It is said that many brain training products is able to keep us mentally fit. Some products even claim that brain training can prevent dementia (痴呆) in old age. Many such products are only money-making rubbish. Also, there is no scientific proof that games or other brain exercises can have this effect. That is what the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) pointed out.
As we get older, our thinking gets slower and it is harder for us to learn new things. Many people try to stay mentally fit by, for example, learning a new language or doing crossword puzzles. Computer games that aim to keep the brain active are also becoming increasingly popular. “Doing exercises like trying to find symbols on a computer screen as fast as possible can actually improve your reaction time,” explains Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute’s Director. “But scientific studies have shown that brain training only leads to an improvement in one aspect that it is aimed at. So if you learn to find symbols quickly, it does not mean that you will be able to improve your memory.”
Research has not shown that brain training can keep up or enhance (加强) people’s overall (全面的) mental abilities as commonly thought. “So there is no need to feel bad if you do not enjoy brain training: there are no health reasons for doing it,” says Sawicki. “But if you think brain training exercises are interesting, you can try out different things. For example, completing the order of letters can improve your logic skills. And practicing word association techniques can help you to remember things better. You can do all of these things at home on your own.”
1.What can we learn about the brain training products according to the passage?
A.They are expensive. B.They are effective.
C.They are harmful to the brain. D.They are unreliable
2.According to Peter Sawicki, brain training exercises can________.
A.only improve a certain ability of people
B.help all people improve their memory
C.keep the brain active for a longer time
D.only improve your reaction time
3.The last paragraph shows that brain training exercises should be done_______.
A.when you can’t learn new things B.in a relaxing way
C.under strict instructions D.when your thinking gets much slower
4.On the whole, researchers think that brain training exercises_______.
A.aren’t as effective as commonly thought
B.are just designed for young people to have fun
C.may benefit people in some indirect ways
D.shouldn’t be encouraged
It was not easy to buy a delicious pineapple more than 10 years ago. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.
The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety.
In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.
Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.
1.We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is __________.
A.good-looking outside and soft inside B.green outside and sweet inside
C.a little soft outside and sweet inside D.yellowy-gold outside and hard inside
2.Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?
A.It was less sweet and good for health. B.It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.
C.It was developed by Del Monte. D.It was used as medicine.
3.The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.
A.that is always present B.that people don’t like eating
C.that is difficult to get D.that people use as a gift
4.We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.
A.succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself
B.slowed other companies to develop pineapples
C.planned to help the other companies
D.tried hard to control the pineapple market
There is a test for you. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness (意识) is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.
Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But differences that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb (麻木的)to new stimulation (刺激), new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.
The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One cold night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring (泉水). Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.
Another block to awareness is the obsession (痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides to check its name, and said, a “ruby-crowned kinglet”. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.
The pressures of “time” and “destination (目的地)” are further blocks to awareness. I met many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. “Oh, a few birds,” they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.
Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this way and you will open a new dimension (维度) to your life.
1.According to Paragraph 2, compared with adults, children are more ____________.
A.sensitive to others’ feelings B.anxious to do wonders
C.likely to develop unpleasant habits D.eager to explore the world around them
2.What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 3?
A.To avoid jumping to conclusions. B.To stop complaining all the time.
C.To follow the teacher’s advice. D.To admit mistakes honestly.
3.The bird watchers’ behavior shows that they __________.
A.are really attracted by nature B.are very patient in their observation
C.care only about the names of birds D.question the field guides
4.Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?
A.The natural beauty isn’t attractive to them.
B.They focus on arriving at the camp in time.
C.The forest in the dark is dangerous for them.
D.They are eager to see the rare animals at the destination.
An All-School Reunion was to be held in Barditch High School. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hand to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for over fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the births of your children, in my imagination.”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar (呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
1.What activity was organized for the school reunion?
A.A picnic on the school playground.
B.Sightseeing in the park.
C.Graduates’ reports in the old building.
D.Telling stories about past events.
2.We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she _____________.
A.gave her students advice on their careers
B.kept track of her students’ progress
C.attended her students’ college graduations
D.went to her students’ wedding ceremonies
3.Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates?
A.determined and generous. B.Reliable and devoted
C.Strict but caring. D.Proud but patient
假设你是李华，最近你发现很多同学不吃早饭，经常熬夜等不健康的生活方式。学校校报的英语专栏正在开展以健康生活方式为主题的英语征文活动，你就此话题拟向校报投稿。请根据以下提示信息写一篇英语短文。
1. 指出现在部分同学生活不健康的现象；
2. 结合实际提出具体建议：
（1）饮食习惯；
（2）体育锻炼。
注意：
1. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2. 词数：100左右。
Dear Editor,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假如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，每句中最多有两处错误。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（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）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. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Mr. Johnson is a hardworking teacher, which spends too much time with his work every day. With little sleep and hardly any break, so he works from morning till night. Hard work have made him very ill. “He has ruined his healthy. We are worried him.” That is what other teachers say. Yesterday afternoon, I paid a visit to Mr. Johnson. I was eager to see him, but outside her room I stopped. I had to calm myself down. Quiet I stepped into the room. I saw him lying in bed, looking at some of the picture we had taken together. I understood that he missed us just as many as we missed him.
