If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “ea
rly bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists... The main subject talked about in this passage is_______.
| A．science on learning a second language | |
B．man's ability of learning a  second language |
|
| C．language can help brain power | D．language learning and maths study |
..In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in
order to_______.
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
.. We may know from the scientific findings that______
__.
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
.. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_______.
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
| B．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
Of all the things we eat and drink, water is the most important. Not all people realize this, but it is quite true. The human body can live without food for a long time, but two or three days without water usually result in death.
Many people do not understand how much water the human body needs, but many people do not drink enough, especially in the hot weather. Most people drink when they are thirsty but often need more water after exercises.
65 to 75 percent of the human body is water. Water is important in several different ways. Most peopleneed about five to seven litres (升）of water every day, but we need not drink this amount because a lot comes from the food we have. If we don't have enough water, however, we will feel tired and may become ill. Do you know what the best drink is? Yes, you are right：Cold water!Fromthe first paragraph, we can draw a conclusion (结论）that __________.
| A．water is more important than food |
| B．water is as important as food |
| C．water is less important than food |
| D．both water and food are very important |
Do most people drink five litres of water every day? __________
| A．Yes, because water is the most important. |
| B．No, becausewhat we eat contains water. |
| C．Yes, because we can't live without water. |
| D．No, because we are not thirsty. |
How much water is there in the human body?
| A．About three-fourths of the human body is water. |
| B．Nearly a half of the human body is water. |
| C．Less than a half of the human body is water. |
| D．Almost one fourth of the human body is water. |
When do we need more water?
| A．In cold weather or after exfcrcises. |
| B．In hot weather or after exercises. |
| C．Beforebreakfast, lunch and supper. |
| D．When we feel tired or become ill. |
Which of the following is not right?
| A．Cold water is the best drink. |
| B．Few people understand how much water the human body needs. |
| C．All the people realize water is the most important. |
| D．When we feel tired or become ill, we never need any water. |
Send us your old jeans and other denim (牛仔布）！
What Are We Going to Do with All This Denim?
All the denim will be donated(捐赠） to COTTON FROM BLUE TO GREEN.
®. This denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it "new life"by changing it into Ultra Touchtm Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation(纤维隔热材料），which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. Your jeans will help set a record, keep clothes out of landfills(垃圾场），and build houses for families to live in! UltraTouchtm is made of 85% recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insulation.
It's a Fact
It takes about 500 pairs of jeans to recycle enough denim to insulate one average-size U. S. house. So send us lots!
Here's How Yon Can Get Involved ！
1. Get a parent's permission and select as many denim clothes as you like. (Any denim clothing is OK. ).
2. The denim must be used.
3. The denim can be any brand.
4. The denim can be of any color or size but must have been worn by a human. (No doll clothes！)
5. Please print out this form and include it with each package！
6. Send as many jeans or denim items as you wish to： NG Kids P. O. Box 98 001 Washington, D. C. 200 90〜8 001 Jeans must be received by June 30，2011!
The activity organizer asks you to send denim clothes to __________.
| A．collect old clothes for being reused |
| B．prevent them from being thrown away |
| C．provide clothes for the homeless |
| D．turn them into new clothes for sale |
The denim clothes that you intend to send __________
| A．can be either new or second-hand |
| B．can be of any shape or color |
| C．must be a certain brand |
| D．can be worn by dolls |
We can infer that UltraTouchtm may be the name of __________
| A．a brand of jeans |
| B．an organization |
| C．a building material |
| D．a kind of cloth |
This activity is probably __________.
| A．a charity (慈善）act |
| B．a school's homework |
| C．a building company's task |
| D．an environmental act |
One of the most exciting and attractive fields of work today is the fashion industry. Some of the most well-known people in this industry are the fashion de-signers with unbelievable financial (金融的）King-doms. But most of the clothes that you wear have been designed by people that the world has never heard of. Although these unknown fashion designers will never make a very large amount of money as their famous workmates, most still would not think of changing their careers. They are doing what they love.
If you spend hours looking through fashion magazines and like making your own clothes, a career as a fashion designer might be right for you. You do not have to go to a design school to become a fashion de-signer, but many people who want a career in this field do. One of the most famous places to study is the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It is located in the heart of the "garment" district on Eighth Avenue, also known as Fashion Avenue.
Becoming a fashion designer is not just a matter of classroom education. Students know that they can-not just leave school and start designing on their own. Many think that they need at least four years' experience working for someone else after they graduate. The best schools encourage students to work closely with the fashion industry while they are still studying.
You need ambition (抱负）and hard work to get a career in fashion. Students often work 12 hours a day. They are encouraged to have realistic ambitions and not to expect success overnight, if ever. Success means finding a job in the fashion industry and more years of hard work. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Some famous fashion designers can make sl lot of money. |
| B．Most of the clothes are designed by famous de-signers. |
| C．Most fashion designers don't like their own jobs. |
| D．Unknown fashion designers can earn a large amount of money. |
In order to have a career in fashion design, one had better __________.
| A．look through magazines |
| B．go to New York City |
| C．study in a design school |
| D．graduate from high school |
The following can lead to the success of a fashion designer EXCEPT __________.
| A．working with the fashion industry |
| B．realistic ambitions |
| C．hard work |
| D．expectation of success overnight |
Which of the following old sayings shows the writer's opinion about learning fashion design?
| A．Better late than never. |
| B．Experience is the best teacher. |
| C．Well begun is half done. |
| D．Seeing is believing. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．To be a fashion designer, design school education is a must. |
| B．All famous design schools are located in New York City. |
| C．Design school students had better do some practice while studying. |
| D．All students have to work with famous designers first. |
The first reality TV show in the world was called Expedition Robinson and it was shown in Sweden in 1997. Half the population of the country watched the final event and a new kind of TV program was born. Two years later in Holland, the first series of Big Brother was filmed. Again, it was a great success and the final program was watched by 15 million people. Now more than 20 countries around the world have Big Brother or Expedition Robinson on their TV screens. The ordinary people who take part in the pro-grams are known by millions of people in their own countries and reality TV has become big, big business.
