Have you ever trained your brain（大脑）? Now there are some new suggestions, such as eating dark
chocolate and having cold meat for breakfast. You should also avoid watching soap operas, spending time with people who complain or follow fat-free diets, according to a new book on getting “brain-fit”.
Many of the suggestions in Teach Yourself Training Your Brain are surprising. The book says to read out loud while holding a baby. Writers Terry Horne and Simon Wootton say their advice is from the latest research by experts around the world.
“For years we have thought our brain capability (能力) is decided by our genes（基因）. But it’s now clear that it depends on our lifestyle. What we eat and drink, how we learn at school and what type of feelings we have are all important,” said Horne.
The book talks about the most up-to-date thinking in science about how diet, the environment, stress and other sides of modern life affect our brain capacity. It also offers advice and exercises. The book comes as more and more people are spending money on books, DVDs and computer games, which say to improve their brain’s capability.
Horne believes that people need to make changes to their lifestyles to increase their brain capacity Happiness, confidence and an optimistic nature help the brain, he added.
“So mix with people who make you laugh, or share the same interests as you. And avoid people who complain,” said Horne. “People who are negative will make you sad, which means you won’t achieve things.”According to the book, which of the following isn’t good for training your brain?
| A．Doing some brain games. |
| B．Eating dark chocolate. |
| C．Having cold meat for breakfast. |
| D．Watching soap operas. |
What’s Horne’s attitude toward the brain capability?
| A．It depends on what our genes are like. |
| B．It’s decided by our lifestyle. |
| C．It has nothing to do with schools. |
| D．It should follow the type of our feelings. |
What’s the book Teach Yourself Training Your Brain mainly about?
| A．How people’s brain capability works |
| B．Exercises to improve brain capability |
| C．Some scientific and healthy diets |
| D．How to improve people’s brain capability |
From the underlined sentence, we can learn that __________.
| A．more and more people are interested in reading |
| B．books can help people improve their brain capability |
| C．people are paying more attention to training their brain |
| D．there are many ways to train people’s brain |
Do you know that the falcon （猎鹰） is among the fastest animals in the world？It can fly at a speed of about 200 miles per hour．You might think a bird that could fly so fast would be safe from most types of danger．Unfortunately，that is not true．By the 1970s
In America，a pesticide，a chemical，called DDT was harming the falcon eggs．Luckily，DDT is no longer used．The number of falcons is rising now．
One unusual thing about falcons is that they like to make their nests （巢） in high places．In nature，they often nest on mountaintops and on the sides of cliffs （悬崖）
They also like to return to the same nesting place every year．Both the mother and father falcons help to raise the babies．The mother stays more time in the nest．
The father hunts and brings back food for her and the babies．
Many people all around the country work very hard to help falcons live to adulthood．There are even video cameras fixed up in many places．This way，people can make sure that the birds and their eggs stay protected．Falcons are lucky to have so many people who keep an eye on them．
（1）What does the underlined word "pesticide" mean in Chinese？
| A． |
流感 |
| B． |
杀虫剂 |
| C． |
枪支 |
| D． |
捕猎网 |
（2）According to the text，we know that ．
| A． |
falcons fly so fast that nothing can hurt them |
| B． |
falcons suddenly died out in the year 1970 |
| C． |
people can't find falcons' nests in cities |
| D． |
baby falcons are brought up by their parents |
（3）What's the author's attitude towards the future of falcons？
| A． |
Nervous． |
| B． |
Hopeful． |
| C． |
Curious． |
| D． |
Unsure． |
（4）In which section （版） of a newspaper can we probably read the text？
| A． |
Sports． |
| B． |
Life． |
| C． |
Science． |
| D． |
Business． |
Hello everyone！My name is George Smith and I've been a journalist （新闻记者） for 30 years．Yes，that's a long time
I always wanted to be a journalist．I started a newspaper at school and worked on a student newspaper at university．I got a job as a journalist as soon as I finished university and I love my job till today．
Journalism is not for everyone．How can one be a good journalist？
You need to write well．You need to write in a way that is interesting to your audience．As a journalist，you will have to write for different audiences，so you need to be able to change your style as well．
Journalists work very hard．It doesn't matter if you are abroad，writing about a war or at home writing about local news．Journalists work long days and it can be very hard to find time to have a holiday．
You also need to be strong．What do I mean by that？Well，not everyone will like what you write．Sometimes people will say bad words about your work．You can't be angry with these people．You have to try to take no notice of them and keep working．
You have to be good at talking to people too．Journalists find out most of their information by talking to people．Not everyone wants to talk to a journalist so you need to get people to trust you．
Being a journalist is a hard but great job．Now，are there any questions？
（1）We can infer （推断） that George Smith always wanted to be a journalist ．
| A． |
when he was a young child |
| B． |
after he finished university |
| C． |
until he had a good holiday |
| D． |
before he wrote about a war |
（2）To become a good journalist，you should ．
| A． |
write funny things |
| B． |
talk about local news |
| C． |
be mad with people |
| D． |
make people trust you |
（3）George Smith thinks his job is ．
| A． |
easy but boring |
| B． |
worrying but nice |
| C． |
interesting but bad |
| D． |
difficult but great |
（4）What is the best title of the text？
| A． |
A lovely person |
| B． |
A strong man |
| C． |
A long career |
| D． |
A writing skill |
|
Famous Landmarks |
|
|
The Great Wall of China was begun in 214 B.C.．It was built for preventing the enemies． It is the largest building ever built．We can see it from space．
|
The Colosseum in Rome was opened in 80 A.D.．It was sometimes filled with water for ship battles．
|
|
The Taj Mabal in India was built between 1630 and 1652．It is a grave for the wife of an Indian prince．It attracts lots of visitors every year．
|
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was completed in 1889．It was built for the 100th anniversary （周年纪念日） of the French Revolution （革命）．
|
（1）If you'd like to visit the Colosseum in Rome，you should go to ．
| A． |
China |
| B． |
France |
| C． |
India |
| D． |
Italy |
（2）How long did it take Indians to build the Taj Mahal？
| A． |
Nearly 80 years． |
| B． |
Almost 100 years． |
| C． |
About 22 years． |
| D． |
Around 214 years． |
（3）Which building has nothing to do with fights？
| A． |
The Great Wall． |
| B． |
The Colosseum． |
| C． |
The Taj Mahal． |
| D． |
The Eiffel Tower． |
（4）The description of the landmarks tells us that ．
| A． |
the Great Wall is the biggest building ever built |
B．the Colosseum was opened to the public in 80 B.C.
