The fire of creativity doesn’t necessarily burn out after youth.“Many people believe that the creativity is exclusively (专有地) associated with youth, but it really depends on what kind of creativity you’re talking about,” says the lead study author, Bruce Weinberg of Ohio State University.
According to the study, there are two types of innovators (创新者): conceptual and experimental. Weinberg and fellow researcher David Galenson think that those who tend to do their best work in their mid-20s are conceptual innovators, while those who peak in their 50s are experimental innovators.
Weinberg and Galenson studied the works of 31 Nobel Prize winners of economics, placing the economists on a range of most conceptual to most experimental. The age at which an economist contributed the most well-regarded to the field was taken into account, and the age at which the work entered the economic field helped to classify the economist’s creative peak (顶峰).
Economists with a conceptual approach peaked in their 20s, while those who took the experimental approach peaked in their late 50s. Most of the winners made their great discoveries after at least 25 years of hard work.
The researchers correlated (与……相关联) their findings in economic achievements with those of scientific achievements. For example, they mention Albert Einstein as a conceptual innovator, who put forward the famous Special Theory of Relativity at the age of 26. They suggest scientist Charles Darwin developed his most groundbreaking theories later on in life, which would make him an experimental innovator. This makes sense given that the theory of evolution was developed over many years through a long process of trial and error.
None of this is to say that either type of innovative approach is exclusive to different age groups. It isn’t unheard of for an older person to be a conceptual innovator or for younger people to innovate more experimentally. The research simply shows trends. Anyhow, there's always a little room for a creative breakthrough — no matter your age
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．Creativity Is The Best When One Is Young |
| B．Scientists Became Famous At Different Ages |
| C．Experimental Innovators Peak In Late 50’s |
| D．Creativity Isn’t Exclusive To The Young |
| A．most winners made creative discoveries in their late 20’s |
| B．award-winning economists tend to use conceptual approaches |
| C．the majority of 31 winners were experimental innovators |
| D．researchers interviewed Nobel Prize winners of economics |
| A．They inspire their creative ideas by a sudden spark. |
| B．They slowly cultivate creative ideas over a long time. |
| C．They tend to challenge most basic scientific concepts. |
| D．They often make important contributions in literature. |
| A．The findings are also applied to scientific field. |
| B．Scientists make breakthroughs by trial and error. |
| C．Economic theories are based on scientific facts. |
| D．Scientific discoveries call for many years of work. |
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【推荐1】The 1930s and early 1940s were a good time to fish for sardines (沙丁鱼) off California. Centered on Monterey Bay, catches increased dramatically and supported the state’s economy. But the situation began to change in 1946, and sardine catches eventually fell from an average of 234,000 tons to just 24,000 tons. The industry went belly-up.
Scientists have guessed for decades about what caused this phenomenon, but they lacked data to test their theories. Now researchers have finally found one apparent cause: cycles of ocean upwelling, a defining feature of the West Coast sea environment in which deep, nutrient-rich water rises to the nutrient-poor surface and restores the food supply there. The key that unlocked this phenomenon turned out to be old seaweed specimens (标本) gathered around the U. S.
“Plants are just sitting there, recording data about the state of the ocean,” says Kyle Van Houtan, chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and senior author of the new study. Van Houtan and others had suspected the impact of upwelling, but scientists only started measuring the process in Monterey Bay in 1946. Historic seaweed specimens, Van Houtan realized, might fill in the blanks for earlier years—similar to the way ice cores can help reconstruct CO2 levels from times before researchers started collecting real-time measurements.
For the new study, the scientists relied on the fact that deeper water near Monterey typically hosts more of a particular nitrogen isotope (氮同位素). Looking at modern upwelling data and recently collected seaweed, they found that higher levels of this nitrogen in the plants’ cells corresponded with periods of more upwelling. Next they measured the isotope levels in 70 historic specimens of the red seaweed Gelidium, gathered from Monterey as far back as 1878. The results suggested a gradual increase in upwelling and then a dramatic decrease, which lined up with the sardine population’s growth and decline.
“This paper is an excellent example of the creative detective work of historical ecology,” says Loren McClenachan, a marine ecologist at Colby College, who was not involved in the research. “There are thousands and thousands of similar specimens in collections around the world, and applying similar methods could teach us a great deal about long-term ocean change.”
