单选题 Research into self-awareness consistently shows that most people think and speak highly of themselves. Time and again, subjects see positive traits as more self-descriptive than negative ones, they rate themselves more highly than they rate others, they rate themselves more highly than they are rated by others, they overestimate their contribution to team efforts, and they exaggerate their control over life events. It's not that we consciously flatter ourselves, either. The response is more like a mindless reflex. In fact, when subjects are busy or distracted as they make self-ratings, the judgments they come up with are quicker and even more favorable. Most people also exhibit "unrealistic optimism", a tendency to predict a uniquely bright and rosy future for themselves. College students asked to predict their own future compared to that of their classmates believed, on average, that they were more likely to graduate higher in their class, get a better job, earn a higher salary, have a happier marriage, and bear a gifted child. They also believed that they were less likely to get fired, become depressed, become involved in a car accident, or suffer from a heart attack. Many other examples illustrate this point—as when voters predict that their favored candidate will prevail and sports fans bet on their favorite teams to win. Psychologists used to agree that an accurate perception of reality is vital to mental health. More and more, however, this view is being challenged by research on positive illusions. Are these illusions a sign of well-being or symptoms of disorder? In 1988 two psychologists reviewed the relevant research and noticed that people who are mildly depressed or low in self-esteem have less inflated and sometimes more realistic views of themselves than do others who are better adjusted. Their self-appraisals are more likely to match appraisals of them made by neutral others, they are less likely to exaggerate their control over uncontrollable events, and they make more balanced predictions about the future. Based on these results, psychologists arrived at the provocative conclusion that when it comes to the self, positive illusions—not accurate perceptions of reality—promote health and well-being. In their words, "these illusions help make each individual's world a warmer and more active and beneficent place in which to live." In fact, research involving people under stress—such as people with serious illnesses—shows that perceived control, optimism, and other positive beliefs are "health protective" psychological resources that help people cope with adversity. Others are not so sure that eternal optimists are better off than hard realists. They argue that positive illusions can give rise to chronic patterns of self-destruction—as when people escape from self-awareness through the use of drugs and deny health-related problems until it s too late for treatment. In studies of interpersonal relations, people with inflated rather than realistic views of themselves were rated less favorably on certain dimensions by their own friends. In these studies, self-enhancing men were seen as assertive and ambitious, which are OK, but also as boastful, condescending, hostile, and inconsiderate. Self-enhancing women were seen as more hostile, more defensive and sensitive to criticism, more likely to overreact to minor setbacks, and less well liked by others. Consistent with these findings, other research shows that people filled with high self-esteem are more likely to lash out angrily in response to criticism, rejection, and other bruises to the ego. The result. People with inflated self-images may make a good first impression on others but they are liked less and less as time wears on.

