Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid. T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion (视觉影像) of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could be expected to show surprise in their faces and movements. All the 16 to 24-week-old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land (想像中的地方)?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to re-appear. If the experiment took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted (替换) a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week-old babies did not seem to notice the switch (更换). Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence,” while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object.The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．babies’ sense of sight |
| B．effects of experiments on babies |
| C．babies’ understanding of objects |
| D．different tests on babies’ feelings |
. In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, “object ______”.
| A．still exists | B．keeps its shape | C．still stays solid | D．is beyond reach |
. What did Bower use in his experiments?
| A．A chair & a screen | B．A screen & a train | C．A film & a train | D．A box & a chair |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The babies didn’t have a sense of direction. |
| B．The older babies preferred toy trains to balls. |
| C．The younger babies liked looking for missing objects |
| D．The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion. |
We like people who look like us, because they tend to have personalities similar to our own. And, a new study suggests, the longer we are with someone, the more similarities in appearance grow.
Researchers set out to study why couples often tend to look like one another. They asked 11 male and 11 female participants to judge the age, attractiveness and personality of 160 real-life married couples. Photographs of husbands and wives were viewed separately, so the participants didn't know who was married to whom.
The test participants rated men and women who were actual couples as looking alike and having similar personalities. Also, the longer the couples had been together, the greater the similarities. The researchers guess that the sharing of experiences might affect how couples look.
The idea that there is a connection between appearance and personality might seem strange at first, but there could be biological reasons for a link, said study member Tony Little from the University of Liverpool in England.
“The face displays our emotions and over time, emotional expressions may become written in the face,” Little told Live Science. For example, someone who smiles a lot may develop lines and muscles that are suggestive of someone who is happy.
Other studies have shown that partners who are genetically similar to each other tend to have happier marriages.
The new study indicates that people have different features when using facial appearance to make decisions about someone’s personality, and that the particular cues（暗示） focused on change from face to face. Vital to the decision, however, are eyes and smiles.
“Smiles are important social cues that may tell us whether or not someone is friendly, and eyes are also a traditional focus of attention,” Little said.
Overall face shape can be important too. For example, the combination of large chins and strong brow ridges（脊）can create an impression of disagreeableness and being unwilling to cooperate, Little said.Why do we like those who look like us?
| A．Because they tend to like us. |
| B．Because opposites usually attract each other. |
| C．Because their personalities are similar to ours. |
| D．Because we often marry those who look like us. |
Why do some old lovers look alike according to the researchers?
| A．Because they live in the same place for a long time. |
| B．Because their similar experiences might affect their appearance. |
| C．Because they learn from each other in their daily life. |
| D．Because they’re closely connected with each other biologically. |
Which part of a person’s face can help you judge whether he/she is paying attention to you?
| A．Eyes. | B．Nose. |
| C．Mouth. | D．Eyebrow. |
At least ______ people were involved in the research mentioned in the second paragraph.
| A．22 | B．160 | C．182 | D．342 |
The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．how to tell who have similar personalities |
| B．why some old lovers look like each other |
| C．how to tell whether someone is friendly or not |
| D．why lovers who look alike have happier marriages |
I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk.
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students left. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized（强调）the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test.The story took place exactly ________.
| A．in the teacher’s office | B．in an exam room |
| C．in the library | D．in the language lab |
The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ________.
| A．she had not brought a pen with her |
| B．she had lost her own on her way to school |
| C．there was something wrong with her pen |
| D．her own had been taken away by someone |
The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy _________.
| A．to go on writing his paper |
| B．to stop whispering |
| C．to leave the room immediately |
| D．to stay behind after the exam |
The thing(s) emphasized in the teacher’s talk was (were) ________.
| A．honesty | B．sense of duty |
| C．seriousness | D．carefulness |
The boy knew everything ________.
| A．the moment he was asked to stay behind |
| B．when the teacher started talking about honesty |
| C．only some time later |
| D．when he was walking out of the room |
Whether you admit it or not, music improves our daily life and makes us feel easy, especially the music of Beethoven and Mozart. But can you believe that a school in England is using classical music to cut down students’ bad behavior?
The head teacher Brian Walker at the West Park School in Derby asks some students to stay behind after school on Fridays. He forces his students to listen to Mozart and other classical music. He also makes them copy his favorite poems and they have to watch educational videos.
Mr. Walker says his main aim is to stop noisy pupils causing trouble in class for students who want to study. He said the students staying behind were “not the smokers or drinkers, the truants (逃学生) or the people who are late for school…It’s those who have slowed the learning and teaching in class for everyone”. Mr. Walker said this was unacceptable, because it was making the rest of the students fail to focus their attention on their study.
Mr. Walker believes what he does reminds students that education is something to value. “It helps them see they are part of something bigger that will improve their life chances,” he said. The head teacher thinks students in fact learn from being kept behind after school. “Hopefully, I open their ears to an experience they don’t normally have and don’t want to have again, so it’s both educational and acts as a warning.”
