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.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
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.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Anecdotal evidence has long held that creativity in artists and writers can be associated with living in foreign parts. Rudyard Kipling, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Paul Gauguin, Samuel Beckett and others spent years living abroad. Now a pair of psychologist has proven that there is indeed a link.
As they report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, William Maddux of INSEAD, a business school in Fontainebleau, France, and Adam Galinsky, of the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, presented 155 American business students and 55 foreign ones studying in America with a test used by psychologists as a measure of creativity Given a candle, some matches and a box of drawing pins, the students were asked to attach the candle to a cardboard wall so that no wax would drip on the floor when the candle was lit. (The solution is to use the box as a candleholder and fix it to the wall with the pin.) They found 60% of the students who were either living abroad or had spent some time doing so, solved the problem, whereas only 42% of those who had not lived abroad did so.
A follow-up study with 72 Americans and 36 foreigners explored their creative negotiating skills. Pairs of students were asked to play the role of seller of a petrol station who then needed to get a job and a buyer who would need to hire staff to run the business. The two were likely to reach a deadlock because the buyer had been told he could not afford what the seller was told was his minimum price. Nevertheless, when both negotiators had lived abroad 70 % struck a deal in which the seller was offered a management job at the petrol station in return for a lower asking price. When neither of the negotiators had lived abroad, none was able to reach a deal.
Merely travelling abroad, however, was not enough. You do have to live there. Packing your beach towel and suntan lotion will not, by itself make you Hemingway.
1.What is the purpose of mentioning the famous names in the opening paragraph?
A. To show the relationship between creativity and living abroad.
B. To indicate the link between artistic creation and life experience.
C. To emphasize how great these artists are.
D. To impress the importance of creativity.
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A. William Maddux and Adam Galinsky have carefully designed the test.
B. Negotiators who had lived abroad are more flexible in negotiating.
C. American business students are less creative than those oversea students.
D. One's creativity is associated with the length one has spent abroad.
3.What does the author mean in the last sentence of paragraph 4?
A. There exist sharp differences between travelling and living abroad.
B. You shouldn't lie on the beach when travelling.
C. Only real experience of living abroad can help drive creativity.
D. Living abroad is more meaningful than just travelling abroad.
4.Where is the text most likely from?
A. A diary. B. A magazine.
C. A novel. D. A guidebook.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Although most people believe that owning a business or working on an idea means you are an entrepreneur (企业家), the reality is that entrepreneurship is so much more than just these two things. It is about the ability to innovate (创新) by helping society progress. For those who aspire to become real entrepreneurs, the path to turn your thought into entrepreneurship is one that requires you to know yourself.
Recognize what skills you are good at. Everybody wants money. But many fail to realize that money is the extension ( 延伸) of your skills, so the most important aspect of learning to make money starts by knowing what skills you have. Make a list of your skills and you should see where your strengths lie. The goal with this exercise is to recognize what skills you are good at naturally. Make good use of them until you finally change more of your skills into usable abilities for your business.
Make use of your confidence to create belief. Confidence is a result of repeating one thing. The more you practice doing something, the more confident you become in the process needed to see it to the end . Starting a business requires confidence, so most people who have zero confidence in the process fail to get started because it is an unknown area. You have to believe in the idea, the process and the ability within yourself to bring your business project to life. Without confidence, belief doesn't exist; without belief, the chances of giving up are high.
Allow your love to become enthusiasm. The last ingredient outside of your skills and confidence is the ability to focus on ideas that you feel enthusiastic about. Having passion will push you to struggle for something you love and turn that longing into action. The goal is to identify topics of interest so that you can start showing some aspects of passion as you start your project. The closer a project is to your heart, the less pessimistic you will become when results don't go your way.
1.The underlined word "aspire " in the first paragraph probably means .
A. want B. hate C. turn D. face
2.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. It is very difficult for us to know our skills.
B. Knowing your skills is the first step to learn to make money.
C. To recognize your skills will surely make your business successful.
D. To recognize your skills is more important than making money.
3.When getting to an unknown area, most people fail because .
A. their ability is limited
B. they have no confidence to start
C. they are likely to repeat one thing
D. they don't have enough money to support themselves
4.What's the importance of enthusiasm for us?
A. It can help us find out what we love.
B. It can make us never feel pessimistic.
C. It can push us to work hard on our goals.
D. It will make us succeed in whatever we are doing.
5.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. The advantages of confidence.
B. The ability to focus on ideas.
C. Why people want to be an entrepreneur.
D. How you can go from ideas to an entrepreneur.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Although most people believe that owning a business or working on an idea means you are an entrepreneur (企业家), the reality is that entrepreneurship is so much more than just these two things. It is about the ability to innovate (创新) by helping society progress. For those who aspire to become real entrepreneurs, the path to turn your thought into entrepreneurship is one that requires you to know yourself.
Recognize what skills you are good at. Everybody wants money. But many fail to realize that money is the extension ( 延伸) of your skills, so the most important aspect of learning to make money starts by knowing what skills you have. Make a list of your skills and you should see where your strengths lie. The goal with this exercise is to recognize what skills you are good at naturally. Make good use of them until you finally change more of your skills into usable abilities for your business.