单选题Miguel knocked on one of the doors. When no one answered, he pushed the door open. He immediately realized his mistake. He'd blundered into another dressing room. Miguel knew he should leave the room immediately, but he couldn't help staring at the guy in the room. He seemed to be taking to himself. No one in the room was talking back. Yet there was someone else there. A girl. Most of her was hidden behind the speaker's broad-shouldered body. Miguel saw a flash of slender hands reaching up, fussing with the front of the guy's light brown hair. "Glenn, hold still!" the girl's voice suddenly cut through the speaker's monologue, "If you don't stop wriggling. I might burn you with this curling iron!" Miguel's blood turned to boiling acid. Leanna! She hadn't wasted any time getting a new boyfriend. Miguel had to see what this loser looked like. "Excuse me," Miguel said, walking toward the couple. "Can you tell me the supply closet?" "This isn't the supply closet," Glenn said arrogantly, "Get lost. " "But I'm already lost," Miguel said cheerfully. He was ignoring Glenn now and watching Leanna for some sort of reaction. Her face was totally drained of color, and her almond eyes were so wide, they almost seemed round. "What are you doing here?" Leanna gasped. "Looking for an extension cord," Miguel replied. He pointed to the white cord connecting the curling iron to the outlet. "How about that one?" "No! That's mine," Glenn said, "Leanna, you only put one wave in my hair. " "Hey, Leanna, you never did my hair when we were dating," Miguel said. He leaned against the wall, almost in Leanna's face, and ruffled his bangs with his fingers. Miguel wasn't sure what he was trying to prove. He couldn't stand seeing Leanna so close to Glenn, touching his hair. If he could goad Leanna into losing her temper, Miguel hoped he'd be able to hate her again, instead of wanting her back. "Get out of here," Leanna said coldly. "You used to go out with this janitor?" Glenn asked Leanna. "I'm not a janitor," Miguel said, "I'm helping Scott with the lights. " "Yeah?" Glenn turned to Miguel, "Make sure you keep that spotlight on me, boy. I'm the star of this show. " "You may be the star," Miguel said, his voice low, "but I'm not your boy. " "I can say whatever I want," Glenn shot back, "My parents pay taxes, but you immigrants sneak into this country illegally and take jobs away from Americans. Do you want me to call Immigration?" Leanna suddenly stepped between them. "I can't believe you, Glenn. Miguel's not an immigrant. His family came here from the Philippines, and—" Glenn's nostrils flared, "These foreigners are taking over the country. It makes me sick!" "I'm a Filipino and I'm proud of it !" Leanna, hands on her hips, was shouting in Glenn's face, "Do I make you sick, Glenn?" "Of course not !" Glenn looked shocked, "You were born here. I'm talking about people who come from other countries. Most of them go on welfare and they run down the neighborhoods and commit crimes. Why should they have the same rights as American citizens ?" "Because we're human beings," Leanna said. Miguel noticed that Leanna had put herself in the same category. She wasn't trying to impress him. She was speaking from the heart. "It's not where you come from that matters," Leanna told Glenn, "It's what kind of person you are inside. Miguel's honest and hardworking, but you're a conceited jerk!" "What's going on in here?" a new voice demanded. The agent, Tyrone Ashby, appeared in the doorway. "Five minutes to curtain time! Glenn, get out there!" "I'm outta here, all right," Glenn said, "You can have your crummy show without me! " Miguel barely noticed Glenn or the agent. All his attention was on Leanna. She turned to him, tears glistening in her eyes. "Miguel, I'm sorry I lied to you," she said, "I know you'll never forgive me. But I wanted to say thank you. Because of you, I've learned to love my Philippine heritage. I hope someday we can be friends. " A lump rose in Migucl's throat, and he knew, suddenly, that friendship would never be enough. "Leanna," he began. But then he felt his body slam into the wall as Glenn pushed roughly past on his way out the door. Miguel had barely caught his breath when Tyrone grabbed his arm. "You've got to take Glenn's place!" Tyrone cried, "You've got the right build, the same shoulders—" "Miguel hates modeling," Leanna said, "He won't do it... will you, Miguel?" Suddenly Miguel knew he'd do whatever it took to make Leanna smile. Beside, it was partly his fault that Glenn had walked out of the fashion show in the first place. If Miguel refused to fill in, lots of people would be disappointed. "Okay," he said, "But no makeup. " "No time for makeup." Tyrone dragged Miguel toward a rack of clothes. "Leanna, go tell them to delay the curtain. " "Leanna !" Miguel called, "Wait a second !" "What?" she asked, looking hopefully. "You can talk to her later!" Tyrone almost shrieked, "Put on this suit!" Miguel pointed to the curling iron. "The extension cord—give it to Scott!" When the show ended, Leanna hurried backstage. She found Miguel talking to Tyrone. But then Miguel looked directly at her. Rescue me, his eyes seemed to say. "There you are!" Miguel said, "Excuse us, Tyrone. We're late for—uh— something. " "What was that all about?" Leanna asked as she followed Miguel down the hallway. "Tyrone keeps saying I have The look. He wants me to enroll at Bayside. But that's not important right now." Miguel yanked open the first door he came to and stepped inside. "Come here, I need to talk to you. " "In a broom closet?" Leanna asked, stepping into a small room filled with brooms. "I guess it's not the most romantic spot," Miguel said, "But this isn't the worst mistake I've made. My worst mistake was breaking up with you. " Leanna caught her breath. "You—you forgive me?" "I was wrong, too." Miguel swallowed hard, "When you said those things to Glenn, I realized I was just as prejudiced as he was. I wanted you to be part of my world, but I wasn't ready to accept yours. I didn't respect the things that were important to you." "I didn't give you the chance to know what was important to me. " Miguel's face turned crimson. "I felt pretty good out on that runway," he admitted, "I see why you like it. Not that I'm ready to enroll at Bayside. " "But you have The look," Leanna teased. She took a step closer. She couldn't keep her hand from trembling as she reached out and brushed Miguel's silky bangs back from his forehead, "All you need are some curls here.., and here. " Leanna felt Miguel's arms tighten around her waist. "Leanna," Miguel began, "can we give it another try?" "I'm willing if you are," Leanna said, "I'm a Filipino, but I'm an American, too. I'd like us to explore both cultures. Together. " Leanna took a deep breath and hoped she'd get her pronunciation right. "Mahal kita, Miguel. " Surprise and pleasure lit Miguel's dark eyes. "I love you, too. " He said. And he sealed it with a kiss.

