Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.
They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.
Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."
The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.
| A．study the structure of human brain |
| B．make use of living human cell system |
| C．discover how human brain really works |
| D．separate cells from a cancer tumour |
According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.
| A．will get finished as early as possible |
| B．will make people discover dementia |
| C．will affect the brain growth in many ways |
| D．will help to treat some diseases in nerve system |
From the last paragraph，we can know that ______
| A．the technique provided by HRT is immature |
| B．animal tests are no longer allowed by law |
| C．a million people suffer from brain diseases |
| D．the research program lacks financial support |
The text is intended to ______.
| A．tell us about a breakthrough in medical research |
| B．introduce a research program in human's brain |
| C．introduce the progress of drugs for dementia |
| D．tell us about health problem in nerve system |
How to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:
Recite As You Study
Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.
Take Fuller Notes
Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.
Study the Middle
The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.
Sleep On It
Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you have just learned after sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.
Combine(结合) Memory and Understanding
There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.
The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.You can notice your mistakes by .
| A．studying the middle | B．taking notes |
| C．speaking things out aloud | D．sleeping on it |
When taking notes, you should to better help you with reading.
| A．underline important notes |
| B．write as quickly as possible |
| C．take down every detail |
| D．write notes in your own words |
The writer advises you to as it is easier for you to remember material.
| A．study before going to sleep |
| B．do some exercise after studying |
| C．study as soon as you get up |
| D．study after a period of activity |
Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?
| A．Thinking about an idea in different ways. |
| B．Reading from the beginning to the end without stop. |
| C．Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know. |
| D．Going back to what first made you confused and start again. |
ORTOTROT? I heard that word while studying in Australia. It is a local language for “Are you ready (to go)?”. And at Sydney Airport, I asked the way to the train station and a man told me“Go ask that “bloke” over there.” “Bloke” is used in Australia and refers to a person. “Day” and “die” sound almost alike and since “a”, “i” and “o” all sound almost the same, I have always told my Australian friends, jokingly, that they only need 24 letters, and not 26 like the rest of us do.
Australian English began to be different from British English in 1788 and has many words that some consider unique (独特的) to the language, such as outback, meaning a remote, sparsely-populated (人口稀少的) area. Early settlers from England brought other similar words, phrases and usages to Australia. “Bonzer”, which was once a common Australian word meaning “great” or “beautiful”, is thought to have been an American term. The American influence on language in Australia has come from pop culture, the mass media (books, magazines and television programmes) and the Internet. Australian English is most similar to New Zealand English for their similar history.
Words of Irish origin are used, some of which are also common elsewhere in Irish, such as “tucker” for “food”. Some native English words whose meanings have changed under Irish influence, such as “paddock” for “field”, which has exactly the same meaning as the Australian “paddock”are still in use.According to the passage, we know Australian English .
| A．has special characters |
| B．is a kind of old language |
| C．is very difficult to learn |
| D．is the same as British English |
Why did the writer tell his Australian friends they only need 24 letters?
| A．Because Australians never use “a” or “i”. |
| B．Because Australians speak very easy English. |
| C．Because there are 3 letters having similar pronunciation. |
| D．Because there are some different ways to call the same thing. |
Australian English is most similar to New Zealand English because .
| A．they learn from each other |
| B．they have similar history |
| C．the two countries have the same political system |
| D．people from the two countries often travel to each other’s country |
The American influence on Australian English comes from the following EXCEPT .
| A．pop culture | B．the Internet |
| C．computer software | D．the mass media |
Modern life is impossible without traveling. The fastest way of traveling is by air. With a modern airliner you can travel in one day to places which it took a month or more to get to a hundred years ago.
Traveling by train is slower than by air, but it has its own advantages. For example, you can see the country you are traveling through. Besides,the modern train has comfortable seats and dining cars. It makes even the longest journey enjoyable and comfortable.
Some people prefer to travel by sea when possible. There are large liners and river boats. You can visit many other countries and different places. Traveling by sea is a very pleasant way to spend a holiday.
