Everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older, but men's minds decline more than women's, according to the results of a worldwide survey.
Certain differences seem to be inherent in male and female brains: Men are better at maintaining and dealing with mental images (useful in mathematical reasoning<推论；说服> and spatial <空间的>skills), while women tend to excel (擅长) at recalling information from their brain's files (helpful with language skills and remembering the locations of objects).
Many studies have looked for a connection between sex and the amount of mental decline (衰退) people experience as they age, but the results have been mixed.
Some studies found more age-related decline in men than in women, while others saw the opposite or even no relationship at all between sex and mental decline. Those results could be improper because the studies involved older people, and women live longer than men: The men tested are the survivors, "so they're the ones that may not have shown such cognitive（认知的；认识的） decline," said study team leader Elizabeth of the University of Warwick in England.
People surveyed completed four tasks that tested sex-related cognitive skills: matching an object to its rotated（旋转的） form, matching lines shown from the same angle, typing as many words in a particular category (范畴) as possible in the given time, e.g. "object usually colored gray", and recalling the location of objects in a line drawing. The first two were tasks at which men usually excel; the latter are typically dominated(占有主导地位的) by women.
Within each age group studied, men and women performed better in their separate categories on average. And though performance declined with age for both genders（性别）, women showed obviously less decline than men overall（全部地）. The underlined word in the second paragraph means_________.
| A．natural | B．great | C．obvious | D．absolute |
According to the passage, which of the following can Not be typed into the same category?
| A．cloud | B．sheep | C．trees | D．goose |
Which of the following statements is true according the article?
| A．Men do better than women when it comes to learning English. |
| B．Women stand out at remembering people’s names. |
| C．Men excel at typing as many words in a particular category as possible in the given time. |
| D．Women excel at dealing mathematic problems. |
One important factor that affects the correctness of the results is that _________.
| A．the old men tested may not have shown such cognitive decline | |
| B．people surveyed are all old | |
| C．people taking part in this test came from all over the world | D．women live longer than men |
The author aims to tell us that __________.
| A．women’s minds perform better than men’s |
| B．men’s minds decline more with age |
| C．everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older |
| D．a survey on human’s mind decline was done recently |
When 47yearold volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain's Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”， few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream on a show of Britain's Got Talent.
She couldn't hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a house dress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the hall fell silent, then rose within seconds to admire her wonderful voice as the celebrity judges sat openmouthed, and remained standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said，“Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I've had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed，“I'm so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that's the biggest wakeup call ever.”
Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with success spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher, who has nearly 1.5 million followers, speaks highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American show via satellite connection on CBS's The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey.
Now Boyle has become one of the world's hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.
We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ________.
| A．rose from a low social class |
| B．had an unhappy marriage |
| C．lived with a dog alone on a farm |
| D．won the championship in the Britain's Got Talent show |
At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ________.
| A．looked forward to her wonderful performance |
| B．was attracted by her beautiful dress |
| C．looked down upon her |
| D．placed great hope on her |
The 4th paragraph is mainly about ________.
| A．how Susan Boyle achieved her success |
| B．the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher |
| C．Susan Boyle's influence in the USA |
| D．Oprah Winfrey's invitation to Susan Boyle |
As we grow old, we realize that we have so little time to read and there are so many great books that we’ve yet to get around to. Yet re-readers are everywhere around us. For certain fans, re-reading The Lord of the Rings is a conventional practice annually. One friend told me that Jane Austen’s Emma can still surprise him, despite his having read it over 50 times.
New sudden clear understandings can be gained from the process of re-reading. Journalist Rebacca Mead, a long-time Englishwoman in New York, first came across George Eliot’s Middlemarch at 17. Since then, she has read it again every five years. With each re-reading, it has opened up further; in each chapter of her life, it has resonated (引起共鸣) differently. Mead evidenced the large number of ways in which really good books not only stand the test of repeat reads, but also offer fresh gifts each time we crack their spines. These kinds of books grow with us.
Scientists have also recognized the mental health benefits of re-reading. Research conducted with readers in the US found that on our first reading, we are concerned with the “what” and the “why”. Second time round, we’re able to better appreciate the emotions that the plot continues to express. As researcher Cristel Russell of the American University explained, returning to a book “brings new or renewed appreciation of both the great book and its readers.”
It’s true that we often find former selves on the pages of old books (if we’re fond of making notes on the pages). These texts can carry us back to a time and place, and remind us of the kind of person that we were then. We’re changed not only by lived experience but also by read experience – by the books that we’ve discovered since last reading the one in our hand.
