Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp
Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing. 1 Read on for some techniques worth trying.
1. 2
People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent
reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study. 3
Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.
2. Go for a walk.
Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact,exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. 4
3. Learn something new.
Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time. 5 Or go dancing with your friends.
A.Focus on the future.
B.This can be especially harmful to the aged.
C.It should be something like learning gardening.
D.So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.
E.But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.
F.Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.
G.In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.
The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States. It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population, and some of which fight for the passing of laws that of over two hundred million people living in the United States,up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing. Since the late 1970s,fast rising house prices,large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession(经济衰退)have made it impossbile for many Americans to meet housing costs. Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and/or unable to find new affordable homes. According to another research,families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it.The old idea of a homeless person,that of the single man who gets drunk all the time,is no longer true. A much lager part of the population now finds itself homeless. Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job,since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job applicaton.
1.
The word “address” in the first line probably means .
A. talk about B. deal with C. fight for D. write to
2.
How many people are homeless in the U.S. according to the Coalition studies?
A. 39% of the population. B. 200 million people.
C. About 3 million people. D. About one-fifth of the population.
3.
Homeless people often have difficulty finding a job because________.
A. they have no home addresses
B. they mostly have a drinking problem
C. they aren't supported by government programs
D. they often don't have enough work experience
4.
What is the main cause of the rising number of the homeless in the U.S.?
A. The passing of new housing laws.
B. The fast growth of family size.
C. The slow construction of houses.
D. The ever-rising price of housing.
Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.
In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.
The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.
The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In the 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."
The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals.They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.
1.
What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?
A. He made good use of ideas from others.
B. He produced the first car in the world.
C. He knew how to improve auto parts.
D. He invented the production line.
2.
Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?
A. To show off his driving skills.
B. To draw public attention.
C. To learn about new technology.
D. To raise money for his new company.
3.
“That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to .
A. the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices
B. the sale of Model T to the mass of people
C. the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor
D. the sales target for the Ford Company
4.
What was Henry Ford's dream according to the text?
A. Producing cars for average customers.
B. Building racing cars of simple design.
C. Designing more car models.
D. Starting more companies.
About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings.
Instead, they receive their elementary(初等)and high school education by working at home on computers.The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools.”and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgement of cyberschools,they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschool called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer,a printer,books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.
1.What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschool?
A. They have to take long bus rides to school.
B. They study at home rather than in classrooms.
C. They receive money from traditional public schools.
D. They do well in traditional school programs.
2.What is a problem with cyberschools?
A. Their equipment costs a lot of money.
B. They get little support from the state government.
C. It is hard to know students' progress in learning.
D. The students find it hard to make friends.
3.Cyberschools are getting popular became
A. they are less expensive for students
B. their students can work at their own speed
C. their graduates are more successful in society
D. they serve students in a wider age range
4.We can infer that the author of the text is .
A. unprejudiced in his description of cyberschools
B. excited about the future of cyberschools
C. doubtful about the quality of cyberschoois
D. disappointed at the development of cyberschools
I got my first driver’s license(执照)in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte,North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon. When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Catrolina driver’s license,ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21. “Mr. Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you,” he said.
I argued,pointing to a very lage belly(肚子)of mine,”I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?” He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam?”
Henry encouraged me to calm down,just go ahead and get the license and be done with it “No.” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail-using my name Susan Brown. And thus it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license. By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years-sign the name Susan Brown,have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.
1.
Susan got her first driver's license .
A. before she got married to Henry B. when she was twenty years old
C. after she finished high school D. when she just moved to Maryland
2.
Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because .
A. she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law
B. she lacked driving experience in Maryland
C. she was to give birth to a baby soon
D. she insisted on signing for herself
3.
We can infer from the text that in the U.S. .
A. American males should serve in the army
B. different states my have different laws
C. people have to renew their licenses in their home states
D. women should adopt their husbands' family names after marriage
This year I decided to do something to regain my good name as a kindly uncle. My 36 Tony,had never forgiven me for the dictionary I had bought him as a birthday present last year. His 37 had no reason to be thankful to me either,because the year before, I had 38 their dear son with a pot of paste(浆糊) and some funny pictures. Instead of 39 them into a book, Tony had naturally covered every wall in the house with them. This year, 40 , I decided to let him 41 for himself.
We went into a big shop,but Tony was very particular about 42 . Although I tried to show him toy after toy,he was not to be 43 . Then I saw he suddenly became 44 ; he had discovered something he really liked: a large tin dram. I was quite happy too 45 I thought what Tony’s mother would say when she saw it. Nobody would get any 46 for weeks! I led Tony away 47 , saying that the dram was too expensive.
Tony asked for permission to go off 48 and I made the most of my chance to sit down end 49 my aching feet. Fifteen minutes passed but there was still no sign of Tony. I began to get 50 and got up to look for him. I asked a young lady if she had seen a little boy in a grey suit. She looked 51 her helplessly and pointed out that there were so many 52
in grey suits. I was just going to call the police for help,when I saw a strange 53 dressed in strange orange clothes. He was wearing a false beard and had a caveman’s axe(斧子)in one hand,and a space gun in the other. It was, of course,Tony, who informed me 54 that he was the first 55 to fly into space.
1.A. cousin B. daughter C. grandson D. nephew
2.A. friends B. parents C. classmates D. brothers
3.A. presented B. annoyed C. confused D. occupied
4.A. entering B. dividing C. sticking D. drawing
5. A. anyhow B. though C. again D. therefore
6.A. guess B. choose C. pay D. see
7.A. sweets B. toys C. clothes D. books
8. A. pleased B. disturbed C. accepted D. disappointed
9. A. surprised B. hopeful C. patient D. excited
10. A. after B. until C. unless D. since
11.A. shock B. trouble C. peace D. time
12.A. happily B. eagerly C. cautiously D. quickly
13.A. on his own B. in his way C. now and then D. more or less
14.A. drag B. rest. C. lay D. step
15. A. 8shamed B. angry C. worried D. doubtful
16.A. about B. to C. at D. across
17.A. young ladies B. new customers C. loving parents D. small boys
18.A. figure B. actor C. man D. doll
19.A. on time B. at once C. just now D. once again
20.A. policeman B. spaceman C. caveman D. postman
