The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting moments for all the children in the class. It took place during the first week of the term. Every kid was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year. During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly. All the children knew Rita would be given the best job.
But there was a big surprise. Each child received a normal job. But Rita’s job was very different. She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet. However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest.
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger.
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects. Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant.”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration. Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible. And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks.What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Each child got an important job. |
| B．Each child got an interesting job. |
| C．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference. |
| D．The most responsible student got the job of least interest. |
What is Rita’s attitude to her father’s suggestion?
| A．Negative. | B．Uncertain. |
| C．Totally positive. | D．Acceptive. |
We can infer that the man who made the declaration is a _________.
| A．hunter | B．director |
| C．biologist | D．principal |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Never complain about life. |
| B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes. |
| C．Men are best known by their friends. |
| D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck. |
LEEDS， England ─ A Leeds University psychology professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.
“The hatred we hold within us is a cancer，” Professor Ken Hart said， adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London ─a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out， but they end up drinking it themselves， said Canadian-born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight.
The course， ending in July， is expected to get rid of the cancer of hatred in these people. “People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness，” he said， “People confuse forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one.”
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you， and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with，” said Norman Claringbull， a senior expert on the forgiveness project.
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught， as these people “want to get free of the past”. From this passage we know that .
| A．high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred |
| B．high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors |
| C．without hatred， people will have less trouble connected with blood pressure and heart disease |
| D．people who suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies |
People going to Hart’s first 20-week workshop .
| A．enjoy the professor’s speech |
| B．learn how to quarrel with others |
| C．are aware that their hatred is a poison that could finally end up harming themselves |
| D．meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop every night and learn how to relax |
. According to Professor Ken Hart， .
| A．most people are living with hatred |
| B．people should attend his courses to forget the past |
| C．forgiveness means forgetting the bitterness |
| D．people with a bitter memory can learn to have a positive attitude towards the past |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A．Hatred means living a positive life. |
| B．People will be taught how to look at various kinds of angers in the workshop. |
| C．Hart and his team enjoys high popularity among Londoners these days. |
| D．People who are sick of living with a bitter memory have to pay a lot to Hart’s course. |
. Which could be the best title for the passage？
| A．Britons learn to forgive | B．Hart and his team |
| C．Forgive and forget | D．Hatred， a poison to you |
People with bigger brains ftend to score higher on standardized tests of intelligence， according to new study findings.
However， the study author Dr Michael A.McDaniel of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond emphasized that these findings represent a general trend， and people with small heads should not automatically believe they are less intelligent. For instance， Albert Einstein’s brain was “not particularly large”， McDaniel noted. “There’s some relationship between brain size and intelligence on the average， but there’s plenty of room for exceptions，” he said.
Interest in the relationship between brain size and intelligence grew in the1830s， when German anatomist(解剖学家) Frederich Tiedmann wrote that he believed there was “an unquestionable connection between the size of the brain and the mental energy displayed by the individual man”. Since that statement， scientists have conducted numerous studies to determine if Tiedmann’s assertion was， in fact， correct. Most studies have looked into the link between head size and intelligence. More recently， however， researchers have published additional studies on brain size and intelligence， measured using MRI scan(核磁共振成像扫描).
For his study， McDaniel analyzed more than 20 studies that looked into the relationship between brain size and intelligence in a total of 1,530 people. The studies showed that on the average， people with larger brain volume tended to be more intelligent. The relationship between brain volume and intelligence was stronger in women than men， and in adults than in children. McDaniel notes in the journal Intelligence.
McDaniel is not sure why the relationship was stronger for adults and women. “Other research has shown that women， on the average， tend to have smaller brains than men， but score just as well—if not higher—in tests of intelligence，” he said.
McDaniel insisted that the relationship between brain size and intelligence is not a “perfect” one. “One can certainly find lots of examples of smaller-sized people who are highly intelligent，” he said， “But， on the average， the relationship holds.”. What does the text mainly talk about？
| A．MRI scans are applied to intelligence. |
| B．On the average， a bigger brain means higher IQ. |
| C．Dr McDaniel did well in his intelligence study. |
| D．Scientists are interested in Tiedmann’s idea. |
By mentioning Albert Einstein， the writer wants to show .
| A．Albert Einstein was intelligent |
| B．the result of intelligence test was false |
| C．being hard working is more important than intelligence |
| D．brain size doesn’t necessarily decide the level of intelligence |
The underlined word “assertion” in Para. 3 probably means “ ”.
