Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
1.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.
A.keep rewards better in their memory
B.recall consequences more effortlessly
C.make risky decisions more frequently
D.learn a subject more effectively
2.According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.
A.ways of making choices B.preference for pleasure
C.tolerance of punishments D.responses to suggestions
3.The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.
A.women find it easier to fall into certain habits
B.men have a greater tendency to slow down
C.women focus more on outcomes
D.men are more likely to take risks
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
1.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.
A.keep rewards better in their memory
B.recall consequences more effortlessly
C.make risky decisions more frequently
D.learn a subject more effectively
2.According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.
A.ways of making choices B.preference for pleasure
C.tolerance of punishments D.responses to suggestions
3.The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.
A.women find it easier to fall into certain habits
B.men have a greater tendency to slow down
C.women focus more on outcomes
D.men are more likely to take risks
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways. “Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress. This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different. Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
1.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.
A. keep rewards better in their memory
B. recall consequences more effortlessly
C. make risky decisions more frequently
D. learn a subject more effectively
2. According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.
A. ways of making choices B. preference for pleasure
C. tolerance of punishments D. responses to suggestions
3.The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.
A. women find it easier to fall into certain habits
B. men have a greater tendency to slow down
C. women focus more on outcomes
D. men are more likely to take risks
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
true events ,the film follows the life of Braddock, a boxer in New York.
A、Being based on B、Basing on C、Based on D、Having based on
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读理解。
Based on new analysis, we are rapidly approaching major climate change and the effects on society and the environment could be quite severe.Geographers predict that within the next eighty years, current world climate zones could shift and some could completely disappear.Polar regions will get colder while tropical regions will get even hotter,forcing animals to migrate(迁徙) north.
Climate changes like these could lead to the spread of diseases.Tropical storms and hurricanes will not only increase but may also become more intense.If the changes come too quickly, animal and plant species may not be able to adapt fast enough and could disappear.
According to Science Daily, a new study predicts that by the year 2100,many of today's familiar climates will be replaced by climates unknown in today's world.It is urgent that we reduce the risks of these farreaching consequences for the whole world.The planet itself has been showing signs of change.In 2004, a serious tsunami created by a major earthquake killed thousands in Sumatra and in 2008, thousands died in China because of another severe earthquake.Egypt was hit in 2009 with a major earthquake and Haiti was devastated in 2010 by yet another massive earthquake.
Within just the last few months, new reports from around the world have been coming in and most agree that our climate situation is much worse than previously thought.At this point, it doesn't matter what is causing it, but rather, what can be done about it.What's more, our world is getting more and more unstable every year.There is war and threat of war everywhere.Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and serious.
However, other planets are experiencing global warming as well as our own and some scientists believe there may be some connection between this.No one knows anything for sure at this point because there is simply not enough data.
1.What is the major function of Paragraph 1?
A.To arouse the reader's concern.
B.To introduce the theme of the whole passage.
C.To summarize the whole passage.
D.To state how climate changes.
2.What is the author's purpose in using the examples of earthquakes?
A.To show major changes are taking place on the planet.
B.To remind people to prevent future earthquakes.
C.To show the damage earthquakes caused.
D.To tell us more earthquakes will happen in the future.
3.Which of the following is NOT true of climate changes' effects?
A.Animal and plant species may not be able to adapt fast enough and could disappear.
B.It could lead to the spread of diseases.
C.Current world climate zones could shift and completely disappear.
D.Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and serious.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Animals and plants won't die out as long as climate changes slowly.
B.There's enough data for us to predict the future of climate change.
C.The world is getting more unstable because of animal migration.
D.The earth is not the only planet that is experiencing climate change.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Spending money on time-saving services reduces stress and boosts(增进)happiness,according to a new research, but shockingly, few of us do it.
