D
Starting a bank a child’s play? Absolutely, if you ask some enterprising youngsters in India, who have not only managed to establish one, but also, unlike many of the large International banks, run it successfully since 2001. What’s even more impressive is that the young bankers and their 90,004---clients(委托人) are all homeless!
The Children’s Development Khazana (treasure) opened its first branch in 2001 at a homeless shelter in New Deli as a way to help the street children protect their hard-earned money from thieves. Since then, the idea has caught on like wildfire.
Today, Khazana has 12 branches all across New Deli, with a total of Rupees 12lakh (about 22,000USD) in deposits. Not only that, there are now 77 branches in other parts of Asia, ranging from Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to the island of Sri Lanka, and even Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. While no deposit or balance is too small for the bank, they do have strict regulations about where the money is earned from. Funds obtained by begging or selling drugs are not welcomed at this bank !
Also, unlike the real banks, all employees are volunteers , which means that they go to school or a paying job during the day and work at the bank in the evening. To ensure that everybody gets a chance to participate in running the branch, two volunteer managers are elected from the clients base every six months.
Karan, the current manager is just 14-year-old. During the day he earns a living by helping out the cleaning workmates at wedding banquets and other big parties. In the evening, he handles the deposits（存款）and withdrawals（取款）in the bank. After the bank closes, he along with an adult volunteer from the shelter head over to a regular bank and deposit the funds collected into Khazana’s interest-bearing bank account and though it started with one single purpose. The Children’s Development Khazana is today a well-developed bank, one kids can not only deposit money which earns them 5% interest, but also, request loans for family emergencies, to start a business or even to pay for school.The initial aim of starting the Children’s Development Khazana is to______.
| A．provide for jobs for homeless children |
| B．help homeless families with emergencies |
| C．sponsor homeless children to go to school |
| D．safeguard homeless children’s hard-earned money |
The children’s Development Khazana is different from regular banks in that_______.
| A．all its workers are street children |
| B．it pays its customers no interest |
| C．customers can be made its managers |
| D．it opens in the evening six month a year |
According to the passage, the Children’s Development Khazana________.
| A．welcomes all money, however small it is |
| B．offers more and better service than before |
| C．is run by a 14-year-old boy, Karan alone |
| D．has more than 70 branches across India |
Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch (门廊) will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You'll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You'll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.
Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don't need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of ' traditional newspapers unavoidable.
Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 t0 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of computer newspapers?
| A．They are cheaper than traditional newspapers. |
| B．They are more convenient to read. |
| C．You can choose the kind of voice you want to hear. |
| D．You can easily save information for future use. |
Which of the following is a reason why it will take a long time to complete the changeover?
| A．The technology is impossible now. |
| B． Computer newspaper s are too expensive. |
| C．The popularization of computers needs a long time. |
| D．Traditional newspapers are easier to read. |
It can be inferred that journalists are against computer newspapers because _______ .
| A．they don't know how to use computers |
| B．they think computer newspapers take too much time to read |
| C．they think the new technology is bad |
| D．they have been trained to write For traditional newspapers |
We can infer from the passage that
| A．all technological changes are good |
| B．new technologies don't always replace old ones |
| C．new technologies will eventually replace old ones |
| D．traditional newspapers are here to stay for another century |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Computer newspapers are well liked. |
| B．Newspapers of the future will be on the computer. |
| C．Newspapers are out of fashion. |
| D．New communications technology. |
Losing weight comes with a lot of health benefits—including making your brain sharper.
Yes, it turns out that overweight may damage cognitive functions (认知功能) such as memory and attention. There have been few studies of overweight and cognitive functioning, possibly because it is generally believed that it is not a primary risk cause for poor cognitive performance. Losing weight, therefore, may help improve these mental functions, according to a new research led by John Gunstad, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University.
Growing evidence suggests that being fat is linked to cognitive deficits (缺陷). So Gunstad and his team guessed that losing weight might improve mental function. For their study, they measured memory and attention in a group of 150 overweight participants, some of whom had some kind of operation for weight loss and some did not. All of the volunteers completed mental skills tests to assess their abilities of memory and attention at the beginning of the study, and again 12 weeks later. To begin with, about 24% of the patients showed damaged learning and 23% showed signs of poor memory when tested. At the end of the study, those who had lost weight after operation improved their scores into the average or above average range for cognitive functions. Scores for the volunteers who didn’t lose weight dropped even further.
