As trees across the northern areas turn gold and deep red, you can find autumn colors in parks and woodlands, in the cities, countryside, and mountains. People are wondering what these colors are for. For years, scientists have worked to understand the changes that happen to trees in the autumn. Up to now there have been different explanations for why natural selection makes autumn colors so widespread.
Dr. Hamilton from Oxford University proposed that bright autumn leaves contained a message: they warn insects to leave them alone. In autumn, insects choose trees where they will lay eggs. When the larvae（幼虫）come out the next spring, they feed on the trees, often with a result of destruction of the trees. Dr. Hamilton suggested that trees could ward off these insects with poisons. They could have strong defenses by letting egg-laying insects know what was in store for their eggs.
Dr. Hamilton and students turned the theory into a mathematical model, which showed that warning signals could indeed drive the evolution（进化）of bright leaves. It was a first attempt to see what was out there.
A research team from the University of Wisconsin gave a quite different explanation. “If you are up here in Wisconsin, by the time leaves change, all the insects that feed on leaves are gone.” Dr. Hoch said. He believed that autumn colors served mainly as protection.
According to Dr. Hoch and his team, autumn colors might be able to protect the leaves from sun damage or frost（冰冻）injury—in other words, they actually act as a sunscreen to avoid the destruction to the leaves. Besides, autumn colors might protect the leaves from water loss. If the cells in the leaves become dry, the connections between the cells will be weakened and leaves will break off.
Although there are different explanations about autumn colors, it has really given them a deeper concern for this time of year. “People sometimes say that science makes the world less interesting by just explaining things away,” one famous biologist said. “But with autumn leaves, the more you know about them, the more amazed you are.”
1. According to Dr. Hamilton, there is a connection between________.| A．the size of leaves and the survival of insects |
| B．the size of leaves and the behavior of insects |
| C．the size of leaves and the quality of insects |
| D．the size of leaves and the number of insects |
| A．Climate has an influence on the color of the leaves |
| B．Sun damage and frost injury drive the insects away |
| C．the color of autumn leaves has a protective function |
| D．Autumn colors bring great destruction to the leaves |
| A．catch |
| B．attract |
| C．ignore |
| D．prevent |
| A．The evolution of colorful leaves |
| B．The secret to autumn leaves’ changes |
| C．The charm autumn colors |
| D．The role of leaves’ being protection |
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【推荐1】A scientist working at her lab bench and a six-old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common. After all, the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover （揭露）the very nature of the physical world, and the baby is, well, just playing … right? Perhaps, but some developmental psychologists (心理学家) have argued that this “play” is more like a scientific investigation（调查研究）than one might think.
Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table. Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge, it falls in the ground — and, in the process, it brings out important evidence about how physical objects interact (相互作用); bowls of rice do not float in mid-air, but require support to remain stable. It is likely that babies are not born knowing the basic fact of the universe; nor are they ever clearly taught it. Instead, babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact. Though their ranges and tools differ, the baby’s investigation and the scientist’s experiment appear to share the same aim (to learn about the natural world), overall approach (gathering direct evidence from the world), and logic (are my observations what I expected?).
Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way — that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means. For example, it may only be through repeated experiments, evidence gathering, and finally overturning （使翻转）a theory, that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has, for example, unlike the child, Mommy actually doesn’t like Dove chocolate.
Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws light on how children learn, but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists. Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike? Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort — the desire to explore, explain, and understand our world — is simply something that comes from our babyhood（婴儿期）.Perhaps evolution (进化) provided human babies with curiosity and a natural drive to explain their worlds, and adult scientists simply make use of the same drive that served them as children. The same cognitive (认知的) systems that make young children feel good about figuring something out may have been adopted by adult scientists. As some psychologists put it, “It is not that children are little scientists but that scientists are big children.”
