Strange stones of Costa Rica
One of the strangest mysteries in archacology was discovered in the Diquis River Delta, in southern Costa Rica. Since the 1930s, hundreds of stone balls have been found. They range in size from a few centimeters to over two metres in diameter.
Who made these perfect spheres(球体) and how they made them remains a mystery. Some researchers believe the stones were made by extreme heating followed by cooling. People could have polished the spheres with sand or leather. The ancient Costa Ricans had no written language so there is no written record of just how they made the spheres.
Almost all are made of granite (花岗岩), a hard stone created by volcanoes. The granite quarries(采石场) were 25 to 30 miles away from the largest stones, which weigh more than 10 tons each. Nobody knows how people moved them..
Many of the stones have been found near the remains of houses or graves. Some believed that the stones contained hidden treasures and a few have been smashed but nothing has been found inside. Despite these losses, the National Museum of Costa Rica has recorded 130 spheres. However, many stones are not included because they have been removed from their original sites and used as ornaments(装饰) in homes, gardens and churches. Clearly, there are also many stones that lie undiscovered.The stones were discovered ___ .
| A．near the volcanoes |
| B．in southern Costa Rica |
| C．in a grave |
| D．in churches |
The writer ___ in the passage.
| A．admires the spheres very much |
| B．doesn’ t believe the spheres were once made by humans |
| C．tells us a discovery |
| D．thinks highly of the spheres |
The underlined word ”polished” refers to “___”.
| A．buried |
| B．wrapped |
| C．made shining |
| D．made big |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The stone balls found in the Diquis River Delta are all very huge. |
| B．The stone balls were unearthed from the graves. |
| C．The local people show great interest in the stone balls. |
| D．There are a lot of treasures in the stone balls. |
The passage mainly tells us ___ .
| A．the stones are of great value. |
| B．the stones proved to be made by non-humans. |
| C．the stones are mystery. |
| D．the stone are ornaments. |
Seeing may be believing，but hearing a sound first may help your sense of sight，according to results of a new study.
Researchers at the University of California of San Diego report that people were more accurate at noticing a flash of light when a sound was produced at the same place immediately before the light flashed.
“We used a loud sound to catch our participants’（受试者）attention” one of the study’s authors, Dr McDonald， said in an article. During some experiments， the sound occurred at the same location as the flash of light，while at other times it was produced on the opposite side of participants’ field of sight. The 33 participants in the study were more accurate at noticing the flash of light when the sound occurred on the same side，suggesting that sound can help direct visual（视觉的）attention.
According to McDonald， his research team plans to continue studying the relationship between sight and sound. It will be interesting to see， he said，what happens to the ability to pay attention when one of the sense does not work as well as it should，as in a person who is blind of has hearing problems.
McDonald also noted that research into the relationship between sight and sound could affect the way we 1ook at peop1e with attention disorder. Traditionally，these people together are considered to have attention prob1em，but in some people the problem may be caused by hearing or sight deficits（缺陷）.
“ It could be possible that they cou1d have a deficit in one sense or another，or in relating sight and sound together，” McDonald said. Research into this area may lead to better treatment for people who have a hard time paying attention. It may be a good idea to take into consideration the relationship between sound and sight when designing warning signals，such as for an airplane pilot. By saying “ Seeing may be believing” ，the writer is suggesting that .
| A．there is a relationship between hearing and seeing |
| B．the saying has some influence on their research |
| C．you should read the research findings in this article |
| D．you should visit the laboratory in person |
One question the research team wants to study is how .
| A．to deal with people’s hearing problems |
| B．to improve pilots’ attention during flight |
| C．people with hearing or sight deficits can improve their attention |
| D．hearing or sight deficits affect people’s ability to pay attention |
McDonald believes that the study of the relationship between sight and sound will .
| A．have practical values for medical doctors and pilots |
| B．help change the well-being of medical doctors |
| C．prevent people from having hearing or sight problem |
| D．help to improve people’s eyesight |
Which is the best title for the passage？
A. A cure for people with hearing problems. B. The study of people’s attention.
C Sound helps to improves people’s attention. D. Sound helps to notice the flash of light.
Compulsive(狂热的) shoppers may have a new psychological excuse to blame for their shopping. Psychologists at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand are studying the “shop-till-you-drop” habit as a behavioral disorder similar to compulsive eating. Compulsive shoppers frequently buy more than they can afford or more than they need, and it causes them anxiousness.
“ It becomes a problem when you are out of control,” psychology lecturer Neville Blampied said. “ When you are feeling bad and blue, what do you do? Some people eat chocolate cake and ice cream. Some people take the credit card and go out to the shop.” Bank managers understand the problem because they have to deal with people who have to be persuaded to stop using their cards drawing money.
An advertisement in a Christchurch paper, calling for people to take part in an experimental treatment program designed by Mr. Wilson, attracted 10 replies. But the problem, said Mr. Wilson, is “clearly not rare.” He thinks that compulsive shopping should be treated with drugs. “As psychologists We are interested in non-drug treatments for behavioral difficulties,” Mr. Wilson said.
Compulsive eaters or shoppers get a kick from their habit. “ Both activities provide an immediate kind of kick and you feel a bit better,” he said. “ You have long-term problems, but human beings are extremely good at not seeing long-term problem and are very sensitive to short-term benefits,” he said.
The aim of the treatments was to help people find better ways of managing their emotions. The program, consisting of 10 one-hour weekly lessons and two follow-up treatments, is loosely based on teaching stress management.
