Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?
Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理学家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.
1.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?
A．To think about happy times.
B．To make many decisions at a time.
C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.
D．To learn about the process of decision-making.
2.Damasio’s study suggests that _________.
A．emotions are the enemy of decision making
B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making
C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds
D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions
3.Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?
A．They often forget their past choices.
B．They make decisions without much thinking.
C．They tend to save time when shopping.
D．They are too angry to bargain.
4.What do we learn from the text?
A．Emotions are a part of decision making.
B．Sad people always make worst choices.
C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.
D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.
1.D
2.D
3.B
4.A
【解析】
试题分析：文章介绍如何做出正确的决定，情感在做决定中的作用，如何利用情感做出正确的决定。
1.细节题：从第二段的句子：Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions.大部分人不知道做决定的思维过程，也就是说，如果知道了这个思维过程，就可以做出正确的判断。选D
2.细节题：从第三段的句子：Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making. 可知Damasio认为我们对过去的决定的情感记忆会影响现在的决定。选D
3.细节题：从第四段的句子：It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
可知这些愤怒的购物者没有多思考就决定了。选B
4.细节题：从第二段的句子：You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. 可知情感是决定的一部分。选A
考点：考查社会现象类短文
点评：本文考查细节题为主，细节题可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息?或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都属于这类围绕主体展开的细节。做这类题一般采用寻读法?即先读题，然后带着问题快速阅读短文，找出与问题有关的词语或句子，再对相关部分进行分析对比，找出答案。
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An allowance(零用钱) is an important tool for teaching kids how to budget, save and make their own decisions. Children remember and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly.
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To set an appropriate allowance for your child, work out a weekly budget. Allow for entertainment expenditures (花费) such as movie and snack. Next include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare and school supplies. “If you make the child responsible for these bills, ”says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, “he or she will learn to budget for necessary expenditures.”
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It can be tough but avoid excusing your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Stephens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her $5 a week. $1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch. “ If you lose money” Brooke’s mother told her, “you walk home.”
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A. How to develop a child’s initiative.
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A. spend all the money very soon
B. be spoiled and finally ruined
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A. his friends B. his brothers C. his parents D. his teachers
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B. lead up his argument that the sciences-humanities divide is harmful
C. prove that doing something meaningful is better than having a lot of money
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A. sciences are more practical in the modern world
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C. future generations will be able to get more out of education
D. a command of both the sciences and humanities is important to society
5.What’s the best title for the article?
A. The sciences or the humanities, which to choose?
B. High school education in China
C. Isn’t it better to delay the choice of the career direction?
D. A better time to decide what to study
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