Here is an astonishing and significant fact:Mental work alone can't make us tire. It sounds absurd. But a few years ago,scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists,they discovered that blood passing through the brain,when it is active,shows no fatigue at all!
If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins at and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned,it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless.So what makes us tired? Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional attitudes.One of England’s most outstanding scientists,J.A.Hadfield,says,"The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact,fatigue of purely physical origin is rare."Dr.Brill,a famous American scientist, goes even further,He declares,"One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems."
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored,anger, anxiety,tenseness,worry,a feeling of not being appreciated—those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.
What surprised the scientists a few years ago?
A.Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer's blood. |
B.Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn after a day’s work. |
C.The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. |
D.A mental worker's blood was filled with fatigue toxins. |
According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
A.Challenging mental work | B.Unpleasant emotions |
C.Endless tasks | D.Physical labor. |
What's the author's attitude towards the scientists' idea?
A.He agrees with them. |
B.He doubts them. |
C.He argues against them. |
D.He hesitates to accept them. |
Blind imitation (模仿)is self-destruction.To those who do not recognize their unique worth. Imitation appears attractive: to those who know their strenghth. Imitation is unacceptable.
In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful. When I first learned to cook, I used recipes (菜谱) and turned out some tasty dishes. But soon I grew bored. Why follow someone else's way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child's bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them.
In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously (下意识地) hold poor role models. If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others.
In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities. Those stars look great on screen. But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors.
Blessed is the person willing to act on their sundden desire to create somrthing unique.Think of the movies,books,teachers,and friends that have affected you most deeply.They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration,not desperation.The world is changed not by those who do what has been done brfore them,but by those who do what has been done inside them.Creative people have an endless resource of ideas.The problem a creator faces is not running out of material;it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination.
Syudy your role models,accept the gifts they have given,and leave behind what does not server.Then you can say,"I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors"tragedies and tory ,and know that they are cheering on.
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Imitation proves useful when you.
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To avoid the bad result of imitation, we should.
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Acording to the author. The world moves on because of those who are.
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The trouble a creator faces is.
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What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
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An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same tome.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起)the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits,study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长)appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York ,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns,where a greater sense of unity(一致)can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultinatel, as Nancy points out,the level of sucicess is not meastured by how many people read a book,but by how many people are enriched by the process.or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
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What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?
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Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the projict?
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According to the passage,where would the project be more easily carried out?
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The underlined words"shared a word"in Paragraph 5 probably mean
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According to Nacy,the degree of students of the project is judged by
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In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember;little steps add up to big dreams.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was tobe
A.a writer |
B.a teacher |
C.a judge |
D.a doctor |
Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A.She wanted to study by herself. |
B.She fell in love and got married. |
C.She suffered from a serious illness. |
D.She decided to look after her grandma. |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
She was buy yet happy with her family life.
She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
She was too confused to make a correct choice.What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
Failure is the mother of success.
Little by little ,one goes far.
Every coin has two sides.
Well begun ,half done.Which of the following can best describe the author ?
Caring and determine.
Honest and responsible.
Ambitious and sensitive .
Innocent and single-minded.
Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones2,3 and of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones3 and 4often offer larger accommodation in a less crowned area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
♢ Continental Breakfast
♢ Breakfast and Dinner
♢ Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal(谷物类食品),bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally
part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit.you must first ask your host’s permission.You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room.This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestule and is more suitable for the long-stay student.However,it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.The passage is probably written for
A.host willing to receive foreign students |
B.loreigners hoping to build British culture |
C.travellers planning to vist famlies in London |
D.English learners applying to like in English homes |
Which of the following will the host provide?
Room cleaning.
Medical care.
Free transport.
Physical trainning.What can be inferred from Paragraph3?
A.Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2.
B.The business centre of London is in Zone.
C.Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre.According to the passage. What does continental Breakfast include?
A.Dessert and coffee |
B.Fruit and vegetables. |
C.bread and fruit juice |
D.Centre and cold meat. |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
A.To experience a warmer famliy atmosphere. |
B.To enrich their knowledge of English\ |
C.To entertain friends as they like. |
D.To enjoy much more freedom. |
Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, gentically mondified (GM, 转基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the word,mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would ,is it the best solutiorr?
Despite what it promiises,GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any corp. In fact
Studies show that the most crown GM croo.
GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report than analysed nearly two decades of research on mojor GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.
Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companics tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂). On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. " The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But nether is true," said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.
At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.
As a matter of fact ,scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which "green" farming is supposed to be the first choice.
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The author develops the second paragraph mainly.
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What does the underlined word "boost " in the third paragraph probably mean?
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GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from.
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Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?
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