Children’s minds often drift away to a peaceful place during playtime (or whenever they want!). However, a recent study published in the journal Emotion found that daydreaming is actually more difficult for adults; we often lose this imaginative practice as we age. To actually daydream, our brains have to create positive thoughts — which can be a challenge.
Erin Westgate, Ph. D., a University of Florida psychology professor and her team noted that since daydreaming is associated with our emotions, people who do so can better tolerate pain and boost their overall wellness. They rounded up a group of volunteers to test this theory. The researchers asked participants to think positive, meaningful thoughts. While the team supposed that this would help volunteers daydream, the participants in the study didn’t like the process and wanted a guided experience, instead. “It was heavy stuff. It didn’t seem to occur to them that they could use the time to enjoy their own thoughts,” Westgate said.
According to the study’s results, volunteers thought about things that actually didn’t have strong ties to their memories or emotions, like ice cream. Participants noted a 50-percent boost to their creative thinking when study authors gave them topics to choose from, like future goals, anticipated events, and favorite memories. Ultimately, thinking positively through daydreaming has incredible mental benefits. “It’s something that sets us apart. It defines our humanity. It allows us to imagine new realities, however, that kind of thinking requires practice,” noted Westgate.
To accomplish this on your own, try to have enjoyable thoughts. “This is something all of us can do once you have the concept. But keep in mind this is hard for everybody. There’s no good evidence that some types of people are simply better thinkers. The encouraging part is we can all get better.” Lastly, daydreaming at the right times, like during day-to-day tasks, brushing your teeth, or bathing, will make the process smoother. “The next time you’re walking, instead of pulling out your phone, try it,” said Westgate. “As you build your ability to daydream, you’ll have a source of enjoyable thoughts at your disposal during stressful times.”
1. What do we know about daydreaming?| A．It can make people younger. | B．Children are better at it. |
| C．It kills adults’ imagination. | D．A daydreamer is pain free. |
| A．They lack guidance. | B．They can’t concentrate. |
| C．They struggle with positive thinking. | D．They think it a waste of time. |
| A．More creative. | B．More emotional. |
| C．More confident. | D．More generous. |
| A．To show the benefits of daydreaming. |
| B．To erase the doubts about daydreaming. |
| C．To teach people to reclaim daydreaming. |
| D．To compare adults with children in daydreaming. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As seasons change, you can do the same with your wellness routine. When winter comes, you can adapt your seasonal healthy habits to suit your surroundings. Whether you live in a cold climate or closer to the warm place, you can use the change in seasons as an opportunity to stay healthy.
Fuel your body with winter vegetables. If you live in a climate with four seasons, only the strong survive when it comes to vegetables. Why not take advantage of the season by eating what grows at this time of year? Vegetables and leafy greens come packed with nutrients.
Focus on mental health. Often, well-being focuses more on the physical side of staying healthy.
Try something new to stay active. Wintertime can mean shorter days and colder temperatures. This can often put staying active on the back burner, especially with unpleasant temperatures outside. Why not take the change in seasons as an opportunity to try something new?
| A．Commit to an act of kindness. |
| B．But mental health is just as important. |
| C．Why don’t you eat enough vegetables? |
| D．Here are some winter wellness routines. |
| E．This can help you keep your wellness in winter. |
| F．Maybe you can enjoy cold outdoor activities, like skiing. |
| G．Look for local winter vegetables native to your area at a local famer’s market. |
【推荐2】How to Write a Summary(概要)
Write a summary is a great way to deal with the information you read, whether it’s an article or a book.
Read the piece thoroughly.
You should read it without making any kinds of marks. Instead, focus on really understanding what the author is trying to say. This might mean that you need to read one sentence or paragraph more than once.
Write down what you think the main point of the piece is.
This will help you start to put the piece’s arguments in your own words. You can also ask yourself what points or themes come up throughout the entire piece.
Put something in your own words.
Use language suitable to a summary.
Get rid of repetition.
Sometimes in an article or a book, the author might make the same point many times as a way to stress their main points. In your summary, you don’t need to do this. Remove the repetitive points. Even if the author makes points many times, you only need to make them once.
Once you’ve added anything you might have forgotten to your summary, check how long it is. If you’re summarizing something for a school assignment, be sure to stick to the guidelines provided by your teacher.
| A．Check your length. |
| B．Copy the author’s point of view. |
| C．Take notes while you are reading. |
| D．You might also want to reread the whole piece. |
| E．You are summarizing another person s arguments. |
| F．The title and the subtitle reflect the main point. |
| G．Write something down as if you were explaining or describing it to a friend. |
【推荐3】How to overcome challenges in your life
We all face tough and difficult challenges in life. To overcome challenges you need to have that “never quit” attitude in life. If you develop it, you’ll overcome quite a bit.
