1 . The Stanford marshmallow (棉花糖) test was originally conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel in the late 1960s. Children aged four to six at a nursery school were placed in a room. A single sugary treat, selected by the child, was placed on a table. Each child was told if they waited for 15 minutes before eating the treat, they would be given a second treat. Then they were left alone in the room. Follow-up studies with the children later in life showed a connection between an ability to wait long enough to obtain a second treat and various forms of success.
As adults we face a version of the marshmallow test every day. We’re not tempted by sugary treats, but by our computers, phones, and tablets — all the devices that connect us to the global delivery system for various types of information that do to us what marshmallows do to preschoolers.
We are tempted by sugary treats because our ancestors lived in a calorie-poor world, and our brains developed a response mechanism to these treats that reflected their value — a feeling of reward and satisfaction. But as we’ve reshaped the world around us, dramatically reducing the cost and effort involved in obtaining calories, we still have the same brains we had thousands of years ago, and this mismatch is at the heart of why so many of us struggle to resist tempting foods that we know we shouldn’t eat.
A similar process is at work in our response to information. Our formative environment as a species was information-poor, so our brains developed a mechanism that prized new information. But global connectivity has greatly changed our information environment. We are now ceaselessly bombarded (轰炸) with new information. Therefore, just as we need to be more thoughtful about our caloric consumption, we also need to be more thoughtful about our information consumption, resisting the temptation of the mental “junk food” in order to manage our time most effectively.
1. What did the children need to do to get a second treat in Mischel’s test?| A．Take an examination alone. | B．Share their treats with others. |
| C．Delay eating for fifteen minutes. | D．Show respect for the researchers. |
| A．the calorie-poor world and our good appetites | B．the shortage of sugar and our nutritional needs |
| C．the tempting foods and our efforts to keep fit | D．the rich food supply and our unchanged brains |
| A．Be selective information consumers. | B．Absorb new information readily. |
| C．Use diverse information sources. | D．Protect the information environment. |
| A．Eat Less, Read More | B．The Later, the Better |
| C．The Marshmallow Test for Grownups | D．The Bitter Truth about Early Humans |
2 . How important has Internet become in our lives? The Pew Research Center conducted a survey to celebrate the Web’s 25th birthday. The researchers were greatly heartened by what they found.
“In 2006, only 14 percent of American adults used Internet. Today, it’s 87 percent,” said Lee Rainie, the director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project. “It is what has impressed us the most.”
The survey also showed that 70 percent of the Internet users have been treated kindly or generously online, while 25 percent of respondents said they have been treated unkindly. More than half—56 percent—of users said they’ve seen an online community come together to help someone solve a problem. 25 percent said they’ve left an online group because members were too unpleasant.
When Pew asked questions about whether being online has enriched people’s relationships—or not—the results were very positive: 67 percent of Internet users said their online communication with family and friends has generally strengthened those relationships. Only 18 percent said it has generally weakened those relationships.
According to the survey, 53 percent of Internet users said Internet has become the hardest tech tool to give up. It is 15 percent higher than the result of a similar survey conducted in 2006. In fact, more people said they would have a harder time stopping using Internet than giving up TV. (These days, so much great television streams across the Internet that it makes sense.)
“In our survey, we have found that the Web makes a few people very unhappy. There’s strong evidence pointing to the fact that Internet users tend to compare their daily lives with the ‘highlight moments’ of their friends’ lives,” said Lee Rainie. “It’s really silly.”
1. Which is the most impressive result of the latest survey?| A．Users’ dependence on Internet. | B．The fast growth of Internet users. |
| C．The kindness of online communities. | D．The strengthened family relationships. |
| A．15%. | B．38%. | C．53%. | D．68%. |
| A．Online depression cannot be avoided. | B．Don’t show off in online communities. |
| C．Don’t make unnecessary comparison. | D．Copy your friends’ wonderful lifestyles. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Worried. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Doubtful. |
3 . A diverse workforce consists of people from all walks of life. These are employees who will view the world differently, and who will apply their personal experience to contribute unique viewpoints which can benefit your company.
When employees with different viewpoints come together, everyone shares a slightly different approach to the job and the problem at hand. And that’s a benefit, as far as your success is concerned.
Meanwhile, workplace diversity boosts creativity. Think about it this way: sameness causes sameness. If you only hire employees coming from similar cultures and socioeconomic circumstances, you’re limiting the creativity and innovation of your company.
In general, people like to fit in, so they are careful not to stick their necks out. When in a strong, homogenous (同种类的) culture, they prevent the natural cognitive (认知的) diversity in groups through the pressure to follow the majority.
| A．And this just doesn’t end there. |
| B．Similarly, different voices will contribute to diversity. |
| C．Actually, diversity should be a major goal for every company. |
| D．A diverse workforce also gives you better insights into your customers. |
| E．But a workplace culture of diversity helps your employees feel included. |
| F．Beyond that, diversity can help you successfully develop your business globally. |
| G．On the contrary, employees from diverse backgrounds will bring diverse solutions. |
4 . Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each.
Children in the US will leave their parents’ home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday.
Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves.
Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use.
1. Size of most American families is ________ that of other countries.| A．larger than | B．smaller than | C．as big as | D．as small as |
| A．get married | B．be free | C．find good jobs | D．study |
| A．on weekdays | B．on weekends | C．at any time | D．on holiday |
| A．children can learn how to make money for themselves |
| B．their children required them to do so |
| C．they are rich |
| D．it is required by law |
| A．Children have the freedom to choose their own job. |
| B．Parents don’t ask their children to do the housework. |
| C．Parents think it important for children to make their own decision. |
| D．When children grow up, they usually live far away from their home. |
5 . The vast majority of parents expect their children to grow up to be healthy, happy, and productive members of society.
The standards of perfection for parents these days are extremely high. Perfect parenting expectations begin with a drug free natural birth. Once our young are born we must breastfeed each baby for years. If we can’t breasted, we must at least feed on demand.
These standards are unreasonable. They’re also crazy. Parents can’t be perfect. Why? Because we’re human and so are our children.
| A．We must make our own baby food. |
| B．They are pushing themselves too far. |
| C．Robots would be much easier to parent. |
| D．There is only unlimited devotion to our children. |
| E．A good enough parent meets the needs of their children. |
| F．Parents have no enough time to live up to these high standards. |
| G．To meet those goals, parents are told that they must spare no effort. |
