Most of us have gone away from “mad men” in the street, only to realize that they are in fact using a Bluetooth headset. Now a new University of Pennsylvania study shows that muttering can actually help people find lost objects—in other words, saying the name of an object helps you find it more quickly.

Previous work has suggested that speaking aloud while performing step-by-step tasks, like tying shoelaces (鞋帶), can help kids guide their behavior and let them focus on the job in hand. However, scientists were not sure if speaking aloud when performing tasks could help adults in the same way, especially when looking for particular objects. Professor Gary Lupan and Daniel Swingley, writing for the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, carried out some experiments. They hoped to give the fact that next time you lose your keys, muttering “keys, keys, keys” can in fact help you find them.

Inspired by viewing people muttering to themselves as they try to find things like peanut butter in a supermarket, the researchers conducted two experiments to see if this actually worked. In the first, participants were shown 20 pictures of various objects and were asked to find a certain one, with some seeing a text label (標(biāo)簽) telling them what they were looking for. These participants were then asked to search for the object again while saying the word to themselves, with results showing that saying it aloud helped people find the object more quickly.

The second experiment saw participants performing a shopping task, where they were shown photographs of items (物品) commonly found on supermarket shelves. They were asked to find all examples of a particular item, so if they were asked for apples they had to find all the bags of apples, as quickly as possible. The researchers found that there was also an advantage in saying the name of the product aloud when they were searching for something familiar.

The University of Pennsylvania study shows that muttering can actually help people reach the target object—in other words, muttering to oneself helps to focus the mind on something. It works more effectively than seeing a written description. Repeating the word over and over again helps even more.

1.The second paragraph tells us that ________.

A. muttering helps people to control their behavior

B. muttering has the same effect on both kids and adults

C. it is really hard to carry out the experiments on adults

D. it is easier for kids to do step-by-step tasks by muttering

2.According to the passage, muttering can help people in a way that ________.

A. it completely controls people’s mind

B. it directly explains people’s behavior

C. they concentrate more on their job at hand

D. they reduce their pressure from their mind

3.The two experiments mentioned in the passage show that ________.

A. participants were better at doing the shopping task

B. it took the participants the same time to find the objects

C. showing pictures of the items helped find them more quickly

D. participants saying aloud the word found the object more quickly

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Effects of Muttering

B. How to Find Lost Objects

C. What to Mutter to Yourself

D. Methods of Remembering Objects

Why I’ve taken a break from holidays

It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. You might think this sounds like saying you’re not very good at drinking tea or listening to music. What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere warm to do nothing?

I was a model holidaymaker as a kid. However, the problems started during my twenties. A trip to the south of France was ended after just two days, mainly because I had an urge to check my e-mails. Similarly, my honeymoon was cut short by 48 hours—not because my wife and I weren’t enjoying ourselves, but because we were missing our cats.

So what is my problem? On the surface, I’m probably a bit of a homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it.

Thankfully, I’m not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey (調(diào)查) proved the downside of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year The Idler magazine published its Book of Awful Holidays. Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it’s possible to take, along with 50 painful holiday experiences voted for on The Idler website.

What interests me is what the concept of a “holiday” says about our lives. For me, the point of living is to have a life you enjoy for 52 weeks a year. The more I like my life and the better I structure it, the less I want to go away. Maybe I’m an unusual person for not liking holidays, but I just feel the time when I’m not working is too valuable to waste on them.

1.The events the author describes in the second paragraph show ________.

A. how hard he has tried to enjoy holidays

B. how badly he behaves when he is on holiday

C. his lack of enthusiasm for being on holiday

D. his fear of something bad when he is on holiday

2.What does the author think of holidays?

A. They are often well organized in order to please other people.

B. He feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn’t.

C. He tends to be made responsible for too much of the organization of them.

D. They are less enjoyable than breaks that have not been planned in advance.

3.The underlined word “downside” in the fourth paragraph probably means ________.

A. absenceB. damageC. disadvantageD. conflict

4.What is the author’s attitude towards “taking a holiday”?

A. Disapproving.B. Supportive.C. Neutral.D. Unconcerned.

Recycling is very important and necessary in today’s world. The most important reason for this is that human progress and industry have made it possible for people to have lots of things, and when people have many material possessions, they are bound to throw some of them away. ___1.___

Recycling is a way for us to keep the world clean as items are broken down and used again, preventing the littering of the environment. Instead of throwing all your garbage into the dustbin, you should separate paper, metal, glass, and plastic into different containers. ___2._ They can be turned into valuable compost, which is the perfect plant food and soil disease fighter.

