题型:任务型阅读 题类:模拟题 难易度:困难
江苏省镇江市2019届高三英语一模考试试卷(含小段音频)
Decoding the young brain
There was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child, he asked the child, “What do you think about me?” The child answered, “You talk too much.” When the adult performed the same experiment with another adult, the reply to the same question was, “I think you're a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child, his brain allowed him to take a moment,consider the question, and come up with an answer. He could have been annoyed, but his answer didn't reflect it because he was being polite.
The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child's honest answer was reflected in the fact that his brain wasn't equipped to filter(过滤) information before answering the question. As a result, he was honest, but he said something that may have been hurtful. However, the child did not intentionally hurt the adult; it's just the way his brain works. As a child grows into adolescence and then into adulthood, that changes.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons(神经元). In order for our body to execute a command, like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room, the neurons in the brain have to communicate with each other. They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch and help us remember things.
When the neurons send messages, perhaps one sensation(感觉) the person feels is excitement about eating a cookie because it is so delicious. Later, if that person smells a cookie or hears someone talking about a cookie, it can spark the electrical signals that call up the memory of eating the delicious cookie. In an adult, he or she may remember that eating too many cookies can have consequences, like weight gain. But because the younger brain is more impulsive(冲动的), the desire to feel the pleasure of the sweet treat outweighs the consequences.
That is because when a child is young, his brain is “wired” in such a way that he seeks pleasure and is more willing to take risks than an adult. This affects his decision-making process and it is why younger people tend to be more impulsive. Sometimes parents have to tell their children over and over again before the child remembers that something is dangerous or risky. How many times have we heard a parent say, “I tell her this all the time, but she never listens!”
To conclude, what we know about the young brain is that children are more likely than adults to be impulsive. It isn't always necessarily because they are being naughty; it may very well be because of their brains. So the next time you ask a child what he really thinks of you, be prepared for any kind of answer.
Decoding the young brain |
|
An experiment on a young child |
A young child answered the question the top of his head while an adult paused, and twice before he found an answer. |
Causes of the reflected in the experiment |
The developing brain of the young child contributed to his honest answer. ◆He was more likely to hurt or offend others he didn't intend to do so. ◆It's just the way his brain works and with him growing up, that changes. |
Billions of neurons up the human brain have their own mechanism for functioning. ◆The neurons have to communicate with each other, helping us employ our senses and remember things. ◆A person may the smell of a cookie with the memory of eating it. ◆A younger brain is more impulsive compared with an adult's. |
|
A young child's having a natural to seek pleasure and take risks results from his young brain. ◆This affects his decision-making process and it is why younger people act in an impulsive way. ◆Warned many times before, a young child will still try something or risky. |
|
A conclusion drawn from the experiment |
An adult's ability to control his impulses is much and a young child is not being naughty when they make hurtful or offensive answers. |
Your mobile is now much more than just a communication device - more like a remote control for your life. You still call it a "mobile" from habit, but it is an organizer, entertainment device, payment device and security(安全) center, all developed and manufactured by engineers.
What we do need is better mobiles and more intelligence. Because it knows your travel timetable it can check for problems on the roads or with the trains, giving you the best route into work. It can control your home, reprogramming the central heating if you need to get up earlier and keeping an eye on your home by connecting your mobile with the home security system. It is your payment system—you can pay for tickets for journeys or buy items in shops by placing the phone near a sensor(感应器). With an understanding of location, the mobile can also provide directions, or even tell you if your friends or family are nearby.
Usually it will start work even before you wake. It will work with your home entertainment system while you sleep to find programmes that will interest you and download them as a podcast to watch on the train or in other spare moments. It will intelligently work out what to do with incoming phone calls and messages. Because it knows your diary it will also know, for example, to direct voice calls to voicemail when you are in a meeting, perhaps providing a discrete text summary of the caller and the nature of their call.
With its understanding of almost all aspects of your life; many new services become possible. For example, a “Good Food” meal planning service could send daily suggestions for your evening meal based on learned preferences, previous selections made and the likely contents of your refrigerator.
Ten years ago the mobile was purely a device for making voice calls. Now it is a camera, MP3 player, and texting device. This is only the start of an evolution that will turn it into our trusted and indispensable companion in life.
Mobile phones | ||
Your mobile phone is not only a phone but also a remote control for your {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. | ||
Functions of your mobile phone | Organizer | * {#blank#}2{#/blank#}for problems on the roads or with the trains and find the best {#blank#}3{#/blank#}into work for you. *Control your home's central {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. *Deal with your phone calls and messages and {#blank#}5{#/blank#}voice calls to voicemail when you are in a meeting. *Send daily {#blank#}6{#/blank#}for your meals through a “Good Food” meal planning service. |
{#blank#}7{#/blank#} device | *Find and {#blank#}8{#/blank#}programmes for you to watch. | |
Payment device | *Pay for tickets for journeys or {#blank#}9{#/blank#} items in shops. | |
Security center | *You can look after your home by {#blank#}10{#/blank#}your mobile phone with the home security system. | |
Conclusion | Mobile phones will be our trusted and necessary helpers in life. |
Put a group of strangers in a room together, and they'll probably start a conversation. “Hot today, isn't it?” one might say. “You said it,” another replies.
Why do we talk so much about the weather? When we meet new people, we don't begin by telling them our life story. We start with small talk, a polite conversation about something like traffic or weather.
Research suggests that small talk can build new friendships. When we begin conversations with new people, we want to feel comfortable, and so do they. We use small talk to find common interests. Once we have a common interest, a friendship can begin.
Small talk even helps people get a job. In order to impress at a job interview, you need to bond with the interviewer right away. Proper sma ll talk can make that first impression get you the job.
So, how can you make small talk lead to a new friendship or job? First off, find common ground. Select something around you that you share with the other person.
Next, keep the conversation going. Compliment (赞美) the other person to make him or her feel comfortable, and ask questions to show interest.
Third, keep eye contact. When you loop people in the eye, they feel you appreciate what they are saying. It makes you appear honest and build trust.
Naturally, shy people might not have enough confidence to start up conversations with strangers. Talking to someone you don't know is not the easiest thing to do! Some experts say with more practice, small take does get easier.
Some people avoid small talk because they dislike discussing things like traffic or weather. For them, they are just too small. However, when you think about it, small talk is anything but small. In fact, it is actually a very big deal!
Title | Small Talk: A Big {#blank#}1{#/blank#} |
Introduction | We are likely to make small talk when we {#blank#}2{#/blank#}meet people. |
{#blank#}3{#/blank#} | Small talk can help people form {#blank#}4{#/blank#}friendships. |
Small talk can also help people get {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. | |
Advice | Find some topics {#blank#}6{#/blank#}with the other person. |
Keep the talk going by making compliments and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}questions. | |
Keep eye contact in conversation to build {#blank#}8{#/blank#}. | |
{#blank#}9{#/blank#} more in order to make small talk easier. | |
Conclusion | Small talk really {#blank#}10{#/blank#}a lot to us. |
试题篮