June 26, 2000 — the Human Genome(基因组) Project, a great $3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed. The scientific and medical communities are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging(延长) human life. But those communities and policy makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life.
For the last few years, the genetic advances in the developing field of biotechnology have provides material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code(密码) have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination.
While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码) human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States, which began in 1990, is “unlocking the code” of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal diseases. Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes connected with terrible diseases as yet(迄今), and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS.
Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections, and genetic diseases. Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses. Why did the scientists work hard at mapping the human genome?
| A．Because the human genome can destroy many illnesses. |
| B．Because the human genome's completion can help them get rid of many diseases. |
| C．Because they wanted to be better known than others. |
| D．Because the human genome can provide a lot of chances of work. |
Which country studied the genes most rapidly in the world?
| A．Japan. | B．Germany. | C．The United States. | D．China. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．If the genes can be found, scientists can study many new ways to cure illnesses. |
| B．The scientists have made great progress in connecting the genes with the cancers. |
| C．Many medical companies show great interest in drawing the human genome map. |
| D．The United States began the Genes Study early in the 19th century. |
The author suggests that the Human Genome Project can cause _______.
| A．the policy makers to feel very worried and careful |
| B．the scientists to work harder |
| C．many people to find work easily |
| D．a lot of companies to produce many new drugs |
The main idea of this article is about _______.
| A．unlocking genetic code |
| B．the genes' discovery |
| C．the great human genome |
| D．the genes and the scientists |
A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation(诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and inflexible(固守己见的).
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as “character”.
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one’s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the elements for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that ______.
| A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment |
| B．emotional intelligence won’t show up until adolescence |
| C．the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success |
| D．candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence |
Which of the following is True of EQ and IQ according to the text?
| A．There is no link between EQ and IQ. |
| B．The higher a person’s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is. |
| C．Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either. |
| D．Scientists are trying to discover the way in which EQ and IQ work together. |
The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.
| A．kind | B．floating |
| C．excited | D．optimistic] |
What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Information about famous people with high EQ. |
| B．Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ. |
| C．Some reasons why EQ is a relatively new field. |
| D．Strong demand for basic emotional education. |
| Shortened Library Hours for Spring Break |
| Library Hours have been shortened to 7 hours a day （9:00 a.m.— 4:00 p.m.）for Spring Break from March 24 to March 30. |
| Coming Events |
| On Monday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m., Scott Sutton, a children’s writer, will tell stories to kids over seven. Sutton’s attractive style will surely inspire everyone present! At 1:00 p.m., on March 26, the Georgetown Musicians will present an Irish Folk Concert, which will be entertaining for the entire family. Come for the music and stay to check out some relevant books for the rest of the week! On Thursday, March 27, at 2:00 p.m., the annual Children’s Gathering will take place in Room 201, the second-floor. Pick up an invitation in the Children’s Room and return your RSVP to reserve your seat at the table by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25. Only children are allowed in the Gathering. At 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28, Enzo Monfre of the hit kid’s science show, ENZOology, will bring Fossils Live! Surely Enzo will take the audience back in time, deep beneath the surface of the earth, to uncover the mysteries of killer dinosaurs, and more. Enzo recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show — come and see him at the library! |
| Please note：In case of emergency, please call the Help Desk at 926-3736 and follow the procedures outlined on the voice message. The call-down service is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies. The Help Desk supplies service to you all the year around! For questions about all these, please contact hld@wnbl.corg. |
| Come for the great Fun; Stay for the relevant Books! |
To attend the annual Children’s Gathering, one has to ______.
| A．buy a ticket |
| B．apply in advance |
| C．make a reservation |
| D．contact the call-down service |
According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will ______.
| A．show the children around a zoo |
| B．tell stories to children over seven |
| C．be present at the science show in person |
| D．lead the children to the Ellen DeGenerse Show |
The Help Desk in this library supplies service ______.
| A．only during the daytime |
| B．in case of emergency |
| C．till the end of the Spring Break |
| D．after 22:00 p.m. every day |
We can learn from the passage that children ______.
| A．can attend all the activities with their parents |
| B．have access to some relevant books for the activities |
| C．can participate in the activities from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| D．may choose only one of the activities according to their interest |
He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father’s life--who was the main source of support for the family. Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.
One late night, he suffered from diarrhea (腹泻) and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back to dorm to wait. But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel. Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live separate from him, living his own life, as many normal people do. So he was heart-broken and didn’t know what to do.
A similar misfortune happened to a girl, too. One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness, disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn (弄翻) the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister, who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-dependent. Once she wrote the following in her composition: “I am lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I am lucky.” Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly.”
One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.
They had both endured the same misfortune, but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it actually is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the misfortune, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be fortune on which new hopes will arise.In the first paragraph, what happened in the accident?
| A．The boy wasn’t badly injured. |
| B．The boy’s father escaped being hurt. |
| C．The boy’s father was killed. |
| D．The boy’s younger brother was slightly wounded. |
The girl refused her elder sister’s help, because ______.
| A．she was lucky and still had two legs |
| B．she wanted to be self-dependent rather than rely on others |
| C．she didn’t want to move to another city |
| D．she enjoyed living separate from others |
When the girl wrote the words: Broken wings, flying heart, she really meant ______.
| A．though she lost arms, she still had legs |
| B．her elder sister’s willingness to take care of her could help her fly with wings |
| C．if one had wings, his or her heart could fly |
| D．faced with the misfortune, you should be strong, and you’ll make it |
If you remember taking class notes in longhand(速记), there’s a good chance you also remember more about a variety of topics than today’s students do. A study investigated whether taking notes by hand helps you learn better than taking notes on a laptop. It was no contest.
