A.Artists'Opinions on Plastic Safety

B.Media Interest in Contemporary Art

C.Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies

D.Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures

D

During an interview for one of my books,my interviewer said something I still think about often.Annoyed by the level of distraction(干扰)in his open office,he said,“That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street—so I can focus."His comment struck me as strange.After all,coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout(布局).But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works

The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking.They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background,from total silence to 50 decibels(分贝),70 decibels,and 85 decibels.The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant;however,the participants in the 70 decibels group—those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop-significantly outperformed the other groups.Since the effects were small,this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.

But since the results at 70 decibels were significant,the study also suggests that the right level of background noise—not too loud and not total silence—may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability.The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander,without making it impossible to focus.This kind of"distracted focus"appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.

So why do so many of us hate our open offices?The problem may be that,in our offices,we can't stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’conversations while we’re trying to focus.Indeed,the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process,and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.

32.Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?

A.It helps him concentrate.

B.It blocks out background noise.

C.It has a pleasant atmosphere.

D.It encourages face-to-face interactions.

33.Which level of background noise may promote creative thinking ability?

A.Total silence.

B.50 decibels.

C.70 decibels.

D.85 decibels.

34.What makes an open office unwelcome to many people?

A.Personal privacy unprotected.

B.Limited working space.

C.Restrictions on group discussion.

D.Constant interruptions.

35.What can we infer about the author from the text?

A.He's a news reporter.B.He’s on office manager.

C.He's a professional designer.D.He's a published writer.

第二节(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10分)

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

选项中有两项为多余选项

According to Jessica Hagy,author of How to Be Interesting,it's not difficult to make yourself interesting at a dinner party.

36,if you're out of your comfort zone or if you're wandering into somebody's house for the first time.So the main thing is just to show up and be adventurous,trying different foods and talking to strangers.

People love to talk about themselves.If you can start the conversation with a question other than“What do you do for a living?",you'll be able to get a lot more interesting conversation out of whomever it is you're talking to.37.it can bring in"I have this old,broken-down vehicle"or"I rode the bus with these crazy people who were laughing at silly jokes in the back."It just opens up conversation.

38___?If you can't take their wine away,you should certainly try to take away their soapbox(讲台).If you're the host,you can ask them to help you in the kitchen with something and just remove them from the situation.39

And what about that other dinner-party killer:awkward silence?If you're faced with an awkward silence at a dinner party,the only thing that always gets everyone talking again is to give the host a compliment(赞扬).__40.Just quickly tun around and say,"This cake is extremely delicious and you have to tell me all about it.”

So being interesting at a dinner party isn’t that hard.

A.How do you know the host

B.The first step is to go exploring

C.If you ask the question"How did you get here?',

D.Be prepared to have awkward conversations with strangers