1. According to some developmental psychologists, _____.| A．a baby’s play is nothing more than a game |
| B．scientific research into babies’ games is possible |
| C．the nature of babies’ play has been thoroughly investigated |
| D．a baby’s play is somehow similar to a scientist’s experiment |
| A．scientists and babies seem to observe the world differently |
| B．scientists and babies often interact with each other |
| C．babies are born with the knowledge of object support |
| D．babies seem to collect evidence just as scientists do |
| A．exploring the physical world |
| B．investigating human psychology |
| C．repeating their own experiments |
| D．observing their parents’ behaviors |
| A．Convincing. | B．Confused. |
| C．Confidence. | D．Cautious. |
【推荐2】Some people say they “never forget a face.” But what does that saying mean? Is there really no limit to the number of faces a person can remember? A new study from a group of researchers at the University of York in England has found that, on average, people can remember as many as 5,000 faces. They published their findings on facial recognition this month in the Proceedings of The Royal Society B, Biological Sciences.
Rob Jenkins works in the psychology department at the University of York. He said the researchers’ study centered on “the number of faces people actually know”. The study suggests our facial recognition abilities help us to deal with the many different faces we see on the screens, as well as those we know, like family and friends.
For the human study, people spent one hour writing down as many faces from their personal lives as possible. Some examples may include people they went to school with, people they work with and family members. Then, they wrote down famous faces they know, such as actors, politicians and other public people.
The results showed that the participants knew between 1,000 and 10,000 faces. Jenkins said one explanation may be that some people have a natural ability for remembering faces. “There are differences in how much attention people pay to faces and how well they process the information,” he said. Jenkins also said it could be because of different social environments. Some people may have grown up in more populated places. So, they may have had more social contact throughout their lives.
The people in the study included 25 men and women students from two universities. They were between 18 and 61 years old. Researchers think age may be an interesting area for further research. Jenkins said it is possible that we gather more faces throughout our lifetime. But, he added, there also may be an age at which we start to find it harder to remember all of those faces.
1. What was the new study mainly about?| A．How long people can remember faces. |
| B．When people will forget faces. |
| C．Why people can deal with different faces. |
| D．How many faces people can know. |
| A．About 5,000. | B．No more than 1,000. |
| C．Fewer than 25. | D．Around 10,000. |
| A．They are good at recognizing faces. |
| B．They remember more famous people. |
| C．They have different social backgrounds. |
| D．They try their best to avoid social contact. |
| A．We are sure to gather more faces as we age. |
| B．The future research may focus more on age. |
| C．The participants in the study are in their youth. |
| D．It may be harder to remember faces of different ages. |
| A．Attention. | B．Personal lives. | C．Age. | D．Sex. |
【推荐3】“Although we live in an era where everything seems to be available immediately, our study suggests that today’s kids can delay gratification longer than children in the 1960s and 1980s,”said University of Minnesota psychologist Stephanie M. Carlson. “This finding stands in great contrast with the assumption by adults that today’s children have less self-control than previous generations.”
The original marshmallow (棉花糖) test conducted by researchers at Stanford University involved a series of experiments in which children aged between 3 and 5 years were offered one treat that they could eat immediately or a larger treat if they waited. Researchers then left the room to see how long the children would wait and watched from behind a one-way mirror.
Interestingly, today’s adults thought that children nowadays would be more impulsive and less able to wait, Carlson found. “Our findings serve as an example of how our beliefs can be wrong and how it’s important to do research,” said co-author Yuichi Shoda, PhD at the University of Washington.
The researchers offered several possible explanations for why children in the 2000s waited longer than those in prior decades. They noted a statistically significant increase in IQ scores in the last several decades. Another explanation may be society’s increased focus on the importance of early education, according to Carlson. The primary objective of preschool changed from largely custodial care (监护) to school readiness in the 1980s. Parenting also has changed in ways that help promote the development of executive function, such as being more supportive of children’s self-control, the researchers noted.
