2 . A scientist turned out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she dealt with it. Some children reached eagerly for the candy they saw. Some lasted a few minutes before they gave in. But others were determined to wait until the last moment.

By the time the children reached high school, something amazing had happened. A survey found that those who were four-year-olds having enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset and inflexible.

Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.

The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant (有抵抗力的) soul.

Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "characters".

EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together and how one’s ability handles stress, for instance, affecting the ability to concentrate and putting intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now gradually agree that IQ counts for about 20%, the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.

While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues are finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.

1. Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?

A．To make the readers amused.	B．To prove the scientists’ wisdom.
C．To introduce the topic of the text.	D．To show us how to do an IQ test.

2. The experiment with the four-year-olds shows us that________.

A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment

B．the ability of sell-control plays a role in personal success

C．emotional intelligence won’t show up until teen years

D．candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence

3. The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means________.

A．positive

B．negative

C．impatient

D．friendly

4. From the passage we learn that_________.

A．EQ does not have any connection with IQ

B．the higher a person’s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is

C．brain theory is able to explain what we wonder about most

D．scientists haven’t discovered the way EQ and IQ work together.

3 . While learning the science lessons, I used to get a doubt—why ears, nose, tongue and eyes should be called as special senses? The basic reason is that these are the channels through which we maintain contact with the surroundings. Though apparently it may feel like these are individual sensory organs, they do show some connectivity. Interestingly, our hearing is less sharp after we eat a heavy food. Isn’t it good for a sound nap after a stomach-full meal? That does not mean we go deaf after a meal, but the hearing pitch (强度) does change after a heavy meal.

We usually give credit of the taste to our tongue, but do you know that unless saliva (唾液) dissolves something, our tongue cannot recognize the taste of the food eaten. Taste is nothing but the food chemicals dissolved in the saliva being sensed by the taste buds present on the tongue. Try to dry off your tongue and mouth with a tissue paper and then taste something.

Women are much better smellers than men. They are born with this characteristic ability and can correctly pinpoint the exact fragrance of the sample. We all can store almost 50, 000 different scents (气味), which are strongly tied to the memories.

Pupils (瞳孔) do not respond to light alone, but to the slightest bit of noise around too. Thus surgeons, watchmakers and those professionals who have to perform a much delicate job do prefer to have a sound-free environment. Even a small noise can dilate (扩大) their pupils, change the focus and blur (使模糊) their vision. If you do not wear glasses or contact lens due to having a 6/6 vision, you are just among the one third of the human population. It is now statistically proved that only one third of the population has perfect vision, rest all are either wearing glasses or are trying to read with a compromised vision.

Each and every one of us has a particular or individualistic or characteristic smell, which is unique to us, except for the identical twins. This smell is very subtle (微妙的) yet can be sensed even by a newborn. It may be due to this scent that the newborn recognizes the presence of his parents around. Many of us can pinpoint the smell of our significant friends and colleagues. A significant part of this phenomenon is guided by genetics but it is also changed by the environment, diet and personal hygiene. This all together creates the unique chemistry that is individualistic for each person.

1. We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.

A．sensory organs’ functions can never be changed for their particular character

B．our hearing is as good as before we have a full meal

C．we feel and learn about the world around us through our eyes, ears, nose and tongue

D．all sensory organs are connected and can be exchanged

2. What may happen after you have had a rich lunch?

A．Your hearing pitch may decrease.

B．Your eyes become dim.

C．Your tongue may lose the function of taste.

D．You may feel energetic and fresh.

3. What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A．If your tongue is dried with a tissue paper, it may work as well as before.

B．Our tongues can’t be dried while eating something.

C．A tissue paper is the only thing that can be used to dry our tongues.

D．If your tongue is dried without any saliva on it, it will not work.

4. What makes each person different from anyone else except twins?

A．The number of sensory organs.

B．The particular smell of a person.

C．The style of one’s behavior.

D．The functions of sensory organs.

5. What is the text mainly about?

A．A newborn’s senses of the sensory organs.

B．The functions of sensory organs.

