Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (負面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.

A．keep rewards better in their memory

B．recall consequences more effortlessly

C．make risky decisions more frequently

D．learn a subject more effectively

【小題2】According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.

A．ways of making choices	B．preference for pleasure
C．tolerance of punishments	D．responses to suggestions

【小題3】The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.

A．women find it easier to fall into certain habits

B．men have a greater tendency to slow down

C．women focus more on outcomes

D．men are more likely to take risks

Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校園). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention
Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes   
Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet   
A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights   
Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus   
As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking 
Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35
【小題1】Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.

A．find your stolen bicycle	B．get your serial number
C．receive free repair services	D．settle conflicts with walkers

【小題2】When you ride a bicycle on the campus, ___________.

A．ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks

B．cycle at a speed of over 15 mph

C．put the walkers’ right of way first

D．call the police before leaving in a case of accident

【小題3】If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined  _ ________.

A．$25

B．$30

C．$35

D．$40

【小題4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus.

B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus.

C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus.

D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus.

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows，there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist(社會心理學家)Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co－workers carried out their study by videotaping(錄像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control(控制)the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question－asking the parents do，the higher the children’s IQ scores.”
Lewis says，“And the more children there are，the less question－asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹)．Lewis found that in families with three or four children，dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child，who has the most to talk about，and the youngest，who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible(看不見的)，”says Lewis.“ When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child.” There is，however，one thing that stops all conversations and prevents anyone from having attention：“When the TV is on，” Lewis says，“ dinner is a non－event.”
【小題1】The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

【小題2】Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ________.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

【小題3】By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3，Lewis means that middle children ________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．a(chǎn)re often kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

【小題4】Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．It is important to have the right food for children.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．Parents should talk to each of their children often.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

The word “death” is a word many Chinese friends tell me I should not say aloud. They advise me to avoid the word because only speaking of it may bring ill fortune. I deeply believe, however, that to know how to live, we must also know how to die. The problem is how we talk about death.      
Like everyone in Taiwan this week, I have had “Tomb Sweeping Day”. I am proud to be part of a people whose culture sends millions of families to cemeteries on this special day to share memories and endless love.
Today, eight days after the death of Pope John Paul II, millions of people of all backgrounds still grieve(悲痛) his passing away. He was a deeply human person who knew how to laugh and show emotions, a writer with a gift for words a leader who appealed to us by the sheer light of his love for life.
On the same day and only hours before the Holy Father left us, a friend of mine named Veronica McBride died of cancer in a small Wisconsin city. My friend Veronica was 52 years old. She was an attractive, humorous young woman who, as the saying goes, “never married”. She published several humor books with her mother, Mary McBride. She enjoyed traveling, and for years sent Christmas card photos of herself standing beside monuments or odd animals. She fought cancer for five years. She joked about her treatment keeping her pretty because it kept her thin, and told me she didn’t mind losing her hair because of chemo therapy. “I get to wear nice wigs!”
The last time I saw Veronica was when I visited her family on a sunny day in August in 2003. When she burst into the front door later and saw me in the living room, she ignored me completely in her hurry to hug her newest baby nephew, leaving me shaking my head in laughter at her.
As we look to the significance of the Holy Father and his life, surely we must also keep our eyes open to see the wonder and goodness in ordinary people who show us how to live and how to die.
【小題1】The purpose of the article is ___________.

A．to memorize his friend Veronica

B．to talk about the significance of life and death

C．to teach us how to face life and death

D．to compare his friend and the Holy Father Pope John Paul II

【小題2】The underlined phrase “chemo therapy” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.

A．a(chǎn) medical treatment	B．a(chǎn) kind of cancer
C．a(chǎn) kind of medicine	D．the newest machine

【小題3】Why does the writer compare the Holly Father with his friend?

A．Because they are both the persons he admires.

B．Because they have a lot in common.

C．Because he wants to show that ordinary people can be great as well.

D．Because he wants to memorize them both.

【小題4】From the phrase “burst into”, we can see that Veronica is ____________.

