A 34-year-old mother has spoken of how she woke up thinking she was 15 years old and living in 1992.
Naomi Jacobs, from Manchester, was convinced she was still a teenager. In her mind, John Major was Prime Minister and George Bush Sr. was running the White House. She also showed how she screamed when a boy appeared and called her “Mum”. Mobile phones and e-mails were puzzling and Google, Facebook and YouTube sounded like made-up words, she said.
Ms. Jacobs, who had no memory of the years, was told by doctors that she had Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). She has now written a book about the experience which happened in 2008.
“I fell asleep in 1992 as a brave, very confident know-it-all-15-year-old, and woke up as a 32-year-old single mum living in a rented house,” Ms. Jacobs said. “The last thing I remember was falling asleep in my bed, dreaming about a boy in my class. When I woke up, I looked in the mirror and had the fright of my life when I saw an old woman with wrinkles staring back at me. Then a little boy appeared and started calling me Mum. That’s when I started to scream. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t think he was much younger than I was, and I certainly didn’t remember giving birth to him. I began sobbing uncontrollably. I just wanted my mum. I couldn’t get my head around going to bed one night and waking up in a different century.”
TGA is a rare type of amnesia which can occur suddenly, affecting around three people per 100,000 each year. Fortunately, permanent memory loss is rare. Ms. Jacobs’ memory started to return after eight weeks.
Some people who often suffer from migraines (偏头痛) also appear to be more likely to have TGA. The cause of TGA is unknown. Some think that it may be caused by a temporary cut of blood flow to parts of the brain involved in memory. When a little boy came to call her “Mum”, Naomi Jacobs was _____.
| A．excited | B．frightened | C．worried | D．embarrassed |
What was the last thing Naomi Jacobs could remember?
| A．She was a brave and confident girl. |
| B．She met an old woman with wrinkles. |
| C．George Bush Sr. was elected President. |
| D．She fell asleep dreaming of a boy in her class. |
According to the text, TGA _____.
| A．is quite common |
| B．is caused by brain injuries |
| C．results in permanent memory loss |
| D．causes people to lose part of their memory |
What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Naomi Jacobs has a poor memory.
B. Naomi Jacobs gets an amazing career after TGA.
C. Naomi Jacobs wakes up with the memory of her youth.
D. Naomi Jacobs succeeds in overcoming the disease.According to the passage, we know _______.
| A．Ms. Jacobs’ memory returned to normal now |
| B．Ms. Jacobs often doesn’t remember things |
| C．Ms. Jacobs has not got married yet |
| D．Ms. Jacobs is very young now in deed |
Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and never have daydreaming again. Most of us from earlier school days have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time.
“ On the contrary,” says L.Giambra, an expert in psychology（心理学）, “ daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn’t get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day… .
You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious（有意识的） mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious states of minds have silent dialogues.”
Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illness. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, “we know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures… Daydreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life.”
Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams which may be hard to understand. It’s easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of handling them.
Daydreams cannot be predicted; they move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.
So the next time you catch yourself daydreaming, don’t stop. Just pay attention to your dream. It may be more important than you think.In what way are daydreams different from sleep dreams?
| A．Daydreams help to develop an unconscious mind. |
| B．Daydreams are not so easy for us to control and direct. |
| C．Daydreams help us to handle more difficult situations |
| D．Daydreams are easier for us to understand. |
Professor Eric Klinger believes that _______.
| A．our fears and longings in life are shown in our daydreams |
| B．we may study our experiences just through our daydreams |
| C．daydreaming is one of the important ways that we recognize our lives |
| D．we should be able to tell our futures by having daydreams |
The writer of the article thinks that ______.
| A．daydreaming is more helpful than sleep dreams |
| B．many artists and scientists are famous because they have daydreams |
| C．professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra |
| D．daydreaming with an unconscious mind will do good to health |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Daydreaming was once regarded as a cause of mental illness. |
| B．Experts began to have a better understanding of daydreams in the late 1980s. |
| C．Scientists believe that we can know daydreams before having them. |
| D． Many well-known artists gained energy of creation from daydream |
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fits properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15 mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of way to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such spots can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.
| A．find your stolen bicycle | B．get your serial number |
| C．receive free repair services | D．settle conflicts with walkers |
According to the passage, what bike equipment is a free choice for bicycle riders?
| A．Brakes. | B．A helmet. | C．A headlight. | D．A taillight. |
When you ride a bicycle on the campus, _________________.
