If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的).” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．language can help brain power |
| D．language learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
We may know from the scientific findings that ______.
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ______.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．a person who is good at learning foreign languages |
| C．a person who can speak two languages |
| D．an active language learner |
New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate and enter the new year with a smile on your face. This year, there’re plenty of local activities for all ages and interests, so the smiles will come easily. 
BLUE CONCERTBlues band the Coyotes is playing at the Dance Barn，at 8 Barn View in Sudden Valley, The show will start at 9 p. m. and benefit the charity Bikers Fighting Cancer. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 224-2308 for more information. NEW YEAR’S LAUGHS
Ring in the New Year and laugh out the old one at the Upfront Theatre Comic improvisers will hit on all the highlights of the year with The Last Laugh of 2008. The 9 p. m. show will cost $15 and is open to all ages. The 11 P. m. show is to 21 and older and costs $18, which includes a champagne (香槟酒) toast. Call 733-8855 for more information.
MAZE
For a fun activity earlier in the evening，walk the labyrinth (迷宫) at the Leopold Crystal Bellroom. Wander through the maze, based on the French Chartres Cathedral, for free from 4 to 9 P. m. Call 752-0048 for more information.
COUNTRY DANCING
At the Bellingham Eagles Hall, live local music will help get the dance started at 8 p. m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and free for kids 12 and younger. For more information, call 676-1554.
1. In what way do these activities have in common?
A. They’re all held in the same day. B. They’re all held by the same organization.
C. They’re all organized for children. D. They’re all about the dancing and music.
2. Which of the following activities may be free for Tom aged 16?
A. COUNTRY DANCING. B. NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS.
C. MAZE. D. BLUE CONCERT.
3. If you want to know something about the Coyotes at 8 Barn view, you'd better call .
A. 676-1554 B. 733-8855 C. 752-0048D. 224-2308
4. Which of the followings will be the highlights of NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS?
A. Wander through the maze. B. The champagne toast.
C. Its live music. D. The Last Laugh of 2008.
5. It can be inferred from the text that .
A. $10 is enough to book a ticket to Blue Concert B. you can read the text on a telephone book
C. all these activities are international ones D. New Year’s Laughs will hold shows three times
四、阅读理解（2分×15=30分）阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。
Talk about a real-life hero! Ten-year-old Larry Champagne from St. Louis，Missouri, hit the brake (刹车) on a runaway school bus. He saved himself and 20 other kids on board from disaster.
It all happened in one terrible accident. On the way to school, the bus driver, Ernestine Blackman, suddenly fell ill. Seeing the car was running away, the other kids started to scream, but Larry ran to the front and stopped the bus.
“At first I thought, ‘We’re going to die,’” says Larry, “but after I pressed the brake, I felt safe.”
Larry’s speedy reaction made news all over the country. He appeared on TV shows as a hero. The bus company gave Larry a big gift. His school hung a medal of honor around his neck.
“My grandmother always tells me to do what’s right,” says Larry. He thanked his brother, Jerrick, 9, who “helped me get the bus driver up” during the emergency（紧急情况）. How did he know how to stop the bus? Larry is something of a mechanic（机械师）. He helps his grandfather work on his old truck. “He gets his hands dirty,” says his grandfather. One thing is for certain: Larry knows where to find the brakes.
1. What did Larry do to save the runaway bus?
A. He parked it for the sleeping bus driver.
B. He helped all the kids climb out through the windows.
C. He dialed 911. D. he pressed the brake.
2. When did Larry finally feel safe?
A. When the kids finally stopped screaming. B. When the police officers arrived.
C. Once he pressed the brake, and the bus stopped. D. When the bus driver started driving again.
3. Larry got the following as praise for his hero action Except .
A. appearing on TV shows B. a scholarship from his school
C. a big gift from the bus company D. a medal of honor
4. Larry thanked his brother Jerrick for .
A. helping him get the bus driver up B. helping him work on his old truck
C. teaching him how to find the brake D. teaching him how to stop the bus
5. The underlined sentence“Larry is something of a mechanic” tells us that .
A. Larry’s job is a mechanic B. Larry knows something about machines
C. Larry is a robot D. Larry knows nothing about machines
America is growing older. Fifty years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. Today, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect American society in many ways — education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society — one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior is suitable at various ages.
A person's age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There's no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that keeps us on time and tells us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn't as strong as it used to be. It doesn't surprise us to hear of a 29-year-old university president or a 35-year-old grandmother, or a 70-year-old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother — or my father — was at my age. 'No one says Act your age' any more. We've stopped looking with surprising at older people who act in youthful ways."
1. It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America _______________________.
A. has made people feel younger
B. has changed people's social position
C. has changed people's understanding of age
D. has slowed down the country's social development
2. The underlined word "one" refers to "__________________."
A. a society B. America C. a place D. population
3 "Act your age" means people should __________________.
A. be active when they are old
B. do the right things at the right age
C. show respect for their parents young or old
D. take more physical exercise suitable to their age
4. If a 25-year-old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it _________________.
A. normal B. wonderful C. unbelievable D. unreasonable
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into the Thames Street. That was the beginnings.
By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among which was new St Paul's.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
1. The fire began in ___________________________.
A. a hotel B. the palace C. Pudding Lane D. Thames Street
2. The underlined word "family" in the second paragraph means “________________________________”.
A. home B. children C. wife and husband D. wife and children
3. It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________________________________.
A. some people lost their lives
B. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire
C. many famous buildings were destroyed
D. the King’s bakery was burned down
4. Why did the writer cite(引用) Samuel Pepys?
A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.
B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.
C. To show that poor people suffered most
D. To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.
5. How was the fire put out according to the text?
A. The king and his soldiers came to help.
B. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.
C. People managed to get enough water from the river.
D. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.
6. Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow.
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
A. (a) and (b) B. (a), (b) and (c)
C. (a), (b), (c) and (d) D. (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)
第三部分阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30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。
A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper. "Last week," he said, "my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn't get it back."
"How did you write your advertisement?" asked one of the listeners, a merchant.
"Here it is," said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, "Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella.. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street."
"Now," said the merchant, "I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one."
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: "If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn't wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No.10 Broad Street. He is well known."
This appeared in the newspaper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors, and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter.
1. What is an advertisement?
A. A news item. B. public opinions.
C. One way to voice one's view. D. A public announcement on papers, TV, etc.
2. The result of the first advertisement was that _________________________.
A. the man got his umbrella back
B. the man wasted some money advertising
C. nobody found the missing umbrella
D. the umbrella was found somewhere near the church
3. The merchant suggested that the man should ________________________.
A. buy a new umbrella B. go on looking for his umbrella
C. write another and better advertisement D. report the police
4. "If it fails, I'll buy you a new one," suggested that the merchant ________________________.
A. was quite sure of success B. wanted to buy him a new umbrella
C. didn't know what to do D. was rich enough to buy one
5. The story is mainly about ________________________.
A. a useless advertisement
B. how to make an effective advertisement
C. how the man lost and found his umbrella
D. what the merchant did for the umbrella owner