Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it？Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power？Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words，you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think，feel，or only partly understand. Often，explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words，you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power”.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many，if not most，highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head，but if you keep a journal(日志)of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project，you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic？Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example，but if you are learning something new，write a letter to a friend about it，and you will understand it better. Want to invent something？Write an explanation of the problem—why you want to solve it，and why it is worth solving，and you’re halfway there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often，they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Way on How to Write |
| B．Increase Your Brain Power Through Writing |
| C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing |
| D．How to Start Your Writing |
According to the passage，writing can help you a lot except________.
| A．to increase your brain power |
| B．to improve the ability to remember |
| C．to develop your interest in study |
| D．to strengthen the understanding of a topic |
If a writer writes something，it means that he or she________.
| A．has understood it very well |
| B．needs to understand it better |
| C．wants to remember it in his or her mind |
| D．is testing his or her new ideas |
The underlined sentence“you’re halfway there”in the fourth paragraph means that________.
| A．you are already successful |
| B．there’s a long way for you to go to reach your goal |
| C．you are left wondering what to do |
| D．you have been on the way to success |
I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.
My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her; she simply does what is needed.
At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.
My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world. The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.
| A．she thought the lady was too busy |
| B．she would make them as thanks to her |
| C．she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time |
| D．they had had an agreement before |
In the writer’s opinion, ________.
| A．my grandmother has a secret way of living |
| B．my grandmother does everything on careful consideration |
| C．few people are as generous as my grandmother now |
| D．my grandmother will get something in return |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers. |
| B．My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way. |
C．This is a family in which there are nearl y 30 people now. |
| D．My grandmother never keeps everything for herself. |
We may infer from the text that the writer ________.
| A．thinks his grandmother is living a tired life |
| B．thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do |
| C．thinks his grandmother should not be so kind |
| D．is proud of his grandmother |
Dear Betty,
My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.
Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?
Yours,
Knowing Nothing
Dear Knowing Nothing,
It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.
You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.
If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.
Yours,
BettyKnowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.
| A．tell Betty some good news | B．ask for some advice |
| C．answer some questions | D．invite her to dinner |
According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.
| A．can only bring some flowers | B．can’t bring wine |
| C．should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late | D．should arrive twenty minutes late |
Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.
| A．relax at the dinner table | B．watch the other guests |
| C．ask the person beside him | D．keep silent at table |
Botany, the study of plants, occupies a special position in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest (含糊的) of insight. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must extremely ancient. This is logical. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been enormously important to
the welfare of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, eyes, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the j
ungles of the Amaz
on re
cognized accurately hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them, botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.
Unfortunately, the more industri
alized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. When our Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer productions the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture; cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the built up knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relationship with plants in the wild would begin fade away.Which of the following statements about early humans is expressed in the passage?
| A．They probably had extensive knowledge of plants. |
| B．They thought there was no need to cultivate crops. |
| C．They did not enjoy the study of botany. |
| D．They placed great importance on the ownership of property. |
What does the comment “This is logical.” In the first paragraph mean?
| A．There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor’s knowledge of plants. |
| B．It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants. |
| C．It is reasonable to assume that our ancestors behaved very much like people in pre-industrial societies. |
| D．Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed. |
According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany begun to fade?
| A．People no longer value plants as a useful resource. |
B．Botany is not recognized as a specia l branch of science. |
| C．Research is unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of plants. |
| D．Direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased. |
In the second paragraph, what is the author’s purpose in mentioning “ a rose, an apple, or an orchid”?
| A．To make the passage more poetic. |
| B．To give an example of plant that are attractive. |
| C．To give botanical examples that all readers will recognize. |
| D．To explain the variety of botanical life. |
According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?
| A．The invention of agricultural tools and machinery. |
| B．The development of a system of names for plants. |
| C．The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted. |
| D．The changing diets of early humans. |
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy. You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house, leave a half-written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,” as she explained.
My wife, one of her first visits to my mother’s house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused,
she s
et down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better
These disappearance had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有……的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find th
at every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. “ Do you remember what I was doing?” was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of cleaning windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
| A．she enjoyed removing others’ drinks. | B．She became more and more forgetful. |
| C．She preferred to do everything by herself. | D．She wanted to keep her house in good order. |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.
| A．she had already finished them | B．my mother had taken them away |
| C．she forgot where she had left them | D．someone in my family was holding them |
The underlined part suggests that my sister ______.
| A．is happy to clean windows | B．loves to clean used windows |
| C．is fond of cleaning used windows | D．likes cleaning windows as my mother did |
How many persons are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Five. | D．Four. |
This passage mainly tells us that ______.
| A．my mother often made us confused | B．my family members had a poor memory |
| C．my mother helped us to form a good habit | D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother |
American like to visit the national parks. In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas run by the National Park Service. Experts predict that by 2010, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks. As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds.
The crowding of the parks has caused several problems. One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks. To cope with this problem, national parks may require reservations months in advance for some spots. The Park Service may also raise entrance fees at these places.
Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution. Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees. To cut down on noise pollution and air pollution, officials may decrease the number of cars allowed in parks. If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks. Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snowmobiles (摩托雪橇), motorboats, and sightseeing helicopters and 
planes.
The parks are also threatened by development that is going on around them. For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many motels (汽车旅馆), golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built. Some of these developments affect areas that are used by animals. People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks. If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures.By 2010, the number of visitors will rise by ______ per year.
| A．250 million | B．500 million | C．2.5 billion | D．5 billion |
If you want to visit the national parks, you may have to _____ in the future.
| A．pay less than before | B．stay there for months |
C．book the ticket before months |
D．fill in a form to apply for the ticket |
Entrance fees may be increased _______.
| A．just for the benefit of the National Park Service |
| B．either to limit the number of visitors or to pay for the cleaner |
| C．not only to protect the animals but to reduce the noise pollution |
| D．merely for the development of the national parks |
What does the underlined sentence in the passage mean?
A．People are not supposed to visit the national parks for fear that they will ha rm the animals. |
B．Only if more man-made t ou rist attractions are built will more people visit the parks. |
| C．It is reasonable to keep the balance between the development of the parks and the reserve. |
| D．People will not visit the national parks since there are no golf courses and resorts. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．High fees may probably keep some people out of parks. |
| B．Helicopters and planes will not be used in parks any longer. |
| C．The bus will become the only toot in parks with the purpose of pollution reduction. |
| D．The National Park Service welcomes as many visitors as possible. |