"Acting is the least mysterious of all crafts," Marion Brando once said. But for scientists, working out what is going on in an actor's head has always been something of a puzzle.
Now, researchers have said actors show different patterns of brain activity depending on whether they are in character or not.
Dr Steven Brown, from McMaster University in Canada, said, "It looks like when you are acting, you are suppressing (压制) yourself; almost like the character is possessing you."
Brown and colleagues report how 15 actors, mainly theatre students, were trained to take on a Shakespeare role — either Romeo or Juliet — in a theatre workshop. They were then invited into the laboratory, where their brains were scanned in a series of experiments.
Once inside the MRI scanner, the actors were asked to answer a number of questions, such as: would they go to the party? And would they tell their parents that they had fallen in love?
Each actor was asked to respond to different questions, based on two different premises (前提). In one, they were asked for their own perspective, while in the other, they were asked to respond as though they were either Romeo or Juliet.
The results revealed that the brain activity differed depending on the situation being tested. The team found that when the actors were in character, they use some third-person knowledge or inferences about their character.
The team said they also found additional reduction in activity in two regions of the prefrontal cortex (前额皮质) linked to the sense of self, compared with when the actors were responding as themselves.
However, Philip Davis, a professor at the University of Liverpool, was unimpressed by the research, saying acting is about far more than "pretending" to be someone — it involves embodying (体现) the text and language.
1.How did Dr Brown's team conduct their research?
A. By scanning the brain activity of some actors.
B. By doing a survey with some theatre goers.
C. By interviewing some theatre teachers.
D. By consulting some experienced researchers.
2.What is the finding of Dr Brown's research?
A. Acting is not as mysterious as people think.
B. Actors' brain activity differs when they are acting.
C. Acting is far more than pretending to be the character.
D. Actors' brain activity is more active when they are in character.
3.How did Philip Davis react to the research?
A. He supported it. B. He doubted it.
C. He explained it. D. He advocated it.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. A debate of how the brain functions.
B. A play written by Shakespeare.
C. A research on the brain activity of actors.
D. A report of the cooperation of scientists and actors.
For years, decades in fact, I've puzzled over the response most people have when I tell them I mostly travel alone.
"You're so brave!"
Why is it that a woman travelling alone, as I have often done for months at a time, is perceived to be "brave", whereas men who travel alone are entirely unremarkable?
You are only brave when you are afraid of something but still do it anyway. I have never been afraid of travelling alone.
The first time I travelled alone was when I was 19. I was due to travel in Europe with a friend at the end of the summer. She announced by letter two days before our departure that she would be leaving me halfway at Vienna. It was too late by then to rope in another friend, so it was either to go home after Vienna, or keep going by myself. I kept going. I got on trains by myself, checked into hostels by myself and found my way around by myself. It was weird at first, but later I stopped worrying about it.
When I got back to Ireland after that trip, I felt proud of myself. I had done something I had assumed would be hard, and it had turned out to be not hard at all.
That was three decades ago, and since then I have travelled all over the world, usually on my own. I still do what I did then, which is to keep a diary. The greatest gift of solo travel has been those I've met along the way. I may have set off alone each time but I've encountered many people who became important to me. I met my husband in Kathmandu, Nepal. I met lifelong friends in Australia, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, India, Indonesia and many other places.
1.What makes the author puzzled when she tells people of her experience?
A. People's disbelief. B. People's response.
C. People's approval. D. People's criticism.
2.What does the author say about her first time to travel alone?
A. It was a trip by design.
B. She had to choose to go by herself.
C. It was harder than expected.
D. She set off all alone.
3.What do the underlined words "solo travel" in the last paragraph mean?
A. Group Travel. B. Travelling with friends.
C. Travelling alone. D. Travelling with music.
4.How has the author benefited from her travel?
A. She has overcome her fear of travelling alone.
B. She has written a couple of books.
C. She has received a great many gifts.
D. She has met many people all the way.
A mixture of deep sorrow and anger has swept Brazilians across the country — particularly in the city of Rio de Janeiro — with the burning of their beloved Museu Nacional, or National Museum.
By Monday morning, when I visited the site, the firemen were busy trying to enter the huge, early 19th-century neoclassical building. For all we know, everything may have been burned to ashes. Fortunately, no one, not even the four security guards who witnessed the beginning of the fire, has been injured.
Nobody yet knows the cause of the fire, but it is the officials' irresponsibility and the funding shortages in particular, which are being blamed for this tragedy.
