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 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. |
he 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 |
Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be predicted -- although scientists are working on it!
Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. You may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt. A survivor of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco said the sensation was like riding a bicycle down a long flight of stairs.
The intensity of an earthquake can be measured. One measurement is called the Richter scale. Earthquakes below 4.0 on the Richter scale usually do not cause damage, and earthquakes below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is considered strong and a magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake. The Northridge Earthquake, which hit Southern California in 1994, was magnitude 6.7.
Earthquakes are sometimes called temblors, quakes, shakers or seismic activity. The most important thing to remember during an earthquake is to DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. So remember to DROP to the floor and get under something for COVER and HOLD ON during the shaking.
1. Which statement about earthquakes is not correct?
A. Earthquakes are the result of the sudden shock of the earth’s surface.
B. Earthquakes usually can be felt because they can last for a long time.
C. There are usually some signs for people to notice an earthquake.
D. People can feel an earthquake over 6.0 because it is very strong.
2. According to the passage, when the earthquake happened, a survivor of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco_______.
A. was riding a bicycleB. was just climbing the stairs
C. heard a low rumbling noise D. felt like riding a bicycle
3. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Most of the time, people can not feel or predict the earthquakes.
B. Earthquakes are sometimes called temblors, quakes shakers or seismic activity.
C. The Northridge Earthquake in Southern California in 1994 caused severe damage.
D. When an earthquake happens, it is important to drop on the floor immediately.
An 18-year-old student has won a local election to become mayor of his hometown in the US state of Michigan. Michael Sessions won by the slenderest of margins - just two votes put him ahead of his only rival, the incumbent 51-year-old mayor. Mr. Sessions attributed his electoral success to the votes cast by his parents. He will now have to juggle schedules between attending school and fulfilling his civic duties. He will attend his school classes between 8am to 3pm and carry out his new job as the elected mayor of Hillsdale before dinner at 6pm. He aims to deliver on his campaign pledges of increasing the contingent (小分队) of full-time fire-fighters from three to four, revitalizing (使恢复元气) the local economy and enabling townsfolk to air their views and grievances on town life.
Mr. Sessions was too young to enter the election when it was first announced – he turned 18 only in September, which meant he had just four weeks of campaigning. Although he is the youngest elected official in America, he cannot celebrate his success with champagne because he would be arrested for underage drinking. He ran for office with a budget of $700, which he made from his summer job of selling toffee apples. His position is largely ceremonial and he will not get his own office. Instead, he will receive an annual stipend of $3,600 to cover basic expenses. He starts his four-year position on November 21. Mr. Sessions has become an overnight celebrity since his victory and has already done the circuit of television chat show interviews.
1. When did the election probably take place?
A. August. B. September. C. October. D. December.
2. How long will Mr. Sessions be the mayor of Michigan State?
A. One year. B. Two years. C. Four years. D. Not mentioned.
3. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Mr. Sessions won the election by two votes.
B. Mr. Sessions had many competitors during the election.
C. The new mayor will get an office after the election.
D. The new mayor doesn’t have to attend the school any more.
Years ago, a cigarette commercial asked if you were smoking more, but enjoying it less. That describes the way many of us live today. We are doing more, but enjoying it less. And when that doesn’t work, we compound the problem. In our frantic search for satisfaction, we try stuffing still more into our days, never realizing that we are taking the wrong approach.
The truth is simple; so simple it is hard to believe. Satisfaction lies with less, not with more. Yet, we pursue the myth that this thing, or that activity, will somehow provide the satisfaction we so desperately seek.
Arthur Lindman, in his devastating book, “The Harried Leisure Class,” described the futility of pursuing more. His research focused on what people did with their leisure time. He found that as income rose, people bought more things to occupy their leisure time. But, ironically, the more things they bought, the less they valued any one of them. Carried to an extreme, he predicted massive boredom in the midst of tremendous variety. That was more than twenty years ago, and his prediction seems more accurate every year.
Lindman, of course, is not the first to discover this. The writer of Ecclesiastes expressed the same thought thousands of years ago. It is better, he wrote, to have less, but enjoy it more.
If you would like to enjoy life more, I challenge you to experiment with me. How could you simplify your life? What could you drop? What could you do without? What could you stop pursuing? What few things could you concentrate on?
The more I learn, the more I realize that fullness of life does not depend on things. The more I give up, the more I seem to gain. But words will never convince you. You must try it for yourself.
1．Arthur Lindman predicted twenty years ago that ______.
A. more things brought more value B. the more people had, the less they valued them
C. people didn’t like to pursue more D. massive boredom came from less variety
2．What does the article suggest to make our life happier?
A. To enjoy more things. B. To buy more things.
C. To sell things we do not need. D. To get rid of useless things.
3．The passage is probably written to ___________.
A. introduce Arthur Lindman and his book B. tell the readers what is satisfaction
C. introduce how to simplify people’s life D. persuade people to simplify their life
三、阅读理解（共20小题，满分40分）
第一节：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，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
As one approaches some crossroads, one comes to a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop (unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road); and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr. Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroads. It had a “Slow” sign, so he slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle, so he pulled in to the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and pencil in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at the crossing.” “But the sign there doesn’t say “Stop”,” answered Mr. Williams. “It just says “Slow”, and I did go slow.” The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pencil away, scratched his head and said, “Well, I’ll be blowed. I am in the wrong street!”
1. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Stop signs can be found at every crossroads.
B. At crossroads with a “Slow” sign, drivers never have to stop.
C. At crossroads with a “Slow” sign, drivers have to stop and then go slow.
D. At some crossroads, drivers needn’t stop or go slow.
2. What do you think the policeman would do in the end?
A. Fine Mr. Williams. B. Take him to the police station.
C. Apologize to Mr. Williams. D. Give Mr. Williams his notebook and pencil.
3. Which might be the best title for this passage?
A. Signs at the crossroads B. A careful driver
C. A policeman and a driver D. Policeman in the wrong street
Great Britain is traditionally made up of three parts: England in the south, Scotland in north and Wales in the southwest.
England is the largest and most developed of all the three. Its area, about 130,000 square kilometers, takes up nearly 60% of the whole island. Its population is mere than 46 million which makes up 85% of the country's whole population. The importance of England is so great in Britain that some foreigners just say “England” when they mean Britain. The same is true of the custom of speaking of the British people as the English who are the majority in the United Kingdom.
Scotland is the second largest both in area and population. It has an area of about 78,760 square kilometers, less than 30 % of the whole is land, with a population of 5 million, less than one-tenth of the total population.
Wales is the smallest of the three both in area and population. Its area, 20,700 square kilometers, makes up less than 9 % while its population, 2.7 million, does not exceed 5 % of the whole.
1. Which of the following maps shows the right position of England, Scotland and Wales? (E=" England" S=" Scotland" W = Wales)
2. If figure （图形） one below shows the area(面积) of Scotland, which picture in Figure two represents the area of Great Britain?
( Figure 1 
) Figure2:
3. If Figure one below shows the population of the island, which picture in Figure two shows the population of Wales?