In Greek mythology（神话）, the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity（来世）. But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the  two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to  give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.

1. 1.

   The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

   1. A.
      make it easier to understand the passage
   2. B.
      draw readers’ attention to Greek culture
   3. C.
      show Greek people enjoyed being busy
   4. D.
      bring about the subject of the passage
2. 2.

   According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to _________.

   1. A.
      make others think they are not lazy
   2. B.
      keep their energy at the basic level
   3. C.
      earn more money to support their family
   4. D.
      avoid the state of having nothing to do
3. 3.

   The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.

   1. A.
      remained there
   2. B.
      kept occupied
   3. C.
      got around
   4. D.
      stayed awake
4. 4.

   How does Hsee’s assistant probably feel while performing a task?

   1. A.
      Blue.
   2. B.
      Empty.
   3. C.
      Contented.
   4. D.
      Trapped.

In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:

(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.

   (2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（判逆者).. They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World Dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders. However, such alertness（警觉）is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.

41．Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.

       A．the right hand  B．the left hand   C．both hands          D．either of the two hands

42．As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to_____ .

       A．show their independence of Mother England

    B．show their disrespect to Mother England

       C．add a new tradition to those in Mother England

       D．show off their creativeness to Mother England

43．In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means           .

       A．hold                   B．play with             C．pick up               D．lay down

44．Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to          .

       A．Americans                                          B．Europeans

       C．Americans and Europeans separately      D．Europeans and Americans separately

45.What could be the best title of the text?

A. Old World Dining                   B. zigzag method

C. New World Dining                  D. Juggling fork and knife

In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:?

(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.?

(2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.?

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.?

Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.?

A. the right hand    B. the left hand?

C. both hands  D. either of the two hands?

As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _______.?

A. show their independence of Mother England?

B. show their disrespect to Mother England?

C. add a new tradition to those in Mother England?

D. show off their creativeness to Mother England?

In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means _______.?

A. hold   B. play with　　　C. pick up      D. lay down?

Which of the following statements is NOT true??

A. European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.

B. The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.?

C. The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.?

D. European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.

In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor   came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.

Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man apparently（显然地）shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.

In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.

Attitudes to women vary considerably（相当地）around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.

Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).

The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because __________________.

   A. they didn’t know the English language        B. someone called their names

   C. they didn’t know the custom of lining up for a bus

   D. they knocked someone down while getting on the bus

According to the passage, which attitude to women is usual in Japan?

   A. Men always go to parties with women.  

B. Men plan evening entertainments for their wives.

   C. Men and women have equal rights to go to parties.

   D. Men plan evening entertainments for themselves, while their wives stay home.

What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1 ?

   A. 善意的           B. 咨询的            C. 商量的         D. 无礼的

In most towns today, you can see teenagers standing over electronic machines with flashing lights, shooting at spaceships from other planets and dropping bombs on strange monsters(恶魔). The machines have names like Space Warrior, Dark Invader and so on. It used to be believed that damage was done only to those strange visitors from outer space, but now it seems that they are striking back.

Many teenagers like electronic games so much that they can't stop playing. They spend hours tightly holding the joystick controls and constantly pressing buttons marked "fire". They develop pains on their fingers because of the constant pressure. They play and play that the pains have no chance to cure properly. The rapid wrist movement required to guide the spaceship across the screen causes another problem: the muscles of the wrist and arm become so inflamed and swollen(充血红肿) that they press against the bones. This condition is what doctors now call "Space Warrior's Wrist". Other strange aches and pains are also likely to affect the elbows and shoulders.

Another even more alarming problem is shown by the case of a 17-year-old girl which was recently reported in the British Medical Journal. She had been playing various kinds of electronic games for more than two hours a day. Her father repaired games and machines and she could use the cassettes and systems in his workshop as often as she liked. One day, after playing a game called Dark Invader, she lost consciousness(知觉) and fell to the floor. Doctors who examined her found she was suffering from an unusual illness caused by lights flashing at a particular frequency.

Electronic games are found very popular with __________.

A. people living in towns                   B. students studying in high schools

C. girls working in their father's workshops     D. young people age about 13-19

"Space Warrior's Wrist" is caused by __________.

A. constantly pressing the buttons            B. rapidly moving across the screen

C. tightly holding the joystick controls        D. inflamed and swollen muscles of the wrist

The case of a 17-year-old girl given by the writer shows that the writer __________.

A. supports playing electronic games        B. feels very sorry for the girl

C. disagreed with young people's playing electronic games

D. feels happy about young people's poor health

From the passage we can conclude that playing electronic games is __________.

A. enjoyable and helpful to the study

B. exciting but harmful to the health and study

C. interesting but harmless to the eyes

D. amusing and satisfying