【推荐2】Failure is an unavoidable part of life. Though science has named some life skills that promise success, we’re told over and over again that no great success was ever achieved without failure—or many failed attempts. One of life’s most important lessons, therefore, has to be how to handle failure best. But what is the message?

For starters, ignore advice from anyone that tells you, “Don’t beat yourself up about it, ” no matter how well-meaning they are. According to the new research from the University of Kansas, we absolutely should be beating ourselves up when we fail. Marketing professor Noelle Nelson and her team found that the more emotional a person’s response is to failure, the more likely they are to achieve better results the next time they deal with a related task.

The researchers carried out two experiments in which undergraduate students were required to perform specific tasks. In one experiment, they were asked to search online for a squeezer and report the lowest price they could find with the possibility of winning a $50 cash prize. However, the task was controlled, and all participants were told (by a computer) that the lowest price was $3.27 less than their reported price. Consequently, no participant won the cash prize. When the results were announced,   some participants were asked to focus on their emotional response,   and others on their cognitive (认知的) response. During the next similar task, participants who focused on their emotional response to failure made more effort than those who focused on a cognitive response.

Everybody has their own unique challenges, responsibilities, duties, and projects, but these findings are related to all of us. Your personal failure may be a cake that fails to rise, a presentation that goes wrong, or a deadline that gets missed—it doesn’t matter. What matters is how you react to it. Instead of thinking about the failure, let yourself feel bad about it. Then follow this advice on how to bounce back after your failure.

1. What’s the relationship between failure and success?

A．Failure promises success.	B．Failure is the key to success.
C．Failure does damage to success.	D．Well-handled failure is good for success.

2. Why does the writer support beating oneself up when failing?

A．It’s a well-meaning suggestion for failure.

B．It’s been proved by the study of a university.

C．Being emotional is good for one’s future success.

D．It can make people less emotional about failure.

3. What is the purpose of the two experiments?

A．To test the participants’ abilities to search online.

B．To improve the participants’ cognitive response.

C．To teach the participants to avoid failures.

D．To test the benefit of emotional response to failure.

4. Which can be the best title for the passage?

A．Personal Failure Is a Cake That Fails to Appear

B．The Most Productive Way to Handle Any Failure

C．Different Methods to Change Failure into Success

D．The Reason Why Failure Is the Mother of Success

【推荐3】Art has always been a vital part of my life. When I was old enough to appreciate genuine fine art , my parents started bringing me to museums that housed works of the greatest artists in the world.

When my art teacher asked us to do a Cubist（立体派的)drawing, my first thought was that she was just joking. I didn't like Cubism.   I thought to do so means making fun of the true artists I admired. Unwillingly, I began to find out items for my drawing, I carelessly drew the objects all from different view points. The pictures all looked like a mess of lines and shapes anyway, but I was more concerned with how many more minutes were in the period because I was hungry. Yet, the other part of me was growing quieter. I began to take my task seriously and darken specific lines. I stared at my drawing and determined which ones needed to be emphasized. I was soon shading certain shapes black and they brought out important figures. It must be absolutely perfect.

When I showed her my finished drawing, my teacher looked at me with her huge smile and simply stated, "You are a Cubist. " At that moment the world stopped moving. My cubist drawing was the best piece of art I had ever created, not because I had spent the most time on it but because I had felt it.   I thought of how I produced it.   Once I felt frustrated, trying to perfect my black lines.   Another time I was delighted in breathing life into the drawing by adding color.   All of these emotions showed themselves in my work, giving it life that none of my previous works had had. Cubism set me free, showing everything I knew, everything I was, and everything I wished I could be. I had found the missing link, and the world began to move again.

1. How did the author first react to his art teacher's request?

A．He was unwilling to do it.

B．He was pleased to do it.

C．He was worried about it.

D．He was confused about it.

2. What do you think of the writer according to the text?

A．Absent-minded.	B．Self-centred.
C．Warm-hearted.	D．Strong-willed.

3. What does the underlined part in the last paragraph refer to?

A．The enthusiasm of painting.	B．The relationship with his teacher.
C．The method to do a Cubist drawing.	D．The determination to be a Cubist.

4. What lesson can we get from the text?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Attitude is everything.
C．It is never too old to learn.	D．Action speaks louder than words.

【推荐2】How to Feel Connected

It's easy to feel disconnected from what is going on around you in today's fast-paced world.     1     You can get in touch and feel connected, however, by following the tips below:

Consider why you feel disconnected. Knowing what is making you feel disconnected can help you choose the best ways to address it.     2     Ask yourself these questions: Are you keeping yourself occupied with work too much? Do you rely on electronic communication instead of face-to-face communication? Do you lack friendships that are satisfying?

