A special laboratory at the University of Chicago is busy only at night. It is a dream laboratory where researchers are at work studying dreamers. Their findings have discovered that everyone dreams from three to seven times a night, although in ordinary life a person may remember none or only one of his dreams.
While the subjects—usually students—sleep, special machines record their brain waves and eye movements as well as the body movements that signal the end of a dream. Surprisingly, all subjects sleep soundly.
Observers report that a person usually fidgets(烦躁不安) before a dream. Once the dream has started, his body relaxes and his eyes become more active, as if the curtain had gone up on a show. As soon as the machine shows that the dream is over, a buzzer wakens the sleeper. He sits up, records his dream, and goes back to sleep—perhaps to dream some more.
Researchers have found that if the dreamer is wakened immediately after his dream, he can usually recall the entire dream. If he is allowed to sleep even five more minutes, his memory of the dream will have disappeared.According to the passage, researchers at the University of Chicago are studying ____.
| A．contents of dreams | B．dreamers while they dream |
| C．the meaning of dreams | D．the progress of sleeping |
Their finding has discovered that _____.
| A．everyone dreams every night |
| B．dreams are easily remembered |
| C．dreams are likely to be frightening |
| D．One person dreams only one dream a night |
The machines being used in the experiment record _____.
| A．the depth of sleep |
| B．the subjects’ brain waves and eye movements |
| C．how many dreams a person has |
| D．what a sleeper dreams during his sleep |
A person would be most likely to remember the dream that _____.
| A．was of most interest to him |
| B．occurred immediately after he went to sleep |
| C．occurred just before he woke up |
| D．was the longest one to him |
I remember the first time that I was extremely happy. I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns to play various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code(编码)for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some of the BASIC code. I just gave myself an infinite number of lives in the game, so I could continue playing it forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra, and I didn't even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. I was quite excited because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I was enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them too.
I've noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic about what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and content in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements.
Success, wealth, or achievements can also bring some people happiness, yet I know plenty of rich people who are unhappy. I know many people with successful businesses that are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, such as cars, computers, and televisions, yet never seem content for too long. Please remember, happiness is the journey of life, not the destination.What can we know from Paragraph 1?
| A．The author has a great talent for algebra. |
| B．Creative thinking is necessary for every child. |
| C．The BASIC code of the computer is not difficult. |
| D．The author's experience in his childhood changed his life. |
The underlined word "infinite" means
| A．big | B．limitless | C．normal | D．small |
The author wants to tell us through his experience in the school that ________.
| A．interest is the best teacher | B．children are the hope of the future |
| C．young people are fearless | D．where there’s a will, there’s a way |
What is the secret of happiness in the author's opinion?
| A．Success and wealth. | B．Gifts and self-confidence. |
| C．Enthusiasm and good health. | D．Knowledge and achievements. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．people who are rich and successful in career generally feel unhappy |
| B．wealth can’t bring people any happiness and comfort |
| C．one will feel unhappy once he has gained all the things that he wants |
| D．being enthusiastic about what you do is more important than wealth |
When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make a rich strike. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country called Stanislau. Like Heaven on Earth, it had bright green hills and deep forests where soft winds touched the trees. By the time I arrived, the charming paradise had been deserted because miners’ good luck didn’t last.
Then, I realized I was not alone after all.
A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of his little house. Its front yard was full of blue and yellow flowers. White curtains hung from the windows and floated in the soft summer wind.
Still smiling, the man invited me inside. My spirit seemed to come to life again. I saw a bright rug(地毯) on the shining wooden floor. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home. The joy in my heart showed on my face. The man read my thoughts. “All her work.” He said affectionately, “Nothing here hasn’t felt the touch of her hand.”
One picture on the wall was not hanging straight. He went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch. “She always does that,” he explained, “It is like the finishing pat a mother gives her child’s hair after she has brushed it. I don’t know why I do it. I just do it.”
