When faced with difficult situations in their lives， many people find them too challenging and give up， especially on their life dreams． But not for Gabriel Heredia．
Gabriel is a 21﹣year﹣old Argentinean barber（阿根廷理发师）who was born without hands． But he was able to grow up happy and independent because he always had the support of friends and family． In fact， his inspiration for such work was his mother， who is a hairdresser． At the age of 14， he began to take interest in her work and learned all kinds of hair cutting skills from her． Although he first saw it as an interest， Gabriel quickly decided that this was his dream job．
Gabriel's family soon helped him open his first barbershop in San Isidro， Peru， which he worked at for one and a half years． There， he met Zlatan Gomez， the president of Argentina Corta， an organization for barbers to connect， do charity （慈善） work， and teach hairdressing． Later， Gabriel became part of Argentina Corta， offering his services to people of all ages so they can build up the skills they need to get a job．
Gabriel then moved to Buenos Aires， Argentina where he cuts hair today． As a bright and caring young man， Gabriel tries hard to not only be a barber， but also make a connection with the neighborhood． He says， "The thing that I like the most about my job is that people feel comfortable and stylish with my cuts and that makes me feel happy． "
Gabriel always does his best to be independent． He never gives up． There is nothing he can't do． Besides cutting hair， he has learned to ride a bike， a motorbike and even to drive a car． He is no doubt inspiring others．
（1）When Gabriel was born， what made him different from others？
A． He was born without hands．
B． His special haircut．
C． His life dream．
D． His happiness and independence．
（2）At first， Gabriel Heredia learned hair cutting skills ．
A． from Zlatan Gomez
B． from his mother
C． from his friends
D． by himself
（3）Which of the following statements about Gabriel Heredia is NOT true？
A． He tries hard to make a connection with the neighborhood．
B． He can not only cut hair but also drive a car．
C． He joined Argentina Corta and taught others hair cutting skills in San Isidro．
D． He opened his first barbershop in Buenos Aires with the help of his family．
（4）What does Gabriel's story mainly tell us？
A． A good beginning makes a good ending．
B． You're never too old to learn．
C． Nothing is impossible if you don't give up．
D． Education changes life．
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn (打哈欠) and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well， obviously it’s because we have mirror neurons (神经元) in our brains.
Put simply， the presence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something， our brains model after it， whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile， talk， walk， dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions，they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains，but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages，and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example： “The hand took hold of the ball”)， the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example， actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning (行使职责). However， it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information about how humans behave， communicate and spend time together. Indeed， it may turn out to be nearly the same important thing for neuroscience as what Einstein’s theory of relativity (相对论) was for physics. And the next time you have the strong feeling to cough in the cinema when someone else does – well， perhaps you’ll understand why. Mirror neurons can explain ______.
| A．why we cry when we are hurt |
| B．why we cough when we catch a cold |
| C．why we smile when we see someone else smile |
| D．why we yawn when we see someone else get up late |
The word “triggered” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
| A．set off | B．cut off |
| C．broken out | D．found out |
We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _______.
| A．relate to human behavior and communication |
| B．decide our knowledge and language abilities |
| C．result in bad behavior and social disorders |
| D．control human actions and appearances |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways to find mirror neurons. |
| B．Problems of mirror neurons. |
| C．Discovery of mirror neurons. |
| D．Functions of mirror neurons. |
Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians， green is a color that means the hope and joy of spring， while for Muslims， it means heaven. Red stands for good luck in many cultures. In China， children are given money in a red envelope to bring good luck in the New Year. For many nations， blue stands for protection. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves from bad people or bad things happening.
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions (反应) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to cut down pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomachaches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure (血压) to rise and increase people’s appetites (食欲). Many designers will include different shades of red in restaurants. Similarly， some websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eyes.
Blue is another color which can make you feel peacefully. Unlike red， blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less， some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room， think about the color carefully.To the Egyptians， green means ______.
| A．good luck | B．joy of spring |
| C．heaven | D．protection |
We can learn from Paragraph 3 that green can ______.
| A．cause more stomachaches |
| B．easily catch a person’s eyes |
| C．cut down pain and relax people |
| D．make people’s blood pressure rise |
Why will some websites have a red “Buy Now” button?
| A．To help people relaxed. |
| B．To bring people good luck. |
| C．To make people feel peaceful. |
| D．To encourage people to buy the things. |
What color might help lose weight according to the text?
| A．Red. | B．Green. |
| C．Blue. | D．Purple. |
| Plan on travelling around the USA? There are four websites that may help you. |
| http：//usaholidays.com This is the latest offering that features 101 holiday ideas to the USA. You have many choices， ranging from touring in the footsteps of Martin Luther King to a cycling and wine-tasting trip in California’s Napa Valley. It’s a really clever design. |
| http：//byways.org The National Scenic Byways Program covers 150 memorable roads. Some are natural scenic routes， others focus on history or man-made attractions. For each， you’re provided with a map telling the route’s length and how long is allowed. |
| http：//www. oyster.com This is the best website for reviews of hotels in US cities and tourist sites. There are photos of each hotel. Importantly， these are not provided by the hotels， but more honestly reviewed in New York. |
| http：// seaworldparks.com SeaWorld in San Diego can make dreams come true， but the price is a little expensive for most people. So turn to http：//seaworldparks.com， giving big discounts (折扣) on tickets， hotels and dinging at Sea World. |
How many holiday ideas does http： //usaholidays.com offer?
