1 . Some of the most successful people have done their best work in coffee shops. Pablo Picasso, JK Rowling, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Bob Dylan ---whether they’re painters, writers, philosophers, or singer-songwriters, people across nations and centuries have tapped into their creativity working away at a table in a café.
There are many ways coffee shops stimulate our creativity in a way offices and homes don’t. Research shows that the stimuli in these places make them effective environments for work; the combination of noise, visual variety and casualness can give us just the right amount of distraction to help us be at our sharpest and most creative.
Some of us put on our noise-cancelling headphones as soon as we sit down to work in a public setting. But background noise can benefit our creative thinking. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that a low-to-moderate level of background noise in a place like a cafeteria can actually increase our creative output. Another study from 2019 had similar findings: the right amount of noise benefits our senses. And while that right level of noise is different for everyone, audio (听觉的) stimuli in the background also help us improve decision-making. So, the jazz music, light conversation and noises from coffee bar workers aren’t vexatious —they could help you come up with your next masterwork.
Also, one thing that can make working from home and the office dull is the unexciting visual environment. “Visual stimulation has an effect on peoples creative thinking process. Coffee shops generally have visual stimuli,” says Sunkee Lee, whose research suggests that visual variety “helps you to think outside the box”. Korydon Smith, who co-wrote a recent article on the benefits of working in coffee shops, says, “People come and go. The daylight changes. The colours of food vary. These activities inspire our brains to work a bit differently than at home”.
And while the typical coffee shop user might be a lone worker, experts say these café settings can also benefit work groups who are brainstorming. “There is an implied formality when gathering on office-based or digital meeting platforms. By contrast, there is an air of informality when meeting up at a bar or café. Agendas are not required to meet someone for coffee, but are inbuilt in a scheduled meeting, virtual or otherwise, which can kill creativity,” says Smith.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?A.Add some background knowledge. | B.Summarize the following paragraphs. |
C.Support the first paragraph with examples. | D.Introduce a controversial topic for discussion. |
A.Unexpected. | B.Permanent. | C.Annoying. | D.Original. |
A.Visual variety there encourages creativity. |
B.Audio stimuli there help with decision-making. |
C.A lo ne worker can meet like-minded people there. |
D.Bar workers there always make people feel at home. |
A.Its air of excitement. | B.Its implied formality. |
C.Its casual atmosphere. | D.Its nice food and drink. |
2 . Pity the poor traffic policeman. He’s the last guy you want to see when you’re speeding down the highway. But according to a major research by scientists in Canada and California, that policeman just might be saving your life or the life of someone else.
The researchers have found that a traffic ticket reduces a driver’s chance of being involved in a disastrous accident greatly. The effect doesn’t last long, however. Within months, the lead foot is back on the pedal and the risk of killing yourself or someone else is back up to where it was before that policeman stared you in the eye and wrote out that expensive ticket. It is back to business as usual for most motorists.
Traffic tickets save thousands of lives every year. Yet traffic laws are applied infrequently, almost as if by whim (心血来潮), partly because people just don’t like traffic policemen, and there are lots of other things for the government to spend money on than applying highway safety laws.
Researches looked at the month prior to a disastrous accident, and the number of traffic convictions (定罪), and then the same month in the year before. They found there were fewer tickets in the month before a disastrous accident than there were a year before, which suggests there’s a protective effect of having a ticket.
The scientists also turned up some surprising results. “Most of the crashes did not involve alcohol,” they reported. “The relative risk reduction associated with traffic convictions was remarkably consistent among women and men, regardless of age, prior driving record, and other personal data. Men, however, were involved in far more disastrous accidents than women and the most accident-prone (有倾向的) age was between 30 and 50.”
They also pointed out that most crashes could have been prevented by a small difference in driver behavior. So the next time you see that policeman in your rear-view mirror, give him or her a broad smile.
1. How will the drivers probably behave months after having traffic tickets?A.Drive more attentively than before. | B.Return to where accidents happened. |
C.Escape a spot check for alcohol. | D.Drive as fast as they did before. |
A.They have saved thousands of lives so far. |
B.They are not favored by traffic policemen. |
C.They are carried out consistently and sufficiently. |
D.They are not the priority of the government’s budget. |
A.Traffic tickets can guarantee safe driving. |
B.It is necessary to reduce traffic convictions. |
C.Disastrous accidents will decline with more traffic tickets given. |
D.Tickets’ protective effect can be found before disastrous accidents. |
A.Its results applied to both men and women. |
B.None of the traffic crashes involved alcohol. |
C.Women aged 30 to 50 caused more disastrous accidents. |
D.Drivers were used to looking at the mirrors while driving. |
3 . You might have heard of the expression “a guilty pleasure”—maybe it’s the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don’t really need.
Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation.
Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don’t have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing.