Walter Mischel of Columbia University, who co-authored this paper, noted that “while the results indicate that the children’s ability to delay is not weakened on the marshmallow test, the findings do not speak to their willingness to delay gratification when faced with the many temptations now available in everyday life.”
1. What is the adults’ assumption about today’s children?| A．They are not easy to please. |
| B．They are less able to control themselves. |
| C．They don’t like things that are easy to get. |
| D．They have different personalities from previous generations. |
| A．productive | B．attentive |
| C．clear-minded | D．hot-headed |
| A．They are more prepared to go to school. |
| B．They are not as clever as previous generations. |
| C．They are taught self-control by their teachers. |
| D．They have better education than previous generations. |
| A．Most children nowadays can’t resist the temptations of everyday life. |
| B．Children did not willingly choose to delay gratification in the marshmallow test. |
| C．The marshmallow test can’t accurately measure children’s ability to delay gratification. |
| D．Children’s ability to delay gratification is weakened because there are many temptations. |
【推荐1】Teens who choose to spend time alone may know what's best for them, according to new research that suggests solitude(孤独)isn't a red flag for depression.
Most studies have confused solitude with loneliness or shyness, said Margarita Azmitia, lead researcher of the study. “There is a misunderstanding for kids who spend time alone. They're considered lacking in basic social skills, or called 'loners',” she said. “It's beneficial to know when you need to be alone and when you need to be with others. The key factor is choice.”
When teens and young adults choose to spend time alone, solitude can prove an opportunity for self-reflection, creative expression, or spiritual renewal. It can be challenging when solitude is imposed on them-when they choose to avoid social activities because they lack friends, feel awkward, experience social anxiety, or are being punished.
To tell the difference between these motivations, Azmitia developed a survey that asked people to rate their motivations for solitude on a four-point scale, presenting questions like, “I feel energetic when I spend time by myself,” and “I enjoy the quiet,” versus “I feel uncomfortable when I'm with others,” and “I regret things I say or do when I'm with others.”
Those who seek solitude because they feel rejected or want to stay alone are at greater risk of social anxiety, loneliness, and depression, and they tend to have lower levels of identity development, and positive relationships with others. However, those who seek solitude for positive reasons, such as self-reflection or a desire for peace and quiet, face none of these risks.
“These results increase our awareness that being alone can be positive,” said Azmitia. “The question is how to be alone without feeling like we're missing out. For many people, solitude is like exercising a muscle they've never used. You have to develop it, and learn to use time alone to your benefit.”
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Teenagers are likely to spend time alone. |
| B．Solitude is often confused with loneliness. |
| C．Kids who spend time alone lack social skills. |
| D．Alone time is more important than social time. |
| A．They want to reflect on themselves. |
| B．They have to punish others. |
| C．They want to develop creativity. |
| D．They have to face solitude. |
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By offering suggestions. |
| C．By sharing experiences. |
| D．By comparing results. |
| A．Solitude: a red flag |
| B．Loneliness: good or bad |
| C．To be alone or not |
| D．Loneliness, a popular choice |
【推荐2】The most popular course at Yale is Psych 157: Psychology and the Good Life.
Taught by professor Laurie Santos, the course covers the science of happiness and how to apply it. Since its launch in 2018, it’s been taken by a quarter of Yale students and more than 200,000 others in its online version, which makes it clear that under the noise and activity of modern life, we all long for happiness.
Why don’t more of us find it? For the complete answer to that, you’ll have to take the course and it’s free.
‘Self care,’ not ‘selfish-care’
In a recent New York Times interview, Santos suggested one way many of us often go wrong when seeking happiness.
Many of us are trying to be a little gentler with ourselves and are prioritizing(优先)self-care. That’s a sensible strategy, Santos agrees. The trouble is how many people understand “self- care.”
“We suppose that self-care looks like a nice bubble bath—or even hedonistic pursuits(享乐追求)selfish pursuits,” Santos says. “But the data suggests that the right way to treat ourselves would be to do nice things for other people. We actually get more out of being more open, more social and more other centered than spending money on ourselves. It’s a bigger increase to your happiness.”