C．The connectivity of our tongue and ears.

D．The differences of senses between women and men.

4 . When you hear “I have a dream…”, one of the most famous speeches in human history, you’ll never have the idea how the audience on the scene were fueled by emotional intelligence. When Martin Luther King. Jr. presented his dream, he chose language that would stir the hearts of his audience. Delivering this electrifying(震撼性的) message required emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions.

Emotional intelligence has been highly recommended by leaders, policymakers, and educators as the solution to a wide range of social problems. Emotional intelligence is important, but the uncontrolled enthusiasm has obscured (掩盖)a dark side. New evidence shows that when people sharpen their emotional skills, they become better at controlling others. When you’re good at controlling your own emotions, you can hide your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can motivate them to act against their own best interests.

Social scientists have begun to document this dark side of emotional intelligence. In a research led by University of Toronto professor Jochen Menges, when a leader gave an inspiring speech filled with emotion, the audience was less likely to scrutinize (细察) the message and remembered the content. Ironically(讽刺 的是), audience members were so moved by the speech that they claimed to recall more of it.

The authors call this the awestruck effect, but it might just as easily be described as the dumbstruck effect. One observer reflected that Hitler’s persuasive impact came from his ability to strategically express emotions—he would “tear open his heart”—and these emotions affected his followers to the point that they would “stop thinking critically and just emote.”

Leaders who master emotions can rob us of our abilities to reason. If their values are out of step with our own, the results can be destructive. New evidence suggests that when people have self-serving motives, emotional intelligence becomes a weapon for controlling others.

Throwing light on this dark side of emotional intelligence is one mission of a research team led by University College London professor Martin Kilduff. According to these experts, emotional intelligence helps people disguise (伪装) one set of emotions while expressing another for personal gain. Professor Kilduff’s team writes, “The strategic disguise of one’s own emotions and the controlling of others’ emotions for strategic ends are behaviors evident not only on Shakespeare’s stage but also in the offices and corridors where power and influence are traded.”

Of course, people aren’t always using emotional intelligence for   nefarious ends. More often than not, high EQ is helpful in most aspects of our life. Emotional intelligence—like any skill—can be used for good or evil. So whether it is a gift or a curse lies in your hand.

1. Why does the author mention Martin Luther King, Jr?

A．To honor the great leader for his courage.

B．To recommend his speech to other leaders.

C．To introduce the major topic to readers.

D．To advocate a society with fewer problems.

2. Which of the following belongs to a dark side of emotional intelligence?

A．Developing the capability to control one’s own emotion.

B．Influencing people to do what brings disadvantages to them.

C．Appealing to the audience to concentrate and remember more.

D．Encouraging the moved audience to learn more of the speech.

3. What is the dumbstruck effect of Hitler’s emotional intelligence?

A．His followers would tear open their hearts to him.

B．His followers would express emotions strategically.

C．His followers would lose the ability to reason properly.

D．His followers would develop the self-serving motives.

4. How do people use their emotional intelligence for personal gain?

A．They disguise their true emotions and show another one.

B．They help their colleagues to build up confidence.

C．They present their strategic behaviors on the stage.

D．They lower their own dignity to gain popularity.

5. Which may mean the same as the underlined word in the last paragraph ?

A．Immoral.

B．Unimportant.

C．Illegal.

D．Uncontrollable.

6. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The benefits of emotional intelligence.

B．The advantages and disadvantages of emotions.

C．The reasons for using emotional skills.

D．The dark side of emotional intelligence.

5 . A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin cancer, actually increases the risk.

Researchers from the University of Iowa based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the associstion between sunscreen use and melanoms(黑素瘤). They said that they found flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma.

Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence (发生率) faster than any other cancer in the United States.

But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning.

The researchers said that among the problems with some earlier studies is that they often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer—people with fair skin and freckles（雀斑）, for example—are more likely to use sunscreen. As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often.

The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to prove how well the products had been applied, said the new study.

1. What is the meaning of the underlined word “flaws” in the 2^nd paragraph?

A．Evidences

B．Facts

C．Faults

D．Failures

2. Which of the following is true about people with fair skin and freckles?

A．They seldom use sunscreen.

