Being bored can encourage people's creativity...

Being bored can encourage people's creativity-partly to escape the horrible, frustrated. And meaningless feeling of boredom-recent studies find. It could even be true at work.

Psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire had participants copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes,while others went straight into a standard creativity task.

Both groups were asked to come up with as many different uses as they could for a plastic cup. The group that felt more bored came up with more uses.

Dr. Sandi Mann, one of the study's authors said. " Boredom at work has always been seen as

something to he removed. hut perhaps we should be welcoming it in order to encourage our creativity. What we want LO do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do　 people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work-or do they go homeand write novels?"

In a later study, Dr. Sandi Mann found that creativity was reduced when people were still bored but didn't have the chance to daydream.

While we tend to think of boredom as something; that certainly leads to trouble-drinking, gambling. and antisocial behavior, this research suggests differer possibilities.

More than anything, the feeling of boredom is a 8trong signal that we are stuck in some kind of rut and we need to seek out new goals. In the study above, this research led participants to new ideas.

Usually people will do anything to avoid being bored. as it's such an aversive experience. But　 creative people, like writers, sometimes talk ahout seeking out boredom.

Here is the comedy writer Graham Linehan talking about boredom Lo The Cuardian. "I have to use all these programs that cut off the Internet,force me to be bored, because being bored is an essential part of writing, and the Internet has made it very hard to be bored. The creative process requires a period of boredom ,of being stuck. That's actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer's block, but it's actually just part of a long process. "

So, when you start to feel bored , instead of g7ancing at your smartphone.,try being bored for a bit.　 Who knows what creative thought might come of it?

1.From the study of Dr. Sandi Mann, we can learn that__　　　　　　 .

A. boring tasks make people creative

B. daydreaming may increase creativity

C. plastic cups can be used very creatively

D. copying numbers might be very interesting

2.The underlined word "aversive" in Paragraph 8 probably means _　　　　　　

A. common.　　 　　 B. unpleasant

C. unusual　　　　 D. personal

3.According to Craham Linehan.　　　　　　 .

A. glancing at a smartphone is a solulion.

B. he is forced to feel bored by the Internet

C. the boredom period is a block for writers

D. being stuck for a period benefits him a lot

4.What is the author's attitude towards boredom?

A. Critical.　　　　 B. Cautious.

C. Positive　　　　 D. Unclear.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Purpose of Boredom　 Being bored can encourage people's creativity-partly to escape the horrible，frustrated．And meaningless feeling of boredom-recent studies find．It could even be true at work．

Psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire had participants copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes，while others went straight into a standard creativity task．

Both groups were asked to come up with as many different uses as they could for a plastic cup．The group that felt more bored came up with more uses．

Dr．Sandi Mann，one of the study's authors said．" Boredom at work has always been seen as something to he removed．hut perhaps we should be welcoming it in order to encourage our creativity．What we want LO do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are．Do　 people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work-or do they go home and write novels？"

In a later study，Dr．Sandi Mann found that creativity was reduced when people were still bored but didn't have the chance to daydream．

While we tend to think of boredom as something；that certainly leads to trouble-drinking，gambling．and antisocial behavior，this research suggests different possibilities．

More than anything，the feeling of boredom is a 8trong signal that we are stuck in some kind of rut and we need to seek out new goals．In the study above，this research led participants to new ideas．

Usually people will do anything to avoid being bored．as it's such an aversive experience．But　 creative people，like writers，sometimes talk about seeking out boredom．

Here is the comedy writer Graham Linehan talking about boredom Lo The Cuardian．"I have to use all these programs that cut off the Internet，force me to be bored，because being bored is an essential part of writing，and the Internet has made it very hard to be bored．The creative process requires a period of boredom ，of being stuck．That's actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer's block，but it's actually just part of a long process．"

So，when you start to feel bored ，instead of g7ancing at your smartphone．，try being bored for a bit．Who knows what creative thought might come of it？

1.From the study of Dr．Sandi Mann，we can learn that________．

A． boring tasks make people creative

B． daydreaming may increase creativity

C． plastic cups can be used very creatively

D． copying numbers might be very interesting

2.The underlined word "aversive" in Paragraph 8 probably means________

A． common　 B． unpleasant

C． unusual　　 D． personal

3.According to Craham Linehan________．

A． glancing at a smartphone is a solution．

B． he is forced to feel bored by the Internet

C． the boredom period is a block for writers

D． being stuck for a period benefits him a lot

4.What is the author's attitude towards boredom？

A． Critical　　 B． Cautious

C． Positive　　 D． Unclear

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be

god for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . “On the pets’ side , they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . “My customers love them . they are their favorites ,” she said . “They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun .”

