A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They may also have problems thinking clearly and remembering.
Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. They had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.
The researcher took some saliva from the women”s mouths to measure levels of a hormone(荷尔蒙) that increases during stress(紧张). He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain”s temporal lobes(脑叶).
It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.
The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.
Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently (永久性的) affect memory.
1.According to the text, jet lag .
2.It can be inferred from the text that .
3.From the result of the research we can see that .
4.What is the subject discussed in the text?
Things you need to know about studying there
Study style
Since the 1950s, the Netherlands has had courses in English especially for foreign students. Students are expected to be critical of what they read and hear, and to be able of working independently. Foreign students will soon notice that at Dutch institutions for higher learning people are expected to do a lot of talking. The most common form of teaching is the seminar or working group, where a small group of students work under a teacher’s supervision to analyze(分析)a certain problem. On exams, they have to show that they know the material, and that they have formed well-founded opinions on the subject.
Accommodations(住宿)
If you are in an exchange programme or an international course, it is quite possible that a room will be arranged for you. Accept it immediately, or you will regret it later. That’s because finding a place to live in a country as crowded as the Netherlands is not easy.
Before you leave China, ask your host institution whether or not housing will indeed be arranged in advance. If you are in the Netherlands and still looking for a place, ask the international relations office or the student dean for advice.
Expences
Tuition: (学费)
Bachelor’s degree:about 2,500 euros a year
Master’s degree: 5,000-12,000 euros a year
Living expenses:
Experience has shown that a year in the Netherlands costs a Chinese
Student about 450-700 euros a month.
Here is a breakdown of average prices of supermarket goods:
Litre of milk: 0.5—0.8 euro
Kilo of apples: 1.5 euros
Shampoo, 400ml: 4 euros
Tube of toothpaste: 1 euro
Bed sheet: 20 euros
Other expenses:
Haircut: 15 euros
Air ticket to China: 600-800 euros
Mobile phone call(one minute): 0.1-0.3 euro
Phone call to China (with IP card): 7 euros(one minute)
Postage stamp in the Netherlands: 0.39 euro
Stamp for China: 0.78 euro
(1 euro-about 10 yuan)
Transportation
Trains, buses and trams run throughout the country.
If you really want to sample Dutch life, and get around quickly and easily, buy yourself a bicycle. Most students buy second-hand bicycles. A reasonable one will cost you 70-120 euros.
You can find them at second-hand bicycle shops or at the bicycle parking facilities near railway stations.
1.Teachers want foreign students to do much talking and analyzing in order to make them .
A.get higher marks |
B.pass exams easier |
C.be able to work independently |
D.get in close touch with each other |
2.The passage implies that .
A.it is easier to find a room in Netherlands |
B.it is difficult to find a room in Netherlands |
C.your host institution will surely find a room for you |
D.the international relations office can find a room for you |
3.It costs at least a year for a Master degree.
A.104,000 yuan |
B.104,000 euros |
C.174,000 yuan |
D.134,000 euros |
4.Most students ride second-hand bicycles mainly because .
A.they can ride them fast and easily |
B.bicycles are safe and comfortable for riding |
C.bicycles are convenient and easy to park |
D.bicycles are convenient and cheap |
Britain has laws to make sure that women have the same chances as men in education, jobs and training. But it’s still unusual to find women doing dirty or heavy jobs.
Nikki Henriques is a car maintenance engineer in London. She used to be a secretary. Barty Philips, a journalist with “The Observer”, a Sunday newspaper, asked her why she wanted to work with cars.
“My first reason was independence(独立),” she said. “I also wanted to use my hands, and I like learning about how things work. Many people prefer to have a woman repair their cars, too.”
Nikki didn’t find it easy to become a car maintenance engineer. She went to a Government Skill Centre—a special sort of college where people can learn a new job for twenty weeks. “For ten weeks I was the only woman among four hundred men, and some of them were rude to me. It was also very tiring—from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, with only 30 minutes for lunch.”
Now Nikki works free-lance, that is, she’s self-employed, working for herself and not for a garage or a company.
