Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
The Benefits of Being Bilingual
At one time being bilingual was thought to slow down brain development, although it is now known to have many benefits. Aside from professional and social benefits, studies show that the process of learning a second language actually strengthens some areas of the brain.
To start off with, a study done at the University of British Columbia shows that babies exposed to two languages before birth don’t confuse the languages. Moreover, it showed that the effort it takes to keep the languages separate improves perception.
The benefits aren’t only for people who grow up bilingual, however. Anyone who learns a second language during their lifetime will have certain advantages. For one, Swedish scientists found that the brain grows during language learning, particularly the area where memories are created.
Not only does the brain grow, but language learners also improve in many areas. They are good at multitasking while paying detailed attention to each task. Additionally they strengthen their math skills, listening skills, ability to focus, problem-solving skills, reading and vocabulary in their native language, and their memory increases. In the area of math, a study done at the University of Washington shows that bilinguals solve new math problems half a second faster than monolinguals.
Language learning also has huge benefits for old age. Brian Gold of the University of Kentucky did a study comparing the ability of bilingual seniors and monolingual seniors to do an attention-switching task. Usually this skill fails with age. However the bilingual seniors performed better than the monolinguals, and their brains worked less hard and more efficiently.
Neuroscientists (神经系统科学家) think that having more brainpower at an older age helps protect us from Alzheimer’s. Current medication for Alzheimer’s only delays it for 6-12 months, while learning a new language delays it for 4-5 years. Again, this is not only for people who learn a second language from birth. Even if you don’t learn another language until after middle age it helps. Language learning keeps your brain active and “fit”.
Directions: Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
Each of us has a time of the day when we’re at our best. For some, it’s the morning, and for others, the afternoon or evening. These times relate to what scientists call our circadian clock (生物钟). 1.
The research is the work of two authors, Aaron Schirmer and Benjamin Smarr. The pair used data from a university computer system to study the rhythms and activities of 15,000 students at Northeastern Illinois University between 2014 and 2016. They studied the data to see if there was a connection between the students’ schedules, their natural circadian clocks and their school performance.
2. But if students’ clock doesn’t agree with the rest of their lives, their performance was likely to suffer.
According to the study, those students who suffered from a mismatch underwent a kind of “social jet lag（时差）”. For example, some students performed best at night and therefore chose to study in the evening. But if those students had an early morning class, they often felt tired from late night studying and didn’t get the most out of the class. They might then go on to get a lower grade for exams and coursework. 3.
The authors say mismatches between a student’s schedule and circadian clock can have a harmful effect, and not just in terms of academic performance. Social jet lag can also be bad for students’ health.
The authors don’t claim their study proves anything, but they do say that it provides food for thought for school administrators, who might like to think about special ways to help students who suffer on account of their schedules. 4.
A.In addition, the findings alerted parents to their children’s sleeping patterns.
B.The study found that the closer a student’s schedule and their circadian clock, the better their grades were.
C.All students in the study suffered some degree of social jet lag, but late-night studiers suffered the most.
D.The clock genes create circadian rhythms in the body, which help control the timing of a variety of biological changes.
E.The findings could also help everyone to be aware, and hopefully take advantage, of their own biological rhythms to lead a healthy life.
F.Now, a new study suggests that the relationship between students’ circadian clocks and their study schedules can have a big effect on their grades.
It’s never easy to admit the mistakes you make, but doing so is an important step toward moving forward.
National Geographic magazine recently published an article with the title “For decades, our coverage was racist. To rise above our past, we must acknowledge it.” It was written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Susan Goldberg, the first woman and first Jewish person to hold the position. National Geographic has acknowledged that its coverage of the black and racial minorities in America and the wider world has been historically racist, frequently promoting caricatures of the “noble savage” and barely featuring the US’s minority population.
According to Goldberg, the 130-year-old publication’s April issue “explores how race defines, separates, and unites us”. In honor of 50 years since the killing of Martin Luther King, who is known for fighting racial inequality in the US, the issue is devoted to race.
The publication republished a number of examples of historical racism in its coverage. One 1916 article about Australia included a photo of two Indigenous Australians with the wording: “South Australian Blackfellows: These savages rank lowest in intelligence of all human beings.”
To review its previous coverage of race, Goldberg asked University of Virginia historian John Edwin Mason to look back at the magazine’s text, choice of subjects, and photography of people of color from the US and abroad. “Until the 1970s, National Geographic all but ignored people of color who lived in the United States, rarely acknowledging them beyond laborer or domestic workers,” Goldberg wrote about Mason’s findings. “Meanwhile, it pictured ‘natives’ elsewhere as exotics, famously and frequently unclothed happy hunters, noble savages.”
Mason also found that the magazine often ran photos of “uncivilized” natives amazed by “civilized” Western technology.
