1 . To promote employees’ creativity, managers should consider offering a set of rewards for them to choose from, according to a new study by management experts at Rice University.
The study, co-authored by Jing Zhou, Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management and Psychology at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, is the first to systematically examine the effects of reward choice in a field experiment, which was conducted in the context of an organization-wide suggestion program.
“Organizations spend a lot of resources and make a great deal of effort in designing incentive (激励的) plans that reward the employees who exhibit creativity at work,” Zhou said. “Our results showed that the effort may be a bit misplaced. Instead of discovering one reward type that is particularly effective at promoting creativity, what is more effective is to provide the employees with the opportunity to choose from several reward types, if they submit one or more ideas that are among the top 20% most creative ones.”
Workers in the study were given a range of options: a financial reward for the individual employee or their team, a self-discretionary (自己自由决定的) reward such as getting priority to select days off, or a donation the company made to a charity selected by the employee. Those choices had positive, significant effects on the number of creative ideas employees thought up and the creativity level of those ideas.
The studies also found that rewards aimed at helping others, such as making a donation to a charity, might be especially powerful. But for less-creative employees, alternative rewards that benefit those in need might actually lower creativity and should be avoided.
The researchers also found that the choice of rewards developed creativity by raising the employees’ belief in their ability to be creative. Alternative rewards also had a powerful impact on promoting the creativity of employees who earlier had scored high on an assessment of creative personality characteristics.
1. Why was the study conducted?| A．To promote employees’ creativity. |
| B．To discover and reward creative employees. |
| C．To set an example to other organizations. |
| D．To examine the effects of different reward choices. |
| A．It’s ambitious to examine the effects of reward choice. |
| B．It’s necessary to confirm which reward is the most effective. |
| C．It’s advisable to let employees choose their own favorite reward types. |
| D．It’s inappropriate to choose from the top 20% most creative employees. |
| A．Financial reward. | B．Assessment priority. |
| C．Occupation promotion. | D．Charity donation. |
| A．Choice of rewards promotes creativity |
| B．Financial rewards can motivate employees |
| C．Use resources effectively to promote creativity |
| D．Effects of rewards on employees can’t be ignored |
Mai Lin wasn’t doing well enough at school, or at least she wasn’t satisfied with herself. She wished she could do better.
“Let’s review the material we learned in the last unit,” the history teacher said. “Who can tell us what caused the War of 1812?” Mai Lin sat at her desk, staring ahead. She hoped the teacher wouldn’t call her name. They hadn’t studied the War of 1812 at her old school and she didn’t know the answer.
“Alison?” the teacher asked instead. Oh, perfect, Mai Lin thought. Of course Alison would have the answer. She seemed to have all the answers. Alison was the most popular girl in school – always surrounded by millions of boyfriends, best friends, and others. She was like a brilliant sun.
Mai Lin hadn’t made one or two friends of her own so far. Her old school was small and low-key, but a shy person like Mai Lin had a chance there. This new school, however, seemed as big as an airport to Mai Lin, and it seemed very hard to get around in it. She still got lost sometimes in the school.
Mai Lin frowned (皱眉) as Alison answered the teacher’s question. Alison probably never got lost, Mai Lin thought to herself. You could probably put Alison down in the middle of a desert, and within five minutes she’d be able to tell you the best way to get home.
History class finally ended, and Mai Lin headed for the gym. The class had been playing basketball. Alison, who was as tall and thin and attractive as a tree, was very good at it. Beside her, Mai Lin felt like a very small and foolish ant. Today, however, the gym teacher pointed to a thick rope hanging from the ceiling and said, “Everybody! You’re going to climb this rope today.”