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单选题Questions 16～20 Stratford-on-Avon, as we all know, has only one industry—William Shakespeare—but there are two distinctly separate and increasingly hostile branches. There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents superb productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon. And there are the townsfolk who largely live off the tourists who come, not to see the plays, but to look at Anne Hathaway"s Cottage, Shakespeare"s birthplace and the other sights. The worthy residents of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their revenue. They frankly dislike the RSC"s actors, them with their long hair and beards and sandals and noisiness. It"s all deliciously ironic when you consider that Shakespeare, who earns their living, was himself an actor (with a beard) and did his share of noise-making. The tourist streams are not entirely separate. The sightseers who come by bus—and often take in Warwick Castle and Blenheim Palace on the side—don"t usually see the plays, and some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford. However, the playgoers do manage a little sight- seeing along with their play going. It is the playgoers, the RSC contends, who bring in much of the town"s revenue because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants. The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall. The townsfolk don"t see it this way and local council does not contribute directly to the subsidy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stratford cries poor traditionally. Nevertheless every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or cocktail lounge. Hilton is building its own hotel there, which you may be sure will be decorated with Hamlet Hamburger Bars, the Lear Lounge, the Banquo Banqueting Room, and so forth, and will be very expensive. Anyway, the townsfolk can"t understand why the Royal Shakespeare Company needs a subsidy. (The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row. Last year its 1,431 seats were 94 percent occupied all year long and this year they"ll do better.) The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have stayed low. It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratford"s most attractive clientele. They come entirely for the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike (though they come from all over)—lean, pointed, dedicated faces, wearing jeans and sandals, eating their buns and bedding down for the night on the flagstones outside the theatre to buy the 20 seats and 80 standing-room tickets held for the sleepers and sold to them when the box office opens at 10:30 a. m.

单选题 Question 15-18

单选题 Filled with the euphoria of victory and dreams of their first Big Ten title in 11 years, Penn State University students rushed the field as time expired in their win over Ohio State. In the chaos that followed, the campus police struggled to keep control, and identifying the overzealous fans seemed impossible, impossible, that is, until the police department turned to a new crime-fighting tool: facebook. com. Penn State officers had warned the students in advance last October that crossing over from the stands was a safety hazard and would not be permitted. When the rules were broken, a quick search online revealed the facebook, com photo album "1 rushed the field after the OSU game and lived." The album creator had even helpfully tagged all of those involved — offering the campus police an easy way to issue stem warnings. "It was really dangerous and not acceptable behavior," says Tyrone Parham, assistant director at the PSU police. "We needed to send a message. We searched the group, contacted the individuals and said that this was not tolerable behavior." Long a student favorite and the seventh most-trafficked Internet site, facebook. com has found a new following — those who wear blue. Traditionally, campus police forces have followed noise reports in their attempt to keep Saturday nights safe. But the advent of social networking sites is starting to revolutionize campus detective work. George Washington University police department chief Dolores Stafford claims, "Facebook exists and can certainly be a tool, but we're not out there looking at the site." Students at the college, however, are not so sure. When rumors flew that campus cops were using the student social network to infringe their right to party, GWU students decided to exact revenge. In a carefully executed plan, students filled facebook, com with chatter about a raging party they were throwing, hoping the police would be watching. They were not disappointed. When the officers arrived, they found shots glasses brimming with chocolate cake, Beirut cups filled with frosting, and party-goers loaded up on sugar rather than alcohol. While the GWU police deny using the Internet to find the party, the students felt vindicated. "Cake Party" attendee Kyle Stoneman comments: "From a larger standpoint, there's nothing immoral or illegal about the police using facebook. com. I guess they'll play their game, we'll play ours, and we'll see who wins." For college police forces, however, the issue is about more than winning. Instead, they try to find that delicate balance between upholding the law (read: preventing underage drinking) and maintaining good relations with the students (read: turning a blind eye). "It's a never-ending struggle," says Fisher College Chief of Campus Police John McLaughlin. "Like any other college and university, we want this to be as open of a relationship as possible. We don't want to be too obtrusive and we also don't want to be too strict. It requires real diligence."