A.Exams are vital for students. |
B.Self-indulgence can have negative consequences |
C.The difference becomes evident when students manage exam pressure |
D.They also recommend embracing activities that could dampen your spirits |
E.Besides, you should avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards |
F.It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty |
G.It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image |
1. 零用钱花费情况;
2. 指出问题所在;
3. 给予适当建议。
注意:1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
How senior high school students use their pocket money
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Living car-free in the US
Culdesac admitted its first thirty-six residents in Tempe, Arizona, US, earlier this year.
In a country as car-dependent as the US, Culdesac is nothing short of visionary (有远见的).
A.Still, there is hope |
B.Cars are allowed, but parking is limited |
C.This can effectively avoid traffic accidents on a road |
D.This reliance on cars doesn’t come cheap, unfortunately |
E.For some, cars equal freedom, but for me, it’s a restriction |
F.It describes itself as the first car-free neighbourhood built in the US |
G.The vast majority of Americans are entirely dependant on cars to get around |
6 . Poverty has forced most Europeans to skip (跳过) meals during the past three years, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the charity French Secours Populaire, which supports people on low incomes. The survey of 10,000 Europeans in 10 nations asked whether money worries had worsened or improved during the past three years. More than half said their situation had worsened, with 29 percent saying they were so short of money that a single unexpected expense would put them into difficulty. The results, published on Monday in the charity’s European Barometer on Poverty and Precariousness, found 38 percent of Europeans were no longer able to eat three meals a day on a regular basis. And 21 percent of parents had skipped meals so they could feed their children.
The survey quizzed people living in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, and the United Kingdom. The pollsters found the main reason for the poor financial situation in many European families was the fast-rising cost of goods and services, with price inflation (通货膨胀) increasing by three times during 2022 and the cost of housing, water, and fuel rising by 18 percent during the course of a year. At the same time wages remained relatively unchanged.
The survey followed other recent worrying assessments of increasing levels of poverty throughout Europe, with Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency reporting 17 percent of the population of the 27-nation group was “at risk of poverty” and that only 15percent of Europeans had enough money not to have financial worries. Another survey, conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in June, found the UK had 5.7 million low-income households that were so lacking in money that they had no adequate access to food.
And another survey, by the Equality Trust, found the great difference between rich and poor in the UK was actually being worsened by the government, which, it concluded, was spending more money than any other European nation on subsidizing (补贴) the rich through structural inequality. Priya Sahni-Nicholas, the co-executive director of the Equality Trust, told The Guardian newspaper the growing chasm between rich and poor was “causing huge damage” to the economy. As a result, she said, “We have shorter healthy working lives, poorer education systems, more crime, and less happy societies.” The survey released this week for French Secours Populaire found money worries among Europe’s population now mean a significant number of people have turned off heaters, avoided treatment for medical problems, and borrowed money or other things as a result. The survey found one person in 12in Italy is in “absolute poverty” and relies on discounted food and food banks. And the situation was even worse in Greece and Moldova, which had more people at risk from poverty than any other European nation.
1. Why is there a poor financial situation in many European families?A.On account of increasing taxes. | B.Because of their pay’s being cut. |
C.Owing to many people’s losing jobs. | D.Due to rising prices of goods and services. |
A.15%. | B.17%. | C.18%. | D.21%. |
A.Misunderstanding. | B.Difference. | C.Conflict. | D.Concern. |
A.Study shows rising poverty in Europe |
B.Wages remain relatively unchanged in Europe |
C.Poor people in Europe rely on discounted food |
D.Survey quizzes people living in rich European countries |
7 . The very unusual series of events finished as Sondrup was heading home from an extended work shift. She had just completed her fourth continuous night shift, and
While driving home, Sondrup
“It’s
Under what she described as a turn of fate (命运), Sondrup
Sondrup courageously
“I really feel that my guiding
The man Sondrup rescued recently reached out to express his
A.tiredness | B.happiness | C.stress | D.anger |
A.description | B.memory | C.opinion | D.request |
A.believed | B.summarized | C.tracked | D.noticed |
A.preserved | B.introduced | C.trapped | D.exchanged |
A.possible | B.different | C.strange | D.interesting |
A.Obviously | B.Normally | C.Formally | D.Likely |
A.pulled over | B.turned on | C.looked around | D.worked out |
A.progress | B.accident | C.reference | D.survival |
A.watched | B.explored | C.climbed | D.contacted |
A.struggle | B.contribution | C.experiment | D.wisdom |
A.recognized | B.encouraged | C.concentrated | D.promoted |
A.proposal | B.focus | C.goal | D.force |
A.key | B.awkward | C.spare | D.public |
A.demand | B.appreciation | C.desire | D.view |
A.solution | B.title | C.health | D.personality |
8 . Your social circle may be the reason you are overweight, a study has suggested. Experts have warned that obesity can spread through communities like a “social contagion (接触传染)”
Researchers studied hundreds of military families—who can’t choose where they lived—across the US. Their results revealed if you move to an area with a high rate of obesity. it increases your risk of becoming obese, too. For every percentage-point increase in the local obesity rate, the chances a person would be overweight or obese increased by up to six percent.
