How to Become Cleverer
Once a boy came to ask a fisherman how to become cleverer, because his mother always called him “foolish boy”.
“That’s easy,” answered the fisherman. “I know one way to make you become cleverer.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It is said a fish head is good for brain. If you eat one, you’ll become cleverer indeed. Pay only three pounds for one fish head.” The boy paid him three pounds and the fisherman cut off a fish head and handed it to him.
A raw fish head is not good—not even for a hungry boy to eat but the boy ate it up in two gulps.
“Do you feel anything?” asked the fisherman.
“Not in my head,” said the boy.
The boy lay on the ground and thought. “One whole fish costs only two pounds. I had paid him three pounds for the fish head. Why couldn’t I have the whole fish for soup, a head for brain and one pound left over?” He jumped up and shouted at the fisherman. “You thief! You are fooling me!” The fisherman laughed, saying, “The fish head works now, you see.”The boy ate up the raw fish head only in two gulps, because he __________.
| A．enjoy it |
| B．wanted to taste it |
| C．took it as a good medicine |
| D．was a foolish boy |
The boy came to the fisherman in order to __________.
| A．buy a fish head | B．ask the fisherman a question |
| C．buy a whole fish | D．A and C |
The boy paid three pounds. He should have had __________.
| A．a whole fish |
| B．a fish head and one pound back |
| C．a whole fish and one pound back |
| D．a whole fish, a fish head and one pound back |
__________ helped the boy become cleverer.
| A．A good meal | B．The raw fish head |
| C．Nothing | D．What had happened |
Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. — The Environmental Children's Organization.
Coming here today, I am fighting for my future. I am here to speak for all generations to come. I am here to speak on behalf of (代表) the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone (臭氧层). I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals are in it.
You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer. You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct. And you can't bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert. If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!
Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers, reporters or politicians— but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles— and all of you are somebody's child.
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us: not to fight with others, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share— not be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?
Do not forget why you're attending these conferences, who you're doing this for— we are your own children. You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. But are we even on your list of priorities? My father always says "You are what you do, not what you say."
Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown-ups say you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.What did the speaker mainly talk about?
| A．politics | B．environment |
| C．economy | D．war |
Where was the speech probably given?
| A．At a meeting held by school teachers. |
| B．At a party where many children played. |
| C．At a ceremony for the speaker’s achievement. |
| D．At a conference representatives of countries attended. |
The speech is meant to be given to the following people EXCEPT .
A. News reporters.
B. Children from E.C.O.
C. Decision makers of the governments.
D. Business men.Why did the speaker mention what she was taught at school?
| A．To praise her teachers and her father. |
| B．To warn children of the importance of study. |
| C．To show her great achievements at school. |
| D．To prove the grown-ups’ words and actions were not consistent. |
Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times—but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you’re really up against. And that’s why this young joker’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful.
But the admissions services’ response to the young man is still funny.
The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ‘Wandology’ at the Harry Potter school.
In the application, he was proud of his skills in “wearing a pointy hat” and “Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials”.
UCAS replied, “We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist.
“After consultation with our mystic (神秘学的) advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course ‘Wandology’ would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects:
Advanced Spellcrafting
Mystimatics
Defence Against the Dark Arts
History of the Mysticism
Shaft Design
“Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in ‘Waving a stick about’, ‘Wearing a pointy hat’ and ‘Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials’ sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses.”
“Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl (猫头鹰) and hoping for the best.
“On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success.”What do we know about the underlined word “Wandology” according to the passage?
| A．It is a course that is highly in demand in universities. |
| B．It is a course that does not exist now in real life. |
| C．It is a course that can be applied by anyone. |
| D．It is a course that is forbidden by UCAS. |
What can be inferred in the UCAS’s reply?
| A．Applying for a university is the hardest thing even in the best times. |
| B．The young student will probably start to raise an owl for the next year. |
| C．UCAS may approve the young student’s application for Liberal Arts courses. |
| D．In the end the young student succeeded in applying for Hogwarts University. |
Where may this passage be found?
| A．In a magic magazine. | B．In a history book. |
| C．In a science fiction. | D．In a newspaper. |
What if handheld (掌控型的) tools know what needs to be done and were even able to guide and help inexperienced users to complete jobs that require skill? Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed and started studying a novel concept in robotics—intelligent handheld robots. Historically, handheld tools have been straight, unintelligent instruments that are unaware of the context they operate in, are fully directed by the user, and therefore, lack any understanding about the task they are performing.