Music has had success elsewhere in reducing bad behavior. In 2004, it reduced crime on London’s subway by 25 percent. Researchers from a Belfast university found it helped stop elephants’ bad behavior.
However, one West Park student called Kieran said, “An hour of Mr. Walker’s music is a real killer.”Mr. Walker asks his students to listen to music to _______________.
| A．make them rest after a day’s study |
| B．punish them for their bad behavior |
| C．get them to love arts gradually |
| D．reduce their bad behavior |
A student who _____ may be left behind to listen to Mozart after class.
| A．plays truant |
| B．smokes in class |
| C．bothers others in class |
| D．comes late for class |
Why does Mr. Walker say some students’ bad behavior is unacceptable?
| A．Because the rest of the students hate them. |
| B．Because they are wasting their life. |
| C．Because they are disturbing teachers. |
| D．Because they have a bad influence on the other students. |
In the eyes of Mr. Walker, _____.
| A．some students don’t realize education is valuable |
| B．all students can learn from music |
| C．music must be taught after class |
| D．students ought to love music |
It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that _____.
| A．the action Mr. Walker takes sometimes doesn’t really work as planned |
| B．Mr. Walker aims to tell students study is important |
| C．once music helped animals behave well |
| D．animals also like to listen to music |
I am a 21-year-old boy, and this is my story.
One month after I graduated from high school in 2009, I was coming home from swim practice and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma（昏迷）for over two months at Prince Georges Hospital.
I died eight times during my coma and I couldn’t talk or communicate when I woke up. Walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were almost shattered. But I was not going to let my injuries prevent me from living my dreams.
After 14 operations and blood transfusions, I had to learn how to talk, eat, walk, shower and live independently again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland. After spending a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I could walk again, but I wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but run. When it came true, I wanted to get back in the pool again. After a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and became a proud member of the swim team.
By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed, I would have my mom and dad push me around in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and talk to them and their families. I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best.When the car accident happened, the author ________.
| A．was a high school student |
| B．had finished his high school education |
| C．was a college student |
| D．was returning home from a swim competition |
What does the underlined word “shattered” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．begun | B．destroyed |
| C．shared | D．taken |
It can be inferred that the author ________ after he woke up from his coma.
| A．was out of hospital |
| B．was in surprise |
| C．faced physical and mental challenges |
| D．was worried about his lung |
What does the author mainly want to show in the last paragraph?
| A．His purpose of sharing his story. |
| B．His painful experiences. |
| C．His influence on students. |
| D．His great achievements. |
The best title for this passage would be ______.
| A．Attitude Is Everything. |
| B．Actions Speak Louder than Words. |
| C．Everything Happens for a Reason |
| D．A Good Beginning Is Half Done. |
When visiting New York City with your kids，there are many things to do with kids that will entertain their spirits and feed their minds.
The Whispering Gallery
Make your way to the Whispering Gallery. The Whispering Room's architecture allows for a phenomenon that usually makes people laugh. Once inside the gallery，place one person facing the corner at one end of the room and then place another person facing the corner at the opposite end. Ask one of the participants to whisper a phrase or a quick sentence or two and the person on the opposite end will be able to hear every word that was said.
E. 42nd St.
212一771一5322
grandcentralterminal. com
The American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History was founded in 1869. In addition to its impressive exhibits，permanent attractions bring the cool factor home to kids. They can enter the Fossil Halls and see the impressive dinosaur skeletons（骨架）．And the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life educates kids about the fragility（脆弱）of the Ocean
Central Park West at 79th St.
212一769一5606
amnh. org
the Scholastic Store
Most parents want their children to read，and moreover，to enjoy reading. Scholastic helps to make that wish a reality by publishing interesting，well-written stories that are popular with children. With such classics as“Clifford the Big Red Dog”，“The Magic School Bus，＂and“Harry Potter，”the Scholastic Store will delight your children.
557 Broadway
212一343一6100
scholastic. com
Ellen's Stardust Diner(小饭店)
The restaurant is a place where each person in your family can find something to eat. Arugula salads，grilled cheese，burgers and meatloaf are all on this varied menu. A hall of beauty queens，a drive-in theatre and wait staff that sing to you can add to this unique dining experience.
1650 Broadway，corner of 51st St.
212一956一5151
ellensstardustdiner. comWhich of the following websites helps kids learn about animals？
| A．ettensstardustdiner. com. |
| B．grandcentralterminal. com. |
| C．amnh. org. |
| D．scholastic. com. |
To develop your kids' interest in reading，you can bring them to＿．
| A．the Whispering Gallery |
| B．the Scholastic Store |
| C．Ellen's Stardust Diner |
| D．the American Museum of Natural History |
It can be learned from the passage that＿．
| A．sound travels well in the Whispering Gallery |
| B．people can enjoy music in the Scholastic Store |
| C．Ellen's Stardust Diner mainly provides western food |
| D．the American Museum of Natural History has a history of 200 years |