Your brain isn’t a muscle, but you can treat it like one
Many people focus on physical fitness, but few know that brain fitness is also something you can work on. In fact, you can exercise your brain as often as you do to your arms or legs-and the results can be positive and empowering.
To improve your brain, you can’t simply repeat the same exercises over and over. Just as lifting a two-pound weight will stop challenging you, so will repetitive exercises such as crosswords or Sudoku. Once you master easy exercises, you must move on to harder ones in order to push your brain-like your muscles-to a new level.
The science behind brain training
Scientists once believed that your mental abilities were fixed in adulthood. Since studies have shown just the opposite, millions of people around the world have adopted the new practice of brain training. The most popular of these brain training products is made by the San Francisco-based Lumosity. Lumosity’s scientists with an experienced team of game designers have developed a fun，effective online brain training program that measures, tracks, and adapts to your progress, so you’ll always be challenged.
Promising studies on the effects of brain training
In a 2013 Stanford study, a treatment group of 21 breast cancer survivors used 12 weeks of Lumosity training to work on processing speed, mental flexibility, and working memory tasks. On average, those who trained improved on tests of these abilities, compared to a group that did not train with Lumosity.
There is even some evidence suggesting that Lumosity may be beneficial to normal, healthy adults. In a 2011 study by Lumosity and San Francisco State University researchers. 13 people who trained over 5 weeks improved working memory scores by 10％and attention scores by 20％.
Brain training is designed to meet real-life needs
The design of brain train ing is targeted at real-life benefits instead of improving game scores. Better attention, for example, can mean greater focus in the classroom or at an important business meeting. With improved processing speed, you might react and adapt faster to the demands of a busy life. And a better memory could mean stronger, longer relationships with the people closest to you.We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．brain training speeds up the recovery of breast cancer |
| B．your brain is like a muscle because it gives you power |
| C．people’s mental abilities can’t develop after they grow up |
| D．Lumosity can measure, track and suit your level as you improve |
Which skill may brain training not improve?
| A．Better attention. |
| B．Better writing skills. |
| C．A better memory. |
| D．Higher processing speed. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People should care more about physical health instead of mental health. |
| B．Brain training has been proved effective through scientific researches. |
| C．A bad memory is the only reason for weak relationships with people. |
| D．Playing online games is the best way of brain training. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Brain Training Makes a Difference |
| B．Train Your Brain like a Muscle |
| C．Lumosity, Your Best Choice |
| D．How to Train Your Brain |
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666 ．In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city , where most of the houses were wooden and close together ．Over one hundred people became homeless , but only a few lost their lives .
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker（面包师）in Pudding Lane ．The baker , with his wife and family , was able to get out through a window into the roof ．A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery（面包房）into a small hotel next door ．Then it spread quickly into Thames Street ．That was the beginning.
By eight o’ clock three hundred houses were on fire ．On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames ．Tuesday was the worst day ．The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them .
Samuel Pepys , the famous writer , writer about the fire , “People threw their things into the river ．Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment ．Birds fell out of the air because of the heat .”
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire．With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone．In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the new St Paul’s
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.The fire began in .
| A．a hotel | B．the palace | C．Pudding Lane | D．Thames Street |
The underlined word‘family’in the second paragraph means .
| A．home | B．children | C．wife and husband | D．wife and children |
It seems that the writer fo the text was most sorry for the fact that ________.
| A．some people lost their lives |
| B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
| C．many famous buildings were destroyed |
| D．the King’s bakery was burned down |
Why did the writer cite(引用)Samuel Pepys?
| A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
| B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
| C．To show that poor people suffered most. |
| D．To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
How was the fire put out according to the text?
| A．The King and his soldiers came to help. |
| B．All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
| C．People managed to get enough water from the river. |
| D．Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down. |
Without mutual(相互的)respect, any relationship will be an unhappy one . People who respect each other: a) value each other’s opinions, b) listen to each other, and c) disagree without screams or insults（侮辱）. And remember, your parents have lived longer than you—don’t discount their experience and knowledge.
Your parents want to know what’s going on in your life. If you don’t tell them they won’t know when you need their help or whether they can trust you. Tell them what you’re doing, share your thoughts and feelings with them, and ask for their advice for your problems( you don’t have to follow it). Communication builds closeness. Trust is your key to freedom. The way to build trust is through honesty and responsibility. Honesty means you don’t lie or manipulate(作假). Responsibility means that you are reliable(可依赖的) and make good choices to use good judgment. When your parents trust you, it’s a lot easier for them to say “Yes.”
These guidelines(指导方针) work both ways. If sometimes, your parents break any of these guidelines, talk to them about it. Pick a time when you are both calm and feeling good toward each other(never when you are angry). Then , explain to them what they did, how it makes you feel, and what you’d like them to do instead.