B．They are more in danger of skin cancer.

C．They can be free from the harm of the sun.

D．They often expose themselves to the sun.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Sunscreen users get skin cancer more often.

B．The volunteers have proved the effect of sunscreen.

C．The new study was based on the experiences of volunteers.

D．The number of skin cancer patients is increasing in America.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

A．Sunscreen to Prevent Skin Cancer

B．Sunscreen to Increase Skin Cancer

C．Skin Cancer Caused by Sunscreen

D．Skin Cancer Caused by Freckles

6 . Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn’t it? If you think so, you’re not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.

“Energy independence” and its rhetorical(修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly?

Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.

The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle(涓涓细流) of biofuel(生物燃料) available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.

Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?

Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.

There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices. At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.

1. What does the author say about energy independence for America?

A．It sounds very attractive.

B．It ensures national security.

C．It will bring oil prices down.

D．It has long been everyone’s dream.

2. What does the author think of biofuels?

A．They keep America’s economy running healthily.

B．They prove to be a good alternative to petroleum.

C．They do not provide a sustainable energy supply.

D．They cause serious damage to the environment.

3. Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?

A．It wants to expand its storage of crude oil.

B．Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.

C．It wants to keep its own environment clean.

D．Its own oil production falls short of demand.

4. What does the author say about oil trade?

A．It proves profitable to both sides.

B．It improves economic efficiency.

C．It makes for economic prosperity.

D．It saves the cost of oil exploration.

5. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To justify America’s dependence on oil imports.

B．To arouse Americans’ awareness of the energy crisis.

C．To stress the importance of energy conservation.

D．To explain the increase of international oil trade.

6. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word?

A．Originate.

B．Acquire.

C．Require.

D．Produce.

7 . Spending over a year in the bleak (荒凉的) Antarctica might change your brain for the worse, according to new research out this month. It seems to show that polar explorers who lived for 14 months at an Antarctica research station experienced brain shrinkage, likely as a result of their loneliness and boredom.

The study’s authors used MRI (核磁共振) to scan the brains of eight members of a team before they began a long stay at the German-run research station. During their mission. the team periodically took tests of their cognition and memory and provided blood samples that allowed the study authors to measure their levels of a protein important for brain health called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). When they returned, they had their brains scanned again.

Finally, compared to themselves before the mission, the explorers' brains appeared to have less grey matter on average. The shrinkage was most apparent in the hippocampus, in area of the brain key to memory and cognition. Their average levels of BDNF also dropped during the trip and didn’t improve significantly even after one-and-a-half months back home.

The study's findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, aren't the first to suggest that long time of being separated can change the brain. But practically all of this work has involved animals, according to the researchers.

Of course, an eight-person study is small, so any of its conclusions should be taken with caution. Lead author Alexander C. Stahn, now a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the effects on the hippocampus are likely temporary, provided the scientists returned back to a life filled with social interaction and interesting things to see.

Still, since people will continue traveling to and from Antarctica for long periods of time, the findings are definitely worth keeping in mind and exploring further. They might even prove relevant for the rare few people who might travel as far as Mars in the future — perhaps the only similarly scientific, months-long mission that would be even more lonely.

1. What will do damage to the brain according to the first paragraph?

A．Doing research in brain shrinkage	B．Traveling to the Antarctica.
C．Working as a researcher in a station.	D．Being in a lonely place for a long time.

2. How did the scientists get the conclusion?

A．By comparing the scanned results.	B．By studying the previous figures.
C．By making a long-term program.	D．By scanning the participants’ brains.

3. What can we infer about the explorers when they returned?

A．They were no longer used to the civilized world.

B．They had some difficulty in remembering things.

C．They became normal after one-and-a-half months.

D．They published their findings in a medical magazine.

4. What can we learn about the study?

A．The scientists are provided with various social activities.

B．Long time of being separated can change the brain of all animals.

C．Other researches have the same findings as the study.

D．Its conclusion may be relevant for those who are fond of travelling.

5. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The importance of the finding.	B．The disadvantage of the finding.
C．The future development of the space.	D．The possibility of travelling to Mars.

8 . Ask any readers who their favorite fictional character in a novel is and you'll likely get a detailed explanation about the beloved character that they admire. It might even sound like they're talking about a person they know.

In a study, researchers looked at the brains of a group of people over nine days. Half of the group read the novel Pompeii, and half didn't. After examining, researchers found the readers' brains showed heightened connectivity in some areas. This is likely because the brain imagines the movement and emotions of the character they read about in the book. Even though the participants were then asked not to read the novel, they kept this heightened connectivity. We call that a "shadow activity", almost like a muscle memory. So even after you've finished a book, your brain keeps those benefits for some time afterwards.

It has been suggested that people who read a lot of fiction become more empathic (移情的),because fiction is a simulation (模仿)of social experiences, in which people practice and improve their interpersonal skills. The people who not only read fiction, but felt a high level of "emotion transportation" while reading as compared to people who weren't taken by the story or who read non-fiction displayed higher levels of empathy when tested. Increase of empathy is important for people because empathy is positively related to creativity, performance at work and cooperative behaviors.

Besides, reading improves "Theory of Mind". It is “the ability to understand that others have mental states that are different from one' s own.” Of various activities, reading novels has been found to improve this ability, while watching television programs or movies has been found to do just the opposite a reduced understanding of others and weaker cognitive (认知的)development overall.

Maybe we should put more of a priority on novel-reading. And many readers believe that reading a novel is far better and more meaningful than watching any movie. As David Kidd of the New School study said, “Fiction is not just a simulator of a social experience; it is a social experience."

1. Which of the statements is true according to Paragraph 2?

A．When they finish a book, the brain connectivity disappears.

B．The participants in the study all read the novel Pompeii.

C．Reading novels increases connectivity in our brain.

D．Reading novels helps enhance our memory greatly.

2. What do we know about novel readers from Paragraph 3?

A．They tend to be emotional in social experiences.

B．They are more likely to be innovative and cooperative.

C．They have poor interpersonal skills.

D．They are more sensitive to others' views.

3. What' s the effect of watching TV or movies?

A．It distinguishes your views from those of others.

B．It contributes to your cognitive development.

C．It reduces your empathy for others a lot.

D．It changes your overall mental states.

4. What does the underlined word "priority" in the last paragraph mean?

A．Preference.	B．Authority.
C．Exposure.	D．Evaluation.

5. What do you think is the best title for the passage?

A．Reading fiction VS Watching movie	B．Reading fiction makes a full man
C．Novel-reading is a ''shadow activity"	D．Novel-readers share emotions

9 . If you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head over a decision when the answer is obvious, now there’s a scientific reason behind it. “The problem is ‘decision fatigue’ — a psychological phenomenon that influences the quality of your choices after a long day of decision making, causing indecision or poor choices.” says Evan Polman, a leading psychologist.

Physicians who have been on the job for several hours, for example, are more likely to prescribe antibiotics (开抗生素) to patients when it's unwise to do so. “Probably it’s because it’s simple and easy to write a prescription and consider a patient case closed rather than investigate further,” Polman says.

But interestingly, decision fatigue goes away when you are making the decision for someone else. When people imagine themselves as advisers and imagine their own choices as belonging to someone else, they feel less tired and rely less on decision shortcuts to make those choices. “By taking upon the role of adviser rather than decision maker, one does not suffer the consequences of decision fatigue,” he says. “It’s as if there’s something fun and relieving about making someone else’s choice.”

“Getting input from others not only offers a fresh idea and thought process; it often also includes riskier choices. While this sounds undesirable, it can be quite good,” says Polman. “When people experience decision fatigue, they have a tendency to choose to go with the status quo (现状),” he says. “But the status quo can be problematic, since a change in the course of action can sometimes be important and lead to a positive outcome.” In order to achieve a successful outcome or reward, some level of risk is almost always essential. “People with decision fatigue will likely choose to do nothing over something,” he says, “That’s not to say that risk is always good, but it is related to taking action whereas decision fatigue certainly leads to inaction.”

