1 . How much time do you spend doing research before you make a decision? The answer for many of us, it turns out, is “hardly any”, even when spending a lot of money. Most people make two trips or fewer to a dealership before buying a car. We are not necessarily conserving our resources to spend them on bigger decisions either. One in five Americans spends more time planning their upcoming vacation than they do on their financial future.
To be sure, some people go over every detail exhaustively before making a choice, and it’s certainly possible to overthink things. But there are also people who are quick to jump to conclusions. This way of thinking is considered a “cognitive bias (认知偏差)”, a term psychologists use to describe a tendency toward a specific mental mistake.
In our own research, we have found that hasty judgments are often just one part of larger error-prone patterns in behavior and thinking. We’ve also found that people who tend to make such “jumps” in their reasoning may experience a wide range of costs.
To study jumping to conclusions, we worked with more than 600 people from the general population. Because much of the work on this bias comes from studies of schizophrenia (精神分裂症), we borrowed a thinking game used in that area of research.
In this game, players encountered someone who was fishing from one of two lakes: in one lake, most of the fish were red, and in the other, most were gray. The fisher would catch one fish at a time and stop only when players thought they could say which lake they were fishing in. Some players had to see many fish before making a decision. Others, the jumpers, stopped after only one or two.
We also asked participants questions to learn more about their other thinking patterns. We found that the fewer fish a player needed to see, the more errors he or she made in other beliefs, reasoning and decisions.
What our research and other recent studies show is that sometimes the most important decision can be when you choose to spend time considering before deciding. Even gathering just a little bit more evidence may help you avoid a major mistake.
1. Why does the author ask the question in the first paragraph?| A．To raise a controversial issue. | B．To introduce the author. |
| C．To develop a new concept. | D．To lead to the topic. |
| A．A person who always regrets making a decision. |
| B．A person who buys a coat when seeing it at first sight. |
| C．A person who checks every detail before buying a car. |
| D．A person who suffers from the disease of schizophrenia. |
| A．Participants in the game are from a specific hospital. |
| B．The jumpers tend to make more mistakes in reasoning. |
| C．The fish in the two lakes were equal in number. |
| D．The fisher helped participants make correct decisions. |
| A．To advise people to think twice before making decisions. |
| B．To analyse the reasons for jumpers making quick decisions. |
| C．To explain the concept of a cognitive bias. |
| D．To provide some tips for people to make correct decisions. |
1.低碳节能的做法；
2.低碳节能的益处；
3.呼吁大家共同参与。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
参考词汇：低碳 low carbon 节能energy conservation
Dear fellow students,
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Youth
On a Sunday morning, Mom told Roger that Grandpa was on his way over. Roger grinned and tapped his drums. Grandpa once drummed in a band. He and Roger always had fun playing together. Mom added that some of Grandpa’s joints were hurting him today and he needed a rest. But Roger thought they could play for just a little while.
Roger practiced all morning. Finally, Dad’s car pulled up in front of the house. The car door opened, and Grandpa stepped out. Roger waved to Grandpa from his bedroom window. “Listen to this!” Taking a deep breath, he raised his drumsticks and began. He rocked. He rolled. He built to a lively and cheerful finish and ended with a crash of cymbals, just like Grandpa had taught him. Leaping up, Roger raced outside to Grandpa. “It was wonderful.” Grandpa said, giving Roger a hug. Then he went inside.
Sitting on the couch, Grandpa talked with Mom and played with baby Lucy. When Lucy threw her toy on the floor, Grandpa reached for it. He tried to pick it up, but the toy fell out of his hand. He tried again. The same thing happened. Roger hurried over to help and asked Grandpa to play drum together. “I’m sorry, Roger.” he apologized, “Not now.” So disappointed was Roger that he left without uttering a single word.
After lunch, Roger went to his room to get his skateboard. Grandpa was already inside, standing near the drum set. He picked up a drumstick and began to play. Tap! Tap! The drumstick clattered to the floor. Roger ran over, scooped it up and held it to the Grandpa. Grandpa rubbed his hand, his fingers red and swollen. “I can’t play today, Roger.” he said. In low spirits, Grandpa left the room. Roger got lost in thought.
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。
Later, an idea flashed through Roger’s mind.
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Roger and Dad walked up to Grandpa, carrying the drum with a pedal.
