In general, it seems reasonable to suppose that we should prefer peace and quiet to noise. And yet most of us have had the experience of having to adjust to sleeping in the mountains or the countryside because it was initially “too quiet”, an experience that suggests that humans are capable of adapting to a wide range of noise levels. Research supports this view. For example, Glass and Singer (1972) exposed people to short bursts of very loud noise and then measured their ability to work out problems and their physiological reactions to the noise. The noise was quite disruptive at first, but after about four minutes the subjects were doing just as well on their tasks as control subjects who were not exposed to noise. Their physiological reactions also declined quickly to the same levels as those of the control subjects.
But there are limits to adaptation and loud noise becomes more troublesome if the person is required to concentrate on more than one task. For example, high noise levels affect the performance of subjects who were required to monitor three dials at a time, a task not unlike that of a plane pilot or an air-traffic controller. Similarly, noise did not affect a subject’s ability to track a moving line with a steering wheel, but it did affect the subject’s ability to repeat numbers while tracking (Finkelm and Glass 1970).
Probably the most significant finding from the research on noise is that its predictability is more important than how loud it is. We are much more able to “tune out” long-lasing background noise, even if it is quite loud, than to work under circumstances with unexpected disturbance of noise. In Glass and Singer’s study, in which subjects were exposed to bursts of noise as they worked on a task, some subjects heard loud bursts and others heard soft bursts. For some subjects, the bursts were spaced exactly one minute apart (predictable noise); others heard the some amount of noise overall, but the bursts occurred at random intervals (unpredictable noise). Subjects reported finding the predictable and unpredictable noise equally annoying, and all subjects performed at about the same level during the noise portion of the experiment. But the different noise conditions had quite different after-effects when the subjects were required to proofread written material under conditions of no noise. The study shows that the unpredictable noise produced more errors in the later proofreading task than predictable noise; and soft unpredictable noise actually produced slightly more errors on this task than the loud predictable noise.
Apparently, unpredictable noise produces more fatigue than predictable noise, but it takes a while for this fatigue to take its toll on performance.
1.When talking about people’s difficulty in sleeping in the mountains, what can be inferred in the passage?
A. They usually do not prefer peace and quiet to noise.
B. They may be exposed to short bursts of very strange sounds.
C. They prefer to hear a certain amount of noise while they sleep.
D. They may not have adapted to a higher noise level in the city.
2.What did Glass and Singer find in their noise experiment?
A. Problem-solving is much easier under quiet conditions.
B. Physiological reactions prevent the ability to work.
C. Bursts of noise hardly disturb problem-solving in the long term.
D. The physiological reactions of the control subjects declined quickly.
3.Researchers discovered that high noise levels are not likely to affect the __________.
A. successful performance of a single task
B. tasks of pilots or air traffic controllers
C. ability to repeat numbers while tracking moving lines
D. ability to monitor three dials at once
4. What does “take its toll on performance” in the passage probably mean?
A. Destroy the performance completely.
B. Have a negative effect on the performance.
C. Improve the performance greatly.
D. Have a positive influence on the performance.
高二英语阅读理解简单题
In general, it seems reasonable to suppose that we should prefer peace and quiet to noise. And yet most of us have had the experience of having to adjust to sleeping in the mountains or the countryside because it was initially “too quiet”, an experience that suggests that humans are capable of adapting to a wide range of noise levels. Research supports this view. For example, Glass and Singer (1972) exposed people to short bursts of very loud noise and then measured their ability to work out problems and their physiological reactions to the noise. The noise was quite disruptive at first, but after about four minutes the subjects were doing just as well on their tasks as control subjects who were not exposed to noise. Their physiological reactions also declined quickly to the same levels as those of the control subjects.
But there are limits to adaptation and loud noise becomes more troublesome if the person is required to concentrate on more than one task. For example, high noise levels affect the performance of subjects who were required to monitor three dials at a time, a task not unlike that of a plane pilot or an air-traffic controller. Similarly, noise did not affect a subject’s ability to track a moving line with a steering wheel, but it did affect the subject’s ability to repeat numbers while tracking (Finkelm and Glass 1970).
