The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.
Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.
They then “translated” the texts into more “straightforward”, modern language and again monitored the readers’ brains as they read the words.
Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.
Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.
This “lighting up” of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.
Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university’s magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: “Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain.
"The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike.”
1.How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers?
A．They set off far less electrical activity in the brain.
B．They light up the mind shorter than the initial electrical spark.
C．They shift physical pathways in the young and the elderly.
D．They draw readers’ attention and help make self-examination.
2.Why does the author mention” They then” translated”… modern language“？
A．To prove that classics are more useful than ordinary versions.
B．To show self-help books act like rocket-boosters to the brain.
C．To tell serious literature sets off far less electrical activity.
D．To make known ordinary versions set off more electrical activity
3.What can we conclude according to the researchers?
A．Self-help books are more valuable than classics.
B．Serious literature lights up the mind shorter than ordinary versions.
C．The right hemisphere of the brain is related to autobiographical memory.
D．Literature has a beneficial effect only on the mind of the young.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Ordinary Versions Create New Thoughts
B．Modern Language Increases the Brain
C．Classics Help lmprove the Brain Activity
D．Self-help Books, Rocket-boosters
My love affair with the sea began when I was no more than six years old, walking along the sandy beaches. I always wanted to make the first set of footprints in the wet sand.
Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea’s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of. Soon, wearing a snorkel and a mask, I made my first solo adventures in the deep.
Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, in San Diego, asking how I might learn more about the sea.
A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received. During one of their cruises that summer, I met Dr. Robert Norris, a marine geologist. He loved the sea almost as much as I did. Soon he was asking me what my plans were and where I expected to attend college. I told him I didn’t know, so he suggested I consider his school, the University of California in Santa Barbara.
Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor. If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter. The undersea world is not our natural world. It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes. At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark. It is easy to get lost in such a world. I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, meteorology, geology, biology, and many other things. While I was in school, I took a little of everything.
I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S. Navy. If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn’t want that to happen. In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on expeditions so that we could explore the wonders of the deep.
Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come.
1.In Paragraph 5, the writer discusses “the laws of the physical world.”Which of the following is an example of one of the laws?
A．Water pressure.
B．Various ocean animal life.
C．The appearance of the water.
D．The different colors of the ocean.
2.In college, the writer took many different types of courses because he _____.
A．was not sure what he wanted to study
B．was advised to take them by Dr. Robert Norris
C．believed it would help him succeed in the Navy
D．thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean
3.The writer joined the Navy to _______.
A．develop his leadership skills
B．get along with people under stress
C．learn about the dangers of the ocean
D．gather specific information about ocean life
4.What would the writer recommend to students who want to be underwater explorers?
A．Spend time examining your talents.
B．Join groups to learn to get along on a team.
C．Interview explorers to see if they are happy.
D．Study as many ocean-related topics as you can.
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.
1. Take pictures
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it.
2. Eat alone in public
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.
3. Join a class, sports team, or club
Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.
Tips:
* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).
* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that!
1.________ can give you an excuse to start new connections.
A．Taking pictures of others
B．Eating by yourself in public
C．Reading interesting books
D．Joining group activities
2.When having meals, you’d better ________ if you want to make new friends.
A．approach others to show conscious friendliness
B．sit on your own in public places
C．invite others to your apartment to eat together
D．start a conversation with those who have friends aside
3.Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
A．Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy.
B．Never turn down an invitation from your friends.
C．Offer suggestions on how to spend time together.
D．Always give a positive response to any request.
4.By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.
A．why you should change when you move to a new city
B．how you can make new friends in a new city
C．why you should make new friends in a new city
D．how you can keep in touch with strangers
I want to talk about the economy．Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches．I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day．
Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"．"Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472．35．" We hear this and subconsciously switch off．
Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth．The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life．
We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society．So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．Our towns become more and more crowded．We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals．There's something wrong here．If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future．Yet the majority of us are deeply worried．More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations．
The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money．More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better．We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution．More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption．Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down．If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate（僵局）．
How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions．We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world．We create mountains of waste．We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land．
The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior．Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it．It is gathering the desire to do it．
1.According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy?
A．The Dow Jones Index．
B．Increases in interest rates
C．Skyrocketing share prices
D．Shopping in a supermarket
2.It can be concluded from Paragraph 4 that ．
A．people are benefiting from a well-off society
B．the future generation is a big concern for most people
C．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices
D．the majority of people are optimistic about the future
3.What is true about economic expansion?
