Drinking wine in moderation improves the IQ and may boost mental agility in old people,according to Japanese researchers.
A study of the effects of alcohol on the middle aged and elderly found the average IQ of men who drink wine (whether made from grapes or rice) was 3.3 points higher than that of men who do not imbibe.
Similarly,the IQ of women drinkers showed an improvement of 2.5 points over their teetotal sisters.The findings are part of an ongoing study by Japan’s National Institute for Longevity into the links between human intelligence and what we eat and drink.
The tests measured general knowledge,powers of judgment and concentration in drinkers and non-drinkers over 40,all living in Aichi prefecture,central Japan,and sharing the same income level-roughly￡50 000 a year—and educational background.All were university graduates.
But while wine-drinkers appeared to be brighter,the same was not true of those who drank deer,shochu (a local gin) and whisky.
“The benefits of wine and sake (rice wine) in raising IQ could be due to substances they contain,such as polyphenol,which are believed to slow the ageing process,” Hiroshi Shimokata,head of epidemiology research,said.
It was premature to conclude,he added,that drinking wine or sake slowed the deterioration of brain functions in the elderly,or warded off senility.The research does,however,suggest that this is one way to stay mentally alert longer.
But there is a sobering caveat:drinking too much may make you dimmer.“People who drink more than 540 milli-litres (a little over a pint) of sake or wine a day had lower intelligence quotients than those who did not drink at all,”Hiroshi Shimokata said.“Moderation is very important.”Which one is the topic of the passage?
| A．Drinking wine in a large amount improves the IQ of old people. |
| B．Drinking wine in a reasonable amount raises the IQ of old people. |
| C．Drinking wine in moderation does good to any one. |
| D．Drinking wine helps improve the IQ of women. |
According to the passage,which of the following is NOT wrong?
| A．Every wine drinker’s IQ is 3.3 points higher than that of men who don’t drink. |
| B．The IQ of women drinker is 2.5 points lower than that of the non-drinking women. |
| C．Drinking beer and whisky cannot improve one’s IQ. |
| D．Drinking wine can only do good to the IQ of rich old people. |
The reason why wine and sake can improve IQ is that _________.
| A．wine and sake have special taste |
| B．wine and sake can make us excited |
| C．wine and sake contain substances considered to slow the ageing process |
| D．wine and sake contain something believed to prevent us from ageing |
From the text,it seems that we can conclude _________.
| A．the more wine we drink,the brighter we are |
| B．the less wine we drink,the brighter we are |
| C．drinking wine less than 540ml a day,we’ll become dimmer |
| D．drinking wine in moderation,we’ll become brighter |
On the way to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man with a dirty face jumped up from a chair, opened the door for us and greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters said in a low voice, “Mom, he smells.” After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look beyond the dirt. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me, I wanted to set a good example to my children, but sometimes being a good example was difficult. When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck. With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so Iwent back to the car for them.
Just then, the “doorman” was opening the door for me, I said a loud “thank you” to him as I exited.
When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside unless he bought food. I went back and told my family his situation. Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich. The kids looked puzzled, but when I said the order was for the “doorman”, they smiled. When it was time to continue our trip, I noticed the “doorman” enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then lifted his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes-tears of gratitude (感恩). What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the “doorman” a hug.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought. While we can’t choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude. I said thanks to a man who had simply helped open a door for me, and also said thanks for that opportunity to teach my children by example.What attitude did the children show to the doorman at first?
| A．dislike | B．surprise |
| C．puzzle | D．interest |
The author returned to the car for car-sick pills because ________.
| A．seeing the doorman made her sick |
| B．she wanted the doorman to open the door for her |
| C．the kids needed them for the windiest trip ahead |
| D．the kids were concerned about the restaurant’s meal |
For what purpose did the author say a loud “thank you” to the doorman?
| A．She wanted to give the children a lesson of gratitude. |
| B．She showed her real love for him. |
| C．She wanted to give the doorman a hand. |
| D．She just showed her polite manner. |
It can be learned from the passage that the doorman _________.
