German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future ac
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German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.
The paper，published this March in Psychology and Aging，examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96.The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.
Survey respondents (受访者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10，among other questions.
The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction，while middleaged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future.Adults of 65 and older，however，were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction.Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would，the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.
“We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade，”wrote Frieder R．Lang，a professor at the University of ErlangenNuremberg.
Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.
“Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (预防措施)，”the authors wrote.
Surprisingly，compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes，respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline.Also，the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.
The authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions.Illness，medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes.
However，the researchers said a pattern was clear.“We found that from early to late adulthood，individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic，to accurate，to pessimistic，”the authors concluded.
小题1:According to the study，who made the most accurate prediction of their future life satisfaction?| A．Optimistic adults. | | B．Middleaged adults. | | C．Adults in poor health. | | D．Adults of lower income. |
小题2:Pessimism may be positive in some way because it causes people________.| A．to fully enjoy their present life | | B．to estimate their contribution accurately | | C．to take measures against potential risks | | D．to value health more highly than wealth |
小题3:How do people of higher income see their future?| A．They will earn less money. | | B．They will become pessimistic. | | C．They will suffer mental illness. | | D．They will have less time to enjoy life. |
小题4:What is the clear conclusion of the study?| A．Pessimism guarantees chances of survival. | | B．Good financial condition leads to good health. | | C．Medical treatment determines health outcomes. | | D．Expectations of future life satisfaction decline with age. |
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答案
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:D |
解析
德国的一项研究表明，与悲观者相比，对自己的未来过于乐观的人在未来10年更容易出现残疾或死亡。该研究还发现，年轻人组对自己未来生活的满意度的期望过高，中年人预测相对准确，而老年人往往低估自己未来生活的满意度。
小题1:解析：选B。细节理解题。第四段说，18～39岁的年轻人组高估自己对未来生活的满意度，65岁及以上年龄组往往低估，而40～64岁的中年人组对自己未来生活的满意度估计更准确一些。
小题2:解析：选C。推理判断题。第六段说，Lang和他的同事认为，对自己未来悲观的人比乐天派对自己的日常行为更小心，第七段说，这样的人可能会采取预防措施(应对潜在的危险)，因此选C项。
小题3:解析：选A。推理判断题。第八段说，与身体不好、收入不高的人相比，身体好或者收入高的受访者往往预料自己这两方面(好身体或高收入)将来会下降得更厉害，研究者说高收入往往与身体出现 残疾的风险相联系，因此选A项。B项说他们将来会很悲观，而文章讲的是他们现在对将来的估计；C项说他们将来会出现精神疾病，而本段说的是这样的人群对将来的预计，觉得自己将来的身体和收入状况都会下降，因此B、C不对。
小题4:解析：选D。推理判断题。文章前几段提到不同年龄组对自己未来生活满意度的估计。从叙述看，年轻人太乐观，中年人较实际，老年人更悲观，看来对未来生活满意度的期望是随着年龄而递减的，最后一段也有明确的提示，因此选D项。 |
举一反三
Here is an astonishing and significant fact：Mental work alone can’t make us tired.It sounds absurd.But a few years ago，scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳)．To the amazement of these scientists，they discovered that blood passing through the brain，when it is active，shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer，we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products.But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein，it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned，it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning.The brain is totally tireless.So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情感的) attitudes.One of England’s most outstanding scientists，J.A.Hadfield，says，“The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin.In fact，fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.”Dr.Brill，a famous American scientist，goes even further.He declares，“One hundred percent of the fatigue of a sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored，anger，anxiety，tenseness，worry，a feeling of not being appreciated－those are the emotions that tire sitting workers.Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue.We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.
小题1:What surprised the scientists a few years ago?| A．Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood. | | B．Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn out after a day’s work. | | C．The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. | | D．A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. |
小题2:According to the author，which of the following can make sitting workers tired?| A．Challenging mental work. | | B．Unpleasant emotions. | | C．Endless tasks. | | D．Physical labor. |
小题3:What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ ideas?| A．He agrees with them. | | B．He doubts them. | | C．He argues against them. | | D．He hesitates to accept them. |
小题4:We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic，sitting workers need to ________.| A．have some good food | | B．enjoy their work | | C．exercise regularly | | D．discover fatigue toxins |
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The United States is not part of the Kyoto Protocol.But since 2005 more than 1,000 mayors across the country have agreed to sign their own version of the protocol.
It is called the United States Conference of Mayors" Climate Protection Agreement.Local leaders have agreed to follow the suggestions of the Kyoto Protocol in their communities.They have also agreed to urge state and federal governments to follow these suggestions.One goal is to reduce air pollution to the 1990 levels by 2012.
