题目内容
he newly-discovered star was named _____ a Chinese astronomer ________his contributions to astronomy.
A. for; in favor of B. after; in honor of
C. by; in memory of D. as; in praise of
B
【解析】略
A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.
【小题1】From the passage, we can learn that .
A.the habit of littering doesn’t spread |
B.a lonely person won’t have friends |
C.everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness |
D.lonely people don’t know the cause of their loneliness |
A.The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
B.No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
C.Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
D.Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
A.48 days | B.25 days | C.20 days | D.15 days |
A.Actions should be taken to help lonely people. | B.People feel lonely for many reasons. |
C.Ways to fight against loneliness. | D.Lonely people can affect others. |
The ability to memorize things seems to be a vanishing (消失的) technique.So what can we do to bring out brain cells back into action? A newly published book on memory, Moomvalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by American journalist Joshua Foer, makes a telling point, one that is an analysis of the importance of memorising events and stories in human history; the decline of its role in modem life; and the techniques that we need to adopt to restore the art of remembering.
As For points out, we no longer need to remember telephone numbers.Our mobile phones do that for us.We don't recall addresses either.We send emails from computers that store electronic addresses.Nor do we bother to remember multiplication tables (乘法表) .Pocket calculators do the job of multiplying quite nicely.Museums, photographs, the digital media and books also act as storehouses for memories that once we had to keep in mind.
As a result, we no longer remember long poems or folk stories by heart, feats (技艺) of memory that were once the cornerstones of most people's lives.Indeed, society has changed so much that we no longer know what techniques we should employ to remember such lengthy works.We are, quite simply, forgetting how to remember.
And let's face it, there is nothing sadder than someone who has lost their mobile phone and who finds they cannot even phone home or call their parents or partners because they cannot remember a single telephone number.That is a sad example of loss of personal independence.So, yes, there is a need for us to he able to remember certain things in life.
Therefore, Foer's book outlines the methods that need to be mastered in order to promote our memories and regain the ability to recall long strings of names, numbers or faces.In the process, he adds, we will become more aware of the world about us.
The trick, Foer says, is to adopt a process known as " elaborative encoding", which involves transforming information, such as a shopping list, into a series of "absorbing visual images".If you want to remember a list of household objects—potatoes, cottage cheese, sugar and other items, then visualise them in an unforgettable manner, he says.Start by creating an image of a large jar of potatoes standing in the garden.Next to it, imagine a giant tub of cottage cheese—the size of an outdoor pool—and then picture Lady Gaga swimming in it.And so on.Each image should be as fantastic and memorable as possible.
Using methods like this, it becomes possible to achieve great feats of memory quite easily, Foer says.It certainly seems to have worked for him: he won the annual US Memory Championships after learning how to memorize 120 random digits in five minutes; the first and last names of 156 strangers in 15 minutes; and a deck of cards in under two minutes."What I had really trained my brain to do, as much as to memorise, was to be more mindful and to pay attention to the world around," he says.
These techniques employed by Foer to master his memory were developed by Ed Cooke—a British writer and a world memory championship grandmaster.He acted as Foer's trainer during preparations for the book and helped him achieve his championship performances." Memory techniques do just one thing: they make information more meaningful to the mind, making the things we try to learn unforgettably bright and amusing," said Cooke.
【小题1】Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
A.People become more independent with modern equipment. |
B.The memory's role in life is declining in modem society. |
C.Memory techniques can make information less meaningful. |
D.Ed Cooke is the first one who benefited from Foer's techniques. |
A.museums can do everything for them. |
B.they no longer have the ability to memorize things. |
C.they have things that can act as storehouses for memories. |
D.it is not necessary to memorize anything in modem life. |
A.link things to famous pop stars |
B.find the connection between different things |
C.form vivid, unforgettable images of certain things |
D.use advanced digital imaging technology to help |
A.imagine | B.undertake | C.remark | D.indicate |
A.a news report | B.an advertisement |
C.a scientific discovery | D.a book review |
完形填空 | ||||
Once a farmer had some puppies to sell. He painted a(n) 1 advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. 2 he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a sudden pull on his trousers.He_3_down into the eyes of a little boy. "Mister, "he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies." "Well, "said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his 4 , "these puppies come from fine parents and 5 a good deal of money." The boy 6 his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of 7 and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirtynine cents. Is that enough to take a look?" "Sure, "said the farmer. And with that he 8 a whistle, "Here, Dolly!"he called. 9 from the doghouse and down the road ran Dolly 10 by four little balls of fur. As the dogs made their 11 to the fence, the little boy noticed something else moving inside the doghouse. 12 another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. The little pup began walking unsteadily toward the others, d oing its best to 13 . "I want that one, "the little boy said, 14 at the runt (矮个子). The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you 15 want that puppy. He will never be able to 16 and play with you as other dogs would." With that the little boy 17 back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his 18 . In doing so he showed a steel brace(支柱) running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a 19 made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see, sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands." The 20 is full of people who need someone who understands. | ||||
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