A．brave

B．sportive

C．humorous

D．energetic

Supermarket Morrisons today announced to launch an online shopping operation within two years in a move to catch up with its web-savvy rivals. The UK's fourth biggest supermarket said Morrisons.com would offer grocery and non-food products but would take time to build from zero.
As part of its online development, Morrisons - the only one of the "Big Four" grocers to have a significant internet business - revealed it had invested £32 million in a 10% stake of a New York-based online grocer. The announcement came as Morrisons posted a 13% increase in underlying pre-tax profits of £869 million in the year to January 30.
Morrisons is implementing a growth strategy which is focused on expanding its e-commerce business and moving into the convenience store market. It has earmarked £3 billion in investment over the next three years. The supermarket floated the idea of launching its own website last year and today is the first firm commitment to realising that goal.
Last month, the company took its first major step to launching an online operation with the acquisition of internet retailer Kiddicare for £70 million. The company said this move, along with the 10% "strategic" stake in American online grocer FreshDirect announced today, would help it launch its own website in the future. FreshDirect was launched in 2002 and serves 600,000 customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The deal will see Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips join the company's board.
Morrisons also revealed it would open three convenience stores, around 3,000 sq ft in size, in July under the name M Local. The shops will be located in Morrisons' heartland in the north of England, in neighbourhoods around the M62 motorway. The company said the convenience business was the second-fastest growing part of the market. Rival models include Tesco Metro and Sainsburys Local.
【小題1】FreshDirect severs 600,000 customers in          .

A．Connecticut

B．New Jersey

C．New York

D．certain states

【小題2】Which would help Morrisons launch its own wesbsite in the future?

A．Taking measures to beat its rivals as quickly as it could

B．Offering enough grocery and non-food products from zero

C．Building more convenience stores and market in the United States

D．Launching an online operation with the acquisition of interest retailer

【小題3】Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Morrisons Has Many Business Rvials

B．Morrisons Will Launch an Online Operation

C．Morrisons Switches to Run Online Shopping

D．Morrisons Wants to Establish Branches

Nowadays, millions of lonely singles are now going online instead. The World Wide Web is quickly becoming the world’s most popular matchmaker（媒人）.
Singles are flocking（涌向）to the Internet mainly because their busy lifestyles leave them little time to look for a significant other. Using dating sites（約會網(wǎng)址）is quick and convenient. Many singles say the regular dating scene has just led them from one bad experience to another and are ready to try something else. Dating sites also make it easy to avoid someone you are not interested in. In the real world, however, ignoring someone you don’t like can be difficult.
Despite all the advantages, online dating also presents its own set of problems. People aren’t always those who they declare to be in their online description. Safety is another concern. You are just likely to find a criminal online as you are Mr. or Miss Right.
Online dating experts recommend following a few safety tips:
Guard your personal information. Never give out your personal information online. This includes your last name, phone number, home address and place of work.
Watch for red flags. Do any of the people you are chatting with make disrespectful comments? Do they try to control you? Do they give false information about themselves? If so, forget them!
Meet in a safe place. When meeting someone in person, choose a public location with other people around.
Following these tips and you might be able to find the person of your dreams.
【小題1】According to the passage, many lonely singles don’t appreciate the regular dating scene because it is _____________.

A．unpopular

B．troublesome

C．convenient

D．forgettable

【小題2】The underlined words in the second paragraph “a significant other” means _______”.

A．a(chǎn) true friend

B．a(chǎn) matchmaker

C．a(chǎn) marriage partner

D．a(chǎn) happy family

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT a suitable place for meeting someone you get to know through the Internet for the first time?

A．At his / her house.

B．At the museum.

C．At McDonald’s.

D．At the bookstore.

【小題4】From this passage, we can infer that ____________.

A．there are mostly homely and unemployed people online

B．the police had better find criminals online

C．we can find love only through the dating sites

D．following safety tips ensures a safe online dating experience

You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to our MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries, and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense to listen on your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone and it's not for you.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. F or example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.
【小題1】The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph Two probably means "_________."

A．the type of music	B．the length of a song
C．the amount of a sound	D．the colour of an MP3 player

【小題2】We should turn down the mu sic when we are alone because loud music_________.

A．is not enjoyable	B．hurts our ears
C．is bad for MP3 players	D．makes us tired

【小題3】If we listen to our MP3 player a t a play, _________.

A．we will miss part of the play	B．the actors will get angry
C．others won't hear the play well	D．the theatre won't allow it

【小題4】We can take one earphone out when we _________.

A．have dinner with our parents	B．talk to friends on the phone
C．watch a sporting event	D．show others the way

【小題5】What can be the best title of this passage?