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ,” he said .

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is ________ .

A．73%            B．27%            C．25%            D．15%

2.We know from the text that “BJ”________

A．works in the Global Hair Salon   B．often greets the passers-by

C．likes to sleep in the sun        D．is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be ________ .

A．Pets Help Attract Customers      B．Your Favorite Office Pets

C．Pets Join the Workforce  D．Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be

god for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . "On the pets' side , they are not left on their own and won't feel lonely and unhappy," she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . "My customers love them . they are their favorites ," she said . "They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun ."

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years "working" at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . "BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ," he said .

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is________ .

A．73%  B．27%  C．25%  D．15%

2.We know from the text that "BJ"________

A．works in the Global Hair Salon      B．often greets the passers-by

C．likes to sleep in the sun   D．is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be .

A．Pets Help Attract Customers   B．Your Favorite Office Pets

C．Pets Join the Workforce  D．Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . “On the pets’ side , they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . “My customers love them. They are their favorites ,” she said . “They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun .”

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ,” he said .

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is

2.We know from the text that “BJ”

3.The best title for this text would be             .

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work, a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets. “On the pets’ side, they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said.  A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington. “My customers love them. They are their favorites,” she said.  “They are not troublesome. They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun.”

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain. Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years. “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass,” he said.

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation. But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable.

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is ________ .

A. 73%            B. 27%            C. 25%            D. 15%

2.We know from the text that “BJ”________

A. works in the Global Hair Salon   B. often greets the passers-by

C. likes to sleep in the sun        D. is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be ________ .

A. Pets Help Attract Customers      B. Your Favorite Office Pets

C. Pets Join the Workforce          D. Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most people know that listening to music when they are feeling down or depressed can encourage their spirits.

However studies have also shown that music, especially certain tones can reduce stress. Music can change brainwave patterns, deepen breathing, and bring on a totally stress-free and more open mindset（心态）. Using music to relax when considering a particular problem may not only raise your mood, but also could help you reach that "a-ha"moment and find a solution.

Music has also been shown not only to make you feel good, but also, to be a great motivator. For example, during exercise, listening to music can keep you going, or get you to exercise more by helping you to ignore negative feelings of tiredness and focus on the pleasurable feelings you get from being absorbed in the music.

Music is mainly used to record emotion. When we listen to a piece of music we share the artist's feelings on a visceral（本来的）level. That can be sad, and who among us hasn't put on a painful love song to share in the misery after a bad break-up? On the contrary, we can share in the delight of songs of joy and happiness, or any song or piece of music that reminds us of a particular happy time in our past.

So next time you are feeling down, put on Beethoven' s Ode to Joy, I bet you will feel a lot better about whatever it was that was bothering you!

1.We can infer from the first paragraph that music can　　　　 .

A. benefit you in many ways

B. promote you to find more questions

C. change the patterns of your lifestyle

D. influence your attention to a problem

2.The author wrote the second paragraph mainly to　　　　　　 .

A. tell us a story　　 B. make some comments

C. give us an example　　 D. list some facts

3.When we enjoy a piece of sad music, 　　　　　 .

A. we'll share the artist's feelings deeply

B. we may recall our miserable past

C. we may be reminded of particular joy

D. we'll show mercy on the artist' s life

4.What's the best title of the text?

A. What music means to a music lover　　 B. Why people love happy music

C. What kind of music is popular　　 D. How music changes your life

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You can hardly find a ______ comforting film than “Slumdog Millionaire” to encourage people in a time of economic crisis.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

___ to advertisements constantly can help to change people's opinions over time.

A. Exposed 　　 B. Being exposed　　 　 C. Exposing　 　　 D. To be exposed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

“How can we live longer?” many people wonder. Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbors, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equal relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows and widowers (鳏夫) were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s, The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.

Even though the odds are stacked against you (the conditions are not favourable to you), marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a less pleasant

side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouses; death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.

So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socioeconomic factor, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological mechanisms (机制). For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.

A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The best social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected so their health is interconnected.”

1.William Farr’s study and other studies show that ________.

A. social life provides an effective cure for illness

B. being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life

C. women benefit more than men from marriage

D. marriage contributes a great deal to longevity

2.What does the underlined word “compensate” in the second paragraph probably mean?

A. pay money B. provide something had

C. help recover D. increase damage

3.What does the author say about social network?

A. They have effects similar to those of a marriage.

B. They help develop people’s community spirit.

C. They provide timely support for those in need.

D. They help relieve people of their life’s burden.

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. It’s important that we develop a social network when young.

B. To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.

C. Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.

D. We should share our social networks with each other.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析