Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin－Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing，” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off－topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read，” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.
【小题1】The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”．

Dear Sirs，

Your shipment(装运)of twelve thousand“Smart”watches was received by our company this morning．However，we wish to make a number of complaints concerning the serious delay in delivery and your failure to carry out our instructions．   

It was stressed from the beginning that the delivery date had to be less than six weeks. While we appreciate that delays in production are occasionally unavoidable．We must point out that the major reason why the order was placed with your company was that we were assured by you that your existing stocks ensure immediate shipment．Late delivery of the goods has caused us to disappoint several of our most valued customers．and is sure to have a negative effect on future orders．

The second complaint concerns the difference in colour．Only half the watches in the delivery received are of the colours we ordered．Our Hong Kong agent assures us that she stressed to you the importance of following our instructions．Since we consider there to be only a limited market in this country for watches of other colours．Any watches that are not of the specified colours will , of course, be returned to you．   

We are also somewhat concerned about the rather poor quality of the goods received．since it is obvious that the watches that finally arrived have been produced from inferior materials and have been made to a lower standard than those in the sample．We have also found that a number of the watches do not appear to be functioning．We should like to point out that we feel this matter to be entirely your responsibility．

As a result of the above problems，therefore，we feel that the most suitable course of action is to return to you unpaid any of the goods considered unsatisfactory，and to deduct(扣除)any costs from our final settlement．We shall also be forced to reconsider whether any further orders should be placed with your company.

We look forward to your immediate reply．

Yours sincerely，

John Smith

1.How many complaints does John Smith make with the“Smart”watch producer?

A．Five．            B．Four．            C．Three．          D．Two．

2.The producer of“Smart”watches were given the order because_________

A．they produced the best watches of its kind in the world

B．the watches would be easy to make and the designs were already prepared

C．they promised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly

D．they claimed the order would be easy since the watches were already in stock

3.Receiving watches in the wrong colours is a problem because_______ 

A．the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfill the order exactly

B．these watches will be difficult to sell．

C． these watches will not be able to get into the limited market

D．people will not buy the watches at present

Now let’s look ourselves as a species in relation to ecosystem balance.Modern scientists believe that humankind, like other animals, evolved(进化) through millions of years of changes and adaptations to the environment and that our most direct evolutionary ancestor was probably an earlier species of the primate(monkey, ape) group. Despite this similarity with other creatures, however, the evolution of humankind differs from that of other species in one important and unique way.
In other species, evolution has led to specialization, both in the species abilities and in its place within the environmental structure. For example, the giraffe is much adapted to feeding on treetops, but it is also specialized and thus limited to feeding on trees and shrubs. Only with great difficulty can it bend down to graze on the ground. Similarly, the anteater is extremely well adapted to eating ants but is unable to catch or eat other animals. The same is true for countless other species.
For humankind it is opposite. Our evolution had led to a very generalized ability. Our highly developed intelligence and ability to make and handle tools mean that we can do almost anything. Humans evolved in such a way that we are able to move into every environment on Earth and even into space. No natural competitor offers great resistance, and other natural enemies such as disease have been controlled.
Said another way, we see in humankind a great imbalance between biological potential and environmental resistance. The result is the rapidly increasing world population, frequently referred to as the population explosion. Further, to support our growing population, natural ecosystems are being increasingly displaced by human habitations, agriculture, and other human supporting activities.
【小题1】From the passage we can infer that in the course of evolution _______.

短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
Dear friends,
I’m awfully sorry to hear that a horrible but severe earthquake unexpected hit your hometown. Facing the rarely-seen disaster, we remain so calm and strong –willed that we are all moved to tear. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Think about your present situation, we can wait a minute to make every bit of effort to help you. I, as a chairman of the Students’ Union, on behalf of all my schoolmates, express our most sincerely pity and care for you. Besides, we have made donation of 120,000 yuan to you, expecting that it can help you go through the difficult. A better hometown can rebuilt. Remember we won’t be far away when you need any help.

There is a problem each of us will face: Apologizing is difficult. We are trapped in what we think of ourselves by holding onto our pride. We can be selfish and not willing to admit our most obvious mistakes. Pride eats away at us as we argue or ignore the mistake. Guilt traps us in its cage of lies and pride as we defend our self-centered minds.

It has happened to me. I have had too much pride and selfishness to apologize to a loved one I had hurt. When I did want to apologize, I couldn’t bring myself to face the other person. This is the pride I’m talking about. Maybe apologies come difficult for men because they’re expected to be dominant(占优势的). It’s like the joke that a man never asks for directions when lost. Ladies are more emotionally open than men and are willing to express their emotion. Still, both genders wonder how to apologize correctly.

How does not apologizing affect other people? They feel hurt and believe that you are not willing to communicate your mistake. They lose trust in you as you hide behind your mistake and avoid reality. They become angry with you, wondering why you will not tell them the truth. They may begin to counter your lack of apologies by not apologizing themselves and then the relationship goes downhill as the two of you get caught in a power struggle.

You need to communicate your mistakes. A mistake you made is like a scratch(划痕) and by not apologizing you are making the scratch a deeper wound and rubbing salt into it. You need to stop hurting the other person and yourself by learning to apologize. There is real power in apologizing and emotional healing.

People find it hard to apologize for their mistakes due to ________.

A. emotional healing                     B. their pride

C. making arguments                     D. being trapped in lies

Why are men more unwilling to make apologies?

   A. They don’t intend to hurt other people.

   B. They are too shy.

   C. They don’t want to be considered as weak.

   D. They think it is not necessary to apologize.

The underlined word “counter” probably means _________.

   A. object to        B. focus on      C. depend on    D. benefit from

What bad effect does it have if you refuse to apologize for your mistakes?

   A. You won’t be focused on by other people.

   B. All people won’t believe in you in turn.

   C. You won’t be forgiven even if you tell the truth.

   D. The friendship will be hurt and trust will be lost.