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Choose the best heading for the following information:
Groundhog Day(土拨鼠节) is the day when people use the groundhog to predict the weather for the next six weeks. It is said that if the sun is shining when the groundhog comes out of his burrow(洞穴), then six more weeks of winter will follow. However, if it is cloudy, then spring will come early.
It is celebrated on February 2nd
This is a tradition especially in the United States. It is mostly just for fun.
There are a number of celebrations in the United States. The largest celebration takes place in Punxsu tawney, Pennsylvania where the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has predicted the weather each year since 1886. Over 10, 000 people go to see Punxsutawney Phil come out of this burrow at around 9:00 am,
At first, people celebrated February 2nd as Candlemas Day (圣烛节). On this day, if the sun came out, then there would be six more weeks of cold weather. Later, people began to use the groundhog to make this prediction. On February 2nd, 1886. The Punxsutawney Spirit, a local newspaper, declared (宣布) February 2nd to be Groundhog Day and named a local groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. Since then the tradition has spread across the United States.

科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
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Some primary schoolchildren have been raised in homes with more green space around. They are likely to come with larger volumes of white and grey matter in certain areas of the brain. These differences are associated(关联) with beneficial effects on cognitive function (认知功能). This is the main conclusion of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.

The study was performed among 253 schoolchildren in Spain.Lifelong exposure(接触) to green space in the living places was recorded﹣using the information on the children's addresses from birth up through to the time of the study. Brain structure was studied using 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Working memory and inattentiveness(注意力不集中)were graded with computers.

"This is the first study that shows the association between long﹣term exposure to green space and brain structure." Says Dr. Payam Dadvand, the leading researcher of the study. "Our findings suggest that exposure to green space early in life could result in beneficial structural changes in the brain."

The findings show that long﹣term exposure to greenness is positively associated with white and grey matter volumes in several parts of the brain. Some of them are related to higher scores on cognitive tests. Moreover, larger volumes of white and grey matter in those parts might lead to better working memory and less inattentiveness.

Exposure to nature has been thought to be necessary for brain development in children. Another study of 2,593 children shows that children in school with more green space have a greater increase in working memory and a greater decrease in inattentiveness.

Humans are believed to be tied to nature. Playing in greener areas offers children opportunities to search and learn. Accordingly, green space is thought to promptimportant exercises in discovery, creativity and risk taking. These exercises in turn positively influence brain development.

Dr. Dadvand's study suggests how such structural changes could bring about the beneficial effects of green spaces on cognitive development. It also adds to the proof that suggests the lasting effects of early life exposure to greenness on our health and the benefits of increasing greenness in cities.

Further studies are needed to prove the findings in other populations, settings and climates. And researchers need to examine differences according to the nature and quality of green space.

(1)The second paragraph is mainly about   

A. how the study was performed

B. what was recorded in the study

C. how long the study lasted

D. who took part in the study

(2)The word "prompt" in paragraph 6 probably means "   ".

A. control

B. encourage

C. balance

D. change

(3)What can we learn from the passage?   

A. Working memory influences white and grey matter in the brain.

B. Dr. Dadvand stressed the importance of changing the environment.

C. Studies proved the influence of greenness on populations outs of Spain.

D. Living in greener neighborhoods benefits children in brain development.

A Beautiful Moment

When I was in high school.I worked part﹣time helping Dad sell fruits and vegetables at a market. One day,as I was preparing the fruits,a little boy came by with his mom and sister. He was about eight years old,and the girl,five or six. They were looking the fruits in front of me. I heard the kids say to their mom in French,"They're good!" I knew it was French,because I can speak and understand it.

Then I noticed how the mom was picking the fruits.At first I thought she was really looking at the fruits because she was facing them. But then I noticed how much she had to feel and smell each one as she picked them out. And she often asked her son if it looked okay, but looked way above where his face was. Putting what I saw together,I was sure she was blind.

Both of the kids continued to help their mom pick out the fruits.The son made sure the fruits were not obviously bad, and the daughter handed them to her mom. The woman then felt each one and smiled, and the daughter would put them into their basket.The kids were smiling while helping their mom pick the fruits out.

Their smile and gentle manner moved me in a way that never happened before.It was so beautiful to see such young kids so willingly help. Most kids that age would be picking out candies or toys in a store for themselves, instead of helping their mom pick out fruits as the two kids did.

It was great to witness the moment, but not so great because I didn't tell the mom how beautiful her children were in their language.this is what I regret to this day.

