Boredom and Creativity
Most of us think of being bored at work as a negative experience, but a new study suggests it can have positive results including an increase in creativity because it gives us time to daydream.
That is the finding of Dr. Sandi Mann from the University of Central Lancashire. Dr. Mann conducted two studies. In the first experiment, 40 people were asked to carry out a boring task. They were told to copy numbers out of a telephone directory for 15 minutes. After that they were asked to complete another task. A pair of cups were given to each of them. Everyone tried to come up with different uses of the cups, and was given a chance to display their creativity. Meanwhile, another group of 40 people were just asked to come up with uses for the cups without doing any boring tasks before. It turned out that the 40 people who had first copied out the telephone numbers were more creative than the control group(对照组).
To see if daydreaming was a factor in this effect, a second boring task was introduced that allowed even more daydreaming than the boring writing task. This second study saw 30 people copying out the numbers as before, but also included a second group of 30 reading rather than writing them.
Again the researchers found that the people in the control group were least creative, but the people who had just read the names were more creative than those who had to write them out. This suggests that more passive boring activities, like reading or perhaps attending meetings, can lead to more creativity. Compared with reading, writing reduced the scope（范围） for daydreaming. As a result, it reduces the effects of boredom on creativity.
Dr. Mann says: “Boredom at work has always been seen as something to be avoided, but perhaps we should accept it in order to promote our creativity. What we want to do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work -- or do they go home and write novels?”
小题1:Who proved to be the most creative in the two studies?| A．The people who attended meetings. | | B．The people who did the reading task. | | C．The people who invented uses for cups. | | D．The people who copied telephone numbers. |
小题2:The studies conducted by Dr. Mann indicate that creativity results from _______. | A．creative tasks | | B．controlled activities | | C．the range of daydreaming | | D．reading and writing ability |
小题3:What is Dr. Mann’s attitude towards boredom at work? | A．Positive. | | B．Skeptical. | | C．Subjective. | | D．Disapproving. |
小题4:What will Dr. Mann probably continue to research in their study? | A．The real causes of creativity. | | B．The actual use of boredom. | | C．The practical reasons of boredom. | | D．The writing ability improved by boredom. |
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小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:B |
试题分析：文章介绍了Dr. Mann做的一项新的调查，让人厌烦的工作也有它积极的一面，然人们做白日梦的同时，也会提高人们的创造力。
小题1:细节题：从文章第四段的句子：but the people who had just read the names were more creative than those who had to write them out.可知在两个调查中最有创造力的人是做阅读任务的人，选B
小题2:细节题：从文章第四段的句子：Compared with reading, writing reduced the scope（范围） for daydreaming. As a result, it reduces the effects of boredom on creativity.
可知Dr. Mann做的调查暗示创造力从白日梦而来，选 C
小题3:细节题：从文章第一段的句子：but a new study suggests it can have positive results including an increase in creativity because it gives us time to daydream.
可知Dr. Mann对工作厌烦的态度是积极的，选A
小题4:推理题：从文章最后一段的句子：What we want to do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are.可知Dr. Mann下一步要研究厌倦的实际用途。选B |
核心考点
试题【Boredom and CreativityMost of us think of being bored at work as a negative expe】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Even while in a deep sleep, people can still learn brand new information. Sleepers soak in new associations between smells and sounds, knowledge that lingers(逗留）into the next waking day, researchers report online August 26 in Nature Neuroscience.
The new study is the first to show that entirely new information can get into the sleeping mind, says Anat Arzi of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. "The brain is not passive while you sleep. It"s quite active. You can do quite a lot of things while you are asleep."
But the results don"t mean that Spanish vocabulary tapes now have a place on the nightstand. L, Researchers have tried but largely failed to find evidence that complicated information, such as new pairs of words, can make its way into the brain during sleep.
Instead of trying to teach people something complicated like a new language, Arzi and her colleagues relied on the sense of smell and hearing. As anyone who has walked by a dumpster（垃圾车）in July knows, smells can cause a nose-jerk reaction. Catching a bad smell automatically makes people inhale(吸气)less, reducing the size of the inhale. But scent of fresh bread causes a long, deep inhale.、rzi and her team took advantage of this reaction for their experiment.
As people slept in the laboratory, the researchers delivered pleasant scent, such as shampoo. As this nice smell got into the sleepers" noses, the researchers played a particular music. Later, a disgusting smell, such as rotten fish or meat, was paired with a different music. Neither the smell nor the sound woke people up. After just four exposures to the smell-music pair during a single night, the sleepers started to automatically respond to the tones without the accompanying smells, taking in bigger breaths when the shampoo-associated tone played and smaller breaths when played the sound linked to the rotten fish smell.
