Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理学家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.

However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

1.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.

B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

2.Damasio’s study suggests that _________.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision making

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

3.Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.

B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.

D．They are too angry to bargain.

4.What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision making.

B．Sad people always make worst choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

My love affair with the sea began when I was no more than six years old, walking along the sandy beaches. I always wanted to make the first set of footprints in the wet sand.

Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea’s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of. Soon, wearing a snorkel and a mask, I made my first solo adventures in the deep.

Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, in San Diego, asking how I might learn more about the sea.

A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received. During one of their cruises that summer, I met Dr. Robert Norris, a marine geologist. He loved the sea almost as much as I did. Soon he was asking me what my plans were and where I expected to attend college. I told him I didn’t know, so he suggested I consider his school, the University of California in Santa Barbara.

Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor. If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter. The undersea world is not our natural world. It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes. At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark. It is easy to get lost in such a world. I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, meteorology, geology, biology, and many other things. While I was in school, I took a little of everything.

I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S. Navy. If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn’t want that to happen. In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on expeditions so that we could explore the wonders of the deep.

Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come.

1.In Paragraph 5, the writer discusses “the laws of the physical world.”Which of the following is an example of one of the laws?

A．Water pressure.

B．Various ocean animal life.

C．The appearance of the water.

D．The different colors of the ocean.

2.In college, the writer took many different types of courses because he _____.

A．was not sure what he wanted to study

B．was advised to take them by Dr. Robert Norris

C．believed it would help him succeed in the Navy

D．thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean

3.The writer joined the Navy to _______.

A．develop his leadership skills

B．get along with people under stress

C．learn about the dangers of the ocean

D．gather specific information about ocean life

4.What would the writer recommend to students who want to be underwater explorers?

A．Spend time examining your talents.

B．Join groups to learn to get along on a team.

C．Interview explorers to see if they are happy.

D．Study as many ocean-related topics as you can.

That year, in the local school, there was a new math teacher, as well as some new pupils. One of the new kids was the stupidest child that anyone had ever seen. It made no difference how quickly or how slowly they tried explaining numbers to him; he would always end up saying something enormously stupid. Like two plus two was five, seven times three was twenty-seven, or a triangle had thirty corners...

Before this boy arrived, math lessons had been the most boring of all. Now they were great fun. Encouraged by the new teacher, the children would listen to the pieces of nonsense spouted by the new kid, and they would have to correct his mistakes.

Whenever the new teacher asked questions, the stupid kid would stand up but made the wrong answers, the other students all wanted to be the first to find his mistakes, and then think up the most original ways to explain them. To do this they used all kinds of stuff: sweets, playing cards, oranges, paper planes, etc. It didn't seem like any of this bothered the new kid.

However，little Lewis was sure that it was bound to make him feel sad inside. Lewis was sure he would see him crying. So，one day, he decided to follow the new kid home after school. On leaving school, the new kid walked a few minutes to a local park, and there he waited for a while, until someone came along to meet him...

It was the new teacher!

The teacher gave the new kid a hug, and off they went, hand in hand. Following from a distance, Lewis could hear they were talking about math.

1.The math lessons became interesting because of the new teacher's ______.

A．creativity  B．imagination  C．responsibility  D．curiosity

2.The passage implies that the stupidest child ______.

A．was in great need of the math teacher's help after class

B．was by no means slow in math

C．had no gift for math and was slow to learn it

D．disliked both the new math teacher and his lessons

3.According to the passage, Lewis followed the stupid kid in order to ______.

A．learn about where he lived       B．find out if he felt upset

C．say something to comfort him    D．make friends with him

4.What does the underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．To find the new kid's mistakes.

B．To think up the most original ways to explain.

C．To use all kinds of stuff.       

D．To follow him home after school.

"USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?" We often hear such discussions. As China opens its doors, studying abroad has become a dream for many Chinese students. They want to learn about the world.

It's true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Language skills will improve and it may be easier to find jobs.

But there are problems that should be considered(考虑). Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language and getting used to a different culture.

Students must also learn to live without parents' care and deal with all kinds of things they haven't had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad sinking into an ocean of difficulties and giving up easily. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.

Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden(负担) to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?

We know that there are many famous people who succeed in great things through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal(金牌) at the Athens Olympics. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, consider whether studying abroad is the right choice(选择).

1.From the passage, we learn that many Chinese students dream about studying abroad to __________.

A．taste a new life                         B．make a lot of money

C．learn about the world                    D．learn to look after themselves

2.The writer thinks __________ should be considered first before students study abroad.

A．places            B．time              C．money            D．language

3.The writer mentions Liu Xiang in the passage in order to tell us that __________.

A．Chinese teachers are better than American ones

B．studying abroad is not the right choice

C．people can also be successful in China if they work hard

D．Liu Xiang was a gold medal winner

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Studying abroad will cost students' families a lot of money.

B．Studying abroad will make it easy for students to learn well.

C．Studying abroad will help students to improve language skills.

D．Studying abroad will bring students a lot of difficulties in their life.

Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, "Versed".

"I'm delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win," said Armantrout.

"For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising."

Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master's in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.

In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Versed."

"This book has gotten more attention," Armantrout said, "but I don't feel as if it's better."

The first half of "Versed" focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not. "Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry," said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD.

"Versed", published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.

1.According to Rae Armantrout, __________

A．her 10th book is much better

B．her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected

C．the media is surprised at her works

D．she likes being recognized by her readers

2.Which of the following is true of Rae Armantrout?

A．She published a poetry textbook.

B．She used to teach Denise Levertov.

C．She started a poets' group with others.

D．She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.

3.What can we learn about "Versed"?

A．It partly concerns the poet's own life.

B．It is mainly about the American army.

C．It is a book published two decades ago.

D．It consists of three parts.

4.Rae Armantrout's colleagues think that she __________.

A．should write more                      B．has a sweet voice

C．deserves the prize                      D．is a strange professor

5.What can we learn from the text?

A. "Versed" has been awarded twice.      B. Cancer made Armantrout stop writing.

C. Armantrout got her degrees at UCSD.      D. About 2,700 copies of "Versed" will be printed.