Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: “The hand took hold of the ball”), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动）.Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does---well, perhaps you'll understand why.
1.Mirror neurons can explain .
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A． why we cry when we are hurt |
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B．why we cough when we suffer from a cold |
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C． why we smile when we see someone else smile |
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D． why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late |
2.The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “ ’’
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A．set off |
B．cut off |
C．built up |
D．broken up |
3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons ________.
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A． relate to human behavior and interaction |
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B．control human physical actions and feelings |
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C． result in bad behavior and social disorders |
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D． determine our knowledge and language abilities |
4.What is the passage mainly about?
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A． Ways to find mirror neurons. |
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B．Problems of mirror neurons. |
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C．Existence of mirror neurons. |
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D． Functions of mirror neurons. |
Easter(复活节 ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
1.The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.
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A．show the importance of Easter Day |
B．introduce the issue about bunnies |
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C．remind people of Easter traditions |
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D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies |
2.The word “culprit” ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.
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A．criminal |
B．judge |
C．victim |
D．producer |
3.According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because they_______
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A．are exposed lo more skillful hunters |
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B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants |
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C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change |
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D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring |
4.The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.
A. both are affected by 1ess snow
B. both are affected by rising sea levels
C neither can find enough food
D. neither can migrate to higher places
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）.Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________
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A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
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B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
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C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
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D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______
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A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
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B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
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C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
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D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
3.What is the best title for the passage?
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A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
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B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
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C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
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D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
4.The passage is likely to appear in ___________.
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A．a biography |
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B．a history paper |
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C．a newspaper |
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D．a philosophy textbook |
Mini Book Excerpts（节选）
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger：A Life by Kenneth Slawenski（Random House,$27）Mystery（疑案小说）
“You’re a smart boy. Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it?”The boy was starting stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika,“Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers,“Maybe,”he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund（Atria Books, $25. 99）
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don’t want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won’t. Some mothers love so their daughters won’t.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna （Riverhead Books,$15）
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times! “amusement cycling”is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day’s drive lf most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle（Ecco,$14. 99）
1.If the readers want to know about the title of Salinger, they should buy the book published by
.
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A．Ecco |
B．Atria Books |
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C．Riverhead Books |
D．Random House |
2.The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for .
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A．young children |
B．Disney World workers |
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C．middle school teachers |
D．parents with young children |
3.Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf
4.After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that .
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A．the boy helped arrest the murderer |
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B．Benny died of an accident |
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C．the murderer got away with the crime |
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D．Annika carried out the crime |
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal—that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.
1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
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A．I was waiting for good fortune. |
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B．I was trying to find an admirable job. |
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C．I was being aimless about a suitable job. |
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D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time. |
2.The author decided to write a novel ______ .
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A．to finish the writing course |
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B．to realize her own dream |
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C．to satisfy readers’ wish |
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D．to earn more money |
3.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
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A．Disturbed. |
B．Ashamed. |
C．Confident. |
D．Uncertain. |
4.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
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A．It pays to stick to one’s goal. |
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B．Hard work can lead to success. |
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C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky. |
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D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something. |
If you asked high school girls to name their favorite sports, most would probably say basketball or volleyball. I happen to be one of the few girls who would 36 :surfing. But isn’t that a boy thing? Some people 37 .Most certainly not.
I started surfing about five years ago and 38 in love with the sport on the very first day. Riding that first 39 was the best feeling I had ever experienced.
When I try to 40 surfing with other things, I find it very difficult because, in my ___41_ ,there’s nothing like it. It involves body, 42 ,and soul. There’s sand between my toes and cool, salt water all 43 us. The feeling I get when I’m surfing across that 44 ,becoming one with the 45 ,is like I’m weightless.
The one thing I can 46 from surfing and not any other sport is endless challenge. You can never be the “best surfer” because the ocean 47 an uncountable variety of waves that nobody can ever master. The variations of surfing styles are wonderful. Some surfers are free and flowing; others are very aggressive and 48 .All of these things attract me to surfing and make it 49 from any other sport.
I’ve 50 to tell every girl I know to do something that people don’t think girls can do. It’s part of being human to advance to new 51 ,so shouldn’t it be expected that girls should step up and start 52 the limits of things boys and men used to dominate?
There’re women 53 side by side with the President of our country, so why not side by side with the boys 54 the football team or out in the water surfing? Give girls a chance to __55 , and they will.
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