Your brain controls everything you do. It makes it possible for you to think, learn, create and feel; to blink(眨眼) and breathe and for your heart to heat –this fantastic control center is your brain. It is so amazing that a famous scientist once called it “the most complex(复杂) thing we have yet discovered in our universe”.
Can this small grey organ(器官), which weighs less than one and a half kilos, really do so much? Amazingly, your brain contains about 100 billion neurons(神经元) -it would take you over 3 ,000 years to count them all. Believe it or not, the activity in your brain never stops. Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the world. And although one neuron creates only a little electricity, all your neurons together can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb (灯泡).
So exactly how fast does your brain work? Well, imagine this: a bee lands on your foot. Neurons in your skin send this information to your brain at a speed of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Your brain then uses other neurons to send the message back to your foot to shake the bee off quickly. These neurons can send this information at more than 320 kilometers per hour. No computer has your brain's unbelievable ability to deal with the amount of information coming from your eyes, ears and other sensory organs.
But how does your brain allow you to learn things that you will use in the future? The structure (结构) of your brain changes every time you have a new thought, remember or learn something. For example, riding a bike seems impossible at first, but soon you are able to do it. How? As you practice, your brain sends "bike riding" messages again and again Soon, the actions are learnt and you are able to ride a bike easily from then on.
1.From the passage we know that neurons___________.
A. receive messages very slowly B. are only found in your skin
C. send messages to your brain D. need electricity to work
2.In Paragraph 3, the writer mentions computers to ___________ .
A. compare them with the human brain
B. show how fast they have become
C. say that computers have no abilities
D. ask people to use computers more
3.When you have a new thought, ___________ .
A. your brain will power a light bulb B. your heart beats faster
C. you remember something D. the structure of your brain changes
4.Which of the statements about the brain is TRUE?
A. The speed of the neurons in the brain can be up to 320 kilometers per minute.
B. The electricity produced by the neurons can hardly power a light bulb.
C. We learn a new skill by sending the messages again and again through the brain.
D. After receiving the information, the brain send the same neurons back to your foot.
5.The article is mainly about ___________.
A. all the steps when your brain learns things
B. what an unbelievable organ the human brain is
C. how the brain makes people smarter than computers
D. the things you can do to make your brain work faster
Many people thought that the USA former president Calvin Coolidge always lived in the White House. However, he sometimes lived in the nearby Willard Hotel.
Once, in the middle of a night, the president woke up to see a thief searching his clothes. Coolidge calmly spoke up from the darkness, "I wish you wouldn't take that watch."
"Why?" asked the shocked man.
Coolidge answered, "Take it near the window and read what is engraved(雕刻) on the back of it."
The man read, "Presented to Calvin Coolidge, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court." He was very surprised!
"Are you President Coolidge?" he asked. He had never thought he would find the president sleeping in a hotel!
"Yes, I am," Coolidge said. Then he asked, "Why are you doing this?"
The young man explained that he and two friends travelled to Washington D.C. during their college vacation. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill and buy the train tickets back to school.
Coolidge added up the cost. It came to $ 32. That may not sound like much now, but it was a big number then. "I'll give you the $ 32 as a loan(借款) ," the president said, "and I expect you to pay me hack."
The young man thanked him. Coolidge left him with this warning: "You are a nice boy. You are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are."
It wasn't until after the death of Mr Coolidge that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the newspaper Los Angeles Times. And the most interesting of all is that the president's notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $ 32 loan in full.
1.How did the young man get to know the president?
A. By looking at the back of the watch.
B. By looking at the loan.
C. The boss of the hotel told the young man about it.
D. The president's wife told the young man about it.
2.How did the young man travel to Washington D.C.with his friends?
A. By air. B. By bus. C. By train. D. On foot.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The young man's family was always poor.
B. The hotel cost was rather cheap at that time.
C. The young man never got in touch with the president again.
D. The young man learned a lesson from his experience with the president.
4.How did people first get to know the story?
A. From the president himself. B. From a newspaper.
C. From the young man's notes. D. From the young man himself.
5.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Money can be given up when necessary.
B. People should be forgiven(原谅) for their mistakes.
C. Everyone can become better after an unusual experience.
D. An act of kindness may change a person's life.
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day the feelings were told that the island would sink, so all built boats and left, except Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold on until the last possible moment.
When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.
Richness was passing by Love in a big boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?”
Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”
Love decided to ask Vanity(虚荣心) who was also passing by in a beautiful ship. “Vanity, please help me!”
“I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage(破坏) my boat,” Vanity answered.
