A team of US psychologists(心理学家) have found that talking to another person for ten minutes a day helps with memory.
“Socializing(交际) is just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual(智力的) performance,” Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a statement.
In one investigation, they analyzed data on 3610 people, aged 24 to 96.
They found that the higher their level of social interaction(交流), the better their cognitive(认知的) functioning. Social interaction includes getting together or having phone chats with relatives, friends and neighbors.
In another experiment, the researchers conducted laboratory tests on 76 college students, aged 18 to 21, to evaluate(评估) how social interactions and intellectual exercises affected the results of memory and mental performance tests.
The students were divided into three groups: the social interaction group had a discussion of a social issue for 10 minutes before taking the tests; the intellectual activities group completed three tasks (including a reading comprehension exercise and a crossword puzzle) before the tests; and a control group(对照组) watched a 10-minute clip(电影片段) of the Seinfeld television show.
“We found that short-term social interaction lasting for just 10 minutes improved participants’ (参与者) intellectual performance as much as engaging in (从事) so-called ‘intellectual’ activities for the same amount of time,” Ybarra said.
The study was expected to be published in the February issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.What does the underlined word “boosting” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．Improving. | B．Reducing. |
| C．Preventing. | D．Training. |
Which is not included in social interaction?
| A．Having a talk with a neighbor. |
| B．Attending a birthday party. |
| C．Watching TV at home alone. |
| D．Calling your classmates. |
What’s the purpose of the experiment on 76 college students?
| A．To judge the effect of social interaction on memory and intelligence. |
| B．To find out what is real social interaction. |
| C．To learn how much time is needed for social interaction. |
| D．To show the function of people's cognition. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Intellectual exercises make your memory better. |
| B．Different people have different ways of communication. |
| C．Communicating with others keeps you healthy. |
| D．Social interaction makes you smart. |
Empathy(同情心) lets us feel another person’s pain and drives us to help. Do any other animals feel empathy? Scientists recently found that rats(老鼠) do, too.
Most people don’t like rats. In many people’s eyes, rats are only bad. But Jean Decety and his partners at the University of Chicago did an experiment. It showed that rats are kind, warm-hearted animals. They can feel each other’s pain.
Scientists placed pairs of rats in plastic cages(笼子) for two weeks. During this time they got to know each other. Then they put one of the rats from each pair into a small container(容器) in the cages. The small container had a door. It was so designed as to fall to the side when the free rat touched it. Many of the trapped(困住的) rats squeaked(吱吱叫) to show their discomfort. The other rats of the pairs could see their suffering friends clearly.
In most pairs, the free rats would become very worried about their friends. They kept trying to save their friends again and again throughout the month. Scientists put the rats’ favorite chocolate in the cages, but the rats didn’t eat it until they had saved their friends successfully. Scientists also found that female rats seemed to act more empathetic than male rats.
“The results are the first to show that rats take action in response to another’s trouble,” Decety said. “Monkeys and chimpanzees have similar behavior. But unlike those animals, rats can be ready used in laboratory studies. They will help us to learn which parts of the brain lead to empathy and helping behavior and whether empathy is natural.”A person with empathy is often _____.
| A．kind-hearted | B．clever | C．active | D．strong |
What does the underline word mean in Chinese?
| A．休息的 | B．睡着的 | C．死亡的 | D．受苦的 |
Why didn’t the free rats eat the chocolate at first?
| A．Because they were full at that time. |
| B．Because chocolate was not their favorite food. |
| C．Because they wanted to save the trapped rats first. |
| D．Because they were afraid that the chocolate was bad. |
Which of the following animals were NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Monkeys. | B．Cats. | C．Rats. | D．Chimpanzees. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Rats can feel other animals’ pain. |
| B．Chocolate is rats’ favorite food. |
| C．Female rats are more empathetic than male rats. |
| D．Rats are empathetic and can feel each other’s pain. |
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and I was on the other side. We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street. The street lights were shining, causing rather a sad feeling.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree. But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. I wandered in the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
All the lights were off except father’s. Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After an argument he has the habit of creeping up(悄悄地来到) in my sleep. This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature. With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love—it’s second to none.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. Sadly I ran out into the street.
c.I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e. I walked about in the street without any aim.
