NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad memories. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars.
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 scary events. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body producing 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.
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories make us different from others. 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 whether we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
46. What does the underlined word “erase” mean?
A. change B. forgive C. add D. remove
47. The passage is mainly about _________.
A. a new medical invention B. a new research on the pill
C. the argument about the research on the pill D. a way of erasing painful memories
48. The drug tested on people can _________.
A. cause the brain to fix memories B. stop people remembering bad events
C. prevent body producing certain chemicals D. wipe out the bad memories
49. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Some people doubt if the pills should be used to help people forget bad memories.
B. The pill will stop people’s bad memories.
C. Taking the pill will do harm to people’s health.
D. The pill has been produced in America.
50. 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. The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories.
D. Having bad events makes us different from others.
Of Chinese secondary school students top ten heroes,Mao Zedong,ranks number one and Olympic track gold medal winner,Liu Xiang,ranks fifth,according to a survey conducted by All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF).
Late Chinese leaders,Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai,and revolutionary martyrs,Liu Hulan and Dong Cunrui,all have remained important heroes in the eyes of Chinese teenagers aged 13 to 18.
Meanwhile,the 2004 Olympic track and field star,Liu Xiang;model police chief,Ren Changxia;Hong Kong action star,Jackie Chan,and China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei,have ascended to be the new stars among the students.
“The coexistence of old and new models in youth’s hearts reveal the new era’s character,” said Han Xiangjing,president of “China Women” magazine attached to ACWF.
The respondents also chose their parents as heroes,ranking number two.
“This reflects that young students’ selection standards of heroes have changed to be more human oriented,emotional and personalized,”Han said.
Reasons given by the surveyed students for this choice are:“parents are the people I love and indispensable to me”and“they consistently guide,encourage and support me.”
The survey was conducted in six provinces and cities across China,including Beijing,Shanghai,Henan,Shanxi,Liaoning and Hunan.Students completed 1018 questionnaires;443 polled were boys and 575 were girls.This passage most probably appears _________.
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a magazine |
| C．in a history book | D．in a report |
This passage mainly talks about _________.
| A．a survey about teenagers’top 10 heroes |
| B．why teenagers regard their parents as heroes |
| C．different heroes in teenagers’eyes |
| D．All-China Women’s Federation |
How many heroes of the top 10 can be found in the passage?
| A．10. | B．9. | C．8. | D．7 |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why teenagers choose their parents as heroes?
A.Their parents are the people they love very much.
B.Their parents are indispensable to them.
C.Their parents have done something great and successful.
Drinking wine in moderation improves the IQ and may boost mental agility in old people,according to Japanese researchers.
A study of the effects of alcohol on the middle aged and elderly found the average IQ of men who drink wine (whether made from grapes or rice) was 3.3 points higher than that of men who do not imbibe.
Similarly,the IQ of women drinkers showed an improvement of 2.5 points over their teetotal sisters.The findings are part of an ongoing study by Japan’s National Institute for Longevity into the links between human intelligence and what we eat and drink.
The tests measured general knowledge,powers of judgment and concentration in drinkers and non-drinkers over 40,all living in Aichi prefecture,central Japan,and sharing the same income level-roughly￡50 000 a year—and educational background.All were university graduates.
But while wine-drinkers appeared to be brighter,the same was not true of those who drank deer,shochu (a local gin) and whisky.
“The benefits of wine and sake (rice wine) in raising IQ could be due to substances they contain,such as polyphenol,which are believed to slow the ageing process,” Hiroshi Shimokata,head of epidemiology research,said.
It was premature to conclude,he added,that drinking wine or sake slowed the deterioration of brain functions in the elderly,or warded off senility.The research does,however,suggest that this is one way to stay mentally alert longer.
But there is a sobering caveat:drinking too much may make you dimmer.“People who drink more than 540 milli-litres (a little over a pint) of sake or wine a day had lower intelligence quotients than those who did not drink at all,”Hiroshi Shimokata said.“Moderation is very important.”Which one is the topic of the passage?
| A．Drinking wine in a large amount improves the IQ of old people. |
| B．Drinking wine in a reasonable amount raises the IQ of old people. |
| C．Drinking wine in moderation does good to any one. |
| D．Drinking wine helps improve the IQ of women. |
According to the passage,which of the following is NOT wrong?
| A．Every wine drinker’s IQ is 3.3 points higher than that of men who don’t drink. |
| B．The IQ of women drinker is 2.5 points lower than that of the non-drinking women. |
| C．Drinking beer and whisky cannot improve one’s IQ. |
| D．Drinking wine can only do good to the IQ of rich old people. |
The reason why wine and sake can improve IQ is that _________.
| A．wine and sake have special taste |
| B．wine and sake can make us excited |
| C．wine and sake contain substances considered to slow the ageing process |
| D．wine and sake contain something believed to prevent us from ageing |
From the text,it seems that we can conclude _________.
| A．the more wine we drink,the brighter we are |
| B．the less wine we drink,the brighter we are |
| C．drinking wine less than 540ml a day,we’ll become dimmer |
| D．drinking wine in moderation,we’ll become brighter |
Life on-line can be a much richer experience when you aren’t restricted to just written words and still pictures.Even if you’re new to the Net,you’ve probably heard about multimedia on-line—listening to audio,watching animations and videos,even playing in three-dimensional space.Sound and movement make information come alive.
To experience it,you’ll need special pieces of software called plug-ins.The term “plug-in” refers to a small,add-on piece of software which extends the capabilities of your web browser,like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer,turning your computer into a radio or TV.