The study helped Gunstad to find out whether losing weight had any effect on mental function. Now that he’s seen the positive effect that weight loss can have on memory and attention, he says he will next study those who choose to lose weight by the traditional way—eating healthier and getting more active. He expects that losing weight in this way will have a similarly positive effect on the brain. “If we can improve the condition with operations, then we can probably produce the same change with behavioral weight loss as well,” he says. There is less research on overweight and cognitive functions because researchers _____.
| A. believe overweight only affects our body |
| B. have focused on ways to sharpen people’s mind |
| C. do not consider overweight a main cause for low cognitive ability |
| D. are clear about the relation between weight and mental functions |
The result of Gunstad’s study shows that ______.
| A. losing weight has little effect on people’s memory |
| B. losing weight can improve people’s mental functions |
| C. overweight people are likely to have psychology problems |
| D. overweight people’s abilities of concentration differ greatly |
What is Gunstad planning to prove next in his research?
| A. Slim people are smarter than overweight people. |
| B. Healthy diet is better than exercise in losing weight. |
| C. Traditional ways of losing weight are better than operation. |
| D. Overweight people will get smarter by taking more exercise. |
Which of the following is the best title for the text?
| A. Body Weight and Health |
| B. Losing Weight by Operation |
| C. Ways to Improve Mental Functions |
| D. Losing Weight to Sharpen Your Mind |
Caffeine not only gives us a daily jump start, but new research suggests it also can strengthen long-term memory.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 90 percent of people worldwide consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. That' s equivalent to about one strong cup of coffee a day. Writing in " Nature Neuroscience" , Johns Hopkins University researchers say their findings show that caffeine strengthens certain memories for up t0 24 hours after being taken in.
" We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects (促智效果) , but its ,particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans, " said senior author of the paper Michael Yassa. " We re- port for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours. " Conducting a double-blind trial, the researchers worked with a test group of people who didn't regularly consume caffeinated products. Five minutes after studying a series of images, the test subjects were given either a placebo(无效对照剂) or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet.
To check the caffeine levels of their test subjects, the research team took saliva samples (唾液样品) from them before they took their tablets and again one, three and 24 hours after- wards.
Both groups of test participants ( those who took the placebo and those who took the caffeine tablet) were tested the following day to see if they could recognize the images they' d seen the previous day.
The test included showing the test subjects another series of images that included some new images , those that were shown the previous day, as well as other images that were similar, but not the same as those they had viewed earlier.
The researchers found that more members of the group who were given the caffeine tablets were able to correctly identify some of the new images as " similar" to previously viewed images rather than incorrectly identifying them as the same.
"We also know that caffeine is associated with health and longevity(长寿) and may havesome protective effects from cognitive decline like Alzheimer' s disease (阿尔茨海默症). " said Yassa.The purpose of the new research is
| A．to survey how much caffeine people consume a day |
| B．to write the paper " Nature Neuroscience" |
| C．to prove caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects |
| D．to examine caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects in detail |
During the research ,the researchers did the following things EXCEPT
| A．giving the test subjects placebos or caffeine tablets |
| B．checking the caffeine levels of the test subjects |
| C．encouraging the test subjects to drink more coffee |
| D．showing the test subjects series of images |
How did the test subjects show the caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects?
| A．By recognizing images they ' d seen the previous day. |
| B．By taking the caffeine tablets instead of placebos. |
| C．By identifying the new images as the same. |
| D．By telling the differences between new images. |
What will the next part of the text possibly talk about?
| A．Ways to achieve health and longevity. |
| B．The effects caffeine has on health. |
| C．The treatment for Alzheimer' s disease. |
| D．The harmful effects of cognitive decline. |
The preventive measures for forest fires include some preemptive(抢先)methods that can help reduce the risks of fires and control their severity and spread，and thus, maintain ecological balance and protect resources．Close monitoring of forest fires caused by natural factors can help prevent their spread to a large extent．To contain forest fires，fire departments usually use water and chemical fire retardants(抑制剂)that can be dropped from planes and helicopters．To control the spread of a wildfire．firefighters usually create a control line by removing all fuel from an area so that the fire cannot travel across it．
Controlled burns are often employed by government authorities to reduce fuel buildup，and clean up the fallen leaves，and thus，prevent the spread of forest fires to a vast area．Regular controlled burns can also help maintain biodiversity(生物多样性)，as the smoke and heat produced in the process can facilitate(促进)the growth of seeds of certain plant species．Apart from these，responsible human behavior can help reduce the number of forest fires to a great extent．In fact，we can reduce the number of wildfires dramatically by not leaving behind any source of fire in the forest.
