She found that personality had a major impact on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In effect, despite being made aware of what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did.
The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.
This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (认知的 ) tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them, but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information.
The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t associate with the knowledgeable individuals, or they are too shy to use the information once they have it, information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．The design of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| B．The results of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| C．The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| D．The significance of Dr. Carter’s research. |
| A．Those that have more experience. |
| B．Those that can avoid potential risks. |
| C．Those that like to work independently. |
| D．Those that feel anxious about learning. |
| A．Some baboons are intelligent but slow in learning. |
| B．Some baboons are shy but active in social activities. |
| C．Some baboons observe others but don’t follow them. |
| D．Some baboons perform new tasks but don’t concentrate. |
| A．storing information |
| B．learning from each other |
| C．understanding different people |
| D．travelling between social groups |
The only advantage of this job was receiving a wage at the end of the week and sometimes getting clothes for free if they were to my taste. I carried on doing this for only a year, as my studies at school were getting more serious and I wanted to study more to get the right grades.
After I had finished college, my first real job was working for a play publisher in central London. I remember writing a letter of application for the post of administration for Samuel French Limited. I had put so much effort into writing it, not realizing that this would be my first step in the process of finding out what I really wanted to do for my future employment. I didn’t think I would get the job, but as it turned out, I got a telephone call quickly and started a week later. I remember being excited that I would be working for a publisher in London. Although I had thought I would prefer to work for a book publisher, a play publisher was just as enjoyable.
Looking back now, not all first jobs turn out to be enjoyable. Some of my friends worked in supermarkets while they were at college just to earn a bit of money. I remember thinking how much happier I felt working in a clothes factory than in a supermarket.
Years later, I can see how good it is to experience work at an early age, as it gives people the opportunity to decide what kind of career will be most suitable for them one day. The boring task of a job will make a person want to pursue an education to get into the right type of employment, which was what I had realized in the end.
1. The author did her first job for only a year because _______.
| A．the clothes made there didn’t suit her taste |
| B．she really didn’t like such a boring job |
| C．she wanted to get the right grades at school |
| D．she didn’t get well paid at the end of the week |
| A．She was confident that she could get the first job. |
| B．She telephoned Samuel French Limited for a post. |
| C．She was aware of the importance of writing the application letter. |
| D．She used to think she would prefer to work for a book publisher. |
| A．took her first job in order to support her poor family |
| B．realized what her first job meant to her future employment |
| C．had a great interest in her first job in a clothes factory |
| D．thought her friends’ job in supermarkets was more interesting |
| A．My Experience in a Clothes Factory |
| B．The Qualities of a Play Publisher |
| C．Importance of Early Work Experience |
| D．The Secrets to Get the Right Grades |
3 . There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons (优惠券), sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping (跺脚) their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which fell on Nov 28，2014, “has become in recent decades a special American holiday”, said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows(手肘)of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day “Black Friday”, said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the “red” – that is, debt – and into the “black”, or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers (零售商) opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, “for it isn’t just about the bargains”, noted CNN. “For many shoppers, it’s just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year’s Eve.”
1. Which of the following statements about Black Friday is TRUE?| A．It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers. |
| B．It is a shopping festival in the US that falls on the second Friday after Thanksgiving. |
| C．It has been a traditional American holiday since the founding of the nation. |
| D．It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price. |
| A．at the beginning of the 20th century in the US |
| B．by American people who expected to bring home bargains after Thanksgiving Day |
| C．by the police to show their displeasure toward heavy traffic caused by shopping crowds |
| D．to describe the bad weather on the day |
| A．usually help each other to find good bargains |
| B．have great fun as part of the waiting crowd |
| C．have a lot of complaints about the service of the retail clerks |
| D．have to wait until 5 to 6 am to start shopping |
| A．The shopping habits of Americans. |
| B．An introduction to the origin and influences of Black Friday. |
| C．Tips on how to get good bargains on Black Friday. |
| D．People’s mixed feelings toward Black Friday. |