Many people like to travel by car. You can make your own timetable. You can travel three or four hundred miles or only fifty or one hundred miles a day, just as you like. You can stop wherever you wish—where there is something interesting to see, at a good restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal, or at a hotel to spend the night. That is why traveling by car is popular for pleasure trips, while people usually take a train or a plane when they are traveling on business.From the passage, we know the fastest way of traveling is .
| A．by car | B．by train | C．by air | D．by sea. |
If we travel by car, we can .
| A．make the longest journey enjoyable |
| B．make our own timetable |
| C．travel to a very far place in several minutes |
| D．travel only fifty or one hundred miles a day |
The underlined word “It” in the second paragraph refers to .
| A．the modern train in the country |
| B．the comfortable seat or dining car |
| C．the traveler on the modern train |
| D．the slower way of traveling |
D
Trapped on the 37th Floor
Melinda Skaar wasn’t expecting any phone calls．Skaar was working late in her office at the First Interstate bank of California．By 10:45 that night she was almost ready to go home when the phone rang．
Picking it up，she heard a guard shouting．“There is a fire！ Get out of there！”
Skaar didn’t panic．She figured that it was just a small fire．Her office building was huge．There were 62 floors and her desk was on the 37th floor．
Skaar called out to office mate Stephen Oksas，who also stayed late to work．But when they got to the hallway，they were met by a cloud of black smoke．Rushing back，Skaar shut the door and filled the space at the bottom of the door with her jacket to keep the smoke out．
Then they called 911．Before they could call their families，however，the line went dead．That meant that they were completely cut off from the outside world．All they could do was wait and hope someone would come to rescue them．
Minutes ticked by．Smoke began to float into the office．Soon it became hard for them to breathe．
Looking around，Skaar noticed a small workroom．It seemed to have cleaner air．So they crowded there．That helped for a while，but in time even the workroom was filled with deadly smoke．
Hopeless，they tried to break the windows，but the glass was not breakable．Everything they threw at just bounced back．
Defeated，they struggled back to the workroom．They felt weak and dizzy ．Soon Skaar found Oksas had passed out．
As Skaar and Oksas lay near death，rescuers were rushing to find them．At last，at about 4 a．m．，firefighters found them．
Skaar and Oksas knew they were lucky to be alive．“Sunday is my birthday，” Skaar told a reporter．She would be turning 29．But she knew she had already got the best present possible——the gift of life．What did Skaar and Oksas do when they were stopped by the fire？
| A．They called their families． |
| B．They waited where they were． |
| C．They tried to run down the stairs． |
| D．They rushed back and shut the door． |
The first sentence of the passage is to ____________．
| A．introduce Skaar |
| B．get the reader’s attention |
| C．explain the cause of the event |
| D．tell the background information |
The following helped Skaar and Oksas survive the fire except _____________．
| A．calling 911 for help |
| B．breaking the windows to get some fresh air |
| C．crowding in a small workroom for clean air |
| D．shutting the door and keeping the smoke out with a jacket |
What can we conclude from Skaar’s action in the fire？
| A．She is cleverer than Oksas． |
| B．She was trained as a firefighter． |
| C．She remained calm in the face of danger． |
| D．She had had the experience of being caught in fire． |
C
More surprising，perhaps，than the current difficulties of traditional marriage is the fact that marriage itself is alive and thriving (兴盛)．As Skolnick notes，Americans are marrying people—relative to Europeans，more of us marry and we marry at a younger age．Moreover，after a decline in the early 1970s，the rate of marriage in the United States is now increasing．Even the divorce rate needs to be taken in this pro-marriage context: some 80 percent of divorced individuals remarry．Thus，marriage remains，by far，the preferred way of life for the vast majority of people in our society．
What has changed more than marriage is the nuclear family．Twenty-five years ago，the typical American family consisted of a husband，a wife and two or three children．Now，there are many marriages in which couples have decided not to have any children．And there are many marriages where at least some of the children are from the wife’s previous marriage，or the husband’s，or both．Sometimes these children spend all of their time with one parent from the former marriage;sometimes they are shared between the two former spouses．
Thus，one can find the very type of family arrangement．There are marriages without children;marriages with children from only the present marriage;marriages with “full time”children from the present marriage and “part-time” children from former marriages．There are stepfathers，stepmothers，half-brothers，and half-sisters．It is not all the unusual for a child to have four parents and eight grandparents！ There are enormous changes from the traditional nuclear family．But even so，even in the midst of all this，one thing remains constant: most Americans spend most of their adult lives married．By calling Americans marrying people the author means that ______．
| A．more of Americans，as compared with Europeans，prefer marriage and they accept it at a younger age |
| B．Americans expect more out of marriage than Europeans |
| C．there are more married couples in USA than in Europe |
| D．Americans are more traditional than Europeans |
Which of the following can be presented as the picture of today’s American families？
| A．A typical American family consists of only a husband and a wife． |
| B．Many types of family arrangements have become socially acceptable． |
| C．Americans prefer to have more kids than before． |
| D．There are no nuclear families any more． |
Even though great changes have taken place in the structure of American families ______．
| A．the functions of marriage remain unchanged |
| B．most Americans prefer a second marriage |
| C．the vast majority of Americans still have faith in marriage |
| D．marriage is still enjoyed by all Americans |