Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
People often wonder why some entrepreneurs have greater success than others. Is it habits, connections, luck, work ethic or any other behavior? I believe the key to success is willpower. Willpower is the ability to control yourself. It is a strong determination that allows you to do something difficult. It is a behavior we are born with more than one we learn. However, it is possible to not only learn it, but also strengthen it with constant exercise.
Willpower is just like a muscle; to keep it strong you need to constantly exercise it. People with a great amount of willpower have the discipline to develop positive, successful habits. Even with an incredible amount of talent, without the discipline and motivation to create positive habits, it can be difficult to achieve success.
Willpower and habits go hand in hand. It is critical to create good habits and take the actions necessary to stick to those habits day in and day out for greater success. Almost half of our daily actions are part of our habits and not decisions, so once the correct habits are in place, you will automatically perform those tasks on a day-to-day basis.
The best way to create and stick to a habit is to have strong motivation. It’s easier to change your habits to lose weight if you have a health issue and you want to be around longer for your kids, or if your business is something you’re passionate about. Having a valuable outcome associated with a habit will help you stick to that habit permanently.
The art of self-control is one that most successful individuals have mastered. Self-control enables you to avoid behaviors that don’t contribute to your success and adopt those that do.
Because there is a delayed satisfaction associated with self-control, it can be easy to get off track. However, if you work on sticking to those small positive habits one day at a time, it becomes easier to stay strong and achieve that delayed reward. Once a reward is achieved, it is much easier to continue sticking to your habits.
Questions
46. What does the author say we need to do to strengthen our willpower?
A) Keep it under control.
B) Apply it continuously.
C) Learn from entrepreneurs.
D) Aim at success determinedly.
47. How are almost half of our daily actions performed according to the passage?
A) Out of habit.
B) With determination.
C) Like muscle building.
D) By self-discipline.
48. What will help people stick to doing something constructive automatically?
A) Practising it on a day-to-day basis.
B) Associating it with improving health.
C) Possessing a reasonable amount of talent.
D) Foreseeing the desired outcome it will yield.
49. How does the art of self-control help us succeed?
A) By allowing us to remain clear-headed permanently.
B) By enabling us to take positive actions.
C) By enabling us to alter our behavior constantly.
D) By allowing us to avoid taking risks.
50. Why can it be difficult for us to maintain self-control?
A) Most of us are not in the habit of exercising self-control.
B) We may not get immediate rewards from self-control.
C) Self-control tends to be associated with pains.
D) Self-control only brings about small benefits.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Today, most scientific research is funded by government grants, companies doing research and development(R&D), and non-profit foundations. As a society, we reap the rewards from this science, but we also help pay for it. You indirectly support science through taxes you pay, products and services you purchase, and donations you make.
Funding for science has changed with the times. Historically, science has been largely supported through private patronage, church sponsorship, or simply paying for the research yourself. Today, researchers are likely to be funded by a mix of grants from various government agencies, institutions, and foundations. Other research is funded by private companies. Such corporate sponsorship is widespread in some fields. Almost 75% of U.S. clinical trials in medicine are paid for by private companies. And, of course, some researchers today still fund small-scale studies out of their own pockets. Most of us can’t afford to do nuclear research as a private hobby, but birdwatchers, rock collectors, and others can do real research on a limited budget.
In a perfect world, money wouldn’t matter—all scientific studies would be completely objective. But in the real world, funding may introduce biases. Drug research sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry is more likely to end up favoring the drug1 under consideration2 than studies sponsored by government grants or charitable organizations. Similarly, nutrition research sponsored by the food industry is more likely to end up favoring the food under consideration than independently funded research.
So what should we make of3 all this? Should we ignore any research funded by companies or special interest groups4? Certainly not. These groups provide invaluable funding for scientific research. Furthermore, science has many safeguards in place to catch instances of bias that affect research outcomes. Ultimately, misleading results will be corrected as science proceeds; however, this process takes time. Meanwhile, it pays to examine5 studies funded by industry or special interest groups with extra care. Are the results consistent with6 other independently funded studies? What do other scientists have to say about this research? A little examination can go a long way towards identifying bias7 associated with the funding source.
Questions
51. What does the passage mainly discuss regarding scientific research?
A) Its foundation.
B) Its rewards.
C) Its prospect.
D) Its funding.
52. What do we learn from the passage about researchers like birdwatchers and rock collectors?
A) They have little access to government funding.
B) They can do research with limited resources.
C) They can do amateur work in their own fields.
D) They have no means for large-scale research.
53. What would scientific studies look like in a perfect world according to the author?
A) They would be totally unbiased.
B) They would be independently funded.
C) They would be responsibly conducted.
D) They would be strictly supervised.
54. What does the author say about companies and special interest groups?
A) They try hard to pull down the safeguards for research.
B) They make extra efforts to research their own products.
C) They provide valuable resources for scientific research.
D) They reap the most benefits from scientific research.
55. What does the author think of research funded by industry or special interest groups?
A) Its recommendations should be examined for feasibility.
B) Its misleading results should be corrected in time.
C) Its validity should be checked with additional care.
D) Its hidden biases should be identified independently.
接下来一天做一篇，看来背单词真的有用，基本都能看懂了 ^_−☆
