The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed.” But was positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?

　　Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.

　　The study’s authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is very positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your stupid friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you’re just underlining his faults. In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.

　　In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students’ self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable.”

　　Those with low self-esteem didn’t feel better after the forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts.

　　The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.

1.What do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?

2.What does the word “underline” mean (Line 4, Para. 3)?

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the Canadian researchers’ study?

4.What do we learn from the last paragraph?

Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days.

　　Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found. Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to handle work and family life than the previous generation. As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children.

The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did – just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day. And 64 per cent said this was because they felt they ‘had’ to go out to work, while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they were under constant pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’, the report found.

Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities. Kate Fox, a member of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: ‘With increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift” — to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever.

It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialised nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a ‘primary activity’. Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time – more than two and a half hours – looking after their offspring, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

　　Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or childminders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk.

　　The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them - even if their husband is not in work. A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child - 18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work. Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children.

1.. What does the passage mainly talk about?

   A. The good old days of mothers in the 1970s and 1980s.

   B. The great sufferings of today’s children.

   C. The statistics of working mothers and full-time mothers.

   D. The big problems that today’s working mothers face.

2.. What does the underlined phrase “yearn for” probably means ___________.

A. hate            B. miss           C. abandon         D. control

3. Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Today’s mothers have less time left for their children and themselves.

B. The working mothers can hardly strike the balance between work and family.

C. Most of the mothers can not control their husbands nowadays.

D. Modern fathers do not spend enough time with their children.

4. From para. 4, we can infer that ___________.

   A. working mothers can seek help on line

   B. Skype is a very famous expert in studying social issues

   C. working mothers’ double shift is to be a wife and a mother

   D. Kate Fox has opened a website offering help to working mothers

5.. What critics say means that _____________.

   A. it is wise for working mothers to put their kids in nurseries or childminders

   B. too much time in nurseries or childminders is bad for kids’ mental and physical health

   C. nurseries or childminders are dangerous places for children

   D. children do not like nurseries or childminders at all

The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed.” But was positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?

　　Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.

　　The study’s authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is very positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your stupid friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you’re just underlining his faults. In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.

　　In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students’ self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable.”

　　Those with low self-esteem didn’t feel better after the forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts.

　　The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.

1.What do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?

　 A. It has produced positive results.

　 B. It is a highly profitable industry.

　 C. It is based on the concept of positive thinking.

　 D. It was established by Norman Vincent Peale.

2. What does the word “underline” mean (Line 4, Para. 3)?

　 A. point out        B. lay emphasis on     C. pay no attention to    D. take for granted

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the Canadian researchers’ study?

　 A. Encouraging positive thinking many do more good than harm.

   B. Self-affirmation can bring a positive change to one’s mood.

   C. There can be no simple therapy for psychological problems.

   D. Forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.

4.What do we learn from the last paragraph?

　 A. Meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy.

　 B. People can avoid making mistakes through meditation.

　 C. Different people tend to have different ways of thinking.

　 D. The effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　If you have to miss one meal day（or if you want to do so），which meal will cause you fewest health problems if you don't eat it？ lf they have to make a decision of this type，most people（especially dieters or very busy people）will choose to skip breakfast．

　　However，many experts in the field of health consider breakfast（the meal which “breaks”your“fast”which started the night before）to be the most important meal of the day．If we eat a good breakfast，they say，we will have the energy and nutrients we need to begin our working day with vigor and hopefully with good humor．Nevertheless，many people skip breakfast or substitute a donut and a cup of coffee for a well-balanced meal．What hap-pens if we ignore the importance of breakfast？

　　One recent study conducted in the United States tested a large number of people．Participants included both males and females who ranged in age from 12 to 83．During the experiment，these people were given a variety of breakfasts，and sometimes，they had to skip breakfast completely．Special tests，including blood tests and endurance tests，were set up to analyze how well the participants'bodies functioned when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast．

　　The results showed that if a person eats an adequate breakfast，he or she will work more efficiently and more productively than if he or she skips breakfast or eats a very poor breakfast．This fact appears to be especially true if a person's work involves mental activity．The study showed that if schoolchildren eat fruit，eggs，bread，and milk before going to school，they will learn more quickly and will be able to concentrate on their lesson for a longer period of time than if their breakfast diet is inadequate．

　　The study also showed that，contrary to what many people believe，if you skip break-fast，you will not lose weight．This is because people become so hungry if they skip breakfast that they eat too much for lunch and end up gaining weight instead of losing．So remember，if you are on a diet，skipping breakfast will not help you．You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals．

1．According to the passage，if people must miss one meal a day，most of them would skip________．

[　　]

2．In many experts'eyes in the field of health，which of the following is the most important meal of the day？

[　　]

3．From the recent study，we can find________．

[　　]

A．if a person skips breakfast or eats a very poor breakfast，he or she will work more efficiently and more productively

B．if a person eats an adequate breakfast，he or she will gain weight

C．if a person's work involves mental activity eats a rich breakfast，he or she will work efficiently

D．if a child doesn't eat breakfast，he will learn more quickly

4．Which of the following is true？

[　　]

A．If you skip breakfast，you will work with energy

B．If you skip breakfast，you will lose weight

C．Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

D．If you are off on a diet，you can skip breakfast

.

第二节：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。

Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children's health that isn't as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke。

　　That's the term being 21    to describe the invisible yet poisonous mixture of gases and particles(颗粒) clinging （依附）to smokers' hair and 22    , not to mention cushions and carpeting, that stays long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The remaining  23   heavy metals, carcinogens(致癌物) and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and take  in, 24  if they're crawling or playing on the floor。

　　Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "third-hand smoke" to 25 these chemicals in a new study that 26    on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in the  27    issue of the journal Pediatrics。

　　"Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, 28   they don't know about this," said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School。

　　"When their kids are 29  the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap(用带子捆扎) the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and 30   , and they think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their 31   . We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren't 32   ."

　　The study reported on 33   toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were 34   that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers 35  with the statement that "inhaling smoke from a parent's cigarette can 36    the health of infants and children"。

　　But 37   fewer of those surveyed were aware of the  38   of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that "breathing air in a room 39  where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children"。

　　Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that 40   , which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke.

21.A  told      B discussed     C  used       D  mentioned

22. A shoes      B clothing     C  body        D  mouth

23. A includes    B covers      C finds          D  improves

24. A especially   B specially    C immediately  D  regularly

25. A name       B call        C explain        D  describe

26. A focused     B  tended    C tried           D  worked

27. A later       B latest        C best           D  previous

28. A but        B and         C however        D   or 

29. A alongside   B out of       C in              D  beside

30. A cough     B  talk        C observe         D smoke 

31. A cars       B seats         C kids           D  windows

32. A visible    B  invisible     C poisonous       D concrete

33. A  policies  B  attitudes      C bans            D habits

34. A  told     B content       C  confident       D  aware

35. A opposed   B agreed        C fought          D  connected

36. A harm      B destroy       C improve         D confuse

37. A quite      B very        C far              D  too

38. A chances   B risks          C abilities          D conditions

39. A tomorrow   B today        C yesterday         D  weekend

40. A statement   B mark         C discussion        D prejudice