“Just because you can make good choices for others doesn’t mean you’ll do the same for yourself,” Polman cautions. “Research has found that women negotiate higher salaries for others than they do for themselves,” he says, adding that people slip in and out of decision roles.

1. Decision fatigue may cause people to make decisions that are_______________.

A．reasonable	B．objective
C．unwise	D．smart

2. Which of the following may be made by a person with decision fatigue?

A．A consumer buys a lot of food to prepare for a dinner.

B．A judge makes a less convincing judgment late in the day.

C．A student plans to finish his math homework in the morning.

D．A physician advises the patient to drink more water after examination.

3. When do people feel less decision fatigue?

A．When they take decision shortcuts.

B．When they have advisers to turn to.

C．When they have major decisions to make.

D．When they help others to make decisions.

4. What are people likely to do when decision fatigue sets in?

A．They stop trying anything new.

B．They adopt a totally new idea.

C．They tend to make risky decisions.

D．They turn to physicians for advice.

5. What does Polman say about taking some risks in decision making?

A．It will often end in regret.

B．It is likely to cause serious consequences.

C．It will enable people to be more creative.

D．It is necessary to achieve successful outcome.

10 . If you believe that scientists and artists are most creative when they're young, you are missing an important part of the story. A new study published in De Economist looked at Nobel Prize winners in the field of economics. It found there are two different peaks of creativity. One comes early in a person's career, while another comes later.

The research supports previous work by the authors that found similar patterns in the arts and other sciences.

"We believe what we found in this study isn't limited to economics, but could apply to creativity more generally," said Bruce Weinberg, lead author of the study and professor of economics at The Ohio State University.

"Many people believe that creativity is exclusively associated with youth, but it really depends on what kind of creativity you're talking about."

In the study, those who did their most groundbreaking work early in their careers tended to be "conceptual" innovators（创新者）.

These type of innovators "think outside the box", challenging conventional wisdom and suddenly coming up with new ideas. Conceptual innovators are not yet immersed（沉浸于）in the accepted theories of their field, Weinberg said.

But there is another kind of creativity, he said, which is found among "experimental" innovators. These innovators accumulate knowledge through their careers and find new ways to understand it.

The long periods of trial and error for important experimental innovations come later in a Nobel laureate's（荣誉获得者的）career.

"Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach," Weinberg said.

The researchers took a novel, empirical（经验主义的）approach to the study, which involved 31 laureates. They arranged the laureates on a list from the most experimental to most conceptual.

This ranking was based on the laureates' most important work, classifying them into "conceptual" or "experimental".

After classifying the laureates, the researchers determined the age at which each laureate made his most important contribution to economics and could be considered at his creative peak.

They found that conceptual laureates peaked between ages 25 and 29. Experimental laureates peaked when they were roughly twice as old, in their mid-50s.

"Our research suggests that when you're most creative is more about how you approach your work."

1. What does the underlined phrase "think outside the box" mean?

A．Follow rules strictly.	B．Experiment on boxes.
C．Break old thought patterns.	D．Figure out how to escape from a box.

2. What do we know about "experimental" innovators?

A．They usually come up with new ideas all of a sudden.

B．They make discoveries through constant trial and error.

C．The majority of them reach their creative peak in their twenties.

D．They make more contributions than "conceptual" innovators.

3. Which of the following statements about the study published in De Economist is false?

A．The study is not the first of its kind.

B．The conclusion can be applied to other areas.

C．The laureates' most important work decides whether they are "conceptual" or "experimental".

D．The "conceptual" won their Nobel Prizes between ages 25 and 29.

4. What do the researchers believe determines someone's creative peak?

A．One's personality type.	B．What kind of job one takes.
C．How one handles their work.	D．One's attitude toward their work.

5. What's the main idea of this passage?

A．Creativity comes at any age, young or old.

B．Creativity tends to decrease as people get older.

C．Economists, artists and other scientists have much in common.

D．Economists are more creative than artists and other scientists.