NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad memories. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a scary events. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body producing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
“Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman.
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories make us different from others. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure whether we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.What does the underlined word “erase” mean?
| A．change | B．forgive | C．add | D．remove |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．a new medical invention | B．a new research on the pill |
| C．the argument about the research on the pill | D．a way of erasing painful memories |
The drug tested on people can _________.
| A．cause the brain to fix memories | B．stop people remembering bad events |
| C．prevent body producing certain chemicals | D．wipe out the bad memories |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Some people doubt if the pills should be used to help people forget bad memories. |
| B．The pill will stop people’s bad memories. |
| C．Taking the pill will do harm to people’s health. |
| D．The pill has been produced in America. |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
| A．Some memories can ruin people’s lives. |
| B．People want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories. |
| D．Having bad events makes us different from others. |
Public schools in New York，America’s biggest city, commonly have numbers for names．But this is unusual．In the United States，the process of naming a school often involves parents and the community
as well as elected school leaders.
Researchers say school names can show civic (市民的) values and also shape them． For example，naming a school after a historic person becomes a way to teach students about that person’s importance in history．
A new study examines the naming of American public schools．The study is from the Manhattan Institute，an organization that does public policy research．The study shows that fewer and fewer schools are being named after people．Instead。more schools are being named after the local areas or natural features like hills．trees or animals．The researchers say these changes raise questions about the civic duty of public education．
The looked at seven states with 20% of all public school students in the country. They found the similar result in every state: new school are less likely to be named after people. This is true especially with presidents. For example, in Arizona, public school in the past 20 years were almost fifty times more likely to be named after such things as landforms or plants .
School officials say they try to choose names that will not offend anyone. For example, a few years ago the city of New Orleans banned the naming of any school after a person who owned slaves. Other school system have rules against naming new schools after any person, living or dead .
The researchers say naming a school after a person can lead it important debates about democratic values. They call for more research to identify the causes and effects of the changes in school names.
The causes may include changes in American culture as well as in the political control of school systems. One area worth exploring , they say, is the link between trends in school names and weak results for public schools on measures of civic education.More schools are being named after the following EXCEPT ________ .
| A．hills | B．trees | C．animals | D．people |
What does “they” in paragraph 7 refer to ?
| A．School officials | B．Public schools | C．The researchers | D．Democratic values |
If the passage appears in a newspaper, which column will it be ?
| A．Culture | B．Science | C．Travel | D．Entertainment |
What’s the best title for the passage ?
| A．Few Us Public School Now Are Named after people |
| B．Public Schools In New York Have Numbers for Names |
| C．The Various Origins of America Schools |
| D．US Public Schools Value the Names of Great Persons |
Kevin DuBmw，the lead singer of the popular 1980s US heavy metal band Quiet Riot，has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Los Vegas．
The body of DuBrow was discovered on Sunday afternoon，a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner’s Office said．An examination of his body conducted on Monday didn’t lead to a result and more related tests were scheduled to establish a cause of his death．Police proved that DuBrow’S body was found at his home after they were called together by friends and neighbors who could not find the rocker．
A Las Vegas police spokeswoman refused to say whether there were signs of violence． “I can’t even find the words to say，”Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said on his Web site. “Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend，Kevin DuBrow.”
Founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s，Quiet Riot shot to the top of the Billboard charts with their 1983 album “Metal Health”．It sold more than 6 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy metal record to top the pop charts．The album’s sales were improved by the quartet’s monster hit “Cum Oil Feel the Noize,” featuring DuBrow’s powerhouse vocals , and the song’s video．which was played in heavy rotation on MTV．
Quiet Riot’s following albums did not sell nearly as well and DuBrow was fired from the band among the following feeling of hatred．DuBrow regrouped Quiet Riot in the 1990s and the band has played occasionally，last releasing an album in October 2006． DuBrow’s body was found _________
| A．on the date of his death | B．on Sunday morning |
| C．by his relatives | D．at his home |
Frankie Banali’s words suggest ________ ．
| A．he Was amazed at DuBrow’s death | B．he wasn’t good at expressing himself |
| C．he felt very sad at the moment | D．he was recalling what had happened |
What can we learn from the passage ?
