Sleep is just as important as diet and exercise, and not getting enough sleep can lead to obesity, heart trouble and other health problems. Now scientists are adding more wake-up call to that list: lack of sleep damages the brain.
People who regularly have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep (one study drew the line at 6.8 hours ) show changes in brain-----actual shrinking(缩小)，in some cases--- in area important for memory and problem solving.
“We’ve always believed that we can take the weekend to catch up and be fine,” says Sigrid Veasey, a researcher in University of Pennsylvania, but that may not be the case. When she stopped mice from sleeping for 3 days, they lost 25% to 30% of the neurons (神经元) important for focused attention---- and these remaining were damaged. What’s more, these brain cells never grew again.
Clearly, something important is happening while we sleep, but exactly what sleep does for the brain has been a mystery. That’s why scientists got excited when researchers at the university of Rochester Medical Center recently offered a new theory. While observing the brains of sleeping mice, they discovered a kind of brain-cleaning system that clears away neural waste, the buildup of which is connected with Alzheimer’s.
In another study, young healthy people whose sleep was limited to 7 hours per night for one week showed damaged brain function. Scarier is that with long-lasting short sleep, you may feel fully rested. When study subjects were limited to 4 hours of sleep for 5 days, they reported feeling very tired following the first night but they didn’t get any sleepier after that.
What’s more, a 15,000 –person study found that getting an average of less than 5 hours of sleep per night for several years resulted in a decrease in memory performance equal to the brain aging 2 years.
Have we persuaded you to turn in early tonight ? Excellent.
1.The text is mainly about _________.
A. how lack of sleep damages our brain.
B. why we feel rested without enough sleep.
C. how much sleep we should get every day.
D. Why we have trouble falling asleep sometimes.
2.Sigrid Veasey’s research shows that ________
A. lack of sleep doesn’t affect our attention.
B. damaged brain cells can not recover.
C. sleeping on weekends can make up for lost sleep.
D. most neurons will die if we sleep poorly for 3 days.
3.According to paragraph 5, after several days of short sleep people may feel _________.
A. tired B. sleepy
C. energetic D. angry
4.According to the 15,000-person study, lack of sleep may cause ___________.
A. heart trouble B. obesity
C. death D. memory loss
Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse project.
I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly, neither did my family.
Finally, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application (申请). After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I received a call asking me to report for duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria.
After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and greatly in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in it. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.
Sometimes during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local language, and I returned to the USA a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.
1.What do we know about the author?
A. His dream at university was to become a volunteer.
B. He took pride in making contributions to the world.
C. His university education focused on the theoretical knowledge.
D. He had dreamed about being a volunteer since he was in college.
2.According to paragraph 2, it is most likely that the author __________.
A. felt happy to leave his family and friends.
B. discussed his decision with his family.
C. asked previous volunteers about voluntary work.
D. attended special training to finish difficult tasks.
3.The underlined word “accommodation” in paragraph 4 means ________________.
A. drinking water.
B. English teachers.
C. living places and food
D. teaching buildings.
4.What can we infer from the author’s experiences In Nigeria?
A. He was chosen as the best teacher by his students.
B. He found some difficulty getting used to the local culture.
C. He had learned to communicate in the local language.
D. He had overcome all his weakness before he left for home.
Mark felt that it was time for him to take part in his community, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work. The area’s city councilwoman (女议员) was leading a discussion about how the quality of life was decreasing. The neighborhood faced many problems.
Mark looked at the chart taped to the walls. There are charts for parking problems, crime, and for problems in vacant buildings. People were supposed to suggest solutions to the councilwoman.
It was too much for Mark. “ The problems are too big. ” he thought. He turned to the man next to him and said ,“ I think this is a waste of my time. Nothing I could do would make a difference here.”
Mark thought some more on his way to the bus stop. “ People should just take care of themselves.” He decided. “That’s enough to do. I can’t take on all the problems of the world.”
As he neared the bus stop, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag and a baby. She was trying to unlock her car, but she didn’t have a free hand. As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly darted into the street. The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved , her bag shifted and the groceries started to fall out. Mark ran to take the boy’s arm and led him back to his mother. Then he picked up the groceries while the woman smiled in relief. “ Thanks!” she said. “You have got great timing!”
“ Just being neighborly,” Mark said. As he rode home, he had a quick look at the walls of the bus. On one of them was “Small acts of kindness add up.” Mark smiled and thought, “ Maybe that’s a good place to start.”
1.The underlined word “darted” in paragraph 5 can be replaced by ________.
A. walked B. marched
C. climbed D. rushed
2. Which phrases can’t describe the woman in the passage?
A. at a loss B. at a panic
C. helpless D. scared to death
3.What does “ Maybe that’s a good place to start ” suggest?