单选题Why did the author mention the "massive one-day protest" in Paragraph 2?

单选题What'stherelationshipbetweenthemanandthewoman?[A]Bossandsecretary.[B]Fatheranddaughter.[C]Customerandassistant.

单选题Question 21-25 Species interdependence in nature confers many benefits on the species involved, but it can also become a point of weakness when one species involved in the relationship is affected by a catastrophe. Thus, flowering plant species dependent on insect pollination, as opposed to self- pollination or wind pollination, could be endangered when the population of insect-pollinators is depleted by the use of pesticides. In the forests of New Brunswick, for example, various pesticides have been sprayed in the past 25 years in efforts to control the spruce budworm, an economically significant pest. Scientists have now investigated the effects of the spraying of Matacil, one of the anti-budworm agents that is least toxic to insect-pollinators. They studied Matacil"s effects on insect mortality in a wide variety of wild insect species and on plant fecundity, expressed as the percentage of the total flowers on an individual plant that actually developed fruit and bore seeds. They found that the most pronounced mortality after the spraying of Matacil occurred among the smaller bees and one family of flies, insects that were all important pollinators of numerous species of plants growing beneath the tree canopy of forests. The fecundity of plants in one common indigenous species, the red-osier dogwood, was significantly reduced in the sprayed areas as compared to that of plants in control plots where Matacil was not sprayed. This species is highly dependent on the insect-pollinators most vulnerable to Matacil. The creeping dogwood, a species similar to the red-osier dogwood, but which is pollinated by large bees, such as bumblebees, showed no significant decline in fecundity. Since large bees are not affected by the spraying of Matacil, these results add weight to the argument that spraying where the pollinators are sensitive to the pesticide used decreases plant fecundity. The question of whether the decrease in plant fecundity caused by the spraying of pesticides actually causes a decline in the overall population of flowering plant species still remains unanswered. Plant species dependent solely on seeds for survival or dispersal are obviously more vulnerable to any decrease in plant fecundity that occurs, whatever its cause. If, on the other hand, vegetative growth and dispersal (by means of shoots or runners) are available as alternative reproductive strategies for a species, then decreases in plant fecundity may be of little consequence. The fecundity effects described here are likely to have the most profound impact on plant species with all four of the following characteristics, a short life span, a narrow geographic range, an incapacity for vegetative propagation, and a dependence on a small number of insect- pollinator species. Perhaps we should give special attention to the conservation of such plant species since they lack key factors in their defenses against the environmental disruption caused by pesticide use.