A. experiment B. statementC proof D. demand After Frederich Tiedmann wrote his article， .
| A．many scientists agreed with him |
| B．numerous studies have failed to prove his idea |
| C．MRI scan became popularly used |
| D．lots of researchers were interested in the connections between head size and intelligence |
According to the text， Dr McDaniel’s study .
| A．proves Tiedmann’s idea was completely true |
| B．shows women are smarter than men |
| C．involves many studies and a lot of people |
| D．explains why people with smaller brains are clever |
The temperature is rising again in the Arctic. The sea ice area has dropped to one of the lowest levels on record， climate scientists reported last week.
“The new Arctic Report Card tells a story of widespread and continued effects of a warming Arctic，” said Jackie Richter-Menge of the US’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
“This isn’t just a climatological (气候学的) effect. It impacts the people that live there，” she added.
Scientists concerned about global warming focus on the Arctic because that is a region where the effects are expected to be felt first， and that has been the case in recent years.
There was a slowdown in Arctic warming in 2009， but in the first half of 2010 warming was near a record pace. The monthly readings were over 4 degrees Celsius above normal in northern Canada， according to the report card. The report card was prepared by 69 researchers in eight countries.
Researchers said last winter’s big snow storms that struck some Northern countries were tied to higher Arctic temperatures.
“Normally the cold air is bottled up in the Arctic，” said Jim Overland of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “But last December and February， winds that normally blow west to east across the Arctic were instead bringing the colder air south，” he said.
“As we lose more sea ice... warming in the atmosphere can create more of these winter storms，” Overland said.
There is a powerful connection between ice cover and air temperatures， Richter-Menge explained. When temperatures warm， ice melts. When ice melts it shows darker surfaces underneath ， which absorb more heat. “That， in turn， causes more melting and on the cycle goes，” she said.
In September the Arctic sea ice extent was the third smallest in the last 30 years， added Don Perovich of the US Army Laboratory. He said the three smallest ice covers have occurred in the last four years. Scientists care so much about the warming in the Arctic region because .
| A．the climate in the Arctic doesn’t change much |
| B．global warming effects are most serious in the Arctic region |
| C．there has been a major decrease of Arctic warming in recent years |
| D．by studying the region they can make predictions about the future impact of global warming |
. Which of the following shows that the Arctic is getting warmer？
A. The surface of the sea ice in Arctic is getting darker and darker.
B. The Arctic sea ice extent has disappeared over the last 30 years.
C. The sea ice extent has increased to one of the highest levels on record.
What does the underlined word “cycle” refer to？
| A．Ice giving off heat when it melts. |
| B．Higher temperatures bringing more storms. |
| C．The cause and the result of the melting. |
| D．The life of the people living in the Arctic getting worse. |
According to researchers what led to big snow storms attacking some Northern countries last winter？
| A．Higher Arctic temperatures. |
| B．The melting ice. |
| C．The cold wind blowing west to east. |
| D．Cold air bottled up in the Arctic. |
What is the main point of the article？
| A．Last winter’s big snow-storms. |
| B．Winds in the Arctic region. |
| C．Arctic warming and its possible effects. |
| D．Changes to the life of people living in the Arctic. |
Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”. It’s not just what you eat，. how you eat. Pay attention to what you eat and choosing foods that are both nourishing
enjoyable helps support an overall healthy diet.
Take time to chew your food： Chew your food slowly， savoring every bite. We tend to rush through our meals， forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures(质地) of is in our mouths. Reconnect with
joy of eating.
Avoid stress while eating： Avoid eating while working， driving， arguing， or watching TV. Try taking some deep breaths before beginning your meal， or light candles and play soothing music to create a relaxing atmosphere.
Listen to your body： Ask if you are really hungry. You may really be thirsty， so try drinking a glass of water first. During a meal， stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes
your brain to tell your body that it has had
food， so eat slowly.
Eat early： Starting your day a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism(新陈代谢)， and eating early in the day gives your body time to work those calories off.
Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands. Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn’t forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin’s footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands.
The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be.
The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Sanra Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself.
Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.
Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time. What do we know about Darwin’s visit to the islands?
| A．He studied different creatures on the islands |
| B．He completed his famous book on the islands |
| C．He was touched by the geography of the islands |
| D．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands |
Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of .
| A．The beautiful sea views | B．Darwin’s inspiring trip |
| C．a closer view of animals | D．various daring activities |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Unique Attraction for wildlife Lovers |
| B．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures |
| C．Charles Darwin as a symbol of Galapagos |
| D．A successful Example of wildlife protection |