LIDACMAYNARD11WindriftCircleMe-优题课

If you saw another kid ride her bike too fast around a corner and fall down, you might ride your bike more slowly on that turn.Yes, we humans are very sensitive to others’ mistakes.And the same is true for other animals.Animals mess up all the time.They might eat poisonous leaves, fall off a tree or let their prey(猎物) escape.By watching others fail, an animal can avoid making the same mistakes, thus improving its chance of survival.
Scientists believe that one part of the brain helps animals process information about others’ mistakes.Cells(细胞) in that part appear to become more active when a person sees someone else making a mistake.But researchers didn’t know whether individual cells in this part of the brain play different roles in discovering mistakes.
To investigate（调查） the brain’s response(反应) to mistakes in more detail, the researchers taught a game to two macaques, a type of monkey.One monkey could press a yellow or green button while the other watched.If the first monkey pressed the right button, the team gave both animals a treat.Every couple of rounds, the two monkeys switched roles.Meanwhile, the scientists watched individual cells in the animal’s brains.
When the first monkey messed up the game by pressing the wrong button, a group of cells in the second monkey’s brain fired.But if the second monkey also made the wrong choice during its turn, some of the cells in that group didn’t respond.Those unresponsive cells reacted specifically to mistakes made by others, not to the monkey’s own mistakes.
Scientists believe other parts of the brain also might help people process information about another’s mistakes.“You start to think about this other person and see things from his angle.” Ellen de Brujin, told Science News.She studies the brain at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
According to Paragraph 1, animals’ ability to learn from others’ mistakes______.

A．helps them to survive better

B．used to be ignored by humans

C．is being lost because of humans

D．ensures that they will never fail

From the game the scientists taught to two macaques, we can see ______.

A．animals can avoid the same mistakes

B．which part of the brain is more active

C．how the brain processes information.

D．how the brain responds to mistakes

In the experiment mentioned, those unresponsive cells are only sensitive to _____.
A.the same buttons
B.the monkey’s brain
C others’ mistakes
D.one’s own mistakes

Gordon Brown was born in Scotland in 1951.His childhood was a brilliant success because of his intellectual strength.He was accepted into middle school at 10.At 16 he became the youngest student at Edinburgh University.
“At that time, he was a lucky boy, good at almost everything,” said his old friend Murray Elder.However, setbacks (挫折) fell on the brilliant boy.After a rugby injury, he became blind in his left eye.Before long, similar symptoms (症状) developed in his right eye.“I lay in the hospital bed in total darkness, uncertain about my future,” said Brown.
Looking back into the past, Brown didn’t complain about his bad luck.He even said: “One door closes; you can’t play rugby any more, so you focus on other things.”
Brown was interested in student politics in university, which helped a lot in his political career later in life.
In 1997, Brown was made Chancellor of the Exchequer (财政大臣).He has succeeded in giving the country a high rate of employment and the longest period of economic growth in its history.
Compared with his successful career, Brown’s family life is full of downs.He lost his first daughter ten days after her birth.His one-year-old youngest son has a deadly disease.“These accidents make me appreciate my life more,” he said.
Gordon Brown was successful in his childhood because he _____.

A．was very intelligent

B．went to middle school at 10

C．played rugby very well

D．became the youngest student at Edinburgh University

When Gordon Brown looked back on the past, he _____.

A．still had hope for the future

B．wished that he had not played rugby

C．believed that his door was closed

D．felt very sad about his misfortune

Which of the following is TRUE about Gordon Brown?

A．He didn’t like politics in university.

B．He became Chancellor of the Exchequer at 48.

C．He did a good job to improve the national economy.

D．He didn’t do well for the country’s employment.

From the last paragraph, we learn that Brown’s family life _____.

A．is as successful as his career.