Whillans, a professor at HBS said, “ Buying time helps to protect us from the stress in our lives caused by time pressure, and the feeling that we don’ t have enough minutes in the day to complete our tasks. ’’
The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways. One weekend, they were told to spend the money on a material purchase—a gift for themselves. The next weekend, they were instructed to spend the $40 on anything that saved them time,from paying the neighbor ’ s kid to run errands (跑腿)to taking an Uber instead of a bus.
u〇n the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase,’’ said Whillans.
The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services. When they asked 98 working adults how they would spend a “windfall” of $40,only two percent named a purchase that would save them time.
“ One reason,’’ said Whillans,u is that we * re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed. That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future. ” But another possible cause is good old-fashioned guilt. “If you feel guilty about getting someone to clean your house for you, then you might get less happiness from outsourcing (夕卜包)that task,” said Whillans,u or you might just be less likely to spend your money in that way. ’’
1.In the Canadian experiment, the participants .
A. were divided into two groups
B. were given $ 40 every two weeks
C. were asked to give money to a neighborJ s kid
D. were asked to spend the money in different ways
2.According to the author, what can make people less time-stressed?
A. Paying much for a concert ticket.
B. Taking a regular bus to get to work.
C. Employing someone to clean the garden.
D. Buying themselves an expensive present.
3.When it comes to spending money on ‘‘buying time”, .
A. no people would like to do it
B. a small percentage of people choose to do it
C. more people will do it if extra money is given
D. most people like the idea but don ’ t practice it in life
4.What do the underlined words “that overburdened feeling”in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The good old-fashioned guilt.
B. The feeling of spending’money on goods.
C. The stress of having someone clean your house.
D. The discomfort when completing tasks we hate doing.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Spending money on time-saving services reduces stress and boosts(增进)happiness,according to a new research, but shockingly, few of us do it.
Whillans, a professor at HBS said, “ Buying time helps to protect us from the stress in our lives caused by time pressure, and the feeling that we don’ t have enough minutes in the day to complete our tasks. ’’
The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways. One weekend, they were told to spend the money on a material purchase—a gift for themselves. The next weekend, they were instructed to spend the $40 on anything that saved them time,from paying the neighbor ’ s kid to run errands (跑腿)to taking an Uber instead of a bus.
u〇n the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase,’’ said Whillans.
The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services. When they asked 98 working adults how they would spend a “windfall” of $40,only two percent named a purchase that would save them time.
“ One reason,’’ said Whillans,u is that we * re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed. That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future. ” But another possible cause is good old-fashioned guilt. “If you feel guilty about getting someone to clean your house for you, then you might get less happiness from outsourcing (夕卜包)that task,” said Whillans,u or you might just be less likely to spend your money in that way. ’’
1.In the Canadian experiment, the participants .
A. were divided into two groups
B. were given $ 40 every two weeks
C. were asked to give money to a neighborJ s kid
D. were asked to spend the money in different ways
2.According to the author, what can make people less time-stressed?
A. Paying much for a concert ticket.
B. Taking a regular bus to get to work.
C. Employing someone to clean the garden.
D. Buying themselves an expensive present.
3.When it comes to spending money on ‘‘buying time”, .
A. no people would like to do it
B. a small percentage of people choose to do it
C. more people will do it if extra money is given
D. most people like the idea but don ’ t practice it in life
4.What do the underlined words “that overburdened feeling”in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The good old-fashioned guilt.
B. The feeling of spending’money on goods.
C. The stress of having someone clean your house.
D. The discomfort when completing tasks we hate doing.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
________ and open to various interpretations, the terms of the new proposal need improving based on the interests of both sides.
A. Accessible B. Apparent
C. Ambiguous D. Aggressive
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new app aims to help parents interpret what their baby wants based on the sound of their cry. The free app ChatterBaby, which was released last month, analyzes the acoustic (声学的) features of a baby’s cry, to help parents understand whether their child might be hungry, fussy or in pain. While critics say caregivers should not rely too much on their smartphone, others say it’s a helpful tool for new or tired parents.