Probably the most significant finding from the research on noise is that its predictability is more important than how loud it is. We are much more able to “tune out” long-lasing background noise, even if it is quite loud, than to work under circumstances with unexpected disturbance of noise. In Glass and Singer’s study, in which subjects were exposed to bursts of noise as they worked on a task, some subjects heard loud bursts and others heard soft bursts. For some subjects, the bursts were spaced exactly one minute apart (predictable noise); others heard the some amount of noise overall, but the bursts occurred at random intervals (unpredictable noise). Subjects reported finding the predictable and unpredictable noise equally annoying, and all subjects performed at about the same level during the noise portion of the experiment. But the different noise conditions had quite different after-effects when the subjects were required to proofread written material under conditions of no noise. The study shows that the unpredictable noise produced more errors in the later proofreading task than predictable noise; and soft unpredictable noise actually produced slightly more errors on this task than the loud predictable noise.
Apparently, unpredictable noise produces more fatigue than predictable noise, but it takes a while for this fatigue to take its toll on performance.
1.When talking about people’s difficulty in sleeping in the mountains, what can be inferred in the passage?
A. They usually do not prefer peace and quiet to noise.
B. They may be exposed to short bursts of very strange sounds.
C. They prefer to hear a certain amount of noise while they sleep.
D. They may not have adapted to a higher noise level in the city.
2.What did Glass and Singer find in their noise experiment?
A. Problem-solving is much easier under quiet conditions.
B. Physiological reactions prevent the ability to work.
C. Bursts of noise hardly disturb problem-solving in the long term.
D. The physiological reactions of the control subjects declined quickly.
3.Researchers discovered that high noise levels are not likely to affect the __________.
A. successful performance of a single task
B. tasks of pilots or air traffic controllers
C. ability to repeat numbers while tracking moving lines
D. ability to monitor three dials at once
4. What does “take its toll on performance” in the passage probably mean?
A. Destroy the performance completely.
B. Have a negative effect on the performance.
C. Improve the performance greatly.
D. Have a positive influence on the performance.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
We should discuss the plan _____ before we work it out.
A. in general B. in detail C. on time D. on purpose
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
We students are supposed to know how we should________ourselves
to________surewe are in the proper mental state.
A.adjust; making B.adjust;make C.adopt;making D.adopt;make
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We should bring ______ to his attention that he’s still poor in health.
A./ | B.something | C.this | D.it |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Although you ______ find bargains in London, it’s not generally a cheap place to shop.
A.should B.need C.must D.can
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
---- It’s raining heavily! Why must we go out right now?
---- The reason is that we are going to help the villages on the mountains.
---- ______.
A.Go ahead | B.with pleasure | C.It depends | D.Congratulations |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It seemed that the water________.
A.was to blame | B.was to be blamed | C.should blame | D.was blamed |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
For some reason, it takes constant reminders that we primates(灵长目)need nurturing.
In a recent study of 46 baby chimpanzee(黑猩猩)orphans, Kim Bard of the University of Portsmouth in England and her colleagues demonstrated that primate babies that have tight relationships with mother figures do much better on cognitive(认知)tests than babies who receive only food, shelter, and friendship with peers. But this is not breaking mews. In fact, it’s old news.
In the 1950s, Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments with baby monkeys that showed, without doubt, that lack of love and comfort makes for a crazy monkey.
Harlow constructed a cage that included a wire monkey “mother” topped with a plastic face. In this wire he fixed Mom with a milk bottle. The cage also held another wire mother covered with terry cloth. The baby monkeys spent all their time with the cloth mother and only went to the wire mother to feed, demonstrating that a soft touch beat something to eat any day.
Harlow’s monkey work was important because, at the time, child care “experts” and everybody’s grandmother had a “no touch, no comfort” policy toward children. They advised parents not to respond to crying babies, felt babies should sleep alone to grow up independent, and for God’s sake put those kids down. But Harlow’s work changed all that. Mothers were soon permitted to have their newborns next to them in the hospital.