___3.___ You can see if an item has been made from recycled materials by its label. If it’s been recycled, it will say so. Also instead of always buying new clothes, you can arrange to have a clothing exchange with your friends. You bring clothes you don’t want and pick items you want from what other people have brought. Not only does this save the environment, but it also saves your money. ___4.___ This saying can be applied to all sorts of things: books, CDs, furniture, etc. Also try shopping at second-hand stores, because they often have lots of items still in good shape for you to choose.

Many countries have made it easy for people to recycle, as alongside the normal garbage trucks, special garbage trucks come and pick up recyclables. However, in some countries the responsibility is left up to the ordinary people to recycle. ___5.__ Recycling represents just one way in which we can help the environment. But it is an effective one and one that we can actively influence.

A. Fallen leaves can also be recycled.

B. Having too many things causes a lot of garbage.

C. You should try to buy products that have been recycled.

D. Products made with recycled materials are as good as new products.

E. This creates a lot of garbage which in turn destroys the environment.

F. Remember, what is one person’s unwanted object can be someone else’s treasure!

G. Therefore, it needs attention in society so we can continue to make our environment livable.

假設(shè)你是紅星中學(xué)高三一班的學(xué)生李華。校學(xué)生會將于本月底舉辦高中英語戲劇比賽，請根據(jù)以下信息，給你班的美國交換生Peter寫封郵件，告知這件事。郵件的內(nèi)容包括：

1. 比賽的具體時間和地點；

2. 比賽的目的；

3. 懇請Peter參加。

注意：1. 詞數(shù)不少于50；

2. 郵件的開頭和結(jié)尾已給出，不計入總詞數(shù)。

Dear Peter,

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Yours,

Li Hua

假設(shè)你是紅星中學(xué)高三一班的學(xué)生李華。請根據(jù)以下四幅圖的先后順序，介紹你和幾位同學(xué)在“傳承非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)”活動期間參觀毛猴藝術(shù)博物館的完整過程，并以“Visiting the Museum of Hairy Monkeys”為題，給�？�“英語角”寫一篇英文稿件。

注意：1. 詞數(shù)不少于60；

2. 稿件的開頭已給出，不計入總詞數(shù)。

提示詞：毛猴 hairy monkey

Visiting the Museum of Hairy Monkeys

Last week my classmates and I went to the museum of hairy monkeys for the activity of promoting intangible cultural heritage.

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I am Peter Hodes, a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2012, I’ve done 89 trips -— of those, 51 have been abroad, I have 42 hours to carry stem cells (干細(xì)胞) in my little box because I’ve got two ice packs and that’s how long they last. In all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor to the time they can be implanted in the patient, we’ve got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.

I had one trip last year where I was caught by a hurricane in America. I picked up the stem cells in Providence, Rhode Island, and was meant to fly to Washington then back to London. But when I arrived at the check-in desk at Providence, the lady on the desk said: “Well, I’m really sorry, I’ve got some bad news for you — there are no flights from Washington.” So I took my box and put it on the desk and I said: “In this box are some stem cells that are urgently needed for a patient — please, please, you’ve got to get me back to the United Kingdom.” She just dropped everything. She arranged for a flight on a small plane to be held for me, re-routed (改道) me through Newark and got me back to the UK even earlier than originally scheduled.

For this courier job, you’re consciously aware that in that box you’ve got something that is potentially going to save somebody’s life.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “courier” in Paragraph 1?

A. providerB. collectorC. delivery manD. medical doctor

2.Why does Peter have to complete his trip within 42 hours?

A. The ice won’t last any longer.

B. The donor can only wait for that long.

C. The operation needs that much time.

D. He cannot stay away from his job too long.

3.Which fight did the woman put Peter on first?

A. To Newark.B. To London.C. To Providence.D. To Washington.

A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.

According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association(APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have travelled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.

The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat-belt sign switches off. They are also the first to take out their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively—when not drinking—choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.

Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random strangers—spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.

Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals. In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers.

The international flyers did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment. “The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements” said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. “At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey.” he added.

1.What can you probably see in the flight according to the passage?

A. Brazilians choose to drink.

B. Americans do in-flight shopping.

C. Germans chat to kill the time.

D. The Chinese switch off the seat-belt sign.

2.When on board the plane, ______.

