A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. Jet lag interferes with a person's normal times for sleeping and waking. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They also may have problems thinking clearly and remembering.
Kwangwook Cho is a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain. He reported the findings of his jet lag study in the publication Nature Neuroscience.
The study involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. The women had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.
Mister Cho took some fluid from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone that increases during stress. He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains using magnetic resonance imaging. This is a way to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes(颞叶).
It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.
Mister Cho says he believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.
Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently affect memory.
72. According to the text, jet lag _____.
A. can cause difficulties in speaking
B. can make people feel tired for a few weeks
C. is the illness only found in people who work on the airplanes
D. can be caused by flying over several time zones in an airplane
73. It is inferred that more tests need to be done because _____.
A. the conclusion was questioned by many scientists
B. scientists fear that his research is not done properly
C. every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests
D. the woman who were studied in the research were not healthy
74. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the research results?
A. Women who have a longer rest at home show better memory.
B. Women who fly in short time had smaller right temporal lobes.
C. Women who have longer flights failed the memory test.
D. Women who rest more than 14 days produced less hormones.
75. What is the subject discussed in the test?
A. The cause of jet lag.
B. A story of a group of flight attendance.
C. A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain.
D. The importance of having enough rest after long flights.
Baroness Thatcher, Britain’s greatest post-war prime minister, died at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke (a disease related to blood vessels in the brain), her family announced on 8 April 2013. Her son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carol confirmed her death that morning.
Margaret Thatcher, daughter of a businessman and mayor of Grantham, was educated at the local grammar school, and at Oxford, where she got a degree in chemistry, and upon graduation she worked for four years as a research chemist. She then qualified as a lawyer in 1954.
As Miss Margaret Roberts, she stood twice in parliamentary (国会的) elections for the Conservative Party (保守党), before being elected (after her marriage) to the House of Commons in 1959.
When the Conservatives returned to office in June 1970, she was appointed secretary of state for education and science. After the Conservatives lost power in 1974, she was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet (内阁), and was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975.
Baroness Thatcher became prime minister on 4 May 1979 and went on to earn the nickname “the Iron Lady”, becoming known for her strong responses to the political and economic crisis, which Thatcher’s supporters think are good for Britain, while her opposers argue that her policies destroyed British manufacturing.
Lady Thatcher governed Britain from 1979 to 1990. She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who changed Britain’s economy in addition to being an awesome rival on the international stage.
Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations try to copy and apply.How old was Lady Thatcher when she became prime minister?
A.64 | B.53 | C.87 | D.45 |
Why did Lady Thatcher get the nickname “the Iron Lady”?
A.Because she was the first female prime minister in Britain. |
B.Because she took strong measures to deal with the crisis. |
C.Because she was strong enough to live a long life. |
D.Because her supporters credited (归功于) her with developing the British economy. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about Lady Thatcher?
A.She died of a heart attack on 8 April 2013. |
B.She left behind many ideas about the role of the state. |
C.Not all the people are in favor of her policies. |
D.She governed Britain for 11 years. |
Which is the correct order of what happened in Thatcher’s life?
a. She became prime minister.
b. She was appointed secretary of state for education and science.
c. She was educated at a local grammar school.
d. She was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
e. She qualified as a lawyer.
A.e-c-b-d-a | B.c-e-d-b-a |
C.b-c-e-d-a | D.c-e-b-d-a |
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.
1. Take pictures.
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event, email your new contacts to let them know about it.
2. Eat alone in public.
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.
3. Join a class, sports team, or club.
Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.
Tips:
* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).
* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that!According to the text, which of the following is NOT mentioned as an advantage of joining a class?
A.It helps you find out people who share a common interest with you. |
B.It helps you find out your interest and take up a new hobby. |
C.It offers an opportunity to meet the same people repeatedly. |
D.It is a good way to meet new people and make friends in a new city. |
Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
A.Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy. |
B.Never turn down an invitation from your friends. |
C.Offer suggestions on how to spend time together. |
D.Always give a positive response to any request. |
By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.
A.why you should change when you move to a new city |
B.how you can make new friends in a new city |
C.why you should make new friends in a new city |
D.how you can keep in touch with strangers |
Australian scientists are trying to give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep in order to cut the greenhouse gases they send out,which is thought to be responsible for global warming.
