Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help? Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind. Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain's emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making. However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking. All emotions affect our thinking and motivation , so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there's one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world. According to the text, what may help us make better decisions? A) To think about happy times. B) To make many decisions at a time. C) To stop feeling regretful about the past. D) To learn about the process of decision-making.
D
Victor's hobby was collecting stamps. He had stamps from many countries, like England, Canada and China. On his birthday, can you guess what people gave him? That's right---stamps. Victor's favourite stamps came from France. He had almost every stamp from 1954 to 2004. He only needed one. That was a 1974 special edition*. It was very hard to find. He looked for it everywhere. He asked his friends and s to help him. But nobody could find the stamp. It made Victor very sad. "Don't worry. Never give up," his father said to him. "If you have enough _ , you'll find it one day." "I hope so," Victor said. Victor also liked writing. He had a penfriend in France. They wrote to each other every month. Victor's penfriend, Phillip, usually used new stamps to send letters. Sometimes, his mother gave him stamps to use. Once Phillip's mother gave him a big, green stamp. It looked old. When Victor received the letter, he was very surprised. On the envelope, he looked carefully at the stamp. It was the 1974 special edition stamp. Victor was so happy. He told his sister, his mother and his father. " You see," his father said. " You did find your stamp. So, it's good to have two things in life." "What are they?" Victor asked. " Friends and patience." He answered. Who owned the special edition stamp at the very beginning? A) Phillip. B) Phillip's mother. C) Victor. D) Victor's father.
B
Q: There's no shortage of web sites offering deals-everything from daily deals to members-only private sales.But when it comes to real jaw-dropping deals, there's one company that seems to have figured out a out a way to really deliver. The company is called QuiBids and they auction the hottest, in-demand electronics like Apple ipads and ipods, as well as other items like gift cards from the top retailers .Unlike other sites, the prices people pay are nowhere near retail.How low are the prices? $33.84 for a new Apple ipad 32 GB(retail $600) $22.10 for a new Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera(retail $1070) Our first reaction on seeing these prices was disbelief.After all, how cold QuiBids possibly afford to sell these items for so little-surely they must be losing a lot of money. That's where its unique business model comes into play.You see, for every bid a buyer places for an item on QuiBids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder.The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for. But best of all, participating in the QuiBids auction is incredibly fun.Because each each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids.Each auction has a strict time limit.When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids cone in.If you have the winning bid when the cock runs out-you win the item for that price. But the best part of Quibids may be the "Buy-It-Now"feature.This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don't cost you anything! Which might be the most suitable title for the passage ? A) How to Buy New Must -have Electronics B) Buy Products for Next to Nothing C) The Most Successful Shopping Website D) Tips on Shopping Online
A: B
(Question)
Freda Bright says, "Only in opera do people die of love." It's true. You really can't love somebody to death. I've known people to die from no love, but I've never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can't love one another enough. A hear-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to the raise. The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festival meal. She wondered if someone from the office had tipped him off, or --- did he just somehow know that she would not get turned down? She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read: "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you." Someone has said that the measure of love for his wife is love without measure. What this man feels for his wife is total acceptance and love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction. Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, "What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. And love your friends. Love them without measure." That the husband prepared her a second letter about her raise suggests that _ . A) he loves her because he believes that she is sure to receive a raise B) he has a great way to promote his wife's love towards him C) he has a false love for people even if the person is his wife D) he loves his family members truly, whether they are in good conditions or not
(Answer)
D