Roger Sperry and Robert Ornstein of the California Institute of Technology, Nobel Prize winners, discovered that the human brain has two sides, and each side has different work to do.
The left side of the brain controls language and number and it analyses and reasons. 1. It controls our appreciation of music and our sense of rhythm. It is also the right side of our brain which daydreams.
Leonardo da Vinci was the great painter and sculptor. He was also an architect, a scientist and an inventor! 2. When he invented machines he used both his imaginative ability and his analytical (分析)ability.
3. Albert Einstein enjoyed art, playing the violin and sailing. Indeed, Einstein said his scientific discoveries grew from his imagination rather than from analysis, reason and language. He said that written and spoken words were not important in his thinking. The story goes that Einstein was daydreaming one summer's day while sitting on a hill. He imagined that he was riding on sunbeams to the far distance of the universe. Then he found that he had returned to the sun. So he realized that the universe must curve(弯曲).4. He then used the left side of his brain to apply analysis, number and reason. And finally he used language to explain it.
Traditional education in schools encourages us to use the left side of our brains. Language, number, analysis and reason are given more importance in our schools than imagination and daydreaming. Why don't we give more value to visual thinking? Why jump on one foot if we have two perfectly good legs!
5.We need to use our imagination to think of solutions to problems and to enjoy emotional and artistic experiences. And we need to be logical and to be able to analyze and organize in order to survive day by day.
A.We benefit by thinking creatively.
B.We all need both sides of our brain.
C.He got this idea by using his imagination.
D.Great scientists and great artists are similar.
E.He was considered crazy for his strange ideas.
F.He used both sides of his brain within each activity.
G.The right side controls our imagination and our understanding of space.
If you wear glasses, chances are you are smarter. Research published in the famous British journal Nature Communications has found that people who displayed higher levels of intelligence were almost 30 percent more likely to wear glasses.
The scientists studied the genes of thousands of people between the ages of 16 and 102.The study showed intelligence can be connected to physical characteristics. One characteristic was eyesight. In out of 10 people who were more intelligent, there was a higher chance they needed glasses. Scientists also said being smarter has other benefits. It is connected to better health.
It is important to remember these are connections which are not proven causes. Scientists call this correlation. Just because something is connected to something else does not mean one of those things caused the other. And it’s worth noting that what constitutes intelligence is subjective and can be difficult, if not impossible, to measure.
Forget genes though. Plenty of proof shows wearing glasses makes people think you are more intelligent, even if you do not need glasses. A number of studies have found people who wear glasses are seen as smarter, hard-working and honest. Many lawyers use this idea to help win their cases. Lawyer Harvey Solves explained this. Glasses soften their appearance. He said Sometimes there has been a huge amount of proof showing that people he was defending broke the law. He had them wear glasses and they weren’t found guilty.
Glasses are also used to show someone is intelligent in movies and on TV. Ideas about people who wear glasses have begun to shift. People who do not need glasses sometimes wear them for fashion only. They want to look worldly or cool. But not everyone is impressed by this idea, though. GQ magazine said people who wear glasses for fashion are trying too hard to look smart and hip (时髦的). However, that hasn’t stopped many celebrities from happily wearing glasses even if they do not need them. Justin Bieber is just one high-profile fan of fashion glasses.
1.What does the new study show?
A.People wearing glasses are smarter.
B.People wearing glasses are healthier.
C.Wearing glasses can make people cleverer.
D.Wearing glasses is associated with higher IQ.
2.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Shift. B.Link. C.Proof. D.Consequence.
3.Why do some lawyers ask their clients to wear glasses in court?
A.Because it can create a moral image.
B.Because it can mislead the witnesses.
C.Because it can highlight clients’ qualities.
D.Because it can prove the clients’ innocence.
4.What is the general attitude to those who wear glasses for fashion?
A.Positive. B.Negative. C.Mixed D.Indifferent.
Honey (蜂蜜) from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees’ nest (巢) and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.
1.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees’ nest?
A.It’s small in size. B.It’s covered with wax.
C.It’s hidden in trees. D.It’s hard to recognize.
2.What do the underlined words “the follower” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.A honey seeker. B.A bird. C.A bee. D.A beekeeper.
3.The honey guide is special in the way ________.
A.it gets its food B.it goes to church
C.it sings in the forest D.it reaches into bees’ nests
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Wild Bees B.Wax and Honey
C.Beekeeping in Africa D.Honey-Lover’s Helper
Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?
A.She had seven brothers. B.She felt herself a nobody.
C.She was too shy to go to school. D.She did not have any good teachers.
2.The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.
A.work for a school magazine B.run away from her family
C.make a lot of friends D.develop her writing style
3.According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?
A.Her early years in college. B.Her training in the Workshop.
C.Her feeling of being different. D.Her childhood experience.
4.What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?
A.It is quite popular among students.
B.It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.
C.It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish.
D.It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
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The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
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A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
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Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Remedies
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Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound. Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.
1.How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?
A.$6.46. B.$l0. 20. C.$l3.96. D.$l9.80.
2.Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor?
A.Off the Beaten Path. B.Container Gardens by Number.
C.l80l Home Remedies. D.Best Weekend Projects.
3.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To share his opinion about the books with readers. B.To advise readers to read more in spare time.
C.To share the pleasure of reading with readers. D.To advise readers to buy their books.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写的词数应为150左右。
As a father, I was always seeking for opportunities to teach my son how to balance risk with freedom.
Last month, I bought four little chicks. I decided to make a beautiful coop (鸡笼) for them.
In the next few weeks, I, together with my son Gordon, spent all our spare time in the garage. Finally, the coop was finished.
While admiring his well-made handwork, Gordon suddenly raised his head and asked,
“Dad, shall we lock the chicks in the coop all the time? I am afraid they will be attacked by some fierce animals or become someone’s chicken soup?” Seeing his anxious look, I cracked a smile and asked, “Do you want to be trapped in a limited room or have the freedom to get around?” Hesitant for a while, he murmured, “Freedom, of course.” “Chicks will also think so.” Therefore, our chicks were often seen chasing around in the lawns (草坪), digging for bugs in the bushes and laying eggs in the yard.
Yesterday, we needed to go downtown to shop for food supply after lunch. Knowing that the chicks wouldn’t go very far, we left home with them running around the lawn. When we got back, the first thing Gordon did was to check on his chicks. There were only three chicks in the yard. Their feathers were no longer fair and smooth but dirty and tangled (乱糟糟的). Hearing our steps, they jumped to their feet and scattered in all directions, seeming to have just experienced a terrifying disaster. Worse still, Pecky, Gordon’s favourite chick was nowhere to be found.
We searched the yard inch by inch and found some feathers littering the yard. Seeing this, Gordon’s eyes got watery. I picked Gordon up and comforted him. As we began to accept the fact that we were now a three-chick family, we heard it---a soft clucking (咯咯声) sound under a bush.
Para 1: I put Gordon down and we looked under the bush.
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Para 2: The next day Gordon offered to have a talk with me.
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