This new learned association lingered into the next waking day, too. Even though the sleepers had no idea they had been exposed to smells or sounds, their behavior proved that their brain had actually learned something during sleep. As before, the shampoo sound stimulated a long, deep inhale, while the rotten fish tone caused more shallow breaths.
小题1:We can infer from the passage that| A．while sleeping, we can learn whatever we want to learn | | B．we will increase the size of inhale if we catch a pleasant smell | | C．the knowledge we learned while sleeping will be forgotten in the next waken day | | D．when walking by a bakery, the fresh bread will cause a nose-jerk reaction |
小题2:What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?| A．One can’t acquire complicated knowledge during the sleeping hours. | | B．Spanish vocabulary tapes now have a place on the nightstand | | C．Researchers have tried to find evidence that the new words can be learned during sleep. | | D．Complicated information can make its way into the brain during sleep |
小题3:How do Arzi and her team do their research? By| A．giving instructions | B．analyzing human brains | | C．following the guides of others | D．doing experiments |
小题4:In which part of a website may this passage most likely appear?| A．Culture. | B．Science. | C．History. | D．Economy. |
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When times get tough，we all look for ways to cut back.When we"re hungry，we eat at home instead of going out.We take buses instead of taxis.And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer.With college expenses at alltime highs，high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education.
One costcutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor"s degree in three years instead of four.Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient.But there"s a question：Would the quality of undergraduate(本科生)education suffer？ Few US universities have formally approved a “threeyear degree”model.
I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a threeyear curriculum(课程)any time soon.For one thing，most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits(学分)．In addition，at famous universities，the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out”one quarter of the required credits.Professors will resist “diluting(稀释)”the quality of the education they offer.
In my opinion，a quality fouryear education is always superior to a quality threeyear education.A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major.It is not a good idea to water down education，any more than it"s not a good idea to water down medicine.If we want to help students find their way through university，we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation.We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible.We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in meaningful parttime jobs that relate to their university studies，such as the fiveyear coop program at Northeastern University.
小题1:The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.| A．explanation | B．definition | | C．introduction | D．comment |
小题2:In most US universities，________.| A．college students are offered the coop program | | B．electives" credits make up one quarter of the required credits | | C．all students are required to finish fouryear education before graduation | | D．some excellent students can graduate ahead of time |
小题3:We can infer that ________.| A．the author is a college professor | | B．the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford | | C．the author considers the university education quality very important | | D．the author pays special attention to the allround development of college students |
小题4:Which of the following can be the best title?| A．It"s time to shorten the learning process | | B．Best learning takes place over time | | C．University education should be watered down | | D．College education calls for reform |
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According to body language expert Robert Phipps，the way people sleep at night actually determines a lot about the type of personality they have.Phipps has identified four sleeping positions that affect personality.
Phipps found that worriers，those who stress the most，tend to sleep in the fetal(胎儿的)position.He found that this is the most common bedtime position，with nearly 58 percent of people sleeping on their side with knees up and head down.The more we curl up(蜷曲)，the more comfort we are seeking，according to Phipps.
The second most common position is the log.Sleeping with a straight body，with arms at each side，as if they are standing guard at Buckingham Palace，indicates stubbornness，and these people(the 28 percent who sleep this way)often wake up stiffer than when they went to sleep.
“The longer you sleep like this，the more rigid your thinking is and you can become inflexible，which means you make things harder for yourself，”according to Phipps.
Yearner(向往型)sleepers are next on the list.About 25 percent of people sleep in this style—on their side with arms stretched out in front，looking as if they are either chasing a dream or perhaps being chased themselves.Yearners are typically their own worst critics，always expecting the best results，explained Phipps.These people often wake up refreshed and eager to face the challenges of the day ahead.
Perhaps the most peculiar(奇怪的)of sleep styles is the freefaller position.This sleep style makes up 17 percent of the population.They sleep face down with arms stretched out.These people，according to Phipps，feel like they have little control over their life.Not only is this the strangest of sleep styles，but also the least comfortable，and people may wake up feeling tired and have no energy.
In conclusion，Phipps has only one more thing to add：“A good night"s sleep sets you up for the following day and our sleeping positions can determine how we feel when we wake.”
小题1:Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．A Good Night"s Sleep Sets You Up for the Following Day | | B．Your Personality Depends a Lot on How You Sleep at Night | | C．How You Sleep at Night Affects What You Do the Next Day | | D．Which Sleeping Position Helps You Sleep Comfortably |
小题2:Which of the following pictures is the fetal position?
小题3:The underlined word“rigid”is closest in meaning to “________”．| A．stubborn | B．flexible | | C．comfortable | D．strange |
小题4:Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP：Central P：Point Sp：Subpoint
C：Conclusion |
You know how wonderful you are，and you know that others know how wonderful you are，but what do you do when admiration crosses over the line into jealousy？For most teens there will come a day when you realize that one of your friends is jealous and that this jealousy is hurting your friendship.When this happens it can seem like there is nothing that you can do，but the good news is that there is.Don"t let jealousy spoil your relationships.Tackle it head on and you might be back to normal much sooner than you think.