The researchers said people adopt behaviors of others subconsciously. Dr Ashlesha Datar and colleagues recruited families of US Army personnel at 38 military bases across the country. Their rates of obesity were reflective of the national rates. The study showed when assigned to bases in countries with higher rates of obesity, residents were more likely to become overweight or obese. For every single percentage-point increase in obesity rate of local people, the chances that a teenager would be overweight or obese went up by four to six percent, while the odds that a parent would be obese went up by five percent. The longer the families lived there, the more likely they were to see the weight pile on.
Dr Datar said, “Social contagion in obesity means that if more people around you are obese, then that may increase your own chances of becoming obese. Subconsciously, you are affected by what people around you are doing. We accounted for things that researchers in this field typically measure and found that shared environments did not play a critical role in explaining our results.”
Co-author Dr Nancy Nicosia said, “Although we could not measure social contagion directly, our findings support a role for social contagion in obesity.”
Obesity can be caused by many variables, and the association has been challenging for scientists to explain. One possibility is that people with similar interests and backgrounds tend to locate in similar areas. Another explanation may be that people are all influenced by the shared environment, such as opportunities for exercising and healthy eating. A third explanation may be that obesity is transmitted through social influence.
1. Which of the following is false?A.One is more likely to become overweight in areas with a higher rate of obesity. |
B.Social environment has nothing to do with being obese. |
C.The length of time you stay in an area may affect your physical condition. |
D.The researchers have confirmed that there might be connection between environment and obesity. |
A.Evidence. | B.Rate. | C.Possibility. | D.Difficulty |
A.A health magazine. | B.A police report. |
C.An advertisement | D.A government information booklet. |
A.People are easily affected by others. |
B.The chance of being fat increases if you have a good friend |
C.Humans like to live an imitation of somebody else’s life. |
D.Shared interests can affect your health condition. |
9 . During my first year in China, some friends who’d been around a little longer than me introduced me to the concept of “House Plant Syndrome”.
Imagine you are at a party at someone’s house. You’re hanging out when suddenly a house plant starts talking to you. Now, there are several ways you could respond to this. Perhaps you would ignore it. Perhaps you would ask the person next to you if they heard it as well. Perhaps you would try talking back to the house plant and engaging it in conversation.
I am that house plant.
The story of the talking house plant explains what can happen here when a white person unexpectedly speaks Chinese. It’s especially true with Chinese who haven’t met foreigners before.
Over time I learned to deal with House Plant Syndrome by talking without being looked at. I visited a restaurant at least once a week. Waitresses there would often stare blankly at me, not even hearing what I was saying when I tried to ask for things. So I leaned to speak clearly while looking in another direction. Without the “foreigners don’t speak Mandarin” filter, the waitresses heard and understood me easily and responded immediately.
A few years later, as my Mandarin became more fluent, and my foreign accent diminished (减少), people could hardly realize I was actually a house plant. This happened a lot with taxis. A lot of the time after I called a taxi, I would get a call from the driver, who would confirm my location. This meant I had a short conversation with the driver long before they saw me. Then I would get in the taxi, say where I wanted to go, and we would drive off in silence. Twenty seconds later, he would burst out “You speak such good Mandarin: I thought you were Chinese!”
I am rarely seen as a talking house plant anymore. The more I work on my accent and fluency, the less I am seen as a house plant. Definitely a good reason to keep working on my language!
1. What does “House Plant Syndrome” refer to?A.A cultural practice in Chinese households. |
B.A disease that house plants often suffer from. |
C.Foreigners’ preference for Chinese house plants. |
D.Chinese people’s reaction to a foreigner speaking Chinese. |
A.Lack of confidence in her Chinese. | B.Discomfort with looking at strangers. |
C.Desire to hide her identity. | D.Ease of speaking Mandarin when looking away. |
A.Astonished | B.Embarrassed | C.Confused | D.Annoyed |
A.The silent conversations of a foreigner in China | B.The journey to reveal the secrets of language. |
C.Tackling cultural challenges in China. | D.Chatting with house plants. |
10 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”
To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.
Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.
This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.
There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.
1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?A.To dismiss national concerns. | B.To check out a potential bias. |
C.To enhance human communication. | D.To develop harmonious relationships. |
A.Fewer chances of new projects. | B.Underestimation of their ability. |
C.Bad relationships with people around. | D.Low willingness to interact with others. |
A.Restate opinions. | B.Deliver warnings. | C.Give suggestions. | D.Make a summary. |
A.Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances |
B.First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations |
C.People Probably Like You More Than You Think |
D.How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume |