Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors in the United States now say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people.
The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.
Experts say the first three years of a child’s life are the most intensive period of language and speech development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights. Experts say babies should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.
America’s National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. The ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.
The first signs of communication happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention. Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. These sounds become a kind of nonsense speech over time.
1.When does the author think babies begin to learn? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)
2.Why do babies smile to please her mother or other caregiver? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)
3.According to experts, how can babies’ language and communication skills develop? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)
4.What does the author mainly tell us? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)
Many of us suffer needlessly when it comes to our well-being or physical health. In most cases this can be attributed to a lack of knowledge about our lifestyle to include our eating habits along with physical activity. If we learn how to keep healthy, our lives would be so much more enjoyable.
With so many places to find a fast meal, it is hard to maintain control of your eating habits when coupled with a fast pace lifestyle. We do need food to provide the energy our bodies need, but it is our choices that ultimately help or harm us. From increasingly large burgers to fried chicken, we are attacked with endless quick meals. However, we must give our body what it needs to get healthy and not what our taste buds want.
The other key component to keeping healthy is regular exercise. You don’t have to be a gym rat or anything of that nature, but you must develop some type of workout. It can be something as little as walking. Exercising just 30 minutes of your day is all you really need if you want to stay healthy. You can do as little as 3 to 4 days a week or make it a daily routine.
Our bodies are not equipped to deal with stress on a routine basis. Constant stress can lead to a rise in blood pressure which increases your chance for a stroke or a heart attack. It also affects the blood cells that aid in fighting infections. These weaken cells leave you helpless against common colds, other illnesses, and medical conditions. Therefore, you should learn to relax yourself by spending some time every day chatting with your family, playing with your friends or just watching a film or listening to some soft music.
There is no big secret on how to keep healthy. If you take care of your body, it will do the same for you in return. It is best that you take every measure possible to lead a healthy lifestyle. Keep healthy by treating your body right.
Title: On 1._________
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Purpose |
To live 2. by learning how to keep healthy |
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3. __ |
Aspects |
4. _________ |
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Eating habits |
·Maintaining control of your eating habits because our choices help or harm us ·5.________ to get healthy and not what our taste buds want |
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6. ____ |
·Developing some type of workout like 7. ·8.________ a day to stay healthy ·Working out 3 to 4 days a week |
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Releasing stress |
·Chatting with your family ·Playing with your friends ·9.__________ ·Listening to some soft music |
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Conclusion |
No big secret but10. _________ of your body to keep healthy |
Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual.”
But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can — if you’re an animal. “Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”
Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves — a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She said she thinks the “P” wave might be what set the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.
1.Why did Mandara act strangely one day?
A．Because it sensed something unusual would happen.
B．Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.
C．Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.
D．Because an earthquake had happened.
2.According to Brandie Smith, _____.
A．many animals’ hearing is sharp
B．earthquakes produce two types of waves
C．primates usually gather together before a quake
D．humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake
3.Which word in the passage has a close meaning to the underlined word “cover”?
A．vibration B．shelter C．quake D．range
4.Which animal seems unable to sense a quake?
A．A giant panda. B．A flamingo. C．A lemur. D．A lizard.
5.What is the best title for the passage?
A．How animals survive a quake. B．How animals differ from humans.
C．How animals behave before a quake. D．How animals protect their young in a quake.
If English is not your first language, it is a good idea to take English language classes to improve your written and spoken communication skills. There are many ways to learn English. You can learn from a book, a DVD, on the Internet or by attending classes. One of the most successful ways to improve your English is to join a course in a country where English is widely spoken. The more you practice, the more you will learn. But why learn the English language? English is an important language for anyone who is planning to travel or become involved in business.
Many people love travelling, but if their English is poor, it can be difficult to understand signs, read directions and make themselves understood. Before travelling, it is important to understand the culture and customs of the places you visit. Learning basic English before you travel will help you to understand these customs and avoid mistakes that could be embarrassing. When you are travelling, you will also enjoy meeting new people. If you can speak English, you will have a better chance of being able to communicate with the people you meet. Many of your new friends will speak English and others will have English as a second language. Without English, your friendships will be limited as you travel around the world.
If you are involved in business, it is important to be able to communicate in English. The Internet, world travel and modern communication systems have made the world seem like a much smaller place. These days business people interact with customers and other business people from all over the world. That makes your English language skills more important than ever. There are many English language courses that major in business communications. Improving your English skills is one of the best things you could ever do to increase your chances of business success.