It can be hard to walk up to a friend and ask them what the problem is，but if you want to save your friendship you"ll have to do just that.Don"t approach them and ask why they are jealous of you (unless of course you want to appear totally conceited)，just take some time alone with them and let them know that you"ve been feeling like there"s been something coming between you.If they refuse to respond，then use the opportunity to explain how you have been feeling.Chances are that something you say will strike a nerve and your friend will open up as well.
When you figure out what is annoying your friend，ask him or her what (s)he thinks would make the situation better.If，for example，(s)he says that (s)he feels like (s)he doesn"t get to spend any time with you because of your being off with your new friends from the swim team then maybe you could invite her along the next time or block off one day a week for just the two of you.Remember，though，that whatever solution you decide on should be a compromise.Don"t limit your own talents or opportunities simply because your friend is unhappy.Try instead to include him or her in your new life and see how that works out.
Even the best of friendships can be tinged by jealousy.This destructive emotion is rarely productive and can turn best friends into worst enemies.Before taking extreme action，chat with your jealous friend to see if the two of you can work out a compromise.If you can"t，be prepared to know exactly how far you will go to keep your friend and how far you won"t.
小题1:According to the author，the jealousy emotion is ________.| A．normal | B．productive | | C．destructive | D．extreme |
小题2:Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to confront your friend when jealousy happens?| A．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her why he/she is jealous of you. | | B．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her what the problem is. | | C．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know how you feel. | | D．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know you think there"s something coming between you. |
小题3:The purpose of the passage is ________.| A．to explain what causes jealousy | | B．to offer some advice on making friends | | C．to introduce the way to cope with a jealous friend | | D．to explain how destructive the jealous emotion is |
小题4:What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?| A．There"s always a solution to solve the problem of jealousy. | | B．Jealousy can turn best friends into worst enemies. | | C．You may lose a friend to keep your own gifts，chances or selfdevelopment. | | D．You should go a long way with your friend to work out a solution |
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Nowadays robots can not only talk and dance，but also answer your questions in English.They are “____”．The following is the first Chinamade “beauty”____.
A new 168cm high “beauty” robot who has not yet been____looks wonderful in a red wedding____.She can act as a tour guide，a receptionist，____a hostess.
Her face____the beautiful facial characteristics of many girls.And her eyes can move.
“The robot is the first human simulation(仿真)____in China，and she is____with the most advanced voice and movement control technologies and____communicate with humans，” said Li Chengrong，chief____of the robot，who works for the Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Automation.“She replies ‘____’ if you praise her by saying ‘You are so____’．”
The sentences that the robot can understand and say are____at present.“We will improve her in the future，to make her talk___with human beings，” Li said.
___the “beauty” will work as a receptionist and tour guide in Sichuan Science Museum，she has been programmed to____the southwestern dialect that is popular in inland Sichuan Province.
Li said the lab____for designing and making the robot was 300,000 yuan (37,500 U．S.dollars)．The robot is equipped with interactive technologies.It is____to most advanced robot in the world—Asimo，____by Japanese automaker Honda.Asimo，____can walk at a speed of one mile per hour and climb up and down stairs，costs about one million U．S.dollars.
| 小题1: | | A．receptionists | B．hostesses | | C．beauties | D．guides |
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| 小题2: | | A．robot | B．cushion | | C．carpet | D．fingernail |
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| 小题3: | | A．invented | B．designed | | C．made | D．named |
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| 小题4: | | A．dress | B．clothes | | C．shoes | D．skirt |
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| 小题6: | | A．contains | B．includes | | C．connects | D．combines |
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| 小题8: | | A．desired | B．piled | | C．equipped | D．scanned |
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| 小题10: | | A．designer | B．declarer | | C．junior | D．haircutter |
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| 小题11: | | A．Go ahead | B．Thank you | | C．Sorry | D．With pleasure |
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| 小题12: | | A．holy | B．pretty | | C．elegant | D．outgoing |
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| 小题13: | | A．developed | B．complicated | | C．limited | D．improved |
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| 小题14: | | A．happily | B．slowly | | C．particularly | D．freely |
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| 小题15: | | A．Since | B．If | | C．Unless | D．When |
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| 小题16: | | A．study | B．speak | | C．ignore | D．understand |
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| 小题18: | | A．familiar | B．similar | | C．opposite | D．reasonable |
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| 小题19: | | A．produced | B．obeyed | | C．envied | D．tested |
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| 小题20: | | A．which | B．where | | C．when | D．who |
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