单选题 For the past several years, I have been immersed in the study of friendship, and among the many things I have learned, one idea stands out: If you truly want to change some aspect of your life, developing friendships with people who aspire to the same goals as you do can lead to more successful endeavors than embarking on solitary efforts. Shortly after we make a decision to change our behavior, we often sense a softening of what at first felt like ironclad conviction. We chastise ourselves for our inability to summon motivation and return to the poor habits we're trying to break to comfort us, actively undermining our goals. What a disheartening cycle. But research shows that having friends with the same goal can interrupt that cycle. Researchers James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis have demonstrated that weight loss (and gain) spreads through friend groups, most likely via a process of altered norms. It's not that you'll necessarily adopt your friend's new habits right away, but the seed will be planted. If you want to continue to feel close to her, you might even start adjusting your own routines (perhaps unconsciously) to align them more with hers. Friends can help you reinforce individual willpower. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg recommends replacing the cues that trigger, and the rewards that follow, bad behaviors with new, healthier ones. The cue and reward of a real person knocking on your door for a joint jog, and a stimulating talk over coffee afterwards, is a particularly alluring replacement for whatever previously sucked you into sedentary TV watching. In a recent New York Times column, "How People Change," David Brooks noted that, "There's a research suggesting that it's best to tackle negative behaviors indirectly, by redirecting attention toward different, positive ones." Investing in fulfilling friendships with those who have the values and habits you admire will lift you up to those friends' level more easily. The desire to be with, be like, and be liked by friends is primal. We're all built to seek out strong bonds with friends on whom our very survival might have once been dependent. While we don't necessarily need friends to help hunt or fight off predators these days, most of us probably still feel like we can't live without them. Tap into that deep-down social motivation and you'll not only be primed for success, you'll take pleasure in the proverbial journey.
单选题 According to Paragraph 2, a determination to change a behavior is often closely followed by .
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:根据题干可直接定位到第二段,答案出现在该段①句。①句提到在人们下定决心之后,原先那斩钉截铁的意志常常很快会松懈。题干中的determination一词对应该句中逗号前的make a decision,C项的a weakened willpower与原句中的a softening of...意思一致,因此本题选C项。
单选题 Researchers have indicated that change of weight spreads among friends probably through _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:根据题干中的关键词change of weight可定位到文章第三段。该段①句表明两位研究者已经证明体重的减轻(或增加)会在朋友圈中扩散,这其中最大的可能性在于行为规范的改变(altered norms)。根据这一句,选择B项,即改变行为规范。
单选题 The example of joint jog is mentioned in Paragraph 4 to demonstrate that_____.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:根据题干可直接定位到第四段。该段①句指出“朋友能帮助增强个人意志,随后用与人相约慢跑、喝咖啡聊天的例子来论证朋友能帮助增强个人意志这一观点,A项与此相符。
单选题 David Brooks would most probably agree that _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:根据题干中的人名David Brooks可定位到第五段①句。该句双引号中提到对于负面的行为最好采取间接的方式解决,将注意力redirect“引导”到不同的、积极的行为中。C项中的shift一词与文中的redirect一词对应,其他内容都符合原文,故C项为正确选项。
单选题 The most appropriate title of this text would be _____.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:这是一道主旨题,考查对全文中心和主题的概括能力。当然,文章处处都在为主题服务;即便如此,一头一尾依然是最能点出和升华主题的部分。文章开门见山,第一段的末尾就点出“建立友谊比孤军奋战更能带来成功”,缩略而言便是友谊带来成功。而在文章最后一段最后一句更是再次升华和重申主旨,点出友谊不仅带来成功,更能带来快乐。然而,综合考虑文章主体部分,“快乐”的含义并未触及,主要还是在于改变恶习、提升自我层次,重点依然在于“成功”。因而最恰当的标题应为A项。