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    In 1992,Teen Talk Barbie was put on the market with the controversial voice fragment(碎片），＂Math class is hard."While the toy's sale met with strong public reaction,this hidden assumption continues,spreading the belief that women do not boom in science,technology,engineering and mathematic(STEM)fields due to biological inadequacies in math talent.

However,in 2019 Jessica Cantlon at Carnegie Mellon University led a research team that thoroughly examined the brain development of young boys and girls and found no sex difference in brain function or math ability.

Cantlon and her team studied the biological sex differences in math ability of young children.Her team used functional MRI(核磁共振）to measure the brain activity in 104 young children（3-to-10-year-old;55 girls)while watching an educational video covering early math topics,like counting and addition.The researchers compared scans from the boys and girls to evaluate brain similarity.In addition,the team examined brain maturity by comparing the children's scans to those taken from a group of adults(63 adults;25 women)who watched the same math videos.

After many statistical comparisons,Cantlon and her team found no difference in the brain development of girls and boys.In addition,the researchers found no difference in how boys and girls processed math skills while watching the educational videos.Finally,boys' and girls' brain maturity were statistically alike when compared to either men or women in the adult group.

Cantlon said she thinks society and culture are likely directing girls and young women away from math and STEM fields."Typical socialization can make worse small differences between boys and girls that can snowball into how we treat them in science and math,"Cantlon said."We need to be aware of these origins to ensure we aren't the ones causing the sex unfairness."

However,this project is focused on early childhood development using a limited set of math tasks.Cantlon wants to continue this work using a broader scope(范围）of math skills,such as spatial processing and memory,and follow the children over many years.

1.What can we infer after Teen Talk Barbie was on sale?

A.Girls are born with poor math abilities.

B.Math is difficult for both boys and girls.

C.Boys perform no better than girls in math.

D.Math is harder than science and technology.

2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A.The result of Cantlon's study.

B.The purpose of Cantlon's job.

C.The method of Cantion's research.

D.The difficulty of Cantlon's work.

3.How will Cantlon further her research?

A.By using a larger variety of subjects.

B.By employing a wider range of math skills.

C.By raising the difficulty of the math tasks.

D.By expanding the number of the children.

4.In which part of a magazine will the text most probably appear?

A.Business. B.Sports&Health.

C.Entertainment. D.Popular science.

    The daughter of a friend of mine recently left university and entered into the world of work, taking on a temporary office job.At the end of her first week at work,she phoned home in tears.

＂It's horrible,"she complained to her mother,"there's no time to do anything else,I'm so tired. when I get home in the evenings that all I can do is watching TV.And then I have to get up early the next morning and do it all again!If this is what work is like,I don't want to spend my whole life doing it!"

We take it for granted that work must be a major part of our lives-in fact,for many people, it's the primary aspect of our lives.We define ourselves,and other people,by our job roles-"So what do you do?"-and measure our happiness in terms of how successful we are in these roles. Forty hours a week,48 weeks a year,for up to 50 years-not including traveling time,and the time we spend resting and recovering from the efforts of our working lives.

Of course,if you're lucky,you might have a job which is satisfying,which suits your interests and skills,and which you find challenging and thrilling.In that case,your job may provide you with what psychologists call"flow"-a state of intense(强烈的）absorption,which makes you feel busy and alive.Perhaps the majority of people aren't so lucky and do jobs which are repetitive and boring.But I would argue that,even if your job does provide you with"flow",work should just be an aspect of our lives.Working 40 hours a week makes our lives become constricted,so that we lose sight of whole vista(前景）of possibility.There's so much to learn in life,so many different ways to develop,so many activities to enjoy (including doing nothing),but while we spend so much time working it's difficult to find time and energy for these.

1.Why does the writer mention the daughter of his friend?

A.To introduce the topic.

B.To show his sympathy.

C.To confirm his opinion.

D.To raise the readers' interest.

2.What did the daughter of the writer's friend complain about?

A.The demanding boss,

B.The tiring work routine.

C.The unfriendly workmates.

D.The challenging goals.

3.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word"constricted"?

A.steady

B.complete

C.careful

D.narrow

4.Which of the following about"flow”will the writer agree with?

