We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head. It controls our body's functions, movements, emotions and thoughts. But a brain can mean so much more.
A brain can also simply be a smart pers
on, If a person is called brainy, she is smart and intelligent. If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say, "She's the brains in the family." And if you are the brains behind something you are responsible for developing or orga
nizing something. For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.
Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice. Word experts say the phrase "brain trust" became popular when Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for president in 1932, Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues facing the US. These professors were called his "brain trust."
These ways we use the word "brain" all make sense. But other ways we use the word are not so easy to understand. For example, to understand the next brain expression, you first need to know the word “drain." As a verb to drain means to remove something by letting it flow away. So a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But, brain drain is when a country's most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are, sort of, draining out of the country.
However, if people are responsible for a great idea, you could say they brainstormed it. Here, brainstorm is not an act of weather. It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems.
If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make someone accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.
1.According to the text, if you're the CEO of Bai Du you can be called
A. the organ of Bai Du
B. Bai Du's brain trust
C. the brain drain of Bai Du
D. the brains behind Bai Du
2.Why did Roosevelt successfully win the election?
A. Because he was smart at giving advice.
B. Because word experts were popular.
C. Because he got his brain trust.
D. Because he was the brains behind America.
3.Which of the following expression is always used in a negative way?
A. Brain trust B. Brain drain
C. Brainwash D. Brainstorm
Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence - and a not-so-good influence - on this generation of American teenagers．More than 2,000 teachers took an online survey．Three-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a "mostly positive" effect on their students' research habits and skills．But 64 percent said the technologies "do more to distract（使 - - - ---分心） students than to help them academically．" And 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an "easily distracted generation with short attention spans．"
The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the National Writing Project．Judy Buchanan is the vice director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report．Ms．Buchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more and faster．"Teachers really favor these tools because they are ways to make some of the learning exciting and engaging．Young people favor these tools．The goal is to really help them become creators of meaningful content, and not just sort of consumers．"
But one problem the survey found is that many students lack digital literacy．They trust too muck of the information they find on the Internet．Judy says these students haven't developed the skills to determine the quality of online information．"It's something that really has to be taught and paid attention to．Because in a world in which things happen quickly, you do need to step back, reflect and analyze the information you have．"
Another problem is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all: being able to quickly find information online．Teachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and ability of their students to work hard to find answers．They say students are overly dependent on search engines and do not make enough use of printed books or research libraries．
Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities．
1.The text mainly tells us _________.
A. all the students use digital tools
B
. the Internet is playing a key role
C. digital tools bring about benefits and problems
D. teachers encourage using digital tools
2.Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
3.The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means _________.
A. students do not have the right digital tools
B. students can’t judge online information properly
C. students haven’t the ability to adjust themselves
D. students do not always have access to the Internet
4.Some students don’t tend to work hard because _________.
A. they can copy each others’ work without being punished
B. printed books and libraries around aren’t enough
C. the Internet can’t make students concentrate
D. they can get answers on the Internet quickly
Susan Williams went to a boarding school. Here is one of the letters she wrote to her parents from the school.
Dear Mom and 
Dad,
I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal（校长）is very angry with me.
She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed．This is against the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all.
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning. The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital.
The principal says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I am very sorry about this.
Much love, Susan.
P.S. None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad things could have been!
1.Susan wrote home ________.
A. to tell her parents she had failed her exams
B. to ask for a million dollars
C. to tell her parents about the fire
D. to tell her parents she had to leave school
2.In the letter, Susan told her parents that the principal was angry with her for the reason that_____.
A. she had failed her exams.
B. she had been caught smoking in bed.
C. it was her fault that the school had caught fire.
D. she had not phoned for the fire department in time.
3.Susan told her parents about the fire ________.
A. to warn them about what the principal would do
B. to make them less angry at her real news
C. to make them feel worried
D. to make them laugh
4.How true was the letter before the P.S.?
A. Partly true.
B. All true.
C. The story doesn’t really tell us.
D. Completely untrue
There are some strange driving laws in different countries.
Countries | Laws |
Vietnam | If you’re in Vietnam without a Vietnamese driver’s license, you risk a prison sentence of up to three years. |
Russia | In Moscow, if your car is dirty enough to draw dust art, you will be fined about 2,000 rubles (about US 55 dollars). Worse yet, it’s illegal to wash your car by hand in public places – forcing you to take it to one of the few car wash facilities. |
Thailand | Drivers – male or female – can’t drive shirtless whether it’s a car, bus, or a tuk-tuk cab. |
France | France requires its drivers to carry a portable breathalyzer(便携式酒精测量仪) at all times when driving a car. The one-time breathalyzer cost around US 5 dollars, and if you don’t have one, you will be fined US 15 dollars. |
Cyprus
| Raising your hands in the car can get you fined of US 35 dollars. The law states a driver can be fined if the person “is in an irregular position inside the car or raises his hand from the steering wheel unnecessarily.” |
Japan
| Politeness isn’t just the culture in Japan; it is part of driving laws. Splashing(飞溅) a person by driving through a puddle（水坑) with your car will cost you over US 60 dollars. The country is also strict with its DUI (酒驾) laws – riding with or lending your car to a driver who gets caught drinking and driving can lead to a fine costing thousands of dollars. |
1.Where should you go to wash your car when you are in Moscow?
A. The forest. B. Any public place.
C. Your home. D. The car wash facilities.
2.What can you get fined for in Cyprus?
A. Forgetting to carry a portable breathalyzer.
B. Not having a Cyprus driver’s license.
C. Putting your hands above your head.
D. Driving without a shirt.
3.If you are fined
thousands of dollars in Japan, you may have been ________________.
A. sitting in a car with a drunk driver
B. in an irregular position in your car
C. splashing a person with mud
D. impolite to other drivers
4.This passage can most likely be found in __________.
A. a law document
B. a book on interesting cultures
C. an international newspaper
D. a fashion magazine
书面表达
假如你是李华，最近你班就“中学生听MP3”的现象进行了一次讨论，请你将以下讨论结果给某英文报社编辑（editor）写信，客观反映情况。词数100左右。
1. 时髦；2. 听英语焕发精神；3. 听英语提高英语水平。 |
1. 浪费时间、影响学习；2. 总听对听觉有害；3. 浪费金钱。 |
1. 合理利用；2. 控制时间。 |
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。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：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：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。
Now I’d like tell you something about my part-time job this summer vacation, in which I worked as the guide in a travel agency. It was the first time that I have earned money on my own. I’ve realized what hard my parents work to support for the family. I used to keep on ask them for money, but now I’ll learn to share worry with my parents. I’ve learned how to get along well with others. Beside, I have gained some social experience and you have learned something that can’t be learned from textbook. In a word, I had a wonderfully and valuable summer vacation.