注意：
1.续写词数应为 150 左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Hearing the teacher’s words, Mai Lin smiled.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mai Lin stepped forward and got close to the rope.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1.活动的目的和意义。
2.提出倡议。
注意：
1.写作词数应为 80 左右；
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear fellow students,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Students Union
4 . In high school, I became the editor of the school paper. My whole
Peg, Lynn, and I went to the stage door before Elvis’s concert; we wanted to arrange a(n)
I said to Elvis, “We want to interview you for our school paper.” Elvis said, “You’ll have to get
We went back and
| A．journalism | B．music | C．marketing | D．literature |
| A．performance | B．interview | C．conference | D．trip |
| A．pulled on | B．pulled out | C．pulled up | D．pulled away |
| A．sure | B．surprised | C．afraid | D．excited |
| A．pen | B．camera. | C．recorder | D．notebook |
| A．gifts | B．prizes | C．permission | D．time |
| A．for | B．before | C．from | D．after |
| A．back | B．away | C．out | D．up |
| A．early | B．easily | C．disappointedly | D．deliberately |
| A．heat | B．rain | C．cold | D．sun |
| A．left | B．entered | C．missed | D．visited |
| A．Gradually | B．Normally | C．Finally | D．Actually |
| A．heard | B．told | C．read | D．wrote |
| A．envied | B．doubted | C．praised | D．believed |
| A．minutes | B．hours | C．days | D．years |
5 . Why You Should Stop Complaining
When living out our daily lives, it’s often easy to blame the world for our problems.
The world owes you nothing.
The world really does have nothing to do with you or anyone else. The planet will continue to exist without you on it.
If you look back at your own life, you’ll begin to realize that everything you have ever done was all a result of the decisions you’ve made sure there may have been people around you who have convinced you to do something. But it all ultimately depends on your decisions.
You can’t be a leader if you behave like a victim.
It’s really easy to put blame on things that are external to you.
| A．What are you worrying about? |
| B．So who’s really to blame? |
| C．You are in charge of your own life. |
| D．You are helped by people around you. |
| E．We were nurtured and looked after as kids. |
| F．It’s true that there are things in the world we can’t control. |
| G．As it avoids personal responsibility and allows you to refuse the possibility that you may have things that can be changed. |
6 . Public toilets around the globe have a reputation for being dark, dirty and dangerous. Tokyo recently unveiled new restrooms in two public parks that aim to address those concerns. For one thing, they are brightly lit and colorful. For another, they are transparent. This way, those who need to go can check out the cleanliness and safety of the toilets without having to walk inside or touch a thing.
Japan has long experimented with toilets, resulting in lids that open, and close automatically and seats that warm up. But the new toilets—designed by Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect—are made out of a “smart glass.”
The toilets were installed in Tokyo in September. Set up in front of a cluster of trees in the Shibuya District, the toilets stand out like a Mondrian painting.
When occupied and locked properly, the colored glass toilets become frosted (磨砂的) and opaque (not transparent). When the door is unlocked, an electric current rearranges the crystals in the glass to allow more light to pass through, creating a transparent effect. The toilets were presented as another futuristic and aesthetically (美学地) pleasing example of the country’s technological advancements.
The predecessor to Tokyo’s transparent toilets appeared in Switzerland in 2002, when designer Olivier Rambert unveiled two glass restrooms in the city of Lausanne. They had a safety feature that automatically opened the doors and turned the glass transparent if sensors detected no motion for 10 minutes. That could possibly help users who fall unconscious and need medical attention.
1. What’s the purpose of the design of new restrooms?| A．To make the parks tourist attractions. |
| B．To settle the problems with public toilets. |
| C．To maintain the standards of public toilets. |
| D．To achieve a breakthrough in toilet construction. |
| A．By cutting off electricity. | B．By giving off colorful light. |
| C．By sensing the health of people. | D．By changing the order of crystals. |
| A．They cause the concerns about privacy. |
| B．They are decorated with artists’ paintings. |
| C．They are pioneered by Japanese architects. |
| D．They combine technological and artistic elements. |
| A．Conventional. | B．Humanized. |
| C．Simplified. | D．Recreational. |
7 . A 24-year-old woman who lost her leg to cancer has proudly shared a raw photograph of herself without the prosthetic (假体的) leg on in an effort to promote body positivity.
Jessica Quinn, from New Zealand, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma—a rare form of bone cancer at the age of nine and eventually she had her leg amputated (截肢) to stop the disease from spreading.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the brave woman said she got u the courage to share the powerful picture publicly for the first time. Following a 14-hour surgery to remove her leg during her childhood, the cancer survivor started struggling with her body image because she was “forever stuck with it”. She used to cover up her leg by avoiding wearing anything shorter than her knees.