The current chimp research based on Harlow’s work shows that mother love not only makes for a psychologically well-adjusted child, but also makes for a smart kid. Bard and her colleagues evaluated the abilities of the chimps when they were 12 months old with standard human tests for children of that age, tests that ask little kids to imitate some action.
The highly raised chimps did better than the ones that were not loved, and what do you know, the well-raised chimps did even better than human kids on this small IQ test.
So we hear it once again. We are primates, social animals which need care and love. We need to be held and talked to and made to feel that at least one person wants to be with us all the time. And if we get that kind of connection, we are sure to be fine, even better than fine.
1.The study Kim Bard and his colleagues did ______.
A.included 46 baby and mother monkeys
B.was nothing new to people about the findings
C.showed that many chimpanzees lacked love when they were young
D.showed that many chimpanzees had good relationships with their mothers
2.Why was Harlow’s monkey work important?
A.Because the “no touch, no comfort” policy toward children was quite right.
B.Because parents were advised not to respond to babies’ crying.
C.Because Harlow’s work changed people’s former belief in child care.
D.Because mothers were not allowed to have their newborns next to them in the hospital.
3.Harlow built two “mothers” for baby monkeys to ______.
A.make them live comfortably B.let them have more choices
C.give them more love D.make a comparison
4.Which of the following is TURE according to the text?
A.Well-raised chimps always do even better than human kids.
B.A 12-month chimps is far cleverer than a child of that age.
C.The newborns were not allowed to be with their mothers in the past in the hospital.
D.Constantly touching the baby can make it feel safer.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I realize that we all live in a world where trust is in short supply. It seems that everywhere I go, I have to_______my identity and trustworthiness—whether it's a bank, shop or any office I have been accustomed to living by the_______that no one is trustworthy(可信赖的) _______proved otherwise. Yesterday I saw a young man who lived by a totally_______rule.
I was walking along a busy intersection when I_______a young man standing near the pedestrian crossing setting up a stall(货摊)._______I would ignore and hurry past such sellers. But I noticed this young man was_______so I stood for some time without crossing the street to see how he sold his_______.
Soon, a young mother with a little boy came by and the child set his_______on one of teddy bears. The mother asked the________and it was only one dollar. She pulled out a dollar note and told the young man that she was giving him 10 dollars and wanted the________back. I was________to know how he was going to do it. He told the mom to put the__________in the pouch(袋子) hanging around his neck and take out whatever change he________her.
I realized that this young man's whole mode of earning________ on trusting people not to cheat him. There was no ________for him to know if someone took out more out of his pouch of earning. I was so________by how this young man trusted people that I bought a car model from him I did not need it, ________. I just hoped to help a little.
Now I________believe that the world would be a better place if we could all learn to________others more, like the young blind street seller of toys.
1.A. introduce B. present C. prove D. request
2.A. rule B. habit C. practice D. law
3.A. if B. since C. although D. unless
4.A. similar B. different C. special D. common
5.A. approached B. noticed C. watched D. looked
6.A. Actually B. Normally C. Informally D. Casually
7.A. blind B. handsome C. disabled D. strange
8.A. clothes B. bears C. toys D. pouches
9.A. mind B. interest C. heart D. attraction
10.A. price B. stall C. toy D. help
11.A. money B. charge C. change D. note
12.A. anxious B. surprised C. pleased D. curious
13.A. hand B. money C. teddy bear D. necklace
14.A. gave B. owed C. owned D. showed
15.A. depended B. settled C. decided D. focused
16.A. problem B. point C. way D. doubt
17.A. attracted B. shocked C. excited D. touched
18.A. either B. instead C. moreover D. though
19.A. firmly B. tightly C. unwillingly D. negatively
20.A. take in B. turn to C. help out D. believe in
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The man to whom we handed the forms pointed out that we had not _________ filled in.
A.regularly B.properly C.eventually D.enthusiastically
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析