Many people think of the brain as a mystery. They don't know much about intelligence and how it works. When they do think about what intelligence is, many people believe that a person is born smart, average, or dumb — and stays that way in the whole life. But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle — it changes and gets stronger when you use it. And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights, your muscles get bigger and you get stronger. A person who can't lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time. That's because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise. And when you stop exercising, the muscles shrink and you get weaker. That's why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don't know that when they practice and learn new things, parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise. Inside the cortex (皮层) of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells, called neurons. The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network. Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems. When you learn new things, these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger. The more you challenge your mind to learn, the more your brain cells grow. Then, things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do — like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra (代数) — seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time. The result is a stronger, smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals' brains. They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more “perspicacious” — they were better at solving problems and learning new things.According to the first paragraph，________.
| A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle |
| B．until now it's impossible to explain the brain's mystery |
| C．many people believe one's intelligence is naturally determined |
| D．one's brain grows stronger as the age increases |
Training muscles is compared to ________.
| A．using the brain |
| B．connecting things in your brain |
| C．lifting weights |
| D．doing research about the brain |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about_________?
The complex structure of the brain.
B. How changes in the muscles affect the brain.
C. The importance of the brain.
D. How the brain becomes stronger by learning new things.What does the underlined word “perspicacious” in the last paragraph probably mean_________?
| A．Strong. | B．Smart. | C．Popular. | D．Active. |
The paragraph that follows the passage will most probably talk about _______.
| A．the differences between animals’ brains and humans’ brains |
| B．the relation between human brains and muscles |
| C．scientists’ findings about animals’ brains |
| D．how to make your brain smarter through self-development |
Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school. It doesn’t take much further thought to know that adults will feel better and do better at work as well. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to have no breakfast.
If we have no breakfast, we are likely to become tired when our brains and bodies run low on fuel (食物). By mid-morning, a lot of us grab a cup of coffee or eat a sugary candy bar to wake up again. This might work for a few minutes, but by lunch time we are hungry. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Having no breakfast is a popular way to lose weight, but not a smart one. Many people believe that they will lose weight if they have no meals, but that just isn’t true; the body expects to be refueled a few times a day, starting with a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast is good for losing weight. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to keep a healthy weight.
A healthy breakfast should have some protein (蛋白质) and some fiber (纤维). Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, or beans. Fiber can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. A good example of a healthy breakfast might be something simple like a hard boiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk. Stay away from sugary foods and white bread because they are digested (消化) quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in several hours. Protein and fiber will keep you feeling full until lunch time. The first paragraph mainly tells us that ______.
| A．it is necessary to have a good breakfast every day |
| B．many adults are too busy to have breakfast every day |
| C．many adults go to work without having breakfast |
| D．many children go to school without breakfast |
According to the passage, we feel tired at work probably because __.
| A．we need to have a cup of coffee | B．we don’t have a good breakfast |
| C．our brains don’t work any longer | D．we don’t have enough sleep at night |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Having a good breakfast can help you to finish your work. |
| B．Eating a good breakfast is enough for the whole day. |
| C．Breakfast is really the most important meal in a day. |
| D．You will be happier if you have a good breakfast. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．it is healthy only to have beans and eggs for your breakfast |
| B．you mustn’t have meat for your breakfast |
| C．you should eat sugary foods if you feel hungry |
| D．you should eat something which has protein and fiber for breakfast |
At some point I noticed that people were staring at me. The box boys at the supermarket spoke to me with respect. People were mistaking me for somebody else. It had to be somebody who weighed close to 300 pounds and wore a full beard. I enjoyed the way people would suddenly turn to look at me as if I wore wings. Nobody mentioned my name， but naturally they assumed I knew who I was. I could hardly ask， “By the way， who am I？”
As a result of being in the public eye， I began to change myself. I kept my shoes shined. Also， I changed shirts every day. The more I changed， the more second looks I received. From enjoying the attention， I began to long for it. I’d always felt I was somebody special. Now others were finally realizing it.
But who did people think I was？ I must have been a movie star， or at least a television personality. Then one evening I was sitting at a bus stop in Westwood Village when two young men in an old car looked up at me with that expression I had come to recognize as a respect to my talent and success. One of them said， “Hello， Dom！” So that was who I was！ Once I imagined that well-known comedian， I realized I couldn’t have been anybody else. I gave my young fans a big celebrity grin and said， “Hello， boys！” I waved one hand with a welcome-to-Hollywood gesture they would be talking about for years.
I also realized that it was time to go on a diet. I ate more salads and vegetables. I laid off the carbohydrates. I walked a couple of miles every day. When I had lost about 40 pounds， I shaved off my beard. I didn’t realize that my barber had actually been trying to make me look like the fat Dom DeLuise. I waited for my clients to ask， “What did you do to yourself？” But nobody even noticed a change. I melted back into the general population.Why was the author mistaken by people for somebody else？ (No more than 11 words) (2 marks)
What did the author do to change himself as a result of being in the public eye？ (No more than 12words) (2 marks)
Why did the young man greet the author？(No more than 10 words) (3 marks)
What did the author expect his clients to do ？(No more than 11 words)(3 marks)
Educating girls quite possibly harvests a higher rate of benefit than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be an unusual field for economists， but increasing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics， with its focus on rewards， provides an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of(剥夺)an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family： girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school — the predict becomes self-ffulfilling， trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother， on the other hand， has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children， ensuring that her daughters and sons are given fair chances. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls， as well as of boys， will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle(良性循环).
