As you dash outdoors in the middle of winter, you might make it halfway down the block before realizing that your ears are freezing because you forgot your hat.
Now, scientists have shown that even though you’ve had an apparent memory lapse(丧失), your brain never forgot what you should have done.
Memory works mainly by association. For example, as you try to remember where you left your keys, you might recall you last had them in the living room, which reminds you that there was an ad for soap on television, which reminds you that you need soap, and so on. And then, as you’re heading out of the door to buy soap, you remember that your keys are on the kitchen counter. Your brain knew where the keys were all along. It just took a round-about way to get there.
Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are studying associative memory in monkeys to figure out just how this complicated process works.
First, the researchers trained a group of monkeys to remember arbitrary(任意的) pairs of symbols. The researchers showed the monkeys one symbol(cold weather) and then gave them the choice of two other symbols, one of which (a hat) would be associated with the first. A correct choice would earn them a sip of their favorite juice.
Most of the monkeys performed the test perfectly, but one kept making mistakes.
“We wondered what happened in the brain when the monkey made the wrong choice, although it apparently learned the right pairing of symbols,” said study leader Thomas Albright.
Albright and his team observed signals from the nerve cells in the monkey’s inferior temporal cortex (ITC), an area of its brain used for visual pattern recognition and for storing this type of memory.
As the monkey was deciding which symbol to choose, about a quarter of the activity in the ITC was due to the choice behavior.
Meanwhile, more than half the activity was in a different group of nerve cells, which scientists believe represent the monkey’s memory of the correct symbol pairing, and surprisingly, these cells continued to fire even when the monkey chose the wrong symbol.
“In this sense, the cells ‘knew’ more than the monkeys let on in their behavior,” Albright said. “Thus, behavior may vary, but knowledge endures.”
57.The example of the keys and soap is given to explain the relationship between __________.
A.memory lapse and human brain B.memory and association
C.memory and television ads D.memory and our daily life
58.Which of the following best expresses the general idea of the text?
A.Your brain may forget something, but not always.
B.Activity is a round-about way to memory.
C.Your brain remembers what you forget.
D.Monkeys have better memory than us.
59.The researchers believe the monkey that made the wrong choice ________.
A.also knew the correct answer B.had the worst memory
C.failed to see the objects well D.had some trouble with its nerve system
60.The underlined word “endures” may be best replaced by __________.
A.disappears B.increases C.improves D.remains
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate (照亮) me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changed into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based in the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell…” we have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing (愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
61. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to _____.
A. become serious about her study B. go to her friend’s house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school D. share poems and stories with her friend
62. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means_____.
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feelings about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
63. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _____.
A. call each other regularly B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other D. dream of meeting each other
64. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to _____.
A. seek professional help B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend D. break the silence
65. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Unforgettable Experience B. Remarkable Imagination
C. Lifelong Friendship D. Noble Companions
III. 阅读(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practise in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
56.How did Handel begin to learn to compose?
A.His father was sure of his future success.
B.His performance impressed a duke.
C.He begged his father to send him to Italy.
D.He practised hard and taught himself music.
57. What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?
A. bought secretly B. took secretly C. carried in advance D. possessed personally
58.Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?
A. Because he could find better jobs in London.
B. Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.
C. Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.
D. Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.
59.Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?
A. bad-tempered B. talented C. enthusiastic D. optimistic
60. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?
A. Handel was born in the same year with Bach.
B. Many people worked both as a barber and surgeon.
C. Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.
Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.
Both warm-blooded and cold-blooded desert animals have ways to escape the desert heat. Warm-blooded desert animals, such as rats and mice, rest during the day, often staying in cool underground burrows. At night they search for food. Animals that are out during the day, such as cold-blooded lizards and snakes, are active only for short periods. As their body temperature rises, these reptiles move into the shade in order to cool down. In the early evening, when the sun grows weaker, the reptiles become more active and begin their search for food again.
Getting enough water to survive is a major problem for all desert animals. Some desert animals, such as the kangaroo rat and the related jerboa, get water only from the food that they eat. Because these animals eat mainly dry seeds, they must survive on a tiny amount of water.
