Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.” How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
| A．Some researchers have told them. |
| B．Many women say so. |
| C．They know it by experimenting on rats. |
| D．They know it through their own experience. |
What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
| C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? |
| B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones |
| D．An Important Study |
In my opinion, there is only one legitimate (合法的) handgun sport and that is aim practice. It is practiced at objects which are properly monitored and usually quite safe. Only certain handguns are true “sporting weapons”, seen as such by the sport’s lovers.
On the other hand, shooting at tin cans and other small objects in one’s backyard is not and should not be considered a serious sport. When uncontrolled, it can be a very dangerous practice.
Some opponents (反对者) of handgun control have stated that we are out to stop all hunting and that controlling the handgun would severely affect hunting. That is simply untrue. Handgun control would in no way limit the freedom of the true hunter. Few if any hunters consider the handgun an effective hunting weapon.
There are a few hunters who do hunt with handguns, but most states place restrictions (限制) on the type of guns that can be used in hunting, the reason is that killing of game should be done in as humane (人道的) a way as possible. Some small handguns are more likely to wound the animal rather than kill it at once. Only long guns, rifles and shotguns are effective arms of hunting.
People must understand that handguns and hunters are separate matters. Because most of the hunters use a rifle or shotgun, there is no reason why their search for game and sport should be affected by handgun control. Mixing the anti-hunting matter with the handgun matter confuses the killing of animals with killing of people.In the writer’s opinion, people should use handguns only when .
| A．hunters shoot at animals |
| B．they aim at a criminal |
| C．objects are under control |
| D．objects are only small tin cans in the backyard |
According to the writer, hunting is not affected by handgun control because.
| A．hunters can use knives rather than guns to hunt animals |
| B．state government encourages hunters to use other guns |
| C．nobody cares what weapons are used to kill animals |
| D．most hunters use rifles rather than handguns |
This passage mainly talks about .
| A．the relation between hunting and handgun control |
| B．the importance of aim practice |
| C．how handgun control affects hunting |
| D．different types of guns used in hunting |
Weekend Miracles
Weekend Miracles give children aged 9 and older in the Children’s Center the opportunity to visit a host family who partners the child to find the child a permanent family. The host family arranges activities that the child will enjoy and introduces the child to their circle of friends—in order to develop a lasting connection with someone.
Organization: Kidsave International
Location: the United States
Duration: 2 days to 6 weeks
Web Designer Needed
We need the skills of a Web designer to help us redesign our website. The project will be fun and fulfilling, and give much needed visibility (能见性) to our grass-roots projects that are serving children and mothers in every corner of the world.
Organization: Children’s Fund
Location: the United States
Duration: 3 weeks to 2 months
Living Miracles
Doctors and dentists are needed as volunteers at Shechen Medical Clinic in Nepal for two months or longer. In Tibet, we need doctors for only 1-2 months. Dentists can come for one month or longer. Please understand that modern conveniences are not available here.
Organization: Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship
Location: Nepal
Duration: 21 days to 6 years
Teaching English to Children in India
The Salus Foundation, Inc. needs help from volunteers, teachers, college students or recent college graduates trained in ESL, or who are willing to be trained in ESL to teach English to the students at the Sulaxim School.
Organization: The Salus Foundation, Inc.
Location: India
Duration: 6 weeks to 9 months
Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Cameroon
In Defense of Animals in Africa needs help from highly motivated, mature volunteers who care about the conservation of great apes and are willing to live in an isolated, challenging, French-speaking environment for six months to benefit our future generation.
Organization: In Defense of Animals in Africa
Location: Cameroon
Duration: 6 monthsWe can infer from the passage that .
| A．serving children in every corner of the world is the Web designer’s duty |
| B．volunteers going to Cameroon should be able to speak French |
| C．more dentists are needed than doctors in Nepal |
| D．the time you work in one of these places can be changed |
Which of the following fields is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Health | B．Education | C．Politics | D．Wildlife conservation |
Which of the following is suitable for John, an American college student, who wants to learn about the lives of children in other countries?
| A．Weekend Miracles |
| B．Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Cameroon |
| C．Web Designer Needed |
| D．Teaching English to Children in India |
The purpose of Weekend Miracles is mainly to help children .