A.Most of the people have jobs that provide"flow",

B.People may work nervously even with"flow"in jobs.

C.People are encouraged to work actively because of"flow".

D.People are required to work harder once provided with"flow".

    My nephew came for a visit one hot,July weekend. I persuaded him to stay inside by joining him in a Nintendo game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player,I suggested that we relax for a while. He slipped out of the room and I caught a few moments of peace and quiet.

"Look,Alice," he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering." I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?"

Glancing out of a nearby window,I noticed there was not a breeze(微风). "T' m sorry, Tripper," I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the short period of rest from more activities. "The wind is not blowing today.The kite won't fly."

The determined 10-year-old replied. "I think it's windy enough.I can get it to fly," he answered,as he hurried out through the back door.I peeked(规视)through the curtains to watch determination in action.Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string.The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten-year-old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in.

I asked, "How did it go?" "Fine, "he said," I got it to fly some." As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the wind.”

At that moment I heard another voice speak to my heart. "Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the wind." And the voice was right. We usually want to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do. We wait for the wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!

1.Why did the writer refuse to fly the kite with his nephew that day?

A.Because he preferred to relax himself.

B.Because he was not good at flying kites.

C.Because he wanted to stay peaceful and quiet.

D.Because he found the weather was not suitable.

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 5?

A.Tripper was unwilling to admit defeat.

B.Tripper felt unhappy and hopeless.

C.Tripper was hesitant to try it again.

D.Tripper lost interest in flying the kite.

3.Which words can best describe Tripper?

A.Naughty and active.

B.Determined and insistent.

C.Brave and bright.

D.Weak and sensitive.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Fly a Kite in Life

B.Try Your Best

C.Wait for the Wind

D.Determine to Succeed

Theatres of the past

The Greek theatre

Theatres developed in many parts of Greece.Ancient Greek theatres were built in natural open

air sites on conveniently shaped hills.This allowed a great mass of people to enjoy a show at a time. Due to this, actors placed emphasis on exaggerated(夸张的）action and speech.And,colorful symbolic masks and costumes were used.

The Medieval theatre

The Medieval theatre started in churches.That's why medieval plays were about Bible stories. At first,it became a custm for priests(牧师）to act out brief scenes during Christmas and Easter.These acts attracted large crowds.Finally,the church refused to allow priests to participate in any such events again,so ordinary people began these performances outside.Performances were set in the town square,with several stage settings around it.

The Elizabethan theatre

The England's theatre developed rapidly in the years following the defeat of the Spanish Navy. The distinctive feature of Elizabethan theatre was the stage.It has three parts: the fore stage for outside scenes;the inner stage for scenes inside a building;an upper stage or balcony for various purposes. The reason for this design is that there were no scene changes or breaks during the play. Very little scenery was used,so the actors had to create a scene through their voices and dialogues. This led to a more poetic script(剧本), and poets became the main source of script writing.

The Restoration theatre

Some of the plays told sad stories, but the majority of the plays were really funny.Many specialized machines were used to create the scene. The stage was a very clever idea, in that on the sides of the stage large back shutters(百叶窗)painted with the scene.

1.Why did actors in ancient Greek theatres use exaggerated action and speech?

A.To build the theatres in open-air sites on hills.

B.To develop a brand-new way of performance.

C.To make a big audience easy to enjoy the show.

D.To match colorful symbolic masks and costumes.

2.In which theatre was scenery seldom used during the play?

A.The Greek theatre.

B.The Elizabethan theatre.

C.The Medieval theatre.

D.The Restoration theatre,

3.What is special about the Restoration theatre?

A.The stage was smartly designed.

B.The actors wore colorful costumes.

C.The performers were the ordinary people.

D.Most of the plays were about Bible stories.

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old. He was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud, but he soon realized this time it was different.

“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone yelled.

Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.

Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor（走廊）through the smoke.

They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane stopped in her track. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed suit.

Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Makcik, Malay for auntie. Jane began banging on Makcik’s door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas—running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.

“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. “I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded the door. “Go downstairs. Go now! Go!”

注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph1:

Tom noticed the flame was reaching up.

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Paragraph 2:

Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.

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