“It took me 10 years to really start showing people what I looked like without my leg on. Now I don’t like feeling weak though I know people will be supportive,” she said.
“The challenges sometimes feel endless but, they ground me. They remind me how lucky I am to have two feet planted on the floor.”
Jessica also explained how social media has helped her gain self-confidence and the platform even shaped her into the person she is today.
“I know people often speak about social media in a negative light yet it’s helped me grow. Simply just seeing the response and love I get when I share things like this and then seeing how it can help others is so heart-warming.”
“We’re all in this together and if I can make someone feel beautiful in their own skin then I’ll take every chance I can get.”
Her social media post has since attracted more than 9,000 “likes” after sharing the post on Thursday evening. “The reaction has been extraordinary,” Jessica said. “I got a flood of comments and I read every single one of them which brought tears to my eyes. Meanwhile, I’m always blown away by the support and love I get.”
1. Why did Jessica post her photo on the Internet?| A．To attract people’s attention. | B．To encourage people to like her. |
| C．To spread the optimism about looks. | D．To show the importance of the Internet. |
| A．She dislikes social media. |
| B．People usually talk about social media. |
| C．She thinks it common to use social media. |
| D．Some people hold passive opinion towards social media. |
| A．Touched and happy. | B．Confident and upset. |
| C．Defeated and pleased. | D．Encouraged and surprised. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．Optimism really counts in life. | D．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
8 . Best Things to Do in Boston
Boston is bursting with around-the-clock amusement and entertainment-from outdoor markets to museums.
Boston Public Garden
Sitting next to Boston Common, this large public park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who was responsible for Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It’s the perfect place to chill out, take a walk in the green atmosphere and even rent a swan-shaped boat for a paddle around the pond.
Fenway Park
The oldest Major League Baseball stadium, Fenway is an atmospheric and unique place to watch a baseball game. Even if the Red Sox are having an off-year, it’s still worth buying a ticket to see a game, as it’s one of the most Bostonian activities you can do. One of the unique features of the 40,000-seat stadium is the “Green Monster”, the 37-foot green wall in the left field. When it’s not baseball season, you can take a tour of the stadium.
Faneuil Hall Market
Since 1742 this market has traded in fresh edible ingredients (可食用材料) and entertainment for Bostonians. There are dozens of stalls selling fruits and veggies as well as ready-to-eat dishes, along with street performers and some of the best people-watching in the city.
Museum of Fine Arts
The city’s main art museum is a good one. With nearly half a million art objects, it’s also one of the biggest museums in North America. There are works on display by the pantheon (名流) of history’s great artists, including Donatello, EI Greco, Renoir and Degas, just to name a few. There is also a nice collection of art and artifacts from Egypt, Nubia and the ancient Americas.
1. What do Boston Public Garden and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park have in common?| A．They are free for the public. | B．They are similar in size. |
| C．They are designed by the same designer. | D．They are next to Boston Common. |
| A．Its designer is well-known. | B．It is quiet and green. |
| C．It hosts exciting performances. | D．It is a baseball stadium. |
| A．See exhibitions of art works. | B．Learn about the history of the city. |
| C．Have hands-on art activities. | D．Meet world-famous artists. |
The China Consumers Association has criticized KFC, a
The association said on its website on Wednesday that such marketing can lead to impulsive and excessive consumption to obtain the limited edition blind boxes,
The article
KFC's fast food should be consumed in time and purchased on demand, the association said. The Anti-Food Waste Law
The association also said that customers should consume
Neither Pop Mart nor KFC China responded to requests for comment. KFC customer service said the dolls are still
1. How much dessert do American consume per person per year?
| A．5 kg. | B．10 kg. | C．15 kg. |
| A．Desserts weekends. | B．Desserts shops. | C．Desserts websites. |
| A．The origin of desserts. |
| B．The dessert consumption in Great Britain. |
| C．The status of desserts in America. |