Make use of your confidence to create belief. Confidence is a result of repeating one thing. The more you practice doing something, the more confident you become in the process needed to see it to the end. Starting a business requires confidence, so most people who have zero confidence in the process fail to get started because it is an unknown area. You have to believe in the idea, the process and the ability within yourself to bring your business project to life. Without confidence, belief doesn't exist; without belief, the chances of giving up are high.
Allow your love to become enthusiasm. The last ingredient outside of your skills and confidence is the ability to focus on ideas that you feel enthusiastic about. Having passion will push you to struggle for something you love and turn that longing into action. The goal is to identify topics of interest so that you can start showing some aspects of passion as you start your project. The closer a project is to your heart, the less pessimistic you will become when results don't go your way.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A.It is very difficult for us to know our skills.
B.Knowing your skills is the first step to learn to make money.
C.To recognize your skills will surely make your business successful.
D.To recognize your skills is more important than making money.
2.What's the importance of enthusiasm for us?
A.It can help us find out what we love.
B.It can make us never feel pessimistic.
C.It can push us to work hard on our goals.
D.It will make us succeed in whatever we are doing.
3.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.The advantages of confidence.
B.The ability to focus on ideas.
C.Why people want to be an entrepreneur.
D.How you can go from ideas to an entrepreneur.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Scientists found that sleeping considerably improves our creativity. After taking a nap people are able to think faster and put more imagination into their thinking. Besides, if we dream, the thinking abilities are improved even more.
Researchers consider that sleeping on a problem in most cases leads to elucidation(解释). They say when a person enters a phase called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) during sleep, it increases the effect. Such phase takes place right before we awake and according to scientists it helps our brain make links between unrelated subjects.
In the study, led by Professor Sara Mednick, scientists made a conclusion that the REM was “important for assimilating(消化) new information into past experience” in order to find solutions to creative problems.
Prof. Mednick is a psychiatrist at the University of California. Her study involved the analysis of 77 adults. Each participant was given several word-associated creative tasks. All tasks were given in the morning, with participants being shown a number of groups of 3 words, for example: cookie, heart and sixteen. They were asked to come up with a word that would be associated with all three given terms—like sweet. Sometime later, after some participants were allowed to sleep, they were asked to perform the same tasks and some new ones. It is worth mentioning that while some people slept, researchers used brain scans to see the type of sleep each participant entered.
When given the same tasks, participants, who took a nap, were able to give more varied solutions, some of which were much better than they gave earlier. But when given new tasks, researchers found that those who entered REM sleep had a 40 percent better result compared to the performance they showed in the morning.
1.What does “it” refer to in the second paragraph?
A. The effect. B. REM. C. Sleep. D. A problem.
2.Why do the researchers study the REM?
A. Because REM takes place just after you sleep.
B. Because REM can store more information.
C. Because REM can help find creative solutions
D. Because REM can make a creative invention.
3.What can we know from this passage?
A. Taking a short nap is good for your thinking during the day.
B. Sleeping has three processes which is good for creativity.
C. Each adult was allowed to sleep after the task was given.
D. REM is a process taking place right after we awake when we nap.
4.The important stage in the study is________.
A. to think of a creative word
B. to show a group of 3 words
C. to give participants time to think
D. to let some participants sleep for a while
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If you are interested in becoming a registered nurse， you are most likely aware that there are certain qualifications to become one．
Knowing the educational requirements to be a registered nurse is the first step you will need to take in your journey to become a RN． You will need to complete a prescribed program of study．The education that the promising registered nurse chooses will depend on if he or she is interested in getting further education．
One of the most getting forms of education for registered nurses is an associate degree in nursing which takes about two years to complete． Other RN candidates may choose a hospital diploma program where they take 30 to 60 hours worth of science classes and then take many more hours of classes which are heavily focused on nursing．The diploma program usually takes a minimum of three years． A diploma program meets the basic educational requirements to be a registered nurse．
Another choice is for the promising RN to get a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from a university．Once a BSN degree is earned，it gives the person the opportunity to get higher education opportunities in his or her field such as a Master’s Degree or a PhD．
The registered nurse educational requirements can vary from state to state in America as each state has its own laws and policies that govern the nursing profession．However，all registered nurses must take some sort of licensing exam in order to become legally able to practice in the registered nursing profession．
While 2 to 3 years of training is required，it is possible to make a good living from the salary that you can earn as a registered nurse．But be aware that the profession can be stressful．Some of the most stressful nursing positions are those in hospitals，particularly in the emergency rooms．Some less stressful jobs may include working in private practice where the hours will not be as long．
66．The main idea of this article is to talk about——．
A．the most promising profession in the future
B．educational requirements to be a registered nurse
C．the nursing profession in different states
D．some useful information for future professions
67．According to this article，most people who want to be registered nurses prefer to go in for __________________ ．
A．an associate degree B．a hospital diploma program 、
C．a Bachelor of Science degree D．a Master’s or a PhD’s degree
68．It can be concluded from this article that ___________________．
A．a hospital diploma program takes the least time to finish compared with others
B．it’s really not difficult for people to be educated to become registered nurses
C．registered nurses are not legal unless they take some sort of licensing exam
D．being a registered nurse is the most stressful profession in America
69．What’s the writer’s attitudes towards being a registered nurse?