(1)The woman and her kids came to the market to buy   

A. fruits

B. vegetables

C. candies

D. toys

(2)According to what he saw, the writer was sure the mother couldn't   

A. speak

B. see

C. smell

D. hear

(3)The writer was moved because   

A. the mother was brave to face her problems

B. the kids were polite and kind to each other

C. the mother was careful in picking out things

D. the kids were so willing to help their mother

Roger:Hi,there!It was my 15th birthday last Saturday.Some of my friends and Alan.my cousin,came to celebrate it. Everyone brought me a gift,we played games,sang songs and had a big birthday cake. It was really a wonderful day! Did you do anything special last week?

Jessica:Yes,My class were on a school field trip last week.First,We went to the University of North Carolina to learn about the history of its basketball team. Many basketball stars were students there. Then we visited a museum. We learned about how the plane was invented and took many pictures there.

Sara:Well, I was lucky enough to go to a conference(会议) on charity(慈善) last Wednesday. I was so excited to meet a lot of kind people there. One of them was a boy named Richard. He spoke at the conference about the charity work that he had done in the past few years.

Martin:It was a different week than usual,Last Thursday, my school band(乐队) went to Atlanta to perform in a competition.I played the violin and we won a prize! On Friday we went to the Georgia Aquarium and got to see different kinds of sea life from over the world. It was really cool!

(1)When did Roger have his birthday party?   

A.Last Wednesday.

B. Last thursday.

C.Last Friday.

D.Last Saturday.

(2)Who went on a school field trip last week?   

A.Alan.

B.Jessica.

C.Sara.

D.Richard.

(3)Martin went to Atlanta to   

A.speak at a conference

B.organize a party

C.perform in a competition

D.visit a university

What's in a Name?

Many American names come from England.But where did most English names come from?

Centuries ago,most people in England had only one name﹣﹣their first name.In the 11th century,five

or six of the 50 people in a village might be named William,and it was easy to get confused.But in the Middle Ages,people found a way to describe each person exactly.If there were four Williams in one village,one might be referred to as William the son of John.A second might be called William from the hill.A third,William the blacksmith(铁匠).And a fourth,William the brown haired.In conversation,people might refer to the four Williams as William John's son,William hill,William smith,and William brown.

It was 300 or 400 years before the extra ( 附加的) names gradually developed into last names,or

surnames.They were passed on from generation to generation.By the 1300s,Robert,the son of William

smith,had the name Robert smith,even if he was not a blacksmith like his father.As the last name became widely accepted,the first letter was capitalized,as in Robert Smith.By the 15th century,most people of the upper and middle classes had surnames.

Many surnames were based on father﹣son relations.The"son of"part was added to the father's first

name,like Johnson,meaning John's son.Sometimes it was shortened to just"s",as in Jones or Evans.

Surnames like Hill described the place where a person lived.They are the most common type of surname.A third kind of surname was based on a person's job.Forester was someone who looked after the forest.

In the Middle Ages,occupation names such as Baker,Carpenter,and Miller became common.The fourth kind of surname was nickname(绰号).A man whose surname was Bear might be as fierce as a bear.

Have you ever wondered why some surnames are so common?The most common surname in the

English language is Smith.Being able to make metals(金属)into tools was an important skill in the Middle Ages,and many people were trained as blacksmiths.The most common American surnames are Smith,Johnson,William and Brown.

61.Where do many American names come from?

62.When did people find a way to describe each person exactly?

63.How long did it take for extra names to develop into last names?

64.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

65.Why were many people trained blacksmith in the Middle Ages?

From the Other Side

Lara and Tara are twins.(1)   but they are very different in

everything else.For example,hot food is Lara's favorite,and Tara has a sweet choice.

However,this isn't the problem with the twin girls.They always argued that the opposite one was wrong. (2)   ,while Tara insisted that mornings were fresh and it was difficult to stay up till midnight.

(3)   .To put an end to their fights,their parents decided to create a small drama.They wanted the girls to understand that they were both correct from their own point of view.Their parents covered the girls'eyes with black ribbons,and brought them to the dining room.(4)   Lara was asked to stand on one side of the board and Tara on the other.They couldn't see the other side of it.When the ribbons were taken away,they were surprised to see a huge board between them.

Now,their father asked Lara,"What's the color of the board?"She replied,"It's black!"(5)   .She replied,"It's white!"The two girls began to argue again.While Lara was confident it was black,Tara was sure it was white.Then,they were asked to exchange(交换)their places.They couldn't believe their eyes.Tara,who insisted it was a white board,saw a black one.Similarly,Lara,who argued the board was black,was shocked to see a white one.They understood that each of them was right in her own view.Most of us are like Lara and Tara.We are right most times,but insist that others are wrong!

A.They look like each other

B.For years,their arguments continued

C.Their mother asked Tara the same question

D.In the room,a big board was placed in the middle

E.Lara thought it was terrible to get up early in the morning.

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