1 . Nothing succeeds like success, as every parent of a straight-A student knows, but trying to stress academic excellence by telling your child, “You’re so smart!” may be counterproductive. Why? According to a 2017 study, children who think their intelligence is fixed are less likely to pay attention to and bounce back（重新振作）from mistakes than children who think intelligence can grow and change.

In the study, researchers looked at 123 children. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset”(believing that you can work harder to get smarter), or a “fixed mindset” (believing that your intelligence is unable to change). They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded. During the recording, researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half-second after making a mistake, as children became aware of their mistake and paid closer attention to what went wrong. The larger the brain response was, the more the child focused on the mistake. Based on the data, they concluded that children with a “growth mindset” were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake. While children with a “fixed mindset” were able to “bounce back”, only if they gave their full attention to the mistake.

For parents, the lessons are clear. Don’t pay your children compliments that suggest that intelligence is fixed. If your child hands you an A+ score, don’t say, “You’re so smart!” Instead, say, “Wow, that studying really paid off!” or “You clearly mastered this material-way to go!” Note the effort, not the intelligence.

Besides, many parent shy away from addressing a child’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. ”You’ll get it next time. ” without offering them the chances to figure out what goes wrong. Instead, it’s better to reassure your children that mistakes happen, and work to figure out where and how they make the mistake.

1. Which of the following best explains “counterproductive” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．Opposite	B．Competitive
C．Successful	D．Unknown

2. How did the children with a “growth mindset” react in the study?

A．They made fewer mistakes.	B．They tried to avoid mistakes
C．They had smaller brain response	D．They focused more on the mistake.

3. What should parents say when children make a mistake according to the text?

A．You are so careless

B．Paying compliments to children

C．You’ll get it the next time

D．Let’s find out how you made it.

4. What should be avoided according to the study?

A．Overstressing the intelligence.

B．Pay compliment to children.

C．Addressing children’s mistakes.

D．Offering chances to find mistakes.

3 . It's easy to understand why early humans domesticated (驯养)dogs as their new best friends, domesticated dogs can guard against fierce animals and provide warmth during cold nights. But those benefits only come following domestication. Despite more than a century of study, scientists have struggled to understand what caused the domestication process in the first place.

A new theory given by Maria Lahtinen, a senior researcher, might be able to explain this puzzle. She made this theory when studying die diet of late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in Arctic and sub — Arctic. At that time, around 20,000 to 15,000 years ago, the world was buried in the coldest period of the last ice age. In cold environments then, as today, humans tended to gain the majority of their food from animals. Nutritional deficiencies (缺失) came from the absence of fat and carbohydrates (碳水化合物), not necessarily protein. Indeed, if humans cat too much meat, they can develop protein poisoning and even die. "Because we humans are not fully adapted to an all-meat diet, we simply cannot digest protein very well," Lahtinen says.

During the coldest years of the last ice age — and especially in lough Arctic and sub-Arctic winters — reindeer, wild horses and other animals that humans killed for food would have been struggling to live. Using previously published early fossil records, Lahtinen and her colleagues calculated that the game captured by people in the Arctic and sub-Arctic during this time would have provided much more protein than they could have safely consumed.

1. What has been confusing scientists in the past century?

A．How domesticated dogs benefited humans.

B．When humans began to domesticate dogs.

C．What led to dog domestication originally.

D．Why early humans made friends with clogs.

2. What will happen if one eats too much meat?

A．It can be fatal in a short period of time.

B．He will probably digest it very well.

C．He can develop carbohydrates poisoning.

D．He will survive the cold environment.

3. What does the underlined word "game” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．The fierce contests.	B．The hunting activities.
C．Wild animals or birds.	D．Some tricks or schemes.

4. What can be learned about the late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the last paragraph?

A．They struggled with wild horses.

B．They shared extra meat with dogs.

C．They struggled to live a good life.

D．They had trouble adapting to the cold environment.

4 . What should we get for our kids this holiday? As children get older, giving them something they can experience instead of material things makes them happier, according to a new research led by Chaplin.

The research compared the level of happiness children get from material things with that from experiences. The results showed that children aged 3-12 get more happiness from material things than from experiences. However, older children get more happiness from experiences than from their possessions.

“It means experiences are highly preferred by adolescents, not just expensive material things, like some might think,”Chaplin says. She goes on to explain,”Don’t get me wrong. Young children do love experiences. And given this concept, theme parks such as Disneyland are being built everywhere. In fact, young children are excited throughout the experience. However, for experiences to provide lasting happiness, children must be able to recall details of the events.”

Long after they have unwrapped their Legos and stuffed animals, there will still be a physical reminder to give them happiness. However, young children can’t see or touch experiences after they are over, making it harder for them to appreciate experiences after a long time. There’s an easy fix, though, according to Chaplin.

“Take pictures or videos of family walks, playing in the snow, and birthday parties,”she said.“Children are likely to appreciate those experiences more if there is something to remind them of the event. Additionally, they’ll be able to learn the social value of shared experiences.”

