A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking, say researchers from Germany．

The researchers found in a series of linked studies - using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.

Visual and mental clutter（阻塞） forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.

Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been notorious（声名狼藉的） for their untidy desks.

“Messy desks may not be as detrimental（有害的） as they appear to be, as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can improve work efficiency or increase employees' creativity in problem solving,” say the authors.

“Business and government managers often promote 'clean desk' policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks, for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity,” writes lead researcher Jia Liu of the University of Groningen in a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

“This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one's mind and complicate one's judgments.”

“However, not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.”

The scientists tested people's response in various 'messy' environments - including a messy shop front, a disorganized desk, and even a work environment where a language task 'reminded' people of messiness.

The authors found in the series of six studies people tended towards simplicity in their thinking.

“They categorized （分类） products in a simpler manner, were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that shows a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices.” said the researchers.

1. The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that _____．

A．A messy desk cannot contribute to clearer thinking

B．People thought more clearly about a messy desk and a shop front

C．People will feel confused when all around are chaos

D．People manage to simplify the tasks in messy environments

2. Why does the author take Albert Einstein as an example?

A．to support the idea that clearer thinking comes from messy environment．

B．to tell the fact that Einstein was known for his untidy desks．

C．to stop us from learning from Albert Einstein．

D．to call on us to develop a good habit．

3.How do people look at messy environment according to the conventional wisdom?

A．Messy environment will create clearer thinking．

B．Messy environment will simplify one' s judgment．

C．Messy environment can promote work efficiency．

D．Messy environment can block one' s mind．

4. What does the last paragraph imply?

A．People believe messy environment creates clearer thinking．

B．People sought more simplicity in the choices．

C．People were not willing to choose those complicated products．

D．Not all the people accept messy environment and complicated things

    Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand and remember．Churchill warned the British to expect “blood, toil, tears and sweat”; Roosevelt told the Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”; Lenin promised the war-weary Russians peace, land and bread．Straightforward but effective messages．

We have an image of what a leader ought to be．We even recognize the physical signs; leaders may not necessarily be tall, but they must have bigger-than-life, commanding features －- Lyndon Baines Johnson’s nose and ear lobes, Ike’s broad grin．A trade-mark also comes in handy; Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, Kennedy’s rocking chair．We expect our leaders to stand out a little, not to be like an ordinary man．Half of President Ford’s trouble lay on the fact that, if you closed your eyes for a moment, you couldn’t remember his face, figure of clothes．A leader should have an unforgettable identity, instantly and permanently fixed in people’s minds．

It also helps for a leader to be able to do something most of us can’t: FDR overcame polio; Mao swam the Yangtze River at the age of 72. We don’t want our leaders to be "just like us." We want them to be like us but better, special more so. Yet if they are too different, we reject them.

A Chinese philosopher once remarked that a leader must have the grace of a good dancer, and there is a great deal of wisdom to this. A leader should know how to appear relaxed and confident. His walks should be firm and purposeful. He should be able, like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Lke and JFK, to give a good, hearty, belly laugh, instead of the sickly grin that passes for good humor in Nixon or Carter. Ronald Reagan’s training as an actor showed to good effect in the debate with Carter, when by his easy manner and apparent affability, he managed to convey the impression that in fact he was the president and Carter the challenger.

The every simple truth about leadership is that people can only be led where they want to go. The leader follows, though a step ahead. Americans wanted to climb out of the Depression and needed someone to tell them they could do it, and Roosevelt did. The British believed that they could still win the war after the defeats of 1940, and Churchill told them they were right.

A leader rides the waves, moves with the tides, understands the deepest yearning of his people. He cannot make a nation that wants peace at any price go to war, or stop a nation determined to fight from doing so. His purpose must match the national mood.

1．The underlined word “yearning” in the last paragraph probably means_________.

         A．love    B．trouble       C．desire         D．feeling

2．From the fourth paragraph we can learn that_________.

         A．leaders usually look special or different

         B．leaders don’t have to be tall

         C．most leaders look ordinary

         D．leaders should always have trademarks

3．According to the article, a leader_________.

         A．usually tries to simplify our messages

         B．tell us what we want to hear

         C．encourages us to think about things in a new way

         D．is usually confident and handsome

4．From the passage we can infer that          .

