Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world．But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism （双语能力） are even more important than being able to converse with a wider range of people．Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter．It can have a deep effect on your brain, improving skills not related to language and even protecting against a serious mental disorder in old age．
This view of bilingualism is different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century．Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interruption that prevented a child's school work and ability to think and understand things．They were not wrong about the interruption: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual \s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system disturbs the other．But this interruption, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a disturbance．It forces the brain to solve inside conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its thinking muscles．
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment．"Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often—you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompea Fabra in Spain．
"It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving．" In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr．Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, showing that they did better in it．From the passage we can learn that experts used to believe that ______．
| A．interruption forced a bilingual's brain to strengthen its thinking ability |
| B．a second language stopped children's studying as well as mental development |
| C．using two languages annoyed the children who have trouble in learning skills |
| D．language systems were busy in a bilingual's brain when he was using languages |
The underlined word "switch" in Paragraph 3 probably means "______"．
| A．change | B．use | C．speak | D．study |
What is the author's attitude towards bilingualism?
| A．Cautious． | B．Doubtful． | C．Concerned． | D．Favourable． |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How Bilinguals Use Languages |
| B．What Bilingualism Is Really about |
| C．Why Bilinguals Are More Intelligent |
| D．When People Learn a Second Language |
On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症) as a child, and so he has braces(支架) on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches(双拐).
He walks painfully, yet majestically (庄严地), until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.
But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars(小节), one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap(嘣断)——it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do.
We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage——to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn’t. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said in a quiet tone, “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”By saying “getting on stage is no small achievement for him”, the author really means ___.
| A．it’s very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings |
| B．it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled |
| C．it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to face such a large audience |
| D．it’s really great achievements for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings |
When one of the strings broke, people thought Itzhak Perlman would __________.
| A．go on playing with the remaining three strings |
| B．give up playing |
| C．change or repair his violin |
| D．get off the stage with shame |
Itzhak Perlman ___________ when one of the strings of the violin broke.
| A．gave up playing |
| B．didn’t know what to do |
| C．went on playing the same piece of music |
| D．went on playing a different piece of music |
What did the audience feel when Itzhak Perlman finished playing?
| A．Moved | B．Surprised |
| C．Disappointed | D．Satisfied |
Itzhak Perlman can be best described as a man who is ____________.
| A．clever | B．strong willed |
| C．humourous | D．quite skilled |
Nowadays we all know that it’s best to eat healthily, limiting our intake(摄入) of fat, sugar and salt. We at Fineways Supermarket have reduced the levels of these in 1000 of our products and are doing so for a further 950 this year. In addition, we have introduced a new labeling system to help you make wise choices as you purchase food, in order to have a healthy diet and way of life.
When you buy food, you the consumer need to know exactly what you will be eating. Some products are already labelled “Healthy” or “Low in fat”, but don’t rely on that; we would rather the customer decides after reading the nutritional information on the packet. So our new food labels have become clearer and more helpful.
Our easy-to-read labels explain simply what is in your food. They show you:
how much sugar, fat and salt there is in each serving(食物的一分)
how many calories one serving contains
the percentages of your guideline daily amounts (GDAs) for each of these
What are Guideline Daily Amounts?
GDAs are a guide to the total amount of calories, sugar, fat, salt and other elements(成分) we should eat in a day. According to experts, GDAs for a typical adult are:
Calories 2000 kcal
Sugar 90g
Fat 70g
Salt 6g
Please note that children and active adults have different nutritional requirements.
Numbers count
Here is an example of our new labeling:
| Chicken salad sandwich pack Calories 256 13%GDA Sugar 3.1g 4%GDA Fat 4.8g 7%GDA Salt 1.1g 19%GDA |
Knowing this kind of information about each product you buy can help you keep within the recommended daily amounts, so be wise about your shopping with Fineways’ easy new healthy-conscious labels!The author of the text is probably .
| A．a dutiful housewife |
| B．a well-known nutritionist |
| C．a staff member of a supermarket |
| D．a manager of a fast-food company |
How are Fineways’ new food labels more helpful than they used to be?
| A．They provided detailed information of each product. |
| B．They show whether the food is green or not. |
| C．They show whether the food is high in fat. |
| D．They are printed in clearer ink. |
We know from the text that Fineways Supermarket .
| A．reduced the levels of fat, sugar and salt in all their products. |
| B．asked experts to revise GDAs many times |
| C．tried to change the sizes of the packets. |
| D．used a new labeling system. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．What are GDAs? |
| B．What’s on your food label? |
| C．Are you healthy? |
| D．Do you visit supermarkets often? |
Perhaps you have seen them on the playground, at preschool drop-off or piano lessons, or even in TV shows like Up All Night. They are the stay-at-home dads, and lately, it seems they’re everywhere.
The latest research shows that 32 percent of dads regularly care for their children, and among those with preschool-age kids, one in five dads is the primary caregiver. In families where mom works, that figure rises to nearly one in three. Stay-at-home dads have become so common that even toy makers like Mattel are catering to(迎合) them.
A recent study finds that today’s full-time fathers aren’t trying to be “Mr. Moms”. Instead, they’re carving out their own unique roles as parents. I spoke with some experienced stay-at-home dads, who agreed that their parenting styles are different. “I do let the kids take more risks on the playground, while my wife tends to get nervous that they’ll fall and hurt themselves,” says Kyle, 38, an artist.
