專題限時訓練(三十五)　[社會生活型閱讀理解(一)]

　　(限時：25分鐘)

　　(一)

　　Endless playing of songs like All I Want for Christmas Is You in shops during the festive season doesn't just drive us mad—the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.

　　While the repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers' spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact.

　　“‘Background music’ or‘Muzak’ can be used by marketers to impose cultures—such as the commercialization of Christmas—onto consumers and influence their behaviour，” experts said.

　　Dr Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said，“Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy. In other words, this is an attempt to control their shopping habits in a way that they might hardly be aware of.”

　　“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears.”

　　Dr Bradshaw and Professor Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour.

　　It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore they spend more time examining the shelves, for example.

　　Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers.

　　“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways，” Dr Bradshaw said.

　　Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honour of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s.

　　1．According to Dr Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?

　　①their mood　their income　their sense of time

　　④the sort of products they buy

　　A．

　　B．

　　C．

　　D．

　　2．Shopkeepers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to ________.

　　A．let customers spend more time shopping

　　B．make customers and sales assistants relaxed

　　C．let customers enjoy the beautiful music

　　D．help customers find what they really want

　　3．What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?

　　A．Classical music.

　　B．Popular modern songs.

　　C．Folk songs.

　　D．Jazz music.

　　4．What is the best title of the passage?

　　A．Music makes happy Christmas

　　B．Christmas “Muzak”

　　C．How to make Christmas music

　　D．Christmas music makes us spend more

　　(二)

　　Dogs already guide blind and disabled people and now they are to be trained to help people with dementia.The idea developed by some university students will now be put into practice by Scotland Medical Centre.The research is meaningful, for there are 670, 000 people in Britain who have dementia and by 2024 this is expected to rise to one million.

　　Dementia can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water.The dogs would be trained to help to guide them through the day.

　　Joyce Gray from Scotland Medical Centre said, “People in the early stages of dementia are still able to live a relatively normal life, and dogs help them to maintain routine.For example, people with memory loss will tend to forget to take medicine, but if a dog presents them with a bag with pills in it, there's a greater chance of them taking it.”

　　Ms Gray also said dogs were perfectly suited to remind their owners to eat.“The dog has an ability to say ‘it's my feeding time’， so there would be a note in the cupboard next to the dog's food reminding the dog's owner to eat too.”

　　The dogs would also encourage the owners to take them out for walks.“It gives a reason for the owner to go out into the community，” Ms Gray said. “We did a test with an elderly person walking down the high street on his own.Then we gave him a dog on a lead and he did the exact same walk.That time people would come up to him, chatting or smiling and making eye contact.We hope we'd see this with people with dementia too.”

　　There is one more advantage of using the pets as companions.Since conversation can be increasingly confusing for people with dementia, dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.Ms Gray said，“We have found that people may forget familiar faces but not pets.People light up when they see animals.There is a speechless bond between the dog and its owner.”

　　5．What's the common symptom of dementia?

　　A．Going hungry.

　　B．Feeling lonely.

　　C．Forgetting things.

　　D．Waking up at night.

　　6．According to Ms Gray, after feeding the pet, the owner may ________.

　　A．do some washing

　　B．take his medicine

　　C．have something to eat

　　D．go out to walk the dog

　　7．For people with dementia, pets can ________.

　　A．give them wordless help

　　B．contribute to their recovery

　　C．help them to recognize people's faces

　　D．ensure them to gain support from other people

　　8．What's the best title of the passage?

　　A．Guide dogs for the mind

　　B．Pets, faithful companions

　　C．Mental support for the disabled

　　D．Dementia, a curable disease

　　(三)

　　On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore.“It was going down pretty quickly，” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran towards the water.“Water is going to be cold，” she thought.

　　She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.

　　Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to the shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy's suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterwards, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket.“For ten or fifteen minutes, I couldn't stop shaking，” she said.

　　There's nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mum with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run towards danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson is one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots(能手，高手)—19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona—every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: What makes them brave?

　　Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.

　　9．It can be learned from the passage that ________.

　　A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse

　　B．it was spring when the accident happened

　　C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son

　　D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous

　　10．What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?

　　A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.

　　B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce.

　　C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson.

　　D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson.

　　11．How does the writer find other people on the dockside?

　　A．Warm and ready to help.

　　B．Thoughtful.

　　C．Kind of cold-blooded.

　　D．Not skilful at swimming.

　　12．What is the writer's purpose of writing this passage?

　　A．To set us thinking what makes people brave.

　　B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson.

　　C．To remind people of risk while saving others.

　　D．To show people bravery can be learned.