| A．refused to accept the offer |
| B．took the offer for nothing |
| C．gave the author a thankful hug |
| D．was moved to tears for the kind help |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．We should learn to show gratitude. |
| B．Life is difficult for those in trouble. |
| C．Don’t judge a man by what he wears. |
| D．We should be polite to others. |
Our children grew up on peanut butter and jelly (果冻) sandwiches. Even my husband and I sometimes ate one secretly at late night with a glass of milk. It was too delicious and tasty. My mother-in-law was the jelly maker in this family. The jelly was made of either grape or blackberry. The only job I did to the jelly making was to save baby food jars (罐子), which my mother-in-law would fill with the tasty gel (凝胶体), pack them up and send back to our home. For the past 22 years of my married life, whenever I wanted to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for ourselves, all I had to do was reach for one of those little jars of jelly. It was always there.
This past December, my mother-in-law passed away. Among the things in the house to be divided by her children were the remaining canned goods in the pantry (食品储藏室). When my husband brought his jars home, we carefully put them away in our pantry.
The other day I reached in there to get jelly for a quick sandwich, and there it was. Sitting all alone on the far side of the shelf was a small jar of grape jelly. As I picked up the jar, I suddenly realized something that I had failed to see earlier-this was the last jar we would ever have from my mother-in-law. Although she had been dead for nearly a year, so much of her had remained with us. Our children had never known a day without their grandmother’s jelly. It seems like such a small thing, and most days it was something that was ignored. But today it seemed a great treasure.
No longer was it just a jar of jelly. It was the end of a family tradition. I believed that as long as it was there, a part of my mother-in-law would always live on.Why did the couple eat the jelly secretly at late night?
| A．Because it was very delicious and nice. |
| B．Because it was only made for children. |
| C．Because it was made by mother-in-law. |
| D．Because it was good to health. |
What can we know about the author in making jelly?
| A．She could make baby food by herself. |
| B．She could only collect baby food jars. |
| C．She helped her mother fill the jars with the tasty gel. |
| D．She sent the jelly jars home with her husband. |
What did the mother-in-law leave to the author?
| A．The skills to make jelly. |
| B．Some baby food in the house. |
| C．Some canned jars filled with jelly. |
| D．A lot of money. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．a quick sandwich | B．the shelf |
| C．grape | D．jelly |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
| A．To miss her mother-in-law. |
| B．To introduce the skills of making jelly. |
| C．To remember the family tradition. |
| D．To warn people to be nice to the old. |
Born with easy-broken bone disease, Zhang Yonghong is only half a meter tall and must use a wheelchair. His thin arms and legs can hardly support any weight, and he is unable to take care of himself. However, his hands are able to produce fine paper-cuts, which will free his daughter from the same disease.
To support himself, he learned how to make paper-cut art from his mother. He sold his artwork and taught his techniques in Xi’an for eight years before discovering his young daughter inherited the disease from him, leading Zhang to move his family to Beijing for his daughter’s better treatment five years ago.
The daughter’s treatment costs about 30,000 yuan a year. The family’s savings was used up in two years, and Zhang was forced to start to sell his work in underground passages with his healthy wife, who soon left him because of the hard life.
With a little help from government, he was lucky to meet some kindhearted people in Beijing. A Hong Kong businessman gave 60,000 yuan to him last year to treat the girl and start a small shop on Qiangulouyuan, which is known as a famous hutong that attracts lots of tourists over holidays. Zhang Rui, a university graduate, spends most of her time helping Zhang sell the paper-cuts, translating the stories of the paper-cuts into English and selling the works on the roadside of Nanluoguxiang.