Motivate yourself. Say “YES, I CAN.” The challenge should bring out the best of you in this situation. Slow it down, and think that process through.
Let failure and fear fuel you in a positive way. Everyone fails at times. If you fail the first, second, or third time, don’t give up.
Simplify the challenge you’re facing. Make the challenge easier than it is.
Stay positive and confident.
| A．Stay calm and cool headed. |
| B．Think the best, not the worst. |
| C．Start by breaking it down into steps. |
| D．To overcome a challenge, you have to believe you can really do it. |
| E．Most people will avoid any challenge, because they’re scared of failing. |
| F．Develop that confidence in saying there’s no way you’re going to fail at this. |
| G．Pick yourself up, and learn from why you’ve failed, and move on in a positive direction. |
【推荐1】Plant cloning has been an agricultural technique used by farmers and gardeners for centuries．Grafting(嫁接)is a common form of plant cloning．Many plants in nature actually clone themselves and reproduce asexually．
Cloned plants are much more predictable than normal plants, so their yield(产量)is more reliable．Cloned plants also reproduce faster, limiting the amount of time between planting and harvesting．It is often cheaper to produce seeds through cloning than through traditional methods．Plants can essentially be optimized so that farmers or individual growers always have the best seeds available．With more yield at a faster rate, farms can produce more food for more people while decreasing overall costs．
Cloning can be used to wipe out diseases that previously killed off the entire fields of crops．This would make plants immune(免疫的)to the kinds of diseases that farmers and gardeners around the world fear each year．Crop failures due to disease and virus could become a thing of the past．Also, plants that are near extinction can be brought back to life through cloning．
Through cloning scientists can develop“super”fruits and vegetables of superior nutritional quality．This could make for a healthier population overall．This is already being done through selective pollination(授粉), and genetic cloning could take it to the next level．
By plant cloning we have a population of identical plants and all these plants equally suffer from the same diseases, but in nature the weak would die and the strong would survive．While there are some dangers to consider with plant cloning, there are plenty of benefits that could prove vital to the propagation(繁衍)of the human species．
1. The underlined word“optimized”in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by“ ”．| A．enlarged | B．produced |
| C．perfected | D．examined |
| A．have lower yield than normal plants |
| B．have a short growth cycle |
| C．resist various kinds of diseases |
| D．need little care from people |
| A．The fruits produced by cloned plants taste much better． |
| B．There are more cloned plants than normal plants． |
| C．Plant cloning can disturb the laws of nature． |
| D．People should avoid cating cloned fruits． |
| A．To warn the negative effects of plant cloning． |
| B．To present different kinds of plant cloning． |
| C．To predict the future of plant cloning． |
| D．To inform us about the advantages of plant cloning． |
【推荐2】A typical child plays many roles, such as friend, neighbor, son or daughter. Simply reminding children of that fact can lead to better problem-solving and more flexible (灵活的)thinking. According to new research from Duke University.
“This is some of the first research on reminding kids about their many roles,” said lead author Sarah Gaither, a professor at Duke. “Such reminders improve their problem-solving skills and how flexibly they see their social worlds.”
In a series of experiments, Gaither and her colleagues looked at 196 children, ages 6 and 7. In an experiment, one group of children was reminded that they had various identities, such as son, daughter, reader or helper. A second group of children was reminded of other children’s many roles, not their own.
All the children then needed to handle a few tasks. The first group of children showed stronger problem-solving and creative thinking skills. For example, when shown pictures of a bear staring at honey-filled beehive(蜂窝)high up in a tree, these children had more creative ideas for how the bear might get the honey, such as turning over a bowl as a seat.
The second group of children also showed more flexible thinking about social groupings. When asked to group different photos of faces, they suggested many ways to do so. For example, they told smiling faces from unsmiling ones, and old from young faces. The other children grouped people's faces by race and gender(性别).
The study suggests ways to promote flexible thinking for the young, which could be especially valuable for teachers," said Christopher Marlowe, a schoolmaster. "We have this tendency in our society to only think about ourselves in connection with one important group at a time," Gaither said. "When kids think that they have various identities, they show greater abilities."
1. Who is Sarah Gaither?| A．A reader. | B．A professor. |
| C．A reporter. | D．A schoolmaster. |
| A．hobbies | B．ideas | C．thoughts | D．roles |
| A．To remind children of childhood. |
| B．To introduce a topic. |
| C．To show the children were creative to solve problems. |
| D．To inform children of wildlife protection. |
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Unclear | D．Doubtful |
【推荐3】A happy beagle (小猎犬) called Bella loves Amazon boxes. It tears into them while ignoring other delivery boxes. Little Bit, a tortoiseshell cat, is similarly consumed — but by socks. It raids (偷袭) the laundry basket in the middle of the night and also paws through the open suitcases of house guests, who almost always find themselves missing a sock in the morning. Pets do some pretty weird things. But these strange behaviors often make perfect sense to the pets, said scientists who study animal behaviors. “These behaviors are not invented on the spot,” said Carlo Siracusa, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The pets are doing behaviors that their wild ancestors did, but they’ve changed them a bit to fit their new lives as pets.