1. What does the underlined part “went belly-up” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Sprang up. | B．Caught on. | C．Crashed. | D．Participated. |
| A．The significance of historic specimens. |
| B．The severity of global climate change. |
| C．The effectiveness of real-time measurements. |
| D．The necessity of sea level reconstruct ion. |
| A．By comparing different kinds of seaweed. |
| B．By analyzing historic and current data. |
| C．By recording the upwelling process. |
| D．By measuring the CO2 levels. |
| A．The Rise and Fall of Red Seaweed Gelidium |
| B．Sardines Have Been Hard Hit by Overfishing |
| C．The Hidden History of Fisheries in the West Coast |
| D．Old Seaweed Reveals Secret of Monterey Sardine History |
【推荐2】Many people believe that working to the maximum is the secret to success, but research has found that moderation(适度) also gets results on the job.
In a study led by Ellen Langer of Harvard University, researchers asked people to translate sentences into a new made-up language. Subjects who practiced the language moderately beforehand made fewer errors than those who practiced extensively or not at all. High levels of knowledge can make people too attached to traditional ways of viewing problems across fields the arts, sciences, and politics. High conscientiousness is related to lower job performance, especially in simple jobs where it doesn’t pay to be a perfectionist.
How long we stay on the clock and how we spend that time are under careful examination in many workplaces. The young banker who eats lunch at his desk is probably seen as a go-getter, while his colleagues who chat over a relaxed conference-room meal get dirty looks from the corner office. “People from cultures that value relationships more than ours does are shocked by the thought of eating alone in front of a computer”, says Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin. Social interaction has been shown to lift mood(情绪) and get people thinking in new directions and in ways that could help improve any post-lunch effort.
Markman also promotes off-task time. “Part of being a good thinker is experiencing things that are seemingly unrelated to what you are working on at the moment but give you fresh ideas about your work,” he says. “Also, there is a lot of research showing that a positive mood leads to higher levels of productivity and creativity. So, when people do things to increase their life satisfaction, they also make themselves more effective at work.”
1. What does Ellen Langer’s study show?| A．It is worthwhile to be a perfectionist | B．Translation makes people knowledgeable. |
| C．Simpler jobs require greater caution. | D．Moderate effort produces the best result. |
| A．is good at handling pressure | B．works hard to become successful |
| C．a has a natural talent for his job. | D．gets on well with his co-workers |
| A．A good thinker is able to inspire other people. |
| B．Experience unrelated to your job is useless. |
| C．A cheerful mood helps make a creative mind. |
| D．Focusing on what you do raises productivity. |
| A．Middle-of-the-road work habits. | B．Balance between work and family. |
| C．Long-standing cultural traditions. | D．Harmony in the work environment. |
【推荐3】People always feel headache about academic writing.Jennifer Ahern-Dodson provides some suggestions with some students and teachers.She asks about their earlier writing experiences.Were they negative or positive?She advises that you are not alone if you have had problems with your writing.She says everyone struggles with writing.
“Writing is hard.All writers struggle at some point.And even if writing has come easily for you,at some point in your work as a student,that eventually you’re going to hit a roadblock.So it’s really important to take a moment to think about their past writing experiences.And when the writing was going well,what was happening?When the writing wasn’t going well,what was happening?”
She says most people’s negative writing experiences happened because a very specific formula is required for a paper including an exact length.”And so they primarily focus on,and worry about,what the final product has to look like,like how many pages for a research essay?Or if it is in the second or third language,you know,punctuation and grammar,like whether it gets communicated in the right language.
Another problem can arise when the need to do well on a paper is extremely important.“...like a timed essay exam,or a college application essay,or a research paper that is at the end of the semester,and it’s tied to the entire grade for the class.So worrying about what will happen if they don’t do well–get bad grades,don’t get into college–creates,of course,significant anxiety.And that can make it harder to get the writing done.”
Then she and the people she’s helping move to more positive projects.She says usually when writing comes easily,the writers feel they have something important to say.The teacher advises thinking about who your audience is,and what it is that you really want to say to them.
1. What does Jennifer Ahern-Dodson think of academic writing?| A．It is made up of past experiences. | B．It has positive effects. |
| C．It is hard for everyone. | D．It makes people think. |
| A．Have an accident. | B．Meet into trouble. |
| C．Break some record. | D．Graduate from school. |
| A．Research subjects. | B．Required styles. |
| C．A certain formula. | D．Lack of patience. |
| A．By stopping worrying. | B．By thinking positively. |
| C．By focusing on the subject. | D．By thinking about audience. |
【推荐1】Researchers have long sought ways to design air conditioning systems that can work without such greenhouse gases as HFCS, but none has come close to being a direct replacement. A small Irish company, however, now states to have come up with an answer.