| A．b, e, d, c, a | B．b, e, c, d, a |
| C．b, e, a, c, d | D．b, e, c, a, d |
What made the writer think of his childhood ?
| A．The sight of the street lights. |
| B．The sight of the empty street. |
| C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms. |
| D．The sight of light in his own house. |
Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?
| A．perhaps the father is getting older and older. |
| B．perhaps the son has already grown up. |
| C．perhaps they never agree with each other. |
| D．perhaps the father has got used to doing that. |
According to the passage what does “Love—it’s second to none” mean ?
| A．爱并没有什么 | B．爱是第二位的 |
| C．爱是至高无上的 | D．爱就是没什么 |
What conclusion can you come to after reading the passage?
| A．The father treats his son in an unfair way. |
| B．The father is actually kind to his son. |
| C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. |
| D．The father is always finding fault with his son. |
The temperature in the wetlands （湿地）is usually neither too high nor too low.There is a lot of rain and sunshine,too.They are really good places for wildlife（野生生物）. 84 Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands.Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings.This means there will be less and less space for wildlife. 85Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of wetlands and wildlife. Every year,on February 2nd,many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.___________________________________________________________________
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Many people believe that life has smiled on Yang Mi: at the age of 4, she got her first TV drama role; at 16, she became a model for a fashion magazine; at 18, she went to her dream college — Beijing Film Academy (北京电影学院). That year, the 24-year-old actress played the bad girl Luo Qingchuan in the time-travelling TV drama, Palace (《宫锁心玉》). The drama became a big success and made Yang very famous. The number of her micro blog followers rises from several thousand to more than 3 million overnight.
Could she be any luckier? Yang doesn’t think luck had anything to do with her success. She works hard all by herself. “Every chance is achieved from the efforts I’ve made,”said Yang. People now think she’s very hard-working.
She still remembers the time when people gave her the cold shoulder. People treated her with little love. They didn’t want to help her in her time of need.“I have to thank them because they gave me the strength to prove myself,”she said
That’s why she is eager to help others when they are in need.
In May, Yang became the ambassador (大使) for the Climate Group to fight the bad weather. She calls on people to join the Million-Miracle (百万奇迹) project and plant trees on China’s dry land.
When did Yang Mi first play her role in TV dramas?
____________________________________________What kind of TV drama is Palace?
____________________________________________What made Yang Mi so successful?
____________________________________________Did luck have anything to do with her success?
____________________________________________What does Yang Mi call on people to do?
____________________________________________
Dear daughter,
You are a wonderful person and your mother and I love you. It will not be long before you leave home to make your way in the world. Can I please give you some friendly advice? Here are some things that you should never do.
1. Never Look Down Upon Yourself.
You are great and able to achieve great things so believe in yourself. When things go badly, never stop believing. Some girls get upset and lose confidence. And then all kinds of problems can follow.
2. Never Get Upset With Your Looks.
We think you look great . Please be happy with the person you are and the body you have. Eat well, take exercise and be healthy. Some girls become upset because they try to lose weight or get the perfect shape. You look fine.
3. Never spend money more than your income.
Never spend money more than your income and save a little every month. Don’t borrow other’s money if possible.
4. Never Give Less Than Your Best.
We are very proud of what you have succeeded so far. You should be proud too. Keep doing well. Keep trying your hardest at everything you do. No one can ask for more than that.
5. Never Forget That Your Parents Love You.
Whatever happens in life, your family will still be your family. Whatever difficulties you have, you can always talk to us and we will try to help. We are here for you.
Love
DadFrom the letter, we can know the daughter will _________soon.
| A．leave school | B．go to college |
| C．go to another city | D．face lots of difficulties |
According to the father, some girls become upset because they __________.
| A．aren’t healthy enough | B．don’t make enough money |
| C．don’t have good jobs | D．try to have the perfect shape |
When someone gets upset and loses confidence, _________________.
| A．nobody will love him |
| B．he can’t get good income |
| C．all problems will follow him |
| D．his parents won’t believe in him anymore |
The father thinks his daughter has been a _____________person.
| A．happy | B．successful |
| C．perfect | D．hard-working |
The father writes this letter to his daughter in order to tell her_____________.
| A．that her parents love her |
| B．what she should never do |
| C．how she can become successful |
| D．that her parents will always help her |