Danielle Steel, America’s sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into the book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.

Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problems of death, new babies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her work shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books had been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.

Not satisfied with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden GateBridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable (独特的) style. There is only one Danielle Steel.

1.Danielle Steel is different from other writers because ________.

A. she can write several books at the same time

B. she often does some research before writing a book

C. she is one of the most popular American women writers

D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

2. Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know ________.

A. how to deal with affairs at school

B. what to do if Max and Martha die

C. what to do when new babies are born into their families

D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

3. One of Danielle Steel’s achievements is that ________.

A. some TV plays were based on her books

B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men

C. one of her books became a best-seller in 1998

D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

4. We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel ________.

A. lives an exciting life

B. values her readers a lot

C. writes about quiet women

D. is pleased with her achievements

Soaping up your hands may do more than just get rid of germs. It may wash away the inner confusion you feel right after being forced to make a choice between two appealing choices, according to a new study. The study builds on the past research into a phenomenon known as “the Macbeth effect” (麦克白效应).

It turns out that Shakespeare was really onto something when he imagined Lady Macbeth trying to clean her conscience by rubbing invisible bloodstains from her hands.

A few years ago, scientists asked people to describe a past wrong act. If people were then given a chance to clean their hands, they later expressed less guilt than people who hadn't cleaned.

This finding interested W. S. Lee, a researcher. “Anything from the past, any kind of negative emotional experiences, might be washed away,” says Lee.

He decided to test hand washing's effect on one kind of bad feeling:the tension we feel after being forced to choose between two attractive choices, because picking one choice makes us feel that we've lost the other. People usually try to calm this inner conflict by later exaggerating (夸大)the positive aspects of their choice.

He had students rank 10 different music CDs. Then he offered students two of the CDs and told them to select one as a gift. Some students then used liquid soap. Others only looked at the soap or sniffed (闻)it. “Actually, you do not need water and soap,” says Lee.

Later, the students again had to rank all the music CDs. People who didn't wash their hands had the normal response — they scored their take-home CD higher, suggesting that they now saw it as an even more attractive one than before. But this wasn't true for the hand washers. They ranked the music about the same. “They feel no need at all to justify (证明…正确)the choice,” says Lee.

But the effects of it just aren't clear. Schwarz says it’s too soon to know whether people should head for a sink after making a tough choice. He says washing may help decision-makers by cleaning away mental disorder. But perhaps if they don't go through the usual post-decision process of justifying their choice, they might feel more sorrow in the long run.

1.“The Macbeth effect” refers to the fact that ______.

A. Lady Macbeth had a habit of washing hands

B. people feel less ashamed after washing their hands

C. Macbeth knew about the importance of cleaning hands

D. Shakespeare used to wash his hands before writing Macbeth

2.In Lee's experiment, those who didn't wash their hands after making a choice ________.

A. valued their choice more than before

B. felt regretful about their choice

C. wished they had washed their hands

D. didn't care about their choice

3.According to Lee, those hand washers consider justifying their choice ________.

A. scientificB. usefulC. unnecessaryD. convincing

4.What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?

A. Washing hands is a habit in our daily life.

B. Washing hands is to keep hands clean.

C. Washing hands will help you make a better choice.

D. Washing hands can reduce the stress of decision.

If you've ever been to a social gathering, you might feel awkward and uncomfortable. While social gatherings can be very enjoyable, especially when you are surrounded by people whose company you enjoy, there are social events that you sometimes find yourself wishing you were someplace else. Such occasions can sometimes be the cause of much anxiety and self-consciousness. You may even feel like everyone else is having a good time except for you. Yet the truth is that everyone has felt shy and awkward on occasion. One of the best ways to overcome self-consciousness or get past your feelings of shyness at social gatherings is to focus on the people around you. If you can remember that other people might also be feeling awkward or shy, you might find the thought of speaking to them less overwhelming.

The next time there is a social event you feel nervous about attending, you may want to try this exercise: Spend some time with your eyes closed and breathe deeply. When you feel ready, create your own zone of comfort by visualizing yourself surrounded in a warm white light that is protective yet accepting of others. Imagine people at the event being drawn to you because of the open and warm feelings that you are showing. When you arrive at the event, take a moment to spread this same light of loving acceptance to everyone around you.

Smile and greet people warmly. Try going up to someone who is standing alone and introduce yourself. When you show acceptance and openness, people can't help but respond to you in kind.

Focusing on how we can make other people at a social gathering feel at ease can help us forget about our own insecurities. The next time you attend a social gathering, invite people to join you in your zone of comfort that you have so lovingly and intentionally created. Let yourself enjoy being encircled in the warmth of their friendships.

1.In the author's opinion, people feel awkward at a social gathering because ________.

A. the atmosphere is unpleasant

B. they don't like the people there

C. they are too proud to talk with others

D. they may feel they are different from others

2.The underlined word "visualizing" in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.

A. introducingB. persuadingC. imaginingD. forcing

3.If you feel uncomfortable about attending a social event, the author advises you to ________.

A. invite some friends

B. arrive ahead of time

C. talk with others nonstop

D. be open and warm to others

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. How to make a good impression on others.

B. How to feel at ease at a social gathering.

C. How to prepare for a social gathering.

D. How to make friends with others.

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