Exergyn, based in Dublin, has been working on a 60kw prototype(原型机)which not only avoids HFCS, but also has the benefit of having few moving parts. The system uses a material called a shape-memory alloy(合金). SMAS, as they are known for short, have the unusual ability to return to a predetermined shape when heated. The SMAS produce heat when their shapes are changed by compression(压缩), and then absorb it when the pressure is gone and they return to their original shapes.
Tony Ennis, Exergyn’s chairman, says this method of cooling is not only more environmentally friendly than an HFCS system, but will also be less expensive to buy and 30%～40% cheaper to run. It will be lighter and smaller, too. As for reliability, he says the prototype’s performance suggests the unit could operate for more than 40 years without a problem.
When Dr. O’Toole, an expert in memory materials, cofounded Exergyn in 2012, his intention was to use the SMAS to create a system that would turn low grade waste heat into electricity. But the challenges presented by HFCS persuaded him that air conditioning would be a quicker way to bring the technology to market. Development is still continuing, but products may be only a few years away.
He has not given up thoughts of producing electricity. He even wants to expand its application to other products, such as refrigerators and heat pumps to absorb heat from the ground for home heating. When time allows, Dr. O’Toole and his colleagues hope to get to work on those ideas, too.
1. What does the underlined word “predetermined” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Original. | B．Different. | C．Strange. | D．Perfect. |
| A．more expensive | B．more reliable | C．bigger | D．heavier |
| A．Heat pumps. | B．Air conditioning systems. |
| C．Refrigerators. | D．Waste-to-energy systems. |
| A．Challenges Presented by HFCS |
| B．Potential Uses of Shape memory Alloys |
| C．A NewHeat Pump With Few Moving Parts |
| D．A New Air-conditioner Without Greenhouse Gases |
【推荐2】Top-down processing is the process of using context or general knowledge to understand what we perceive (感知). In 1970, psychologist Richard Gregory introduced the concept. He claimed that perception is constructive.
The processing plays an important role in our interactions with our environment. Our five senses are constantly taking in information. At any given time, we are experiencing different sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and ways things feel when we touch them. If we paid attention to each one of our senses all the time, we’d never do anything else. It enables us to simplify the process by relying on context and our pre-existing knowledge to understand what we notice. If our brains didn’t employ top-down processing our senses would overwhelm us.
Top-down processing helps us understand what our senses are perceiving in our daily lives. For example, suppose you receive an important letter but a few drops of water have ruined part of the text. A few letters in different words are now just smudges (污迹). Yet, you’re still able to read the letter in its entirety using top-down processing. You use the context of the words and sentences in which the smudges appear and your knowledge of reading to comprehend the meaning of the letter’s message. See a word LO*E, with one letter knocked down, yet you are still able to quickly recognize the word as LOVE.
On the one hand, top-down processing serves a positive function by simplifying the way we comprehend our sensory perceptions. It enables us to shortcut the cognitive path between our perceptions and their meaning. On the other hand, patterns can also prevent us from perceiving things in unique ways. So we may understand the pattern of how to use a mobile phone, but if the manufacturer comes out with a new phone that employs completely unique interaction patterns, we may not be able to figure out how to use it. Besides, as our knowledge is limited and biased (片面的) in certain ways, it can lead to perceptual errors.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 2?| A．To explain main reasons. | B．To give practical examples. |
| C．To draw specific conclusions. | D．To analyse theoretical frameworks. |
| A．Pre-existing knowledge. | B．Active interactions. |
| C．Five physical senses. | D．Lessons from mistakes |
| A．Seeing is believing. | B．Practice makes perfect. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. | D．Experience is the best teacher. |
| A．Introduce a reading method. | B．Deepen underlying meanings. |
| C．Illustrate a cognitive strategy. | D．Clarify a producing process. |
【推荐3】At 11:06 a. m. on Feb. 27, China’s Long March-8 Y2 carrier rocket took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s Hainan province, with a total of 22 satellites on board. The successful launch marked the highest record for the total number of satellites sent into space by a single rocket in China.
The 22 commercial satellites launched aboard the Long March-8 Y2 carrier rocket are mainly used for Earth observation, Internet of Things (IoT) communications, and scientific experiments, and are able to provide services including survey of resources, in-orbit scientific experiment, and collection of information about ships.