Ripple(涟漪)effects
Santos isn’t the only scientist pointing out that, if you want to be happier, you should focus more on kindness to others than kindness to yourself though self- acceptance and self-loving are certainly nice too. Research out of Oxford University confirms that even tiny acts of kindness can have long and good effects on our happiness, and other studies show small acts of kindness can ripple out, increasing mental well-being in the wider community.
If you want to stay happy, focus less on self-indulgence(放纵)and more on kindness.
Anyone who has a pulse has made a foolish decision or two. I’ve lived and learned from more than a few myself.
I thought about that as I was reading through the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes a few days ago. It occurred to me that there may be some really bad decisions we can recover from. But there are other choices that will put us into an irreversible dive. Face it, none of us live long enough to make every possible bad decision. But what we can do is learn from the poor choices, terrible ideas and bad decisions of the past and not repeat them. We can learn from the mistakes of others and avoid them—— thereby saving the inevitable pain in life for something worthwhile and meaningful. We can make the bad things in life count for something.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?| A．Self-care is always likely to result in selfish-care. |
| B．Selfish-care usually has nothing to do with self-care. |
| C．To some degree, self-care is almost equal to selfish-care. |
| D．Self-care is based on the way we treat others not ourselves. |
| A．Self-care is thought to be opposite to selfish-care. |
| B．Happiness comes from others instead of ourselves. |
| C．It makes sense to learn from our own and others’ errors. |
| D．It is impossible to experience all kinds of bad things. |
| A．not possible to change | B．not impossible to return |
| C．not possible to see | D．not impossible to feel |
| A．An Amazing Psychology Happy Course |
| B．Living Your Best Life |
| C．Difference Between Self-care and Selfish-care |
| D．A Shortcut To Happiness |
【推荐3】A city in Netherlands is planning to construct a pretty bike path made of recycled wood.
The first of its kind in the world, the path near the city of Emmen will be surfaced not with the usual asphalt（沥青） but with wood chips packed together with organic resin(有机树脂).
The idea behind the path is to cut the use of conventional, less eco-friendly materials such as concrete, which is very difficult to recycle.And the creation of the wood chips will require no direct cutting down of trees; the company leading the experiment, Grontmij, plans to use waste products from sawmills(锯木厂).
The idea of creating a permanent road from a material that is celebrated for its biodegradability(生物降解性)might seem ridiculous. But the engineers working on the path insist that the wood and resin surfacing will stay in good condition for a long time, with a working life at least as long as concrete or asphalt. Rudi van Hedel, project manager of bio-based economy at Grontmij, explained that the light weight of the material also makes it far easier to move.
However, van Hedal said, “At present, the material costs of the path are higher than those of traditional paths made of asphalt or concrete, but the construction costs are comparable or perhaps slightly cheaper. We expect that as production ability increases, the costs will go down. In the future, we hope to use bio-fibres(生物纤维)that are cheaper than the wood fibres we’re currently experimenting with, and we expect that biodegradable materials will be able to compete with asphalt and concrete.”
1. What can we learn about the path?| A．It uses some asphalt. | B．It aims to protect trees. |
| C．It is a pioneering project. | D．It is being built by a sawmill. |
| A．Its material is heavy in weight. | B．It can stay in service for long. |
| C．Its length may break a record. | D．It is environmentally friendly. |
| A．Their production process is complex. | B．They are not as hard as asphalt. |
| C．They are not always available. | D．Their costs are relatively high. |
| A．A diary. | B．A novel. | C．A magazine. | D．A guidebook. |
【推荐1】In the past few decades, great progress has been made in the field of space exploration, which has enabled mankind to have a deeper understanding of the Solar System, our place in it and in the universe. “We sent probes(探测器) to every planet in the Solar System. This is by far the best one,” said Clayton, vice president of Blue Origin. “Let's focus right now on protecting the Earth environment, and then we'll go from there. Space science and technology should be people-centric and application-centric, and focus on improving human life. We need to have a strong footing on the Earth, learn to solve the day-to-day problems of the society.”