         A．it helps for a leader to be able to dance or act well

         B．great leaders are usually totally different from us

         C．Carter was humorous and made good speeches

         D．it is the people rather than the president that makes what a nation is

5．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

         A．Want to be a leader?

         B．What makes a leader?

         C．What does a leader look like?

         D．What must a leader do?

(2013·高考湖北卷)While intelligent people can often________the complex，a fool is more likely to complicate the simple.

A．sacrifice? B．substitute

C．simplify? D．survive

When it comes to eating smart for your heart, stop thinking about short-term solutions and simplify your life with a straightforward approach that will serve you well for years to come.

Smart eating goes beyond analyzing every bite of food you lift  36  your mouth. “In the past we used to believe that  37  amounts of individual nutrients were the 38 to good health,” Linda Van Horn, professor of the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee. "But now we have a 39 understanding of healthy eating and the kinds of food necessary to  40  not only heart disease but disease  41  general," she adds.

Scientists now  42 on the broader picture of the balance of food eaten  43  several days or a week  44 than on the number of milligrams of this or that  45  at each meal.

Fruits, vegetables and whole grains, for example, provide nutrients and plant-based compounds 46 to good health. “The more we learn, the more  47  we are by the wealth of essential substances they  48 ," Van Horn continues, "and how they  49  with each other to keep us healthy."

You'll automatically be  50  the right heart-healthy track if vegetables, fruits and whole grains make 51  three quarters of the food on your dinner plate. 52  in the remaining one quarter with lean meat or chicken, fish or eggs.

The foods you choose to eat as well as those you choose to  53  clearly contribute to your well-being. Without a  54 , each of the small decisions you make in this can make a big 55  on your health in the years to come.

1. A between         B through           C inside                D to

2.A serious          B splendid          C specific          D separate

3.A key              B point             C lead              D center

4.A strict           B different         C typical               D natural

5.A rescue           B prevent              C forbid                D offend

6.A in               B upon              C for               D by

7.A turn             B put               C focus             D carry

8.A over         B along             C with              D beyond

9.A other            B better                C rather                D sooner

10.A conveyed        B consumed          C entered               D exhausted

11.A vital          B initial               C valid             D efficient

12.A disturbed       B depressed         C amazed               D amused

13.A preserve            B contain              C attain                D maintain

14.A interfere           B interact            C occupy            D rest

15.A at              B of                    C on                   D within

16.A out             B into              C off              D up

17.A Engage          B Fill              C Involve               D Pack

18.A delete          B escape                C avoid             D spoil

19.A notion          B hesitation            C reason                D doubt

20.A outcome     B function          C impact                D commitment

You either have it , or you don’t –a sense of direction ,that is．But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map ,while others can lose themselves in the next street?

         Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction ,but it is not property understood how it works．One theory is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it．Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it．we lose it．

         “Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around．” says Jim Martland．Research Director of the project．“However if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car ,they never develop the skills”

         Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction．He makes the following suggestions．

         ●If you are using a map ,turn it so it relates to the way you are facing．

         ●If you leave your bike in a strange place ,put it near something like a big stone or a tree．

Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike．When you return ,go back

along the same route

         ●Simplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town,

streams ,or walls in the countryside to guide you．Count your steps so that you know how

far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to

find out where you are．

         Now you need never get lost again!

60．Scientists believe that       ．

         A．some babies are born with a sense of direction

         B．people learn a sense of direction as they grow older

         C．people never lose their sense of direction

         D．everybody posses a sense of direction from birth

61．What is true of seven-year-old children according to the passage?

         A．They never have a sense of direction without maps．

         B．They should never be allowed out alone if they lack a sense of direction．

         C．They have a sense of direction and can find their way around．

         D．They can develop a good sense of direction if they are driven around in a car．

62．If you leave your bike in a strange place ,you should     ．

         A．tie it to a tree so as to prevent it from being stolen

         B．draw a map of the route to help remember where it is

         C．avoid taking the same route when you come back in it

         D．remember something easily recognizable on the route

63．According to the passage the best way to find your way around is to    ．

         A．ask policemen for directions

         B．use walls．streams , and streets to guide yourself．

         C．remember your route by looking out for steps and stairs．

         D．count the number of landmarks that you see．