2014 届高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(10)<br />阅读理解-----（A）<br />How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings <br />Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our <br />thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an <br />empirical（经验的，实证的） basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that <br />promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation. <br />Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence <br />creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that <br />the height of a room's ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that <br />higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make <br />more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more <br />detailed outlook. <br />In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence <br />an occupant's ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell <br />University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in <br />greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of <br />attention. <br />Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and <br />it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design <br />& Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that <br />students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window <br />had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students <br />whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots. <br />Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim（暗淡的） light helps <br />people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner <br />or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also <br />discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax. <br />So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. "We have a very <br /> <br />limited number of studies, so we're almost looking at the problem through a straw（吸<br />管）," architect David Allison says. "How do you take answers to very specific <br />questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what we're all struggling <br />with." <br />( ) 1. What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research? <br />A. Light. B. Ceilings. C. Windows. D. Furniture. <br />( ) 2. The passage tells us that ______. <br />A. the shape of furniture may affect people's feelings <br />B. lower ceilings may help improve students' creativity <br />C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades <br />D. students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed <br />( ) 3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______. <br />A....
