Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss? No. But a new research shows that large amounts of flavones(黄酮), substances found in cocoa,teaand some kinds of vegetables,may improve age-related memory failure.
Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology (神经学) at Columbia University in New York City. He is the leadwriter of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavones on brain activity. His study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavones drink madefrom cocoa beans or a low-level flavones drink. For a period of three months, somesubjects got 900 milligrams of flavones a day. The others got 10 milligrams of flavones each day. Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study. Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavones drink showed much improvement on memory tests.
The researchers warn that more work is needed to be done because this study was performed only on a small group. Dr. Joann Manson is the leadresearcher of a four-year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavones capsules. The studysubjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills per day. The capsules used will all look the same. But one group's capsules will contain flavones, while the other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo（安慰剂）.
Dr. Manson says it's not necessary for people to start eating more chocolate, because 3 persons would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the same level of flavones given to the rest subjects. He adds many manufacturers have planned to remove the flavonesfromtheir chocolate products. Similarly, Dr. Manson says a cocoa-based flavones extract（提取）maybe developed in the future But he says that more studies are needed to see how much flavones is good for our health.What was done to thesubjects after Dr. Small's study?
| A．They were asked to take a high-level flavones drink. |
| B．They were given brain imaging and memory tests. |
| C．They were given capsules containing flavones. |
| D．They were asked to take two pills of flavones capsules per day. |
What's the similarity of the two experiments?
| A．Both use high-level flavones capsules. |
| B．The number of the subjects is the same. |
| C．Drinks and placebos are used in both experiments. |
| D．Thesubjects are divided into two groups in both experiments. |
Why will Dr. Manson carry out the four-year study?
| A．To carry out the experiment further. |
| B．To prove the first experiment is wrong. |
| C．To test how much flavones can improve our memory. |
| D．To show eating chocolate is better to improve memory. |
What can we learnfromthe last paragraph?
| A．It's not necessary for us to eat chocolate. |
| B．In the future we can get flavones without eating chocolate. |
| C．The more we eat flavones, the better our healthwill be. |
| D．It's easy for people to get the same level of flavones given to the test subjects. |
Most people want to know how things are made. They honestly admit, however, that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made. Where a composer （作曲家） begins, how he manages to keep going - in fact, how and where he leams his trade -all are covered in complete darkness. The composer, in short, is a man of mystery. （神秘）.
One of the first things the common man wants to know about is the part inspiration （灵感） plays in a composer' s work. He finds it difficult to believe that composers are not much interested in that question. Writing music is as natural for the composer as eating or sleeping for all. Music is something that the composer happens to have been born for.
The composer, therefore, does not say to himself: "Do I feel inspired?" He says to himself:
"Do I feel like working today?" And if he feels like working, he does. It is more or less like saying to himself: "Do I feel sleepy?" If you feel sleepy, you go to sleep. If you don't feel sleepy, you stay up. If the composer doesn' t feel like working, he doesn' t work. It' s as simple as that. What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Composer: a man of mystery |
| B．Practice makes good music |
| C．Relation between sleeping and music |
| D．Music: product of nature |
The words "covered in complete darkness" underlined in Paragraph I most probably mean
| A．difficult to be made |
| B．without any light |
| C．black in color |
| D．not known |
Most people seem to think that a composer _______ .
| A．finds it difficult to write music |
| B．considers it important to have a good rest |
| C．should like to talk about inspiration |
| D．never asks himself very simple questions |
The author will most probably agree that composers _______
| A．are born with a gift for music |
| B．are people full of mystery |
| C．work late at night for their music |
| D．know a lot about eating and sleeping |
SANTO DOMINGO, Domincan Republic ---An infant girl born with a second head bled to death Saturday after complex surgery (外科手术) to remove her partially formed twin , her parents and doctors said.
A medical team completed the 11- hour operation Friday night and said 8-week-old Rebecca Martinez died seven hours later. Doctors had warned after the surgery that the girl would be at great risk of death.
“ We knew this was a very risky surgery , and now we accept what God has decided , “ Rebecca’s father , 29-year-old Frankin Martinez, said at a news conference with his wife. “ Rebecca is no longer with us physically , but no one will forget her.”
Martinez said the family would bury Rebecca in a private funeral later in the day.
The girl lost a lot of blood in the operation, which apparently ( 明显地) caused her to suffer a heart attack , said Dr. Jorge Lazareff , the lead surgeon . Friends and family donated (捐赠) almost 4 gallons of blood for surgeons to use Rebeca’s operation
“This was not a failure or an error ,” Lazareff said . “ When we left here last night the girl was in stable condition. At some point in the middle of the night , she started to bleed.”
Rebecca was born Dec. 10 with the undeveloped head of her twin, an exteremely rare condition known as craniopagus parasticus . Rebecca was the eighth documented case in the world of craniopagus parasiticus, doctors said.
All the other infants documented to have had the condition died before birth , making Rebecca\s surgery the first known operation of its kind.
Without an operation , Rebecca would have barely been able to lift her head at 3 months old. Her doctors said the pressure from the second head would have prevented her brain from developing.
“ We always saw Rebecca without the extra part of her body, ”er father said after her death.
