In the novel “Number the Stars”, 1. attracts the readers most is the process of Annimarie’s 2. (become) a real heroine. Like any other girl 3. the same age, she was innocent and lovely, but the sudden coming war got her changed. To start with, her sister was killed. 4. (obvious), she was not really killed as Annimarie 5. (tell). Secondly, her best friend Ellen, together with all the Jews in the city, was either killed 6. taken away by the German soldiers. And then, 7. (save) Ellen, her mother took all the three girls to the village 8. Uncle Henric lived; certainly, the process of coming here was not without any trouble, but luckily they made 9.. Now a funeral was under way and 10. imaginary Great Aunt passed away, which offered all the people a chance to be together, and a plan was progressing.
Speaking two languages can actually help reduce some effects of aging on the brain, a new study has found.
Researchers tested how long participants needed to _______ from one cognitive (认知) task to another, something that’s known to _______ longer for older adults, said lead researcher, Brain Gold, an expert at the University of Kentucky, “It has great effects these days because our population is _______ gradually,” Gold said. “Seniors are _______ longer, and that’s a good thing, but it’s only a good thing _______ a certain degree that their brains are _______.”
Gold’s team compared task-switching of younger and older _______, knowing they would find slower speeds in the _______ population because of previous studies. _______, they found that older adults who spoke two languages were able to switch mental gear (齿轮) ________ than those who didn’t.
First, Gold and his team ________ 30 people, who were either bilingual (双语的) ________ monolingual (单语的), to look at a series of colored shapes and ________ with the name of each shape by pushing a button. Then, they ________ the participants with a similar series of colored shapes and asked them to respond with what ________ the shapes were by pushing a button. The bilingual people had the ________ to respond faster to the shifting prompts (提示).
Researchers then gathered 80 more people for a second ________; 40 bilinguals and 40 monolinguals. This time, researchers used FMRI machines to ________ brain activity during the same shape-and color-identifying ________. Gold and his team found that bilingual people had different brain activity than their monolingual peers.
“Learning a second language in childhood was thought of as ________,” Gold said. “Actually, it’s beneficial.”
1.A. switch B. perform C. jump D. transport
2.A. hold B. spend C. last D. take
3.A. increasing B. aging C. growing D. exploding
4.A. surviving B. staying C. living D. expecting
5.A. with B. in C. at D. to
6.A. powerful B. healthy C. sensitive D. special
7.A. adults B. researchers C. leaders D. seniors
8.A. random B. ordinary C. older D. younger
9.A. Thus B. Otherwise C. Besides D. However
10.A. faster B. slower C. longer D. better
11.A. paid B. asked C. promised D. forced
12.A. yet B. nor C. or D. and
13.A. remember B. realize C. recall D. reply
14.A. presented B. rewarded C. assisted D. treated
15.A. forms B. types C. colors D. sizes
16.A. right B. ability C. opportunity D. determination
17.A. experiment B. conclusion C. lesson D. task
18.A. recognize B. improve C. make D. record
19.A. tools B. scores C. tasks D. games
20.A. useless B. reasonable C. simple D. interesting
How to write a Letter to Parents
As a teacher, one of the most difficult parts of your job is working with parents. 1. Writing a letter to parents is one way to do this. If you do it properly, this is an excellent way to communicate when you cannot meet with parents face to face.
·Put positive communication in the letter, even if you are writing to discuss a problem. 2. Even if it is difficult, you must find this positive spin（言辞）, because it will make the parents more open to what you have to discuss. The general rule is “start with the good, hit them with the bad, then end on a positive note”.
·Share the problem with the parents. Express your concern and desire to help. 3. Show them through the letter that you want to work with them to find a solution to the problem.
·4. You can ask them to write back, sign a part of the letter or give you a call. If you do not hear from them, you should call them. Be caring, but make sure they got the communication. Remember, your goal is to work together to help their child succeed.
·Consider mailing the letter to the parent, rather than sending it home with the student. Some students will intentionally forget to give the letter to their parents, while others will accidentally or purposely lose the letter. 5.
A. Ask for a response.
B. Respect parents and never quarrel with them.
C. Whenever you meet with problems, you should keep cool.
D. Sending it in the mail makes it more certain that it will be received.
E. Do not place it completely on their shoulders, as they may hate this action.
F. You can do this by pointing out a little progress the child has made recently.
G. With proper communication, however, you can build bridges between the school and home.
A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.
According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association(APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have traveled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.