Dr. Walterio Mayol-Cuevas and PhD student, Austin Gregg-Smith, from the University's Department of Computer Science, have been working in the design of the robot as well as in understanding how best to be with a tool that “knows and acts”.
Compared to other tools such as power tools that have a motor and perhaps some basic sensors (感应器), the handheld robots developed at Bristol are designed to have more degrees of freedom to allow greater independence from the instructions of the user, and importantly, understand the steps being carried out. This allows for a new level of co-operation between user and tool, such as the user providing directions and the tool performing the detailed task.
Handheld robots, aim to share physical similarity with users but are neither fully independent as is a humanoid robot nor are part of the user’s body. The aim with handheld robots is to develop the intuitiveness (灵性) of using traditional handheld tools while adding planted intelligence and action to allow for new abilities.
Dr. Mayol-Cuevas, Reader in Robotics Computer Vision and Mobile Systems, said, “There are three basic levels of autonomy (自主权) we are considering: no autonomy, semi-autonomous when the robot advises the user but does not act, and fully autonomous when the robot advises and acts even by correcting or refusing to perform incorrect user actions.”What is the new concept in robotics?
| A．Full control by the user. |
| B．Improvement in intelligence. |
| C．Larger size of the robots. |
| D．Help for the experienced users. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “unaware”?
| A．updated | B．educated |
| C．organized | D．uninformed |
What is the advantage of handheld robots compared to other tools?
| A．They are more dependent on the users. |
| B．They all have a motor and basic sensors. |
| C．They don’t need to follow the instructions at all. |
| D．They have a new level of freedom to perform the task. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The handheld robots can never disobey the user’s order. |
| B．The autonomy is the only thing that the scientists are considering. |
| C．There will be more intelligence and independence in the handheld robots. |
| D．The aim of the handheld robots is to correct and refuse the user’s directions. |
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (归类) as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.
Here’s an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk’s mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don’t tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot lie trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk’s attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action, we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it’s started, it’s easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our ________.
| A．self-respect | B．financial rewards |
| C．advertising ability | D．friendly relationship |
The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to ________.
| A．lying | B．stealing |
| C．cheating | D．advertising |
The phrase bringing the error to the clerks attention (in Para.5) means ________.
| A．telling the truth to the clerk |
| B．offering advice to the clerk |
| C．asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D．reminding the clerk of the charged item |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．How to Live Truthfully |
| B．Importance of Peacefulness |
| C．Ways of Gaining Self-respect |
| D．Happiness through Honorable Action |
Alzheimer's disease（老年痴呆症）affects millions of people around the world. American researchers say the disease will affect more than one hundred million people worldwide by the year twenty fifty. That would be four times the current number. Researchers and doctors have been studying Alzheimer's patients for a century. Yet the cause and the cure for the mental sickness are still unknown. However, some researchers have made important steps towards understanding it.
Several early signs of the disease involve memory and thought processes. At first, patients have trouble remembering little things. Later, they have trouble remembering more important things, such as the names of their children.
There are also some physical tests that might show who is at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The tests look for proteins in brain and spinal cord(脊髓) fluid. The proteins appear to be found only in people with the disease. The protein tests correctly identify the presence of the disease in about ninety percent of patients.
Now, a much simpler physical test to predict Alzheimer's risk has been developed. Researchers found that trouble with the sense of smell can be one of the first signs of Alzheimer's. Using this information, they developed a test in which people were asked to identify twelve familiar smells. These smells included cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, paint thinner, and smoke.
The study continued for five years. During this period, the same people were asked to take several tests measuring their memory and thought abilities. Fifty percent of those who could not identify at least four of the smells in the first test had trouble with their memory and thinking in the next five years.
Another study has shown a possible way to reduce a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age. Researchers in Chicago found that people who use their brains more often are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Those who read a newspaper, or play chess or word games are about three times less likely to develop the condition.
Researchers say they still do not know what causes Alzheimer's disease. But they say these findings might help prevent the disease in the future. Whats the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some early signs of the Alzheimer's disease. |
| B．Some physical tests about Alzheimer's disease. |
| C．The research about Alzheimer's disease. |
| D．The patients of Alzheimer's disease. |
Whats the current number of Alzheimers patients?
| A．100 million | B．25 million |
| C．400 million | D．2050 million |
What is not the early signs of the Alzheimer's disease according to the passage?
| A．Poor memory |
| B．Proteins exist in the brain. |
| C．Trouble with the sense of smell. |
| D．Less use of the brain. |
What does the underlined word it in paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Alzheimer's disease. | B．Alzheimer's patients. |
| C．The cause and the cure. | D．The research. |