Decision-making under Stress
　　A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
　　The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
　　“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
　　For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
　　This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
　　The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
　　Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
　　This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.

阅读理解

　　When people become good at doing the things they like they find themselves.

　　Many young people are good at doing things they do not like, many other young people would like to do something at which they are not good. Also, many do not think they are good at anything, and do not know what they would like to do. None of them are happy.

　　It is impossible to decide whether one likes something until one has tried it. Trying something new is important.

　　Give each idea a fair chance. If you have decided to try out something new, also decided how long you will stick to it. Then you can make a fair decision.

　　The best thing to judge is not the final goal, but the work it takes you to reach that goal. Almost everybody would like to be highly skilled in something, but becoming highly skilled at anything calls for a great deal of time and effect.

　　Finding oneself means not only discovering what one is good at and what one likes; it also means discovering what one is not good at and does not like.

　　So trying something and failing can have its good side. It tells you that you are not fit for that particular area and should not use it as your goal.

1．None of the young people are happy because ________.

[　　]

A．they are good at doing things they are not fond of

B．they would like to do something they are not good at

C．they think they are good at nothing and do not know what they would like to do

D．of all the above

2．You can’t decide whether you like something ________.

[　　]

A．even if you have tried it

B．although you have tried it

C．before you have tried it

D．after it has been tried

3．It takes ________ to become good at something.

[　　]

A．time and money

B．a lot of time and work

C．a lot of work and rest

D．men and time

4．From this passage we know that to find oneself is ________.

[　　]

5．To find oneself one has to know ________.

[　　]

A．his strong points

B．his weak points

C．both his strong and weak points

D．what he likes and what he is good at

One weekend afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting．I was looking forward to a quiet   36   of the splendid artwork．

         A young  37  viewing the paintings ahead of me  38  nonstop between themselves．I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking．I admired the man's   39   for putting up with her  40   stream of words．  41   by their noise, I moved on．

         I met them several times as I moved   42   the various rooms of art．Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away  43   .

         I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a   44   when the couple approached the   45  ．Before they left, the man   46   into his pocket and pulled out a white object．He   47   it into a long stick and then   48   his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket．

         "He's a   49   man, " the clerk at the counter said．" Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age．During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change．So, as before, he and his wife come in   50   there is a new art show．"

         "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked．"He can't see．"

         "Can't see! You're   51  ．He sees a lot．More than you and I do," the clerk said．"His wife   52      each painting so he can see it in his head．"

         I learned something about patience,   53   and love that day．I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without   54   and the courage of a'' husband who would not  55   blindness to change his life．And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined．

1.A．view        　　B．touch                     C．wander       　　　　D．stare

2.A．lady    　　 B．couple  　         C．man            　　　　D．clerk

3.A．yelled           B．argued    C．screamed    　　      D．chatted

4.A．attempt         B．independence   C．patience    　　        D．wisdom

5.A．constant        B．vivid         　　C．casual            D．vague

6.A．Adopted        B．Adapted           C．Disturbed   　　       D．Conducted

7.A．from            B．to             　　C．towards    　    D．through

8.A．anxiously       B．quickly    C．urgently    　　        D．sensibly

9.A．comment              B．purchase  C．decision  　　　        D．profit

10.A．exit          B．entrance    　　C．front   　　　 D．queue

11.A．plugged              B．reached    　　C．held    　　　           D．bent

12.A．lengthened          B．made          　　C．brought    　　          D．broadened

13.A．led           B．found         　　C．tapped    　　  D．forced

14.A．generous             B．rough     C．smart         　　　　D．brave

15.A．wherever 　 B．whatever 　　C．whenever         D．whichever

16.A．unique        B．silly    　　      C．equal            D．wrong

17.A．decorates   B．draws       C．shoves            　　D．describes

18.A．kindness      B．pride       C．courage         D．enthusiasm

19.A．sight          B．support             C．expectation    D．confidence

20.A．get        　　　　B．allow         　　C．hope 　　　　D．cause