As he talked, I went to a little black-walnut shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman’s expression. The man stared at the picture. “Nineteen her last birthday. That was the day we married. When you see her...ah, just wait until you meet her!” “Where is she now?” I asked. “Oh, she is away visiting her parents. This is Wednesday,” he said slowly. “She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.”
That night, I stayed. The man told me his name was Henry.
Thursday evening we had two visitors, Tom and Joe. “We just drop over to ask when little madam is coming home. Any news from her?” “Oh yes,” the man replied. “A letter.” He took a yellowed letter out of his wallet and read it. It was full of loving messages. While reading, he glimpsed his friends and cried out, “Oh no, you are doing it again, Tom! Take your hands away and let me see your eyes. I’m going to tell her this time!” “No, you mustn’t do that, Henry,” the grey-haired miner said. “I am getting old. And any little sorrow makes me cry. Lord, we miss her so.”
Saturday finally came.
I was glad to see his two friends, Tom and Joe, with guitars, coming down the road as the sun began to set. They put the flowers they brought in vases and began to play some fast and lively songs.
Henry’s friends kept giving him glasses of whiskey. When I reached for one of the two remaining glasses, Tom stopped my arm. “Drop that! Take the other.” he whispered. I did so. Henry was served last. He had hardly swallowed his drink when the clock struck midnight. His face grew paler and paler. “Boys,” he said, “I am sick with fear. Help! I want to lie down.” Henry was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.
In a moment, those handy men had his clothes off and tucked him into his bed. They seemed to be getting ready to leave. So I said, “Please don’t go, gentlemen. She won’t know me. I am a stranger.” They glanced at each other. Then Joe said, “She? Poor thing, she’s been dead nineteen years!” “Dead?” I whispered. “That or worse.” he said.
“She went to see her folks half a year after she got married. On her way back, on a Saturday evening in June, when she was almost here, the Indians captured her. She’s never been heard of since. Henry went insane. He thinks she is still alive. When June comes, he thinks she has gone on her trip to see her parents. Then he begins to wait for her to come back. We drop in here, three days before she’s due, to encourage him up and listen to him read the letter. On Saturday we all come and get everything ready for a dance. We’ve done it for nineteen years. The first Saturday there were twenty-seven of us, but only two now. We drug him to sleep through the night. Then he’s all right for another year.”
The two old men opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of Stanislau.You can sense the existence of a woman from the following sentences EXCEPT “______”.
| A．Soft winds touched the trees in Stanislau. |
| B．There was a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. |
| C．There were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. |
| D．A little black shelf held a small picture of a woman. |
Tom cried when Henry read the yellowed letter, because ______.
| A．he was getting older and older |
| B．he was moved by the loving messages in the letter |
| C．he felt sad at the thought of Henry’s wife |
| D．he was disappointed that Henry’s wife would arrive so late |
Tom stopped my reaching for whiskey because ______.
| A．there was not enough whiskey for Henry | B．he didn’t want me to get drunk |
| C．that glass of whiskey was drugged | D．it was for Henry’s wife |
The underlined phrase “went insane” probably means “lost his______”.
| A．hope | B．mind | C．heart | D．temper |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Henry’s wife was 38 when she was last seen |
| B．Tom and Joe have heard the letter many times |
| C．the author stayed in Henry’s house because he was lost |
| D．the two miners came on Saturday to share past memories |
The story is mainly about ______.
| A．ever-lasting love | B．lifelong friendship |
| C．an unforgettable experience | D．charming Stanislau |
Alabama
Students in Alabama take the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, which consists of multiple-choice questions. In the classroom, Alabama high school students must prove specific skills in English and take certain math classes.
Among the 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools in Alabama, two were awarded gold medals, 16 received silver medals and 72 were considered bronze medal schools. One of the gold medal schools, Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, lies about 90 miles south of Birmingham in the state capital of Montgomery, within the Montgomery County School District.
Alaska
To graduate, Alaska high school students must get at least 21 credits, including a half credit in Alaska history. Alaska judges students from the third grade through senior grades. Students first take the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination at the tenth grade. It includes math, reading and writing skills.