To ensure that the 22 commereial satellites are sent into their orbits successfully, researchers needed to first figure out the “seating arrangement” for them. Based on the shapes and needs of these satellites, researchers eventually created a three-story machine that could ensure a comfortable “seat” in the limited space for each satellite.
Since these satellites need to leave the carrier rocket when they enter space, scientists must take into consideration deviations (偏差) in movements caused by different ways in which satellites separate from the rocket and energy sources they use during the process. The research and development team of the Long March-8 Y2 carried out many rounds of calculations (计算) for the deviations in the movements of the rocket and satellites to make sure all the 22 satellites can “get off” the launch vehicle safely.
Compared with the traditional practice of launching a single satellite with one rocket, using one rocket to send many satellites into orbits can put the carrying ability of the rocket to better use, improve efficiency (效率) and reduce the cost of satellite launch, according to experts.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The tasks for the 22 satellites. | B．The differences between rockets. |
| C．The technology applied to the rocket. | D．The achievements of scientific experiments. |
| A．To make sure the rocket was small enough. | B．To ensure the rocket worked properly. |
| C．To record satellite observation data. | D．To store the satellites properly. |
| A．To free the satellites successfully. | B．To deal with emergencies in time. |
| C．To make satellites stay in orbit longer. | D．To recycle the carrier rocket regularly. |
| A．It faces many risks. | B．It has many advantages. |
| C．It will be improved in the future. | D．It provides inspiration for future rockets. |
【推荐1】Like a tired marriage, the relationship between libraries and publishers has long been dull. E-books, however, are causing heartache. Libraries know they need digital wares, but many publishers are too cautious about piracy(盗版)and lost sales to co-operate. Among the big six, only Random House and Harper Collins license e-books with most libraries.
Publishers are wise to be nervous. Owners of E-readers are exactly the customers they need: book-lovers with money. If these people switch to borrowing c-books instead of buying them, what then? Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient. Unlike printed hooks, which must be checked out and returned to a physical library miles from where you live, book files can be downloaded at home. The tiles disappear from the device when they are due.
E-lending is not simple, however. There are lots of different and often incompatible(不兼容的)e-book formats, devices and licenses. Most libraries use a company called OverDrive, which secures rights from publishers and provides E-books and audio files in every format. Yet publishers and libraries are worried by OverDrive's global market dominance, as the company can control fees and conditions. Publishers were annoyed when OverDrive cooperated with Amazon, the world's biggest online bookseller, last year. Owners of Amazon's Kindle E-reader who want to borrow E-books from libraries are now redirected to Amazon's website, where they must use their Amazon accounts to secure a loan.
According to Pew, an opinion researcher, library users are perfect for market for Amazon. Late last year Amazon Introduced its Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which lets its best customers borrow free one of thousands of popular books each month.
Library supporters argue that book borrowers are also book buyers and that libraries are vital spaces for readers to discover new work. Many were cheered by a recent Pew survey, which found that more than half of Americans with library-cards say they prefer to buy their e-books.
1. It can be inferred from paragraph I that .| A．libraries and publishers face the same problem of e-books' piracy |
| B．libraries are eager to keep strong relationship with publishers |
| C．most publishers are hesitant to cooperate with libraries |
| D．several big publishers have sold E-books to libraries |
| A．Book sales may drop sharply because of convenient electronic borrowing. |
| B．There are lots of different and incompatible E-book formats available. |
| C．There is no time limit for the book files downloaded on the device. |
| D．E-books must be checked out and returned to libraries regularly. |
| A．It has the privilege to offer readers various brands of E-readers. |
| B．It distributes E-books and audio files to publishers. |
| C．Its market control threatens publishers and libraries. |
| D．It devotes itself to improving conditions of e-book market. |
| A．E-books can be lent at libraries as many times as you like |
| B．OverDrive distributes E-books and audio files to publishers |
| C．over half of Americans are borrowing E-books from libraries |
| D．Amazon is adopting measures to win more customers |
| A．The Hopeful Future of Publishing Business |
| B．Libraries and E-books |
| C．The Dull Relationship between Libraries and Publishers |
| D．The Close Cooperation between OverDrive and Amazon |
【推荐2】The train was speeding onward and the plains of Texas were pouring eastward.
A newly married pair had boarded this coach at San Antonio. The man’s face was reddened from many days in the wind and sun, and a direct result of his new black clothes was that from time to time he looked down respectfully at his clothes. He sat with a hand on each knee, like a man waiting in a barber’s shop. The glace she devoted to other passengers were shy. The bride was not pretty. She wore a dress of blue cashmere. She continually twisted her head to regard her puff sleeves. They embarrassed her. The blushes （脸红）caused by the careless glances of some passengers as she had entered the car were strange to see.
