Advice to “sleep on it” could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night’s sleep a problem that couldn’t be solved the night before can often appear more manageable, although the evidence until now has been anecdotal. But researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night’s sleep can improve insight and problem-solving.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures them, so that after sleep the insight into problem which you could not solve before increases,” said Dr. Jan Born, a neuroscientist, at the university. To test the theory, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn a string of numbers into a new order. There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake.
Dr. Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group. “Sleep helped,” Born said in a telephone interview. “The important thing is that you have to have a memory representation in your brain of the problem you want to solve and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem.
“But Born admitted that he and his team don’t know how restructuring of memories occurs or what governs it. Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the anecdotal suggestions that sleep can help develop creative thinking. Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reason to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added.
1.The underlined phrase “sleep on it” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
A.to get as much sleep as possible
B.to go on sleeping without being disturbed
C.to delay deciding something until the next day
D.to sleep till after the time you usually get up in the morning
2.What is the purpose of the experiment?
A.To test problem-solving ability in sleep. B.To discover people’s insight during sleep.
C.To prove a good sleep helps solve problems. D.To discuss how to improve sleeping quality.
3.How did Jan Born and his team carry out the experiment?
A.Through comparison. B.Through interviews.
C.Through talks. D.Through imagination.
4.What can we learn about the experimental evidence?
A.It helps scientists control memories. B.It explains the role of sleep in human.
C.It tells us the role of sleep is a mystery. D.It shows sleep does good to creative thinking.
Many cities and towns have laws that require people to recycle paper and plastics. Now some state and local governments have passed laws that require citizens to recycle their food waste as well. California and Vermont have statewide laws about recycling food waste that apply to businesses and homes. The process of recycling food waste and turning it into usable soil is called composting (堆制肥料).
Food waste that can be composted includes fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggshells. Garden waste such as stems and leaves can also be composted. Meat, fish, and dairy food waste cannot be recycled.
According to environmental groups, composting reduces the amount of trash going into landfills, and composted waste holds a wide range of nutrients (营养物). When compost is added to the soil in gardens and fields, it helps crops grow.
Reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills is one reason why cities and states are passing food-waste recycling laws. “Our landfills are far from enough for the creation of new ones is shrinking.” Renee Crowley, a project manager at the Lower East Side Ecology Center in New York City, told TFK.
Officials in Seattle, Washington, say that food waste makes up 30% of the trash going into landfills, and they are looking to reduce that percentage. That city has a law requiring people to recycle food waste. It is banned from all garbage. There is a fine (罚款) for people who put it into regular garbage.
Those who are against food-recycling laws say that the composting process is costly. In addition, it can be difficult for people who live in apartments to store their waste because they don’t have access to outside storage bins. Patti Ferguson from Orange County, California, told her local newspaper that she thought an indoor container containing food waste would get smelly.
1.What do we know about composting from the text?
A.Leaves can’t be reused. B.Not all food waste can be composted.
C.It is cheap to compost food waste. D.It is usually processed in empty landfills.
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Benefits of recycling food waste. B.Ways of keeping nutrients in the soil.
C.Ways of reducing the amount of trash. D.Examples of different useful nutrients.
3.In Seattle, throwing food waste into garbage is _____.
A.acceptable B.shameful C.required D.illegal
4.What’s Patti Ferguson’s attitude towards food-recycling laws probably?
A.Thankful. B.Negative. C.Uncaring. D.Supportive.
Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but the brave 32yearold man plays football and golf, swims, and surfs. Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and enables him to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes.
“I call it my chicken drumstick(畸形的小腿),” joked Nick. “I’d be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 per cent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller (螺旋桨). ”
When Nick was born, his distraught mother couldn’t bring herself to hold him until he was four months old. “It was so hard for my parents, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent.” said Nick.
Throughout his childhood Nick dealt with the typical challenges. At the age of seven, Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and legs, in the hope that he would be more like other kids. But they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, affecting his flexibility quite significantly.
“When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others,” said Nick. “I realized why God had made us like this — to give hope to others. It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage others and decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don’t.”
“I tell people to keep on getting up when they fall and to always love themselves,” he said. “If I can encourage just one person then my job in this life is done.” By now, he has visited 35 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker.
1.What makes it possible for Nick to swim in the water?
A.His small size. B.His small foot.
C.His light weight. D.His big lungs.
2.The underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”.
A.coldblooded B.badtempered C.extremely upset D.really crazy
3.Nick abandoned the electronic arms and legs because ____________.
A.his family couldn’t afford them B.his classmates didn’t like them
C.they were too heavy to handle D.they affected his appearance
4.What did Nick decide to do when he was 13?
