Why do people like what they like? Scientists...

Why do people like what they like? Scientists have taken on the task of solving this mystery(奥秘)for ages. In the 1960s, psychologist Robert Zajonc conducted a series of experiments where he showed people nonsense words and random shapes. Afterward he asked his subjects which they preferred out of ever thing they had been shown. In study

after study, people always chose the words and shapes they had seen the most. Their preference was for familiarity.

This discovery was one of the most important findings in modern psychology. But the preference for familiarity has clear limits. People get tired of even their favorite songs and movies. On one hand, humans seek familiarity, because it makes then feel safe. On the other hand, people love the thrill of something new. This change between familiarity and discovery affects ns all the time- not just our preferences for pictures and songs, but also our preferences for ideas and even people.

For that reason, the power of familiarity seems to be strongest when a person isn’t expecting it. The opposite is also true: A surprise seems to work best when it contains some familiarity. Nobody knows this better than Raymond Loews, who is considered to be the "father of industrial design. He had a theory that he said could help artists sell anything to anyone. He called it MAYA --"Most Advanced Yet Acceptable""To sell something surprising, make it familiar; and to sell something familiar, make it surprising," he said.

One of Loewy’s final tasks was too add an element(要素)of familiarity to a truly new invention: NASA’s first space station. Loewy’s biggest contribution to the space station was that he insisted NASA install a window with a view of Earth. Today, tens of millions of people have seen this small detail in films about astronauts. It is hard to imagine a more perfect example of MAYA: a window to a new world can also show you home.

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高三英语提纲类作文中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

Images of the Mars caves from Northern

Arizona University

The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.

“If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,”said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.

Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.

One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.

“I said:‘Wow,that’s a cave’,”Dr.Clarke said excitedly.“People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them.”

He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.

“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,”he said.“If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”

The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.How the caves were formed on Mars.

B.How scientists found these caves on Mars.

C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.

D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.water has already been found on Mars

B.the scientists found all the caves at night

C.it is certain that there is life in these caves

D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold,radiation-soaked and dry

3.According to the passage,Dr.Clarke was so excited because _______.

A.such caves could provide energy for life

B.they had finally found the caves on Mars

C.such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life

D.scientists had long been looking for these caves

4.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include _______.

A.lava and energy

B.water and radiation from space

C.gases and lava

D.water and protection from radiation

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the cold months. Squirrels, for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.

They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.

Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow in the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls “death traps for seeds”.

Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century.

The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.

1.The study done by Rob Swihart and Jake Goheen is to ________.

A. find out the living conditions for squirrels

B. do something to get rid of squirrels

C. save the forests in the American state of Indiana

D. learn squirrels’ influence on black walnut trees

2. The difference between gray squirrels and red squirrels mainly lies in ________.

A. the way they store the walnuts

B. the way they gather the walnut

C. the number of the nuts they can collect

D. the fact that the gray squirrels have a bad memory

3. When Professor Swihart says “death traps for seeds”, he actually means that ________.

A. red squirrels eat more nuts than gray squirrels

B. nuts above the ground will not develop into plants

C. gray squirrels and red squirrels will have severe fights

D. seeds can be traps for other animals in the forest

4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels.

B. Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees.

C. Human beings should bear some responsibility for the decreasing number of gray squirrels.

D. The cleaning of forest land benefits gray squirrels directly.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the colder months. Squirrels (松鼠), for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.

They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut (黑胡桃) trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.

Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls “death traps for seeds”.

Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century.

The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.

1.The study done by Rob Swihart and Jake Goheen is to ________.

A．find out the living conditions for squirrels

B．learn squirrels’influence on black walnut trees

C．do something to get rid of squirrels

D．save the forests in the American state of Indiana

2.The difference between gray squirrels and red squirrels mainly lies in ________.

A．the way they gather the walnut

B．the time they have winter sleep

C．the place they have winter sleep

D．the place they store the walnuts

3.Professor Swihart’s study shows that________.

A．red squirrels eat more nuts than gray squirrels

B．gray squirrels and red squirrels will have severe fights

C．red squirrel’s way to store nuts stops nuts growing.

D．black walnuts are harmful to other animals

4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A．The black walnut is equally attractive to both gray and red squirrels.

B．Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels.

C．Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees.

D．The cleaning of forest land benefits red squirrels directly.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the cold months. Squirrels, for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.

They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.

Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow in the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls “death traps for seeds”.

Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century.

The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.

1.The study done by Rob Swihart and Jake Goheen is to ________.