Unfortunately, these guidelines don’t always work. Since we can only control what we do, and not what our parents do, sometimes we just cannot change a bad relationship. If this is the case, try to use these guidelines to at least improve things a little, and talk with a trusted adult who may be able to help youWhat’s the probable meaning of the underlined word” discount” in the first paragraph?
| A．To think or say that something is not important or not true. |
| B．To disagree with somebody’s opinions. |
| C．To respect somebody’s opinions |
| D．To accept somebody suggestions. |
The main idea of the second paragraph is about_______
| A．feelings | B．advice | C．closeness | D．communication |
From this passage we know that the writer may be________.
| A．an editor | B．an expert | C．a doctor | D．a teacher |
The main purpose of the passage is_______.
| A．to show that your parents want to know what’s going on in your life. |
| B．to discuss how to have great relationship with your parents. |
| C．to discuss how to talk with a trusted adult who may be able to help you |
| D．to discuss how to respect your parents. |
Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn’t matter where you live－ in the middle of a modern city, or a faraway village the chances that you will be disturbed by jet aeroplanes, transistor radios, oil-powered engines, etc, are almost everywhere. We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they are working.
Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be very frightening experience for human beings. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums(耳鼓). The noise level in some disco is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.
One recent report about noise and concentration(专心) suggested that although a lot of people say that any noise disturbs their concentration , what really affects their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise, which doesn’t change too much (music, for example ) may even help people to concentrate.The best title for this passage is________.
| A．Noisy Life | B．Background Noise |
| C．Disturbed Concentration | D．Changeable Noise |
From this passage, the pollution of noise__________.
| A．doesn’t matter much |
| B．has become worse everywhere |
| C．has become better in big cities |
| D．has become better in villages |
“Background music” in the passage means___________.
| A．music played in the concert |
| B．a kind of noise coming into your ears |
| C．music helps people to concentrate |
| D．music played while people are working |
Scientists have discovered that what prevents people from concentrating is _________.
| A．any kind of noise |
| B．great changes in level of noise |
| C．background noise |
| D．various background music |
Mr Parker was born in a small village. His father was so poor that he couldn’t send him to school. The boy had to help his parents to do some farming and learned English and maths by himself when he was free. Later on he was made to leave his home village and hoped to find a job in a city. And as soon as war broke out, he joined the army(军队). He couldn’t forget his terrible past and fought with the enemies bravely(勇敢的). So he became a general when he was fifty. He was honest and friendly to his soldiers and often punished those who tried to pocket a portion of the soldiers’ pay(克扣军饷). And his soldiers liked him very much.
Once Mr Parker heard from a soldier. In the letter the young man said the food in their military camp(军营)was very bad and he wished the general could go to find out the reasons. The old man went there at once without telling anybody. He went in the kitchen and examined everything carefully and found it was very dirty. Then he went in the soldiers’ bedrooms and found there were a lot of fleas. He became angry and asked the soldiers, “What do you think of your food, young men?”
The soldiers saw their officer standing by the general and said nothing. Only a new soldier said, “Very bad, sir!”
“What did you have for lunch today?” asked Mr Parker.
“A fried chicken, some fish and pork, a cake, six eggs and I had three cups of wine(酒).”
“Really?” Mr. Parker called out in surprise. “It’s the King’s(国王)lunch, I think!”
“So do I, General,” said the young man. “But it’s my birthday today. I paid three hundred dollars for them all in the restaurant!”Mr. Parker was respected because .
| A．he was strict with the officers |
| B．he cared about his soldiers |
| C．he was friendly to everybody |
| D．he paid attention to the soldiers letters |
Mr. Parker went to the military camp to .
| A．look for the soldier who wrote to him |
| B．punish the cooks |
| C．inspect the kitchens |
| D．find out if the matter in the letter was true |
The soldiers didn’t say anything because .
| A．they were afraid of the general |
| B．they thought their foods were good |
| C．the officer followed the general |
| D．the general didn’t agree with them |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Mr. Parker found nothing in the military camp. |
| B．The new soldier had a birthday dinner in the restaurant. |
| C．The officer wanted to frighten the soldiers. |
| D．The general no longer believed the soldiers. |
We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people.“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒)my luck?”“And Paul-why didn’t he pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?”When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.”that’s being friendly. But“lucky dog”?There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for ”is another noise that says one thing and means another . It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up(包藏) in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s got a date for Saturday night? Good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture(姿态)?The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.This passage is mainly about_____.
| A．how to interpret(understand) what people say |
| B．what to do when you listen to others talking |
| C．how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people |
| D．why we go wrong with people sometimes |
According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that_______.
| A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk |
| B．we tend to（倾向）doubt what our friends say |
| C．people usually state one thing but means another |
| D．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say |
In the sentence “Maybe he doesn’t see it himself.”In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it”refers to____.
| A．being friendly | B．a bit of envy | C．lucky dog | D．your luck |
When we listen to a person talking , the most important thing for us to do is _______.
| A．notice the way the person is talking |
| B．take a good look at the person talking |
| C．mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes |
| D．examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture |