People often view the “last” moments of an ev...

People often view the “last” moments of an event positively simply because they signal the end of an experience, say experts.

University of Michigan researchers found that even if an experience is painful or negative, but ends on a good note, people will consider it to be positive.

“Endings are powerful,” said Ed O’Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

O’Brien and colleague Phoebe Ellsworth, the Frank Murphy Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, conducted a chocolate tasting experiment with 52 college students to test the theory.

Volunteers could taste five different Hershey’s Kisses chocolates—milk, dark, cream, caramel and almond – but did not know in advance how many pieces they would eat or the type. Participants rated how much they enjoyed the chocolate and described each flavor so that the researchers could record the order in which the randomly (随机的) selected treats were eaten.

Volunteers were assigned to the “next” or the “last ” condition by chance.

In the “next” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your next chocolate” before offering each chocolate, including the fifth.

For the “last” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your last chocolate” before offering  the fifth chocolate.

These participants rated the fifth chocolate more enjoyable than volunteers in the “next” condition.

As predicted, participants who knew they were eating the final chocolate of a taste test enjoyed it more.

In fact, when asked to pick their favorite chocolate, the majority of “last” participants chose the fifth – even though the flavor of the fifth was randomly chosen.

They also rated the overall experience as more enjoyable than volunteers who thought they were just eating one more chocolate in a series.

O’Brien says these findings may have far-reaching implications. For example, the last book or film in a series or the last speaker in a symposium (研讨会) may receive unwarranted praise.

The last job applicant, meanwhile, may look more qualified.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment?

A．The majority of “last” participants chose the almond flavor as their favorite.

B．Some participants enjoyed the experiment more because the last flavor tasted better.

C．The result would be different if researchers had used another brand of chocolate.

D．Some participants didn’t know it was their last chocolate when offered the fifth one.

2.What does the underlined word “unwarranted” in the second-to-last paragraph mean?

A．Fake.             B．Unwanted.         C．Unreasonable.      D．Insincere.

3.Which of the following is the best title for the article?

A．“Last” is the best.

B．Why “last” matters most.

C．It is the last step that is the hardest.

D．He who laughs last laughs best.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The topics of a travel journal can be different from a diary, often _______

people, things, and events __________ the readers.

A. including…less familiar with     B. included…familiar to

C. including…less familiar to       D. including… less familiar than

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

The topics of a travel journal can be different from a diary, often _______

people, things, and events __________ the readers.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. Self-confident people trust their own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that，within reason, they will be able to do what they wish., plan., and expect. Having self-confidence does not mean that individuals will be able to do everything. Self-confident people have expectations that are realistic. Even when some of their expectations are not met，they continue to be positive and to accept themselves.

People who are not self-confident depend too much on the approval of others in order to feel good about themselves. They tend to avoid taking risks because they fear failure. They generally do not expect to be successful. They often put themselves down and tend to ignore compliments（赞美）paid to them By contrast，self-confident people are willing to risk the disapproval of others because they generally trust their own abilities. They tend to accept themselves；they don't feel they have to conform in order to be accepted.

Many factors affect the development of self-confidence. Parents' attitudes are crucial to children's feelings about themselves，particularly in children's early years. When parents pro- vide acceptance, children receive a solid foundation for good feelings about themselves. If one or both parents are much to critical or demanding, or if they are overprotective and discourage children's moves toward independence, children may come to believe they are unqualified or inadequate.

Surprisingly, lack of self-confidence is not necessarily related to lack of ability. Instead it is often the result of focusing too much on the unrealistic expectations or standards of others， especially parents and society. Friends' influences can be as powerful or more powerful than those of parents and society in shaping feelings of one's self. Students in their college years reexamine values and develop their own identities and thus are particularly sensitive to the influence of friends.

1.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about____．

A. the sources of self-confidence

B. the benefits of self-confidence

C. the development of self-confidence

D. the lack of self-confidence

2.In Paragraph 2，the underlined word "conform" probably means“_______”．

A. refuse  B. separate  C. permit  D. obey

3.According to the passage, self-confident people tend to____．

A. be practical  B. control others

C. avoid risks  D. depend on others

4.Which of the following can we learn about self-confidence according to the passage?

A. Self-confidence is usually the symbol of special abilities.

B. Parents' protection prevents children's self-confidence development.

C. Parents and friends matter in building one's self-confidence.

D. College students are the least self-confident group in society.

5.What might the author most probably continue to talk about in the following passage?

A. How we can become more acceptable.

B. Lack of self-confident has many side effects.

C. What self-confident children usually get from parents.

D. What one should avoid in building self-confidence.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Homeless World Cup is an international football event, where teams made up entirely of people who are homeless compete. The event has been held annually since 2003.

It was at the end of 2001 that Mel Young, a famous expert in the media inDustry, came up with the idea of the Homeless World Cup. 18 months later the first event took place in Austria. It was such a success that people decided to do more.

There are some interesting and special rules of the event. For example, players(male or female at least 16 years old) must have been homeless at some time after the previous year’s World Cup or make their main living income by selling newspapers in the street or be asylum（政治避难） seekers . Anyone can take part, regardless of his or her abilities. There are at most 4 players per team to compete in the field. Games are 14 minutes long.