In recent years, however, the magazine has improved. For example, in a 2015 project, National Geographic gave cameras to young people in the Caribbean country of Haiti and asked them to shoot pictures of their everyday lives.
“The coverage wasn’t right before, because it was told from a white American point of view, and I think it speaks to exactly why we needed a variety of storytellers,” Goldberg told the Associated Press.
National Geographic’s look at its past also inspired other media organizations to revisit their own historical coverage of race. The New York Times admitted that most of its obituaries(讣告) were about the lives of white men, and has started publishing obituaries of famous women in a special section titled “Overlooked”. After all, recognizing overlooked mistakes is what makes us grow.
1.The April issue of National Geographic magazine is special because ______.
A.readers can see Mason’s investigation report in this issue
B.it is released to mark National Geographic’s 130th anniversary
C.it focuses on the issue of race in memory of Martin Luther King
D.it is the first issue since Susan Goldberg became the editor-in-chief
2.Which of the following may prove National Geographic’s coverage was racist?
A.It often pictured coloured people with decent jobs.
B.Natives were often presented as undressed happy hunters.
C.It asked ordinary people to shoot pictures of their daily lives.
D.It only featured minority groups in America but overlooked others.
3.What can we learn about the National Geographic?
A.It used to tell stories from the perspective of a white Jewish woman.
B.The overall image of natives in it was brave, intelligent but uncivilized.
C.Its texts and choice of subjects were diverse and had no racial prejudice.
D.It inspired other media organizations to reflect on their coverage of race.
4.According to the writer, acknowledging the mistakes may .
A.spoil the image of the world famous magazine
B.remove racial discrimination around the world
C.help the magazine to move forward and grow better
D.discourage the editors from reporting bravely and honestly
RAMCO TECHNOLOGIES
Where Technology Shapes Tomorrow
Marketing @Ramco.comewww.Ramco.com
TO: Rachel Mohler, Vice President
Harrison Fontentot, Public Relations
FROM: Mike Gonzalez
SUBJECT: Three Ways to Increase Ramco’s Community Involvement
DATE: March 5, 2019
At our planning session in early February, our division managers stressed the need to generate favourable publicity for our new Ramco facility in Mayfield. Knowing that such publicity will highlight Ramco’s visibility in Mayfield, I think the company’s image might be enhanced in the following three ways.
CREATE A SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Ramco would receive favourable publicity by creating a scholarship at Mayfield Community College for any student interested in a career in technology. A one-year scholarship would cost $6,800. The scholarship could be awarded by a committee composed of Ramco executives. Such a scholarship would emphasize Ramco’s enthusiastic support for the latest technical education at a local college.
OFFER SITE TOURS
Guided tours of the Mayfield facility would introduce the community to Ramco’s innovative technology. These tours might be organized for academic, community, and civic groups. Individuals would see the care we take in protecting the environment in our production and equipment choices and the speed with which we ship our products. Of special interest to visitors would be Ramco’s use of industrial robots working alongside our employees. Since these tours would be scheduled in advance, they should not conflict with our production schedules.
PROVIDE GUEST SPEAKERS
Many of our employees would be excellent guest speakers at civic and educational meetings in the Mayfield area. Possible topics include the advances Ramco has made in designing and engineering and how these advances have helped consumers and the local economy.
Thanks for giving me your comments as soon as possible. If we are going to put one or more of these suggestions into practice before the facility opens in mid-April, we’ll need to act before the end of the month.
1.If Ramco establishes a scholarship, it will _____.
A.benefit students at colleges in Mayfield
B.highlight Ramco’s support for the latest technical advances
C.be offered to MCC students interested in a career in technology
D.be jointly awarded by Ramco executives and college professors
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Site tours of Mayfield facility can be arranged at any time.
B.The three measures are scheduled to be carried out in mid-April.
C.The three measures are sure to create favourable image for Mayfield.
D.Guest speakers will talk about Ramco’s advances in designing and engineering.
3.What type of writing is this passage?
A.A letter of introduction. B.A letter of proposal.
C.A letter of recommendation. D.A letter of complaints.
Most economists were against the idea of Britain leaving the European Union, but perhaps few felt so strongly about it. However, in a poll conducted prior to the vote by Times Higher Education, a trade paper, nine in ten university staff said they would vote to Remain. At University College London (UCL), where one in ten students comes from the EU, the mood after the result was one of “deep shock, grief and then concern,” says Michael Arthur, the university’s president.
British universities are home to students from all corners: Europeans make up 6% of the total; another 14% come from the rest of the world. As a result of EU rules, the former are treated like home students, meaning that in England their fees are capped at £9,000 a year and they have access to state-provided loans. By contrast, there are no limits on fees for students from the rest of the world. A geography degree at Oxford costs non-EU students £22,430 a year.