Some of the museum's researchers told the press that they had been able to save some things from the exhibition rooms before the fire moved in. However, we Brazilians have lost much of the material memory of our short past. A good part of our 518 years of history, or that which had been transformed into storable objects, disappeared in just a few hours.
The people of Rio de Janeiro were fond of taking their children, or grandchildren to the museum to show off their knowledge of the odd-looking mummies brought in from Egypt by the Emperor Dom Pedro II, a huge skeleton of a humpback whale, or the brightly coloured feathers of a headdress of the Kayapo tribe.
When I think that I can no longer take my youngest daughter to the Museu Nacional — that is what gets me emotional. It is this feeling that has penetrated (穿透) our souls and may leave Brazilians feeling empty for a long time to come.
1.What can we learn about the National Museum of Brazil?
A. It has a history of 518 years.
B. All of its collections have been lost.
C. It was built in the early 19th century.
D. It is not very popular in the country.
2.According to the text, _______ caused the big fire of the museum.
A. the inefficient firemen B. the irresponsible officials
C. the careless security guards D. something unknown
3.The text is written in a mood of_______.
A. delight B. sorrow
C. defeat D. humour
4.Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Fire Put out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
B. Our Fond Memories of the Past
C. Who Is to Blame for the Accident?
D. A Museum Is Lost and Might Never Return
When Warren Buffett, the most successful investor, was asked about the secret to his wealth and success, he revealed that he read every day, 500 pages, to be precise. Unfortunately, if you're already working 9‒5, you might not have the time to read at all, let alone an entire book a day. But what if you could get the benefits of reading without sacrificing all of your free time? You can! With the Blinkist app, you get the key learning in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, easy-to-understand insights. Start with the 5 most-read books.
1. Thirteen Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do
by Amy Morin 12 min reading time 147k reads
Do you struggle to get over your failures? Getting over these can have a profound influence on your everyday life. Morin shares how her most successful patients overcame these difficulties.
2. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
by Dale Carnegie 19 min reading time 238k reads
Ever wondered why you can't stop worrying about something? By defining the source of your stress, you can get over it once and for all. Carnegie came up with a formula that helps you handle any overthinking situation.
3. How Will You Measure Your Life?
by Clayton M. Christensen 13 min reading time 137k reads
Are you making the right trade-offs (权衡) in life? While career achievements can be satisfying, neglecting your family and friends can be bad in the long-run — in ways you can't even imagine.
4. Finding Your Element
by Ken Robinson 13 min reading time 62.4k reads
Everyone has a passion. If you don't know what yours is, it just means you haven't discovered it yet. Find out how you can break free of society's strict rules and find your calling in life.
5. Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel Goleman 16 min reading time 318k reads
Did you know if your pulse rate rises above 100 bpm, you're deemed too emotional to think rationally? You probably let feelings cloud your judgment more often than you know. Goleman explains how you can avoid letting your emotions rule you and make better decisions in life.
1.What kind of people does the Blinkist app best suit?
A. Successful investors. B. Rich businessmen.
C. People who have little time for reading. D. Students who love books.
2.Which book has been read by the largest number of people?
A. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.
B. How Will You Measure Your Life?
C. Finding Your Element.
D. Emotional Intelligence.
3.Which book offers advice to people who feel stressed?
A. Thirteen Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.
B. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.
C. How Will You Measure Your Life?
D. Finding Your Element.
假定你是李华。你的澳大利亚朋友Mike对中国的传统节日非常感兴趣。在端午节来临之际，他写信询问有关端午节习俗。请你用英语回一封信，向他介绍中国的端午节。要点包括：
1. 介绍中国的端午节（时间，意义，风俗等）；
2. 欢迎他来中国并邀请他来观看龙舟赛。
注意：1．词数100左右，开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mike,
I’m glad to know you show great interest in Chinese traditional festivals.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第l1处起）不计分。
Volunteering is one way to turn something you have - time- into a means to help others.
Last Friday, we spent a few hours volunteer at the local science center. Our teacher divided us to two groups. One group picks up trash in the exhibition hall. But the other group went outside and pulled up weeds. The employees we helped were very appreciative, and invited us to coming back anytime. Tomorrow, we will go to the homeless shelter in our town where the homeless can have meal and sleep. We will cook meals for who is staying there. Although all of us have had the experience of cooking before, everyone wants to have try.
