Mom was right！If you say thank you，for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness，you’ll feel happy.
Gratitude(感谢)，says Robert A．Emmons，a professor of psychology at the University of California，is an important element of happiness.In his recent book，Thanks！，Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point.In acknowledging and developing this muchignored expression of thankfulness，he explains how people have benefited—even improved their health.
As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement，he admits gratitude may be difficult to express.He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder.Second，recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you.That source may be your mom，a friend，partner，child，colleague at work or play，or any combination of these.
Gratitude is always otherdirected，notes Emmons.You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong，but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.
Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction；it should be a state of mind.To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy.To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger，hatred and bitterness—is easier.Also，too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.The voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals are many.
It’s crisis and chaos—danger，disease，disability and death—that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others.Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it.It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion(幻觉) they are selfsufficient，says Emmons.
To enable and embrace gratitude，Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary.He even provides easytofollow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude.
I’m not a reader or advocate of selfhelp books，but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients(接受者)．The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving，receiving and repaying.So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say：Thank you，professor Emmons.What is the text mainly discussed?
| A．There are many ways of being thankful. |
| B．Gratitude is important to happiness. |
| C．Mom is great for her being thankful. |
| D．Being thankful will keep you fit. |
The author mentions Robert A．Emmons’book Thanks! in order to prove that ________.
A．Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology
B．mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons
C．Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist
D．mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitudeIt will be easier for you to feel grateful when ______.
| A．you live a comfortable life |
| B．you receive gifts on your birthday |
| C．you get help during your hard times |
| D．you are congratulated on your success |
What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?
| A．It is enough to thank others orally. |
| B．Whether you are thankful is always up to you. |
| C．Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere. |
| D．It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others. |
Dolphins call out the specific names of loved ones when they become separated, a study finds. Other than humans, they are the only animals known to do this, according to the study. The big difference with dolphins is that these communications consist of whistles（鸣叫）, not words.
Earlier research found that dolphins have a “signature whistle” that would be somewhat like human shouting, “Hey everybody! I’m an adult healthy male named George, and I mean you no harm. ”
The new finding is that dolphins also say the names of certain other dolphins. “Animals produced copies of the same sound when they were separated from a close partner. This supports our belief that dolphins copy another animal’s signature whistle when they want to reunite with that animal,” Stephanie King, who led the study, says.
King and her colleagues collected acoustic（声音的）data from wild dolphins around Sarasota Bay, Florida, from 1984 to 2009. The researchers also studied four adult male dolphins housed at the Seas Aquarium, also in Florida.
Those males are adults that keepers named Calvin, Khyber, Malabar and Ranier, all of whom, as well as all of the wild ones, developed their own signature whistles that served as names in communication with other dolphins.
“A dolphin uses its signature whistle to broadcast its identity and announce its presence. The signature whistles allow animals to identify one another over long distances and allow animals to recognize one another and to join up with each other,” King explains. “Dolphin whistles can be heard up to 20km away, depending on water depth and whistle frequency（频率）.”
The researchers said dolphins copy the signature whistles of loved ones, such as a mother, when the two are separated. These “names” are always used in positive situations, and are only directed toward loved ones.
While researchers are often unwilling to apply the word language to non-human communications, dolphins clearly have a very complex communication system.The underlined word “housed” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_________”.
| A．raised | B．saved |
| C．discovered | D．hunted |
Which of the following plays a part in whether dolphin whistles can be heard over a distance?
| A．The dolphin’s identity. |
| B．The water temperature |
| C．The whistle frequency. |
| D．The dolphin’s age. |
When do dolphins copy the signature whistles of loved ones?
| A．When there is a fight. | B．When their keeper comes. |
| C．When they are apart. | D．When they are hungry. |
Where is the passage probably taken from?
| A．A magazine about scientific advances. |
| B．A website about various animals. |
| C．A report on animal acoustics. |
| D．An essay about the relationship between humans and animals. |
The Exterminating Angel
Director: Luis Bunuel
Country/Date : Mexico/1962 (black and white)
Introduction : A party is organized in a high class society house. Many people are drinking and eating. It’s getting late, but nobody is leaving. Even though the door is open, people seem to be locked in the house. They can’t leave either the day or on the following days. So a rescue began.