Study authors and psychologists Pam A. Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California– Los Angeles conducted three separate experiments involving a total of 327 students. All students got the same lectures, but some used laptops, and others took notes by hand.
When it came to learning the concepts, the handwriters won. When it came to retrieving facts, the groups were comparable, except when given time to go home and look at their notes, at which point the handwriters did better.
“Even when allowed to reviewnotes after a week’s delay, participants who had taken notes with laptops performed worse on tests of both factual content and conceptual（概念的）understanding,” the study states.
Learning suffered not because of “multitasking” or the distraction available to students using Wi-Fi– enabled laptops. In the lab, scientists allowed no extraneous（不相干的）activity. Students who paid attention and took deep notes on their laptop still didn’t learn as well—in fact, the study suggests the thoroughness of their notes contributes to the problem.
Laptop users tend to record long, verbatim quotes, which they type mindlessly. Handwriters are more selective. They “wrote significantly fewer words than those who typed,” according to the study. By processing and selecting the more important information, they studied more efficiently, said researchers.
Here’s what’s a bit frightening: When the laptop students were instructed to cut down or eliminate the verbatim note taking, they couldn’t. The study adds to a ton of evidence that for learning, writing is better and that the hand has a “unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas.”
Of course, the chance of persuading students to put away their laptops is probably zero. Many of them can’t write longhand, a forgotten subject in many American schools, itself a source of controversy.
So are we stuck with traditional classrooms and learning techniques if we want the brightest pupils? Perhaps not: Another possibility, some have suggested, is apps that permit handwriting on tablets, a compromise that students might accept.The reason why taking notes by hand is considerably better than taking notes on a laptop may be that_______.
| A．longhand note takers engage in more processing than laptop note takers |
| B．students using laptops paid attention and took deep notes |
| C．handwriters have a tendency to use long verbatim quotes |
| D．laptop users are more selective when taking notes |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “verbatim”?
| A．板书的 | B．冗长的 |
| C．完全照字面的 | D．重要的 |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The experiments show that there are advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. |
| B．In many American schools, longhand has always been popular with the students. |
| C．When allowed to review notes after a week’s delay, participants who had taken notes with laptops performed equivalently to longhand note takers. |
| D．There is a good chance that many students will put away their laptops and take class notes in longhand. |
The passage is most likely to be taken from _____.
| A．National Geography | B．The Economist |
| C．Psychological Science | D．Wall Street Journal |
Most nutrition education isn’t very effective. People know that an apple is better than a Snickers bar, but they often eat the Snickers bar anyway. After conducting hundreds of studies on the psychology of how and why we eat, I’ve seen that it’s good to understand nutrition, but it’s much better to change your eating environment. Doing so can help you make better choices without even thinking about it.
Part 1
We all know children can be stubbornly habitual in what they want to eat. If kids had French fries yesterday, they want them again today. We came up with a simple way to interrupt this default. Instead of asking kids what they want, what if we ask them about someone they admire?
We studied this with elementary school–aged children one summer. We treated 22 kids to apple slices or fries at a fast-food restaurant. The first week, 20 of them ordered French fries, and two ordered apple slices. But the next week, we asked, “What would Batman eat: apple slices or French fries?” After they answered for Batman, we asked them what they wanted. This time, the number of kids who ordered apple slices jumped from two to ten— almost half of them.
If you ask yourself before deciding between the salad and the cheesy bacon fries, “What would my role model choose?” you’ll be a lot less tempted. Thinking about what a well-liked person would do makes us less indulgent.
Part 2
If we knew what a skinny person’s kitchen looked like, we could set up our own kitchens in a similar way. Once we got into people’s homes, we took pictures of everything: their dishes, sinks, refrigerator shelves, counters, snacks, pet-food dishes, tables, lighting — even random items held up by magnets on their refrigerators. Then we spent eight months coding these kitchens to see what thin people do differently.
We wondered if big kitchens turn us into big people. But it turns out that kitchen size isn’t the problem. It’s what you see in the kitchen. The average woman who kept potato chips on the counter weighed eight pounds more than her neighbor who didn’t. “In sight, in stomach.” We eat what we see, not what we don’t.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined part “less indulgent”?
| A．self-confident | B．self-controlled |
| C．self-estimated | D．self-centered |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To give advice on how to become slim. |
| B．To warn people that nutrition education is important for our daily life. |
| C．To tell us that someone children admire may influence their eating habits. |
| D．To introduce some innovative ways to help us eat healthier. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Changing your eating environment is more effective than understanding nutrition in order to eat healthier. |
| B．The role model way has no effect on children at all when they choose what to eat. |
| C．Setting up our kitchens just like the slim person’s will help us eat healthier. |
| D．It is not the size of the kitchen but what we see in the kitchen that turns us into big people. |
What is the best title for part 2?
| A．The Slim Person’s Kitchen |
| B．How to decorate your Kitchen |
| C．Kitchen size makes a difference |
| D．Big kitchens are more popular |