Sadness was close by so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.”
“Oh…Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.
Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. So thankful and happy, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed(欠) the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?”
“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.
“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?”
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is able to understand how valuable Love is.”
1.How did the feelings go away from the island?
A. By flying. B. By swimming. C. On foot. D. By water
2.How many feelings did Love ask for help but failed?
A. 5. B. 4 C. 3 D. 2
3.Which of the following is true?
A. Happiness was blind. B. Richness had a small boat.
C. Sadness wanted to stay alone. D. Vanity’s ship was damaged
4.Who saved Love?
A. Happiness. B. Knowledge. C. Richness. D. Time.
5.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Different Feelings B. An Accident C. A sinking island D. Love and Time
The Importance of First Aid
First aid is the immediate care given to a person who has been injured or suddenly ill, including self-help and home care if medical help is not available or delayed. First aid knowledge means life or death during an emergency situation, so it is very important for everyone to learn first aid.
General Treatment to Burns
●Move the injured away from the heat.
●Check the breathing as well as the size and depth of burns．
●Wash the burnt area with water to reduce pain.
●Cover the wound with a sterilized （消毒的） dressing.
●For burns on the face, use sheet or something else to cover the burnt area.
Heatstroke
To avoid heatstroke, you should stop tiring activities in hot weather. If you still go outdoors, you should:
●wear light loose-fitting(宽松的）clothing;
●rest in a cool place as often as possible;
●drink boiled water or fruit juice;
●avoid drink such as milk, wine and beer.
First Aid training
Some people go through specific training in order to provide first aid in public or at home, or other places where people get together. People performing a first aid role are often expected to have a high level of first aid training and are often uniformed. There are some organizations giving first aid courses recognized by the local government, such as the Red Cross. For more information, you can call the Fire Services Ambulance Command Training School on 2640 3708.
1.First aid is given _________.
A. when doctors arrive B. before doctors arrive
C. after doctors arrive D. to patients in hospital
2.if someone’s arm is burnt by a fire, you should _________
A. cover his arms with some sheet B. cut his arm off to get it away from the fire
C. check the size of this arm first D. put his arm under some running water
3.It can be inferred that_________may cause heatstroke on a hot day.
A. light loose-fitting clothing B. boiled water or fruit juice
C. tiring outdoor activities D. staying in a cool place
4.First aiders_________.
A. often wear uniforms B. don’t have much training
C. only provide first aid at home D. often get together in public
5.What is the writer’s main purpose of writing the passage？
A. To introduce some first aid training courses and schools.
B. To show the importance of first aid with some examples.
C. To praise an organization that is related to first aid training.
D. To tell the readers how to perform some first aid treatment.
In June, 2013, I started my work at the animal shelter's Adoption (领养) Department. Over the years, more than 50000 animals have ______ the doors of the shelter (收容所). Sometimes there are ______ animals, who touch me so deeply that I could never forget them. Tabby was one such animal.
Tabby was an ancient Cooker Spaniel, probably 14 years old. What's more, she was blind and deaf. Tabby's chances of adoption seemed small. We all thought that Tabby would live out the rest of her life at the ______.
One day a woman named Loretta came to the shelter. Her son, Gary, was interested in Tabby! What could a young child possibly see in a 14-year-old dog who was both blind and deaf? Most boys would want a dog who could grow with them and ______ through grassy fields on summer days. Tabby would ______ be able to do that. But after meeting her, Loretta and Gary decided that she was the right dog for their family. They adopted Tabby!
If Tabby′s story simply ended with her ______ adoption, it would still have been something very special indeed. ______, it was what happened after her adoption that people might think to be "magic". Gary had seizures (癫痫).Since Gary and Tabby met, they have been friends. They became so "in tune" with one another that Tabby began to tell Gray's seizures ______ they appeared, giving his family a(n) ______ that one was about to strike (到达). What's more, Gary seemed to be having fewer and fewer seizures since Tabby arrived.
How could it be? Nobody could explain ______ Tabby did it. But those of us who were lucky enough to know her family and witnessed the magic, know that it has its roots in love.
1.A. broken B. passed C. locked
2.A. strange B. active C. special
3.A. hospital B. shelter C. farm
4.A. run B. get C. break
5.A. often B. exactly C. never
6.A. successful B. normal C. sad
7.A. However B. Moreover C. Perhaps
8.A. unless B. before C. since
9.A. explanation B. suggestion C. warning
10.A. when B. why C. how
-- He is too short to be a successful basketball player.
--__________. Every dog has its day.
A. I think so B. It's hard to say C. Lucky him
