Geniuses amaze us,impress us and make us all a little jealous.How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer.Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old,he began to play the piano.After a year,he started learning pieces by Beethoven.Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight.He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears.He seems to be specially designed for music.In Born Genius,National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies(神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain.Afer recovering,McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures.So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art.Now,he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine.Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease.Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses?Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence.Yet,during her childhood,she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately.As a result,she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards.Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy,we’d all be one.Yet,there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky.Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
1.My Brilliant Brains is most probably from_________.
A.a website B.the radio C.a magazine D.a newspaper
2.The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is_________
A.a person who learns something easily B.a child who is eager to learn new things
C.a student who practices an instrument a lot D.a kid who works hard to do well in school
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.New things about the brain are still being discovered.
B.People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.
C.Some people naturally have more active brains.
D.People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.
4.From the passage,we know that_________.
A.scientists completely understand the brain B.people can only be born as geniuses
C.there’s no such thing as a true genius D.there are many factors in being a genius
5.The author develops the passage mainly by_________.
A.providing typical examples B.following the natural time order
C.presenting a cause and analyzing its effects D.comparing opinions from different scientists
Only three local students won Chinese Blog（博客）Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China.
170 students’ task: to get a fully-designed blog up and running, complete with many postings based on a theme of choice—all written in Chinese.
Themes ranged from local opinions－such as the usage of Singlish, education and whether Singapore can be a cultural centre－to food blogs.
The entries were judged on Language proficiency（熟练程度）and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers.
Academics(学者) from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the judges.
In the end, only three Singaporean students made it to the award list—the rest of the awards were swept up by students from China.
“No surprise, ” said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37, teachers in charge from Innova Junior College, which organized the event. “Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were generally better in terms of the content of the posts and their grasp of the Chinese language. ”
One of the three local students winning the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao 19, from the Saint Andrew’s Junior College, who spared no effort in researching for and writing her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce, complete with pictures and even podcasts(播客).
Her advice for bloggers is: Be responsible(负责任的).
“Some bloggers out there only seek to blame(责备) the authorities and other bloggers.” Said Miss Gao. “I think they lack responsibilities and there is no value to their posts.”
72. The competition was organized by ___________.
A. the National University of Singapore B. Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao
C. the Saint Andrew’s Junior College D. Innova Junior College
73. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Not all the themes were about local subjects.
B. Chinese students won most of the awards.
C. The blogs could be written in Chinese or Singlish.
D. The judges were from universities in Singapore and China.
74. What Miss Gao said suggests that ___________.
A. she likes to blame the authorities B. she thinks highly of the others’ blogs
C. she has a sense of responsibility D. she loves to read valuable posts
75. The passage in mainly about ___________.
A. how Chinese students won the awards in the competition
B. why bloggers should take responsibility for their blogs
C. what the result of the competition was
D. how Miss Gao won the first prize in the competition
It was the first snow of winter — an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now, I had been able to dress myself for recess(课间休息), but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through first snow days many times in her long career, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow pants. 
But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf(围巾) we
re mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots(靴子). In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced，“They’re on the wrong feet.” With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again. Then I said，“These aren’t my boots, you know.” As she pulled the offending boots from my feet, she still managed to look both helpful and interested. Once they were off, I said，“They are my brother’s boots. My mother makes me wear them, and I hate them!” Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying(烦人的) little girl．She pushed and shoved, less gently this time, and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet. With a great sigh of relief, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your gloves?’’
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I put them into the toes of my boots.”
68. According to the passage, the little girl got__________from her brother.
A. the wool snow pants and the jacket B. the jacket and the boots
C. the jacket and the hat D. the boots and the gloves
69. Why does the author say Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
A. Because the little girl played a trick on her.
B. Because it was the most exciting day of the winter.
C. Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes.
D. Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf.
70. We can learn from the text that Miss Finlayson_________.
A. was losing confidence in the little girl B. gradually lost patience with the little girl
C. because disappointed with the little girl D. was getting bored with the little girl
71. It can be inferred(推断) that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter，the teacher had to help her put on her boots __________.
A. once B. twice C. three times D. four times
A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at 
risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift－$7,000,a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were going under financially(经济上),” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They thrived on(喜欢) comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before buying something.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything.” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden. “They could see things they could do to make you happier and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed(分送). It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of
dollars and cents —should enrich the whole community (社区) and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
64. According to the text, the Fusses ____________.
A. were employed by a truck company B. worked in a school cafeteria
C. were in financial difficulty D. lost their home
65. Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
A. They gave away their possessions to their neighbors.
B. They left the family farm to live in an old house.
C. They had their children during the Great Depression.
D. They helped their neighbors to find jobs.
66. Why would the Hatches routinely go from store to store?
A. They decided to open a store. B. They wanted to save money.
C. They couldn’t afford expensive things . D. They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.
67. According to Sandy Van Weelden, the Hatches were _________.
A. mean B. childlike C. curious
D. understanding
I know what you’re thinking: pizza（比萨饼）？For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night’s leftovers in the a.m. if you want to.
I know lots of women who skip breakfast (不吃早饭), and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it. Some say they don’t have time, others think they’re “saving” calories (卡路里)，still oth
ers just don’t like breakfast food .
But the bottom line is that eating in the morning is very important when you’re trying to lose weight. “Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking, R.D., who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year’s “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it’s loaded with vegetables, and you stick to one small piece.
Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger c
hance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.
So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast altogether, and have just coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night’s leftovers – it may sound crazy, but if it works
for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow.” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it … you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.
60. The word “leftovers” in paragraph I probably means ______.
A. things left undone B. food remaining after a meal
C. meals made of vegetables D. pizza topped with fruit
61. What can we infer from the text?
A. Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry.
B. There are some easy ways of cooking a meal.
C. Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast.学
D. Eating vegetables helps save energy.
62. According to the last paragraph, it is important to _______.
A. eat calorie-controlled food B. be careful about what you eat
C. heat up food before eating it D. eat something for breakfast
63. The text is written mainly for those _______.
A. who want to lose weight B. who go to work early
C. who stay up late D. who eat before sleep
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master 
it.
Recite and repeat in conversation.
When you hear a person’s name, repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not
sound forced or artificial.
Ask the other person to recite and repeat.
You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.
Admit you don’t know.
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”
Use associations.
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng－tall, black hair.” To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group
of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic(自动的) review for you.
56. How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?
A. They will be moved. B. They will be happy.
C. They will be angry. D. They will be discouraged.
57. If you can’t remember someone’s name
, you may __________.
A. ask others to help you B. tell him a white lie
C. ask him for pity D. tell him the truth
58. When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __________.
A. a couple of names first B. all their names
C. just their last names D. as many names as possible
59. What does the text mainly tell us?
A. How to recite and repeat names. B. Importance of attending parties.
C. How to make use of associations. D. Tips on an important social skill.