A．Subjective B．Objective C．Supportive D．Opposing
70．If another paragraph is needed，it most probably deals with——．
A．how the nursing profession is managed by the government
B．different forms of degrees for being a registered nurse ‘
C，the advantages and disadvantages of being a registered nurse
D．discussion about the different types of registered nurses
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Some scientists believe that one of the most intelligent beings on Earth is in fact the octopus (章鱼).
Octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas-areas which are not attractive to researchers. They are not social animals so it can be hard to study their interaction with others. And the octopus’ intelligence is not easy for humans to understand. When we observe some animals such as rats or dogs, we can often understand their behavior. Octopuses，however can seem like aliens (外星人). Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to understand what an octopus is thinking!
In the 1950s, the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains. They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However, their brains were so complex that the scientists felt it of no significance to continue with it. Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm, which means that each arm can “think” for itself. It also appears that they have a good memory, perhaps similar to a cat’s.
Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their color and body pattern. They do this to camouflage themselves to avoid their enemies and also to communicate with others. They can completely change their appearance in less than a second. It can change its skin to look like rocks, sand or planktron (浮游生物).
Some scientists have even suggested that these different patterns and colors are in fact a very hard language-and that each design is a different verb，adjective or noun. But nobody has been able to work out what they might be saying. There’s a long way to go to get to know the octopus completely.
1.What can we infer about the octopus’ intelligence from Paragraph 2?
A.It does not attract scientists. B.Little has been known about it.
C.It is equal to the cat’s or dog’s. D.Much has been done about it.
2.What can we say about scientists’ study on the octopus in the 1950s?
A.They had to give it up eventually. B.They used computers to help.
C.They found its arms could think. D.They judged it lived like a cat.
3.What does the underlined word “camouflage” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Relax. B.Strengthen. C.Hide. D.Express.
4.What does the author think of the octopuses?
A.They are the smartest animals. B.They’re easy to be seen in the sea.
C.It is useful to copy their language. D.It is difficult to understand them.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that men and animals possess, if they are properly used. If fire did not hurt when it burnt, children would play it until their hands were burnt away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear did not, a child would burn itself again and again, because fear would not warn the child to keep away from the fire that had burnt him or her before. A really fearless soldier-and some do exist –is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which men and animals might soon die out.
In our first sentence we suggested that fear ought to be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. Even in your house you are not absolutely safe: a plane may crash on your house, or ants may eat away some of the wood in your roof, and they later may fall on you, or you may get cancer !
The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.
In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight toward you; fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is OK.
In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you cannot prevent a plane from crashing into your house, and you may not want to go and live in a desert where there are no plants. In this case, fear has given you its warning; you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of this particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.
1.Children would play with fire until their hands were burnt away if _______.
A. they were given no warning beforehand
B. they didn’t have any sense of pain at all
C. they had never burnt themselves
D. they felt afraid of the fire
2.A really fearless soldier _______.
A. is of a little use to his army
B. is not afraid of battles at all
C. is nothing but a dead soldier
D. is easy to get killed in a battle
3.People sometimes succeed in timely avoiding dangers because _______.
A. they are warned of the danger and take quick action
B. they are quick both in mind and in action
C. they are calm in face of danger
D. they have gained much experience
4.It is implied but not stated that _______.
A. fear is always something helpful
B. too much fear is harmful
C. fear should be used as a servant and guide
D. fear is something strange and particular
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many scientists believe that global warming, if , will cause extreme climate changes this century.
A．not stopping B．no stop C．not stopped D．without stop
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that man and animals possess if they are used. If fire didn’t hurt when it burned, children would play with it until their hands were burned away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear didn’t, a child could burn itself again and again because fear would not warn it to keep away from the fire that had burnt it before. A really fearless soldier—and some do exist—is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which man and animals might soon die out.
In our first sentence we suggested that fear ought to be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead, to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.
In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you; fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is well.
In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you cannot prevent an airplane crashing into your house, and you may not want to go and live in a desert where there are no airplanes. In this case, fear has given you its warning, you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of the particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.
1.Children would play with fire until their hands are burnt away if _________.
A. they were not well educated at school
B. they had never played with fire before
C. they had no sense of pain
D. they were fearful of pain
2.People sometimes succeed in timely avoiding danger because _________.
A. they have gained experience
B. they are warned of the danger and take quick action
C. they jump out of the way in time
D. they are calm in face of danger
3.What is implied but not stated in the passage?
A. Too much fear is harmful
B. Fear is always something helpful
C . Fear is something that can be avoided
D. Fear ought to be used as our guide in our life
4.The best title for this passage should be __________.
A. No Pains, No Gains B. Pain and Actions
C. The Value of Fear D. The Reason Why People Fear
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析