However, the artist still lives beyond his income (收入) and struggles to continue his small business. “Selling paper-cuts is his only source of income. Without this, he can’t support the family and treat his daughter,” says Zhang Rui, who hopes more people will help Zhang.Why did Zhang grow only half a meter tall?
| A．His easy-broken bone disease affected him. |
| B．His parents also had the same disease. |
| C．His poor family couldn’t provide him with rich food. |
| D．An unexpected accident caused him to grow slowly. |
What does the underlined word “inherited” probably mean in Paragraph 2?
| A．get around | B．take away |
| C．pass on | D．go over |
Why did his wife leave him?
| A．Because she was afraid of losing the daughter. |
| B．Because she was tired of him and her children. |
| C．Because she lost hope for her daughter. |
| D．Because the life was too hard for them. |
With the help of a Hong Kong businessman, Zhang Yonghong _________.
| A．could support the daily life of his family |
| B．ran a shop of his own in Beijing |
| C．hired a girl to sell his artworks |
| D．could start a translation room |
What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
| A．Zhang still needs more people to help him. |
| B．Zhang manages his business very well. |
| C．Zhang’s business needs to be developed. |
| D．Zhang needs to look for a wife to help him. |
Dear Aunt Tara,
I have a problem with my homework. We have to do it in a group. It has to be finished this Friday, but Gary, the boy in our group, has done nothing helpful. He just keeps rocking the boat.
Every time we talk about the work with him, he always says, “Don’t worry. I’ll do it later.” But he seldom does his job. And when he does, he does it the wrong way. Someone has to do it for him again. What’s worse is when Ms. Lin asks about our group, Gary always tells her that we others don’t work hard enough. I’m really mad at Gary about this. We’re in the same group. Shouldn’t we help each other to do a better job?
Kate
Dear Kate,
It is important for students to learn how to work together in a group. Maybe you should talk to Gary about the problem and tell him you all need his help. If he still doesn’t change, go talk to your teacher. I believe she can make Gary do his job.
Aunt TaraWhich of the following is true about Kate’s homework?
| A．It’s very easy. |
| B．It’s very boring. |
| C．It has to be done by herself. |
| D．It requires teamwork. |
What does “rocking the boat” most likely mean in Kate’s letter?
| A．Causing trouble. |
| B．Doing easy jobs. |
| C．Telling people what to do. |
| D．Working without thinking. |
Which of the following best describes Gary?
| A．Kind and helpful. | B．Lazy and dishonest. |
| C．Tall and strong. | D．Honest and popular. |
What do we know from Aunt Tara’s letter?
| A．Kate is the leader of Ms. Lin’s class. |
| B．Kate should let Gary know how she feels. |
| C．Gary should be put in another group. |
| D．Gary has decided to change himself. |
What’s Aunt Tara’s advice to Kate?
| A．Do the homework without Gary’s help. |
| B．Ask her teacher immediately to make Gary do his job. |
| C．Talk to Gary first and then to Ms. Lin if necessary. |
| D．Ask her teacher to give her a different kind of homework. |
At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders（性别）．
David Chadwell, South Carolina’s expert of single gender education says, “Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently．We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know．”
Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains．The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction．“Boys understand the world as objects moving through space,” he says．
The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black．It’s no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class．
The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange．To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn’t need to move as much as in boy’s class．Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention．
Boys and girls also hear differently．“When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling,” Chadwell says．“They think you’re mad and can shut down．” Girls are more sensitive to sounds．He advises girls’ teachers to watch the tone of their voices．Boys’ teachers should sound more forceful, even excited．
A boy’s nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit．Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused．Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit．Girls also respond to stress differently．When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts（肠道）, leaving them feeling nervous or anxious．
These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds．“Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning．”What is David Chadwell’s attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?
| A．Supportive | B．Worried |
| C．Concerned | D．Uninterested |
To engage boy in a class, the teacher ______．
| A．must have a moving object in this hand |
| B．needs to wear clothes in warm color |
| C．has to speak politely |
| D．had better move constantly while teaching |
Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
（ =" Paragraph" 1=" Paragraph" 2=" Paragraph" 3 …．．． =" Paragraph" 8 ）
Which of the following students is most likely to be focused?
| A．A boy sitting in a warm room |
| B．A standing boy who is faced with stress |
| C．A girl standing in a cold room |
| D．A girl who is facing a lot of pressure |