It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．
New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．
Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)
The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．
Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.
“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”
Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not only does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”
He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to use musical instruments.
B．How music affects the brain.
C．How playing music makes people smarter.
D．The development of research into music.
2．Compared with non-musicians, __________.
A．musicians are better at foreign languages
B．musicians are more active in sports
C．musicians have stronger emotions
D．musicians’ brains work differently in processing
3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?
A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.
B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．
C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．
D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．
4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．
A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults
B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65
C．some studies show playing music can increase memory
D．he will do more research into brain development and music
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney (肾) damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
1．Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A．whitening B．changing C．lighting D．pleasing
2．Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light.
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence.
C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin.
D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families.
3．According to the text the following are the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT______.
A．blackened fingernails B．permanent skin damage
C．emotional damage D．a waste of time and money
4．From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ___________．
A．supportive B．positive C．doubtful D．negative
●Tower Bridge is one of London’s most well known landmarks．Opened in 1894, this hydraulic (液压的) bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath.
Visitors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers．There is also a museum which explains how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history．Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge．London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge.
●The British Museum is a “must do” for all visitors to London, England．Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain’s largest and most popular museum．To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge.
Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should be clear about what they wish to see．One “must see” is the Rosetta Stone–a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankind．The British Museum is located in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1.
●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London．Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory．A painted line at the observatory indicates zero degrees of longitude（经度）.
Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere（半球）and the other in the eastern hemisphere．Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked – “Greenwich Mean Time” or “GMT”.
Greenwich is located in London SE10.
●The Eurostar high–speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels．The Eurostar trains pass through the 32–mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel．The tunnel is also known as the“Euro Tunnel”or“Chunnel”．The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world’s great engineering wonders.
Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London.
1．If a tourist doesn’t have any money on him, which of the following can he do?
A．Visit Tower Bridge. B．Visit the British Museum.
C．Go around Greenwich Park. D．Take a Eurostar high–speed train.
2．Where can we find the attraction of the Cutty Sark?
A．On London Bridge. B．In the Old Royal Observatory.
C．In the British Museum. D．In Greenwich Park.
2．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Tower Bridge can be raised mainly to let the water flow faster.
B．The British Museum is the largest museum in the world.
C．Greenwich Park is where the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere meet.
D．The Eurostar train can take people from London to many cities in Europe directly.
3．In what web page do you think the passage is probably found?
A．International news. B．Study abroad.
C．Travel Guide. D．Art of architecture.
Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, was selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil．She and seven other non-Chinese winners had been chosen from 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily．When Bowen ran with the Olympic torch, she was not only representing the United States, but also representing thousands of Chinese orphans (孤儿).
Bowen, a mother of two adopted (收养) Chinese daughters, is director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was founded in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives of orphaned children in China．In nearly 10 years, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children．Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities． About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and care for orphans.
Bowen hoped that running with the Olympic torch would help draw attention to the children in China．She was among 19,400 runners who carried the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents．Beijing organizers say it was the longest torch relay in Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China．Other countries represented were the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their “love of Chinese culture and history” and devotion to “communicating information of a real China to their native countries”．Each runner carried the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil.
1．Bowen hopes that being a torch runner would help ________.
A．collect educational tools, medical support, etc, for orphans
B．make Half the Sky Foundation well known
C．draw special attention to orphans in China
D．communicate information of America
2．According to the text, Jenny Bowen ________.
A．is interested in Chinese sports
B．founded the organization of Half the Sky
C．has adopted 13,000 children during 10 years
D．loves Chinese culture and history
3．Which of the following about the 2008 torch relay is WRONG?
A．The contest for its runners is organized by Lenovo Group and China Daily.
B．It has eight foreign runners, including an American, a German and a Venezuelan.
C．It will be the longest relay with the most runners in Olympic history.
D．It will be an opportunity to communicate information of a real China to the world.
4．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．Happy Life of a Great US Woman in China
B．A US Woman Carrying 2008 Olympic Torch in China
C．The Development of Half the Sky Foundation
D．The Longest Torch Relay in Olympic History
第二部分 阅读理解(共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分)
第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When students think of learning a foreign language, the first thought is of books, exercises, and audio cassettes．Those are important to learning but sometimes a little bit boring．Therefore, it is time for us to spice things up a bit.