单选题Over the last decade, demand for the most common cosmetic surgery procedures, like breast enlargement and nose jobs, has increased by more than 400 per cent. According to Dr. Dai Davies, of the Plastic Surgery Partnership in Hammersmith, the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are not chasing physical perfection. Rather, they are driven to fantastic lengths to improve their appearance by a desire to look normal. "What we all crave is to look normal, and normal is what is prescribed by the advertising media and other external pressures. They give us a perception of what is physically acceptable and we feel we must look like that." In America, the debate is no longer about whether surgery is normal; rather, it centers on what age people should be before going under the knife. New York surgeon Dr. Gerard Imber recommends "maintenance" work for people in their thirties. "The idea if waiting until one need a heroic transformation is silly," he says. "By then, you"ve wasted 20 great years of your life and allowed things to get out of hand." Dr. Imber draws the line at operating on people who are under 18, however, "It seems that someone we don"t consider old enough to order a drink shouldn"t be considering plastic surgery." In the UK cosmetic surgery has long been seen as the exclusive domain of the very rich and famous. But the proportionate cost of treatment has fallen substantially, bringing all but the most advanced laser technology within the reach of most people. Dr. Davie, who claims to "cater for the average person", agrees. He says: "I treat a few of the rich and famous and an awful lot of secretaries. Of course, ￡3,000 for an operation is a lot of money. But it is also an investment for life which costs about half the price of a good family holiday." Dr. Davies suspects that the increasing sophistication of the fat injecting and removal techniques that allow patients to be treated with a local anaesthetic in an afternoon has also helped promote the popularity of cosmetic surgery. Yet, as one woman who recently paid ￡2,500 for liposuction to remove cellulite from her thighs admitted, the slope to becoming a cosmetic surgery veteran is a deceptively gentle one. "I had my legs done because they"d been bugging me for years. But going into the clinic was so low key and effective that it whetted my appetite. Now I don"t think there"s any operation that I would rule out having if I could afford it."

单选题 The farmers and bad debts have become synonymous. Little wonder then that a bank that carries a third of all loans to America's farmers is in trouble. But when that bank's total debt is $ 60 billion, more than half the size of Brazil's, and its losses over the past two years, at $ 4.8 billion, exceed anything in American banking history, the problem becomes political as well as financial. Congress began this week to discuss a bill to rescue the Farm Credit System. The Farm Credit System is not strictly a bank. It is a peculiar animal, a federation of 37 banks (three in each of 12 regions and one to sell bonds to Wall Street) containing 387 lending associations, owned by the farmers who borrow from them. It was set up by the federal government in the early years of the century to give farmers an alternative source of credit to the banks, but has long ago paid off any federal debts and so, in theory, is now independent. The system got into trouble by lending too readily in farming's good times, the 1970s, as land prices rose and farm profits grew. Total farm debt quadrupled between 1970 and 1984. Farmers flocked to the Farm Credit System because its interest rates, based on a moving average, lagged behind those of the market. But the falling profits and falling land prices of the early 1980s coincided with raising interest rates, putting many farmers in difficulty. When interest rates began to fall, the moving average responded slowly, so many farmers found themselves paying well above market rates for their loans. They promptly refinanced them with other banks. Even as its bad debts grew (they are now $ 7 billion), the Farm Credit System's loans shrank, from over $ 80 billion to about $ 50 billion today. In May the system went to Congress and asked for $ 6 billion to see it through its present crisis. Although the worst losses are past, at least two of the banks in the system will have run out of capital altogether by the end of the year. Congress has reacted some impatience, for this was the third request for help in three years, though admittedly the first two had not been for money. In 1985 the Farm Credit System was allowed to share a capital between its banks, so that its rich members could bail out its poor ones. In 1986 it asked to be allowed to fiddle its accounts so as to defer losses. Congress, to its shame, agreed. The first measure helped little, because the shareholders of the richer banks sued to stop their money being used to help the poorer. The second measure simply stored up trouble for the future. Now the system needs dollars soon. This time, however, Congress has demanded changes in the way the system is run. Mr. Charles Stenholm, a Democrat from Texas, wants to fuse the 37 banks into seven and devolve the lending and rate-setting powers to the 387 local lending associations, thus cutting out some of the bureaucratic overlaps (accounts are audited three times, for example). The shareholders would almost certainly sue. But the threat has concentrated the minds of the system's directors, who have produced a plan for cutting the system's 12 districts to six with one bank in each. The bill before the House of Representatives (the Senate is still working on its version) would, in return for such changes, put in place a federally controlled organization that would seek money to stave off bankruptcy, as necessary. It would also throw commercial banks a present by creating a secondary market in farm mortgages, nicknamed Farmer Mac; this would, in effect, pass on some of the benefits of a bail-out to the private banks. Representative John Dingell of Michigan threatened to fight this on the floor of the House and rolled out some big guns, including the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Mr. Alan Greenspan, and his predecessor, Mr. Paul Volcker, to try to stop it. The secondary market would enable the banks to take away the system's best loans, they said, leaving it shakier than before. To avoid a fight, House leaders postponed a discussion of this clause until October 6th. In fact, it is farm creditors rather than farmers who are more in trouble. Net farm income has risen from $12. 7 billion in 1983 to over $ 44 billion this year; farm debt has fallen from $ 202 billion to $163 billion. Land values have steadied, as has the suicide rate among farmers. Subsidies are flowing strongly, at a rate of $ 26 billion a year.