A.To travel to different countries. B.To set up his business in newspapers.
C.To try to become a motivational speaker. D.To encourage people who were in trouble.
★LOUDOUN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
Grades: Preschool-Grade 8
LCDS.org • 703-777-3841
Award-winning school features a low student-teacher ratio (比率). Courses include art, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), computer programming, languages, athletics, instruments. BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), one-to-one program in fourth through eighth grades. It’s famous for its unique field trips.
★NYSMITH SCHOOL
Grades: 3 years-Grade 8
Nysmith.com • 703-552-2912
Top 10 in the world, fun, award-winning program, up to 4 grade levels of diversification (多样化) in reading and math classes, daily science, computers, logic, foreign languages, much more. 1:9 ratio. Minimal (最少的) homework. Hands-on experimental learning, a great attraction for students across the country. 2014 Tommy Award from TJ for the special achievement of Nysmith Alumni.
★FUSION ACADEMY TYSONS
Grades: 6-12
FusionTysonsCorner.com • 866-461-8039
Fusion Academy is a private middle and high school where all classes are one-to-one: one student and one teacher per classroom. Here, positive relationships unlock students’ potential. Scheduling is personalized, and no homework goes home. Come soon to Tysons, Virginia, and achieve school & life balance.
★RANDOLPH-MACON ACADEMY
Grades: 6-12, Postgraduate
rma.edu • 540-636-5484
R-MA is a college-prep boarding school with Air Force JROTC, devoted to developing students of academic achievement, leadership, and responsible citizenship. With smaller classes — on average, 14-17 students per class — students at R-MA find themselves building their confidence because our teachers care about each student. Graduating classes have a 100% college acceptance rate and average over $56.6 million in college scholarships offers each year.
1.How does LOUDOUN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL differ from the others?
A.It offers field trips. B.It has a variety of courses.
C.It provides one-to-one classes. D.It has award-winning programs.
2.Why does NYSMITH SCHOOL attract students?
A.It has no homework. B.It is the world’s best school.
C.It is a frequent winner of the Tommy Award. D.It gives them a chance to learn from experience.
3.Which school specializes in personalized education?
A.NYSMITH SCHOOL. B.FUSION ACADEMY TYSONS.
C.RANDOLPH-MACON ACADEMY. D.LOUDOUN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
I like all kinds of chocolate.Mother had bought a bar of it,and somehow I couldn't stop thinking about it.I was helping Father in the yard when I got the idea that I could cut off the end of that bar of chocolate.Mother would be sure to miss it,but before she had any idea who had done it,I could admit that I'd taken it to escape a spanking(挨揍）。I waited until Mother was out feeding the chickens.Then I told Father I thought I'd go in for a drink of water.I got the bar down,but I heard Mother coming just when I had the knife ready to cut.So I slipped the chocolate into the front of my shirt and left quickly.Before I went back to help Father,I went to the barn(谷仓）and hid the chocolate there.
All the rest of afternoon,I didn't like to look at Father.Every time he spoke it made me jump.My hands began shaking so much that he asked me what was the matter.I told him it was just that my hands were cold.I knew he didn't believe me,and every time he looked my way my heart started pounding.I didn't want the chocolate anymore.I wanted a chance to put it back without being caught.
I was nearly out to where the cows were when I remembered what Father had said once-some of the family money was mine because I had helped to earn it.Why wouldn't it be all right to figure the bar of chocolate had been bought with my own money? That seemed to fix everything.But by the time I had the cows headed home,I had begun to worry again.I decided to leave the whole matter to the Lord.I picked up a dried stick and decided I would throw it up into the air and take my orders from the way it landed.If it pointed west.I'd take the whole bar back.If it pointed south.I'd take half an inch off the end.If it pointed east,I'd bought the bar with my own money and it wouldn't be stealing to keep it.I swung the stick as high as I could.When it came down,it pointed mostly west-but a little south.That night I couldn't sleep.I kept trying to remember how much that stick had really been pointing to the south.
Paragraph 1:
At last I got up,slipped out into the yard and took the ax(斧头）from the chopping block.
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Paragraph 2.
Then he stood me on my feet and asked if I thought I had deserved the spanking._
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假如你是李华，世界自然基金会(WWF)是世界上最大的从事自然和野生动物保护的国际组织。请你给他们的负责人发一封邮件, 指出野生动物面临的危机并提出建议。内容如下：
1. 野生动物被猎杀的现状；
2. 猎杀野生动物的后果；
3. 自己的建议。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.信的开头语已为你写好。
Dear Sir or Madam,
____________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