A. passengers from one nation have little in common

B. most passengers like to read in-flight magazines

C. more than half of the passengers don’t enjoy plane food

D. most people tend to use in-flight time to have a good sleep

3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Flyers care little about entertainment.

B. Flyers are not satisfied with the improvements.

C. Flyers are expecting better flight experiences.

D. Flyers have more and more demands from airlines.

4.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To entertain readers with interesting stories.

B. To encourage people to behave well in public.

C. To criticize impolite behaviors on the plane.

D. To inform readers of the results of a survey.

Need for closure is a psychological term that describes a person's desire for a firm answer to a question. Our need for closure is our natural preference for definite answers over confusion and uncertainty. Every person has their own baseline level of need for closure. It likely evolved via natural selection.

What I find really fascinating is how our need for closure is affected by the situation we're in. Our need for closure rises when we have to act rather than just observe, and it matters much more when we're rushed, or bored, or tired. Any stress can make our discomfort with uncertainty increase, and a high need for closure negatively influences some of our most important decisions: who we decide to trust, whether we admit we're wrong and even how creative we are.

In hiring, for instance, a high need for closure leads people to put far too much weight on their first impression. It's called the Urgency Effect. In one experiment, psychologists tried to lower people's need for closure by telling them, right before participants are about to make various judgments of a job candidate, that they'll be responsible in some way for them, or that their judgments have serious consequences.

In making any big decision, it's not enough just to know that we should take our time. We all know that important decisions shouldn't be rushed. The problem is that we don't keep that advice in mind when it matters. So, one of the best solutions is to formalize the reminders. Before making important decisions, write down not just advantages and disadvantages but what the consequences could be. Also, think about how much pressure you're under. If your need for closure is particularly high that day, it's even more important to think twice.

1.How does "need for closure" probably come into being?

A. By accident.B. By nature.

C. By acquiring.D. By imitating.

2.It can be inferred that a high need for closure ______.

A. brings about more stress

B. leads to not so good decisions

C. causes discomfort and uncertainty

D. promotes one's creativity

3.In the experiment the psychologists reduced participants’ need for closure by telling them to ______.

A. value their first impression

B. be responsible for their boss

C. be cautious about their judgments

D. pay little attention to the consequences

4.What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A. More helpful solutions to high need for closure.

B. Some serious consequences of making decisions.

C. Other approaches to making important decisions.

D. Another strategy to escape the pressures of modern life.

Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people’s e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.

“The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for mass media,” says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. “They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.”

Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication—e-mails, Web posts and reviews, face-to-face conversations—found that it tended to be more positive than negative, but that didn’t necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website. He and a Penn colleague analyzed the “most e-mailed” list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times’ readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.

Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused (激發(fā)) one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad. The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On.”

1.What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?

A. Private e-mails.

B. Research papers.

C. News reports.

D. Daily conversations.

2.What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer?

A. They’re socially inactive.

B. They’re good at telling stories.

C. They’re careful with their words.

D. They’re inconsiderate of others.

3.Which tended to be the most e-mailed according to Dr. Berger’s research?

A. Science articles.

B. Sports news.

C. Personal accounts.

D. Financial reviews.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide

B. Online News Attracts More People

C. Reading Habits Change with the Times

D. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項，選項中有兩項為多余選項。

A garden that’s just right for you

Have you ever visited a garden that seemed just right for you, where the atmosphere of the garden appeared to total more than the sum of its parts? 1. But it doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with looking inside yourself and understanding who you are with respect to the natural world and how you approach the gardening process.

● 2.

Some people may think that a garden is no more than plants, flowers, patterns and masses of color. Others are concerned about using gardening methods that require less water and fewer fertilizers. 3. However, there are a number of other reasons that might explain why you want to garden. One of them comes from our earliest years.

●Recall your childhood memories

Our model of what a garden should be often goes back to childhood. Grandma’s rose garden and Dad’s vegetable garden might be good or bad, but that’s not what’s important. 4. —how being in those gardens made us feel. If you’d like to build a powerful bond with your garden, start by taking some time to recall the gardens of your youth. 5. Then go outside and work out a plan to translate your childhood memories into your grown-up garden. Have fun.

A. Know why you garden.

B. Find a good place for your own garden.

C. It’s delightful to see so many beautiful flowers.

D. It’s our experience of the garden that matters.

E. Still others may simply enjoy being outdoors and close to plants.

F. You can produce that kind of magical quality in your own garden, too.

G. For each of those gardens, writer down the strongest memory you have.