| A．ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks |
| B．cycle at a speed of over 15 mph |
| C．put the walkers’ right of way first |
| D．call the police before leaving in case of accident |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus |
| B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
| C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
| D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines．
For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders． For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(车道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes．
But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business．
The city government has not yet decided what to do． It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place open ground in New York— is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only．In New York, a group of bike riders__________．
| A．are keeping practicing for health |
| B．have no cars of their own |
| C．are complaining there are not enough buses |
| D．are trying to settle the problem of air pollution |
The bike riders suggest that __________．
| A．bikes should be used instead of cars |
| B．bike lanes should be drawn |
| C．fewer buses or cars should be used |
| D．the number of special lanes should be decreased |
The advantage of the special lanes is that__________．
| A．they will make cars and buses run slowly |
| B．they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks |
| C．they will make the city more beautiful |
| D．they will prevent accidents |
Why is a full moon, yellower and bigger when it is coming up than when it is higher in the sky?
That's a good question about something that we all can see. Let's talk about the moon's color first.
We see the moon only because of the sunlight that falls on it and is reflected. Actually, the moon is not a very good reflector, because its surface is all rocks and dirt. We see it in almost its true color when it is high in the sky.
When the moon first comes up, its light reaches our eyes after an extra-long path through the atmosphere (大气). There are lots of particles (微粒) scattering (分散) light in that long path. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, which means that it doesn't reach your eyes. The light that is left over looks yellow to your eye.
Now about the other question—why the moon seems to change in size. That's more complicated. It's not an effect of the atmosphere, the way color is; it's not caused by something fooling your eyes. It seems, instead, to be caused by something that fools your brain—an illusion(错觉).
Here's a drawing that creates an illusion. The two cones(圆锥体) are really the same size. But the rest of the drawing makes the right-hand cone seem farther away. Your brain knows that faraway objects are really larger than they look. It decides that the right-hand cone must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
Similarly, when you see the moon just come up over a line of trees or houses—or whatever makes the horizon(地平线)—it may be that your brain decides that the moon must be larger because it seems to be farther away.The moon doesn't reflect the sunlight very well because________________.
| A．it is high in the sky | B．its surface is rough |
| C．its surface is white | D．it isn't a good reflector |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．In the course of its rising, the moon is getting smaller and smaller |
| B．The size of the moon is more complicated than its color |
| C．The atmosphere has the same effect on the moon's size as on its color |
| D．The change in the moon's size is caused by an illusion while that in its color is caused by the atmosphere |
After reading this passage, you can possibly answer one of the following questions. Which one? ______.
| A．Why is the sun bigger when it rises over the horizon? |
| B．Why does the sun look bigger when it rises over the horizon? |
| C．Why does the sun look golden? |
| D．Why does the sun rise in the east? |
Who do you think probably wrote this passage?________.
| A．A novelist | B．A reporter |
| C．A science editor | D．An English teacher． |
Many English learners have difficulty deciding what kind of English accent they want to have． A US accent, perhaps modeled on the way a Hollywood star speaks? Or maybe you want to imitate（模仿） the British accent of a BBC news reader?
Young British people find the US accent attractive while young US people like a British accent． Especially when the person speaking is of the opposite sex(异性)! Let’s listen to what they have to say．
Stephen Yang, 17, from London, UK
A US accent is cute, especially when a girl speaks it． Whether it’s Jessia Alba speaking or the girl- next-door, the way US girls speak has a sweet tingle that is really sassy(时髦)． A girl from Texas recently moved into our neighborhood． Her Texan twang（鼻音） had all the boys here on their knees within seconds of meeting her．
To me, accents reflect the attitudes, characteristics and lifestyles of the people．
Jennifer Sun, 16, from New Jersey, US
From watching English actors like Daniel Radcliffe, my friends and I have developed a soft spot for British men．Some are attracted to the qualities of English males, while others admire their sense of style．
Everyone, however, agrees that the most appealing aspect of an English man is his accent． For example, many American girls watch Harry Potter movies over and over again just to listen to the actors speak．
The English accent seems almost like art．In Stephen Yang’s opinion, accents just show__________．
| A．the beauty of the language |
| B．how the language is spoken |
| C．the cultural differences of the speakers |
| D．the meeting of the day |
The underlined sentence in paragraph means that __________．
| A．All the boys broke their knees |
| B．All the boys fell to the ground |
| C．All the boys liked her accent very much |
| D．All the boys imitated（模仿）her accent |
Many American girls watch Harry Porter again and again in order to __________．
| A．learn the acting skills of the these stars |
| B．learn the magic performed by Harry Potter |
| C．imitate the actors’ accents |
| D．know more about British English |
What is probably the best title for this passage?
| A．British English and American English |
| B．British Accent or American Accent |
| C．American English Accent is Most Accepted |
| D．The difference between British Accent and American Accent． |