People with bigger brains ftend to score higher on standardized tests of intelligence, according to new study findings.
However, the study author Dr Michael A.McDaniel of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond emphasized that these findings represent a general trend, and people with small heads should not automatically believe they are less intelligent. For instance, Albert Einstein’s brain was “not particularly large”, McDaniel noted. “There’s some relationship between brain size and intelligence on the average, but there’s plenty of room for exceptions,” he said.
Interest in the relationship between brain size and intelligence grew in the1830s, when German anatomist(解剖学家) Frederich Tiedmann wrote that he believed there was “an unquestionable connection between the size of the brain and the mental energy displayed by the individual man”. Since that statement, scientists have conducted numerous studies to determine if Tiedmann’s assertion was, in fact, correct. Most studies have looked into the link between head size and intelligence. More recently, however, researchers have published additional studies on brain size and intelligence, measured using MRI scan(核磁共振成像扫描).
For his study, McDaniel analyzed more than 20 studies that looked into the relationship between brain size and intelligence in a total of 1,530 people. The studies showed that on the average, people with larger brain volume tended to be more intelligent. The relationship between brain volume and intelligence was stronger in women than men, and in adults than in children. McDaniel notes in the journal Intelligence.
McDaniel is not sure why the relationship was stronger for adults and women. “Other research has shown that women, on the average, tend to have smaller brains than men, but score just as well—if not higher—in tests of intelligence,” he said.
McDaniel insisted that the relationship between brain size and intelligence is not a “perfect” one. “One can certainly find lots of examples of smaller-sized people who are highly intelligent,” he said, “But, on the average, the relationship holds.”. What does the text mainly talk about?
A.MRI scans are applied to intelligence. |
B.On the average, a bigger brain means higher IQ. |
C.Dr McDaniel did well in his intelligence study. |
D.Scientists are interested in Tiedmann’s idea. |
By mentioning Albert Einstein, the writer wants to show .
A.Albert Einstein was intelligent |
B.the result of intelligence test was false |
C.being hard working is more important than intelligence |
D.brain size doesn’t necessarily decide the level of intelligence |
The underlined word “assertion” in Para. 3 probably means “ ”.
A. experiment B. statement C proof D. demand After Frederich Tiedmann wrote his article, .
A.many scientists agreed with him |
B.numerous studies have failed to prove his idea |
C.MRI scan became popularly used |
D.lots of researchers were interested in the connections between head size and intelligence |
According to the text, Dr McDaniel’s study .
A.proves Tiedmann’s idea was completely true |
B.shows women are smarter than men |
C.involves many studies and a lot of people |
D.explains why people with smaller brains are clever |
Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education runs over 1000 courses per year, offered on a part-time basis. Programmes include Oxford awards and degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level, online short courses, weekly classes, day and weekend events, continuing professional development and summer schools.
Oxford awards & degrees
Over 50 undergraduate and postgraduate Oxford qualifications: certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, Master’s and Doctoral degrees, offered part-time, in the arts, social sciences, diplomatic studies, human rights law, health care and biomedical sciences, which involve overseas students. Course duration ranges from one year to several years part-time. The Department also runs a Graduate School to provide the support and guidance needed by those following part-time graduate programmes.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/qualifications
Online & distance learning
Choose from over 90 courses across a range of disciplines. Most are short courses of 5-10 weeks, accredited (officially approved). A few longer courses result in Oxford qualifications.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/online
Weekly classes
Approximately 500 part-time accredited classes, open to all, and held in Oxford, Reading and other locations. Topics are studied in depth over a period of 10 or 20 weeks.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/weekly
Day & weekend events
Courses of 1 or 2 days, usually held at weekends and taught by lecturers and speakers who are noted authorities in their field of research. Many courses are offered in combination with national organizations. Over 150 offered per year.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/dayweekend
Professional development courses
200 courses per year, ranging from day schools to short refresher courses to full degree programmes. Subjects include health sciences, public policy, diplomatic studies, nanotechnology, electronics, historic conservation, environmental sciences, public administration, higher education leadership and more.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd
Summer schools
Accredited and non-accredited courses of between one and three weeks, with over 120 to choose from. Most are designed for the general public; others are designed to allow professionals to update skills. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/summerschoolsWhat type of writing is this text?
A.A course guide. |
B.A book review. |
C.An advertisement. |
D.An official report. |
Which programme will you choose if you want to learn from the famous top experts in your field?
A.Summer schools |
B.Online&distance learning. |
C.Day&weekend events. |
D.Professional development courses. |
Which website is useful to foreign students?