More so than the movie director or the musician, the writer calls upon our imaginations, using words to lead us to picture this declaration of love or that unfaithfulness in life. A book is a joint project between writers and readers, and we must pour so much of ourselves into reading that our own life story can become connected with the story in the book.
Perhaps what’s really strange is that we don’t re-read more often. After all, we watch our favorite films again and we wouldn’t think of listening to an album only once. We treasure messy old paintings as objects, yet of all art forms, literature alone is a largely one-time delight. A book, of course, takes up more time, but as Mead confirms, the rewards make it adequately worthwhile.The two books are mentioned in Paragraph 1 mainly to __________.
| A．attract the attention of readers |
| B．introduce the topic of the passage |
| C．provide some background information |
| D．show the similarity between re-readers |
The underlined expression “crack their spines” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.
| A．recite them | B．re-read them |
| C．recall them | D．retell them |
The purpose of the passage is to __________.
| A．call on different understandings of old books |
| B．focus on the mental health benefits of reading |
| C．bring awareness to the significance of re-reading |
| D．introduce the effective ways of re-reading old books |
It can be learned from the passage that __________.
| A．reading benefits people both mentally and physically |
| B．readers mainly focus on feelings on their first reading |
| C．we know ourselves better through re-reading experience |
| D．writers inspire the same imaginations as film directors do |
Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy---they’re given after all. Choice can be hard.
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me, I had just turned 30 years old , and I’d been married for a year, I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t , and I wasn’t sure what to expect, MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor, I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but ultimately, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice, For all of us, in the end, we are our choice.What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?
| A．His dream of being an inventor. |
| B．The support of his wife. |
| C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet. |
| D．Millions of exciting titles. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him. |
| B．He would be very excited if he tried it out. |
| C．He would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try. |
| D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him. |
We can know from the passage that ______.
| A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author |
| B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea |
| C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea |
| D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cleverness and Kindness | B．The Starting of Amazon |
| C．Following My Passion | D．We Are What We Choose |
It is important for countries to develop. Sometimes development can do more harm than good for a country. Therefore, this development needs to be different from past development, which polluted the environment and wasted natural resources. One possible solution to this problem now being discussed is sustainable development. It focuses on preserving the environment and natural resources. It is all about creating better health care, education, housing and improved standard of living for everyone. This is a simple idea, but one that is hard to put into practice. However, it is something that we must do, because without sustainable development our future and the lives of our children and our grandchildren will be in danger.
Nearly everything we do in our modern lives requires the use of the Earth’s natural resources. These natural resources provide the energy for many important things. The list is almost endless. For all these things, we mostly depend on fuels such as coal, gas and oil to produce energy. We are now consuming these fuels at a much higher rate than they are being produced. On top of this, burning these fuels produces carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment. This is why many people are pushing for the use of alternative energy sources.
Alternative energy sources can be used without running out. Some examples of the alternatives are solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectricity. As people are becoming more aware of the need to protect the environment, these types of energy are becoming more and more popular.
In many parts of the world, tentative(试验性的) steps are being taken to introduce these forms of alternative energy. For example, some people in Nigeria are training to use solar power, and in Costa Rica, people are now using hydroelectricity to provide power for their small villages. The introduction of programmes like these will hopefully help end the systematic destruction of the environment and see alternative energy promoted around the world. This will mean good things for our future, our children’s future and our grandchildren’s future.We know from the passage that sustainable development _________.
| A．means to develop slowly |
| B．can bring little good to the people |
| C．has ended the environmental destruction |
| D．is an idea being discussed |
It is important to preserve the natural resources because they _________.
| A．consume the energy for important things |
| B．are running out |
| C．provide the energy for people to use |
| D．are being produced at a high rate |
Hydroelectricity means ___________.
| A．using the sun to provide electricity |
| B．using wind power to produce electricity |
| C．using water power to produce electricity |
| D．using water to protect the environment |
What is the author’s attitude toward sustainable development?
| A．Critical. | B．Positive. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Doubtful. |
Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family were rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied: “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable(好客的)farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had，the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning，the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” “Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem.” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement，I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal(封口) the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The younger angel was very angry because .
| A．the older angel treated the two families unfairly. |
| B．the older angel killed the farmer’s cow. |
| C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live. |
| D．the angel of death took the cow away. |
Why did the older angel let the farmer’s cow die?
| A．Because she wanted to save the farmer’s wife. |
| B．Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson. |
| C．Because she was sympathetic to the rich. |
| D．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow. |
The story tries to tell the reader that .
| A．the young should always learn from the old |
| B．angels are always ready to help the poor. |
| C．angels are always ready to help the rich. |
| D．sometimes things are not what they seem. |
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