　　專題限時訓練(三十五)【社會生活型閱讀理解(一)】

　　(一)

　　【文章大意】 本文介紹了一項研究發現。商店里面播放的圣誕音樂可以影響人們的情緒，以及他們對時間的感覺和他們買的東西的種類。店主放慢音樂的節奏可以讓顧客花更多時間購物，最終的目的是讓顧客多花錢。

　　1．B　細節理解題。根據第四段“…‘Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy…’”可知，Dr Bradshaw認為圣誕音樂會影響人們的情緒、對時間的感覺和他們買的東西的種類。故選B項。

　　2．A　細節理解題。根據第七段“It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore they spend more time examining the shelves, for example.”可知，店主放慢音樂的節奏是為了讓顧客花更多時間購物，故選A項。

　　3．B　細節理解題。根據倒數第二段“‘A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways，’…”可知，現代的流行音樂經常被改編來影響商店的顧客，故選B項。

　　4．D　主旨大意題。根據第一段“…the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.”可知，圣誕音樂會讓我們花更多的錢，故選D項。

　　(二)

　　【文章大意】 本文介紹了一個最新的調查發現：讓狗去陪伴患有癡呆癥的人，會對他們的生活、思維以及健康都有很大的好處。

　　5．C　細節理解題。根據第二段“Dementia can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water.”可知，癡呆癥常見的癥狀是健忘，故選C項。

　　6．C　細節理解題。根據第四段Ms Gray所說的話可知，在喂完了寵物后，主人可能也記得吃些東西了，故選C項。

　　7．A　細節理解題。根據最后一段的“Since conversation can be increasingly confusing for people with dementia, dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.”可知，對于有癡呆癥的人來說，寵物可以給他們無聲的幫助，故選A項。

　　8．A　主旨大意題。這篇文章介紹了一項調查發現，狗的陪伴會對患有癡呆癥的人的思維有幫助，Guide dogs for the mind是貼切主題的標題，故選A項。

　　(三)

　　【文章大意】 本文講述了Melissa Hawkinson冒著生命危險在冰冷的水中救出被困在汽車里面的孩子，而很多人只是在一旁觀看，由此作者引發感想，是什么讓一些人這么勇敢。

　　9．D　推理判斷題。根據文章的內容可知，Melissa Hawkinson冒著生命危險在冰冷的水中救出被困在汽車里面的孩子，這說明她很善良也很有勇氣，故選D項。

　　10．A　推理判斷題。根據第三段的“She pulled the boy free，swam to shore，and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock.”可知，不是每個人都準備冒險救這個五歲的孩子，故選A項。

　　11．C　推理判斷題。根據文章第四段的“Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day.”可知，作者認為在岸邊圍觀的人有點冷血，故選C項。

　　12．A　寫作意圖題。根據文章倒數第二段的“…What makes them brave？”和最后一段的內容可知，作者的寫作目的是讓我們思考是什么讓人們勇敢，故選A項。

　　專題限時訓練(三十五)　[社會生活型閱讀理解(一)]

　　(限時：25分鐘)

　　(一)

　　Endless playing of songs like All I Want for Christmas Is You in shops during the festive season doesn't just drive us mad—the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.

　　While the repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers' spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact.

　　“‘Background music’ or‘Muzak’ can be used by marketers to impose cultures—such as the commercialization of Christmas—onto consumers and influence their behaviour，” experts said.

　　Dr Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said，“Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy. In other words, this is an attempt to control their shopping habits in a way that they might hardly be aware of.”

　　“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears.”

　　Dr Bradshaw and Professor Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour.

　　It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore they spend more time examining the shelves, for example.

　　Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers.

　　“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways，” Dr Bradshaw said.

　　Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honour of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s.

　　1．According to Dr Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?

　　①their mood　their income　their sense of time

　　④the sort of products they buy

　　A．

　　B．

　　C．

　　D．

　　2．Shopkeepers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to ________.

　　A．let customers spend more time shopping

　　B．make customers and sales assistants relaxed

　　C．let customers enjoy the beautiful music

　　D．help customers find what they really want

　　3．What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?

　　A．Classical music.

　　B．Popular modern songs.

　　C．Folk songs.

　　D．Jazz music.

　　4．What is the best title of the passage?

　　A．Music makes happy Christmas

　　B．Christmas “Muzak”

　　C．How to make Christmas music

　　D．Christmas music makes us spend more

　　(二)

　　Dogs already guide blind and disabled people and now they are to be trained to help people with dementia.The idea developed by some university students will now be put into practice by Scotland Medical Centre.The research is meaningful, for there are 670, 000 people in Britain who have dementia and by 2024 this is expected to rise to one million.

　　Dementia can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water.The dogs would be trained to help to guide them through the day.

　　Joyce Gray from Scotland Medical Centre said, “People in the early stages of dementia are still able to live a relatively normal life, and dogs help them to maintain routine.For example, people with memory loss will tend to forget to take medicine, but if a dog presents them with a bag with pills in it, there's a greater chance of them taking it.”

　　Ms Gray also said dogs were perfectly suited to remind their owners to eat.“The dog has an ability to say ‘it's my feeding time’， so there would be a note in the cupboard next to the dog's food reminding the dog's owner to eat too.”

　　The dogs would also encourage the owners to take them out for walks.“It gives a reason for the owner to go out into the community，” Ms Gray said. “We did a test with an elderly person walking down the high street on his own.Then we gave him a dog on a lead and he did the exact same walk.That time people would come up to him, chatting or smiling and making eye contact.We hope we'd see this with people with dementia too.”