Dogs can be trained to roll over and play dead. But their ancient instincts from their wolf ancestors are still there. Instincts, or instinctive behaviors, are behaviors that are done without thinking. They don’t have to be learned. For example, some dogs will scratch the ground after pooping(排便). But they’re not trying to bury their poop. They want other animals to notice it. “They are depositing smell in those areas,” Siracusa said. “It’s almost like drawing a picture with a big red marker around it,” he added.
Cats, on the other hand, almost always bury their waste. “They are covering their tracks,” says Monique Udell, an expert on human-animal interactions who works at Oregon State University. Cats are predators, meaning they hunt other animals for food. But other animals hunt them, too. So they don’t want to be seen-or smelled. Mikel Delgado, the founder of a California-based cat behavior consulting service, said that many other cat behaviors, arise from cats’ wild origins.
While dogs share many behaviors inherited (继承) from wolves, they’ve also developed a few of their own. “Puppy dog eyes”, the innocent look that many humans are helpless to resist, is one. Over the time period that they’ve lived with people, dogs have developed certain muscles around their eyes. This helps them make the adorable expressions that win over humans. Like wolves, dogs also like to lick faces. Humans think their pets are kissing them, but they are not. “It’s how wolf puppies get food from their parents’ mouths,” Siracusa said. “It also can be a sign of submission. When a lower-ranking individual approaches a higher-ranking one, it gets down real low and licks the dominant one to say: ‘I’m not a threat to you.’”
1. What has been done to introduce the topic in Paragraph 1?| A．Telling a story. | B．Making a comparison. |
| C．Presenting research results. | D．Criticizing pets’ bad behaviors. |
| A．leaving | B．hiding | C．removing | D．detecting |
| A．Cats are interested in burying their waste. |
| B．Humans like the fact that their pet cats bury their waste. |
| C．Pet cats bury their waste because their wild ancestors did so. |
| D．Cats have changed a lot after becoming pets. |
| A．Wolves run energetically around dominant wolves. |
| B．Wolves show dominant wolves “puppy dog eyes”. |
| C．Wolves beg food from dominant wolves. |
| D．Wolves lick dominant wolves’ faces. |
【推荐1】Cat lovers finally have the chance to understand what their pets are saying thanks to a smart collar that can interpret meows and translate them into human speech. Named Catterbox, the collar supposedly has a digital sensor that detects meows, and uses a special program to interpret the meaning behind them.
Developed by London ad agency adam&eveDDB, for Temptations cat treats, the invention comes preloaded（预装）with a dictionary of cat meows and several other sounds to make the interpretation as accurate as possible. “We're fascinated by cats, so we set out on a mission to get to know them better.” said Pete Simmons, global brand director of Temptations.
The promotion video of the smart collar claims that Catterbox, the world's first talking cat collar, is designed to finally help humans understand the meaning of meows. “Cats are often thought of as independent pets quite hard to get to know, so we set up The Temptations Lab to find creative ways to inject even more pleasure into a cat and owner's relationship,” said Richard Brim, executive creative director of adam&eveDDB.
“Studies show cats only meow in order to communicate with humans,” the video adds. “So we set out on a mission to get to know them better. By analyzing different cat meows, we've designed a digital sensor that detects a cat's meow and uses a unique program to turn it into a human voice.” So by using the collar, owners can speak to their cats and expect a meaningful response. The responses are delivered in a British accent, in a voice of the owner's choice, selected through a smartphone app paired with the collar.
A few sample responses are shown on the company's YouTube channel-they are quite funny, but obviously not very convincing. In all probability, Catterbox is useless though it has a very clever marketing means.
1. Why did the researchers set up The Temptations Lab?| A．To help cat lovers get more fun in keeping cats. |
| B．To tell cat lovers how to get along with cats. |
| C．To do some research on cat's habits. |
| D．To prove cats are really difficult to understand. |
| A．It is selling well among cat lovers now. |
| B．It can also help cats understand their owners' languages. |
| C．It can translate meows into different languages. |
| D．It can be set by a paired smartphone app. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncaring. | C．Doubtful. | D．Opposed. |
| A．A smart collar that translates cat meows into human speech. |
| B．Cat lovers who want to understand what cats say. |
| C．Scientists who are devoted to inventing a smart collar. |
| D．A dictionary of cat meows and other sounds. |
【推荐2】Can you touch your belly button (肚脐) by reaching behind your back and around your waist?