Most deserts have only a small number of frogs and toads because these animals must be near water to survive. Yet even these creatures have adapted to desert conditions. When small amounts of water collect in temporary streams, the desert-living frogs and toads become active. After a rainfall, they lay their eggs. The eggs grow into tadpoles in a few days and into adults in just four weeks. When the puddles dry up, the adult frogs or toads dig into the ground. Their metabolism(新陈代谢) slows, and they stay beneath the ground until the next rain, which may be as good as a year away. Until then, their bodily activities continue at a reduced rate.
The camel---often called the ship of the desert---is one of the most successful desert animals. Camels can go for long periods without water, but eventually they must drink. When water becomes available to them after a long drought, they may drink 95 liters of water or more. When water is not available, what helps camels survive the desert heat is the fat stored in their humps. A camel’s hump contains about 12 kilograms of fat. Fat is rich in hydrogen. As the fat is digested, hydrogen from the fat combines with oxygen in the air that the camel breathes. The result is H2O, or water. Each kilogram of fat that a camel digests produces about a liter of water.
71. Desert animals are usually more active at night because ______.
A. it is cooler at night B.it is easier to find water
C.they like the dark D. they are less likely to be attacked at night
72. Which of the following desert animals can get water only from the food?
A. The camel. B. The kangaroo rat. C. The frog.D. The toad
73. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. All the desert animals rest during the day.
B. All the desert animals don’t rest during the day.
C. Cold-blooded desert animals don’t rest during the day.
D. None of the cold-blooded desert animals go out during the day.
74. The title for this passage could probably be ________.
A. Hot DesertsB. Desert Animals
C. How Desert Animals Get Water D. Ways To Escape the Desert Heat
75. The underlined word “burrows” in the first paragraph can be replaced by _________.
A. holes B. caves C. rooms D. openings
He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family's cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass(鲈鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and bass with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure(鱼饵)and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.
When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.
Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.--- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.
"You'll have to put it back, son," he said.
"Dad!" cried the boy.
"There will be other fish," said his father.
"Not as big as this one," cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father's voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father's cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
He was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish---again and again---every time he comes up against a question of ethics(道德规范).
67. The underlined word “negotiable” in the passage refers to _________.
A. transferable B. reasonable C. acceptable D. reliable
68. When does the architect (the father’s son) think of that bass put back?
A. When he takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
B. When he builds many famous buildings.
C. When he faces some problems about ethics.
D. When he pays a visit to his old father.
69. Which word can not be used to describe the boy’s father?
A. honest B. noble-minded C. generous D. caring
70. From the passage, we can learn _________.
A. how we have a chance to beat the system and take it
B. how we do the right thing and are strengthened
C. how we master some skills of going fishing
D. how we understand our parents’ words is very important
Anyone who works in an office knows the power of technology. When it works, life is wonderful. Information files across the world in seconds. It saves time and makes our jobs easier. But when technology goes wrong, everyone hates it.
In March, Peter Golota received a gas bill for $0.00. He threw it away. In April, he received another bill for $0.00. He threw that one way, too. In May, the gas company sent him a letter which said he had to pay his gas bill. If he didn’t pay it, they were going to cut off his gas. He called and told them the bill was for $0.00. They said it was a computer error. But the bills continued. Finally, he sent a check for $0.00. This caused the bank’s computer to crash. After a lot of angry phone calls and the letters between the man, the gas company, and the bank, the case went to court. The gas company lost, and had to pay Peter Golota $8,000. It all happened because of a bill for $0.00.
A man from Colorado appeared on the news when he shot his computer because it crashed all the time. The man, who owned a bar, put the “dead” laptop on the wall for everyone to see. The police said, “It’s the first time someone shot a computer because he was angry with it.” They arrested him.
In December, Margaret Smart, of Energies Solutions, stood up in front of 2,000 people in Taxes. As she began to speak, her microphone stopped working. They found another one. After two minutes, that one also died. When she decided to show her notes on PowerPoint, the computer refused to start up. The title of her presentation was “Technology: The way Forward”.
64. Why did the bank’s computer crash?
A. Because it kept sending gas bills for $0.00.
B. Because Peter Golota sent a check for $0.00.
C. Because the gas company sent a letter to the bank.
D. Because the gas bill case went to court.
65. Who got angry with his computer and shot it?
A. A bar owner. B. A policeman.
C. Peter Golota. D. A bank manager.
66. Margaret Smart’s computer refuses to start up probably because ________.
A. there was a power failure B. it worked too long
C. it went wrong D. someone shot her computer