A “green” city might work on several kinds of environmental goals and programs.These include air quality，reducing electricity use, green building, public health, the reuse of materials, water quality and clean transportation.
The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect the environment through action, law and science.One of its online projects is called Smarter Cities, which lists some cities that have made important environmental steps.
Washington，D.C.is also a leading city for green roofs，with over 92,000 square meters of green rooftops.The city also launched a program called “Skip the Bag，Save the River.”Stores charge people a fivecent tax for using plastic or paper shopping bags instead of reusable bags.Money from the tax will be used to clean up a local river.
New York City is using water as a renewable energy source.For several years, the city has experimented with water in the East River to create energy.Officials operating the program recently asked for permission to put into place 30 river turbine devices.
The people of Portland, Oregon are among the top recyclers in the nation.People living there recycle over half of the waste they throw out.The city has also worked to provide green transportation by providing safe bike paths and free parking spaces where electric cars can get recharged.
In Oakland, California, you can ride on one of several public hydrogenpowered(氢气作燃料的) buses.These buses release zero pollution into the air.However，they cost about five times more than common buses.
小题1:The United States Conference of Mayors" Climate Protection Agreement is aimed at________.| A．reducing energy use | | B．reducing air pollution | | C．improving public health | | D．reusing waste materials |
小题2:Why are shoppers charged a fivecent tax for buying shopping bags?| A．To clean a local lake that has been polluted. | | B．To get enough money for the green roof project. | | C．To prevent shoppers from using reusable bags. | | D．To collect money for an environmental project. |
小题3:New York City is cited as an example of________.| A．building green rooftops | | B．making transportation clean | | C．being good at recycling waste | | D．using renewable energy source |
小题4:Which of the following cities encourage citizens to use bicycles?
A．Washington，D.C. B．New York.
C．Portland. D．Oakland.
小题5:One obvious disadvantage of adopting hydrogenpowered buses is________.| A．its high cost | B．side effect | | C．zero pollution | D．large space |
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It"s hardly surprising that weather is a favorite topic for so many people around the world—it affects where we choose to live, what we wear, our moods, and perhaps even our national characteristics.Studies have shown that changeable weather can make it difficult to concentrate, cloudy skies slow down reaction, and hot，dry winds make many people badtempered.
If you live in a place like Britain, where the weather seems to change daily if not hourly，you could be forgiven for thinking that the weather is random.In fact the weather is controlled by systems which move around areas of the globe.In the UK the weather depends on depressions (低压气流), often called lows，and anticyclones(反气旋)，also known as highs.These systems start in the Atlantic Ocean, and make their way across the British Isles from the west to the east.Highs bring sunny weather, while lows bring rain and wind.In modern times, human activities seem to be altering weather patterns.Gases produced by heavy industry change the temperature of the earth"s surface，and affect cloud formation.Some researchers say that factories in Europe and North America may have been one of the causes of the droughts in Africa in the 1980s.
The human race has always tried to guess the weather，especially in areas of the world where there are frequent changes.Traditional rhymes point to early attempts to identify weather patterns; popular poems include：
Red sky at night, shepherd"s delight；red sky in the morning, shepherd"s warning.
Flies will swarm before a storm.
Rain before 7，clear by 11.
While folk wisdom can provide a guide to help forecast weather, today"s methods of prediction increasingly rely on technology.Satellites, balloons，ships, aircrafts and weather centers with sensitive monitoring equipment, send data to computers.The data is then processed, and the weather is predicted.However，even this system cannot predict weather for longer than about a week.
小题1:When weather keeps changing，________.| A．people become badtempered | | B．people"s reaction slows down | | C．people find it hard to focus on their work | | D．people find it easy to focus on their work |
小题2:The weather in Britain is________.| A．random | B．moist | | C．depressing | D．satisfying |
小题3:According to a traditional rhyme, if there is a red sky at night, the next day will be________.| A．windy | B．rainy | | C．fine | D．snowy |
小题4:Which of the following statements is TRUE?| A．Anticyclones often bring rain and wind. | | B．Weather forecasting has been done for a long time. | | C．Weather could never be predicted. | | D．Modern methods of weather prediction are developed from folk wisdom. |
小题5:What is mainly talked about in the second paragraph?| A．Changes in weather. | | B．Weather in Britain. | | C．African droughts. | | D．Research on weather. |
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Mulch is a protective cover of material that is spread on top of soil.It is usually made out of organic material, like crop waste.Farmers may keep the remains of maize or other crops on top of the soil.This creates mulch on the soil surface.The plant remains help protect the soil against wind and water damage.Mulching is one of the best things people can do for their plants.It also helps keep the soil from getting dry, and reduces the need for watering plants.It also limits temperature changes in the soil.And it stops unwanted plants, or weeds，from growing.