Ariana Anderson, a mother of four, developed the app. She originally designed the technology to help deaf parents better understand why their baby was upset, but soon realized it could be a helpful tool for all new parents.
To build a database, Anderson and her team uploaded 2,000 audio samples of infant(婴儿) cries. She used cries recorded during ear piercings and vaccinations to distinguish pain cries. And to create a baseline for the other two categories, a group of moms had to agree on whether the cry was either hungry or fussy.
Anderson’s team continues to collect data and hopes to make the app more accurate by asking parents to get specific about what certain sounds mean.
Pediatrician Eric Ball pointed out that evaluating cries can never be an exact science. “I think that all of the apps and technology that new parents are using now can be helpful but need to be taken seriously,” Ball said ,“ I do worry that some parents will get stuck in big data and turn their parenting into basically a spreadsheet(电子表格) which I think will take away the love and caring that parents are supposed to be providing for the children. ”
But Anderson said the aim of the app is to have parents interpret the results, not to provide a yes or no answer. The Bells, a couple using this app, say it’s a win-win. They believe they are not only helping their baby now but potentially others in the future.
1.How does the app judge what babies want?
A. By collecting data.
B. By recording all the sounds.
C. By analyzing the sound of their cries.
D. By asking parents about specific messages.
2.What was the app designed for in the beginning?
A. All new parents. B. Deaf parents.
C. Ariana Anderson. D. Crying babies.
3.What is Ball’s opinion about the app?
A. Parents should use the app wisely.
B. The app can create an accurate result.
C. Parents and babies are addicted to the app.
D. The app makes babies lose love and caring.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Parents should not rely too much on their smartphones.
B. A new app helps parents figure out why their babies are crying.
C. Parents can deal with babies’ hunger with the help of a new app.
D. A new app called ChatterBaby can prevent babies from crying.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(2013·潍坊一模)Ang Lee's new film Life of Pi is based on a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel ________ in 2001.
A.was published B.having published
C.published D.to be published
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Under new rules posted by the Civil Aviation (航空) administration of China on Friday, pilots will have to pass a “level four” test of Mandarin Chinese, China’s official language. Those who speak with an accent that “often impedes” comprehension will not pass. These rules take effect in January 2016.
China’s 56 ethnic groups speak more than 80 languages and dialects. Even native Mandarin speakers can have trouble communicating with each other depending on the strength of their accents, which can be mutually unintelligible (难理解的).
One flight trainer illustrated the scope for linguistic confusion, especially when common English aviation terms are used. Asked if there is a problem on board, a Chinese pilot might answer in the negative with the words mei you, or “there isn’t.” But someone speaking with a heavy Sichuan accent would pronounce mei you as “May day” — unconsciously parroting the universally recognized distress call (遇难信号).
Like their international counterparts (对应物), Chinese aviators have developed codes to avoid confusion resulting from homonyms (同音异义字) or near-homonyms. They use the terms yao for one and guai for seven, which are otherwise pronounced yi and qi respectively and easily confused.
The new rule could affect all pilots, who must renew their license every six years, and adds to a growing list of burdens for the profession.
1.What does the underlined word “impedes” in Para 1 mean?
A. improves B. helps
C. misleads D. limits
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Sichuan dialect has the contrary meaning to Mandarin.
B. Native Mandarin speakers can understand each other well.
C. It isn’t necessary for a pilot to pass the test before January 2016.
D. “May day” is a distress call in our everyday life.
3.What is the purpose of the Chinese aviators using the terms yao for one and guai for seven?
A. To avoid misunderstanding.
B. To communicate with their international counterparts.
C. To pass the test.
D. To avoid their accents.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Chinese Pilots Told to Get Rid of Regional Accents
B. Chinese Pilots
C. Rich Chinese Languages
D. Hard to Be a Chinese Pilot
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析