Barty Phillips also spoke to Rose, who works as a general builder in Sheffield, an industrial town in the north of England. Like Nikki, Rose used to be a secretary. “I didn’t enjoy it at all.” she said. “I wanted to do more practical work, and I wanted to be self-employed.”
Rose joined a women’s building co-operative, and she learnt her job from other people and from experience. However, many of the women in her group have been specially trained. Most of the jobs they do are improvements to buildings and general repairs.
“People often say, ‘Oh, women aren’t strong enough,’ but I don’t think strength is important.” said Rose, “The important thing is to get used to doing a different sort of work.”
Rose would like more women to come into the building industry. “Everything built at the moment is a product of man’s world. If women become builders, they will be able to understand the production of their house and their towns.”
1.There are laws in Britain to help women _____.
A.get higher pay than men |
B.enjoy more freedom than men |
C.do whatever they like to do |
D.have equal chances with men in education and work |
2.The job of a car maintenance engineer is to _____.
A.make cars |
B.sell cars |
C.repair cars |
D.keep cars for others |
3.According to Rose, a woman wishing to be a general builder _____.
A.must be specially trained |
B.should be strong enough |
C.can learn her job either from others or by experience |
D.must get used to doing a different sort of work |
4.The best title for this passage might be _____.
A.Nikki Henriques, a car maintenance engineer |
B.Rose, a General Builder in Shefield |
C.Women at Work |
D.British Women |
Picasso, the famous Spanish painter, was born in 1881. His father was an art teacher. Picasso began to paint very early. He was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art at the age of 15. After 1900, he spent much time in Paris, living there from 1904 to 1947, when he moved to the south of France.
Throughout his career, Picasso moved from style to style with ease. He practiced sculpture, illustrated books and also showed great interest in pottery design and other fields of art.
Picasso produced a great number of drawings during his lifetime. No later artist of the School of Paris has replaced him in international influence.
Picasso is generally considered to be the foremost figure in 20th century French art. His paintings are now exhibited in leading European and American galleries.
1.The main idea of the passage is _____.
A.Picasso is considered to be the foremost figure in the 20th century French art |
B.Picasso is a famous Spanish painter |
C.Picasso spent much time in Pairs, living there from 1904 to 1970 |
D.Picasso’s life and art |
2.According to the writer, Picasso was _____.
A.more important than any other French artist in international influence |
B.more important than any other Spanish artist in international influence |
C.the most important figure in Spain |
D.the most important figure in France |
3.Picasso moved from style to style with ease. It means _____.
A.he did not like only one style |
B.he changed his style without difficulty |
C.he not only liked sculpture, but also pottery design |
D.he showed great interest in other fields of art |
In the dining room of my grandfather’s house stood a massive grandfather clock. Meals in that dining room were a 1 for four generations to become one. The table was always 2 with food from wonderful family recipes(食谱)all containing 3 as the main ingredient(成分). And always that grandfather clock stood like a trusted old family 4 , sharing our happiness.
As I was a child, the old clock 5 me. I watched and listened to it during meals. I 6 how at different times of the day, that clock would strike with a wonderful 7 . Year after year, the clock struck a part of my 8 , a part of my heart.
Even more wonderful to me was what my grandfather did each day. He 9 wound that clock with a special and magic key, which 10 the clock ticking and striking. He never let that clock wind down and 11 . When we grandkids got a little older, he showed us how to 12 the clock.
Several days after my grandfather died, I entered the dining room, with tears flowing 13 . The clock stood desertedly 14 , seeming smaller and not as magnificent as before. I couldn’t 15 to look at it.
Years later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key. The old house was quiet. I opened the clock door with my shaking hand. Then 16 , reverently(虔诚地), I entered the key and wound the clock. It sprang to 17 . Tick – tock , tick – tock, life and chimes were 18 into the dining room, into house and into my 19 . In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather 20 again.
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— Have you heard of that?Tom recently bought a new car and an expensive flat.
— ________? He even couldn’t have enough money to pay for the rent.
A.How about |
B.Why not |
C.How come |
D.So what |