Why do people read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful？ Because humans have an inherent need to （1） uncertainty， according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will （2） to satisfy their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will （3）.
In a series of experiments， behavioral scientists at the University of Chicago and the Wisconsin School of Business tested students’ willingness to （4） themselves to unpleasant stimuli in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one （5） ， each participant w as shown a pile of pens that the researcher claimed were from a previous experiment. The twist？ Half of the pens would （6） an electric shock when clicked.
Twenty-seven students were told which pens were electrified； another twenty-seven were told only that some were electrified. （7） left alone in the room， the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurred more shocks than the students who knew what would （8） .Subsequent experiments reproduced this effect with other stimuli， （9） the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of disgusting insects.
The drive to （10） is deeply rooted in humans， much the same as the basic drives for （11） or shelter， says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct—it can （12） new scientific advances， for instance—but sometimes such （13） can backfire. The insight that curiosity can drive you to do （14） things is a profound one.
Unhealthy curiosity is possible to （15） ， however. In a final experiment， participants who were encouraged to （16） how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to （17） to see such an image. These results suggest that imagining the （18） of following through on one’s curiosity ahead of time can help determine （19） it is worth the endeavor. "Thinking about longterm （20） is key to reducing the possible negative effects of curiosity， " Hsee says. In other words，don’t read online comments.

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It is curious that Stephen Koziatek feels almost as though he has to justify his efforts to give his students a better future.
Mr. Koziatek is part of something pioneering. He is a teacher at a New Hampshire high school where learning is not something of books and tests and mechanical memorization， but practical. When did it become accepted wisdom that students should be able to name the 13th president of the United States but be utterly overwhelmed by a broken bike chain？
As Koziatek knows， there is learning in just about everything. Nothing is necessarily gained by forcing students to learn geometry at a graffitied desk stuck with generations of discarded chewing gum. They can also learn geometry by assembling a bicycle.
But he’s also found a kind of insidious prejudice. Working with your hands is seen as almost a mark of inferiority. School in the family of vocational education "have that stereotype… that it’s for kids who can’t make it academically， " he says.
On one hand， that viewpoint is a logical product of America’s evolution. Manufacturing is not the economic engine that it once was. The job security that the US economy once offered to high school graduates has largely evaporated. More education is the new principle. We want more for our kids，and rightfully so.
But the headlong push into bachelor’s degrees for all—and the subtle devaluing of anything less—misses an important point： That’s not the only thing the American economy needs. Yes， a bachelor’s degree opens more doors. But even now，54 percent of the jobs in the country are middle-skill jobs， such as construction and high-skill manufacturing. But only 44 percent of workers are adequately trained.
In other words， at a time when the working class has turned the country on its political head，frustrated that the opportunity that once defined America is vanishing， one obvious solution is staring us in the face. There is a gap in working-class jobs， but the workers who need those jobs most aren’t equipped to do them. Koziatek’s Manchester School of Technology High School is trying to fill that gap.
Koziatek’s school is a wake-up call. When education becomes one-size-fits-all， it risks overlooking a nation’s diversity of gifts.

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Five ways to make conversation with anyone
Conversations are links， which means when you have a conversation with a new person a link gets formed and every conversation you have after that moment will strengthen the link.
You meet new people every day： the grocery worker， the cab driver， new people at work or the security guard at the door. Simply starting a conversation with them will form a link.
Here are five simple ways that you can make the first move and start a conversation with strangers.
41.____________
Suppose you are in a room with someone you don’t know and something within you says "I want to talk with this person"——this is something that mostly happens with all of us. You wanted to say something——the first word——but it just won’t come out， it feels like it is stuck somewhere. I know the feeling and here is my advice： just get it out.
Just think： What is the worst that could happen？ They won’t talk with you？ Well， they are not talking with you now!
I truly believe that once you get that first word out everything else will just now. So keep it simple： "Hi"， "Hey"or "Hello"——do the best you can to gather all of the enthusiasm and energy you can， put on a big smile and say "Hi".
42.____________
It’s a problem all of us face： you have limited time with the person that you want to talk and you want to make this talk memorable.
Honestly， if we got stuck in the rut of "hi"， "hello"， "how are you？"and "what’s going on？"，you will fail to give the initial jolt to the conversation that can make it so memorable.
So don’t be afraid to ask more personal questions. Trust me， you’ll be surprised to see how much people are willing to share if you just ask.
43.____________
When you meet a person for the first time， make an effort to find the things which you and that person have in common so that you can build the conversation from that point. When you start conversation from there and then move outwards， you’ll find all of a sudden that the conversation becomes a lot easier.
44.____________
Imagine you are pouring your heart out to someone and they are just busy on their phone， and if you ask for their attention you get the response "I can multitask".
So when someone tries to communicate with you， just be in that communication wholeheartedly.Make eye contact. Trust me， eye contact is where all the magic happens. When you make eye contact， you can feel the conversation.
45.____________
You all came into a conversation where you first met the person， but after some time you may have met again and have forgotten their name. Isn’t that awkward!
So， remember the little details of the people you met or you talked with； perhaps the places they have been to， the place they want to go， the things they like， the things they hate——whatever you talk about.
When you remember such thing you can automatically become an investor in their wellbeing. So they feel a responsibility to you to keep that relationship going.
That’s it. Five amazing ways that you can make conversation with almost anyone. Every person is a really good book to read， or to have a conversation with!

A.Just say it

B.Be present

C.Pay a unique compliment

D.Name， places， things

E.Find the "me too"s

F.Skip the small talk

G.Ask for an opinion

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A fifth grader gets a homework assignment to select his future career path from a list of occupations. He ticks "astronaut" but quickly adds "scientist" to the list and selects it as well. The boy is convinced that if he reads enough， he can explore as many career paths as he likes. And so he reads—everything from encyclopedias to science fiction novels. He reads so passionately that his parents have to institute a "no reading policy" at the dinner table.
That boy was Bill Gates， and he hasn’t stopped reading yet—not even after becoming one of the most successful people on the planet. Nowadays， his reading material has changed from science fiction and reference books： recently， he revealed that he reads at least 50 nonfiction books a year.
Gates chooses nonfiction title because they explain how the world works. "Each book opens up new avenues of knowledge to explore." Gates says.

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Directions：
Suppose you have to cancel your travel plan and will not be able to visit Professor Smith.Write him an entail to
（1） apologize and explain the situation， and
（2） suggest a future meeting.
You should write about 100 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Do not use your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead.
Do not write your address.

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Directions：
Write an essay based on the chart below. In your writing， you should
（1） interpret the chart， and
（2） give your comments.
You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET. （ 15 points）

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