But life will soon get trickier for universities. The big issue is whether EU students will continue to have access to loans, says Mr. Mian. Withdrawing the loans from EU students, however, would risk a big drop in their number, which could cause a 50-75% fall in the number of EU students at UCL.
Others point out that under such a situation universities probably would be free to charge higher fees to EU students, as they currently do for non-Europeans. That may help, says Richard Shaw, head of education at Grant Thornton, an accounting firm, but it seems unlikely that any increase in fees would be sufficient to make up for the fall in student numbers. Those numbers could drop further if foreign students are put off by the referendum (公民投票) result, which some have interpreted as a sign of hostility towards migrants in general.
Brexit (脱欧) comes at an awkward time for universities. Many have borrowed money to fund expansion, following the government’s decision in 2013 to lift the cap on the number of students that English universities were able to accept. Some might now find their new lecture halls less full than they had hoped.
Most countries do all they can to lure students from around the world, including seeking to attract the best lecturers. That is sensible: some students stick around, boosting the economy; others return home with fond memories of the country where they spent their early adulthood. All of them pay for the privilege. Immigration restrictions on non-EU students have already done considerable harm to higher education. It is likely that British universities will suffer once again.
1.What does the underlined word “capped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Restricted. B.Imposed.
C.Covered. D.Overlooked.
2.Which of the following is NOT the influence Brexit will have on British universities?
A.The fall in the number of EU students.
B.The negative emotions from foreign students.
C.The waste of the expansion of the universities.
D.The inevitably rising fees the universities will charge.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Owing to the EU rules, non-EU students are charged more than EU students.
B.Studying abroad makes no difference to the students who return home at last.
C.Compared with the loss of students, British universities will suffer more from the decline in fees.
D.Britain’s foreign policy didn’t take the long-term development of its universities into consideration.
4.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Universities’ tricks in drawing foreign students.
B.Brexit, the worst decision made by the government.
C.Academics’ fear of a drying up of students and money.
D.The urgent measures to balance education and politics.
In interviews, famous people often say that the key to becoming both happy and successful is to “do what you love.” But mastering a skill, even one that you deeply love, requires a huge amount of hard work.
Anyone who wants to master a skill must run through the ______ of practice, critical feedback, alteration, and improvement over and over. Some people seem able to concentrate on practicing an activity like this for years and ______ their gradual improvement. Yet others find it _____ to do this kind of focused, time-consuming work. Why?
The ______ may turn on the ability to enter into a state of “flow”, the feeling of being completely involved in what you are doing. Flow states can happen in the course of any activity, and they are most common when a task has well-defined goals and is at a(n) ______ skill level, and where the individual is able to ______ their performance to clear and immediate feedback.
Flow states turn the boring practice into an autotelic activity—that is, one that can be enjoyed for its own sake, rather than as a means to an end or for obtaining some ______ reward. Then how can we get into a flow state for an activity that we want to master, so that we enjoy both the ______ and the rewards?
Those who most ______ entered into flow states had an “autotelic personality”—a quality to seek out challenges and get into a state of flow. While those without such a personality see ______, autotelic individuals see opportunities to build skills. Autotelic individuals are receptive, open to new challenges and also persistent. Such people, with an ability to focus on tasks rather than ______, have a great advantage over others in developing their inborn abilities.
____, for those of us who aren’t necessarily blessed with an autotelic personality, there is evidence that flow states can be promoted by environmental factors. In particular, the learning framework ______ by Montessori schools seems to encourage flow states. In Montessori schools, learning comes through ______ rather than direct instruction and students are encouraged to develop individual interests. Competition is ______ and grading is de-emphasized, taking the focus off of external rewards.
While there isn’t (yet) a pill that can turn dull practice into an exciting activity for anyone, it is heartening that we seem, at least to some degree, to be able to push ourselves toward flow states.
1.A.cycle B.list C.circle D.series
2.A.lose interest in B.make up for C.take pleasure in D.make use of
3.A.meaningful B.frustrating C.amazing D.shameful
4.A.behaviour B.difference C.reaction D.procedure
5.A.appropriate B.elementary C.advanced D.difficult
6.A.compare B.assess C.apply D.adjust
7.A.considerable B.well-deserved C.material D.external
8.A.process B.pleasure C.compliment D.performance
9.A.reluctantly B.blindly C.readily D.casually
10.A.advantages B.difficulties C.details D.faults
11.A.rewards B.expectations C.complaints D.contributions
12.A.Unexpectedly B.Occasionally C.Traditionally D.Fortunately
13.A.declined B.criticized C.advocated D.considered
14.A.adaptation B.discovery C.harmony D.exposure
15.A.appreciated B.guaranteed C.reserved D.discouraged
