Children with autism(孤独症) have difficulty with social skills and communication. They often behave in restricted and repetitive ways and have what seem like abnormally intense interests.
Autism is more common in boys than girls. What causes it is not clear. Scientists are studying genes and possible environmental influences.
Doctors usually cannot confirm a diagnosis(诊断) of autism until a child is about three years old. Rebecca Landa is a researcher at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland. Professor Landa wanted to find out what differences in development might be seen earlier. She led a new study that observed 235 babies between six and 36 months of age.
"At six months of age, the signs of some risk for developing communication and social delays, including autism, include motor delays. Like when you lay your baby on their back and you pull them by the arms gently into a seated position, the baby's head may nod back behind the shoulders, like poor head control. So that does not mean that the baby is going to have autism, but it does mean the baby needs to have some exercises to strengthen their body. And when they strengthen their body, they are better able to play with toys and engage with people, which then goes on to help them have better outcomes."
By the time a baby is one year old, signs of possible autism include difficulty in using words and not looking eye-to-eye or reaching out to other people. By 14 months, the baby might smile less and use language less. However, Professor Landa says these signs can be so small that they might be missed during a short health exam.
"It's important for parents to stay tuned into their children's development, and if a parent is concerned about a child's development, for professionals to listen to them."
The earlier parents notice delays, she says, the sooner they can begin doing simple things that may help improve their child's development. For example: talking to the child about what they are doing, commenting when the child shows them something, and playing simple games that keep the child's attention.
1.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Watching for Early Signs of Autism in Babies
B. How to Confirm a Diagnosis of Autism
C. Children with Autism Have Difficulty in Communication
D. Ways to Help Children with Autism to Recover
2. What can we learn form the third paragraph?
A. Landa has found ways to confirm a diagnosis of autism when a baby is about six months.
B.Landa tried to find autism earlier by comparing the differences as the baby grows up.
C.Now doctors can confirm a diagnosis of autism before a child is three years old.
D.Doctors observed 235 babies either 6 or 36 months of age under the guide of Landa.
3.When a baby with signs of possible autism is a year and two months, he may____.
A. avoid eye contact
B.have difficulty in raising his head
C.develop bad manners
D.hate to communicate with others
4.In which column could we find this passage?.
A. Education
B.Health
C.Economics
D.Entertainment
Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. 1
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. “Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep,” Savard said. “We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构). Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.
1. What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
A. Take notes. B. Be with her.
C. Buy medicine. D. Give her gifts.
2. Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
A. In Gift No. 1. B. In Gift No. 2.
C. In Gift No. 3. D. In Gift No. 4.
3.Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to_______ .
A. enjoy good sleep B. be well-organized
C. bet extra support D. give others help
The Future of Technology
William, a businessman, arrives in a foreign airport. He doesn’t show his passport. Instead, a machine in the wall reads the computer chip（芯片）in his arm. This contains information about him: his name, age, and I.D number. He exits the airport, and a car door opens when it “sees” him. The car takes him to his hotel. His room “knows” he has entered the building and it “reads” his body. He is cold, so the room becomes warmer. William then watches a business presentation on a video wall. When he takes a bath, the presentation “follows him and continues on the bathroom wall. Finally, the room plays music to help him sleep. It turns off the music when it “sees” him sleeping.
William doesn’t exist, and none of this is real. But it might be soon. “In five to ten years, computing and communications are going to be free and everywhere, in your walls, in your car, on your body,’ says Victor Zue, leader of Project Oxygen.
Project Oxygen has one big idea: to create better relationships between machines and people. The dream is that computer will learn to understand what people want.
So, what changes will there be at work? Firstly, the building will know where everyone is, all the time. You want to talk to someone? Type the person’s name on the nearest computer. It will show you a map of the building and exactly where this person is. You then call this person, who picks up the nearest telephone, also shown on the computer. If he or she is busy with a client（客户）or in a meeting, the computer will tell you.
Is all this really possible? Visit the Siebel Center, Illinois and see for yourself: computers in the doors and walls, cameras everywhere, the technology of the future, but here today.
1.William doesn’t’ show his passport because__________.
A. he is not required to show his passport
B. he doesn’t need a passport in that airport
C. his information can be read by a machine
D. only a man from foreign country needs to show his passport
2.The computer chip in William’s arm contains his information except_______.
A. his name B. his age
C. his I.D. number D. his job
3.The dream of Project Oxygen is that computers will ________
A. show you where the person is you are calling
B. let you pick up the nearest telephone
C. learn to understand what people want
D. show you a map of every building
4.In the Siebel Center, Illinois, ________.
A. computers are everywhere
B. the technology of the future is there today
C. there are cameras in the doors and walls
D. the future technology will be there in 5-10 years
It was already dark when an old man came to a small town. He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night. After he had gone to his room, the owner said to his wife, “Look at his bag, dear. I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it. I want to steal it when he is asleep.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “He must look for his bag tomorrow morning. Then he’ll take you before the judge.” They thought and at last the woman had an idea. “We have forgetful grass,” said the woman, “Why not put some into his food? If he has the food, he will forget to take his bag away.” “How clever you are!” said the owner, “Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”
The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed. The next morning, when the owner got up, he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag. He woke his wife up and said angrily, “What a fool! Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “I don’t think so. He must forget something.”
“Oh, I’ve remembered!” The owner cried out suddenly, “He forgot…”
1.The owner and his wife wanted to _______.
A. get the man’s bag
B. steal the man’s money
C. make the man pay them more
D. hide the man’s bag
2.The owner and his wife put the forgetful grass into the food because _______.
A. the old man always forgot something
B. they wanted to make the food better
C. they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn
D. they wanted to know if the grass was useful
3.According to the passage the old man forgot _______.
A. to take his bag away
B. to tell the owner when he left
C. to close the door when he went to sleep
D. to pay them the inn money
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Both the owner and his wife were clever.
B. The owner of the inn got nothing from the old man.
C. The old man left the inn without his bag.
D. The woman forgot to put the grass into the food.
Would you mind ____________ your radio a little?
A.turn off B.turning off C.to turn down D.turning down
Do you remember ____________ me at a party last year?
A.meet B.to meet C.meeting D.met