Interact with people in person. Technology is a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you need to spend time with other people in person.     3     You can also take steps to feel more connected by making small-talk with strangers who are sharing parts of your day.

    4     Your loved ones could feel shy, so you may never know how to improve your relationship unless you ask the right questions. Asking them to open the doors can give you some insight on what you can do. Learning this information can help to strengthen your bond.

Show appreciation.     5     Unfortunately, it is something that people who are close often take for granted. Telling someone you appreciate their time, love, and efforts can strengthen your bond and help you to become more connected.

A．Ask others what they need from you.

B．A simple “thank you” goes a very long way.

C．Feeling connected gives people great confidence.

D．A gift should be delivered to friends on special occasions.

E．Sometimes you can feel isolated and distant from the ones you love.

F．Attending family events can help strengthen your relationship and keep it strong.

G．Targeting your efforts toward those issues allows you to close that distance more effectively.

【推荐3】Planting the Seeds of Change

Catalino Tapia came to the United States as a young man with six dollars. He worked hard and eventually started his own gardening business. He married and bought a comfortable home in Redwood City, California. Tapia and his wife raised two sons, putting the elder through college.

When his son graduated from law school, Tapia was inspired to help other young people make it to college, although he himself had never studied beyond the sixth grade. With the help from his son, Tapia established a nonprofit corporation—the Gardeners Foundation.

Tapia began by asking his wealthy customers for donation (捐款). In just two weeks, he had raised $10,000 for scholarships, and the money kept coming. The Gardeners Foundation now gives a minimum of ten scholarships each year.

“I believe the education of our young people isn’t just the responsibility of their parents, especially in the Latino district where some parents work two or three jobs,” says Tapia.

Gloria Escobar, nineteen, received one of the scholarships. Gloria knew that she wanted to study architecture, but the classes that she needed were not offered at her local college. The money from the foundation allowed her to travel to a college farther away where she could earn the credits she needed to go to a university.

Another receiver, Alberto Urieta, hopes to major in biology. “To receive a scholarship is so much help because the books are so expensive, and it also gives us a feeling that we’re not alone, that someone wants us to make our dreams a reality,” says Urieta.

Tapia understands that children who are educated can contribute more to the country than those who are not. “It’s a little seed we’re planting,” he said. “And it will eventually grow into a garden of students, and it will flower and bear fruit.”

1. What did Tapia do for a living?

A．He taught children.	B．He ran his gardening business.
C．He worked in a college.	D．He sold books to students.

2. From whom did Tapia raise money for the foundation?

A．His parents.	B．His two sons.
C．His customers.	D．Gardeners.

3. What is the change brought by the foundation?

A．Workers can find a new job.

B．Gardeners can travel far away.

C．Young people can run their own business.

D．Students from poor families can go to college.

4. The author wrote the passage to ________.

A．tell a story	B．introduce a project
C．describe a dream	D．advertise for an organization

【推荐3】One of the most popular beliefs in parenting is the so﹣called Mozart effect， which says that listening to music by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart can increase a child's intelligence． Some pregnant women have even gone so far as to play Mozart recordings on headphones pressed against their bellies． And it's not hard to see how Mozart's name became associated with accelerated development． He was history's greatest child genius， performing astonishing music for kings and queens at an age when many of us were content with tuneless singing "I'm a Little Teapot"．

So， if you have kids or you're expecting to have them， how seriously should you take the Mozart effect？ Will the child who doesn't listen to Mozart in the cradle （摇篮） be limited to an ordinary life？ Are you a bad parent if your kids don't know about any works of Mozart？

Relax． There is no scientific evidence that listening to Mozart improves children's cognitive abilities． The whole idea comes from a small study done in 1993， which found that college students who listened to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major （K 448）showed some improvement in a test of spatial （空间的） skills． This finding was later described as something extremely amazing by a musician， Don Campbell， in a book． Campbell's claims about the super powers of Mozart's music were repeated endlessly in the media and fueled a craze for Mozart﹣based enrichment activities． In 1998， for example， the governor of Georgia in the USA requested funds to send classical﹣music CDs to all parents of newborns in the state．

Since then， scientists have examined the claim that Mozart increases intelligence and found no evidence for it． The original experiment with college students was reviewed in 1999， and the increase in the students' spatial skills was found to be negligible． In 2007 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research asked a team of experts to examine the scientific literature regarding Mozart and child development， and they found no reason to believe that it increased intelligence．

1. People relate Mozart to children's intelligence development because he　 　．

A．owned extraordinary music talent.

B．could perform music as a child.

C．offered music to pregnant women.

