The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.
Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.
They then “translated” the texts into more “straightforward”, modern language and again monitored the readers’ brains as they read the words.
Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.
Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.
This “lighting up” of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.
Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university’s magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: “Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain.
"The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike.”How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers?
| A．They set off far less electrical activity in the brain. |
| B．They light up the mind shorter than the initial electrical spark. |
| C．They shift physical pathways in the young and the elderly. |
| D．They draw readers’ attention and help make self-examination. |
Why does the author mention” They then” translated”… modern language“？
| A．To prove that classics are more useful than ordinary versions. |
| B．To show self-help books act like rocket-boosters to the brain. |
| C．To tell serious literature sets off far less electrical activity. |
| D．To make known ordinary versions set off more electrical activity |
What can we conclude according to the researchers?
| A．Self-help books are more valuable than classics. |
| B．Serious literature lights up the mind shorter than ordinary versions. |
| C．The right hemisphere of the brain is related to autobiographical memory. |
| D．Literature has a beneficial effect only on the mind of the young. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ordinary Versions Create New Thoughts |
| B．Modern Language Increases the Brain |
| C．Classics Help lmprove the Brain Activity |
| D．Self-help Books, Rocket-boosters |
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 reach out and touch, and then to show them the illusion. If they knew that objects are solid and they reached out for the illusion and found empty air, 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?
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 reappear. If the experimenter 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.
68. The passage is mainly about _____.
A. babies’ sense of sightB. effects of experiments on babies
C. babies’ understanding of objects D. different tests on babies’ feelings
69. In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object ________.
A. still exists B. keeps its shape C. still stays solid D. is beyond reach
70. What did Bower use in his experiments?
A. A chair. B. A screen. C. A film. D. A box.
71. 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.
It's not the flashiest car in the world. Not even close. But the 1971 Volkswagen named Helioscan do something most cars can't: nm on solar energy – energy from the sun's light and heat!
Joshua Bechtold, 14, and the other students at the Riverside School in Lyndonville, Vermont, worked many months to get Helios ready for the 1999 American Tour de Sol （"Sol" is the Latin word for "sun"）. They named their car after Helios, the sun god in Greek mythology（神话）.
The 4-year-old Tour de Sol encourages the use of "green", or environmentally friendly, cars to help reduce pollution and save energy. It’s not a race. Cars are judged on fuel efficiency（耗油量） rather than speed. In the week-long event, 44 cars took the 350-mile tour from Waterbury, Connecticut, to Lake George, New York. Of the 23 student cars, Helios was the only one built by middle school students.
A teacher drove Helios, but the children talked with people wherever they stopped along the mad. "That was my favorite part," says Anna Browne, 15. "We explained how the car runs.”
Due in part to old, inefficient batteries（电池）, Helios finished fourth - out of four - in its kind, the sun-powered class. "We were there for the fun of it," Anna says. "We're proud of Helios," says Ariel Gleicher, 14. "It's a car that's good for the environment."
64. What is special about the car Helios in the text?
A. It was built by middle school students.
B. It has an attractive design.
C. It was made in 1971.
D. It won the fourth prize.
65. How many sun-powered cars took part in the race?
A. 1. B. 4. C. 23. D. 44.
66. What would be the best title for the text.'?
A. The Making of Helios
B. 1999 American Tour de Sol
C. Sun-powered Cars on the Road
D. Use of Green Cars in Connecticut
67. The students felt proud of Helios because______.
A. it could run as far as 350 miles B. it was favored by many children
C. it had high-quality batteries D. it was driven by clean energy
At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents（文件）because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,” says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organisation.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers
Does all this mean environmental concerns （环境问题） have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling （回收利用）,”said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
72. The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ___________.
A. the rapid development of small businesses B. the opening up of new markets
C. the printing of high quality copies D. the increased use of the Internet
73. Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ______.
A. to encourage printing more quality documents
B. to develop new printers using recycled paper
C. to find new materials for making paper
D. to plant more fast-growing trees
74. Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ___________.
A. people are concerned about the environment
B. printers in many offices are working overtime
C. small companies need more hard copies
D. they see a growing market for printers
75. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Computers and Printers B. E-mail and the Business World
C. Internet Revolution and Environment D. Modern Technology and New Markets
LONDON（Reuters）-Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
"Organic produce is always better," Gold said. "The food is free of pesticides（农药）, and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally（本地）grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty. "Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences-but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example,small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported（进口）to meet growing demand. "The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market," said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.
60. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because ____.
A. they are getting richer
B. they can get the food anywhere
C. they consider the food free of pollution
D. they like home-grown fruit
61.Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain？
A. It grows indoors all year round.
B. It is produced outside Britain.
C. It is grown on family farms.
D. It is produced on large farms.
62.What is the meaning of "the organic trend" as the words are used in the text？
A. growing interest in organic food
B. better quality of organic food
C. rising market for organic food
D. higher prices of organic food
63.What is the best title for this news story？
A. Organic food-healthy, or just for the wealthy？
B. The making of organic food in Britain
C. Organic food-to import or not？
D. Good qualities of organic food
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are out main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款机）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Change it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
41. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________.
A．promised to obey the store rules
B．forgot to take any money with him
C．hoped to have the food first and pay later
D．could not afford anything more expensive
42. Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
A．kind and lucky B．poor and lonely
C．friendly and helpful D．hurt and disappointed
43. The writer acted upon the store rules because_________.
A．he wanted to keep his present job
B．he felt no pity for the old gentleman
C．he considered the old man dishonest
D．he expected someone else to pay for the old man
44. What does the writer learn from his experience?
A．Wealth is more important than anything else
B．Helping others is easier said than done
C．Experience is better gained through practice
D．Obeying the rules means more than compassion.