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单选题Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.

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单选题Questions 23-26

单选题 Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest that the person concerned is not a "team player"—one of the more serious failings in the book of management. The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction across departments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions around the organisation, "teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues", says Steve Gardner, in his book Key Management Concepts. He adds, "Globalization has added a further dimension to teamwork. Multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market." But is teamworking being overdone? "Some managers are on as many as seven or eight different teams", says Dr. Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on the subject, "They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks". Forming teams and having meetings have, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There is also the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. "People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychological support." The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a "force" develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport, where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team. However, few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match. "In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner." Unfortunately, people focus instead on who the members of the team should be and what roles they are to play" Dr. Bandy agrees. "There is always a danger that teams can turn into committees," she says. "In a lot of situations, one or two individuals would be much more effective." So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been identified. Steve Gardner recommends that in every team there should be someone who is good at researching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should be those who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused on getting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way of ensuring that the team will move on to greater things.

单选题Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, A. B. C. or D. to each question. When Harvey Ball took a black felt-tip pen to a piece of yellow paper in 1963, he never could have realized that he was drafting the face that would launch 50 million buttons and an eventual war over copyright. Mr. Ball, a commercial artist, was simply filling a request from Joy Young of the Worcester Mutual Insurance Company to create an image for their "smile campaign" to coach employees to be more congenial in their customer relations. It seems there was a hunger for a bright grin—the original order of 100 smiley-face buttons were snatched up and an order for 10,000 more was placed at once. The Worcester Historical Museum takes this founding moment seriously. "Just as you'd want to know the biography of General Washington, we realized we didn't know the comprehensive history of the Smiley Face," says Bill Wallace, the executive director of the historical museum where the exhibit "Smiley—An American Icon" opens to the public Oct. 6 in Worcester, Mass. Worcester, often referred to by neighboring Bostonians as "that manufacturing town off Route 90," lays claim to several other famous commercial firsts, the monkey wrench and shredded wheat among them. Smiley Face is a particularly warm spot in the city's history. Through a careful historical analysis, Mr. Wallace says that while the Smiley Face birthplace is undisputed, it took several phases of distribution before the distinctive rounded-tipped smile with one eye slightly larger than the other proliferated in the mainstream. As the original buttons spread like drifting pollen with no copyright attached, a bank in Seattle next realized its commercial potential. Under the guidance of advertising executive David Stern, the University Federal Savings & Loan launched a very public marketing campaign in 1967 centered on the Smiley Face. It eventually distributed 150,000 buttons along with piggy banks and coin purses. Old photos of the bank show giant Smiley Face wallpaper. By 1970, Murray and Bernard Spain, brothers who owned a card shop in Philadelphia, were affixing the yellow grin to everything from key chains to cookie jars along with "Have a happy day". "In the 1970s, there was a trend toward happiness," says Wallace. "We had assassinated a president, we were in a war with Vietnam, and people were looking for [tokens of] happiness. [The Spain brothers] ran with it." The Smiley Face resurged in the 1990s. This time it was fanned by a legal dispute between Wal-Mart, who uses it to promote its low prices, and Franklin Loufrani, a Frenchman who owns a company called SmileyWorld. Mr. Loufrani says he created the Smiley Face and has trademarked it around the world. He has been distributing its image in 80 countries since 1971. Loufrani's actions irked Ball, who felt that such a universal symbol should remain in the public domain in perpetuity. So in a pleasant proactive move, Ball declared in 1999 that the first Friday in October would be "World Smile Day" to promote general kindness and charity toward children in need. Ball died in 2001. The Worcester exhibit opens on "World Smile Day", Oct. 6. It features a plethora of Smiley Face merchandise—from the original Ball buttons to plastic purses and a toilet seat and contemporary interpretations by local artists. The exhibit is scheduled to run through Feb. 11.