A．Quiet Riot became popular in 1970s． B．”Metal Health”was well received in 1983．
C．Quiet Riot’s conditions became worse because of DuBrow．
D．Quiet Riot has been performing in the USA． What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Quiet Riot’s Lead Singer Was Found Dead in Las Vegas． |
| B．DuBrow’s Death Shocked the Public． |
| C．Quiet Riot—a Famous Band． |
| D．Police Looked for DuBrow’s Death． |
Country singer and songwriter Adrienne Young brings together music and agricultural activities．She even included seeds in the album cover of her first CD．
Adrienne Young wants people to know that she supports the movement in America to increase local farming．She offers information about agricultural issues on her Web site．And now part of the moneyfrom her third and newest release, “Room to Grow”，will be donated to help support community gardens．
Adrienne Young’s family has lived in Florida for seven generations．Her ancestors helped develop the agriculture industry there．The state of Florida is the nation’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, 'after California．
Adrienne Young has said that her interest in nature was shaped by the fact that she did not grow up on a farm．She grew up in a house her grandfather build on what had been farmland two generations ago．But the land was developed and was now part of a highway．
Adrienne Young has teamed up with two organizations that support local farming and gardening efforts．One is the American Community Gardening Association．The other is FoodRoutes，a group she has represented for several years．
FoodRoutes says buying locally grown food is not only about taste and freshness．The group says buying locally also helps to strengthen local economies and protect the environment．Exports say food in the United States travels all average of more than three thousand kilometers from farm to store．The aim to write the passage is to _________ ．
| A．tell us a singer aims to grow interest in local farming |
| B．show Adrienne Young promotes her third CD album |
| C．praise Adrienne Young for her contributions to agriculture |
| D．call on singers to learn from Adrienne Young |
Adrienne Young supports to increase local farming in _______ ways．
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
It can be learned from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Adrienne Young’s parents used to be farmers |
| B．Adrienne Young grew up on a farm |
| C．Florida is good for farming |
| D．no old houses existing on the farm belongs to Adrienne Young |
Buying locally grown food has many advantages EXCEPT _________ ．
| A．it is fresh | B．it’s tasty |
| C．it’s environmental protection | D．it raises local production |
It’s not polite to arrive at a dinner party more than 15 to 20 minutes late. The host or hostess usually waits for all the guests to arrive before serving the meal. If someone is late, the food may be spooked , and so might the host of hostess’s spirit. If you will have to be late, call and tell them to start without you.
It’s even worse to be early !the host or hostess will probably not be ready. If you are early, drive or walk around the block a few minutes, or just sit in your car until the right time.
Though it’s often important to arrive at a party on time, yet on the other hand, for open houses, he host or hostess invites guests to arrive and leave between certain times, so you can arrive at any time within the times he or she gives you.
It’s nice to bring an empty stomach, but it’s even nicer to bring a small present. The present should not cost a lot, or you might embarrass the host or hostess. Flowers, wine, or a box of candy will do fine. Never bring more as a present.
In an introduction, the order of a name is (1)the given name, (2)the family name. In other words, the given name comes first. It’s important not only to learn and remember names, but to repeat them often in conversation. After the introduction, we usually call friends by their given names. Older people may want you to call them by their titles and family names, such as “Mr.Jones”, “Mr.Smith”,”Ms.Johson”,or “Dr.Brown”.
A maiden name is a woman’s family name at birth. In the United States and Canada, after a woman marries, she takes the family name of her husband in place of her maiden name. It is now becoming common, however, for women to keep their maiden names after they get married.If someone is late for a dinner party, _______
| A．the guest will have to go hungry |
| B．the host and the hostess will be in low spirits |
| C．the host and the hostess will be very angry |
| D．he guests will be angry |
If you find you will have to be late for a finer party, you should _____
| A．send someone to tell the host or hostess not to wait for you |
| B．call and tell the host or the hostess not to wait for you |
| C．call and tell the host or the hostess to wait for you |
| D．send someone to tell the host or hostess to wait for you |
It can be guessed from the text that an open house is______
| A．a house which is open day and night |
| B．a party which is open to anybody |
| C．a party at which guests can come and go between certain times |
| D．a party which is open at night |
It’s nice to bring a _______ present.
| A．cheap |
| B．small |
| C．good |
| D．big |
Some older people usually want to be called by _____
| A．their given names |
| B．their titles and their family names |
| C．their family names |
| D．surnames |
How much rain has fallen on the earth in the past? Man has not always kept weather records. Because scientists need a way to learn about past rainfall, they study the tree rings.
A tree’s trunk (树干) keeps growing year by year. Under its bark (树皮), a tree adds a layer of new wood each year it lives. If you look at a tree stump, you can see the layers. They are called annual ring (年轮).
On some trees, all of the rings are of the same width. But the ponderosa(美国黄松) that grows in the American southwest have rings in different withes. The soil in he southwest is dry. The pines depend on rainfall for water. In a year of good rainfall, they form wide rings. In a dry year, they form narrow ones.
Scientists do not have to cut down a pine to study its rings. With a special tool, they remove a narrow piece of wood from the trunk without harming the tree. Then they look at the width of each ring to see how much rain fell in the year it formed.
Some pines are hundreds of years old and have hundreds of rings. These rings are from an annual record o0f past rainfall in the southwest.We could infer from the passage that ______.
| A．a tree grows faster when it has a lot of water |
| B．scientists cut down trees to study tree rings |
| C．pine trees form rings of he same width every year |
| D．the ponderosa grows in he southeast |
A tree grows a new layer of wood _____.
| A．each week | B．whenever it rains | C．every year | D．every season |
On the whole, the passage is about _____.
| A．why the tree trunks grow bigger |
| B．why scientists study tree rings |
| C．trees that lived hundreds of years ago |
| D．the ponderosa in the US |
The scientists _____ to know how much rain fell in a certain area in the past.
| A．climbed up the tree | B．moved the pine tree |
| C．removed a piece of wood | D．studied the width of the tree rings |
Which of he following is true according to the passage?
| A．Young trees have fewer annual rings than old one. |
| B．The trunk of a tree never changes in size. |
| C．Trees in the southwest do not need rain. |
| D．Soil in the southwest is fit for the growth of trees. |