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4 . Allamby grew up in a poor neighborhood. He faced low expectations to
Over the years it had
Becoming a doctor when he was approaching 50 seemed
He was right. Allamby got A in all his
| A．quitting | B．pursuing | C．searching | D．operating |
| A．feelings | B．time | C．thoughts | D．chance |
| A．arisen | B．split | C．broken | D．grown |
| A．decided | B．dreamed | C．suited | D．continued |
| A．proof | B．level | C．degree | D．permit |
| A．showed | B．hidden | C．exposed | D．presented |
| A．crazy | B．reasonable | C．courageous | D．shocking |
| A．greeted | B．scolded | C．stopped | D．praised |
| A．plan | B．game | C．class | D．business |
| A．imaginary | B．practical | C．economical | D．thrilling |
| A．manager | B．chemist | C．professor | D．doctor |
| A．courses | B．speeches | C．thoughts | D．aims |
| A．caught | B．cut | C．dragged | D．fastened |
| A．artistic | B．biological | C．medical | D．physical |
| A．inspiring | B．healing | C．helping | D．fixing |
5 . Droughts are one of a farmer’s most feared threats. And in our warming climate, the risk of drought has been climbing. Anticipating a drier future, two American teen engineers have been investigating how to help farmers keep their crops from getting dangerously thirsty.
John Benedict, 16, has seen lots of droughts. As a sophomore at Clovis North High School, he wanted to help farmers save their plants from being dried. To measure a plant's drought stress more directly, he built a small robotic arm and used it to measure the light reflecting off of bell peppers. As plants get dry, the way they reflect sunlight changes very slightly. It’s not something that our eyes can see. But it is something a robot could detect. At the same time, his robot measured soil moisture and temperature. With these data, he built a computer model. It predicts which plants will be suffering from thirst faster.
It’s also important to make sure that no irrigation water is wasted. That’s why Arya Tschand, 17, has been launching his drone into the sky. This senior at High Technology High School, aims to help poor farmers like the ones he saw while traveling in India. The teen’s drone hovers over plants and measures their color. Using a computer model, Arya taught the drone to predict how thirsty a plant was based on the color of its leaves. According to that color, the drone then sends a signal to an irrigation system on the ground, which adjusts how much water it sends out to plants.
In areas with drought, where every drop matters, farmers can’t afford to waste any moisture. Just like John, his next step is to scale up his project. In the meantime, he has applied for a patent on his system.
1. What did John focus on in his project?| A．Plants management. | B．Data analyses. | C．Plant-thirst detection. | D．Lights changes. |
| A．Protecting the plants. | B．Helping precise irrigation. |
| C．Forecasting plant colors. | D．Arranging computer models. |
| A．It’s unclear. | B．It’s disappointing | C．It’s controversial. | D．It’s promising. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A guidebook. | C．A magazine. | D．A research paper. |
6 . Because China is a nation with a great cultural influence, it is important to be well informed before going to China. Whether you are visiting China to explore its 5,000-year history, do business, or just to see the tourist sights, reading some books about China by people who have first-hand experience is a wise decision.
1. The Chan’s Great Continent by Jonathan Spence
Regarding China, many Westerners have many generalizations and misunderstanding. The book addresses these common misunderstandings and shows what China is truly like. This non-fiction book examines China from numerous angles and the result is an entertaining read.
2. A History of China by John Keay
It is a book for history fans, which not only offers a historical overview of China but also goes on to explain the finer aspects of Confucianism, Buddhism, and China s many dynasties. This book is entertaining for travelers who would like to truly appreciate the country and its people.
3. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li
It is a novel composed of 10 stories that offers an interesting view of China in terms of younger people living in its cities. Each story within it has a unique theme that sums up a certain area of China’s political and cultural atmosphere.
4. China Wakes by Nicholas Kristof / Sheryl Wu-Dunn
Written by two journalists, the non-fiction book explores the recent history of China from the first-hand perspective of journalists. It analyzes the rise of China and is hopeful future. This is a must-read for academics and those interested in global affairs.