Forest fires can affect climate and weather to a great extent，besides causing severe damage to valuable trees．Wildfires can increase the level of greenhouse gases(water vapor, carbon dioxide，etc)，and therefore increase pollution and global warming．However, they are also an important part of the ecosystem，and many plants depend on the heat and smoke generated by wildfires for their growth and reproduction．But large wildfires can cause extensive damage to the ecosystem，which again highlights the importance of effective control and prevention of forest fires·What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Control and Prevention of Forest Fires |
| B．How to Keep Ecological Balance |
| C．Effects of Forest Fires |
| D．Methods of Fire Spread Control |
Firefighters get rid of all fuel in all area in order to ____________．
| A．keep close monitoring of forest fires |
| B．prevent the forest fire from occurring |
| C．protect the animals there |
| D．stop the wildfire from spreading |
The government arranges some controlled burns to_______________．
| A．burn the rubbish and keep the forest clean |
| B．help keep ecological balance of nature |
| C．reduce fuel buildup and limit forest fires spread |
| D．provide reasonable conditions for some plants’growth |
A controlled forest fire may play a positive role because ________________.
| A．a new forest will appear soon |
| B．it promotes the development of some seeds |
| C．nature keeps its balance only by wildfires |
| D．it makes the trees grow faster than before |
The last paragraph tells us that _______________．
| A．the greenhouse gases are caused mainly by wildfires |
| B．wildfires have both positive and negative effects |
| C．people should be aware of the necessity of wildfires |
| D．all the valuable trees disappear owing to wildfires |
Scientists have been puzzled by the phenomenon that migrating birds fly not just in groups all the time, but in "V" formations and they have tried to figure out what benefit birds get from this particular formation. Now, a research group from University of London may have found the answer ― migrating birds fly in a "V" to save energy, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
When a bird flaps(振翅) its wings, it stirs the air around it and causes it to move indifferent directions. Scientist found in the study that the air creates an upward-moving wave at the tips of the wings, which means that if a bird flies around the wingtips of another bird, it can get a boost（抬高） from the rising air and therefore use less energy to stay in the air.
Apart form the "free ride" strategy, scientists were also surprised to observe that migrating birds timed their wing beats and adjusted their positions in a very precise way to maximize the lifting effect while avoiding areas where the air move downward.
"They're able to sense what's going on from the bird in front, where this 'good air' is coming from and now how to position themselves perfectly in it," lead researcher Steven Portugal told BBC.
In fact, the "V" formation has long thought to help birds fly more efficiently(效率搞地). A previous study showed that birds' heart rates went down when they were flying together in a "V" formation. Jet fighters were also found to be able reduce their energy use by up to 18% by staying near the wingtips of other jet fighters. Both of these findings led scientists to suspect that the "V" formation had an efficiency purpose, but until now they still lack proof.
"For scientists, the new study provides an insight into an interesting natural phenomenon. But it could mean even more for aircraft companies — helping them understand how they can imitate that with their plane formations to save fuel, said Portugal."What is the author's purpose in writing this article?
| A．To explain how birds benefit from migration. |
| B．To introduce how migrating birds find their way. |
| C．To tell some applications of migrating birds' "V" formations. |
| D．To report new findings about migrating birds' "V" formations. |
According to the recent study, when birds migrate .
| A．they don't change their lead birds during the whole journey |
| B．they fly in "V" formations to protect themselves against enemies |
| C．they form the shape of a "V" to make best use of the lifting effect |
| D．the air they stir around makes it hard for the birds behind to fly fast |
What is the significance of the new study according to this article?
| A．It might inspire aircraft companies to think of ways to improve efficiency. |
| B．It has proved that the "V" formation can improve in efficiency in many fields, |
| C．It has led scientists to discover that birds' heart rates go down when they fly in a "V". |
| D．It shows that the best formation of jet fighters in battle should be a "V" formation. |
The underlined word "imitate" in the last paragraph most probably means "".
| A．use | B．copy | C．change | D．learn |