Ⅰ.阅读理解
There is some unwelcome news for students preparing for exams and officers putting in long hours—you don't need that “refreshment (提神) break” as much as you may think.
Scientists believed it was not easy for people to continue their work if they felt the need to have a snack or a rest to make them feel better. They argued that the only way to regain willpower is by supplying more energy to our bodies with rest, food or entertainment.
But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is in your head. They found that a person's mindset (理念) and belief in willpower determine how long and how well they'll be able to work on a tough mental exercise. “If you think of willpower as something that's limited, you're more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task，” said Professor Veronika Job. “But if you think of willpower as something that is not easily depleted, you can go on and on.”
The researchers led by Mr Job designed an experiment to test the students' beliefs about willpower. After a tiring task those who believed or were led to believe that willpower was a limited resource performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over.
Mr Job said, “Students who may already have trouble studying are being told that their powers of concentration are limited, and they need to take frequent breaks. But a belief in willpower as a nonlimited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.”
The findings could help people who are battling with temptation(诱惑): people following strict diets and doing exercise regularly to lose weight, people trying to overcome addictions, employees facing a tough task. Willpower isn't driven by a biologically based process as much as we used to think.
本文是一篇说明文。以前人们认为意志力的来源是有限的，心理学家对意志力有了新的理论，认为意志力存在人脑中，对我们的行为能够产生很大的影响。
1．What opinion did scientists have in the past?
A．Willpower was a limited resource.
B．It was hard to regain willpower.
C．Hardworking people seldom took breaks.
D．People could easily feel tired when working.
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段第二句“They argued that the only way to regain willpower is by supplying more energy to our bodies with rest, food or entertainment.”可知他们认为长时间工作后需要休息，食物和娱乐活动来重新获得意志力，所以他们认为意志力是有限的。故A项正确。
2．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “depleted” in Paragraph 3?
A．Given up. B．Recovered.
C．Used up. D．Changed.
答案：C
解析：词义猜测题。根据前句“If you think of willpower as something that's limited, you're more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task”可知如果你认为意志力是有限的东西，在执行困难的任务时，你更可能会疲惫；本句中的But是关键词，说明与上句形成转折，所以此处是指如果你认为意志力很难被耗尽，那么你就可以坚持下去。故C项正确。
3．The following groups can benefit from the findings except .
A．patients following strict diets
B．children liking to watch TV
C．smokers trying to give up smoking
D．employees facing a new but wellpaid task
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中“The findings could help people who are...facing a tough task.”可知选D。
4．Why does the author write the text?
A．To explain the power of willpower.
B．To show us how to build willpower.
C．To tell us the ways of gaining willpower.
D．To introduce a new theory on willpower.
答案：D
解析：写作意图题。作者在第二段里介绍了以前人们对意志力的看法，第三段第一句“But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is in your head.”告诉我们心理学家有了新的观点，下文主要介绍了关于意志力的新的发现。所以本文介绍了关于意志力的一种新的理论。故D项正确。