| A．4. | B．100 . | C．101. | D．150. |
What is covered in the National Scenic Byways Program?
| A．Exciting cycling. | B．Memorable roads. |
| C．Photos provided. | D．SeaWorld visit. |
Which of the following is the best website for reviews of hotels?
| A．Http：//byways.org. |
| B．Http：//usaholidays.com. |
| C．Http：//www. oyster.com. |
| D．Http：// seaworldparks.com. |
Here is an American Teenager’s School Report, please read it and answer the following questions.
| SUMMERFIELD SCHOOL REPORT Term: Spring Name: Jane Elizabeth Pringle Age: 15 Grade: 4 Average Age: 14.9 No. in Form: 18 Position: 15 |
|||
| English |
She’s fond of writing notes to her friend, but she is not at all fond of writing compositions. Her work is full of spelling mistakes. I believe she’s able to do better. |
B |
|
| Maths |
She is good at figures, but lazy. She doesn’t always pay attention and spends most of her time annoying(讨厌的) the boy in front of her. She must concentrate(全神贯注). |
B |
|
| Latin |
I don’t believe Jane is seriously interested in Latin. |
C |
|
| Foreign Language |
She will never succeed in learning foreign languages if she keeps on speaking English. |
||
| Science |
If she persists in doing dangerous experiments, she will blow us all up! |
C |
|
| History |
Getting better. |
B+ |
|
| Geography |
Nice work. |
A- |
|
| Art |
Very good – likes drawing pictures of her teachers. |
A- |
|
| PE |
Excellent |
Games |
Excellent |
| Music |
Fair |
Conduct |
Fair |
| General: Jane is still a bit of a tomboy, and she often gets into trouble with her teachers. She is fond of talking during lessons. She is good at games and especially likes playing football with the boys and climbing trees. She must take things more seriously. S. Sweet B. Birth Form Mistress Headmaster |
Jane draws pictures of _________ very well.
| A．her teachers | B．fruits | C．cartoons | D．mountains |
The science teacher _________ Jane’s experiments.
| A．is interested in | B．is worried about |
| C．laughs at | D．takes part in |
The best way for Jane to learn foreign languages is _________.
| A．to get up earlier. | B．not to make spelling mistakes. |
| C．to speak more English. | D．not to speak much English. |
The underlined word “tomboy” means _________.
| A．a girl who has a boy’s name. |
| B．a girl who looks like a boy. |
| C．a girl who acts like a boy |
| D．a girl who is dressed like a boy. |
Which sentence is NOT TRUE according to the school report?
| A．Jane Elizabeth Pringle is fifteen years old now. |
| B．She doesn’t listen to the teacher carefully in maths lessons. |
| C．There’s many mistakes in her writings because she’s written too many notes. |
| D．She does well in PE and her history is better than before. |
“I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning and I surf the net.”
“I often check my e-mail forty times a day.”
“I often spend more than three hours during one time on the net.”
“I spend more time in chat rooms than with my ‘real-1ife’ friends.”
Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction（瘾）called Internet addiction. Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug use. People lose control of the time they spend on the Internet.
For example, one college student was missing for several days. His friends were worried, and they called the police. The police found the student in the computer lab, and he was surfing the net for several days straight.
Studies show that about 6% to 10% of Internet users become addicted. And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them. They spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.
Is “surfing the net” a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms（症状）:
●You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet.
●You can’t wait for your next online time.
●You plan to spend a short time online, but then you spend several hours.
●You go out with your friends less and less.
What does the beginning of the passage tell us?
| A．How to become an Internet addict |
| B．What an Internet addict usually does |
| C．Where to find an Internet addict |
| D．Why to write this passage |
How does the writer describe the addicts’ use of Internet?
| A．It is something like keeping drugs. |
| B．It is a way of producing drugs. |
| C．It is like taking drugs. |
| D．It is terrible to imagine. |
Why do people worry about the teens?
| A．The teens are wasting too much money. |
| B．They used to work on the Internet. |
| C．The playing field of the teens will disappear. |
| D．More and more of the teens wil1 become addicted to the Internet． |
The example in the passage shows that _______.
| A．Internet problems are more serious among college students. |
| B．Internet addicts usually stay in the computer lab without sleep. |
| C．Some of the Internet users have already been seriously addicted. |
| D．The police often help to find those Internet addicts. |
What is the writer trying to tell us according to the passage?
| A．Don’t be addicted to the Internet. |
| B．Go to family activities more often. |
| C．Do things as you have planned. |
| D．Stay with your parents as often as possible. |