A．It guarantees a better life for us．
B．It may lead to some social problems．
C．It will stop the circulation of money．
D．It has only brought desirable effects．
4.The author writes the passage mainly to ．
A．call on us to change our behavior
B．suggest a solution for over-consumption
C．make a distinction between two economies
D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion
I was sitting in the room reading when I heard a loud noise. To defend my home from break-in, I picked up my defense weapon--- a broom and went out. There on the roof of my porch（门廊）, I saw a grey fluffy squirrel. I drove her away with the broom, but the next day I heard her again.
I searched squirrels on the net and found because their teeth keep growing, they have to constantly chew on things to shorten their teeth. This was disturbing so I asked my husband to call in some wildlife control people.
On Monday morning two men showed up, with guns in their hands. I pointed uneasily to the hole in my porch roof. They held up their guns. Suddenly I saw in my mind the baby nursery inside. I stopped them and confirmed that they wouldn’t harm her. They hesitated, but finally put down their guns. Then they brought out a bottle of deodorizer（除臭剂）and sprayed it into the squirrel’s home. They told me she would not like the smell and would leave.
There was no sign of Mrs. Squirrel, so they blocked the hole, took my cheque for $250 and left. Shortly after they left, Mrs. Squirrel returned from her shopping trip. She was mad at being driven out and began feverishly clawing at the porch roof. In order to stop the destruction of my home, I drove her away with the broom again.
Each day thereafter, Mrs. Squirrel continued her attack on my possession. I then called the company to report that “SHE’S BAAAAAACK…” The receptionist said that if Mrs. Squirrel had managed to find another way into my porch roof, it would be a new charge. I replied I couldn’t continue contributing my husband’s hard-earned income to their silly wildlife experts and hang up.
I went to the porch and banged on the roof. Mrs. Squirrel came out and glared at me. We negotiated some terms, came to an agreeable arrangement and went back into our respective homes.
All is quiet these days, although large quantities of materials have been removed from my garage wall and my daughter claims that some of her doll-house furniture has disappeared. I still hope that Mrs. Squirrel would leave, but I will wait until it is warmer and hopefully until after the birth of the little ones.
1.What did the author think of the squirrel at first?
A．Troublesome. B．Dangerous. C．Interesting. D．Clever.
2.Why didn’t the author ask the wildlife control people to come again?
A．She worried about the safety of the squirrel.
B．She thought the company charged too much.
C．She decided to drive away the squirrel herself.
D．She doubted the ability of the wildlife control people.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A．Getting rid of the squirrel needs patience.
B．The squirrel has destroyed the author’s house.
C．The author has developed affection for the squirrel.
D．The author singed an agreement with Mrs. Squirrel.
4.The author has written the passage in a (an) ________ way.
A．persuasive B．serious C．informative D．amusing
English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my junior year, my 1 allowed me to give spelling tests to the class. I had wonderful 2 of this year. Mrs. Alexander 3 me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was 4 , as we had a teacher right out of college who expected college-level work. Every student received a “C” or “D” grade the first quarter. 5 English was still my subject.
I graduated from high school, 6 early and had children. 7 about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I 8 long articles and beautiful poetry for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an “A” student, I 9 an “A” student. I lived up to my own expectations.
Yesterday, I 10 my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle (捆) of report cards 11 back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor’s office, explaining that I had always been excellent at English and complaining that I did not 12 a “D” from that inexperienced teacher of my senior year. The advisor was 13 but unable to change a grade.
My old 14 cards showed something else too. I wanted to tear them up or 15 them. I was not an “A” student in high school English! Somehow, I had convinced myself of this, when the grades clearly reflected an 16 student with an occasional “A” or “B”, but mostly “C”s.
Had I lived up to those 17 and define (定义) myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently 18 my writing career. Had I believed in my early grades instead of myself, I would have allowed my fear of 19 to defeat my enthusiasm and damage my creativity. 20 , I regarded my younger self as an “A” English student, except for that undeserved “D”.
1. A．teacher B．headmaster C．classmate D．monitor
2. A．memories B．thoughts C．expectations D． impressions
3. A．forced B．appointed C．permitted D．begged
4. A．active B．creative C．interesting D． disappointing
5. A．So B．But C．And D．Or
6. A．worked B．married C．succeeded D． progressed
7. A．Confident B．Happy C．Sorry D． Anxious
8. A．wrote B．edited C．read D． copied
9. A．met B．lost C．admired D．remained
10. A． counted B．remembered C．discovered D．approached
11. A． turned B．brought C．held D． put
12. A． deserve B． make C．receive D． learn
13. A． sympathetic B． energetic C．angry D． sad
14. A． birthday B． post C．invitation D． report
15. A． keep B． correct C．hide D． send
16. A． silent B． bright C．average D． outstanding
17. A． figures B． grades C．papers D． words
18. A． changed B． ended C．damaged D．sought
19. A． change B． risk C． stress D． failure
20. A． Otherwise B． Besides C．Instead D． Still
