1 . When making choices, people assume that they pick what they like. However, research suggests that we like something strictly because we have chosen it. In other words, we dislike things we don’t choose. And this phenomenon has existed since we were babies.
In an experiment, US researchers brought several 10 to 20-month-old babies into a lab and gave them two same bright and colorful soft blocks to play with. They set each block far apart, so the babies had to crawl to one or the other—a random choice. After the baby chose one of the toys, the researchers took it away and came back with a new option. The babies could then pick either the toy they didn’t play with before, or a brand-new toy.
It turned out that the babies reliably chose to play with the new toy rather than the one they had not chosen.
In follow-up experiments, when researchers instead helped choose which toy the baby would play with, the phenomenon disappeared. “As if they were saying, ‘Hmm, I didn’t choose that object last time, because I guess I didn’t like it very much” said Lisa Feigenson, co-author of the study.
This is a very important phenomenon in life, Feigenson noted. Adults will less like the thing they didn’t choose, even if they had no real preference in the first place. It looks like babies do just the same.
It shows that the act of making choices changes how we feel about our options. The random choices might become our preferences. “They are really not choosing based on whether they are novel or what they prefer,” said Alex Silver, co-author of the study.
This new finding explains why adults build unconscious preference when they make choices between the same things. Justifying(证明有道理) choice is somehow fundamental to the human experience. “I chose this, so I must like it. I didn’t choose this other thing, so it cannot be so good. Adults make these inferences unconsciously,” Feigenson said.
Such tendency makes sense to us as we live in a consumer culture and must make so many choices every day, between everything from toothpaste brands to styles of jeans.
Next, researchers will look at whether too many choices could be a problem for babies as they certainly are for adults.
1. What is the purpose of the experiments?| A．To test whether people choose what they like. |
| B．To see why babies prefer new toys to old ones. |
| C．To explain how babies and adults make choices differently. |
| D．To study if too many choices could create problems for people. |
| A．Babies prefer bright and colorful toys. |
| B．Babies’ preference largely affects their choices. |
| C．Babies prefer adults to help them make choices. |
| D．Babies’ previous random choices affect their preference. |
| A．It entirely changes our styles to choose. |
| B．It helps us make wise decisions in a consumer culture. |
| C．It promotes the relationship between adults and babies. |
| D．It helps us understand our unconscious preference for choices. |
| A．Babies like what they choose | B．Random choices matter |
| C．Too many choices puzzle the adults | D．Preference affects the choice |
2 . The COVID-19 vaccination（接种疫苗） rate in the US has fallen to new lows in recent weeks, threatening President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70 percent of American adults with at least one shot by July 4.
With just less than one month from July 4, the current vaccination rate will put the US at somewhere between 67 percent and 68 percent of the adult population with at least one dose（剂量） by Independence Day. To reach 70 percent by July 4, around 1.6 percent of the population needs to get their first dose per week from now until July 4.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention（CDC） reported last week that 63 percent of adults had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That was up slightly from 62 percent from the report a week before. The additional 1 percent of adults completing their first dose is the lowest since the CDC started tracking the vaccination rate in mid-February.
On average, fewer than 1 million shots are given out per day, a decline of more than two-thirds from the peak of 3.4 million in April, The Washington Post reported. In South Carolina, about 71,000 residents got a shot in the week leading up to June 3, compared to a high of nearly 300,000 in one week in early April, according to data from the CDC.
The slowdown is more prominent across the South and Midwest. Twelve states have seen vaccinations fall to 15 daily shots per 10,000 residents. Less than a quarter of black Americans had received their first COVID-19 shot as of June 7.
James Hildreth, CEO of Meharry Medical College, told Politico, “We need to make a stronger effort to bring the vaccine to the communities, rather than relying on the communities to come to vaccination centers.”
The sharp decline in vaccination began in mid-April when federal officials temporarily stopped the use of the Johnson＆Johnson vaccine while they investigated rare blood-clotting（凝血） reactions.
The “low-hanging fruit—those people who absolutely want to get vaccinated without you telling them anything” have already been vaccinated, which has led to the slowdown, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on a White House-organized call with community leaders last week, according to the Post.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Dr Anthony Fauci is in charge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
| B．In South Carolina, about 300,000 residents got a shot in the week leading up to June 3 |
| C．In mid-April federal officials temporarily suspended the Johnson＆Johnson vaccine. |
| D．Less than one fourth of Americans had received their first COVID-19 shot by June 7. |
| A．Meaningful. | B．Obvious. | C．Inspiring. | D．Complex. |
| A．By giving the vaccine shot at the communities. |
| B．By offering the vaccine to the public for free. |
| C．By frequently informing the public of the vaccine. |
| D．By urging the communities to come to vaccination centers. |
| A．Biden wishes to have 70% of adults with one shot by July 4 |
| B．CDC has been tracking the vaccination rate since mid-February |
| C．Some Americans need to get vaccinated without telling them to |
| D．Biden’s July 4th vaccine goal may be missed |
3 . There you are, looking through your WeChat moments or your Weibo feed, and you come across a post saying something like this: “I just got accepted to Harvard and 0xford! Are they sure they didn’t mix my applications up with somebody else’s?”
