Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Professor Reason recently persuaded 35 people to keep a diary of all their absent-minded actions for two weeks. When he came to analyze their embarrassing errors, he was surprised to find that nearly all of them fell into a few groups. One of the women, for instance, on leaving her house for work one morning threw her pet dog her earrings and tried to fix a dog biscuit on her ear. "The explanation for this is that the brain is like a computer," explains the professor. "People programme themselves to do certain activities regularly." It was the woman's custom every morning to throw her dog two biscuits and then put on her earrings. "But somehow the action got reversed in the programme." About one in twenty of the incidents the volunteers reported were these "programme assembly failures." Twenty percent of all errors were "test failures" -- mainly due to not verifying the progress of what the body was doing. A man about to get his car out of the garage passed through the back yard where his garden jacket and boots were kept, put them on -- much to his surprise. A woman reported, "I got into the bath with my socks on." The commonest problem was information "storage failures". People forgot the names of people whose faces they knew, went into a room and forgot why they were there, mislaid something, or smoked a cigarette without realizing it. The research so far suggests that while the central processor of the brain is liberated from second-to-second control of a well-practiced routine, it must repeatedly switch back its attention at important decision points to check that the action goes on as intended. Otherwise the activity may be gotten by another frequently and recently used programme, resulting in embarrassing errors. Question: The purpose of the professor's research is to _ . - show the difference between men and women - sort and explain some errors in human actions - find the causes which lead to computer failures - compare computer functions with brain working
sort and explain some errors in human actions

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A dog can't speak words, but it can "talk". It has feelings just as you do. At times it may feel angry or afraid. Watch a dog closely. You can see what it is trying to tell you. When you are afraid, you may look down shyly. A fearful dog looks away from you. It may run away too. When you are angry with people, you stare at them and press your lips together. An angry dog also stares. Sometimes the hair along its back stands up. Do you feel _ when you have done something you shouldn't? Dogs can feel guilty, too. At times when I come home, my dog gives me a guilty look. Then I know he's done something wrong. Dogs need love and attention. Some dogs are very unhappy when they are left alone for a long time. Some dogs even snap if they don't get enough attention. You may have a dog or you may know a dog. Treat it well if you want to have fun with it. Play with it. Take it for a walk. Don't order it round too much. Try not to punish it one time and not the next for doing the same thing. Always remember, a dog has needs and feelings just as you do. Talk to a dog, it'll talk to you, too. Question: You can tell that a dog has done something bad when _ . - its hair stands up - it runs away from you - it has a guilty expression - its lips are pressed together
it has a guilty expression

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart. How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you. I know of a few people that don't have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke? Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to avoid the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together. Question: In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to _ . - talk about his own understanding of humor - encourage people to be humorous in daily life - introduce a practical way to get through daily life - convince people of the power of being optimistic about life
A: encourage people to be humorous in daily life

Q: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Sports is not only physically challenging, but it can also mentally challenging. Criticism from coaches(trainers), parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create too much anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological, and research has showed that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable. The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware(realize), at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents' and coaches' criticisms to heart and find a flaw in themselves. Coaches and parents should also be cautious(careful) that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today's youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on(pay more attention to) the outcome and find fault with youngsters' performances. Positive reinforcement should be provided in spite of the outcome. Research shows that positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress(pressure), which can lead to burnout. Question: The author's purpose in writing the passage is - to persuade young children not to worry about criticism - to emphasize the importance of positive reinforcement to children - to discuss the skill of combing criticism with encouragement - to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout
A: to emphasize the importance of positive reinforcement to children