While retiring ahead of time may be easier on the body, a new set of research has found that it may not be so beneficial to the mind. The study, carried out at Binghamton University, finds that an early retirement can speed up the usual rate of cognitive (认知的)decrease among the elderly.
The research team studied China's new rural pension (退休金)system, as well as China's most recent Retirement Longitudinal Survey ( CHARLS), in order to look into the effects of early retirement and pension benefits on individual cognition among adults over the age of 60. After going over all of the data, the research team noted a clear direction: people receiving pension benefits were experiencing much more rapid mental decline (智力下降)than those still on the workforce. Surprisingly, women seemed to experience even sharper mental decline after retiring early. Overall, the results support the view that decreased mental activity speeds up cognitive decline.
Nikolov, the lead researcher, had actually carried out former studies that found retirement led to a number of physical health benefits for retirees, such as improved sleep patterns, less stress, and reduced alcohol consumption. However, retirement also usually goes with a decline in social activities and less communication with people, which has also been linked to cognitive decline.
“For cognition among the elderly, it looks like the bad effect on social connection is more than the good effect of the program on fitness and sleep,” Nikolov says. “ Or social connection may simply be the single most powerful factor for cognitive performance in old age.”
The research team are hopeful that their findings will be considered by older adults when thinking about retirement, but perhaps more importantly, they hope that policy makers in developing countries take note while drawing up new pension plans. They suggest building social get-togethers and work shops for recent retirees to help cut down the decline in social communication and creative thinking that often comes along with retirement.
1.Which of the following best describes retiring ahead of time for the mind?
A.Useless. B.Beneficial. C.Damaging. D.Improving.
2.Who mentally suffered most according to the research?
A.Men retiring on former plan. B.Women over the age of 60.
C.Men retiring ahead of time. D.Women retiring early.
3.What will retirement bring to the elderly?
A.Shorter sleep time. B.Fewer social activities.
C.More financial stress. D.Less time with family members.
4.What can we learn about the research team's suggestion?
A.The government should make new policy.
B.People should build more shops for the elderly.
C.The retirement in developing countries should be common.
D.The newly retired people should communicate more.
Bats (Firefly Books, 2011)by Phil Richardson helps to show readers the truth about bats. While bats get a bad name for their connection to mysterious vampires (吸血鬼）and their nightly habits, Richardson shines light onto the species and shows that bats are amazing and complex creatures for various reasons. The following is information about bat protection.
Bats are under threat in many areas of the world. Some have gone down to such a level that the remaining numbers may not be enough to keep the species. Threats to bat populations matter not just because bats are attractive creatures in their own right.Our increasing familiarity with the term biodiversity from television, newspapers, magazines and other media reflects the importance biologists place on this kind of protection.
The easiest way to appreciate what is included is to recall the idea of food chains and webs from biology lessons at school. It all starts with the producers,the plants that produce the food in their leaves by photosynthesis (光合作用）. Animals such as caterpillars then join the chain and eat the leaves, other animals such as birds eat the caterpillars, and so on up the chain.If a species dies out, then there is a break in the chain, and predators (捕食者）that relied on that species could also die or grow weaker as there is less food available.
There is another important point,a single insect-eating bat may eat hundreds of insects a night. So bats help to keep a balance in the natural world.Besides, they are a great help to humans,as farmland, gardens and house wooden structures all suffer attacks from injurious insects and bats are useful in keeping down their numbers.
1.What is the general impression people have of bats?
A.Bats are not related to mysterious vampires.
B.Bats are often active during the day.
C.Bats are not good creatures.
D.Bats are helpful to humans.
2.What does the underlined word “caterpillars” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Animals that feed on birds. B.Animals that produce the food.
C.Animals that are under threat. D.Animals that feed on leaves.
3.What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us?
A.Bats only eat insects. B.Bats can help balance nature.
C.Bats are helpless to humans. D.Bats can reduce the number of people.
4.What is a suitable title for the text?
A.Bat protection needs attention. B.Bat population is increasing.
C.Bats are insect-eating animals. D.Bats are short of food.
Kenzo Tange was one of the most famous Japanese architects (建筑师)of the 20th century. He was born on September 4,1913 in Osaka, Japan. Tange spent his childhood in Chinese cities, Hankou and Shanghai, but was later raised in Imabari.
In 1930 Tange moved to Hiroshima to study at a high school. During his stay there, Tange came across the works of a Swiss architect, Le Corbusier and made up his mind to seek architecture. He finally started studying architecture in 1935 at University of Tokyo's architecture department.
After graduation Tange worked at the office of Kunio Maekawa. During this period he traveled a little and as World War II started, he flew back to Tokyo and started his post graduate studies at University of Tokyo. There he developed interest in urban design and started reading widely about Greek and Roman marketplaces.
