Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative meaning.
So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation (创新). But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop
new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.
Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.
But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.
“The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide’, just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider’．” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”
“All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware,” she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively (合作地) and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought. “This breaks the major rule in the American belief system — that anyone can do anything,” explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will…and Ms. Markova’s business partner. “That’s a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters (促进，培养) commonness. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.” This is where developing new habits comes in.Brain researchers have discovered that .
| A．the forming of new habits can be guided |
| B．the development of habits can be predicted |
| C．the regulation of old habits can be transformed |
| D．the track of new habits can be created unconsciously |
The underlined word “ruts” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
| A．zones | B．connections | C．situations | D．tracks |
Which of the following statements most probably agrees with Dawna Markova’s view?
| A．Decision makes no sense in choices. |
| B．Curiosity makes creative minds active. |
| C．Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind. |
| D．Formation of innovation comes from fantastic ideas. |
The purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us .
| A．to give up our traditional habits deliberately |
| B．to create and develop new habits consciously |
| C．to resist the application of standardized testing |
| D．to believe that old habits conflict with new habits |
A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.
Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.
Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.
“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.
Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.
“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said. These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.
These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.
Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.
The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.
49. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin.
B. People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings.
C. It has been proved that these findings help treat lung diseases.
D. It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice’s skin.
50. One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _______.
A. carrying oxygen around the body B. improving athletes’ performance
C. detecting oxygen D. increasing level of oxygen
51. What is Johnson’s attitude to the application of the findings to the athletes’ training?
A. Negative B. Doubting C. Positive D. Hesitating
52. The best title of the passage may be _______.
A. Great Findings Benefits Athletes A Lot
B. Frogs And Mice Are Distant Relatives
C. First Known Animal Breathes Through Skin
D. Humans Might Sense Oxygen Through Skin
Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐),such as the symphonies(交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera for singers. There is ballet(芭蕾舞乐曲) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.
45. What can we know about music and people in America?_____
A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
B. Every American student enjoys listening to popular music.
C. Adult drivers only listen to news except music when they drive to work.
D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.
46. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?_____
A. Six. B. Eight. C. Five. D. Seven.
47. Country music _____.
A. is a kind of music that is popular in America
B. has nothing to do with musicians
C. is only sung by cowboys
D. is not played in the concert halls
48. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?_____
A. All the people in America like popular music.
B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.
C. Now, country music is a little different from its beginning.
D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.
第四节：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项中，选出最佳选项．
The Internet has opened up a whole new on line world for us to meet, chat and go where we’ve never been before.
But just as in face to face communication, there are some basic rules of behavior that should be followed when on line. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated. Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes.
For anything you’re about to send: ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person’s face?” If the answer is no, rewrite and reread. Repeat the process till you feel sure that you’d feel comfortable saying the words to the person’s face.
If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct（本能）is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so. You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages. If it was caused by a disagreement with another member, try to fix the situation by politely discussing it. Remember to respect the beliefs and opinions of others in the chat room.
Everyone was new to the network once. Offer advice when asked by newcomers, as they may not be sure what to do or how to communicate. When someone makes a mistake, whether it’s a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If it’s a small mistake, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before saying anything. Having good manners yourself doesn’t give you license to correct everyone else.
If you do decide to tell someone about a mistake, point it out politely. At the same time, if you find you are wrong, be sure to correct yourself and apologize to those that you have offended.
It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex, and marital status. Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information, don’t ask such questions.
1. When you send short messages to a person online, you must_______ .
A. make sure that they mean no harm
B. read them again and again
C. say something beautiful to hear
D. repeat them later to the persons’ face
2. If you are hurt in the chat room by others, you can ________.
A. fight back in the same way
B .take them seriously
C. refuse to receive their messages
D. tell the police about this
3. If a newcomer who communicates online makes any mistakes, you______ .
A. should point them out sharply
B. shouldn’t be so strict with them
C. should say something about them
D. should take your responsibility to correct them
4. This passage mainly tells us_______ .
A. some rules of Internet communication
B. ways of sending messages
C. rules of the chat room
D. ways of making friends on the Internet
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field aways had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.
56．How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
A. She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field
B. She lost it while watering the plants in the field.
C. She lost it while working in the field.
D. She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field.
57. What was done so that the lost ring could be found?
A. Friends were asked to join in the search.
B. The field was searched for a long time.
C. Dogs were called to look for it.
D. Both A and B
58. Why did people keep looking for the ring even after the farm changed hands?
A. It was a very expensive ring B. They all wanted to solve the mystery.
C. They all loved Nancy. D. Everybody wanted to have this ring.
59. What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
A. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.
B. He ran back to tell everybody in the village.
C. He placed it in a secret spot.
D. He returned it to the owner.
60. What can you infer from the story?
A. The ring was invaluable.
B. People on the farm were honest and helpful.
C. The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power.
D. Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again.
The first newspapers were handwritten sheets which were posted in pubic places. The earliest recorded newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was developed in China. The paper was printed from carved(雕刻的) wooden blocks and sent out among the citizens. Europe didn’t have a regularly(定期的) published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The fist regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published weekly. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which didn’t appear until March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But the local(当地的) government soon stopped its publication. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston News-letter, the first newspaper to be published daily in America. By 1760, the whole America had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation(发行量) in the world. The largest circulation for a newspaper, however, is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which sells over eleven million copies every day.
1．In Europe, the newspaper was first regularly published_____.
A .in England B. in Germany
C. in France D. in London
2．The first English newspaper printed and sold every day appeared _________.
A. in 1620 B. in 1609
C. at the end of the 17th century D. at the beginning of the 18th century.
3．How many years earlier was the newspaper printed in China than in America?
A. 9 or 10 centuries. B. More than 1000 years.
C. 700 years or so D. Less than 800 years.
4．Which of the following newspapers have the largest number of readers in the world?
A. Italian language newspapers.
B. German language newspapers.
C. English language newspapers.
D. Japanese language newspapers.
5．Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
A. The World’s First Newspaper.
B .History of Newspaper.
C. The First Daily Newspaper in American.
D. A Remarkable Man-Benjamin Harris.