| A．enlarge their circle of friends |
| B．learn more about the outside world |
| C．find a family who is willing to raise them |
| D．get chances to communicate with other children |
Urban legends are stories that are told and believed in many places．Too many places，in fact．It simply isn’t credible that the same unlikely events take place in so many different towns．For some reason，though，that particular set of events appeals to the imagination and the tale spreads．
A very common North American urban legend concerns a mad man in the woods．A dangerous mad man has escaped from a hospital for the mentally ill．At some point in his life he has lost a hand and it has been replaced by a hook．A boy and a girl are out dating，sitting in a car．They hear on the radio that the area is dangerous，so they drive off．When they arrive home they find a bloodstained hook hanging on the door handle of the car door next to the girl．
Missing kidney(肾)stories are fairly common．Of course，the details are variable．It might be a woman waking up in a strange hotel in Bangkok，or a man finding himself in a cold bath in Toronto．or a young man with faint memories of wild disco party，but they all find a flesh wound，and discover that one of their kidneys has been removed and，probably, sold．
The back seat killer has plenty of drama．A woman gets into her Car late at night．Another Car follows her, speeding，flashing lights and really frightening her．She gets home and keeps on pressing the horn．Her husband runs out．The chasing car stops．The husband demands to know why the driver has been frightening his wife．He says he saw a strange man get into the back of the car as the wife got in，and then hide．They go and look，and there is a dangerous mad man...What is the writer’s attitude towards “urban legends”?
| A．Curious． | B．Disgusted． | C．Frightened． | D．Doubtful． |
What can be inferred from the hook hanging on the Car door?
| A．The mad man left it there as a warning． |
| B．The mad man narrowly escaped being injured in a car accident． |
| C．The mad man had just been about to attack the girl． |
| D．The boy had meant to frighten the girl with it． |
What do we know about the three people mentioned in the third paragraph?
| A．They had their kidney removed when they were unconscious． |
| B．They sold their kidneys for profit． |
| C．They were suffering loss of memories． |
| D．They had been wounded before the accident． |
Why does the woman driver keep on pressing the horn?
| A．To warn the other driver not to follow her． |
| B．To give herself enough courage to face the danger． |
| C．To made her husband aware of something urgent． |
| D．To inform her family of her safe return． |
How should we describe the second driver in the 4th paragraph?
| A．Crazy． | B．Dangerous． | C．Brave． | D．Helpful． |
In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may________.
| A．cause a shortage of apartments |
| B．worry those who rent apartments as homes. |
| C．increase the profits of landlords. |
| D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartments. |
We can safely say that rent control_________.
| A．will always benefit those who rent apartments. |
| B．is unnecessary. |
| C．will probably bring inactive effects in the long run. |
| D．is necessary under all conditions |
There will be the problem of unemployment if ________________.
| A．the minimum wage is set too high.. |
| B．the minimum wage is set too early. |
| C．the workers are unskilled. |
| D．the maximum wage is set for poor workers. |
The passage tells us about _______________.
| A．the relationship between supply and demand. |
| B．the possible results of government controls. |
| C．the necessity of government control. |
| D．the urgency of getting rid of government control. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted. |
| B．Minimum wage cannot always protect employees. |
| C．Economic theory can help predict the results of economic decision if other factors are not changing. |
| D．Economists usually have the same prediction about an economic decision. |
Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt that Napoleon was a major influence. The French had used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand rivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic traveled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift to the right. A driver would sit on the rear (后面的) left horse in order to wave his whip with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they traveled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908; the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the western world’s few remaining holdouts. Several Asian countries, including Japan, use the left as well — thought many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?
| A．They had used the right-hand since the 18th century. |
| B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right. |
| C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country. |
| D．Hitler ordered them to go to against their left-hand tradition. |
Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is ______.
| A．Austria | B．England | C．Japan | D．Australia |
Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left _______.
| A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S. |
| B．so that passengers could get off conveniently |
| C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect |
| D．though many countries were strongly against that |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right. |
| B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays. |
| C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970. |
| D．All the Asian nations use the left at present. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Who made the great contributions to the shift of traffic directions? |
| B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation? |
| C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left? |
| D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of the road? |