In 2007, 48 nations, 500 players took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their countries for true spirit and glory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The winner in 2007 was Scotland. The 2008 Homeless World Cup took place in Melbourne, Australia. And in 2009 it was held in Milan. The latest Homeless World Cup was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September 2010. Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place August followed by the México City 2012 Homeless World Cup.

The success of the competition has been in two aspects—to attract the world’s attention to the problems of homelessness and also to help participants live a better life.

According to a survey by the Homeless World Cup Organization after 2006 Homeless World Cup, 92% of the players had a new motivation for life, 93 players successfully got rid of their dependency on drugs and alcohol, 44% improved their housing situation and 72% continued to play football.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

2.The aim of the Homeless World Cup is to _____.

3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

204. Old people think fondly of old times. They often gather and _____ old friend and events.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Schools often＿＿the diversity of students’talents because they typically focus on a narrow view of academic ability.

A. oppose  B. applaud C. overlook D. promote

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. There were events around the world in memory of those who died in the conflict. We have picked out three of them inEuropean countries. Let's take a look.

Belgium

In a park, the famous Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen had an exhibition called Coming World, Remember Me. The work consisted of 600,000 individual(个别的) clay sculptures, one for each person killed during the World War. In the center of the exhibition was a big egg made of clay, symbolizing a new world.

UK

In a small town called Aldridge, almost 100 houses in one street were covered with 24,000 poppies and statues of soldiers. They stood for the men from the area who had been' killed in the war. The flowers were chosen because of a poem written by the Canadian doctor John McCrea in 1915. They made people think of fields of blood.

France

The British artist Guy Denning arrived in La Feuille, a small town in the northwest of France, to stick life-size drawings of soldiers who never came back home. Armed with glue and a brush, Denning stuck his drawings carefully on walls. Before long 112 men, mainly young adults, were brought back to mind, if not to life.

1.What do we know about Coming World, Remember Me?

A. It's the name of an exhibition. B. It's a film about World War I.

C. It's a work standing for peace. D. It's a sculpture made of clay.

2.Why were poppies chosen to symbolize the dead soldiers?

A. The British people preferred them. B. They showed the cruelty of war.

C. A Canadian doctor suggested them. D. The fields were filled with them.

3.How was the end of World War I marked in France?

A. A memorial to the dead soldiers was built.

B. 112 wounded soldiers in the war were helped.

C. Drawings of some dead soldiers were put up.

D. Young adults were encouraged to join the army.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. There were events around the world in memory of those who died in the conflict. We have picked out three of them in European countries. Let's take a look.

Belgium

In a park, the famous Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen had an exhibition called Coming World, Remember Me. The work consisted of 600,000 individual(个别的) clay sculptures, one for each person killed during the World War. In the center of the exhibition was a big egg made of clay, symbolizing a new world.

UK

In a small town called Aldridge, almost 100 houses in one street were covered with 24,000 poppies and statues of soldiers. They stood for the men from the area who had been killed in the war. The flowers were chosen because of a poem written by the Canadian doctor John McCrea in 1915. They made people think of fields of blood.

France

The British artist Guy Denning arrived in La Feuille, a small town in the northwest of France, to stick life-size drawings of soldiers who never came back home. Armed with glue and a brush, Denning stuck his drawings carefully on walls. Before long 112 men, mainly young adults, were brought back to mind, if not to life.

1.What do we know about Coming World, Remember Me?

A.It's the name of an exhibition. B.It's a film about World War I.

C.It's a work standing for peace. D.It's a sculpture made of clay.

2.Why were poppies chosen to symbolize the dead soldiers?

A.The British people preferred them. B.They showed the cruelty of war.

C.A Canadian doctor suggested them. D.The fields were filled with them.

3.How was the end of World War I marked in France?

A.A memorial to the dead soldiers was built.

B.112 wounded soldiers in the war were helped.

C.Drawings of some dead soldiers were put up.

D.Young adults were encouraged to join the army.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We often close ourselves off when unfortunate events happen in our lives; instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to deflect the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this all we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves. We need to learn to open our hearts

to the potentials of life and let the world soften us.

Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. The items listed below are ways you can open your heart more fully and completely.

Breathe into pain

Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or trying to mask the hurt. When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. When we run away from sadness that’s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real. We take an emotion that’s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.

By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences. If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, but when we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom.

Embrace the uncomfortable

We all know what that twinge(刺痛) of anxiety feels like. We know how fear feels in our bodies: the tension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc. We can practice leaning into these feelings of discomfort and let them show us where we need to go.

The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them. When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most. The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean into the feeling. Act in spite of the fear.

Ask your heart what it wants

We’re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed and our brains are sore. Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part of ourselves that isn’t usually involved in the decision making process?

I know we’ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses: when asked, we can’t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had to get done. This instinct is the part of ourselves we’re approaching for answers.

To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?”

See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome.

高三英语任务型阅读中等难度题查看答案及解析