A new social trend has started in China, with thousands of netizens facing the challenge and uploading photographs of themselves to show off their bodies. Popular among many young female users on Weibo, the top, which translate as “reaching your belly button from behind to show your good figure,” was mentioned more than130 million times among Weibo users.
It not only spawned over 104,000 active discussions, but also led to concern about what means a healthy body image. “Look! It has taken me more than four hours but I’ve finally reached my belly button,” said Weibo user GayleRabbit. Another user Lucky said, “Why does my belly button suddenly look and feel completely new?”
While the trend was popular with many female users on Weibo, a photo uploaded by a male blogger caught people’s eye. “Is this pose (姿势) really that difficult? I don’t think so,” Said Weibo user Sough Sa. His photo showing he was trying to touch his belly button was shared more than 8,452 times. It also drew over 2,000 comments from other users on Weibo. “Show the skinny girls how it’s done,” said one user.
Weibo user MedicalCream Tang Zhao said, “Now you did it! So you don’t have to lose weight and please stay the same.”
“I always support failures. Now I don’t feel so bad about not being able to touch my belly button,” said another user Jacket.
“Do we need to have flexible arms or a skinny waist to pull this off?” asked Weibo user Chantilly623.
But some experts argued that China’s new belly button trend was actually distorting (歪曲) society’s standards of beauty. “These poses and pictures can be fun but sometimes they also become an expression of competitiveness,” said Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager in Singapore championing women’s rights. She also told the BBC that the trend seemed to be a way of examining women’s bodies to see whether they are good enough. However, experienced body trainers say the new trend is about flexibility of the arm and the size of the waist, rather than a good figure. A skinny person with fewer muscles has a better chance of achieving the pose.
1. The underlined word “spawned” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_____________”.| A．brought about | B．put off |
| C．commented on | D．resulted from |
| A．Boys show no interest in this new trend. |
| B．GayleRabbit reached her belly button on her first try. |
| C．Sough Sa’s photo of reaching his belly button was popular online. |
| D．Jacket felt sorry for not being able to touch his belly button. |
| A．Disbelieving. | B．Uncaring. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Worried. |
【推荐3】Humans have sailed the oceans’ surfaces for millennia, but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution. Maps of most regions display only approximate depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons (峡谷).
So researchers have introduced some deep-diving experts: Elephant Seals. Scientists have been placing trackers on them around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature. For a new study, the researchers compared these dives’ location and depth data with some of the less detailed seafloor maps. They spotted places where the seals dove deeper than should have been possible according to the maps meaning the existing depth estimates were inaccurate.
In eastern Antarctica’s Vincennes Bay, the diving seals helped the scientists find a large, hidden underwater canyon of more than a mile in depth. An Australian research ship called the RSV Nuyina later measured the canyon’s exact depth using sonar (纳),and the researchers have proposed naming their find the Mirounga-Nuyina Canyon — honoring both the ship and the involved Elephant Seals, genus Mirounga.
But seals can’t chart the entire ocean floor. The trackers used in the study could pinpoint a seal’s geographical location only within about 1.5 miles, which allows for useful but not exactly high-resolution data. Plus, because the seals don’t always dive to the bottom of the ocean, they can reveal only where the bottom is deeper than in existing maps- not shallower. Deep-sea research experts suggest improving on these data by using more precise GPS trackers and analyzing the seals’ diving patterns to determine whether they have reached the seafloor or simply stopped going down.
The potential use of the current seal-dive data is to gather information about the deep ocean around Antarctica, specifically regarding the location and depth of sea-floor canyons. This data can be valuable for predicting how Antarctica’s ice will melt. By understanding the presence and characteristics of these canyons, scientists can better assess how warmer water from the deep ocean flows towards the ice along the continent’s coast, This knowledge is crucial for accurately modeling and predicting the future behavior of Antarctica’s ice sheets and their contribution to sea-level rise.
1. How did the researchers find out the depth inaccuracies?| A．By gathering temperature data. |
| B．With the help of seals’ diving. |
| C．By improving resolution of maps. |
| D．With the trackers placed on canyons. |
| A．To provide more reference data. | B．To introduce a new topic. |
| C．To give supporting evidence. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Researchers can assess ocean features. |
| B．Data can be used to track ice location. |
| C．Underwater flow can be controlled. |
| D．Scientists can monitor ice melting. |
| A．Seals assist charting ocean floor. |
| B．Seals advance GPS trackers’ precision. |
| C．Scientists draw inspiration from seals. |
| D．Scientists uncover seals’ diving patterns. |
