pleasing environment
D. bright waiting room
4.The best title for the passage may be__________.
A. Patients Don’t Like Pictures
B. Arts Can Be Used As a Medicine
C. Ugly Patients Feel Less Pain
D. Beautiful Art Can Ease Pain
As the new semester begins, millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper or, more likely, how best to delay that paper.
Procrastination is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it. They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space, eating snacks, surfing the Internet, watching videos and looking at other students sitting around them, who, most likely, are doing nothing either.
Paralyzed (使失去活力) by their habit to procrastinate, they write micro blogs about their fears, asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue. But this does nothing to break the spell (魔咒).
According to a recent report, 95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are always procrastinating. The figures are disappointing. Procrastinators are less wealthy, less healthy and less happy than those who don’t delay. Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior, but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong.
Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure. Pelling says this is nonsense, as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time. The behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel ashamed, inconveniences others and annoys loved ones.
Pelling also points out that procrastination feels particularly delinquent (过失的）in a society that thinks of speedy action as admirable, and, at times, even as a moral good.
Fortunately, social scientists have thrown their weight behind efforts to understand this behavioral mistake and offer strategies to control it. Piers Steel, a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation, believes human is “designed” to procrastinate. Nevertheless, he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand.
1.From the first two paragraphs we can learn that _________.
A. procrastination is beneficial to many students
B. many students are under great pressure in their study
C.many students have the habit of delaying finishing their tasks
D. lots of college students work hard to write good essays on time
2.Which behavior belongs to procrastination?
A. Never dream away the time.
B. Always complete the tasks ahead of time.
C. Never put off till tomorrow what should be done today.
D. Always wait to work until the “good mood” or “good time”.
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
A. Procrastination makes people waste their time.
B. Procrastinators usually complete their tasks perfectly.
C. Speedy action is considered as a moral standard in the society.
D. Procrastination is common among people.
4.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A. Measures to deal with procrastination.
B. Approaches to handling the study pressures.
C. More examples to illustrate procrastination.
D. Introduction to the book The Procrastination Equation.
Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to find rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to call a friend and ask for a ride, and half the time they’ll say, “Sorry, my car is full.” But with Twitter, you just tweet (贴子,留言) and look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, but many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends of friends when asking on Twitter. For me, I only rideshare with people I know, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
The sharing economy got big during the recession（经济衰退）. It allows people to access more goods and services using technology, while also allowing them to share cost. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom.
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license. Today it’s six in ten. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license. All I wanted was an iPhone. Juliet Schor (Sociology professor at Boston College) knows people my age love being connected and for young people driving means they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passenger side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus.
To me, another plus is ridesharing represents something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.
1.The writer usually rideshares with _____.
A. anyone heading the same way B. people he knows
C. friends of friends D. strangers of his age
2.Fewer young people choose to ride by themselves because _____.
A. driving means offering free rides to others.
B. getting a driving license becomes more difficult.
C. driving one’s own cars causes a negative impression.
D. driving makes them disconnected from technology.
3.We can conclude from the passage that _____.
A. the writer rideshares just to save money
B. people under 18 are not allowed to drive
C. silver Super Beetle is the writer’s favorite
D. the older generation had to fight for freedom
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Teens use Twitter to thumb rides.
B. Tips on reducing risks in ridesharing.
C. Car is no longer a gateway to freedom.
D. New generation knows how to save money.
“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告) in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.
1.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
A. Cheap and ugly things.
B. Things people no longer use.
C. Things out of season.
D. Things of great value.
2.A white elephant refers to _________.
A. something that can cause a feeling of pain
B. something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others
C. something sold at the lowest prices
D. a toy shaped like a fish
3.Most people go to yard sales to________.