1.What kind of people is English important to according to the passage?
A．Travelers. B．Teachers. C．Students. D．Language experts.
2.Which of the following is the best way to learn English well?
A．Travelling around the world with English-speakers.
B．Taking a course in an English-speaking country.
C．Learning from all kinds of books or DVDs.
D．Learning on the Internet by yourselves.
3.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the aim of learning basic English?
A．To research the causes of cultural differences.
B．To understand the customs of your destination.
C．To avoid embarrassing mistakes on your journey.
D．To have more opportunities to communicate with others.
4. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A．The more you practice, the more you will learn.
B．Doing business helps to improve your communication skills.
C．English is important for anyone who is involved in business.
D．The Internet has made the world become smaller and smaller.
5.We can infer from the passage that _____.
A．learning English well will make you achieve goals more easily
B．learning English only aims at achieving business success
C．without learning English, your friendships will be limited wherever you are
D．you needn’t learn English if you don’t want to travel
A 34-year-old mother has spoken of how she woke up thinking she was 15 years old and living in 1992.
Naomi Jacobs, from Manchester, was convinced she was still a teenager. In her mind, John Major was Prime Minister and George Bush Sr. was running the White House. She also showed how she screamed when a boy appeared and called her “Mum”. Mobile phones and e-mails were puzzling and Google, Facebook and YouTube sounded like made-up words, she said.
Ms. Jacobs, who had no memory of the years, was told by doctors that she had Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). She has now written a book about the experience which happened in 2008.
“I fell asleep in 1992 as a brave, very confident know-it-all-15-year-old, and woke up as a 32-year-old single mum living in a rented house,” Ms. Jacobs said. “The last thing I remember was falling asleep in my bed, dreaming about a boy in my class. When I woke up, I looked in the mirror and had the fright of my life when I saw an old woman with wrinkles staring back at me. Then a little boy appeared and started calling me Mum. That’s when I started to scream. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t think he was much younger than I was, and I certainly didn’t remember giving birth to him. I began sobbing uncontrollably. I just wanted my mum. I couldn’t get my head around going to bed one night and waking up in a different century.”
TGA is a rare type of amnesia which can occur suddenly, affecting around three people per 100,000 each year. Fortunately, permanent memory loss is rare. Ms. Jacobs’ memory started to return after eight weeks.
Some people who often suffer from migraines (偏头痛) also appear to be more likely to have TGA. The cause of TGA is unknown. Some think that it may be caused by a temporary cut of blood flow to parts of the brain involved in memory.
1.When a little boy came to call her “Mum”, Naomi Jacobs was _____.
A．excited B．frightened C．worried D．embarrassed
2.What was the last thing Naomi Jacobs could remember?
A．She was a brave and confident girl.
B．She met an old woman with wrinkles.
C．George Bush Sr. was elected President.
D．She fell asleep dreaming of a boy in her class.
3.According to the text, TGA _____.
A．is quite common B．is caused by brain injuries
C．results in permanent memory loss D．causes people to lose part of their memory
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Naomi Jacobs has a poor memory.
B. Naomi Jacobs gets an amazing career after TGA.
C. Naomi Jacobs wakes up with the memory of her youth.
D. Naomi Jacobs succeeds in overcoming the disease.
5.According to the passage, we know _______.
A．Ms. Jacobs’ memory returned to normal now
B．Ms. Jacobs often doesn’t remember things
C．Ms. Jacobs has not got married yet
D．Ms. Jacobs is very young now in deed
Now it is becoming more and more popular to chat over the Internet, because you can find it 1. _______ expensive to do that than to make a long distance call. This makes Internet chatting 2. _______ attractive option if you live far away from family and friends,3. ______ you are on a budget.
You can also complete 4. _______ tasks while chatting over the Internet. For example, you can read and reply to emails, finish typing a document, or have a conversation 5.______ someone who is in the room. This can be an advantage 6. ______ you are busy and don’t have much time for personal chatting. This can also be a disadvantage because you aren’t giving the other person or task your full attention.
Because you can do kinds of tasks7. _______ chatting on the Internet, it can become easy to lose track of time. You can end up chatting longer than you intended to, 8.______ can make it difficult to complete other tasks.
