German researchers said older people tend to be portrayed negatively in society. Although they are often described as wise, they are also shown as being slow and forgetful.

“Living in a youth centered culture, they may appreciate a boost in self­esteem.That's why they prefer the negative stories about younger people, who are seen as having a higher status in our society，” said Dr Silvia Knobloch­Westerwick，of Ohio State University.

Knobloch­Westerwick and her co­author Matthias Hastall, of Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Germany, studied 276 German adults, including 178 aged 18 to 30 and 98 between 55 and 60. Their findings are published in the journal Communication.

All the adults in the study were shown what they were led to believe was a test version of a new online news magazine.They were also given limited time to look over either a negative or a positive version of 10 pre­selected articles.

Each story was also paired with a photograph depicting(描绘) someone of either the younger or the older age group.

The researchers found that older people were more likely to choose to read negative articles about those younger than themselves. They also tended to show less interest in articles about older people, whether negative or positive.

But younger people preferred to read positive articles about other young people.

According to Knobloch­Westerwick, older people's preference for negative news about their younger counterparts can be explained by their place in society.

“Everybody likes a self­esteem boost. For young people, though, it's almost automatic. Youth is considered important in society，” she said.

After reading the articles, the participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure levels of self­esteem. Unlike their younger counterparts, the self­esteem of older people rose after they read a negative article about younger people.

Although the study was done in Germany, Knobloch­Westerwick believes nationality and the national characteristics are not important.

20．What do older people think of themselves, according to the text?

A．They are behind the times.

B．They are always forgetful.

C．Their self­esteem is challenged in a youth centered culture.

D．They should have a higher status than the young in society.

21．What can be learned from the study?

A．The old enjoy reading negative stories about the young.

B．The old are interested in negative articles about other old people.

C．The old are likely to read positive articles about other old people.

D．The young like reading negative articles about other young people.

22．According to Knobloch­Westerwick, if a similar study were done in other countries, ________．

A．the result would be unreasonable

B．the result would be quite different

C．the findings would be completely the same

D．much the same result would be found

A

Some unusual words describe how a person spends his or her time. For example, someone who likes to spend a lot of time sitting or lying down while watching television is sometimes called a couch potato. A couch is a piece of furniture that people sit on while watching television.

Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term “couch potato” in 1976. Several years later, he listed the term as a trademark with the United States government. Mr Armstrong also helped write a funny book about life as a full­time television watcher. It is called the Official Couch Potato Handbook.

Couch potatoes enjoy watching television just as mouse potatoes enjoy working on computers. A computer mouse is the device that moves the pointer, or cursor on a computer screen. The description of mouse potato became popular in 1993. American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time using computers.

Too much time inside the house using a computer or watching television can cause someone to get cabin fever. A cabin is a simple house usually built far away from the city. People go to a cabin to relax and enjoy quiet time.

Cabin fever is not really a disease. However, people can experience boredom and restlessness if they spend too much time inside their homes. This is especially true during the winter when it is too cold or snowy to do things outside. Often children get cabin fever if they cannot go outside to play. So do their parents. This happens when there is so much snow that schools and even offices and stores are closed.

Some people enjoy spending a lot of time in their homes to make them nice places to live. This is called nesting or cocooning. Birds build nests out of sticks to hold their eggs and baby birds. Some insects build cocoons around themselves for protection while they grow and change. Nests and cocoons provide security for wildlife. So people like the idea of nests and cocoons, too.

The terms cocooning and nesting became popular more than twenty years ago. They describe people buying their first homes and filling them with many things. These people then had children.

Now these children are grown­up and have left the nest. They are in college. Or they are married and starting families of their own far away.Now these parents are living alone without children in their empty nests. They have become empty nesters.

16．Which of the following was first used?

A．Couch potato.  B．Cocooning.

C．Mouse potato.  D．Nesting.

17．________refers to a person who spends much time on computer.

A．A couch potato  B．A nester

C．A mouse potato  D．An empty nester

18．Why can most people easily get cabin fever in winter?

A．Because they are addicted to computer games.

B．Because they would like to play outside.

C．Because it is so cold that they couldn't go outside.

D．Because they are too busy at work or school.

19．What's the passage mainly about?

A．How to get rid of cabin fever.

B．How people become nesters or empty nesters.

C．How to spend your leisure time.

D．The origin of some words.

________her leg was wounded，she________up the stairs.

A．In spite of; managed to get

B．In spite of; succeeded getting

C．Although; managed getting

D．Although; managed to get

Not until he left his home________to know how important the family was for him.

A．did he begin  B．had he begun

C．he began  D．he had begun

Seen from space，the Earth looks like a blue ball，with ________ 75% of its surface covered with water.

A．entirely  B．exactly

C．slightly  D．approximately

He said he would accept the job，so we have asked him to________his acceptance in writing.

A．confirm  B．prove

C．sign  D．announce

With the end of his career in ________， Armstrong was already looking forward to spending some days at the beach with his family.

A．view  B．range  C．reach  D．sight

—We are afraid we can't finish the task ________ a month.

—Take your time, but next month you'll have a new one.

Remember, better health ________ in feet. Walk more, feel the difference!

A．measures  B．has measured

C．is measured  D．was measured

________by beautiful green mountains and situated at the foot of Huangshan Mountain makes Taiping Lake a famous tourist attraction.

A．Surrounded

B．Being surrounded

C．Having been surrounded

D．Surrounding