They were evidently very happy. “Ever been in a parlor-car （特等火车）before?” he asked, smiling with delight.
“No,” she answered; “I never was. It’s fine，ain’t it?”
“Great! And then after a while we’ll go forward to the dinner. Fresh meal in the world. Charge a dollar. ”
“Oh, do they?” cried the bride. “Charge a dollar? Why，that’s too much — for us — ain’t it, Jack?”
Later he explained to her about the trains. “You see, if s a thousand miles from one end of Texas to the other; and this runs right across it, and never stops but four times.” He had the pride of an owner. He pointed out to her the dazzling fittings of the coach; and in truth her eyes opened wider and she watched the sea-green velvet（丝绒人）, the shining bronze，silver, and glass, the wood that glowed as darkly brilliant as the surface of a pool of oil. At one end a bronze statue held a support for a separated room, and on the ceiling were frescos（壁画）in olive and silver.
To the minds of the pair, their surroundings reflected the glory of their marriage that morning in San Antonio: this was the environment of their new estate; and the man’s face in particular shone with an elation （得意）that made him appear ridiculous to the Negro porter. This porter at times surveyed them with an amused and superior grin. On other occasions he bullied them with skill in ways that did not make it easy to them that they were being bullied. He oppressed them. But of this oppression they had small knowledge, and infrequently, a number of travelers covered them with stares of derisive （嘲讽的）enjoyment.
At last they went to the dining-car. Two rows of Negro waiters, in glowing white suits, surveyed their entrance with the interest. The pair fell to the seats of a waiter who happened to feel pleasure in steering them through their meal. He viewed them with the manner of a fatherly guide, his face radiant with kindness. The service, coupled with the ordinary deference（毕恭毕敬），was rare to them. And yet, as they returned to their coach, they showed in their faces a sense of escape.
1. The description of the couple's clothes and behaviour seems to indicate that they had a sense of ____.| A．superiority | B．awkwardness |
| C．despair | D．satisfaction |
| A．The interior of the coach was luxurious and modem. |
| B．The Negro porter was very helpful to the couple. |
| C．It was the first time for the couple to take a train in Texas. |
| D．Some passengers on the train took the couple as an object of fun. |
| A．monitored | B．observed |
| C．searched | D．investigated |
| A．The waiter was indifferent to the couple. |
| B．The couple felt uneasy at dinner. |
| C．The service was satisfactory. |
| D．The couple enjoyed the dinner. |
【推荐3】Measles(麻疹), which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more, was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use of the MMR vaccine(疫苗). But the disease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement and misinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles cases have been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.
The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called “herd immunity”, which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn’t work.
But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger.
That’s exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.
The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.
Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out(决定不参加) of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption（豁免), sometimes just by signing a paper saying they personally object to a vaccine.
Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions.
Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they’ll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.
1. The first two paragraphs suggest that ____________.| A．a small number of measles cases can start a dangerous trend |
| B．the outbreak of measles attracts the public attention |
| C．anti-vaccine movement has its medical reasons |
| D．information about measles spreads quickly |
| A．exemptions are allowed |
| B．several vaccines are used together |
| C．the whole neighborhood is involved in |
| D．new regulations are added to the state laws |
| A．The overuse of vaccine. |
| B．The lack of medical care. |
| C．The features of measles itself. |
| D．The vaccine opt-outs of some people. |
| A．To introduce the idea of exemption. |
| B．To discuss methods to cure measles. |
| C．To stress the importance of vaccination. |
| D．To appeal for equal rights in medical treatment. |
According to a recent study, however, if you really think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you into trouble.
Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they never, ever start out that way.
Just getting past those first horrible experiences actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.
These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.
1. What do most people think causes bad behavior?
| A．Being forced by others. |
| B．Not having enough will power. |
| C．Enjoying their first experiences. |
| D．Following the examples of their friends. |
| A．will power helps develop bad habits sometimes |
| B．drinking beer is harmful to the health of teenagers |
| C．self-control should be developed when one is young |
| D．everyone can be challenged by different temptations |
| A．without self-control, no one can succeed |
| B．bad habits don’t always lead to bad results |
| C．applying self-control correctly is important |
| D．people can develop wisdom from bad behavior |
| A．My First Sip of Beer | B．Do You Have Will Power ? |
| C．Does Will Power Benefit Us? | D．Dark Side of Self-control |
【推荐2】Yao Ming was born in Shanghai in 1980. At 229 centimeters, he was the third tallest player in NBA history. Yao made his first appearance in the NBA during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He surprised many critics with his first games, and was fast becoming an international fan favorite, as he broke Michael Jordan’s record for votes (投票) received. In July 2011 Yao announced his retirement from the NBA due to frequent problems in his left foot.