A. If you are kind you will be treated in the same way.
B. All small acts will add up to kindness.
C. Everyone can play his part to make things better.
D. It’s a small act to help a person in need.
My first impression of Miss Vicki was a highly authoritative(权威的) person towering over me. She spoke in a loud voice and the earth shook whenever she marched. That was in the first year of high school. She was a knowledgeable literature teacher then. However, during my first year in school, she struck terror into my heart. And everyone else’s of course. Just the mention of her name made the most annoying classes silent.
However, the two years of junior high passed by rather quickly. Soon I went to senior high class. I had worked hard and got the subject combination that I wished for. Together with a group of old friends, I soon settled down in class comfortably.
To everyone’s surprise, she was fortunate enough to be my teacher that year. I was shocked when I heard the news. This time round, however, I decided not to hide in terror whenever she was near. I decided to face the fact. Instead of trying too hard to lick her boots , I tried my best to be my natural myself in front of her.
Still, I could not shake off the ice-cold impression that she put in my heart. True, her jokes sometimes sent me into fits of laughter, yet at other times these jokes simply fell flat the moment she told them . My lovely class, however, was always ready to laugh at the right time of her amusing stories. After all, we would not want to run the risk of making her angry.
Unluckily, life was not to remain boring. One day we received news that Miss Vicki was to leave Singapore for the Philippines where she would take part in a voluntary teaching program for the poor. We did not know what to say actually. All of us cried at the airport.
1. During the first year in school, the author thought Miss Vicki was __________.
A. proud but patient
B. beautiful but strict
C. scholarly but serious
D. humorous but single-minded
2. What does the underlined phrase “lick her boots” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Win her favor B. Upset her
C. Shock her D. Follow her closely
3.What can we learn from paragraph 4?
A. Miss Vicki was a good joke teller.
B. Miss Vicki’s jokes were always boring.
C. Students liked Miss Vicki’s class very much.
D. Students pretended to laugh to please Vicki.
4.What can we infer about Miss Vicki from the last paragraph?
A. She was dismissed from the school.
B. She was not accepted by the students.
C. She was unwilling to leave her students.
D. She had a strong sense of social responsibility.
Going to outer space is a little like going camping. You have to carry with you all the food and equipment you need for your trip, so your food can’t be too heavy or hard to prepare. Plus, there are no refrigerators to keep food cold and fresh. Food with all the water dried out is lightweight and doesn’t spoil(变坏). So, many space foods are dried on Earth and stored in special packets.
On Earth, gravity is the force that keeps your feet on the ground and your sandwich on your plate. But there’s no gravity in space. To keep food from floating(漂浮) away, astronauts on the Space Shuttle attach the packets to a special tray(托盘). The tray can be fixed to a wall or to the astronaut’s lap. To prepare their food, astronauts use liquid forms of salt and pepper. The liquid sticks to the food better. Regular salt and pepper would float away, maybe up an astronaut’s nose.
Liquids float right out of cups and glasses, though. So astronauts drink everything from a small bag with a straw(吸管) that can be closed. Astronauts say that most space foods taste pretty good. Some, such as apples and pudding, are the same as the foods you eat on Earth.
Astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread because they make fewer crumbs(碎屑). Floating crumbs could get stuck in equipment or an astronaut’s eye.
Your body uses food in space the same way it does on Earth. Your body must deal with waste in space too. During takeoff and landing, astronauts can’t leave their seats to go to the bathroom. They wear diapers(尿布) under their spacesuits instead. The Space Shuttle has a bathroom the size of a small closet. The toilet has bars that keep astronauts from floating away. A strong flow of air is used instead of water to flush waste down the toilet.
1.Why do astronauts use liquid forms of salt and pepper to prepare food?
A. Liquid doesn’t spoil.
B. Liquid is convenient to use in space.
C.Liquid is lightweight.
D. Astronauts are in great need of water.
2.What do astronauts think of space foods?
A. Most of them taste pleasant.
B. They are mostly fruits.
C.Most of them are rather cold.
D. They contain too little meat.
3.We can infer from the passage that astronauts ___________.
A. drink from cups and glasses
B. always wear diapers in space
C. can move freely during landing
D. must pay attention to crumbs in space
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Astronaut’s hard life in space.
B. How astronauts go to the bathroom.
C. The various foods astronauts eat in space.
D. How astronauts eat and deal with waste in space.
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily，it is a bad thing for young people．Puppy love（早恋）may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression（忧郁症）．The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys，and younger girls are the worst of all．
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”．According to the study，even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”，this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls．Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions．They won’t tell that to their parents．
Dr Marianm Kaufman，an expert on young people problems，says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing．Trying romance often causes the depression．She advises kids not to jump into romance too early．During growing up，it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self．She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends，attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family．
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes—and if they see signs from their daughters or sons，they need to give help．The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age．Love will always make us feel young，but only maturity（成熟）gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects．
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A．Parents should forbid their children’s love．
B．Puppy love may bring young people depression．
C．Romance is a two-edged sword for adults．
D．Romance is good for young people．
2.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness．
B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior．
C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions．
D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love．
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance．
B．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents．
C．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression．
D．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly．