“ You often have to start to get people to correctly recognize their emotions. Not being able to know what you really feel weakens your ability to solve the problems.” Mr. Wilson said.What is this article mostly about?
| A．Signs of compulsive shopping. |
| B．Studies of compulsive shopping. |
| C．A comparison of shopping and eating. |
| D．An experimental treatment program. |
The compulsive shoppers will go shopping when they _.
| A．have lots of money | B．are taking drugs |
| C．are feeling sad | D．win a prize |
Which of the following is considered important in treating compulsive shoppers?
| A．Teach them to understand their emotions. |
| B．Teach them to manage their money better. |
| C．Persuade them not to draw money from the bank. |
| D．Treat them with some right drugs. |
When the writer says that compulsive shoppers get a kick from their habit, he means that they _.
| A．feel anxious after their wild shopping |
| B．feel better after treatment from psychologists |
| C．are better able to deal with stress problems |
| D．have a feeling of excitement after shopping |
Happiness, rather than working hard, is the key to success, according to research published yesterday. Cheerfu1 peop1e are more 1ikely to try new things and challenge（wk战）themselves， which strengthens their good emotion and leads to success in work，good relationships and strong health，say psychologists（心理学家）.
The findings suggest that happiness is not a “ feel-good” luxury（奢侈品），but is necessary for people’s well-being. What is more, happiness can also reach an entire nation，with people in” happy” nations being more likely to help others.
The link between happiness and success was studied by a team from the University of California Riverside，led by Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky.
First, they examined questionnaires that ask peop1e about their 1ives. “ For example, they show that happy people are likely to earn higher incomes” said Lyubomirsky. Having established the link，they wanted to discover the cause.
“Almost always it has been taken for granted that things that connect closely to happiness are the causes of happiness，but it could be just the opposite that those things are likely to be caused by happiness，” said Professor Ed Diener from the University of Illinois，another author on the paper.
“ There was strong evidence that happiness leads people to be more sociable，more generous and more productive at work，to make more money，and to have stronger immune（免疫）systems，”said Lyubomirsky.
The research shows that while success can put a spring in someone’s step，peop1e need happiness in the first place to achieve success.
According to the study， around 4 out of 5 people in modern industrialized nations arc happy at any one time.
Success was not just about earning lots of money. “ We describe success as having the things that culture or society values，whether it be friends，close family, money and income，or long life，”said Diener.
However，sorrowful people arc not predetermined to lead a life of failure.In this passage，which of the following viewpoints does Professor Lyubomirsky state？
| A．People in less happy countries are more likely to help others. |
| B．Things connected to happiness are brought about by happiness. |
| C．Happiness results in richer and healthier people. |
| D．Success means possessing things that a cu1ture or society thinks highly of. |
The underlined phrase “ put a spring in someone’s step” means .
| A．put you in good spirits | B．put spring water on your feet |
| C．have a pleasant walk in spring | D．step into a cheerful spring |
According to the passage，which of the following is true？
| A．People arc happy because they earn more money. |
| B．People earn more money because they are happy. |
| C．Working hard is important for being successful. |
| D．We can do whatever we like as 1ong as we feel happy. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．fee1ing good is a cause and not an effect of achievement |
| B．our life would be a failure if we were not happy |
| C．happiness is just a personal problem |
| D．being successful mainly means being wealthy |
A little old couple walked slowly into McDonald’s one cold winter evening. They looked out of place among the young families and young couples eating there that night.
Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what the admirers were thinking. “ Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more !”
After paying for the meal, the couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man carefully cut the hamburger in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them.
As the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger the crowd began to get restless. Again you could tell what they were thinking, “ That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two Of them.”
As the man began to eat his French fries one young man stood and came over to the old couple’s table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat. The old man replied that they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything.
Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady hadn’t eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.
Again the young man came over and begged them to let him buy them something to eat. This time the lady explained that, no, they were used to sharing everything together.
As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food.
After being politely refused again, he finally asked a question of the little old lady. “ Ma’am, why aren’t you eating? You said that you shared everything. What is it that you are waiting for?” She answered, “The teeth”.Why did some of the customers look at them with admiration when the old couple entered the McDonald’s?
| A．Because old people were rarely seen eating at McDonald’s. |
| B．Because the couple ate out at McDonald’s though they were poor. |
| C．Because the couple had been married for so many years. |
| D．Because the couple liked to eat at McDonald’s at such an old age. |
The underlined phrase “out of place” is closest in meaning to .
| A．in the wrong direction | B．not suitable | C．everywhere | D．very untidy |
What did the old lady mean at the end of the passage?
| A．She was growing new teeth. |
| B．She was waiting for her husband to finish using the false teeth. |
| C．She was waiting for someone to fetch her false teeth from home. |
| D．She was suffering from toothache. |
Which word can best describe the young man in the story?
| A．impatient | B．rude | C．impolite | D．Warm-hearted |
Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you're doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you're holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation(感觉) of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions-those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh.
Psychologists have known that one person's perception(感知) of another's "warmth" is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either "warm" or "cold" is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a "cold" person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies' conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth "mother" rather than one made of wire, even when the wire "mother" carried a food bottle. Harlow's work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills.
Feelings of "warmth" and "coldness" in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as "warm" or "cold" is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries.
To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant who was unaware of the study's hypotheses(假设), handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form: The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of "Person A" based on a particular description. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink.
"We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly," says Bargh.
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According to Paragraph 1, a person's emotion may be affected by.
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| 2． |
The author mentions Harlow's experiment to show that.
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| 3． |
In Bargh's experiment, the students were asked to.
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| 4． |
We can infer from the passage that.
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| 5． |
What would be the best title for the passage?
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