Speaking two languages can actually help offset(抵消) some effects of aging on the brain, a new study has found.
Researchers tested how long it took participants to switch from one cognitive(认知的) task to another, something that’s known to take longer for older adults, said lead researcher, Brian Gold, a neuroscientist at the University of Kentucky.
Gold’s team compared task-switching speeds for younger and older adults, knowing they would find slower speeds in the older population because of previous studies. However, they found that older adults who spoke two languages were able to switch mental activities faster than those didn’t . The study only looked at life-long bilinguals, defined in study as people who had spoken a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old.
Gold and his team asked 30 people, either bilingual or monolingual(只懂一种语言的人) , to have a series of tests. They found that bilingual people were not only able to switch tasks faster， they had different brain activity than their monolingual peers.
Kristina called bilingualism "a beautiful natural experiment”, because people grow up speaking two languages,and studies have shown that they get certain cognitive benefits from switching between languages and determining which to respond with based on what's going on around them.
Gold said he grew up in Montreal, where he spoke French at school and English at home, prompting relatives to question whether his French language immersion would somehow hinder his ability to learn English.
"Until very recently, learning a second language in childhood was thought of as dangerous," he said. "Actually, it's beneficial. "
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Researchers found that speaking two languages is important.
B. Researchers found that bilingual people respond slowly.
C. Researchers found that bilingual people can slow down the speed or aging on the brain and respond fast.
D. Researchers found that bilingual people are great.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Older bilinguals can’t respond faster in mind.
B. Older adults speaking a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old can respond faster than those who don't.
C. Young bilinguals can respond faster in mind than those monolinguals.
D. Bilingual children respond slower in mind than those monolinguals.
3.In Gold’s opinion, learning a second language in childhood is______ .
A． dangerous to children
B. not beneficial to children
C. dangerous but beneficial to children
D. not dangerous but beneficial to children
The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原)surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Disappearance of African elephants.
B. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.
C. The effect of African elephants' search for food.
D. The eating habit of African elephants.
2.What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
A. Fixing the time. B. Worsening the state.
C. Improving the quality. D. Deciding the conditions.
3.What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
A. They result from the destruction of rain forests.
B. They provide food mainly for African elephants.
C. They are home to many endangered animals.
D. They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds.
4.The passage is developed mainly by _____.
A. showing the effect and then explaining the causes
B. pointing out similarities and differences
C. describing the changes in space order
D. giving examples
FOREIGN TEACHERS ARE NEEDED ALL OVER CHINA
Ad No．90374
Posted Nov 12,2014 13:27 by Amanda Expire Date: Dec 12, 2014
Tag; Beijing Language Teaching Part Time
We are looking for Teachers, whose Native Language is English, willing to teach in China．Mostly schools are in South of China．
The Benefit package for ESL Teachers includes:
One-year Contract: 1st Mar．2015 to 1st Jul．2015
Salary: 4,OOORMB to 5,OOORMB/Month
Teaching load & schedule: 20 teaching hours per week
A rent-free, fully furnished apartment for living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom
Kitchen facilities provided．Other, electric appliances will be supplied: water heater, microwave etc．） ．
If you are interested, please read the information above and kindly send your application to attach the following documents （in ．doc or JPEG format）．The subject to be mentioned, as 'teach in China'
1．CV/Resume（简历）
2．A copy of academic degree/diploma/certificate/or college transcript
3．A photocopy of the data page of valid passport
4．A recent color photo
5．A letter of recommendation/or release letter from your previous Chinese school （Only if you worked in China previously）
6．Any other relevant information that you think might help your application
1.This advertisement is about_______．
A．introducing a school
B．attracting foreign students
C．taking on English teachers
D．seeking a teaching position
2.What is NOT needed to apply for the job if you come to work in China for the first time?
A．Your resume．
B．Your personal passport data．
C．Your academic history．
D．A release letter．
3.If you are employed, you will_______．
A．work full time
B．not have to pay the apartment rent
C．prepare furniture yourself
D．work four months for two years
4.Where can you mostly probably read the advertisement?
A．In a telephone book． B．In a paper．
C．In a travel guide． D．In a textbook
书面表达
假定你是李华，你所在的学校将要举办一场春节庆祝活动。你和你的同学邀请在你校的美国交换生Tom参加。请你写一封信给Tom，要点如下：
1. 活动内容；
2. 邀请Tom一起表演一个中西合璧的节目；
3. 活动时间：2015年农历12月30日晚7：00-10：00
4. 活动地点：学校学术报告厅。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已经为你写好。
Dear Tom,
You have told me that you are very interested in how we Chinese celebrate our traditional festivals.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
We are looking forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
As we know, it was not easy for J.K Rowling to create Harry Potter. The idea for Harry Potter come to her while she was on a delayed train between Manchester and London. She wrote down her ideas on the back of envelope. She then continued to add flesh for the bones of the first Harry Potter story. During her creation, she had the extra burden of look after her baby and had to write with hand for a lack of typewriter. It was only in 1997 she completed the first Harry Potter story. After the first book, the success of each of the following titles was automatically. The fifth book sold about seven million copies the day when it was published. What makes the books so important are that they create a special literary bond between parents and children. In addition, much to the pleasant of the schoolchildren, Harry Potter has even become part of the school curriculum.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式（不多于3个单词）。
I was blessed ___1.__ a happy childhood, one that most people would want to have. Our neighbours had a son ___2.___(name) Danny, and we grew up together. We spent long summer evenings ___3.____(dig) up worms for fishing. It was in the pine forests ___4.___ I discovered that I was allergic to the tiny flies. On ___5.__(wind) days, we’d slide down the stony slopes and feel the spray of the sea in our face. Danny was a good carpenter too, and we made brooms out of ___6.___(branch), which we tried to sell in the village shop. We __7.___(build) a tree house, ___8.____ we smoked our first cigar, and I was sick. Once I slipped on some damp leaves, ___9.___(fall) out, scratched my arms, and cut the heel of my foot, so he washed my wounds in the stream. He was a very ___10.___(consider) boy for someone so young.