B．is full of accidents

C．makes him upset about his life

D．is filled with good luck

Do you know that Street Sense is? It’s a newspaper in Washington D.C. about homeless people and problems that affect them Homeless, or formerly homeless, Washingtonians write many of the articles. The newspaper’s business model is based on homeless sellers who sell the newspaper. You can hear them call out “Street Sense for sale!” near subway entrances, lunch places and other areas around the city.
The Street Sense newspaper is housed in an office in a Christian church in Washington. Every other Wednesday about fourteen thousand copies are printed. The newspaper expresses the thoughts and experiences of people who call the streets home.
Four staff members work at Street Sense, Tow of them are paid. The staff members write the first two pages of the paper. Interns—students working as part of their studies—and volunteers help. Homeless writers provide the rest of the material. This includes poems, stories and essays.
Street Sense provides training for the homeless people who want to become part of the sales team, After the training, each student is given ten free copies of Street Sense. Once those are sold, trainees become real salespeople. They buy papers for thirty-five cents each and sell them for a dollar.
Lisa Gillespie is the managing editor of Street Sense, She says the newspaper plays a part in homeless people’s lives that other media can not. With the help of the newspaper, a lot of homeless people have become confident again, and their lives have also been improved a lot.
What does the writer mainly tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. Something about the Street Sense.
B. Homeless people in Washington D.C.
C. How Street Sense solves homeless people’s problems.
D. Street Sense is very interesting.
How often is Street Sense printed?

A．Once a week	B．Twice a week
C．Every two weeks	D．once a month

What do the staff members mainly do at Street Sense?

A．They sell newspapers along the street.

B．They write the first two pages of the material.

C．They edit the newspaper after they receive articles.

D．They provide the last two pages of the material.

What can we infer from this passage?
A. If you are one of the trainees of Street sense, you can get ten dollars from selling all of your newspapers.
B. There are too many homeless people in Washington D.C. for the government to help.
C. Most articles of Street Sense are about Washingtonians’ lives.
D. If you become real salespeople of Street Sense, you can get thirty-five cents from a copy of the newspaper.

Every year, I tell my sons what I'd like for Mother's Day: a letter, something written from the heart and offered freely rather than bought from a store and wrapped neatly. I don't always get my wish, nor do I always take the time to write to my own mother.
This year, my boys will be in two different states on Mother's Day. My mom and dad will be away together, and I'll be driving home from a writer's workshop in Massachusetts. Thinking of the fact that many friends have already lost their mothers and that a few have lost children, I am deeply grateful that what separates us, for now at least, is only distance. It won't always be so, and there is no way to prepare for that fact other than to appreciate the moment that is. My sons know that they can please me on Sunday with a phone call or an e-mail, and that is enough as I love their words. The very best gift they can possibly give me is their own happiness, the very fact of their busy, full and well-lived lives.
Still, knowing that my years of staying with my sons are over, I do feel doleful. The truth is, I miss being the center of the universe to two little boys. And this holiday can be a bit painful.
I wonder if my own mother ever felt nostalgic (怀旧的，乡愁的) for the passing of my childhood. I wonder if she realizes that she is still at the center of my universe and always has been. I don't often pause to think about it, but of course she is the one who has been right there, at my side from the moment I drew my very first breath. How to ever fully appreciate the woman whose presence and love and example have shaped me into the adult I am? How to describe even a small part of the sharing, sacrificing, and support she has given me over the years?
The author mainly wants to tell us through the first paragraph that_______.

A．she hopes to get her son's letters very much

B．her sons don't often write to her on Mother's Day

C．Mother's Day is the very date that she looks forward to most

D．Children are often careless about their parents’ request (请求).

The author is deeply grateful for the present life because_______.

A．her sons don't live far away from her home

B．her parents and children are still alive

C．her parents are coming to her house to spend Mother's Day

D．her sons can please her on Sunday with a phone call

What does the underlined word "doleful" in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．sad	B．disappointed
C．exhausted	D．amused

What will the author probably tell about after the last paragraph?

A．She'll tell the reader about her mother's present situation.

B．She'll describe the reunion of her family on Mother's Day.

C．She'll talk about how her mother educated and cared for her.

D．She'll tell the reader about her mother's achievements in her career.

Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here's some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions; have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
We learn things because______

A．we are willing to learn

B．it can be fun and exciting

C．we are interested in the subjects

D．we may use these things in the future

Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the article?

A．To focus on what you are studying.

B．To study at any possible time and place.

C．To review and preview.

D．To pay attention to the most important things.

The main purpose of the article is______

A．to prove that learning is not so difficult

B．to make the readers be interested in study

C．to tell the students how to study well

D．to encourage students to study hard.

A．A Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer.	B．A middle school math teacher.
C．A special education advisor.	D．A summer camp advisor.