A
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut —— A surprise awaited students in Yale who showed up for Professor Laurie Santos’s class. They got slips of paper that said, “No class today.” There was only one rule for the students ‘ unexpected free time——They were not allowed to study, but to relax. Since exams and papers were coming up, everyone was tired and stressed. At this moment they were touched. With around applause, nine students hugged Santos, and two burst into tears.
Yet, cancelling class was not just a break. It was also a challenge, as she was asking them to stop worrying about their grades, even if it was just an hour. One student went to the Yale University Art Gallery for the first time in her four years at Yale. A group of students went to a recording studio and played a new song. More people were outside, and more were smiling. That’s why about 1,200 students were taking Santos’s class, called “Psychology and the Good Life,” the largest class in Yale’s 317-year history. Even non-Yale students had the chance to take Santos’s class. It was offered as an online course and she immediately became an Internet hit.
Skyler Robinson, one of her students, was at a loss for a while about what to do during his break, and then decided to take a nap. “It was a great nap,” he commented. Santos designed the class after she realized that her students kept busy through long days that seemed far more depressing and joyless than her own college years. “They feel they’re in this crazy rat race. They’re working so hard that they can’t take a single hour off. That’s awful.”
The ideas behind the class are simple. Santos said, “It is the hope that science can help students find peace among all the stresses and difficulties they face at college.” The lessons include showing more gratitude, performing acts of kindness and increasing social connections. The students really wanted to learn to lead a happy life in a science -driven way. Santos also noted the psychological happening of “mis-wanting”, which led people to work towards the wrong goals in life.
One week, Santo asked students to exercise. Another week, she wanted them to get more sleep. They worked hard to keep some new habits. Social science research led to many new understandings of how people find happiness. She thinks her class can change Yale, or rather, not just Yale.
1. How did students respond to the cancelling class?
A. They expressed their concern.
B. They were at a loss what to do.
C. They showed gratitude to the teacher.
D. They were eager to study individually.
2. How can we know Santo’s class was popular?
A. From the attendence in her class.
B. From the subject she taught.
C. From the long history of Yale.
D. From the release of the online course.
3. What can students learn from Santos’s class?
A. To develop good study habits.
B. To let exercise become their routine.
C. To better understand how to find happiness.
D. To do something joyful during the stressful time.
4. What can we infer from the text?
A. Santos had a more stressful time in her college.
B. Students would be in rat race after Santos’s class.
C. Santos’s influence can reach a wider range of people.
D. Santos is going to cancel more classes for better effects.
【答案】1. C 2. A 3. C 4. C
【解析】
【分析】
本文是一篇记叙文。文章论述Santos的课为什么受学生们欢迎。学生能从Santos的课中学到更好地理解如何找到幸福。Santos的影响力可以影响更广泛的人群。
【1题详解】
推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句With around applause, nine students hugged Santos, and two burst into tears.可知，学生们对取消课程表现出非常地感激。故选C。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段中That’s why about 1,200 students were taking Santos’s class, called “Psychology and the Good Life,” the largest class in Yale’s 317-year history.可知，我们从她课堂上的出勤率知道Santo的课很受欢迎。故选A。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。根据最后一段中Social science research led to many new understandings of how people find happiness.可知，学生能从Santos的课中学到更好地理解如何找到幸福。故选C。
【4题详解】
推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句She thinks her class can change Yale, or rather, not just Yale.可知，Santos的影响力可以影响更广泛的人群。故选C。
【点睛】推理判断题要求在理解原文表面文字信息的基础上，做出一定的推理判断，从而得到文章的隐含意义和深层意义。推理判断题所涉及的内容可能是文中的某一句话，也可能是某几句话，所以，推理题的答案只能是根据原文表面文字信息一步推出的答案：即对原文某一句话或某几句话所作的同义改写或综合。推理判断题的题干中通常含infer, suggest, imply, conclude indicate等标志性词语。本题第2小题，根据第二段中That’s why about 1,200 students were taking Santos’s class, called “Psychology and the Good Life,” the largest class in Yale’s 317-year history.可知，我们从她课堂上的出勤率知道Santo的课很受欢迎。故选A。