“Space technology can help achieve the 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030 set by the United Nations. Satellite monitoring can really help with agriculture. ” said Victoria, CEO of a company working on sustainable development, “Through Global Navigation Satellite System, animals' movement information recorded on self-recharging devices can be transmitted to the company server. Farmers can be alerted in real time if anomalies(异常现象）are detected. We can use it to ensure the traceability of the entire meat chain. As a result, it enables consumers to know that the beef they are eating does not come from protected areas or the cattle don't contribute to deforestation. ”
As early as 2007, Michael Griffin, former Administrator of NASA, put forward the concept of the “space economy” in a speech. He is very optimistic about the market prospect of commercial space and said, “According to the latest data, the global space industry could reach $1 trillion in 2040, up from $ 378 billion currently. I believe more business models and space activities will be created in the future to achieve the economic scale of $1 trillion. ”
As an entrepreneur(创业者）herself, Victoria thinks the thriving space market will bring countless opportunities for entrepreneurs. She mentioned future settlements on Mars or on the Moon. “If we are going to develop a new society outside the Earth, we will need all types of applications and all types of startups. But coming back to the Earth, there are so many problems that need to be solved, and space technology can really help with that.”
1. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?| A．A successful space exploration. |
| B．A probe sent to other planets. |
| C．The planet people are living on now. |
| D．The solar system people are exploring. |
| A．Providing more financial support. |
| B．Improving people's life on earth. |
| C．Sending more probes in the universe. |
| D．The development of related technology. |
| A．By making reasoning. |
| B．By providing accurate figures. |
| C．By making comparison. |
| D．By illustrating from different aspects. |
| A．Necessities of space exploration. |
| B．Breakthroughs in space exploration. |
| C．Possible application of space technology. |
| D．Controversial issues about space technology. |
【推荐2】Things you need to notice before travelling
Luggage
We ask you to keep what you bring with you down to one medium-sized suitcase per person on board the bus.
Seat Arrangements
Special needs for particular seats can be made on most bus breaks when booking, but since arrangements are made on a first-come-first-served basis, early booking is advisable.When bookings are made with us, you will be offered the best seats we have on the bus at that time.
Travel Documents
When you have paid your deposit (定金), we will send you all the necessary documents, so that you receive them in good time before setting off. Certain documents, for example air or boat tickets, may have to be kept and your driver or guide will then give them to you at the proper time.
Special Diets
If you need a special diet, you must tell us at the time of booking and provide us with a copy of the diet.This will be passed on to the hotel or hotels on your bus break. However, on certain bus breaks, the hotels used are tourist class and they may not be able to prepare special diets. Any extra costs must be paid to the hotel yourself before leaving the hotel.
Programs
Some of our hotels arrange extra programs which include music, dancing and film shows, etc. They are all offered by the hotel, but not sure.
1. If you want to sit in the front of the bus, you’d better_________.| A．book your seat ahead of time | B．avoid travelling at busy times |
| C．say it when you get on the bus | D．arrive early on the departure date |
| A．will be sent to you at your departure point |
| B．will be kept by yourself |
| C．will be given to you with other documents |
| D．may be held by your bus driver until you need them |
| A．offered by the bus company | B．an extra offer, so extra money must be paid |
| C．offered by the hotel at any time | D．offered by the hotel, but may not run |
【推荐3】When we talk about positive thinking, we often use terms having to do with our hearts — open heart, pure heart or joyful heart. But new research from Duke University is making a closer connection, finding that a positive attitude may be helpful to people who have angina (心绞痛)，a common heart condition.
