【推荐1】Besides the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin was also responsible for the theory of emotion, the most important principle of which was that the mind consists of two competing forces, the rational(理性的)and the emotional. He believed emotions played a part in the lives of non-human animals, but in humans emotions were a very small remaining part whose usefulness had been largely replaced by the evolution of reason.

This theory dominated his field for more than a century, but it was dead wrong. We now know that, on the contrary, emotions enhance our process of reasoning and aid our decision-making. In fact, we can’t make decisions, or even think, without being influenced by our emotions.

Consider a pioneering 2020 study in which researchers analyzed the work of 118 professional traders at four investment banks. Some were highly successful, but many were not. The researchers’ goal was to understand what differentiated the two groups. Their conclusion? The traders had different attitudes toward emotions.

The relatively less successful traders for the most part denied that emotions had an effect on their decision-making. The most successful traders, in contrast, had a different attitude. They showed a great willingness to reflect on their emotion-driven behaviour. They recognised that emotion and good decision-making were linked. Accepting that emotions were necessary for high performance, they tended to reflect critically about the role of emotion. Though the successful traders accepted the positive and essential role emotions played, they understood that when emotions become too intense it is useful to know how to tone them down. The issue for them was not how to avoid emotion, but how to harness it.

If emotions aid rational reasoning, how does that work? Perhaps the most important discovery regarding the role of emotion is that even when you believe you are exercising cold, logical reason, you aren’t. People aren’t usually aware of it, but the very framework of their thought process is highly influenced by what they’re feeling at the time. As the Caltech neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs puts it: “Each emotion is a functional state of the mind that puts your brain in a particular mode of operation that adjusts your goals, directs your attention, and modifies(调整) the weights you assign to various factors as you do mental calculations.

The new view of emotion may not correspond to the way Darwin saw it, but it does support one of the basic conclusions of his theory of evolution: humans are not as different from non-human animals as people believed. Want to fare better? Value and regulate your emotion.

1. Based on the study, successful traders would         .

A．reveal their hidden emotions

B．owe their success to emotions

C．review decisions depending on emotions

D．examine their actions influenced by emotions

2. What does the underlined word “harness” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Control and use.	B．Analyse and release.
C．Face and adapt to.	D．Understand and accept.

3. According to Paragraph 5, which of the following is the best example of Ralph Adolphs’ words?

A．Confidence may expose one to more chances.

B．Depression will consume one’s energy.

C．Anger may lead one to risk-seeking.

D．Optimism will affect one’s health.

4. What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．The contributing factors to emotions.

B．The workable strategies of emotions.

C．The working principle of emotions.

D．The constructive role of emotions.

【推荐2】In the first series of the BBC television comedy Flying Circus, broadcast in 1969, a man tells a slightly nervous woman on her doorstep that he would like to come into her house and steal a few things. Suspiciously, she asks him: “Are you an encyclopedia (《百科全书》) salesman?” No, he announces, he is a burglar. Eventually, she lets him in. Once inside, he says: “Mind you, I don’t know whether you’ve really considered owning a really fine set of modern encyclopedias…” The self-proclaimed thief was, after all, a successful encyclopedia salesman.

Author and journalist Simon Garfield quotes this comedy in his book, All the Knowledge in the World, his “history” of the encyclopedia. Garfield’s passion for encyclopedias began as a child in the 1960s and continues to this day. Although now, like everyone else, he searches for information online too, he asks at the end of the book “Is the information we receive today more or less reliable than the information we received in our childhood?” It is a fascinating question, which his book goes at least some of the way toward answering.

Despite a large variety of encyclopedias, Garfield’s account is dominated by Britannica, launched in the United Kingdom in 1768 and Wikipedia, launched in the United States in 2001. Britannica’s contributors have always been selected for their expertise. During the 20th century, named contributors included Cecil B. DeMille on motion pictures, Albert Einstein on space-time, J. B. Priestley on English literature and George Bernard Shaw on socialism. Most were paid a fee, however modest; Einstein, for example, received $86.40 for his entry. The contrast with Wikipedia is sharp: Anyone may contribute to it, contributors are anonymous, and none receives payment.

Authority is therefore the key feature of Britannica, although it certainly contains errors — whereas Wikipedia claims to be full of expertise, leaving itself open to both praise for its unparalleled diversity and criticism for its elementary errors. Even so, “You could still consider,” writes Garfield, “Wikipedia as the most influential and enduring representative of the internet as a force for good.” Yet he also wryly notes that “wiki” is the Hawaiian word for “quick”. Wikipedia tends to be quickly written, quickly consumed, sometimes quickly corrected, and often quickly forgotten.

“I hope this book has encouraged you to think twice about throwing out an old set of encyclopedias,” concludes Garfield. As it controversially suggests, despite — or perhaps because of — the continuing growth of the internet, we are sometimes less reliably informed today than the 1960s. After all, anyone can be a contributor nowadays.

1. The author begins the article with a comedy to         .

A．criticize the quality of information found in encyclopedias

B．highlight the reliability of encyclopedias as a source of information

C．illustrate the declining popularity of encyclopedias in the modern age

D．introduce the topic of encyclopedias in a lighthearted and engaging way

2. Why does the author mention a list of experts’ names in paragraph 3?

A．To explain where the fees of Britannica went to.