D．was an royal Austrian composer.

2. What can we know about the small study in 1993？

A．It added to the popularity of Mozart's music．

B．It found no evidence for supporting Mozart effect．

C．It helped college students make academic progress．

D．It urged Georgia's governor to spread classical music．

3. What does the underlined word "negligible" probably mean？

A．Sudden．

B．Insignificant．

C．Average．

D．Steady．

4. What can be the best title for the text？

A．New Findings： Mozart Effect to Be Proved.

B．Secrets Uncovered： History of Mozart Effect.

C．Does Listening to Mozart Make Kids Smarter？

D．How Does Mozart Improve Kids' Intelligence？

【推荐1】While a new school term is about to begin, perhaps we should reconsider the matter of examinations. In July, two writers (Letters to the Editor) praised the cancellation of exams because they believe “tests don’t tell the whole story.”

As a teacher who has worked for many years, I have had the experience that a student who earns good marks is generally a good student, and that a student’s final mark in a subject is usually a grade average of the year’s work. Of course there are exceptions, but they do not have the frequency that would give an unfair picture of a student’s ability. The simple fact is that proper class work, hard-working exam studies and good marks are almost certain indicators of a students future performance. The opposite, almost certainly, unfitness.

There is no acceptable substitute for competition and examination of quality. How can teachers and future officials determine what a student has learned and remembered? Should we simply take the student word for it? Any organization that sets students free from fair and formal exams is misguided. And surely the “graduates” of such organisations will lack trustworthiness, not to mention being refused by foreign universities for graduate or other studies.

When all is said and done, I sense that a fear of failure and a fear of unpleasant comparison with others is the basic reason for most ban-exams talk. Excellence and quality fear nothing. On the contrary, they seek competition and desire the satisfaction of being the best.

1. What’s the purpose of the two writers mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To fight against judging students by the results of exams.

B．To come up with other ways of testing students.

C．To determine exams as a way of punishing students.

D．To express worries about the poor marks of their students.

2. What would happen if a student graduated from an organization without exams?

A．He would have a chance to continue his studies.

B．He would have a feeling of failure.

C．He would be more competitive.

D．He wouldn’t be admitted by foreign universities.

3. What are those who dislike the idea of examinations probably afraid of?

A．Competing with other students.	B．Being graded unfairly.
C．Working too hard.	D．Being punished by school.

4. What does the underlined word “substitute” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Strength.

B．Association.

C．Replacement.

D．Correction.

【推荐2】Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

1. Why does the writer regard “if only” as two of the saddest words in the English language?

A．Because people use them when they feel sad

B．Because they express regrets and disappointment in life

C．Because the remind the writer of some sad experiences

D．Because they mean sadness in the English language

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3?

A．given up	B．come across
C．got through	D．held back

3. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ________.

A．see a doctor	B．finish her work
C．join a celebration	D．accompany her father

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Advice from My Father	B．Avoidance of saying “If Only”
C．The “Extra Minute” Rule	D．The importance of Emotional Well-being

【推荐3】The Vienna-based researchers showed that dogs will stop doing a simple task when not rewarded if another dog, which continues to be rewarded is present.

The experiment consisted of taking pairs of dogs and getting them to present a paw for a reward. On giving this “handshake” the dogs received a piece of food. One of the dogs was then asked to shake hands, but received no food. The other dog continued to get the food when it was asked to perform the task.

The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of anger or stress when its partner was rewarded.

To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner. Here they continued to present the paw for much longer.

Dr. Frederike Range from the University of Vienna says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner that was the greater influence on their behavior.

“The only difference is that one gets food and the other doesn’t. They are responding to being unequally rewarded.” she says.

The researchers say this kind of behavior, where one animal gets frustrated with what is happening with another, has only been observed in primates (灵长类) before.

Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react’ not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward.

The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference. Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either. Dr. Range says this may be because they have been trained.

1. The dogs refused to give the paw when they ________.

A．found another dog was given nothing	B．felt they were not treated equally
C．were aware they received less food	D．were given too much reward

2. What would a dog do if it presented its paw alone?

A．It would go on with the performance much longer.

B．It would be too shy to present its paw.

C．It would miss its partner.

D．It would compare what it got with that of another.

3. According to the passage, compared with dogs, monkeys and chimpanzees ________.

A．pay no attention to the type of reward

B．only like to play interesting games

C．pay attention to the type of reward as well as whether they are rewarded

D．care more about how they are rewarded

4. Which of the following can best summarize the passage?

A．Animals’ various ways to show anger.

B．Dogs are more envious than human beings.

C．Most animals want to be rewarded for their work.

D．Animals also have a sense of fairness.