Dogs can be worried and pessimistic just like people, researchers report in a new study in Current Biology. And they aren’t talking about basset hounds (短脚猎狗): those dogs just look as if they expect the worst.

What the scientists say is that dogs that exhibit anxiety when left home alone by their owners may have bigger problems — they may be in a permanent bad mood.

This pessimistic outlook may not otherwise be easily apparent in a dog’s other characteristics, like running speed or learning ability, the study reports.

Dogs are similar to humans in the role that emotional state plays in decision making, said Michael Mendel, a veterinary scientist at the University of Bristol and the study’s lead author. The study’s researchers looked at 24 dogs in shelters in Britain.

They placed the dogs in isolated settings and observed their reactions — many barked, jumped on furniture and scratched at the door.

Then they placed bowls in two rooms. One bowl contained food, while another was empty. After training the dogs to understand that bowls can sometimes be empty, and sometimes full, they began to place bowls in ambiguous locations.

Dogs that quickly raced to the locations were more optimistic, and in search of food. Those that did not were deemed pessimistic.

The more separation anxiety a dog expressed while in isolation, the more likely the dog was to have a pessimistic reaction, the researchers found.

The study carries an important message for dog owners, Dr. Mendel said.

Dogs that express serious anxiety when alone may need treatment, as it could be a sign of unhappiness and instability.

This passage can be classified as _________.

     A. an advertisement                                   B. a feature story

C. a news report                                        D. a book review

In the study, many dogs barked, jumped and scratched because __________.

       A. they couldn’t find the bowl with food in it

       B. they were left alone

       C. they needed to be treated

       D. they wanted to be active and optimistic

According to Dr. Mendel, which statement is true?

       A. Like humans, dogs are good at decision making.

       B. Dog owners should train dogs to find food.

       C. Emotional state works sometimes when humans make decision.

       D. Dogs can always find the bowl with food quickly.

What can we learn from the passage?

       A. Dogs will be optimistic as long as they are left alone.

       B. Dogs must be in a permanent bad mood when their owners left.

       C. Dogs that express anxiety don’t need treatment.

       D. Dogs may easily show their pessimistic outlook in learning ability.

Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor. Now, they want to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to a survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel, a character in the popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers. “Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor.” He said.
Emma Brockes, a reporter with the Guardian, believes it is “the bad influence of celebrity(名人) culture”  that is to blame. “When children wanted to be doctor, it wasn’t because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now; you go where the respect is.” She wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression. Dr Carlo Stranger, of Tel Aviv University, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance: Searching for Meaning in the 21st Century. He told the Daily Mail that young people now are “affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity into an obsession(痴迷).”
“As humans, we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a global village. We are comparing ourselves with the most ‘important’ people in the world and finding ourselves wanting…” he said. Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.
The way out? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr Strenger said that it is a process called “active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life.”
“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement,” he said.
【小题1】.Nowadays, young people in Britain want to        .

A.choose jobs based on interestsB.become famous
C.be teacher, banker and doctorD.earn more money
【小题2】..According to Emma Brockes, what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
A.Choices of future careers.B.Access to the global network.
C.Bad influences of celebrities.D.Endless comparison with others.
【小题3】..Which of the following is true of Dr Carlo Strenger?
A.He is a newspaper reporter.B.He is the spokesman of teenagers.
C.He tells success stories on TV.D.He is against ranking people with wealth.
【小题4】..Dr Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should        .
A.seek active self-acceptanceB.stick to their own dreams
C.make great achievementsD.search for the secret of wealth
【小题5】.The text is mainly written to        .
A.talk about job choicesB.analyse a social phenomenon
C.encourage celebrity cultureD.introduce three famous people

Some students get so nervous before a test, they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock has studied these highly anxious test-takers.

Sian Beilock: “They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources.I talk about it as your cognitive horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.”

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

Sian Beilock: “what we think happens is when students put it down on paper , they think about the worst that could happen and they reappraise the situation. They might realize it’s not as had as they might think it was before and, in essence(本质上), it prevents these thoughts from popping up when they’re actually taking a test.”

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.

Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.

Prefessor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.

Sian Beilock: “What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention, all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most likely to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these testing situations.”

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance. 

1.What may happen if students have the problem of test anxiety?

A.Test anxiety can improve students’ performance to some degree.

B.Students’ attention and memory resources run out when worried.

C.Students may not be admitted into their favorite college if worried

D.Test anxiety is sure to cause students to fail the test.

2.Which of the following if TRUE?

A.In the first math test, students who sat quietly performed better.

B.In the second math test, students who wrote about their feelings did worse.

C.Some college students are highly anxious test-takers while others are not in the tests.

D.The result in the math test agrees with that in the biology test.

3.What does the underlined phrase “popping up” mean?

A.Giving out         B.Fading away        C.Becoming clearly    D.Appearing suddenly

4.what is most probably Sian Beilock?

A.A psychology professor.                  B.A philosophy researcher.

C.A politics professor                      D.A tutor

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.It is a common practice for students being worried before a test.

B.Being worried before tests does harm to students’ performance.

C.Anxious students overcome test anxiety by writing down fears.

D.It is important for students to overcome test anxiety.

 

 

Do you feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just the night before?

   If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.

   But don't fear. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.

   Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body gives out the hormone adrenaline (肾上腺素) which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot or even sick.

   If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.

   When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to "STOP!" This will get your mind off the stress.

   Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help gain your confidence.

   Talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example, "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.

   Last but not least, start test preparation early — three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills — for example, time management and note-taking — will give you the feeling that you are in control.

1. According to the text, people who ______ are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety.

A. worry a lot or are perfectionists                     B. prepare poorly for a test

C. have failed in tests before                       D. all of above

2. Which of the following is NOT the way to beat nerves according to the author?

A. Stop what you are doing and try to relax.       B. Talk to your teacher or friends.

C. Make a full test preparation early.           D. Learn to accept mistakes.

3. The underlined word “it” refers to ______.

A. the stress                                                 B. the body                 

C. the mind                                                D. the hormone adrenaline

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. What is test anxiety                                    B. Why we have test anxiety 

C. How to deal with test anxiety                     D. Develop a positive attitude

 

E

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

1. What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A.The exercise of rights is a luxury.

B.The practice of choice is difficult.

C.The right of choice is given but at a price.

D.Choice and right exist at the same time.

2. Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A.Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

B.People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

C.Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D.Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

3.By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that    .

A.advanced products meet the needs of people

B.products of the latest design fold the market

C.competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D.everyday goods need to be replaced often

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A.The variety of choices in modern society.

B.The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C.The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D.The helplessness in purchasing decisions

 

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