A．Music Lovers	B．MP3 Players
C．Music Manners	D．MP3 Earphones

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friend can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friends your parent don’t like?
【小題1】Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.

A．friends

B．teachers

C．brothers and sisters

D．classmates

【小題2】When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.

A．go to their friends	B．talk with their parents
C．have a discussion with their family	D．talk with their friends on the phone

【小題3】Which of the following is DIFFERENT in meaning from the sentence “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends.”?

A．Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends.

B．Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends.

C．Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends.

D．Some parents may want their children to stop to meet their good friends.

【小題4】 Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy.

B．In all families, children can choose everything they like.

C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better.

D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.

【小題5】The main idea of this passage is that ___________.

A．Teenagers need friends

B．Friends can give good advice

C．Parents often choose their children’s friends for them

D．Good friends can communicate with each other

We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（機制） - like those used on coupon（優(yōu)惠券） sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.
Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.
Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.
“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”
Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.
Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential（連續(xù)的） mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.
The researchers' analytical（分析的） model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.
“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario（方案） because they offer consumers a greater benefit.
【小題1】It can be learned from the text that ______.

A．the short time horizon is the reason why group-buying has been successful.

B．a(chǎn) simultaneous mechanism is where a group of buyers has the advantage of knowing how many people have signed up.

C．a(chǎn) sequential mechanism allows a herding effect which boosts the confidence of the buyers.

D．researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management carried out an experiment about why group buying sites entered the market successfully, such as Mercata and MobShop.

【小題2】The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

A．to become or to make something greater in amount, number, value

B．to remove or get rid of something

C．to deliberately not include something in what you are doing or considering

D．to make something known to somebody

【小題3】What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Secret for marketing success – boosting confidence.

B．Secret for group-buying mechanism—herding effect.

C．Comparison between a simultaneous mechanism and a sequential mechanism.

D．What others do influences our decisions.

They may be small and not able to speak, but babies are proving their amazing cleverness. Scientists began finding infants’ skills are more than they are supposed to be.
_________
Speaking of music, babies can’t seem to resist it. Not only are their ears turned to the beats, babies can actually dance to the music.
To test babies’ dancing ability, the researchers played recordings of classical music, rhythmic beats and speech to infants, and recorded the results. They also invited professional dancers to analyze how well the babies matched their movements to the music. The babies moved their arms, hands, legs feet and heads in response to the music, much more than to the speech. The finding suggests this dancing ability is innate(與生俱來的) in humans, though the researchers aren’t sure why it becomes weaker later in their life.
Learning Quickly while Sleeping
Babies can learn even while asleep, according to a 2011 study. In experiments with 26 sleeping infants, each just 1 to 2 days old, scientists played a musical tone followed by a puff of air to their eyes 200 times over the course of a half-hour. 124 electrodes(電極) stuck on the head and face of each baby recorded brain activity during the experiments. The babies rapidly learned to foretell a puff of air upon hearing the tone, showing a four-time increase on average in the chances of tightening their eyelids in response to the sound by the end of the experiments.
As newborns spend most of their time asleep, this newfound ability might be crucial to rapidly adapting to the world around them and help to ensure their survival, researchers said.
Judging Characters Well
Judging another person helpful or harmful is crucial when choosing friends. And that ability starts early. Kiley Hamlin of Yale University showed both 6-and 10-month-olds a puppet(木偶) show, in which one character helped another climb a hill. In another scene a third character pushed the climber down. The little ones then got to choose which character they preferred. For both age groups, most babies chose the helper character. This character-judging ability could be baby’s first step in the formation of morals, Hamlin thought.
【小題1】Which of the following subtitles can fill in the underlined blank?

A．Dancing to Music	B．Babies’ Amazing Abilities
C．Learning to Dance Quickly	D．Born to Dance

【小題2】The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to______.

A．the finding	B．the dancing ability
C．the response	D．the baby

【小題3】The experiment with 26 sleeping infants prove that_______.

A．babies can learn even while asleep

B．babies can respond to the world around them

C．babies can tighten their eyelids in response to the sound

D．babies can communicate with others while asleep

【小題4】In the last experiment, most babies chose the helper character, showing that________.

A．babies can judge a person helpful or harmful

B．babies love to see a puppet show

C．babies were born to help others

D．babes have learned to help others