A. find out the living conditions for squirrels

B. do something to get rid of squirrels

C. learn squirrels’ influence on black walnut trees

D. save the forests in the American state of Indiana

2.The difference between gray squirrels and red squirrels mainly lies in ________.

A. the way they gather the walnut

B. the place they store the walnuts

C. the number of the nuts they can collect

D. the fact that the gray squirrels have a bad memory

3.When Professor Swihart says “death traps for seeds”, he actually means that ________.

A. nuts above the ground will not develop into plants

B. red squirrels eat more nuts than gray squirrels

C. gray squirrels and red squirrels will have severe fights

D. seeds can be traps for other animals in the forest

4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels.

B. Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees.

C. The cleaning of forest land benefits gray squirrels directly.

D. Human beings should bear some responsibility for the decreasing number of gray squirrels.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Why can’t some people even get an inch of what they dream of becoming? Blame it on pure dreaming and lack of surrounding goals for achieving their dreams.

Setting goals is very significant part of accomplishing and positive actions. It is like scaling(攀爬) a 200 feet construction and marking in the early hours on what feet you would like to reach at this specific period.

People who set goals literally generate a map of their goal settings in life, marking where they should start, where to pause, where to study a bit, and where and when to end. Once this map comes into being, it allows the map drawer to check where he is in the scheme(安排) of things and whether or not he is making some planning that will take him closer to his goals.

By surrounding goals, people will know how they are doing and what they should be doing to get their goals or dreams in life. They will know if they can relax or if they have to double their efforts when they are falling short of what is expected of them.

Goal surroundings means a person is prepared in dealing with challenges that may affect his plans. Being proactive means one is able to outline possible difficulties that may occur as well as the solutions to these difficulties. By doing this, a person is not easily scared or defeated when challenges occur because he has already prepared for them. He knows they can happen and he has prepared a solution or strategy when that time comes.

Setting goals will enable people to track their progress in whatever hard work they set out to do. It will help people become more confident in themselves and more motivated to get their plans.

1. The purpose of this passage is to _______________.

A. explain the difference between the two goals.

B. show the importance of surrounding goals.

C. tell us how to set and achieve one’s goals.

D. tell us setting goals makes one confident.

2.According to the author, one had better ___________ in making a goal in life.

A. take an active attitude

B. create a scheme as a whole

C. consider the possible troubles

D. check where he is frequently

3. From the passage, we can reach the conclusion that___________________.

A. achievements come to those who are well prepared

B. everyone faces the situation which is scaring or threatening

C. the higher one sets his goal, the more achievements he will have

D. success never comes to people who always blame

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

---People often don’t appreciate what they have, do they?　　　　 ---No, _______ they lose it.

A. if　　 　　　　　　　　 B. after

C. until　　 　　　　　　　　 D. when

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

—People often don't appreciate what they have, do they?

—No, _____ they lose it.

A. if            　 B. after            C. when　　　　　 D. until

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

E

Some people have it easy. When their kids ask them what they do at work, they can give a simple, direct answer: “I put out fires” or “I teach primary school”. As a theoretical physicist, I never had this luck. Society has come to expect many things from the physicists. It used to be that we only had to discover the basic laws of the world and supply the techniques that would power the next Silicon Valley. With these expectations we were fairly comfortable: they are the sorts of things we think we know how to do. What makes us uncomfortable and what makes it hard for us to tell our kids what we’re up to is that in this century we have become, though unwillingly, gurus on questions such as “What is the nature of Reality?”

We now deal with a whole new class of problems. We ask how the world began and what the nature of matter is. The answers we are coming up with are just not easy to comprehend for the average person.

So, when physicists get out of their cars in the morning, have a cup of coffee and sit down in front of their computers, they leave a familiar world and enter a place where things act in strange ways that are impossible for ordinary people to understand.

72. According to the passage, in a way physicists are ________ .

A. honest         B. comfortable    C. strange        D. unlucky

73. By what the writer says about physicists, we know that physicists ________ .

A. don’t like their careers

B. live in two different worlds

C. are coming up with new answers to old questions

D. don’t have to tell people what they are doing

74. From the passage we can conclude that theoretical physicists ________ .

A. contributed to the new industry in Silicon Valley

B. only have to answer the basic questions about the world

C. have disappointed the expectations of many people

D. have found it hard to make themselves popular

75. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Society seems to know a bit about physicists’ work.

B. Most people are expecting to know what physicists are doing.

C. Physicists are doing more and more difficult jobs.

D. It’s impossible for average people to know physicists’ work.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

—People often don't appreciate what they have, do they?

—No, _________ they lose it.

A. if                                        B. after                                  C. until                                  D. when

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析