Symptoms of this condition include chest pain or pressure because the heart is not receiving sufficient oxygen. Patients who displayed optimistic thought patterns, including having positive expectations about recovery, were 40 percent less likely to be hospitalized or require surgery than those who were not optimistic, according to the study. The researchers collected data from 2,400 patients who had diagnoses of angina.
An interesting additional finding from the patients' questionnaires was that the most optimistic patients were also the least likely to have histories of heart attack, heart failure or heart disease.
The researchers did not declare a causal relationship between positive thinking and better heart disease outcomes, however. There are multiple possible reasons for the results of the study, including the idea that patients who are healthier to begin with are more likely to expect to recover and regain good health.
But the study does represent a new way of looking at the situation. Now, in addition to a body of research that examines the relationship between depression and heart health, there is a new way of inquiry that asks whether positive thinking could be used as a strategy to improve outcomes.
Lead researcher Alexander Fanaroff, a fellow in the department of cardiology (心脏病学) at the Duke University Medical Center, told the Duke Chronicle that his next research question will find ways to improve attitudes among heart patients.
Perhaps his subjects could reflect on the word of the writer Anthony J. D'Angelo: "Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart."
1. How can people with angina get better according to the study?| A．By expecting more. | B．By thinking positively. |
| C．By getting timely surgery. | D．By taking more exercise. |
| A．To explore how to improve patients’ attitudes. |
| B．To find out the ways to treat heart patients. |
| C．To learn the causes of heart diseases. |
| D．To test if positive attitudes help with health. |
| A．Optimistic people hardly get heart attack. |
| B．People's attitudes decide their overall health. |
| C．How positive thinking benefits heart health is unclear. |
| D．The reason why patients recover well is that they have no depression. |
| A．Keep positive to get rid of illness |
| B．Angina, a kind of serious condition |
| C．Depression, a key cause of heart attack |
| D．Positive thinking makes hearts healthier |
【推荐1】When Rachel Ratelle saw a news video of a burned koala trying to climb a tree to safety in fire-ravaged (火灾肆虐的) Australia, she decided to do something about it.
She looked up wildlife rescue and relief agencies in Australia to find out what they needed most. Besides donations, many organizations asked for hand-sewn (手缝的) and knitted pouches (袋子) and wraps for koalas and other animals that were burned or had lost their homes and parents in the fires.
This idea attracted Ratelle, but there was just one problem.
“I’d never sewn in my life,” said Ratelle, 17, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, US. “Giving money seemed like something too simple. But I wanted to directly help these animals by doing something myself, so I decided to learn how to sew.”
Over the next few months, Ratelle bought her own sewing machine and taught herself how to sew via videos online. Then she purchased 18 yards of fabric and sewed 25 pouches of different sizes and shipped them off to For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA), one of several relief organizations that have rushed to rescue koalas, kangaroos and other species suffering from burns.
A week later, she received a photo from FAWNA with a young joey (幼兽) in one of her larger pouches. “It made me feel like I contributed to the world and it showed how a simple act of kindness can go a long way,” said Ratelle, who hopes to study biology for a future career as a nurse practitioner.
“I plan to use my new sewing skills to help animals and people devastated (蹂躏) by natural disasters,” she said.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, it estimated that 1.2 billion animals have died, as a result of the bushfires, which have burned more than 26 million acres in Australia.
Several craft guild (手工业行会) websites around the world have mobilized (动员) for Australian relief by making the animal pouches. Karen Newberry and her two daughters Madison, 12 and Rochelle, 8, from San Diego also offered their help in such a way. For Newberry, “it was a big push that made we crafters, sewers to realize there’s something more we can do than just make things for ourselves,” she said.
