NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1.The passage is mainly about ___________.
A. a new medical invention
B. a new research on the pill
C. a way of erasing painful memories
D. an argument about the research on the pill
2.The drug tested on people can ___________ .
A. cause the brain to fix memories
B. stop people remembering bad experiences
C. prevent body producing certain chemicals
D. Wipe out the emotional effects of memories
3.We can infer from the passage that ___________.
A. people doubt the effects of the pills
B. the pill will stop people's bad experiences
C. taking the pill will do harm to people's health
D. the pill has probably been produced in America
4.Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
A. Some memories can ruin people's lives.
B. People want to get rid of bad memories.
C. Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.
D. The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.
When we found him, he was a sorry sight. His clothes were torn, his hands bleeding. Before we reached him, we saw him fall. He lay a moment. Then he pulled himself to his feet, walked unsteadily a few yards through the woods and fell again. After we got him out, we went back to find the gun that he had thrown down. His tracks showed that for two days he had circled in the forest, within 200 yards of the road. His senses were so dulled by fear and tiredness that he did not hear the cars going by or see the lights at night. We found him just in time.
This man, like others before him, had simply been frightened when he knew he was lost. What had been a near disaster might have turned out as only a pleasant walk, if he had made a few preparations before he stepped from the highway or off a known path.
Whatever sense of direction that a man may have, it’s still largely a question of observation. A skilled woodsman always keeps an eye on his surroundings. He notes the shape of a mountain, the direction water flows through a swamp, and the way a tree leans across a path. With these in mind, he is still likely to turn around many times, but he is seldom lost.
There are exceptions, of course, and once in a while a man does come across some strange problem that puts him into the “lost” situation. A rainstorm may catch him without a compass in his pocket. Darkness may find him in a rough area, where travel is dangerous without a light.
When this happens, the normal first reaction is the fear of being laughed at as a result of his poor knowledge in the woods. He may also be concerned about the inconvenience that he will cause his friends when he doesn’t show up. This false pride may lead him to keep on the move in a false effort to find his way against all difficulties.
The person who thinks ahead is seldom in great danger. He’ll be safe if he observes carefully, thinks ahead, and remains calm.
1.The writer suggested that if the man had not been found, ___________.
A. he would have been shot by a gun
B. he would have become confused
C. he would have been attacked by wild animals
D. he would have been in great danger
2.According to the text, if a person gets lost in the forest, at the very beginning, ___________.
A. he will worry about being laughed at
B. he will push himself to find his way out
C. he will feel sorry that he didn’t prepare well enough
D. he will feel it is convenient to ask for help from his friends
3.What is the most important when a person tries to find his way in the woods?
A. Intelligence. B. Observation.
C. Direction. D. Chance.
4.The writer tells the story of the lost man as an example of people who_________.
A. go into the woods by themselves
B. keep their head when they are in trouble
C. are frightened when they think they are lost
D. don’t know how to signal for help properly
If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its carplane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle, ”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble of trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000. But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS. Another option is a fullplane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option，” Gersh said. So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps，” Brown said.
1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that________.
A. people might drive a carplane in 2012
B. carplanes will be popular in 2012
C. both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land
D. Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts
2.It takes the carplane one minute to________.
A. fold and unfold its wings B. meet flying safety regulations
C. land in the airport D. unfold wings for flying
3.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The carplane needs a runway to take off and land.
B. The carplane may fly as high as normal planes.
C. To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
D. People can park the carplane in the garage at their home.
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Cars with Wings Can Fly As Fast As Plane
B. Which To Choose: A Ferrari Or A CarPlane?
C. A More Convenient and Cheaper Way To Fly
D. Cars with Wings May Be Just Around the Corner
How do young children learn to have good values? How can parents teach their children about the importance of kindness and patience? At a time more and more parents worry about the violent images (暴力形象) their children see on TV and on the Internet. So many parents are turning to fairy tales. They want to teach their children how to behave in society by this way.
It is believed that fairy tales have a great influence on children because they describe the two sides of good and evil (邪恶) very clearly. When children hear the tales, they learn to care about others’ feelings. In each tale, they can see that there are many different kinds of people in the world and that we all have a choice about what kind of person we want to be. We can choose to do good actions, rather than bad ones, in our lives.
What kind of values can children learn from fairy tales? In The Princess and the Pea, a poorly dressed girl says she is a princess. Few people believe her, so she is given a difficult test. When she passes the test, we learn that her dream comes true because she stays true to herself. In the Little Mermaid (《小美人鱼》), the mermaid, who lives under the sea, wishes to be with the humans on land. Through her experiences, we learn about the importance of living with and accepting other cultures.
Teaching values is probably the main reason for encouraging children to read fairy tales. These tales can teach children lessons about human relationships that have been accepted around the world for many centuries. This might be the reason why they have been around for so long and will not disappear any time soon.
1.Why do fairy tales have a great influence on children?
A. Because fairy tales can teach them how to make a choice.
B. Because fairy tales can help them get higher scores at school.
C. Because they can learn how to avoid most difficulties in their lives.
D. Because good and evil are shown in a way they can easily understand.
2.Mermaid may be helpful when children ________.
A. are given a difficult test B. make friends with foreigners
C. wish to be a princess or prince D. are going to lie to their parents
3.The author writes the text mainly to ________.
A. introduce some fairy tales
B. talk about the history of fairy tales
C. discuss how to improve human relationships
D. show how fairy tales help children shape values
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Lily所在学校的汉语俱乐部要举办“诵经典，学汉语”（Read Classics & learn Chinese）活动，她给你发邮件征询建议。请你回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 推荐诵读内容；
2. 推荐理由；
3. 活动建议。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当増加细节.以使行文连贯。
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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。
My father is a policeman. On a cold winter evening, he saw old beggar sitting in a square outside a shopping center. His shoes had been worn out and his toes stick out. See his frozen feet, my father felt sad. He left and returned back with a pair of new shoes and socks, that he bought at a nearby store. He knelt down on the ground but helped the old homeless man put it on. His random act of kindness melted the hearts of the passer-by. A woman brought an old blanket from her house to protect the beggar with the freezing cold. The beggar was touched and said it was nice to know that angels true walk on earth.