The Net
Director: Irwin Winkler
Country/Date: U.S.A./1995
Introduction: Angela Bennettt is a computer programmer who has devoted her life to computers and the Internet. She spends hours and hours in front of the screen. She does everything over the Internet, and she has some close friends in a chat room, though she has never talked to her neighbors.
Kung Fu Panda
Director : Mark Osborne & John Stevenson
Country/Date : U.S.A./2008
Introduction: The leading character is a panda whose name is Po. He is lazy first but he has a great dream——to be a kung fu master. To make his dream come true, he goes to a faraway temple to learn kung fu from a master. However, one of his brothers, Tai Long wants to become the kung fu master, killing many of his brothers even the master. So Po fights against Tai Long and defeats him, The film is good especially for kids.
Life is Beautiful
Director: Roberto Benigni
Country/Date : Italy/1998
Introduction: In 1939, during World WarⅡ in Italy, Guido, a hopeful man, the main character fell in love with Dora, and they got married. Five years later, their lives changed. Guido and Joshua were taken by the Nazis（纳粹）to a concentration camp and Dora also went there with her husband and son. At that place, Guido tried his best to save his son’s life in a special way.Who is the director of The Net?
| A．Luis Bunuel | B．Irwin Winkler |
| C．Mark Osborne | D．Roberto Benigni |
Which film is black and white?
| A．The Exterminating Angel. | B．The Net. |
| C．Kung Fu Panda. | D．Life is Beautiful. |
Which film is especially fit for kids?
| A．The Exterminating Angel. | B．The Net. |
| C．Kung Fu Panda. | D．Life is Beautiful. |
What can we learn about Life is Beautiful?
| A．It’s about a rescue of people who can’t leave a house. |
| B．The story is set in World WarⅡ. |
| C．It was made in America in 1995. |
| D．The main character is absorbed in computer. |
My 18-month-old son, Adam, called from the front door. “Look, Mama! Doggie!” I dropped what I was doing and stuck my head out the door. Brandy, our next-door neighbor’s 11-year-old dog, was over again. “Go away!” I shouted.
Brandy’s owner had died about a month earlier. The woman’s family had emptied the house and stuck a “For Sale” sign in the front yard, but the family had left old Brandy behind. For weeks, she’d been wandering around the neighborhood.
It wasn’t that I disliked dogs or anything like that. I just didn’t think about them very much. I never had a dog growing up and had never thought to get one.
Brandy went away and I stayed outside with Adam. Then the phone rang. I went inside to take the call. When I came back, Adam was gone. I searched the yard, front and back, then the basketball court and public pool. No trace of him. I was so nervous that I ran home and called the police, then my husband.
Police searched the neighborhood. Suddenly I heard another sound: a dog barking. “It’s coming from the woods,” one of my neighbors said. We followed the barking to a wooded cliff（悬崖）. There we found my son, and he was just inches away from the edges of the cliff, fast asleep. Brandy was beside him, leaning（倚靠）against him to keep him away from the edge. When I picked Adam up, Brandy sank down on her side, breathing quickly. She must have been holding Adam there for hours!
I thanked the police and brought Adam and Brandy back to our house. She hesitated a moment on our doorstep, no doubt remembering the time I’d driven her away.