Besides, as there are more and more stay-at-home dads, they are turning to each other for support. They have created Meet Up groups and held Dads Nights Out. Kyle admits he had noticed a change recently. “Several years ago, I was checking out at a store with the kids, and the cashier was very curious why I was buying food instead of my wife. I told her that I was a full-time dad, and she commented, ‘Wow, I have never met one of you before.’ Now, my next-door neighbor is a dad who works from home and we often trades off watching the kids after school. ”
As for my own husband, although he admits that being a full-time dad is encouraging, he’s also proud of the strong bond with our daughter, which will offer her benefits that last for years. Children wit caring dads tend to have higher intelligence and more confidence, and do better in school. They also are less likely to experience depression or get into trouble, and have better social skills.Why toy makers catering to stay-at-home dads?
| A．Kids like playing with them. |
| B．They influence the choices their children make. |
| C．They are the money-makers in their families. |
| D．Kids like toys bought by them. |
According to Paragraph 3, stay-at-home dads _______.
| A．can never replace moms’ love. |
| B．can be as good as moms at parenting. |
| C．try to learn from moms about parenting. |
| D．have different parenting styles from moms. |
What change has Kyle noticed recently?
| A．The founding of Meet Up groups. |
| B．The change of people’s attitude towards them. |
| C．The increase in the number of stay-at-home dads. |
| D．The development of new communication methods. |
Children with full-time dads are more likely to be ______.
| A．smart and positive. | B．energetic and brave |
| C．sociable and patient. | D．confident and careful. |
Phillida Eves and her husband Tedd Hamilton weren’t unhappy living in the Galway countryside with their sons, Cian and Oisín, and their daughter, Soracha. “We had a lovely home, a car, lots of friends, and weekends sailing our boat,” says Phillida. “But there’s a line from a poem that goes: ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ That says it all for me. We felt there was more to life.”
So they quit their jobs, , took their sons, then aged six and nine, out of school and went to southern Spain where they bought a 15-metre yacht(游艇) and headed up the coast to Barcelona. Soracha was not even three. And they brought along Poppy, the family dog. Now, two and a half years and 10,000km later, they don’t intend to stop. Tedd is a yacht engineer and can find work in ports. But, says Phillida, a supply(代数) teacher, “any family could do this.”
The children are home-schooled using a correspondence(函授) course. “My son had a recent project on the weather. The weather is vital to us. My son knows more than most adults about weather systems, compasses, maps and directions. The weather, for him, means life or death.”
Other subjects have become equally vivid.“They’re living geography and history all the time. We’ve sailed round Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, and seen tiny islands we didn’t know. The kids learned about ancient Romans by visiting Rome.”
But what about social development? Again, Phillida is sanguine. “The children have become much more socially confident since we set out. They play with tones of families of all nationalities on other boats we meet.”
Living for the moment, they believe, is a huge life lesson. “Our children never say they’re bored.” The other day they stopped mid-ocean and the kids swam, 110km from land. “That’s the kind of freedom we want for them,” says Phillida. “That’s the kind of freedom they’ve got.”The couple quit their jobs and took their children travelling because .
| A．their children wanted to make friends of all nationalities. |
| B．they wanted to experience more in their life. |
| C．their children wanted complete freedom. |
| D．they are unhappy with their lives. |
The family made a living during their tour from .
| A．writing their own stories |
| B．doing temporary jobs |
| C．selling their possessions |
| D．teaching English |
The underlined word “sanguine” in paragraph 5 is closet in meaning to “”.
| A．patient | B．curious |
| C．excited | D．optimistic |
What we can learn about the family from the text?
| A．They plan to stop for a rest. |
| B．They have toured for more than three years. |
| C．They believe any family can do the same thing as they do. |
| D．They have made several geographical and historical discoveries. |
Apply for a Library Card
Any person who lives, works or attends school in New York State is qualified to receive a New York Public Library card free of charge.
Adults and teen users may either apply online or in person at any New York Public Library location. Applications for children ages 11 and under must be completed in person, and require the signature of a parent or guardian.
When you apply for a card online, you will receive a 7-digit temporary barcode(条形码). This allows you to set a PIN (personal Identification Number).
After you receive your permanent barcode, which is required to borrow materials, search library databases, or reserve a computer, you must validate(使……生效) your card.
Renew or Validate Your Card
All adults, teen and child library cards for cardholders in New York City and areas of New York State outside of New York City expire(期满) and must be renewed every three years. New library card applicants who applied for a card online must validate their card before full cardholder privileges can be extended.
Cardholders in New York City must visit any New York Public Library location to present the required forms of identification in order to renew or validate their card.
Cardholders from areas of New York States outside of New York City may email scans or copies of the required forms of identification to patronaccounts@nypl.org.
Forget Your PIN?
If you provide the library with a valid email address, you can click on the Forget Your PIN? link on the login(登陆) screen of either Biliocommons or the Classic Catalog. A link with instructions on changing your PIN will be sent to the email address on your account, giving you a brief period of time to update your information. You must select a 4-digit number PIN, with no repeating or obvious charaters (e.g. 1234 or 2222).
If you have not provided us with a valid email address, you have to visit a library location with valid identification to have a staff member reset your PIN for you. If a 10-year-old boy wants to receive a New York Public Library card, he .
| A．can either apply online or in person. |
| B．can ask his parents to apply for him. |
| C．has to visit a library location in person. |
| D．has to apply in person with a partner or guardian. |
Which is different for cardholders in New York City and those from areas of New York State outside of New York City？
| A．The full cardholder privileges. |
| B．The way they apply for a card. |
| C．The period of validity of their card. |
| D．The way they renew or validate their cards. |
Which of the following may be a suitable PIN for a library card?
| A．5862 | B．1357 | C．4321 | D．7777 |