Few will argue that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously， there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments， but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices， including family planning.
Topic： The significance of in developing countries
| Viewpoint |
Educating girls is more |
|
| From low-income families |
From educated mothers’ families |
|
| Attitudes |
Girls are of |
Development should be for |
| Practices |
●There is ●Girls are made to stay at home， |
Girls and boys are sure to have |
| Consequences |
A vicious circle |
|
| |
Educating girls contributes to social benefits， Educating girls in developing countries is important and rewarding. |
US military is attempting to develop a new style “insect robot” to replace the human soldier to go wherever he can’t. The greatest trouble this project has fallen across is how to enable the robot to fly freely like an insect， said an official of the Pentagon(五角大楼).
The Pentagon is seeking for the cooperation with scientists in hope of developing a new technique by which people can control the insect’s flight direction and pass on the information its eyes or other organs catch through the equipment set in its body， the official said.
It is thus designed that a tiny controlling chip will be equipped in an insect’s body when it is in chrysalis(蛹). As the insect grows， the cut made when fixing in the chip will be recovered. The chip will exist in forever. Scientists believe this won’t influence the insect， sound growth or the functions of internal organs.
The terminal target of the project is to set up a global system， in which the insect robots will be stationed in all parts of the world and stick to their posts till a new instruction is received. At that time the military can receive from all over the world clear image information within about 5 meters of the insects and that of a special target within 100 meters.
Years ago， Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of US DOD(国防部) spent $3,000,000 carrying out a plan for training bees to detect landmines. But， no new progress has so far been made.
“According to the scientists， there is still enormous difficulty in technology in turning it into reality， such as the insects reproduction(繁殖)， their adaptation to the surroundings and temperature and so on. However， this project is really challenging. If successful， it is equal to making countless small drone(无人机)，”said the official of DOD.According to the description of the passage， what is an insect robot like？
| A．An insect made of a certain metal. |
| B．A robot looking like an insect. |
| C．An insect with a chip in its body. |
| D．A tiny flying robot. |
As for the design that an insect robot can receive and send information， how do you infer(推测) it works？
| A．There must be a controlling chip well connected with the insect’s brain. |
| B．The insect’s eyes and other organs must be replaced by some special equipment. |
| C．All the insect’s concerned organs must be controlled by a chip. |
| D．The insect must be so well trained as to make full use of its organs. |
When the project is completed， US military will .
| A．have a clear picture of almost every part of the world |
| B．have insect robots from all over the world |
| C．see clearly the things within 10 to 100 meters |
| D．get many insects which obey their orders |
Of the following technical problems， which is the one the scientists can’t solve so far？
| A．They can’t keep sound growth of the insects. |
| B．They can’t ensure the insects to produce their young. |
| C．They can’t fix a chip in an insect. |
| D．They can’t make sure the internal organs function well. |
What does the underlined word “terminal” in the fourth paragraph mean？
| A．Leading. | B．Vital. | C．Moral. | D．Final. |
Many people tend to complain about not having good friends in their lives. Sadly， they seem to think that their own company is not enough to make them happy. Nothing could be further from the truth though. In order to get along with others， the first thing you need to do is learn to get along with yourself. Only in this way will you succeed in developing healthy， solid relationships with others.
Listen to your inner voice. Remember that inner voice that keeps whispering to you what you really want and need as well as what you do not really want and need. It is about time you started listening to it. In order to get to know yourself in depth， it is important to learn and accept what you want and what you do not want.
Learn to enjoy your own company. You will be surprised to find out how many things you can do by yourself and actually have fun in the process. Reading romantic novels， poetry or science fiction is only a few of the things that you can do by yourself， which not only can offer you hours of enjoyment， but also the chance to get to know yourself better.
Satisfy yourself. Pay special attention to your personal hygiene(卫生). Do your hair and nails often and experiment with new styles. Follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly to stay in good shape. No matter how busy your daily schedule is， always find at least an hour per day for yourself， when you can either relax doing absolutely nothing， or doing something that you enjoy.
Learn to respect your own boundaries. Find out what your boundaries are and learn to respect them. You are the only one who knows what you can and what you cannot accept；no one else can point that out to you， or force you to compromise(妥协).If you want to have a good relationship with others， you should first .
| A．get into the habit of living alone |
| B．make many friends in society |
| C．always tell the truth |
| D．learn to be your own best friend |
What is the purpose of listening to your inner voice？
| A．To keep a good state of mind. |
| B．To know more about yourself. |
| C．To enjoy the time by yourself. |
| D．To form a relationship with others. |
In order to please yourself， the writer gives some suggestions EXCEPT .
| A．eating healthily |
| B．exercise regularly |
| C．experimenting with new hair style |
| D．keeping on struggling |
The underlined word “boundaries” nearly means “ ”.
| A．weaknesses | B．aims | C．ambitions | D．limits |
What is the structure of the passage？