He continuously works to raise awareness of endangered species and even went as far as to stop using shark fin soup at his wedding in 2007. Yao has been saying no to shark fin soup since 2006 when he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador (亲善大使) for wildlife protection. “Shark’s are friends of human beings. They are not our food.” Since his retirement he has become a surprise international force in the field of wildlife protection, and he is using his fame to tell us the difficulties faced by sharks.
Most recently he went to Houston Zoo, as part of his continuing effort to educate young people about the importance of wildlife protection. He is part of a large campaign (运动) by the wildlife protection charity WildAid, and has traveled through Africa to see and document the difficulties facing elephants and rhinos in the wild. With elephant and rhinoceros poaching (偷猎) on the rise, Yao also said, “When the buying stops, the killing can too. Get rid of the demand for rhino horn and ivory right at the source. That’s what I want to do.”
Although Yao is not the first Chinese player in the NBA, it could be argued that he is the most important one, not just for his taking part in charity and wildlife protection work. He built a bridge between two completely different worlds and introduced millions to the Chinese way of life, and the American lifestyle separately.
1. The first paragraph mainly tells us ____________.| A．the history of MBA | B．how high Yao Ming is |
| C．the life of Michael Jordan | D．Yao Ming’s basketball life |
| A．Because shark fin soup is not food. |
| B．Because he wants to set a good example. |
| C．Because sharks are not endangered species |
| D．Because shark fin soup is too expensive for him. |
| A．The demand for wildlife leads to killing. |
| B．He wants to appeal to others to stop illegal selling. |
| C．WildAid plays an important role in wildlife protection. |
| D．Young people make a difference in wildlife protection. |
| A．The first Chinese player in the NBA |
| B．A super basketball star -- Yao Ming |
| C．Yao Ming and his wildlife protection |
| D．When the buying stops, the killing can too |
【推荐3】We sacrifice our power of full presence when we're multitasking, and we do so for a benefit of improved productivity that simply doesn't exist. Multitasking is a myth(虚构的东西).
Research indicates that multitaskers are actually less likely to be productive, yet they feel more emotionally satisfied with their work. We're not actually accomplishing what we think we are — we've been fooling ourselves.
In fact, research also shows that multitasking, i. e. trying to do two cognitive (认知的)things at the same time, simply can't be done—the mind doesn't work that way. Even trying to do a cognitive activity and a more automatic activity at the same time doesn’t really work. That’s why the National Transportation Safety Board reports that texting while driving is the equivalent (等同之物)of driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.
We believe we're effective at multitasking when in reality we’re good at what researchers call “task-switching”. Earl Miller, a professor at MIT, says, “Switching from task to task, you think you're actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. But you're actually not.” The brain is forced to switch among multiple cognitive tasks as these tasks use the same part of the brain.
In fact, research indicates up to 40 percent of productivity could be lost due to task-switching. It actually takes more time to complete the tasks you re switching between and you make more errors than when you focus on doing one task at a time in order.
A Stanford study confirmed this by showing that those who multitask are indeed worse performers. Studies have shown that it takes four times longer for the brain to recognize new things, further slowing clown task completion and that we have a much lower retention (保留)rate of what we learn while we are multitasking.
1. What can be inferred from the text?| A．Task-switching makes better performers at work. |
| B．We take multitasking for task-switching by mistake. |
| C．We feel good about what we do while multitasking. |
| D．Our brain focuses on different tasks when we multitask, |
| A．We can't force our brain to multitask. |
| B．We should pay attention to everything around us. |
| C．We can occupy different parts of the brain with different tasks. |
| D．We shouldn't take texting while driving as the equivalent of drunk driving. |
| A．To introduce a new approach. |
| B．To compare different research findings. |
| C．To correct a common misunderstanding. |
| D．To analyze the consequence of a social phenomenon. |
| A．Multitasking is a myth |
| B．Full presence is impossible |
| C．Cognitive tasks are time-consuming |
| D．Task-switching improves productivity |