Children will remember and appreciate not only the birthday gifts they received, but also the time spent with family and friends as they recall the experience through concrete reminders such as photos and videos.

Since memory is developed over time, it’s likely that children, especially young ones, may not get as much happiness from past experiences as from possessions. But with age, creating new memories and exploring new interests may be far more valuable than getting possessions.

1. Why are theme parks springing up according to Chaplin?

A．They can offer children lasting happiness.

B．Events in them are centered on specific themes.

C．Direct involvement in events there caters to children.

D．Kids have an affection for the atmosphere they offer.

2. The underlined word “fix” in Paragraph4 can be replaced be________.

A．solution	B．arrangement
C．preparation	D．focus

3. Which of the following would Chaplin probably agree with?

A．Videos appeal to children more than gifts.

B．Legos and stuffed animals are not kid’s cup of tea.

C．Older children value family time more than younger ones.

D．Physical reminders help remember past experiences better.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Experiences are better gifts for older children.

B．Social values should be put in the first place.

C．New interests are most precious for children.

D．Material possessions bring more happiness to children.

5 . Part of the importance of the practice of capacity building is that too many of us think our intellectual capabilities and focus are fixed. However, Benjamin Hardy, a psychologist and author, recently presented groundbreaking research that suggests that we can often change by changing our environment.

“Because people's lives become routine, you begin to see very predictable behaviors and attitudes,” Hardy says. This is why personality is viewed as stable and predictable over time. Hardy's book, Personality isn't Permanent, digs into this concept.

We regard our childhood, teenage years and 20s as our foundational learning periods. It can be common to think we can't learn as effectively as we grow older. But Hardy argues that we really stop learning because we stop trying new things.

In our young lives, we experience a number of “firsts”, ranging from social experiences to leaning opportunities. Absorbing new experiences is crucial to ensuring we keep expanding our minds and changing our personalities.

Learning new things is a great starting point to changing your personality for the better. Also consider making substantial changes to your professional environment. This can manifest in several ways. If you're a successful leader maybe you'd like to share your knowledge with others by coaching, writing or speaking. Anything that pushes you outside the limits of your normal work life can ensure you keep growing and changing.

In Personality Isn't Permanent, Hardy discusses a study from Harvard psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer. In 1981, Langer and her graduate students selected a group of men in their 70s and placed them in an environment modeled to look like the 1950s. It featured a black-and-white television, mid-century furniture and magazines from the era. As Hardy explains, “The goal was to trigger their minds and bodies to exhibit the energy and biological responses of a much younger person.” It actually worked.

1. Why do people think personality is fixed?

A．Because life becomes regular and foreseeable.	B．Because people refuse to read new books
C．Because the brain becomes less effective.	D．Because people's intelligence turns stable.

2. What can we do to enrich our mind?

A．Reread a fantastic book.	B．Devote fully to daily work.
C．Learn a new kind of sport.	D．Talk with an old friend.

3. What does the underlined word "manifest" in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Construct

B．Distinguish.

C．Predict.

D．Appear.

4. What does the last paragraph imply?

A．The facilities in Harvard need improving	B．Younger persons accept new things better
C．Langer's study consumed a lot of energy.	D．The participants' performance improved.

6 . According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.

To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.

Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.

For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.

The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?

1. What is the recent study mainly about?

A．Food safety.	B．Movie viewership.
C．Consumer demand.	D．Eating behavior.

2. What does the underlined word “beanpoles” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Big eaters.	B．Overweight persons.
C．Picky eaters.	D．Tall thin persons.

3. Why did the researchers hire the actor?

A．To see how she would affect the participants.

B．To test if the participants could recognize her.

C．To find out what she would do in the two tests.

D．To study why she could keep her weight down.

4. On what basis do we “adjust the influence” according to the last paragraph?

A．How hungry we are.	B．How slim we want to be.
C．How we perceive others.	D．How we feel about the food.

7 . In the mid-1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months, physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.

His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a lovely 24-year-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.

This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan, made of friendliness and warmth, but also its darker side of society. In Samarkand, Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders, while on his way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing. In Ferghana, he attends a mountain funeral(葬礼)followed by a strange drinking party. And in Karakalpakstan, he is saddened by the dust storms, diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea.

Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references, making his tale a well-rounded picture of Uzbekistan, seen from Western eyes. His judgment and references are decidedly American, as well as his delicate stomach. As the author explains, this is neither a travel nor a history book, or even a piece of reportage. Whatever it is, the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions.

1. What made Mr Bissell return to Uzbekistan?

A．His friends' invitation.	B．His interest in the country.
C．His love for teaching.	D．His desire to regain health.

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

A．Developing a serious mental disease.

B．Taking a guided tour in Central Asia.

C．Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan.

D．Writing an article about the Aral Sea.

3. Which of the following best describes Mr Bissell's road trip in Uzbekistan?

A．Romantic.

B．Eventful.

C．Pleasant.

D．Dangerous.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce a book.	B．To explain a cultural phenomenon.
C．To remember a writer.	D．To recommend a travel destination.