1 . The psychological term, valence weighting bias, describes people’s tendency to adapt in new circumstances by drawing more strongly from either their positive or negative attitudes, or rather, whether negative or positive internal “signals” carry the most weight in guiding people’s final behavior.
Studies led by Russell Fazio and Javier Granados from Ohio State University found links between a negative-leaning attitude and procrastination (拖延) and that it’s possible to shift the weighting bias and reverse the tendency to delay a task.
In the study, 147 college students participated in a program allowing them to accumulate course credits for engaging in a research. Those who thought it was an awful thing to do procrastinated starting. The study also explored whether students’ measures of self-control influenced task-related behaviors: How students characterized their level of motivation about the research program, and if that affected whether students got an early start. Results showed the combination of negative weighting bias and self-reported low motivation for self-control was linked to students putting off research program participation by getting started later in the semester.
Then the students in the program who were self-reported procrastinators and who scored high for negative weighting bias were asked to join in another study. Researchers then inspired one group in a way that led participants to weigh positive and negative signals in a more balanced way. This shift caused the students to accumulate credit hours more quickly than the group whose negative weighting bias and low self-control reliably predicted their delay. “If somebody is more motivated and able to think more about it, that might bring other considerations that weaken the influence of the valence weighting bias,” researchers said.
Negative weighting bias can have a positive effect on behavior, though. These researchers have also found evidence that a negative weighting bias may help people be more realistic when they’re asking themselves, “Have I studied enough for this test?” “It’s better to be more objectively balanced than to be at either extreme,” Fazio said. “But the situation where a particular valence weighting bias is likely to be problematic is going to vary.”
1. What can we know about valence weighting bias?| A．It is used in modern technology. | B．It influences people’s mental health. |
| C．It directs what people do variously. | D．It leads to delays in carrying out tasks. |
| A．suffered from valence weighting bias | B．drew more strongly from positivity |
| C．thought poorly of their self-discipline | D．considered themselves lack of motivation |
| A．High scores lead to more consideration. |
| B．Negative weighting bias can be reversed. |
| C．Participants need professional knowledge. |
| D．Measuring properly is of vital importance. |
| A．Negative weighting bias can be beneficial. |
| B．People need to strive to be positive at any time. |
| C．Positive people tend to make random decisions. |
| D．Valence weighting bias applies to different situations. |
I am a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic (疫情). She was born in August and her name is Aida.
Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law Ann showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly, She had showed me how to knit (编织) a scarf.
I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn (线) since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.
There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.
Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging time, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.
It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it is freezing outside!” Then, he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me by saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great art project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.
注意：1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语己为你写好。
Paragraph 1: I wrapped the scarf around David’s neck.
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Paragraph 2: Later that day David came back saying Jane also deserved a scarf.
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1.课程介绍(目的、内容、上课方式等);
2.你的收获。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
English Literature Reading Class Opens a New World
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Animal appear to predict earthquakes by sensing electricity in the air — the first study to find reliable evidence of the phenomenon has shown.
Cameras revealed an “amazing” drop in the number of animals up to 23 days before a major quake hit their rainforest home at Yanachaga National Park in Peru. Lead scientist Dr Rachel Grant, from Anglia Ruskin University, said, “The results showed that just before the earthquake, animals’ activity dropped right down.”
On a normal day the cameras placed around Yanachaga National Park record between 5 and 15 animals. But in the 23 days before the earthquake, the number of animals dropped to five or fewer per day. No animals were photographed at all on five of the seven days immediately before the quake.
Another study showed that animal activity remained normal in the park over a different period when seismic (地震的) activity was low. Co-author, professor Friedemann Freund, said, “The cameras were located at an altitude of 900 meters. If air ionization occurred, the animals would escape to the valley below, where there were fewer positive ions ( 离子). With their ability to sense their environment, animals can help us understand small changes that occur before major earthquakes.”
Other evidence suggested that before the earthquake, the air around the high mountain sites filled with positive ions that can be produced when rocks are placed under stress. Positive ions have been known to cause ill effects in humans as well as animals. Scientists believe the animals were made to feel uncomfortable by the positive ions, leading them to avoid the area. They are thought to have escaped to lower ground, where the air was less ionized. The findings may help experts develop better short-term seismic forecasts.
1. How did scientists conduct the study?| A．By comparing different animals’ habits. |
| B．By observing animals in high mountains. |
| C．By explaining the positive ion phenomenon. |
| D．By analyzing images of animals they obtained. |
| A．The ground at a lower altitude is less ionized. |
| B．Cameras normally record more animals per day. |
| C．Earthquake warnings can be detected in lower places. |
| D．The activity of animals and earthquakes is consistent. |
| A．The findings make for accurate seismic forecast. |
| B．Animals tend to be uneasy with more positive ions. |
| C．Positive ions make humans and animals depressed. |
| D．All the animals remain abnormal before the earthquake. |
| A．Negative Influence of Positive Ions. |
| B．Ions’ Destruction to the Environment. |
| C．Animals’ Behavior Before Earthquakes. |
| D．Creatures’ Ability to Predict Earthquakes. |
Kindness of Strangers
We rely on a community where helping others is highly appreciated. When we need help, it creates a web that ties us together.