In 1946 KenzoTange got the position of assistant professor at the University of Tokyo and became a professor in 1963 at the Department of Urban Engineering.
Tange's interest in urban design grew throughout his career and his urban projects, master plans and other urban structures gained a lot of admiration and appreciation. Tange's Tokyo Plan won him international recognition. In his plan, he suggested extending city growth out of the city over the bay and for this purpose he used bridges, man-made islands, floating parking and huge structures. Some of his wonderful projects are: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima (1955), Centro Direzionale, Naples (1982)and Tokyo Dome Hotel （2000).
Tange is one of the most famous Japanese architects who struggled hard to make traditional Japanese architecture come to life by combining traditional methods with modern trends. He worked so closely on it that he finally gained his worldwide popularity as an architect whose work was so purely and strongly Japanese in nature. KenzoTange died on 22 March, 2005 at the age of 92 in Tokyo, Japan.
1.Why did Kenzō Tange decide to study architecture?
A.His teacher affected him deeply. B.He was moved by Chinese buildings.
C.He was inspired by Le Corbusier's works. D.It could make him famous in the world.
2.What made Kenzō Tange get global recognition?
A.Tokyo Plan. B.Centro Direzionale.
C.Tokyo Dome Hotel. D.Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Kenzō Tange' work.
B.Building some huge structures in urban areas.
C.Making Japanese architecture popular in the world.
D.Helping traditional Japanese architecture gain life again.
4.In which column of a newspaper can you read the text?
A.Sports. B.People. C.Health. D.Fashion.
Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans
◆Horses are picky eaters
Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔）, their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can't find. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around grasslands, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.
◆Whale says thanks
In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and jumped into the air about 40 times.
◆Pandas like to be naughty
Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies: They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. A panda is shy by nature for its shy behavior such as covering its face with a paw or burying its head when facing a stranger.
◆A cat honors its owner
Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three- year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner lozzelli Renzo's grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo brought Toldo home from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed people to the grave, and now “stands guard” at the grave for hours at a time.
1.How do horses tell tastiest grasses from bad ones?
A.By touching them. B.By tasting them.
C.By smelling them. D.By observing them.
2.What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the text?
A.They are clever. B.They have a grateful heart.
C.They are active and lovely. D.They have a good sense of smell.
3.Which of the following acts like a human baby?
A.The baby panda. B.The baby whale.
C.The baby horse. D.The baby cat.
请认真阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇100词左右的文章。
很多高三学生为了在学习上不落后于其他同学，他们搬出学校的集体寝室，在学校附近租了房子。就这一现象请你写一篇英语短文来发表自己的看法。内容包括：
1. 在校外租房子的利与弊；
2. 你同意还是反对这种做法? 并陈述你的理由。
注意： 1. 词数为150左右；
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已为你写好(不计入总词数) 。
参考词汇：宿舍 dormitory
The college entrance examination is approaching day by day.
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请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views. It’s a nice way of gaining a lot of knowledge and views on a topic, or situation that we aren’t either aware of, or haven’t really looked into in detail. It makes you more able to think critically and more confident in speaking. In addition, it helps in appreciating tolerance of others’ opinion and improves your listening skills.
A debate requires one to know how to use words and intelligence to overcome his or her opposing team members. To give great arguments during a debate, first you need to get your facts right. To make what you have in material for a debate contain facts, don’t just depend on the Internet, especially avoid just referring to one website for all your information. You are also required to refer to books, and make sure they’re authors of a high degree, since their materials have reference notes and extensive research projects done on what they are covering.
Second, you should be full of confidence. You need to show that you’re sure of what you’re saying, and point out how flawed their comeback arguments were. The only way to do this is to thoroughly know your material before heading on out to a debate session. Know your statistics, know your history and above all know names, dates and places. Make key notes to refer to. Don’t stammer (口吃), and also don’t level your gaze with your opponent or the rest of them. All this will help you keep confident.
At last, by no means should you lose your calmness, but keep your voice firm and raised enough to sound calm. A good team member should know how to keep his emotions in control as well as keep others under control in his/her team.
Title | Debate | |
1. | A discussion about a subject on which people have different views. | |
2. | ◆Help understand a topic or situation more deeply. ◆Improve your3.to think critically. ◆4.your confidence in speaking. ◆Help appreciate tolerance of others’ opinion. ◆Make you better at speaking. | |
Tips | Get your facts right | ◆Don’t just be5.on the Internet for your information. ◆Refer to books6.by those with a high degree. |
Be7.with confidence. | ◆Show your8.of what you’re saying. ◆Point out the flaw of others’ comeback arguments. ◆Thoroughly know your material before attending a debate. ◆Make key notes to refer to. ◆Avoid stammering and9.your gaze with your opponent. | |
Keep cool | ◆Speak10.and loudly enough to sound calm. ◆Control your emotions. |
