Do women’s minds work the same as men’s? Absolutely not. At least, that is what most men are convinced of. Psychologists view the subject either as a matter or frustration or a joke. Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real differences between the brains of men and women. But being different, they point out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse.
There is, however, a definite structural variation between the male and female brain. The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processes-the link between the two halves of the brain.
The two halves are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum. Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men. This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance. The question is "What?", and, if this difference exists, are there others? Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave differently from men. Are some of these differences biological and inborn, a result of evolution? We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these differences. But could we be wrong?
Research showed that these two halves of the brain had different functions, and that the corpus callosum enabled them to work together. For most people, the left half is used for word handing, analytical and logical activities; the right half works on pictures, patterns and forms. We need both halves working together. And the better the connections, the more harmoniously the two halves work. And, according to research findings, women have the better connections.
But it isn't all that easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women on this basis. In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys at "language subjects" and boys better at maths and physics. If these differences correspond with the differences in the hemispheric trunkline, here is an unalterable distinction between the sexes.
We shan't know for a while, partly because we don't know of any precise relationship between abilities in school subject and the functioning of the two halves of the brain, and we cannot understand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum. But this striking difference must have some effect and, because the difference is in the parts of the brain involved in intellect, we should be looking for differences in intellectual processing.
1.Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. Results of scientific research fail to support popular belief.
B. Brain differences point to superiority of one sex over the other.
C. Biologists are conducting research where psychologists have given up
D. The structural difference in the brain between the sexes has long been known.
2.The corpus callosum functions in __________.
A. forming the nerve fibers.
B. differing man from woman.
C. enabling the brain to work.
D. processing the most complex intellectuality.
3.According to the passage it is commonly believed that brain differences are caused by ______factors.
A. social B. psychological C. physical D. biological
4."these differences" in paragraph 5 refer to those in ________.
A. school subjects
B. skills of men and women
C. the brain structure of men and women
D. activities carried out by the brain
5.At the end of the passage the author proposes more work on ________.
A. the brain structure as a whole
B. the functioning of part of the brain
C. the distinction between the sexes
D. the effects of the corpus callosum
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。
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don’t say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it’s not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don’t do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can’t stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don’t want to stay with your friends when they’re in hard times, then you don’t deserve to be with them when they’re having a good time!
______ — Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you’ll remember these things when you’re all old!
1. While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should _____.
A. give him or her some advice
B. just listen unless asked
C. calm him or her down
D. share your feelings as well
2. When we provide help for our friends, we should _____.
A. try to do everything for them
B. put them before ourselves
C. change their bad habits first
D. pay attention to their shortcomings
3. What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe’s words?
A. Life without a friend is death.
B. A friend is easier lost than found.
C. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
D. A man is known by his friends.
4. Which of the following can be put in the blank of the last paragraph?
A. Make plans. B. Enjoy yourself.
C. Understand your friends. D. Play with your friends.
5. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to find a good friend.
B. How to help friends in trouble.
C. How to be a good friend.
D. How to make more friends.
根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项.选项中有两项为多余选项。
Most of you love watching movies. They can be funny, sad, imaginative, inspiring, and so much more! There are so many possibilities and so many great movies to watch!
The making of a movie usually begins with a script (剧本). 1. The producer is the person who is responsible for coordinating(协调) aspects of the film like budget and scheduling. The producer plans out how the project will be carried out and he usually starts by hiring a director!
2. The director will usually identify themes or feelings that he or she wants the movie to convey to its audience and will then assemble(聚集) all the other people who will be needed, such as costume-designers, makeup artists, special effects crew, stuntmen, cameramen, and, of course, actors!
Next, shooting begins! 3. Often a director will want to get several “takes” (versions) of a scene or moment and usually only a few minutes of the movie are finished in one day’s work. 4. So once filming is completed, the director must then work with editors to piece them all together, deciding which takes to use and adding in any special effects or touch-ups.
The entire process from acquiring the script to editing the scenes generally takes months or even years! Once it’s ready, the finished movie is then distributed to movie theatres. 5.
A. Scenes are also usually not shot in order.
B. The actual filming can be a slow process.
C. The way that movies are made has changed a lot over time.
D. It gets bought by a movie studio or a producer.
E. The producer plays a very important role in making a movie.
F. In movies, the director’s job is to bring the script to life on camera.
G. People can watch and enjoy it in the theatre.
Anyone who has worn a cast (石膏) knows that rebuilding muscle strength once the cast is removed can be difficult. Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) at Ohio University have found that the mind is critical in maintaining muscle strength following a long period of not moving and that mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss.
Strength is controlled by a number of factors---the most studied by far is skeletal muscle. However, the nervous system is also an important, though not fully understood, determining factor of strength and weakness.
Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. They designed an experiment to measure changes in wrist (腕) muscle strength in three groups of healthy adults. Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast that extended from just below the elbow (肘) past the fingers, effectively preventing the hand and wrist from moving, for four weeks. Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group.
Of the 29 people wearing a hard cast, half were asked to regularly perform an exercise, imagining they were strongly contracting their wrist for five seconds and then resting for five seconds. This was repeated four times in a row followed by a one-minute break for a total of 13 rounds per session and five sessions per week. The other half performed no imagination exercises.
At the end of the four-week experiment, both groups who wore casts had lost strength in their unmoving limbs (肢体) when compared to the control group. But the group that performed imagination exercises lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. The nervous system’s ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group.
1.What does the underlined word “critical” mean in the first paragraph?
A. Serious. B. Embarrassing.
C. Important. D. Normal.
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Scientists have partly understood the nervous system.
B. Whoever has worn a cast for long may have difficulty in muscle recovery.
C. Scientists have already spent a lot of time in studying skeletal muscle.
D. The number of the subjects in the experiment was 29 in all.
3.What can we learn from the experiment?
A. The control group lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group.
B. The imagination group lost more strength than the non-imagination group.
C. The control group wore casts but didn’t perform the imagination exercise.
D. The speed of non-imagination group’s muscle recovery was slower.
4. Where can you most probably find the passage?
A. In a science magazine. B. In a storybook.
C. In a textbook . D. In a book review.
Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours(绕行路)in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.
For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement(限制)and have strong opinions about everything.
Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.
But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.
That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.
We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons.
We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.
I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.
Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey----and the best part of yourself.
1.Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?
A. She needn’t stop on the way.
B. It would be faster and easier.
C. Her kids would feel less confined.
D. She felt better with other drivers nearby.
2.What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6 ?
A. Freeways are where beauty hides.
B. Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life
C. Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health
D. One should follow side roads to watch wild animals
3.Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home
A. To give herself some time to read
B. To order some food for them
C. To play a game with them.
D. To let them cool down
4.What could be the best title for the passage
A. Charm of the Detour
B. The Road to Bravery
C. Creativity out of Necessity
D. Road trip and Country Life
Beaches are not only great for lying on and doing water sports, and in fact one of the best ways of enjoying them is a classic beach walk. Here at iWantSun. Co. Uk, we’ve been searching the globe to find you the world’s best and most glorious beach walks, and here’s our pick of the top.
The Footpath of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy
The name says it all really and you truly do feel up there to walking along this wonderful mountain coastal path, which offers some of the most striking views on the planet. The path begins at town of Bomerano to charming Positano along the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Amalfi Coast. The whole walk will take you approximately four and a half hours to complete and pass over narrow rocky paths, past sheer cliffs and shining blue bays.
Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk, Australia
Sydney’s coastline is one of the most beautiful and diverse in the world. Here you have national parks, historic sites, steep cliffs, sparkling beaches and quiet bays all in one place. Sydney’s Great Walk runs all the way from Barrenjoey in the north to Royal National Park in the south and takes an incredible seven days to complete. However, if you’re not up to doing the full walk, then there are many different parts of the walk that you can do right in the city. Walking from the city’s famous Bondi Beach to the sweeping curve of Bronte Beach takes just an hour, which takes in some top scenery.
Great Ocean Walk, Australia
The Great Ocean Walk stretches 104 km along Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road, located on the southern coast of Australia, from the resort town Apollo Bay to the magnificent Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles are the area’s famous stone landmarks which stand out like giants from the sea. The walk passes through a range of landscapes and sights, from national parks, famous surfing spots and deserted beaches, to wild coastlines, cascading waterfalls, lush forests, historic lighthouses and ghostly shipwrecks. Day walks and shorter three-hour walks such as the Wreck Beach Walk or the Lighthouse Cemetery and Lookout Walk can also be enjoyed.
So next time when you’re looking for a beach holiday don’t just think about the resorts and the sand, but consider a more active sun holiday, discovering some of the best beaches in the world.
1.The author intends to tell us ____________.
A. the world’s best places for beach walks
B. the wonderful beaches in the world
C. the ideal tourism resort for health
D. the beautiful beaches in Australia
2.When you arrive at the Amalfi Coast _______________.
A. you must be disappointed at the footpath
B. you will be fascinated by the scenery
C. you can start walking from Positano
D. you may be trapped in narrow rocky paths
3.What is special about Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk?
A. It takes about more than five hours to complete.
B. It starts from Royal National Park in the north.
C. It provides visitors a variety of great landscapes.
D. It really has the longest coastline in the world.
4.According to the fourth paragraph we can know that __________________.
A. Apollo Bay is at the end of the Great Ocean Walk
B. the Twelve Apostles exists below the surface of the sea
C. the Wreck Beach Walk can also give visitors pleasure
D. most visitors can finish the 104 km walk in three hours