B．To illustrate the high level of professional knowledge of Britannica.

C．To highlight the diversity of its contributors’ backgrounds.

D．To give typical examples of its world-famous contributors.

3. What was the main difference between the contributors of Britannica and Wikipedia, according to the article?

A．Britannica contributors were paid more than Wikipedia contributors.

B．Britannica contributors were paid a descent fee, while Wikipedia contributors were not.

C．Britannica contributors were selected for their expertise, while anyone can contribute to Wikipedia.

D．Britannica contributors were nameless while Wikipedia contributors were selected for their expertise.

4. What does the underlined word “wryly” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．ironically

B．bitterly

C．objectively

D．seriously

5. Why does Garfield argue that we may be less reliably informed today than in the 1960s?

A．Because we have too much information available to us.

B．Because we are too reliant-on social media for news and information.

C．Because the internet has led to an increase of inaccurate information.

D．Because we have lost the sense of expertise that encyclopedias used to represent.

【推荐1】As much as I love the rides in theme parks, my favorite part of the experience is the live entertainment. Whether it’s a parade, stage show, “streetmosphere”, or even an impressive nighttime show, I just love the energy that a live performance can bring to a space. It is not uncommon for me to visit a theme park and go on one ride and spend the rest of the time just enjoying the atmosphere.

No matter how many times I ride an attraction, I’m having the same experience. But with live entertainment, it constantly changes. Different performers bring their own touch to the show. Even when things go wrong in a live situation, I find it fascinating to see how it is covered. There is an impressive art to fixing an error, or sometimes even making it a comedic moment.

But because these live performances aren’t bolted (固定) to the ground and are easily influenced, they are often the first thing to get removed from the parks when there is a shortage of money. As much as I understand this business decision, it feels shortsighted. The parks simply don’t feel alive when live entertainment is missing. Without it, a theme park is just a group of people walking quickly from one ride to the next.

We are certainly living in an unprecedented time, but I’m happy to see that theme parks have found creative ways to make sure there is some sort of live entertainment put on safe. Most parks are having their characters and performances visible from a distance.

One of my favorite examples of this was shared by @Attractions on Twitter, where Winnie the Pooh was frolicking around Epcot and trying to catch a butterfly. This is such a great example of what can be done with characters and live entertainers in a time when the “norm” isn’t possible, I honestly hope that these special moments remain once it’s safe for the meet-and-greets and close-up interactions to return.

1. What does the author like best in a theme park?

A．Joining its parades.	B．Observing its visitors.
C．Trying its various rides.	D．Enjoying its live shows.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The error.

B．The show.

C．The reason.

D．The attention.

3. What does the author think of the business decision in paragraph 3?

A．It will bring theme parks more business.

B．It will make theme parks easily influenced

C．It will make theme park rides more popular.

D．It will take away the liveliness of theme parks.

4. Why does the author mention Winnie the Pooh?

A．To explain what theme parks can do to stay

B．To show its popularity among theme park visitors.

C．To explain what characters can do to get closer to visitors.

D．To show the influence special times can have on theme park.

【推荐2】Social media use has been linked to mental health problems in the teenagers. But a new study from England argues that the issue may be more complex than experts think.

The new research interviewed 10, 000 teenagers, who reported the frequency they used social media. More than three times daily was considered “very frequent.” But the researchers, for the first time, went a step further to investigate what kind of websites the teenagers frequented. They found that, in both sexes, very frequent visits to social media with negative (负面的) contents was associated with greater mental depression and anxiety.

“Our results suggest social media itself doesn't cause harm, but that frequent use may disrupt (中断) activities that positively influence mental health such as sleeping and exercising, while increasing exposure of young people to harmful contents," said study co author Russell Viner of the UCL Institute of Child Health,

It's an important discovery. J ust last month, research from Canada showed that higher level of social media use was linked with increased mental depression in adolescents.

With this study, the problem is put in a better context. It's not necessarily social media that's causing these issues. It's more likely the contents that young people are exposed to and its hindrance (阻碍) of healthy sleep and exercise.

Bob Patton, a professor of the University of Surrey, said this means that remedies focusing only on reducing social media use to improve mental health might not help. “Finding ways to improve the online contents and promote better sleep and exercise is needed to reduce physical and psychological harms," said he.

“If healthy lifestyles can be kept, the positive effects of social media use, such as encouraging social interactions, can be more supported," said Ann DeSmet, a professor at Ghent University in Belgium.

1. How does the new research differ from the previous studies?

A．By carrying out detailed interviews.	B．By focusing on both girls and boys.
C．By analyzing the social media contents.	D．By studying a larger number of teenagers.

2. What does Russell Viner say about social media?

A．It doesn't cause any mental problems in teenagers.

B．Its abuse may negatively change the healthy lifestyle.

C．Its harmful contents should be reduced immediately.

D．It encourages social interactions among adolescents.

3. Which of the following best explains “remedies” underlined in paragraph 6?

A．Measures.

B．Effects.

C．Experiments.

D．Differences.

4. What is the author' s purpose in writing the text?

A．To prove the harmful effects of social media.

B．To show the proper way to use social media.

C．To present related studies and discoveries.

D．To introduce an important new discovery.