When you arrive at a web page which contains a file requiring a plug-in which you don’t have,you will usually receive a message asking if you want to get it by downloading it and installing it into your computer.Most of the time,the installation will be automatic.
Occasionally,you’ll run into a downloaded file which needs to be decompressed or un-zipped before installation.Once installed,plug-ins run automatically,without you having to do anything.
Many multimedia controls still need to be obtained from the developer but are installed automatically.
Shockwave is a good example of this.All you need to do is go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the ActiveX control.The rest happens automatically.The next time you go to a “Shocked” website,the Shockwave control loads and plays the movie.
Most plug-ins and controls can be downloaded for free on the Internet,although not all will work with every system.Some of them,for instance,only work with Windows 95.Plug-ins can help us to do all of the following except _________.
| A．listening to music |
| B．watching animations and videos |
| C．playing three-dimensioned games |
| D．searching for information on the net |
The correct explanation about “plug-in” is _________.
| A．a radio or TV connected with a computer |
| B．a small,add-on piece of hardware which improves your web browser |
| C．a small,add-on piece of software which can turn your computer into a radio or TV |
| D．a small,add-on piece of software like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer |
When we go to a “shocked” website a second time,_________.
| A．we should go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the Active X control |
| B．the shockwave control loads itself and plays the movie for us |
| C．we will be asked whether to download the shockwave control or not |
| D．we have to buy the shockwave control and load it |
Most of the time,how can we get a plug-in before automatic installation?
| A．We have to buy it from the developer. |
| B．We have to borrow it from the developer. |
| C．We have to rent it from the developer. |
| D．We can obtain from the developer without paying. |
How Good Are US Drivers?
The CBS-TV“National Drivers’ Test”，showed that many US drivers have a lot to learn.Here’s why.
CBS picked 1799 sample drivers to take the test in TV studios in New York，Philadelphia，Chicago，and Los Angeles.More than two out of five of the drivers failed the test.And the average score was the lowest passing mark—51 points out of a possible 80.
Chicago drivers did best with an average of 53 points.Los Angeles drivers came next with 52 points.New York and Philadelphia drivers got 50 points—a failing score.Drivers with 50 points or less were rated“poorly informed”by the judges.
Here are some of the test results:
1.Are men drivers better informed than women ones?
Yes.Men averaged 52 points.Women got an average of 49.
2.Are older drivers better informed than younger drivers?
No.Drivers under 26 averaged 52 points.Drivers from 27 to 45 averaged 51.Drives over 45 failed with a 48-point average.
3.Does education make a difference?
Yes.College graduates averaged 52 points.High school graduates averaged 50.Those without high school diplomas(毕业证) got 48.And people who had taken driver education courses scored an average of 53 points—three more than those who hadn’t.
4.Does driving experience make a difference?
Yes.Drivers with three or more years of experience averaged 51 points.Drivers with less experience averaged 49.
Here are some surprising facts brought out by the test:
1.More than one out of three drivers did not know that a blinking red light means a full stop.
2.Three out of ten drivers did not know that an octagonal(eight-sided)sign means stop.
3.More than two out of three drivers did not know what to do when being“tailgated(追尾)”.
The answer:slow down，drive to the right，and let the driver behind pass.
The results of the test were turned over to the National Safety Council(委员会).They will help future safety planning.The author’s purpose is to_________.
| A．prove that men are better drivers than women |
| B．give you safe driving directions |
| C．tell you the results of a national drivers’ test |
| D．require you to get an education |
From the information in this article，which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Older drivers are better informed than younger drivers. |
| B．Experience makes a difference among drivers. |
| C．Most drivers failed the test. |
| D．Most people don’ t know what a blinking red light means. |
The test covered the following areas about drivers except_________.
| A．education | B．years of driving experience |
| C．sex | D．health |
Which of the following as a group was rated“poorly informed”by the judges?
| A．Men. | B．High school graduated drivers. |
| C．Drivers from 27-45 years of age. | D．Drivers with 3 or more years of experience. |
When in 1789，George Washington became the first president of the United States，there was no permanent(永久的)capital in which to house the government.During the Revolutionary War seven different cities had served as the national capital.In addition，members of congress(国会)could not agree as to where this permanent capital should be located.Some officials wanted it in the north，others wanted it in the south.Each of the states hoped that the capital might lie within its own state lines.At last it was decided that the capital should occupy a section(区域)by itself，separate from any of the states.The place chosen was situated on the Potomas River.The land belonged originally(原先地) to the state of Maryland，but Maryland agreed to the national government.The section was named the District of Columbia after Christopher Columbus.The city itself was named Washington，after George Washington.Work was begun on the new capital in 1791.In the year 1799 Congress occupied the new capital building at the same time the White House was opened as the home of all future presidents.Before the year 1800，the capital of America had been located in_________.
| A．Maryland | B．Washington | C．New York | D．several cities |
Why was it decided that the capital should be separated from any of the states?Because_________.
| A．the District of Columbia was on the borders(边境) of several states |
| B．the District of Columbia was in the center of America |
| C．Maryland insisted that the capital lie in its own state |
| D．each of the states wanted the capital might lie within its own state |
Presidents of the United States live in_________.
A.the capital building C.Maryland C.New York D.the White HouseWhich of the following statements is true?
| A．Capital is the place for presidents to live in. |
| B．Capital should be the largest city in the country. |
| C．It took nine years to build the capital of Washington. |
| D．Since 1791，Washington has been the capital of the United States. |
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