Ques: Need for closure is a psychological term that describes a person's desire for a firm answer to a question. Our need for closure is our natural preference for definite answers over confusion and uncertainty. Every person has their own baseline level of need for closure. It likely evolved via natural selection. What I find really fascinating is how our need for closure is affected by the situation we're in. Our need for closure rises when we have to act rather than just observe, and it matters much more when we're rushed, or bored, or tired. Any stress can make our discomfort with uncertainty increase, and a high need for closure negatively influences some of our most important decisions: who we decide to trust, whether we admit we're wrong and even how creative we are. In hiring, for instance, a high need for closure leads people to put far too much weight on their first impression. It's called the Urgency Effect. In one experiment, psychologists tried to lower people's need for closure by telling them, right before participants are about to make various judgments of a job candidate, that they'll be responsible in some way for them, or that their judgments have serious consequences. In making any big decision, it's not enough just to know that we should take our time. We all know that important decisions shouldn't be rushed. The problem is that we don't keep that advice in mind when it matters. So, one of the best solutions is to formalize the reminders. Before making important decisions, write down not just advantages and disadvantages but what the consequences could be. Also, think about how much pressure you're under. If your need for closure is particularly high that day, it's even more important to think twice. In the experiment the psychologists reduced participants' need for closure by telling them to   _  . A) value their first impression B) be responsible for their boss C) be cautious about their judgments D) pay little attention to the consequences
Ans: C

Ques: One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school? Listen----Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings. Help them----If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need. Be there for them----Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times. Marilyn Monroe, a famous US actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control, but if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve(, ) to be with me at my best." Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!  _ ----Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old! What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe's words? A) Life without a friend is death. B) A friend is easier lost than found. C) A friend in need is a friend indeed. D) A man is known by his friends.
Ans: C

Ques: Good health is the most valuable thing in the world. When you've got it, you never think about it. When you haven't got it, you think about it all the time. Our biggest enemies are not terrible diseases and so on. We are our own biggest enemies because we sometimes destroy our own good health. Some of us eat too much, drink too much and smoke too much. And though our reason tells us we should control ourselves, we find it difficult. The fact is that most human beings need stimulation  . Who doesn't enjoy a drink after a busy day? Only a smoker knows the pleasure of a cigarette with a cup of coffee. The danger is when these innocent pleasures run our lives and so destroy our health. When you find yourself eating between meals or eating too much rich food, when you can only keep yourself going by taking frequent   drinks or by smoking one cigarette after another, then it's time to stop and think what you might be doing to yourself. The funny thing is that when we don't control ourselves, simple pleasures are no longer simple pleasures. All right, I know what you're thinking. You're probably saying, "It's easy to say, but I can't help myself. I need that extra bit of food, that extra drink, that extra cigarette. Life has so many pleasures that I can't do without them." But I'm saying you can help yourself. Not only that, you must help yourself. Because if you don't help yourself, no one else can. So be your own best friend. This passage is mainly about    _  . A) terrible diseases and so on B) enjoying pleasures after a busy day C) the difficulty of controlling ourselves D) the danger of too much drinking, smoking and eating
Ans: D

Ques: About a year ago, if you had asked who Dinara Safina was the answer would have been:   "She is Marat. Safin's younger sister."  Back then she was overshadowed by her wonder brother.  But now she has made a name for herself: the world No. 1 player in women's tennis. The 22-year-old Russian. will overtake Serena Williams of the prefix = st1 /USfor top ranking on April 20.  "Before, every place I go, I am Marat's sister. Nothing else," she told New York Times. "I always wanted to be myself, and now finally the results are coming, and people can know me as Dinara Satina." Safina has made it to two great event finals, in the 2008 French and in this year's Australian Open, and won a silver medal in the Beijing Olympic Games. Clearly; family isn't the only connection Safina's and her brother share. Both of their DNA burns with competitive fire. Satin has held the distinction for years of being a hot tempered player on Court. When he lost his temper, he would break a racket . Safina is as emotionally explosive as her brother. A headline in the newspaper The Australian once described her as   "mad as a snake".  The Sydney Morning Herald, during the Australian Open, summed up Safina's volatile emotional state with the headline: "Satina goes from basket case to top of the world." It's not rare for a family to have two top tennis players. Safina's father owns a tennis academy and her mother worked as a coach.   "I had no choice but to become a tennis player, but I don't mind being a tennis player," Safina said. From this talented family she is also given one of her best weapons on court, her size. She is 1.82 meters tall and Weighs 70 kg. But it is hard work that led her to her recent Success. "I hope to prove to everyone over the coming months that I deserve the honor of being world No. 1," she said. What is the passage mainly about? A) How Safina came first in world women's tennis. B) How the parents taught Safina to play tennis. C) How her brother helped Safina play tennis. D) How Safina beat her brother in playing tennis.
Ans:
A