“Come on, girl,” I said. “This is your home now.” Brandy stepped in, and once she saw she was really welcome, she relaxed and lay down on the floor just inside the door. She’d done a great thing, and I wondered if she knew it . She’d certainly touched me in a way that no animal ever had. What a pity a dog like Brandy had been left behind!What is the correct order for the events in the story about Brandy?
a. She was left behind by her owner’s family.
b. She stepped into the woman’s house.
c. She appeared at the woman’s front door.
d. She stayed beside the woman’s son for hours.
| A．d, a, b, c | B．a, c, b, d |
| C．c, d, b, a | D．a, c, d, b |
What did the woman do when she first saw Brandy?
| A．She gave her some food. |
| B．She drove her away. |
| C．She took her home. |
| D．She said thank you to her. |
Why did the woman call the police?
| A．Her son was lost |
| B．Brandy was gone. |
| C．Brandy appeared in her yard. |
| D．She got a scary call. |
How were they able to know that the woman’s son was near the cliff?
| A．By searching the neighborhood. |
| B．By hearing a dog barking. |
| C．By following a dog’s footsteps. |
| D．By hearing her son’s crying. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Medical drugs sometimes cause more damage than they cure. One solution to this problem is to put the drugs inside a capsule，protecting them from the body-and the body from them－until they can be released at just the right spot. There are lots of ways to trigger(引发)this release，including changing temperature，acidity，and so on. But triggers can come with their own risks－burns，for example. Now，researchers in California have designed what could be a harmless trigger to date：shining near-infrared light(NIR，近红外线)on the drug in the capsule.
The idea of using light to liberate the drug in the capsule isn't new. Researchers around the globe have developed polymers(聚合物)and other materials that begin to break down when they absorb either ultraviolet(UV，紫外线)or visible light. But tissues also readily absorb UV and visible light，which means the drug release can be triggered only near the skin，where the light can reach the capsule. NIR light largely passes through tissues，so researchers have tried to use it as a trigger. But few compounds(化合物)absorb NIR well and go through chemical changes.
That changed last year when Adah Almutairi，a chemist at the University of Califomia，San Diego，reported that she and her colleagues had designed a polymer that breaks down when it absorbs NIR light. Their polymer used a commercially available NIRabsorbing group called onitrobenzyl(ONB)．When they catch the light，ONB groups fall off the polymer，leading to its breakdown. But ONB is only a so-so NIR absorber，and it could be poisonous to cells when it separates from the polymer.
So Almutairi and her colleagues reported creating a new material for capsules that's even better. This one consists of a long chain of compounds called cresol groups linked in a polymer. Cresol contains reactive(易反应的)components that make it highly unstable in its polymeric form，a feature Almutairi and her colleagues use to their advantage. After polymerizing the cresols，they cap each reactive component with a light-absorbing compound called Bhc. When the Bhcs absorb NIR light，the reactive groups are exposed and break the long polymer into two short chains. Shining additional light continues this breakdown，potentially releasing any drugs in the capsule. What's more，Almutairi says，Bhc is 10 times better at absorbing NIR than is ONB and is not poisonous to cells.According to the passage，which of the following could be the best trigger?
| A．Temperature change. |
| B．NIR light. |
| C．Acidity change. |
| D．UV light. |
Why is ONB unsatisfactory?
| A．It breaks down when it absorbs NIR light. |
| B．It falls off the polymer and triggers drug release. |
| C．It has not come onto the market up till now. |
| D．It is not effective enough and could be poisonous. |
Which word can be used to complete the following process of changes?
⇨⇨⇨
| A．protected |
| B．formed |
| C．exposed |
| D．combined |
Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.
In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.The quantifying ability refers to the ability to ________.
| A．choose between different substances |
| B．get much knowledge of the world |
| C．identify the quantity of something |
| D．obtain math-related skills |
Babies choose the larger amount of food ________.
| A．by saying numbers |
| B．with the help of parents |
| C．on personal preference |
| D．through their natural abilities |
We can learn from the text that ________.
| A．some parents don't care about their kids |
| B．people used to think the world is known to babies |
| C．little research has been done on infants |
| D．scholars have different opinions on baby-training programs |