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．What inspired Ratelle to learn to sew. |
| B．What is needed to save koalas and other species. |
| C．The poor living conditions of wild animals in Australia. |
| D．Different ways to help koalas and other animals in Australia. |
| A．Proud. | B．Calm. |
| C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．how frequent the bushfires are in Australia |
| B．how harmful the bushfires are in Australia |
| C．the great varieties of wild animals in Australia |
| D．the difficulties facing relief organizations in Australia |
| A．People should stay united through difficult times. |
| B．Life is not easy for crafters and sewers in Australia. |
| C．It is challenging for crafters and sewers to do relief work. |
| D．Crafters and sewers can do more to help animals. |
【推荐2】We know them when we see them: The TV shows and movies we love, even though we just know they’re bad. The worthless books we simply can’t put down.
Yes, these are our guilty pleasures — what some people consider the junk food in our media diets. But if we enjoy them, why should we feel guilty? As it turns out, these so-called “guilty” pleasures can actually be good for us, so long as they’re enjoyed in moderation.
According to Robin Nabi, a professor at the University of California, a guilty pleasure is something that we enjoy, but we know we’re either not supposed to like, or that liking it says something negative about us.
Studies suggest that guilty pleasures can bring back some psychological resources. Besides, giving ourselves permission to enjoy downtime is also an important part of self-pity, which is an effective way of fighting anxiety and sadness. Perhaps the most important value of a guilty pleasure is the bond it can create between people.
If that’s true, why do guilty pleasures get such a bad reputation? Actually, it’s not the indulgences themselves, but the attitudes we take when talking about them. “We have the cultural value of media consumption being instructive, and that what we do should be about growing and achieving,” Dr. Nabi said. “We don’t focus as much on refreshment and enjoyment, and these are such important aspects of being a human being.”
Feeling guilty about activities we enjoy can diminish the benefits they offer us. But removing unnecessary embarrassment about our interests can enrich our social lives, which is why it’s time to get rid of “guilty pleasure” from our vocabulary.
While guilty pleasures benefit us in some cases, they can also push us to indulge in behaviors we feel guilty about. Therefore, it’s best to follow the age-old advice our parents taught us: Everything in moderation.
1. Which of the following might make us feel guilty pleasure?| A．Eating an entire bag of chips in one sitting. | B．Telling an old bedtime story. |
| C．Staying up late doing your homework. | D．Giving up seats to the elderly. |
| A．They take guilty pleasures too seriously. | B．They dislike the behaviour of indulgence. |
| C．They ignore the benefits of guilty pleasures. | D．They are influenced by their cultural value. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Increase. | C．Maximize. | D．Destroy. |
| A．Guilty pleasure? Avoid it | B．Guilty pleasure? No Such Thing |
| C．Everything in Moderation | D．New Trend in Media Consumption |
【推荐3】In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Negative events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some positive life-changing events, like marriage. When you take the Holmes-Rahe test you must remember that the score does not reflect how you deal with stress — it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you handle these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy.
By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow, the researchgot boiled down toa memorable message. Women’s magazines ran headlines like “Stress causes illness!” If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events.
But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many — like the death of a loved one — are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription (处方) for staying away from opportunities as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move.
The concept that all stress makes you sick also ignores a lot of what we know about people. It assumes we’re all vulnerable (脆弱的) and passive in face of tough conditions. But what about human initiative (主动性) and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom, and physical and mental strain.
1. The result of Holmes-Rahe’s medical research tells us ________.| A．how to handle major events causes stress |
| B．what should be carried out to avoid stress |
| C．how to deal with sudden changes in life |
| D．what kind of event would cause stress |
| A．great fear over the mental disorder |
| B．popular avoidance of stressful jobs |
| C．widespread worry about its harmful effects |
| D．a careful research into stress-related illnesses |
| A．was summarized as | B．was quarrelled about |
| C．was made clear | D．was brought to an end |
| A．People have to get married someday. |
| B．You could be missing chances as well. |
| C．No prescription is effective in reducing stress. |
| D．No one can stay on the same vacation for long. |
| A．more flexible to deal with difficulties |
| B．nervous in face of various difficulties |
| C．physically and mentally exhausted |
| D．insensitive toward what happens to them |