This person is clearly humblebragging. The term “humblebrag” was first coined back in 2010 by the late US comedian Harris Wittels, and it describes when someone makes a seemingly modest statement, but the actual purpose is to bring attention to something they are proud of.
The example above is a modesty-based humblebrag. The person wants to tell others: “I got accepted to Harvard and Oxford!” However, they don't want to seem too proud of their accomplishments. So, instead, they word it in a way to be more modest and bring down the importance of their achievements.
Although people who humblebrag think it will make them more likeable because they aren’t talking proudly about their victories, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that humblebragging actually has the opposite effect.
“Humblebragging doesn’t have the intended result because it seems insincere. That ‘poor me’ attitude combined with self-promotion does not lead to a favorable impression,” said Ovul Sezer, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina, US. “ Even simply bragging or complaining (抱怨) is better, because at least those messages are seen as more sincere.”
Sezer’s study also found that nearly 60% of humblebrags were complaint-based humblebragging, with most people humblebragging about their looks, followed by their money or wealth, and finally about their performance at work. “It’s such a common phenomenon. All of us know some people in our lives, whether in the social media or in the workplace, who do this annoying thing,” commented Sezer, adding that we all do it to some extent.
So, if you want to share your achievements with others, what’s the best way to do it then? Sezer suggests that people admit their self-promotion and harvest the rewards of being sincere. She also suggests finding a go-between, adding, “If someone brags for you, that’s the best thing that can happen to you, because then you don’t seem like you’re bragging.”
1. The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.| A．recognized | B．invented |
| C．bought | D．copied |
| A．Hesitating to talk about your achievements. |
| B．Bringing people’s attention to your achievements. |
| C．Talking proudly about your achievements in the social media. |
| D．Pretending to be modest when talking about your achievements. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Ambiguous. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Share their achievements with their best friends. |
| B．Bring down the importance of their achievements. |
| C．Find someone else to talk about their achievements. |
| D．Talk about their achievements after someone else does. |
1. 校园中浪费粮食的现象.
2. 应对措施或建议.
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯.
Dear friends,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 . Four days of fun, sun and celebrities, as well as networking, career workshops and mentoring (指导), were in store for two Long Island teens chosen to take part in the 12th annual Disney Dreamers Academy (DDA) at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Chosen from thousands of applicants, Tianna Gonzales of Lake Grove and Kaiya Simmons of Miller Place were part of a group of 100 young people who marched in the Magic Kingdom parade and made conversation with Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter and actor Miles Brown.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Kaiya Simmons, 14, moved to Miller Place at the age of 3. A ninth grader at Miss Porter School in Farmington, Connecticut, Kaiya says she enjoys acting, art and science and is currently studying environmental science. “It is fun learning about the environment and different ways to help protect it,” Kaiya says, adding, “I am also learning different techniques to improve my acting on stage and in film.” After high school, Kaiya hopes to attend Yale University and undertake a career as a doctor.
Tianna Gonzales, a 10th grader at Sachem North High School, is interested in psychology and music and plays saxophone (an instrument) for the school’s marching band, orchestra and band. Other school activities include track, Model United Nations, foreign language and art club honor societies. “Once I graduate, I plan to undertake a career in the film world, hopefully attending New York University or New York Film Academy,” she says. “Through storytelling, we can shape this century to be an even stronger attraction for societal change.”
The Disney Dreamers Academy is aimed at helping to inspire young people during a critical time of their development, “Our goal is to help them see the unlimited possibilities and to inspire them to achieve their full purpose—to become the heroes of their own stories,” says Tracey D. Powell, vice president of Walt Disney World Resort.
1. What can we know about the two Long Island teens?| A．They experienced four days of fun in a store. |
| B．They communicated closely with two celebrities. |
| C．They took part in a costume design competition. |
| D．They’re recognized as celebrities by the 12th annual DDA. |
| A．To become a movie actress. | B．To study environmental science further. |
| C．To take up a profession as a doctor. | D．To return to her hometown Miller Place. |
| A．Creative and serious. | B．Ambitious and responsible. |
| C．Straightforward but friendly. | D．Determined but conservative. |
| A．To introduce the aim of the DDA. |
| B．To summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．To encourage more teens to take part in the DDA. |
| D．To provide information about the participants of the DDA. |
6 . As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school(小学). And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood(状态) to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to hand in their homework and essays written by hand.
1. Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?| A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
| B．To Type or To Hand Write |
| C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand |
| D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
| A．they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays |
| B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China. |
| A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion. |
| B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting, |
| C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence |
| D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
| A．getting bored with | B．getting dependent on |
| C．becoming crazy about | D．getting curious about |
