Hello, everyone. I’m Dale, and my brother is Eric. He is not tidy. In our room, his books are under the bed. His keys are under the chair. He has a radio. It’s under the sofa. He always asks, “Where are my books? Where are my keys?” But I am tidy. My books are in the schoolbag. My keys are on the desk and my radio is on the desk, too.
Who would win in a competition to memorize numbers, a chimp (黑猩猩) or a teenager? The teenager? Think again. Scientists have proved that chimps perform better than human beings when it comes to this kind of problem. We may have to rethink what we believe about human memory.
Memory is our ability to learn something, save it and recall it when needed. Our memories are important to our sense of self, our personalities, and our ability to understand the world.
Scientists say that there are different types of memory. There is short-term memory and long-term memory. Your short-term memory saves information for a few seconds or a few minutes. For example, the time it takes to compare the prices of a few items in a store. Long-term memory involves the information you try hard to keep, because it’s meaningful to you (an example is data 数据 about family and friends. ) And then there is visual memory and sound memory. But these are not hard and fast: scientists argue a lot about the nature of memory.
Scientists have also found that people memorize things in different ways. Some memorize better with the help of pictures. Others are helped more by sounds. One thing’s for sure. If you can combine different kinds of memory together, you will remember a lot! So why not try pictures with English words? At the same time listen to recordings of the same group of words. It may help when it comes to memorizing it.
Imagination and association can be useful too. By imagination scientists mean picturing a word in your mind. Association means relating the word to something you already know.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
| A．Human beings are less clever than chimps. |
| B．Human memory is not as good as before. |
| C．Chimps can memorize numbers better than teenagers. |
| D．Chimps perform better than human beings in many aspects. |
How many kinds of memory are mentioned in the article?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
According to the article, which of the following is the best way to memorize words?
| A．By watching TV. |
| B．By listening to music. |
| C．By writing them out many times. |
| D．By listening and watching pictures. |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Memory is the most important ability for human beings. |
| B．Long-term memory usually involves more important things. |
| C．Scientists have made sure of the nature of memory. |
| D．Imagination is better than association in memorizing things. |
Where do we probably read the passage?
| A．A textbook | B．A science magazine |
| C．An advertisement | D．A news report |
Bai Yansong, a famous TV host, expressed his support for students wearing green scarves (绿领巾) at a primary school in Xi’an. He wore a green tie on a TV program on October 19, 2011. “I just want the students to know that I’m also wearing green. And we are all great people and are as good as those wearing red scarves.”
The First Experimental Primary School in Xi’an made children with poor schoolwork and behavior wear green scarves. Parents whose children wore green scarves were angry. “The children still need their self-esteem (自尊心) even though they are very young, and they know the green scarf means something is not quite right,” said one mother. Now, the school has stopped the practice.
Educational expert Li Zhenxi said that primary and junior high school students have strong self-esteem. They are eager to be respected and understood. Punishment will hurt them. “It’s better to encourage them rather than separating some ‘bad’ students,” he said.
A survey made by the Ministry of Education (教育部) shows that 75 percent of students feel nervous and scared when the teacher is about to announce their grades. Some schools have done better in protecting students’ privacy and encouraging them. In American schools, teachers post test results on the wall. Instead of using student names, they use secret numbers. This way, students know their secret numbers and can check their own grades only. Some teachers might call the students up to the desk and tell them their scores one at a time.
But test scores are not the only measures of a student’s ability. Everyone has his own strengths and everyone can make great progress by working hard.Bai Yansong wore a green tie in a TV program in order to _______.
| A．show people his special dressing style |
| B．call on people to live a green life |
| C．tell students green-scarf students are also good students |
| D．remind students wearing green scarves means being bad |
Why did those parents whose children wore green scarves feel angry?
| A．Because their children did do well at school. |
| B．Because they thought the school didn’t have the right. |
| C．Because it was against the law. |
| D．Because it hurts their children’s self-esteem. |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Primary school students are too young to know what self-esteem is. |
| B．Separating some “bad” students helps create good learning environment. |
| C．Most “good” students like their teachers to announce their scores. |
| D．Using secret numbers instead of students’ names can protect their privacy better. |
Which of the following may the writer agree with?
| A．The green scarves system can make students work hard. |
| B．Student’s ability should not be measured only by test scores. |
| C．Students who get low marks should use secret numbers. |
| D．Teachers should tell students their scores secretly one by one. |
What does the word “measure” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．长度 | B．尺度 |
| C．方法 | D．标准 |
I was not having a happy holiday. My family had decided to go back to the countryside in New Hampshire, US, again. But I found it boring. What made the holiday even worse was that I had to sleep in the same bed as my brother. But I was wrong. This trip was the best holiday I have ever had. During the holiday, I met a very special friend.
While I was walking in the countryside, I saw a man carrying a small brown bag. Wearing white clothes, the man looked like a ghost. As he looked at me, I felt frightened. I wanted to run away when the man spoke to me. “Hello. Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he said. The man talked a lot. I wasn’t listening very carefully because I was looking at his little bag. I wanted to see what was inside it!