For the TV producers, reality TV is a dream to come true because many of the programs cost nothing to make. At some point, the television viewers (观众） are asked to telephone the program to vote or to apply to take part in the show. It is the cost of these telephone calls that pays for the shows. One of the most popular shows is Pop Idol. In the show, a group of at-tractive young people are made into pop stars. TV viewers vote for their favorite person on the show. The winner makes a record and millions of copies of the record are sold. His or her pictures are published on the covers of magazines or on the front pages of newspapers, and then, they are quickly forgotten.
But not everyone is happy about reality TV. In Portugal, two TV channels got into trouble because they showed too much of the personal lives of the people in the shows. In France, reality TV is called “rubbish TV” and the TV studios of Big Brother were at-tacked three times in one week. In Greece, Big Brother was described as “ against human rights and civilization". Those who take part in reality TV shows are usually__________
| A．common people |
| B．pop TV stars |
| C．attractive people |
| D．famous film stars |
Who would pay for the cost of reality TV shows ac-cording to the passage?
| A．TV producers who make reality TV shows. |
| B．TV actors who take part in reality TV shows. |
| C．TV viewers who telephone reality TV shows. |
| D．TV companies which broadcast reality TV shows. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Pop Idol is one of the popular reality TV shows in the world. |
| B．Big Brother was one of the first reality TV shows in the world. |
| C．"Rubbish TV” is one of the personal reality TV shows in the world. |
| D．Expedition Robinson was the first reality TV show in the world. |
It can be concluded from the passage that __________.
| A．everyone is happy about reality TV |
| B．reality TV will do well in many countries |
| C．all the people in Europe are in favor of reality TV |
| D．reality TV will not be broadcast in any countries |
I will never forget the Saturday I took my great-grandfather to his first movie. I was nine. Granddad was over 90 years old.
We were a little late when we got to the movie. The lights already turned low. The girl at the piano had started to play. In those days, the movies had no sound. The only sounds that went with them came from a piano.
I helped Granddad find a seat in the first row. He sat back just as Hoot Gibson came riding across the screen on his horse. I looked at Granddad. His eyes were fixed on the screen and his lips were moving. I saw that he was riding right along with Hoot Gibson ！ Hoot was running away from outlaws(逃犯）• Faster and faster the horses ran. The girl at the piano played louder and louder.
Suddenly Granddad jumped to his feet and yelled at Hoot. ‘‘Look out!” he cried. ‘‘Run for it, Hoot! They're getting closer!”
The girl at the piano turned around. Right behind her she saw a tall old man with arms stretched (伸展） widely, it was my granddad. She thought he had gone crazy. With a scream, she climbed to the top of the piano. Then she jumped through the movie screen, making a big hole in it. She ran out of the back door of the movie, yelling.
There were about 40 people at the movie that afternoon. Granddad was the only one there over 12 years old. All the excitement made us boys feel we should do something. But what? Hoot showed us! He was shot from his horse right into the hole in the screen！
A friend of mine named Sammy climbed up to see what had become of Hoot. Three or four others followed Sammy. Soon about 12 yelling boys were crowd-ed around the screen. What noise！
Sammy shot this cap gun. Someone saw the smoke from the cap gun and screamed “Fire!”
Granddad was still standing. He called out，“Get the fireman! Where's the fire?”
Just then several men came in through the backdoor. The girl who played the piano had told them about the crazy man. They were coming to get Grand-dad!
Before they got to him, a fireman came in through the front door. He was carrying a horse. "Water ！he shouted to the firemen behind him. Then he turned his horse on the screen, full force. The hole in the screen became larger and larger. Now we could see only the top of Hoot's head and his horse's tail.
"I'm getting out of here!” Granddad said to me. "I've been in many a battle, but this is the worst of all. ”
We pushed past the firemen and got to the street at last. By this time there was a big crowd of people. "What's happened? Where's the fire?" everyone wan-ted to know.
But we didn't wait to talk. Granddad took me to his little house and gave me some ice cream.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to see the whole show, Granddad’ "I said. "Will you go with me next Saturday?” Granddad shook his head. “No, Robert，" he said.
"I don't like movies. They are too noisy. My first movie will be my last ！ ” The phrase “ running away” in Paragraph 4 can be best replaced by __________.
| A．escaping |
| B．setting loose |
| C．leaving |
| D．setting off |
Thegirl yelled because she was __________.
| A．angry |
| B．frightened |
| C．asking for help |
| D．crazy |
Sammy and other yelling boys climbed up and crowded around the screen to see __________.
| A．what's the matter with the screen |
| B．where the girl had gone |
| C．whether Hoot was in the hole |
| D．what had happened about Hoot |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Sammy shot his cap gun and caused fire. |
| B．Granddad and I escaped from the policemen. |
| C．At last, the fire was put out by firemen. |
| D．Granddad would not see amovie any more. |
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