Book 3 Unit 1 Festivals around the
world
Ⅰ.阅读理解
Managers and office busy bodies might be keen on a clean desk—but it seems that in terms of productivity，they could have it all wrong.A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking，say researchers from Germany.
The researchers found in a series of linked studies—using a messy desk and a messy shop front—that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos，as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.That is，visual and mental clutter(杂乱)forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.For instance，famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Ronald Dahl have been notorious(声名狼藉的)for their untidy desks.
“Messy desks may not be as detrimental as they appear to be，as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can boost work efficiency or enhance employees’ creativity in problem solving，” say the authors.
Oddly，the effect seems to work most on conservatives—political liberals are less liable to be worried about mess in the first place，say the researchers.
“Business and government managers often promote‘clean desk’ policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks，for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity，” writes a researcher，Liu Jia，of the University of Groningen.“This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one’s mind and complicate one’s judgments.”
“However，not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.” The scientists tested people’s response in various messy environments，including a messy shop front，a disorganized desk，and even a work environment where a language task ‘reminded’ people of
messiness.
The authors found in the series of six studies that people tended towards simplicity in their thinking.
“They categorized products in a simpler manner，were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that depicts a simple-looking picture，and sought less variety in their choices，” said the researchers.
1．According to the passage，a proper way to lead people towards clearer thinking is to .
A．make a list of priorities B．simplify the tasks at hand C．follow famous people D．mess up their mind 答案 B
解析 细节理解题。第二段说身处凌乱的环境中时，人们试图使手头的任务简单化，此时思维更清晰。由此可知选B。
2．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A．A messy environment will certainly lead to a messy mind. B．A clean environment will do great harm to work efficiency. C．People tend to clear up the mess before thinking clearly. D．All people are not in favor of “clean desk” in the office. 答案 D
解析 细节理解题。第五、六段说公司和政府管理人员经常推广“干净的办公桌”政策，但并非所有的证据都支持。从这些叙述可判断出D项的陈述正确：并非所有人都喜欢“干净的办公桌”。
3．The underlined word “detrimental” in Paragraph 3 probably means “ ”． A．disadvantageous C．beneficial 答案 A
解析 词义猜测题。语境说杂乱的办公桌并不像它们看起来的那么不好，这样的情况实际上能提高办公效率，从语境的叙述可判断出该词的含义是A项
B．useful D．accessible
“不利的，有害的”。
4．What is the main idea for this passage?
A．The messier the desks are，the more efficient the employees are. B．Messy desks in the office can have a positive effect on employees. C．We should make our office messy to improve our work efficiency. D．Clean desks can boost the employees’ productivity and creativity. 答案 B
解析 主旨大意题。研究人员发现，办公桌凌乱可以让员工效率提高。全文都在介绍这一研究的相关背景，因此选B。 Ⅱ.完形填空
What do you do when no one is watching？Do you 1 doing things？
Do you waste your valuable time？Do you do what you have to do without being told or 2 ？Do you look for ways to be helpful without being 3 ？
Character，the special qualities built into a person’s life， 4 his
response regardless of the environment.
Character 5 the success of every person，family，organization，
community，and nation.You can 6 important character qualities in your life today.That will help you to be truly 7 in everything you do.Also，these qualities 8 influences everyone you come into 9 with at home，at work，at the store，in your community，and on your job.
We don’t live on a lonely island.Your success in life greatly 10 the
successful relationships you 11 with others.We are all in this together.How do you build these relationships？Well，it all 12 with your character of course.
Understanding and building character is at the 13 of real
self-improvement.You will find that many of the men and women of great achievement are described by 14 character attributes(特征) such as bravery，persistence，charity，patience，etc.
In terms of time and energy，it is much more effective (and more enjoyable)
to 15 and balance your character than to try and force a behavior change in yourself.The improvement in character will act to make some negative habits
16 by themselves without the 17 for conscious effort.
By 18 your attention on positive character qualities you will be
improving your outlook on life and you will find that your character also 19 greater levels of harmony.
Remember，it is who you are 20 is most important to your success，
not what you have. 1．A.put off C．care for 答案 A
解析 你是否经常推迟(put off)做事？下句“Do you waste your valuable time？”是提示。 2．A.reminded C．allowed 答案 A
解析 你是否会在未经告知或提醒(remind)的情况下做你该做的事？ 3．A.followed B．cheated C．asked D．told 答案 C
解析 联系上文的几个问题可知，作者问的是关于自觉性方面的问题，故此处用ask表示“还没被要求时就去??”。 4．A.predicts C．shows 答案 B
解析 性格是一种特殊的内在特征，它决定(determine)着一个人的反应。 5．A.expresses C．notices 答案 D
解析 性格影响(influence)着每个人、每个家庭、每个组织、每个社区，甚至每个国家的成功。 6．A.train
B．develop B．chooses D．influences B．determines D．explains B．received D．refused B．suffer from D．go against
C．grow 答案 B
D．find
解析 联系上一句中性格的作用和下一句中它的益处可知，此处指培养(develop)一些重要的性格特征。 7．A.generous C．brave 答案 B
解析 这些性格特征会帮助你在做任何事时都能真正地“成功”。 8．A.positively C．generally 答案 A
解析 联系上文可知，这些会使你成功的性格特征也积极地(positively)影响着别人。由上一句可知，作者的语气是肯定的，故不选possibly。 9．A.operation C．contact 答案 C
解析 联系下文可知，你的这些性格特征会影响与你有接触的人。come into contact with是固定短语，意为“与??接触，联系”。 10．A.carries on C．puts on 答案 D
解析 你人生中的成功极大地取决于(depend on)你跟别人建立的良好关系。 11．A.make C．build 答案 C
解析 表示“建立关系”用build relationships。本段倒数第二句有提示。 12．A.talks C．starts 答案 C
解析 如何跟他人建立关系呢？这当然要从你的性格开始(start)入手。
B．agrees D．ends B．play D．change B．turns on D．depends on B．relation D．state B．possibly D．formally B．successful D．patient