The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time. For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises (大脑训练) involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more. And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss.

In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层). Brian scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks. You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed (拨电话) a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered. What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back. Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency (效率) declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time.

Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought. Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time. However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes.

We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time. Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores. That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names---even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves. Multitasking can also affect our relationships. If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested. It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them.

Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking?

A. To make them more productive.     

B. To reduce their stress and anxiety.

C. To develop their communication skills.

D. To help them perform daily tasks more easily.    

According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who has called?

A. He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged.

B. He is probably interrupted by another task.

C. He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called.

D. He may need a rest between dialing and speaking.

People tend to make mistakes when ____.

A. they perform several challenging tasks at a time.

B. new messages are processed one after another

C. their relationships with others are affected

D. the tasks require little thought

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Multitasking has become a way of life.

B. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline.

C. Multitasking exercises need to be improved.

D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better.

On a cold evening I was waiting for a taxi in New York. About 5 minutes later, I was picked up by a driver, and he said how horrible some people were. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to be silent, but I had to listen out of kindness.

The man told me that he had just come from JFK Airport without a customer. Over the course of that taxi ride, what started as anger changed slowly and he mentioned that he had read an article which said that the happiest people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more chance to give in his life. I was really starting to enjoy being with this man.

As we arrived at the place where I wanted to go, I paid my money by credit card. I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, since we’ve been talking about giving this whole time, I want to share that feeling with you. I’ve already paid my money, but here’s an extra little bit. You can tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another.”

I thought I was pretty cool at this point. But he turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and he said, “Sir, I have a better idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person around here and I will give the next passenger a free ride myself.”

It was a great honor meeting that man and learning the lesson of how everyone gives and adds joy to another with their generosity.

According to the text, when the author got in the taxi, the taxi driver was________.

A. angry            B. nervous      C. worried      D. regretful

The author gave the driver an extra $20 in order to_________.

A. help him to get out of trouble       B. know what he was really like

C. experience the joy of giving     D. learn how to get along with others

What can be inferred from the taxi driver’s words in Paragraph 4?

A. A driver should be willing to help. 

B. People should understand each other.

C. The driver was deeply moved.    

D. One needs to keep an optimistic attitude (乐观态度).

What would be the best title for the text?

A. A cold evening in New York       B. Learning from a taxi driver

C. A gift to a generous stranger        D. Always being a happy person

 

第三节  完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

What actually happens when we read?Some people think that we read one word    21   ,

understand it and then go on to the next. Other people think that our eyes smoothly   22  over each line from left to right, then back to the beginning of the   23   line, and so on. In fact, the physical action of reading usually doesn’t work in   24   of those ways.

  25   you do this experiment with a friend. Get hold of a book with a large page   26   and with lines that go right   27   the page.   28   your friend to    29   the book up and to read it with the top of the book just   30    his eyes level. This   31   that you can watch the movement of his eyes as he read the page.   32   you do this, you will see that your friend’s eyes do not make a continuous forward sweep.   33   they progress(前移) by little “jumps”, moving,then stopping,as they progress along the line.

  34   to be this starting and stopping movement   35   the eye can see only when it is not moving. Every time the eye   36   it sees a phrase or even a sentence, then jumps to the next part of the line,and so on.

There is another interesting fact about eye movement. You will notice that,   37  , the reader goes back and looks again at something he   38   before, in other words,he returns to an earlier part of the text probably because he   39  he is not understanding it properly. Then he comes back to   40   he stopped and continues reading.

21.  A.at a time                  B.at one time      C.at time              D.at times

22.  A.turn                         B.fly             C.move                 D.flee

23.  A.above                      B.next            C.same                  D.second

24.  A.either                       B.neither          C.all                  D.both

25.  A.Think                      B.Guess          C.Suppose           D.Suggest

26.  A.number                    B.quantity         C.space                 D.size

27.  A.off                          B.across           C.up                     D.down

28.  A.Have                       B.To have          C.Get                      D.To get

29.  A.hold                        B.pick             C.put                      D.set

30.  A.below                      B.in               C.beside                 D.on

31.  A.shows                      B.means           C.expresses              D.proves

32.  A.Unless                            B.If               C.Because               D.Although

33.  A.Howe’ver                 B.Altogether        C.Therefore            D.Instead

34.  A.It has                       B.It is              C.There has           D.There is

35.  A.if                                 B.unless            C.although             D.because

36.  A.jumps                      B.moves            C.pauses                D.turns

37.  A.from time to time     B.at the same time     C.on time             D.in no time

38.  A.read                         B.had read           C.was reading       D.had read

39.  A.wonders                   B.knows             C.realizes               D.fears

40.  A.what                        B.which            C.that                   D.where

 

When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously(同时的)about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.

During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group,  they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.

Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.

There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond the brain bias of their children. Since a girl' s brain is better organized to send and receive speech, we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.

1.While watching TV with others, women usually talk a lot because they       

A.are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends

B.can both talk and watch the screen at the same time

C.think they can have a good time and develop relationships

D.have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands

2. After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to              .

A.experience the happy time again

B.keep a close tie with her

C.recommend her a new scenic spot

D.remind her of something forgotten

3.What does the author want to tell us most?

A.Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication

B.Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men.

C.Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts.

D.Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Women Are Socially Trained to Talk

B.Talking Maintains Relationships

C.Women Love to Talk

D.Men Talk Differently from Women.

 

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