| C． |
the Taj Mahal was built for an Indian prince |
| D． |
people built the Eiffel Tower to remember Paris |
Becoming a Minimalist ( 极简主义者 )
I have too many things. My bedroom is often in a mess. I have shelves with dirty books I never read and CDs I don't listen to. My drawers are filled with clothes I never wear. I was getting upset ( 心烦意乱的 ) that I never had any space in my bedroom. Then I read about minimalist. Minimalist suggests that you only keep the most necessary and important things and get rid of ( 处理掉 ) everything else. After reading about minimalism, I felt encouraged to solve my problem.
I started clearing out a lot of the things which I didn't use. I collected bags of clothes to give to charity ( 慈善机构 ). I sold some of the CDs and books online. Although I knew that I would never need these things again, I still found it very difficult to get rid of them. My brain tried to stop me from letting them go. I said to myself "I might need that in the future!" or "Won't I be sad if I lose that?" But the thing was, I knew I couldn't keep everything.
After getting lots of things out of my room, I actually became quite excited to see the tidy room with some fresh space. And a tidy room also makes me have a clear mind! The main idea behind minimalism is to cut down what you own and really value the things you have. It's not easy to be a minimalist. We are often told that it is better to have more things. Advertisements try to make us believe that we will only be happy by spending more money buying more things. Of course, I'm not a perfect minimalist - I've only just started. I still own a lot of things which I don't really need, but I think this was a good start. In the future, I will be more mindful of what I buy. And I will continue to make an effort to get rid of what I don't need.
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。
67. Is the writer's bedroom often in a mess?
__________________________
68. When did the writer feel encouraged to solve the problem?
__________________________
69. How did the writer get rid of some of the CDs and books?
__________________________
70. What is the main idea behind minimalism?
__________________________
71. Why is it not easy to be a minimalist?
__________________________
Walking
If you want to get healthy or stay healthy, there is one easy activity for you - walking. You may think that simply taking a walk is not enough to make a big difference. You may think that you need to do something like running to stay healthy. Well, a new study says that is not true. It finds out that walking may be as good for us as running.
Running is a high-impact ( 高强度的 ) activity and can be hard on the body. So, many people cannot run. Walking seems to have all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages of running.
Dr Russell Pate is a professor of exercise science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He says, "Walking is one of the easiest and safest exercises a person can do. You do not need to learn a lot to get results."
Walking needs no special skills or equipment . You can do it anywhere. It fits easily into your daily schedule ( 日程表 ). You can walk at work. You can walk if you want to go shopping. You can take the stairs instead of the lift.
Walking is a great exercise for beginners. If you are out of shape or getting back into shape after an illness or accident, walking is perfect. You can do a little at a time, or as we like to say, take baby steps.
62. The new study shows that ________.
| A． |
running is better than walking |
B． |
walking is the best way of exercising |
| C． |
walking and running are not good enough |
D． |
walking is as good as running |
63. Dr Russell Pate says walking is one of the easiest and safest exercises because ________.
| A． |
walking is a high-impact activity and can be easy on the body |
| B． |
walking needs no skills |
| C． |
walking needs no special skills or equipment |
| D． |
walking has more advantages than running |
64. What does the underlined word "equipment" in Paragraph 5 mean in Chinese?
| A． |
器材 |
B． |
食宿 |
C． |
机会 |
D． |
阶段 |
65. Which one is TRUE according to this passage?
| A． |
Walking is not good for a beginner. |
| B． |
Walking seems to have all of the advantages of running. |
| C． |
You'd better drive when you want to go shopping. |
| D． |
Walking does harm to all people after an illness or accident. |
66. What is the writer's purpose of writing this passage?
| A． |
To tell people that they shouldn't walk more. |
B． |
To tell people that walking is a waste of time. |
| C． |
To tell people that they should walk more. |
D． |
To tell people that they don't need to run any more. |
and we can do it anywhere