A. find valuable paintings
B. look for something special
C. find a bargain
D. kill their time
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
A. people may find something of great value on a yard sale
B. yard sales only attract those who have a low income
C. things on a yard sale can cost people a lot
D. most people don’t want to go to yard sales.
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分, 满分40分）
阅读下列短文, 从每篇短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked if I would give him some money so he could get something to eat. I'd read the signs: "Don't give money to beggars as most of them are swindlers." So I shook my head and kept walking.
I wasn't prepared for a reply, but with no hesitation, he followed me and said, "I really am homeless and I really am hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!" But I kept on walking.
The incident kept bothering me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn't have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he hadn’t been a real beggar. On a freezing cold night, no less, I assumed the worst of a fellow human being.
Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn't help thinking of him. I tried to reason my failure to help by supposing government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you're not supposed to give money to beggars.
Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for The Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean's Cafe, a local charity service kitchen, feeds hundreds of hungry local people every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row of vegetables or flowers in their gardens for Bean's? Plant a row for Bean's. It’s clean and simple.
We didn't keep records back then, but the idea began to take off. Folks would fax me or call when they took something in. It’s food for the spirit and comfort for my conscience.
In April 1995, the Garden Writers Association of America(GWAA) held their annual meeting in Anchorage and after learning our program, Plant a Row for Bean's became Plant a Row For The Hungry. The idea then was to have every member write or talk about planting a row for the hungry, which brought the program to national attention.
As more and more people participated, new variations cropped up. Many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo for the program. Donations poured in. It was then that I could really stop feeling guilty.
1.The underlined word “swindlers” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. policemen B. writers C. cheaters D. beggars
2.Why did the author think he assumed the worst of a fellow human being?
A. Because he didn’t show fair respect to a beggar treating him badly.
B. Because he could have helped a hungry man but he passed by.
C. Because he believed that no people begged because of real hunger.
D. Because he thought that charity work was the government’s duty.
3.How did the author make up for what he had done?
A. He set up a local kitchen to help the poor.
B. He planted a row of vegetables for charity.
C. He called on people to donate money to the Bean’s.
D. He initiated the idea of Plant a row for Bean’s.
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The beggar gave up the first time he was turned down by the author.
B. The author invented the program inspired by the Anchorage Daily News.
C. GWAA expanded the program concept and made it nationwide in 1995.
D. The program was later taken over by some seeding companies.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分, 满分20分）
阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中, 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to my parents.
At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to !” Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father ever thought it a waste of time.
At that age, I always did something to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found , I would plant a garden!
I planted some lily（百合花）seeds in the yard. But they failed to . I continued to plant sunflower seeds and roses. Wild joy, I found the first rose bloom（开花）. One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off. , I was touched by this land of wonder.
, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even at me because he found it was to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s , I put in her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds flowers.
Regardless of their , I kept on planting my garden and to enjoy the pleasure of gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they to care and love.
It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to my parents. Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show which makes my parents feel very . And now I could say it is my affection for that makes me a real gardener.
1.A. memory B. dream C. intention D. design
2.A. please B. change C. help D. annoy
3.A. doubt B. appreciation C. surprise D. excitement
4.A. collect up B. care about C. clean up D. come in
5.A. equal B. similar C. superior D. opposite
6.A. painful B. valuable C. upsetting D. interesting
7.A. come up B. break out C. hold on D. get through
8.A. to B. with C. in D. by
9.A. Luckily B. Cheerfully C. Regularly D. Eventually
10.A. Instead B. However C. Therefore D. Besides
11.A. shouted B. laughed C. glanced D. jumped
12.A. convenient B. troublesome C. enjoyable D. dangerous
13.A. sadness B. displeasure C. delight D. relief
14.A. other than B. more than C. rather than D. less than
15.A. dislike B. encouragement C. threat D. suggestion
16.A. decided B. stopped C. continued D. struggled
17.A. devote B. turn C. respond D. lead
18.A. defeat B. satisfy C. respect D. challenge
19.A. proud B. comfortable C. strange D. disappointed
20.A. freedom B. life C. growth D. nature