He saw me looking at the bag and he asked me if I would like to see. Out came a lively, beautiful puppy. The brown puppy was small and only about two months old. The man then asked me, “Would you like to keep this puppy?” I had always wanted a puppy and now I had the chance. I thanked him, took the puppy and ran home. For the rest of that summer, I played with him all the time. And after the trip, I took him home. The puppy is now loved by all my family. He is a friend to both my brother and me, a warm little ball of happiness in our lives.
I’ve always wanted to thank the man because he changed my life. His gift has given me years of pleasure. And I never have boring family holidays anymore.The “special friend” in the third paragraph referred to _______.
| A．the man | B．a ghost |
| C．the puppy | D．the bag |
According to the story, which words can be used to describe the man?
| A．talkative and friendly | B．boring and frightening |
| C．unfriendly and strange-looking | D．good-looking and outgoing |
Why did the writer keep looking at the man’s little bag?
| A．Because the man was carrying it and running quickly. |
| B．Because the writer wondered what was inside. |
| C．Because there was something dangerous in it. |
| D．Because the writer saw a puppy in it. |
How did the writer deal with the puppy?
| A．He left it in the countryside. |
| B．He gave it to his brother. |
| C．He took it home after the holiday. |
| D．He played with it and gave it back to the man at last. |
What’s the best title for the story?
| A．Don’t Be Afraid | B．A Strange Man |
| C．Never Believe in Others | D．The Best Holiday |
One day, a farmer was walking along a road with his son Thomas. The father said, "Look! There's a horseshoe .Pick it up and put it in your bag.” Thomas said, "It isn't worth the trouble." His father said nothing but he picked it up himself. When they got to a nearby town, they had a rest. There the farmer sold the horseshoe and with the few pennies he bought some cherries(樱桃).
The father and the son continued their way. The sun was well up in the sky, and there wasn't a house or even a tree where they could have a rest. Thomas felt too thirsty to walk on. At this time, his father dropped a cherry on the ground and Thomas picked it up quickly and ate it. After a while, his father dropped another cherry and once again, his son lost no time in picking it up and putting it in his mouth.
And so they went on. The old farmer dropped the cherries and the son picked them up .When Thomas had eaten up all the cherries ,his father said to him "My dear son ,if you had bent (弯腰)down early to pick up that horseshoe, it would not have been necessary for you to bend so many times for the cherries. Always remember the lesson that he who does not worry about the little things will find that he cannot do the great things."
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。Who picked up the horseshoe at last?
| A．The son. | B．The father. |
| C．Both the father and the son. | D．Neither the father nor the son. |
The farmer bought ___ with the money after he sold the horseshoe.
| A．some bread | B．some water |
| C．some cherries | D．some pennies |
When the son refused to pick up the horseshoe, the father___ .
| A．beat the son | B．said nothing |
| C．felt vary happy | D．became very angry |
The father dropped the cherries one by one, because___ .
| A．he wanted to teach his son a lesson |
| B．he wanted his son to do more exercise |
| C．he wanted his son to eat them all |
| D．he wanted to laugh at his son |
From the story, we can learn that___.
| A．cherries are so delicious that most of us like to eat them |
| B．a horseshoe is so expensive that it can bring us a lot of money |
| C．if we want to eat cherries ,we must pick up a horseshoe |
| D．if we don't worry about the little things, we cannot do the great things |
That was my grandmother's first Christmas without Grandfather. When my parents and I arrived at her little house ,we found she had waited up all night for us.
Grandfather had always said that the Christmas tree was the most important decoration (装饰物) of all. So first we took out the beautiful tree that was stored in the closet (贮藏室). But the star was missing. It was my grandmother's favorite part of the tree.
"Why? It must be somewhere in the closet," my grandmother said.
As we opened up boxes one by one and found no star, my grandmother's eyes were full of tears. Grandfather had given it to her some fifty years ago, on their first Christmas together. But on her first Christmas without him, the star was gone.
The next morning, my family sat down together to open the presents.
"The last gift is to Grandmother from Grandfather," Father said, in a strange voice.
"From whom?" There was surprise in my grandmother's voice.
"I found this gift in Grandfather's closet when we got the tree down," Mother explained.
My grandmother opened the box. There was a shinning (发亮的) golden star and a note in it:
Don't be angry with me, dear. I broke your star while putting away the decorations, and I couldn't bear to tell you. I hope it brings you as much happiness as the first one. Merry Christmas!
Love,Bryant
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。 The family couldn't find the star on the Christmas tree because _____.
| A．the grandfather had taken it away with him |
| B．the grandfather put it in a box |
| C．the grandfather had broken it |
| D．the family didn't look carefully enough for it |
Which of the following is TRUE about the grandmother?
| A．She lived with the author's family. |
| B．She felt sad when the star was missing. |
| C．She had never got a Christmas present from her husband. |
| D．She couldn't believe her husband's death. |
What would probably happen to the grandmother after she read the note?
| A．She would ask her children to buy a new star. |
| B．She would get angry with her husband. |
| C．She would be greatly moved (感动). |
| D．She would throw away the new star. |
What does the underlined word "missing" mean in Chinese?
| A．褪色的 | B．错过的 |
| C．想念的 | D．找不到的 |
What can we know from the story?
| A．The grandfather was afraid of his wife. |
| B．The grandfather loved his wife very much. |
| C．The grandmother didn't know how to spend Christmas Day. |
| D．The grandfather left home on Christmas Day. |