10 schools were awarded silver medals and 21 received bronze medals among the U.S. News Best High Schools in 2013. While Alaska's capital is Juneau, several of the state's Best High Schools are in or near Anchorage, in the Anchorage School District.
Delaware
Delaware students have a high GPA（平均绩点）and 10 hours of community service. If they hand in their FAFSA（自愿联邦奖学金）by a certain date, they may get the Inspire Scholarship, which helps pay for tuition at Delaware State University. Before they go to college, however, students must pass the Delaware Student Testing Program Exams.
Among the Delaware schools in the 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools, there are three silver medal schools and four bronze medal schools. The top school in the state is Delmar Senior High School. It is part of the Delmar School District and is about 50 miles from Delaware's capital, Dover.What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The introduction to the Best High Schools in three states. |
| B．The different examinations in several high schools. |
| C．Scholarships in the Best High Schools in three states. |
| D．The things students should do before going to college. |
It can be inferred from the text that______.
| A．students with a high GPA can get the Inspire Scholarship |
| B．reading and writing skills are included in the tests in all the schools |
| C．Alabama has the most best high schools of the three states |
| D．at least 21 credits are needed to graduate from all the schools |
Which of the following in TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The High School Graduation Exams are multiple-choice questions. |
| B．Both the gold medal schools in Alabama are in its capital. |
| C．There were 21 silver medal schools in Alaska in all. |
| D．Delmar Senior High school is the best in Delaware. |
Alaska's graduation exam is different from the others' in the aspect that______.
| A．it includes all the subjects the students learn |
| B．it includes its own state history as well |
| C．it includes math, reading and writing skills |
| D．it includes 10 hours of community service |
The Inspire Scholarship is a prize______.
| A．that any student in gold medal schools can apply for |
| B．that is given to the top students in gold medal schools |
| C．that helps to pay for tuition at Delaware State University |
| D．that is very difficult to get for students in silver medal schools |
Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.
You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.
At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.
This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going – you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts(促使) you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence – if we think less, we become less smart.
These mutations(变异) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence , there are two or more mutations in each of us.
However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.
“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights(洞察力) that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation.”What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article?
| A．The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history. |
| B．Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays. |
| C．Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farming. |
| D．Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence. |
According to Crabtree, ancient humans _______.
| A．had much more genes that determine human intelligence |
| B．were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures |
| C．relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence |
| D．developed a diverse intelligence to adapt to the hard realities |
Some argue that Crabtree’s theory is false because they think _______.
| A．people today are under much more pressure than early humans |
| B．it’s ridiculous to compare a hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence |
| C．modern education is far more advanced than ancient education |
| D．human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past |
What is Thomas Hills’ attitude toward Crabtree’s theory?
| A．Supportive | B．Unfavorable | C．Worried | D．Confused |
Jerry was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Jerry said. Later, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, he forgot the password, nervous. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments（碎片） of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic (过敏的)to anything. “Yes,” I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Bullets!” Over their laughter, I told them. “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. The author left Jerry’s restaurant because he___________.
| A．wanted to start business on his own |
| B．was afraid of another robbery later |
| C．was not equal to the job any longer |
| D．didn’t get along well with others |
Why was Jerry shot?
| A．Because he left the back door open. |
| B．Because he opened the safe too slowly. |
| C．Because he pretended to forget the password. |
| D．Because he didn’t open the safe in time. |
What was Jerry really afraid in the emergency room?
| A．The doctors and nurses gave him up. |
| B．He decided to take action to live again. |
| C．He saw the expressions of the doctors and nurses. |
| D．He might not be saved by doctors and nurses. |
From the passage we can learn that Jerry was _________.
| A．no longer positive to his life after the operation |
| B．optimistic even when things were at their worst |
| C．Jerry influenced all his colleges in many ways |
| D．badly injured and stayed in hospital for six months |
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
| A．Where there is life, there is hope. |
| B．Everything comes to him who waits. |
| C．Humor is the best medicine that creates miracle. |
| D．Attitude determines everything. |