　　There is one more advantage of using the pets as companions.Since conversation can be increasingly confusing for people with dementia, dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.Ms Gray said，“We have found that people may forget familiar faces but not pets.People light up when they see animals.There is a speechless bond between the dog and its owner.”

　　5．What's the common symptom of dementia?

　　A．Going hungry.

　　B．Feeling lonely.

　　C．Forgetting things.

　　D．Waking up at night.

　　6．According to Ms Gray, after feeding the pet, the owner may ________.

　　A．do some washing

　　B．take his medicine

　　C．have something to eat

　　D．go out to walk the dog

　　7．For people with dementia, pets can ________.

　　A．give them wordless help

　　B．contribute to their recovery

　　C．help them to recognize people's faces

　　D．ensure them to gain support from other people

　　8．What's the best title of the passage?

　　A．Guide dogs for the mind

　　B．Pets, faithful companions

　　C．Mental support for the disabled

　　D．Dementia, a curable disease

　　(三)

　　On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore.“It was going down pretty quickly，” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran towards the water.“Water is going to be cold，” she thought.

　　She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.

　　Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to the shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy's suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterwards, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket.“For ten or fifteen minutes, I couldn't stop shaking，” she said.

　　There's nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mum with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run towards danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson is one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots(能手，高手)—19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona—every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: What makes them brave?

　　Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.

　　9．It can be learned from the passage that ________.

　　A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse

　　B．it was spring when the accident happened

　　C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son

　　D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous

　　10．What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?

　　A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.

　　B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce.

　　C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson.

　　D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson.

　　11．How does the writer find other people on the dockside?

　　A．Warm and ready to help.

　　B．Thoughtful.

　　C．Kind of cold-blooded.

　　D．Not skilful at swimming.

　　12．What is the writer's purpose of writing this passage?

　　A．To set us thinking what makes people brave.

　　B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson.

　　C．To remind people of risk while saving others.

　　D．To show people bravery can be learned.

　　專題限時訓練(三十五)【社會生活型閱讀理解(一)】

　　(一)

　　【文章大意】 本文介紹了一項研究發現。商店里面播放的圣誕音樂可以影響人們的情緒，以及他們對時間的感覺和他們買的東西的種類。店主放慢音樂的節奏可以讓顧客花更多時間購物，最終的目的是讓顧客多花錢。

　　1．B　細節理解題。根據第四段“…‘Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy…’”可知，Dr Bradshaw認為圣誕音樂會影響人們的情緒、對時間的感覺和他們買的東西的種類。故選B項。

　　2．A　細節理解題。根據第七段“It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore they spend more time examining the shelves, for example.”可知，店主放慢音樂的節奏是為了讓顧客花更多時間購物，故選A項。

　　3．B　細節理解題。根據倒數第二段“‘A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways，’…”可知，現代的流行音樂經常被改編來影響商店的顧客，故選B項。

　　4．D　主旨大意題。根據第一段“…the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned.”可知，圣誕音樂會讓我們花更多的錢，故選D項。

　　(二)

　　【文章大意】 本文介紹了一個最新的調查發現：讓狗去陪伴患有癡呆癥的人，會對他們的生活、思維以及健康都有很大的好處。

　　5．C　細節理解題。根據第二段“Dementia can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water.”可知，癡呆癥常見的癥狀是健忘，故選C項。

　　6．C　細節理解題。根據第四段Ms Gray所說的話可知，在喂完了寵物后，主人可能也記得吃些東西了，故選C項。

　　7．A　細節理解題。根據最后一段的“Since conversation can be increasingly confusing for people with dementia, dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.”可知，對于有癡呆癥的人來說，寵物可以給他們無聲的幫助，故選A項。

　　8．A　主旨大意題。這篇文章介紹了一項調查發現，狗的陪伴會對患有癡呆癥的人的思維有幫助，Guide dogs for the mind是貼切主題的標題，故選A項。

　　(三)

　　【文章大意】 本文講述了Melissa Hawkinson冒著生命危險在冰冷的水中救出被困在汽車里面的孩子，而很多人只是在一旁觀看，由此作者引發感想，是什么讓一些人這么勇敢。

　　9．D　推理判斷題。根據文章的內容可知，Melissa Hawkinson冒著生命危險在冰冷的水中救出被困在汽車里面的孩子，這說明她很善良也很有勇氣，故選D項。

　　10．A　推理判斷題。根據第三段的“She pulled the boy free，swam to shore，and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock.”可知，不是每個人都準備冒險救這個五歲的孩子，故選A項。

　　11．C　推理判斷題。根據文章第四段的“Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day.”可知，作者認為在岸邊圍觀的人有點冷血，故選C項。

　　12．A　寫作意圖題。根據文章倒數第二段的“…What makes them brave？”和最后一段的內容可知，作者的寫作目的是讓我們思考是什么讓人們勇敢，故選A項。