1. What is special about The Chan’s Great Continent?| A．It explains a real China. | B．It analyzes the rise of China. |
| C．It offers an entertaining read. | D．It enhances understanding of China. |
| A．The Chan’s Great Continent. | B．A History of China. |
| C．A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. | D．China Wakes. |
| A．To attract more tourists to China. | B．To recommend China to the world. |
| C．To show the importance of reading. | D．To introduce some books about China. |
Recently, I went to a hospital to visit a friend of mine. After I got there, I began to look for a parking spot. But it was not easy to find one. Finally, I managed to park my car near the entrance of the hospital. As I got out to pay for the parking fee, I noticed a man searching his pockets for some change. He searched everywhere but couldn’t find any. “Do you need any help?” I asked. “Yes. I left my house in a hurry and forgot to take any change with me,” he said in an embarrassed voice. I took out some change and handed it to him, saying, “Here, take it.” “Thank you so much,” he said gratefully while taking the change from me. I smiled and left. I loved helping others and didn’t think much about it.
Before returning home, I went to the grocery store first, because there was almost nothing left in the fridge. The store was a twenty-minute drive away from my house, so I wanted to buy food for at least two days. I took a shopping cart and started filling it. Half an hour later, my shopping cart was almost full. I pushed it to the checkout counter and paid for all.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
3. 请在下面的横线上作答。
I put the bags in the car and tried to start the car but failed.
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Just when I had no idea what to do, I heard someone knocking on my car window.
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When I was eleven years old, I moved to Tampa, Florida. My parents traveled for a living, so Aunt Emily took care of me while they were away. One rainy morning, there was an old lady who was dressed in a bright orange coat carrying a rubbish bag and a stick. “What’s that old lady doing?” I asked Emily, pointing out the window to the street in front of the house.
Hearing my question, Emily answered, “She’s picking up rubbish around here for fun.” “Oh,” I answered. “Interesting… Why would someone think picking up rubbish was fun?” For a long time, often saw that old lady—rain or shine—on my way to school. In the beginning, I thought she was crazy to pick up rubbish. However, I finally smiled and waved at her each time I saw her.
Later, when I moved to college, I’d see rubbish in the grass and feel really angry about it. I’d think, “Why isn’t anyone picking up rubbish? People are so unconcerned!” But shortly after that, I said to myself, “Why do I think picking up rubbish is someone else’s duty?” And I couldn’t walk past trash without feeling guilty (内疚的).
So while walking in the college, I began picking up rubbish and made sure the campus was in better shape than I previously found it. My behavior influenced some students. They started to help out.
Like me, they also picked up rubbish whenever they noticed it. And our college became more beautiful. Seeing it, I began to think, “If I could pick up rubbish outside the college—in other places of the town, it may make a big difference to the town.”
But picking up rubbish in front of many people outside the college needs courage. It could be embarrassing. But it was the right thing to do. I decided to try it.
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。
Paragraph 1:
One morning, I went out to pick up rubbish.
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Then I decided to encourage more students to do this in the town.
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The Sputnik I satellite
China became the third country in the world to
All in all, the future of space exploration remains bright.
People use the proverb “seeing is believing” to describe situations where it’s hard to believe something is possible if you haven’t seen it happen. I am here today to tell you that the proverb is true and to share with you how a girl and her grandmother made a positive transformation in a community.
It was a year ago when I was studying life cycles in my science class. I wrote a paper about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly (帝王蝶) and received a perfect score. I was so thrilled; I called my grandmother Nana and told her the exciting news. My talk recalled memories from Nana’s childhood. “I remember when I was a girl,” she said, “those orange and black butterflies were a common sight. Come late summer, there would suddenly be hundreds of them, and before long there were so many it felt like you were standing in an orange cloud.”
“It sounds like you witnessed a migration (迁徙), but what happened to them?” I asked. “To be honest, I’ve never known,” Nana admitted. “But there do seem to be fewer monarchs around the neighborhood.” Nana and I decided to investigate.
That weekend, we met at the public library. Our research produced plenty of information: some fascinating and some concerning. Apparently, the number of monarchs has been in decline for the last several decades. Housing developments have destroyed much of their habitat (栖息地). Some information was hopeful, though, like how conservationists are working to save them.
The best was this — it doesn’t take lots of money or equipment to do so. It takes only a little bit of land, some seeds, and dedicated people to create what’s called a Monarch Waystation (驿站).
“What if we set up our own Monarch Waystation?” I suggested. “We’ll need people to help.” Nana responded immediately and didn’t waste time to get started.
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。
The next day, Nana presented the idea to her garden club and I talked to my friends.
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Nana and I created a blog and frequently updated about the community’s efforts.
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