Thanks to special bacteria in the stomachs,kangaroo flatulence(肠胃气胀)contains no methane(甲烷)and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep which produce large quantities of the harmful gas.
While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a huge factory chimney pushing out carbon dioxide,farm animals’ passing wind contributes to a surprisingly high percentage of total emission(排放物)in some countries.
“Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from methane from cattle and sheep,’’said Athol Klieve,a senior research scientist with the Queensland state government.
“And if you look at another country such as New Zealand,which has got a much higher agricultural base,they are actually up around 50 percent,”he said.
Researchers say the bacteria also make the digestive process much more efficient and could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers.
But it will take researchers at least three years to isolate the bacteria before they can even start to develop a way of transferring it to cattle and sheep.
Another group of scientists,meanwhile,has suggested Australians should farm fewer cattle and sheep and just eat more kangaroos.And about twenty percent of health-conscious Australians are believed to eat the national symbol already.
“It’s low in fat,it’s got high protein levels and it’s very clean in the sense that basically it’s the free-range(放养的)animal,”said Peter Ampt of the University of New South Wales’s institute of environmental studies.The passage mainly talks about ________.
A.a better way to prevent air pollution |
B.the danger of methane from farm animals |
C.possible solutions to protecting environment |
D.a recent research on global warming |
Scientists intend to put the bacteria into cattle and sheep in order to ________.
A.prevent them from sending out harmful gases |
B.promote Australian farming |
C.protect Australian ecosystem |
D.make the most of the special bacteria |
Another possible solution to the problem is ________.
A.to reduce the number of animals raised on farms |
B.to eat more kangaroos rather than keep more sheep and cattle |
C.to eat more plants rather than beef and mutton |
D.to grow more trees to absorb carbon dioxide |
From the passage we learn that ________.
A.it is easy to transfer the bacteria to cattle and sheep |
B.farm animals are to blame for global warming in some countries |
C.cattle and sheep produce more methane than kangaroos |
D.less cattle and sheep are raised in New Zealand |
“I’ve changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas, written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched everyone’s heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky.When those we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again.And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father there too, either in your mind or heart.I find that my parents, who died years ago, still linger (留连) in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents.The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all my mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven’t forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence has been to face the aggressors(入侵者), and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, which gives me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword and my darling from the power of the God.” Yet I know death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live together, but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.
A.puts forward the subject of the text |
B.shows the author’s pity on the kid |
C.serves as an introduction to the discussion |
D.makes a clear statement of the author’s views |
In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.
A.how much he misses his parents now |
B.why his parents often appear in his dream |
C.when Lucien will get over all his sadness |
D.how proud he was when he succeeded in life |
In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.
A.to leave a precious memory to the people related |
B.to have a high sense of duty to the whole society |
C.to care what others will remember and treasure |
D.to share happiness and sadness with his family |
What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
A.Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns. |
B.Advise parents to stay with their children safely at home. |
C.Spend every day meaningfully in memory of death. |
D.Try to keep violence and murder far away from society. |
Scientists are developing a new kind of machine to take the place of humans. These machines can do jobs in places that are too dangerous for humans. For example, they are being developed to work in nuclear power center, deep under the oceans and in outer space.
John Marrit, a psychologist(心理学家) in Williamsburg Massachusetts, helped develop the new machine. This is how they work. A machine is placed in an area far away from the person who operates it. The person wears special hard hat with television screens and sound equipment. The screens and sound equipment let the person see and hear exactly what the machine is seeing and hearing. Mr. Marrit says this gives the person the feeling of being in the same place as the machine. The idea, he says, is being there without going there. The person uses an electronic control to make the machine move. The machine copies the person’s movements exactly. If the person raises his right arm, the machine raises the right arm, too. This means an expert can do a dangerous job while staying in the safe place. For example, a person can direct the machine to destroy a bomb without going near the bomb himself.The new kind of machine being introduced in the passage is _______.
A.in existence | B.only an idea |
C.being tried out | D.being researched and developed |
The machine _______.
A.follows the person’s order |
B.is controlled by a computer |
C.does exactly what the person does |
D.is controlled by a television on the person’s head |
The difference between such a new machine and a robot is that _______.
A.the new machine is more difficult to make than a robot |
B.the new machine is more difficult to be controlled |
C.a robot is controlled by man indirectly |
D.a robot can’t be used in places too dangerous or faraway |