Once upon a time, I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready when my fourteen-year-old daughter, Cassandra, called me from her room. “Mom, can you help me get downstairs?” She had lung disease and depended on oxygen twenty-four hours a day, so it was impossible for her to move up and down the stairs without help. I turned down the stove and ran upstairs to her room. Cassandra let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “Mom, I wish it wasn’t so hard for me to climb the stairs.”
“I know, honey. We’ll try to solve the problem.”
My daughter’s words reminded me of an incident. A month earlier, a company introduced an electric stairlift (座椅电梯) to us. My daughter could use this stairlift to go up and down stairs by herself without anyone helping her. Hearing the perfect product, our whole family was very excited and looking forward to it. The stairlift sounded wonderful because it would greatly improve my daughter’s life. Unluckily, we couldn’t afford it although John, my husband, even took two jobs to support the family.
To meet Cassandra’s wish, I got round to ask the charity organization in our community for help once again. They had lent us a wheelchair before we bought one. Maybe they could help with a stairlift, too. I held my breath while the phone rang. “Do you have a stairlift I could borrow?” I asked them hopefully. However, they hadn’t, but they promised to call us right away if they got one.
注意：1.续写词数150左右;
2.请按下列格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Hanging up the phone, I told this to my family anxiously.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One early morning, we heard someone knocking at the door.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One morning this summer holiday, I was running on the road when I saw an elderly foreign lady waving her phone at me, speaking to me in a foreign language. Obviously, she didn’t speak English at all. When I listened to her more carefully, I found she was speaking German. She was clearly lost and trying to walk to the house where she lived. She showed me screen shots of maps on her phone as if she wanted me to help her find her way home. Actually, I learned some German in my spare time because our school will have German classes the next term. However, I was so poor at it that it was almost useless in practice.
I studied nearby and I knew my classmate, Lisa, who was good at speaking German. So I decided to telephone her. “Hi, Lisa. I came across a German lady. Do you have time to come and act as a translator now?” I said and then sent her my location, Unfortunately, Lisa answered, “Sorry, Belle. I’m shopping now. I can reach your place in about half an hour.” Hearing that, I had to tell her that I could manage myself.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind. I downloaded a translation app and used the voice function to translate what the lady said into English. Just in this way, I learned that she came here to visit her daughter who was new to the city to teach. And I also determined the address she needed to get to. It was not far from here to her house, so I offered to walk with her to her destination. She was greatly grateful to me and kept saying sorry for taking my time.
When we got to the house, her daughter just came back. She was as touched by my kindness as her mother. I kept reminding her that it was no trouble for me, and that I only intend-ed to make sure her mother got there safely.
Walking with the lady was more rewarding than running alone. Despite having to rely on technology to communicate due to the language barrier, I felt lucky to have been able to help her. When I left, I couldn’t wait to share the wonderful experience with Lisa.
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。
No sooner had I picked up my phone than Lisa called me.
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When the German teacher entered the classroom in the new term, I felt I’d seen her somewhere before.
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1.介绍一位中国古代文学作家及其作品；
2.说明你喜欢的理由。
注意：1、词数 80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear peter,
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Yours,
Li Hua
1. 理想职业；
2. 选择原因；
3. 如何实现。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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Returns
When I saw my mother at her home last month, it was a hot Sunday. I travelled there by train. As the train reduced its speed, I knew I was going to see her.
Leaving the station, I headed to the town center where I bought cakes — the kind she used to tell me to bring home. And I bought a cat, which I think can accompany her for along time. Until I got home, I didn’t think anything besides, I’m going to see her again and she’s waiting for me.
I knocked on the narrow door of the ground-floor apartment. She called out, “Yes. Come in!” “You should lock the door!” “I knew it was you. There’s no one else it could have been.”
When she saw the cat, she was very pleased as if it were my kid. She took the cakes, a little uneasy, but thanked me with a happy tone to her voice. That’s because she had already bought some for us on her way back home.
She was laughing, standing by the table. She put her hand on my shoulder, tilting her face up for me to kiss. At the same time, she was firing off questions about my trip, my children, my husband, my work...
We sat opposite each other at the table that, along with the meal she had already prepared for me, almost filled her apartment. She bought it big — it can seat at least ten people! But in six years, not once...
After meal, she tried to come up with more subjects of conversation, so that I wouldn’t go too soon, leaving her alone with her desire for me, her longing to live with me, her daughter, forever. Meanwhile, the cat approached us, which kept us busy for along time — watching it, taking turns holding it... My mother was the happiest she’d been since I got home. She seemed to have forgotten that I was going to leave.
注意：续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
It’s time for me to say goodbye to her.
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A month later, I, along with my husband and kids, came back to visit my mother.
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1.招新条件；
2.社团简介；
3.试唱安排。
注意：
1.词数 80 词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3.推荐词汇：合唱团choir；试唱 audition
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