Rebecca was their third child-----along with a 4-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl.The underlined word “infant “ most probably means____________________.
| A．a disabled child |
| B．a newly-born child |
| C．a 2-headed child |
| D．a very young child |
Rebecca Martinez died ________________________after she went to the operation table.
| A．8 weeks | B．11 hours | C．7 hours | D．18 hours |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Rebecca died because mistakes happened during the operation |
| B．Rebecca most probably died of bleeding |
| C．Rebecca was her parents’ third child |
| D．Without an operation , Rebecca would have little hope of living |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Infant Girl Dies After 2nd Head Removed |
| B．Rebecca , Hiciano’s Third Child |
| C．The Death of a Gril With two Heads |
| D．Rebecca’s Surgery, the First Known Operation |
My husband, Tom, is a born shopper. He loves to look at things and to touch them. He likes to compare prices between the same things in different stores. He would never think of buying anything without looking around in several stores. I, on the other hand, am not a shopper. I regard shopping as boring and unpleasant. If I like something and can afford it, I buy it immediately. I never take a time to look around for a good sale or a better deal (交易). Of course my husband and I never go shopping together. Doing shopping together would be too painful for both of us . When it comes to shopping, we go our separate ways.
Sometimes I ask my son Jimmy to buy some food in the shop not far from our home. But he is always absentminded. This was his story.
One day I said to him , “ I hope you won’t forget what I have told you to buy.” “No,” said Jimmy. “ I won’t forget . You want three organs, six eggs and a pound of meet.”
He went running down the street to the shop. As he ran , he said to himself over and over again , “ Three organs , six eggs and a pound of meat.”
In the beginning he remembered everything but he stopped several times. Once he saw two men fighting outside a clothes shop until a policeman stopped them. One of them was badly hurt. Then he stopped to give ten cents to a beggar. Then he met some of his friends and he played with them for a while. When he reached the shop, he had forgotten everything except six eggs.
As he walked home, his face became sadder and sadder. When he saw me he said, “ I’m sorry , mum . I have forgotten to buy oranges and the meat . I only remembered to buy six eggs , but I’ve dropped three of them.”The husband loves shopping necause_________________.
| A．he has much money |
| B．he likes the shops |
| C．he likes to compare the prices between the same items |
| D．he has nothing to do but do shopping |
The wife doesn’t like shopping because___________________.
| A．she has no money |
| B．she has no tome |
| C．she doesn’t love her husband |
| D．she feels it boring to go shopping |
They never go shopping together because_____________________.
| A．their ways of shopping are quite different |
| B．they hate each other |
| C．they needn’t buy anything for the family |
| D．they don’t have time for it |
Jimmy didn’t buy what his mother wanted because_____________________.
| A．the shop was closed that day |
| B．the policeman stopped him |
| C．he forgot some of them |
| D．he gave all the money to the beggar |
What’s On
Stage
An acrobatic（杂技）soul: To celebrate its 50th anniversary , the China Acrobatic Troupe will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real . Chills（寒战）will run down your spine（脊柱）as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge .
Time : 7:30 p.m , September13—19
Place : Capital Theatre , 22 Wangfujing Dajie , Dongcheng District
Exhibitions
Joint Show : A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing . About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display .
Time : 9 a .m —5p. m. until September 10
Place : Huangshicheng Gallery , 136 Nanchizi Dajie , Dongcheng Distirct
Oil paintings : The Wanfung Art Galley will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle-aged artists . On display are more than 30 of their latest works , which capture（捕捉）the wondrous variety of life in unique（独特的）styles .
Time : 9 a.m. —4p.m until September 15
Place: 136 Nachizi Street , Dongcheng District
Literature（文学）museum : The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an indepth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949 .
Time : 9 a. m —4 p.m , daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu , Chaoyang District（Shaoyaoju area ）
Concerts
Beijing rocks : “ The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month . Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert , including older generation bands , middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience（听众）will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear , which is sure to bring a storm .
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
Belgium Orchestra（管弦乐队）:La Petite Bande , the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate（纪念）the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death .
Time: 7:30 p.m . September11—14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned here ?
| A．When you watch it , you will certainly feel cold . |
| B．Something strange will puzzle everyone , including scientists . |
| C．Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised . |
| D．Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching . |
The most characteristic thing about the Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock is that_______ .
| A．it will let the audience choose the performers and the music |
| B．it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes |
| C．it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China |
| D．it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians |
Suppose it is September 14 today , how many activities can people choose to attend ?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
On the whole ,we can conclude _________________.
| A．people in Beijing prefer modern culture to something traditional |
| B．there are usually more cultural activities in September than in any other month |
| C．most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only |
| D．we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing |
Alzheimer’s disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer’s disease is not confined(限于)to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be“getting old”.The disease was though to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer’s disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic(器官的)disease that destroys brain cells.
Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking. Then the patient’s memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, telephone numbers, names and plans.
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms(症状)often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease. It may be caused by a virus(病毒).It may be caused by a poisonous substance(物质)in the environment. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer’s disease________.
| A．is a terrible part of the aging process |
| B．is an organic disease that affects young and old |
| C．can be cured by physical treatment |
| D．causes forgetfulness |
All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease EXCEPT_________.
A. forgetfulness B. difficulty in speaking
.loss of sight D. loss of the ability to walkAccording to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease?
| A．Poisons produced by the brain. | B．Getting old. |
| C．A virus. | D．Lack of exercise. |
he progress of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed by________.
| A．operation | B．a change in environment |
| C．medicines | D．physical treatment and exercise |