Things like a cellphone can keep your interest level high．It’s a perfect study material．You have it with you day after day, you are familiar with how it works and you can use it to practice whenever you have time．You don’t need to have your books by your side or stay in your room to listen to tapes.
Let’s take a look at how to add your cellphone to your study tools.
Set up your cellphone to use the language you want to study．Go to the menu, find settings, locate language and change it to English or Spanish, which benefits your language learning.
Look at the buttons and connect those items with the new vocabulary．This enables you to master simple words and phrases with little effort．For example, each time you open up your cellphone you’ll see “messages”, “games” and “calls made”．These words begin to take root if you see them again and again.
When you have time, take out your cellphone and start hitting buttons．You’ll be surprised at all the vocabulary you can learn by playing with the different menu items．Some things you’ll recognize immediately and others you can guess just by where you find them.
It can keep your learning fresh and interesting．And that’s important because boredom is a big problem with language learners．You need variety and a cellphone is one way to get it.
1．The underlined part “spice things up” in the first paragraph means “______”.
A．make things interesting B．make things realistic
C．make things helpful D．make things obvious
2．Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using a cellphone as a study material?
A．We can study with it at any moment.
B．It keeps our learning interest high.
C．We can use it to practice freely.
D．It offers the chance to practice learning.
3．By playing with a cellphone, you can ______.
A．learn the words in the menu
B．remember the messages sent by others
C．improve the techniques of playing games
D．become familiar with different kinds of languages
4．Why did the author write the passage?
A．To stress the importance of language learning.
B．To introduce the latest ways of language learning.
C．To inform how to keep your learning fresh.
D．To explain how to use cellphones to learn language.
第三节 完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When I was about 13, my father would take me on short outings on Saturdays．On the way home, Dad 21 stopped at the Dairy Queen for 10-cent ice creams．I couldn’t 22 it, but I could pray from the 23 we started heading home to that corner where we would either go straight for the ice cream or 24 and go home empty-handed．That corner 25 either mouth-watering excitement or 26 ．
One day, we were heading home, and again I was praying for the 27 sound of his offer．It 28 ．“Would you like an ice cream today?” “That sounds great, Dad!” But then he said, “Would you like to 29 today?”
“Twenty cents!” I thought to myself, “I can afford it．I got 25 cents’ pocket money and some 30 for odd jobs（零活）．Well, 31 it is enough, ice cream isn’t a good use of it.” 32 , I said, “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll 33 .” My father just said, “Okay, Son.”
But as we headed home, I realized how wrong I was and begged him to 34 ．But he just said, “That’s okay, we don’t really need one.” I felt 35 for my selfishness and ungratefulness．He didn’t mind, or 36 act disappointed．
From that I 37 generosity（慷慨）goes two ways and gratefulness (感谢) sometimes costs more than “thank you”．On that day gratefulness would have cost 20 cents and it would have been the 38 ice cream I’d ever had．
I’ll tell you one more thing．We 39 another trip the next week．As we 40 the corner, I said, “Dad, would you like an ice cream today? My treat.”
21．A．suddenly B．hardly C．frequently D．strangely
22．A．expect B．mention C．wait D．get
23．A．month B．day C．weekend D．time
24．A．finish B．drive C．turn D．return
25．A．showed B．meant C．suggested D．instructed
26．A．anger B．shame C．happiness D．disappointment
27．A．interesting B．surprising C．beautiful D．funny
28．A．came B．spoke C．rung D．flew
29．A．serve B．treat C．buy D．provide
30．A．extra B．limited C．little D．easy
31．A．since B．as C．when D．although
32．A．However B．Therefore C．Besides D．Instead
33．A．accept B．pay C．pass D．forbid
34．A．turn back B．carry on C．stop by D．give in
35．A．unsatisfied B．ashamed C．shameful D．crazy
36．A．even B．never C．only D．somehow
37．A．recognized B．learned C．realized D．found
38．A．dearest B．worst C．cheapest D．best
39．A．made up B．prepared for C．went on D．took on
40．A．came over B．came left C．came out D．came near