Organic mulch improves the condition of soil.As the mulch breaks down, it provides material which keeps the soil from getting hard.This improves the growth of roots and increases the movement of water through the soil.It also improves the ability of the soil to hold water. Organic mulch contains nutrients for plants.It also provides a good environment for earthworms and other helpful organisms in the soil.
It is easy to find organic mulch materials.Cutup leaves and small pieces of tree bark can be used.Grass cuttings are also a good mulch for plants. Mulch from newspapers works well in controlling weeds.
The best time to add mulch depends on your goal.Mulch provides a thick barrier between the soil and the air.This helps to reduce temperature changes in the soil. As a result，mulched soil will be cooler than other soil in the summer.In winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply as other soil.The best time is after the ground has frozen, but before the coldest weather arrives.Spreading mulch before the ground has frozen may attract small animals searching for a warm place to spend the winter.Delaying the spreading should prevent this problem.The animals will probably find another place to live.
小题1:The author tells us the following EXCEPT________.| A．what mulch is and its benefits | | B．the best time to add mulch | | C．what can be mulched on the soil surface | | D．the bad effects of mulch |
小题2:The following can be used as organic materials to make mulch EXCEPT________.| A．tree barks | B．cutup leaves | | C．grass cuttings | D．plastic |
小题3:Which of the following is the benefit of mulch?| A．Protecting the soil against wind and water damage. | | B．Keeping the soil wet and reducing the need for watering plants. | C．Reducing temperature changes in the soil and stopping unwanted weeds
growing. | | D．All of the above. |
小题4:The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that organic mulch can________.| A．improve the condition of soil | | B．improve the ability of the soil to hold water | | C．provide a good environment for earthworms | | D．improve the growth of roots and increase the movement of water through the |
soil
小题5:From the last paragraph, we know ________.| A．the best time to add mulch is in spring and summer | | B．the best time to add mulch is after the coldest weather arrives | | C．the best time to add mulch depends on weather | | D．choosing the best time to add mulch can avoid attracting small animals |
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Twothirds of the world"s major rivers have now been disrupted with more than 50,000 dams in an attempt to store water and provide power.In the US，there are more than 85,000 dams，disrupting large and small rivers，and in most cases transforming natural flow.The most famous of these，the Hoover Dam，constructed in the 1930s，is mainly responsible for the fact that the Colorado River no longer reaches the ocean.
Dams，besides all their attractive benefits，also have negative impacts.Creating a reservoir means a large area must be flooded.Communities may lose their land，houses and culturally important sites.
Environmentally，the new reservoir can be a paradise for wildlife，especially birds；however，it can cause greenhouse gas emissions and poison the water.Also，the dramatic rise and fall of water levels during dam releases is too extreme for plants and animals to cope with，resulting in dead zones around the shores of reservoirs.Fish that lay their eggs in the shallows，for example，may find a few hours later that those sites are high and dry.
Downstream(在下游方向)of a dam，the flow may be reduced so that farmers cannot irrigate their fields.Many rivers run through national borders，which may cause conflict over precious water.Disputes have been continuing between India and Pakistan，and Turkey，Syria and Iraq，for example.
Dams don"t just block the flow of water.They also prevent fish migrations，and dams are a barrier to sediment(沉淀物)flows.Instead of rushing downriver，sediments get backed up against the dam wall，which causes the reservoir level to increase over time.However，sediments which are rich in nutrients have become a problem.The fertility of the entire system can be influenced，with soils lost during seasonal rains not being replaced.
Perhaps the biggest problem can be seen in deltas，which are sinking into the oceans.Groundwater is being extracted to feed the city，causing the city to sink，and sediments washed away by the ocean are no longer being replaced.The result is that sea level rises in cities from Shanghai to Alexandria.
小题1:The Hoover Dam is mentioned in the passage in order to show________.| A．dams play an important role in our life | | B．dams have impacted the flow of the rivers | | C．dams make people lose their land and houses | | D．dams have many benefits as well as side effects |
小题2:What effects does creating a reservoir have on people"s life?
a．People will see fewer birds on the sides of the rivers.
b．Farmers will have less water to irrigate their fields.
c．Visitors can"t visit some cultural relics any more.
d．More conflicts and wars over water will break out.
e．More kinds of fish will become extinct in future.小题3:With many dams built across the rivers，fish ________.| A．will find more places to lay their eggs | | B．will face a dangerous habitat | | C．will be fed on more sediments rich in nutrients | | D．will find it easier to deal with the rise of water |
小题4:How can dams influence large cities like Shanghai?| A．Their entire system will be influenced. | | B．The rainy season will last longer. | | C．They will lie below sea level in future. | | D．Rich soils will be washed away. |
小题5:What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．Environmental loss of dams. | | B．Cultural loss of dams. | | C．Economic gain of dams. | | D．Environmental benefits of dams. |
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