A.www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd |
B.www.conted.ox.ac.uk/qualifications |
C.www.conted.ox.ac.uk/dayweekend |
D.www.conted.ox.ac.uk/summerschools |
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot(弹弓)to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse(冲动),he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck in the head and killed it. He was shocked! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes". But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen. "Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Every time Grandma asked Sally to do some housework, she will repeat the same story. After several days of Johnny doing both his work and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you. "
In our daily life, whatever we do, God is always standing at the window and he sees the whole thing. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, he not only forgives you, but also he forgets.Johnny felt discouraged in the first paragraph because____.
A.he didn't like his grandma |
B.he couldn't hit the target with the slingshot |
C.he was given a bad slingshot |
D.he killed the pet of his grandma |
What did Sally mean by saying "Remember the duck" in Para 3?
A.She missed the duck very much. |
B.She reminded his brother of his slingshot. |
C.She wanted to force her brother do something for her. |
D.She didn't dare to say the secret to her grandma herself. |
The underlined word "confessed" in the third paragraph means "_______"
A.remarked | B.promised |
C.admitted | D.refused |
From the story we can learn that ______.
A.everyone has to forget the sad thing |
B.grandparents won't be frightened by children's mistakes |
C.those who often lie to others will become the devil |
D.one should be brave to admit his mistakes |
Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time – about eight hours after you wake up – your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
In many parts of the world, people take naps(小睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates(气候), where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease.
Many working people, unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap – even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text?
A.They eat too much for lunch. |
B.They sleep too little at night. |
C.Their body temperature becomes lower. |
D.The weather becomes a lot warmer. |
If you get up at 6:30 am, what is the best time for you to take a nap?
A.About 12:30 pm. | B.About 1:30 pm. |
C.About 2:30 pm | D.About 3:30 pm |
What would be the best title for the text?
A.Taking a Rest |
B.Taking a Nap |
C.A Special Sleep Pattern. |
D.Taking Naps in Warmer Climate. |
Many countries follow special customs when a child’s baby teeth fall out. Many of these customs tell stories about animals taking the teeth.
For example, Koreans have the custom of throwing the fallen tooth onto the roof of a house so that a magpie (喜鹊) can take the tooth away and bring a new tooth for the child. This custom is also followed by some other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam.
Other countries, though, have tooth customs about other animals. In Mexico and Spain, for example, it is thought that a mouse takes a fallen tooth away and leaves some money. But in Mongolia, it is dogs that take children’s teeth away. Dogs are highly respected in Mongolian culture. It is believed that the new tooth will grow strong if the baby tooth is fed to a dog, so parents in Mongolia will put their children’s fallen teeth in a piece of meat and feed it to a dog.
In France and the USA, a child will put a fallen tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. It is thought that in the early morning, when the child is still sleeping, the Tooth Fairy will take the tooth away and leave something else under the pillow. What she will leave is hard to know. It is said that in France the Tooth Fairy may leave some candies; however, in the United States, she may leave money.Koreans throw a tooth onto the roof of a house in order to __________.
A.get money | B.feed magpies |
C.get candies | D.get a new tooth |
In Vietnam, if a child’s tooth falls out, he or she will __________.
A.throw it onto the roof of a house |
B.feed it to a mouse |
C.put it in a piece of meat and feed the meat to a dog |
D.leave it to the Tooth Fairy |
From the last paragraph, we can know that in France and the USA _________.
A.a child will put his or her fallen tooth beside the pillow |
B.the Tooth Fairy takes the fallen teeth away at midnight |
C.the Tooth Fairy will leave some candies to the children after taking the fallen teeth away |
D.no one knows for sure what the Tooth Fairy will leave to the children after taking the fallen teeth away |
The passage is mainly about ___________.
A.customs about fallen teeth in western countries |
B.customs about fallen teeth in different countries |
C.stories about human teeth |
D.stories about some animals |
In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather. “Nice day, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something that both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. In the UK people usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching. “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may comment on the transport system. “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”Small talk is ________.
A.a kind of conversation with short words |
B.a greeting used when people meet each other |
C.to let people disagree about something |
D.something we talk about to start a conversation |
The favorite topic of small talk for English people is _________.
A.the weather | B.politics |
C.games | D.languages |
The passage suggests that when we learn a language _________.
A.we should learn about the transport system of the country |
B.we should only master the grammar and the vocabulary |
C.we should learn the culture of the country |
D.we should understand the importance of the language |
When we say “Great game, isn’t it?”, we are in fact __________.
A.asking a question | B.having a conversation |
C.make a comment | D.making small talk |