The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat-belt sign switches off. They are also the first to take out their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively---- when not drinking---- choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.
Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random strangers----spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.
Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals. In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers.
The international flyers did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment. “The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements” said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. “At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey.” he added.
1.What can you probably see in the flight according to the passage?
A. Brazilians choose to drink.
B. Americans do in-flight shopping.
C. Germans chat to kill the time.
D. The Chinese switch off the seat-belt sign.
2.When on board the plane, ______.
A. passengers from one nation have little in common
B. most passengers like to read in-flight magazines
C. more than half of the passengers don’t enjoy plane food
D. most people tend to use in-flight time to have a good sleep.
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Flyers care little about entertainment.
B. Flyers are not satisfied with the improvements.
C. Flyers are expecting better flight experiences.
D. Flyers have more and more demands from airlines.
4.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To entertain readers with interesting stories.
B. To encourage people to behave well in public.
C. To criticize impolite behaviors on the plane.
D. To inform readers of the results of a survey.
Flaubert had it that "one way of tolerating existence is to lose oneself in literature as in an unending party". It turns out that reading doesn't only help us to tolerate existence, but actually lengthens it.
A recent study by Yale University researchers, published online in the journal Social Science & Medicine, concluded that "book readers experienced a 20 percent reduction in the risk of death over the 12 years of follow-up compared to non-book readers."
The data was obtained from the study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. The study looked at 3,635 subjects, all older than 50, whom the researchers divided into three groups: those who didn't read books, those who read up to 3.5 hours a week and those who read more than 3.5 hours a week.
The findings were remarkable: on average, book readers survived almost two years longer than those who didn't crack open a book. The more the subjects read, the longer they lived, but that as little as 30 minutes a day was still beneficial in terms of survival.
Accounting for factors such as education level, income and health status, the study found that those who read more than 3.5 hours weekly were 23 percent less likely to die during that 12-year period. Those who read up to 3.5 hours—an average of a half-hour a day—were 17 percent less likely.
In other words, just like a healthy diet and exercise, books appear to promote a "significant survival advantage," the authors concluded.
Why or how that's the case remains unclear; the research showed only an association between book reading and longevity, not a causal relationship. But the findings are not so surprising. Other recent research showed that reading novels appears to increase both brain connectivity and sympathy.
1.Why does the author mention Flaubert's words in the first paragraph?
A. To stress the value of reading.
B. To compare reading with party.
C. To introduce the study on reading.
D. To support the findings of the study.
2.From the text, what can we learn about the study?
A. No similar study on reading has been carried out.
B. The process of the study lasted more than ten years.
C. It shows readers live two years longer than non-readers.
D. It shows time spent on reading increases one's love for it.
3.What does the underlined words "that's the case" probably mean?
A. Reading books enables people to live longer.
B. Reading is similar to a healthy diet and exercise.
C. Reading books is closely associated with longevity.
D. Reading increases brain connectivity and sympathy.
4.Where can we most probably read this text?
A. https://www.theguardian.com/life-and-style/family.
B. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/coming-soon.
C. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health.
D. http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/Book_Recommendations.
World Book Day falls on April 23 every year．It was set up by the United Nations Educational,Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading．It is also the day to honor great writers，for example，William Shakespeare，born or dead on that day．
Many countries celebrate World Book Day．Take UK as an example．On that day，millions of school children can buy books of special price，a much lower price than usual，in any bookstore．It has been done every year since 1998．World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Our Former Premier Wen Jiabao, a bookworm, who does lots of reading every day, has called on people to do more reading. He suggested that young people should spend more time reading．"Books cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said．
Why do people like reading? One big advantage is that reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Also, reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Besides, reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unfamiliar to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. What’s more, reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English．
"Reading makes a full man" (Bacon，1597). Books，magazines，newspapers and other kinds of materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. So it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day．
1.World Book Day was set up in order to encourage people to .
A. buy more books B. do more reading
C. learn foreign languages D. know more about science
2.In the UK，what will school children do on World Book Day?
A. They will give away some books to those poor families’ children.
B. They will go to the library in order to read as many books as possible.
C. They will buy books of much lower price than usual in any bookstore.
D. They will organize some activities in memory of William Shakespeare.
3.How many advantages of reading are mentioned in the passage?
A. Two. B. Three.
C. Four. D. Five.
4.The underlined words “ a bookworm” in Paragraph 2 probably mean .
A. a person who loves reading B. a person who likes reading
C. a person who loves collecting D. a person who likes buying books
