In the early 1950s, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals, people who speak only one language. So which is it?
Researchers presented their newest studies last month at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The latest evidence shows that being bilingual does not necessarily make people smarter. But researcher Ellen Bialystok says it probably does make you better at certain skills.
Ellen Bialystok said, “Imagine driving down the highway. There’re many things that could capture your attention and you really need to be able to monitor all of them. Why would bilingualism make you any better at that?”
And the answer, she says, is that bilingual people are often better at controlling their attention — a function called the executive control system.
Ms. Bialystok is a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, Canada. She says the best method to measure the executive control system is called the Stroop Test. A person is shown words in different colors. The person has to ignore the word but say the color. The problem is that the words are all names of colors.
Ellen Bialystok said, “So you would have the word blue written in red, but you have to say red. But blue is so salient(显著的), it’s just lighting up all these circuits(电路) in your brain, and you really want to say blue. So you need a mechanism(机制) to override that so that you can say red. That’s the executive control system.”
Her work shows that bilingual people continually practice this function. They have to, because both languages are active in their brain at the same time. They need to suppress(抑制) one to be able to speak in the other.
This mental exercise might help in other ways, too. Researchers say bilingual children are better able to separate a word from its meaning, and more likely to have friends from different cultures. Bilingual adults are often four to five years later than others in developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Bilingual People, Smarter |
| B．Monolingual People, Smarter |
| C．Bilingual People, Longer Lives |
| D．Bilingual People, Better at Some Skills |
The underlined word “override” in Paragraph 6 probably means ____.
| A．pay attention to | B．take no notice of |
| C．take an interest in | D．take care of |
In the Stroop Test, supposing you have the word yellow written in white, you will have to say ____.
| A．white | B．yellow | C．blue | D．red |
Which group of people can most likely pass the Stroop Test?
| A．People who can speak only Chinese. |
| B．People who can speak only Japanese. |
| C．People who can speak more than one language. |
| D．People who can speak only English. |
Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the text?
| A．A bilingual child is better at separating a word from its meaning. |
| B．A bilingual child can more easily make friends with a foreign child. |
| C．Bilingual people are more able to monitor several things at the same time. |
| D．It’s not possible for bilingual people to develop Alzheimer’s disease. |
A primary school has banned Valentine’s Day cards because of concerns that young pupils spend too much time talking about boyfriends and girlfriends.
Ashcombe Primary School in WestonsuperMare，Somerset，has told parents that cards declaring love can be “confusing” for children under the age of 11，who are still emotionally and socially developing.
In his February newsletter(简讯)，Peter Turner，head teacher，warned that any cards found in school would be confiscated.
He wrote，“We do not wish to see any Valentine’s Day cards in school this year.Some children and parents encourage a lot of talks about boyfriends and girlfriends.”
“We believe that such ideas should wait until children are mature enough emotionally and socially to understand the commitment involved in having or being a boyfriend or girlfriend.”
Mr.Turner said any families wanting to support the Valentine’s Day concept should send cards in the post or deliver them to home addresses by hand.
His views were supported by Ruth Rice,46，who has twins Harriet and Olivia,9，at the school.
She said，“Children at that age shouldn’t really be thinking about Valentine’s Day，and they should be concentrating on their schoolwork.”
“They are at an age when they are easily influenced and most parents including myself are with Mr.Turner.”
She added，“The cards caused too much competition.If someone gets a card and another doesn’t then he or she will be disappointed.”
However，Rajeev Takyar,40，who sells newspapers and has two children Jai,11，and Aryan,5，at the school，said he was “genuinely outraged”．
He said，“There are schools that have banned conkers(康克戏) and snowballs，and now Valentine’s Day cards.”
“I think banning the cards stops children from having social skills.How are they going to learn about relationships otherwise？It’s ridiculous.”
Alec Suttenwood，founder of the AntiPolitical Correctness Group，said of the ban，“It’s totally ridiculous.Young children just send the cards to each other as friends and to their parents.It’s just a bit of harmless fun.There is no difference between this and Mother’s or Father’s Day.”Valentine’s Day cards may cause confusion among young children because ________.
| A．they are too young to understand what love is |
| B．teachers haven’t taught them how to make friends |
| C．children shouldn’t learn about social relationships |
| D．students talk too much about boyfriends and girlfriends |
The underlined word “confiscated” in Paragraph 3 can probably be replaced by “________”．
| A．collected | B．destroyed | C．taken away | D．burnt away |
Ruth Rice was in favor of Mr.Turner’s view in that ________.
| A．children like to compare Valentine’s Day cards |
| B．children should focus their mind on their lessons |
| C．sending holiday cards wastes both time and money |
| D．making friends has a negative influence on children |
Which statement is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Most of English parents want children to have fun. |
| B．Children should learn how to develop social skills. |
| C．English schools don’t allow students to play games. |
| D．Some parents think it unreasonable to ban the cards. |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．School Bans Valentine’s Day Cards |
| B．Shall We Send Valentine’s Day Cards? |
| C．Different Opinions on Valentine’s Day Cards |
| D．Parents’ Concern About Valentine’s Day Cards |
Michelle Obama has launched her campaign against childhood obesity in the US，saying that it is a problem that concerns her both as the first lady and as a mother.
Mrs.Obama said that the campaign was designed to encourage people to live healthier lives，but admitted that she herself was not immune to the temptations of junk food.
“I love burgers and fries.And I love ice cream and cake.And so do most kids，” she said.But，she added，“We’re not talking about a lifestyle that excludes all that.”
“The question is how we help people balance their diet so that they’re not facing lifethreatening，preventable illnesses，but they’re enjoying their food，they’re eating their vegetables，they’re doing their running，walking and playing，and they still have time to get a good，fun meal every once in a while.”
One in three American children are overweight or obese，putting them at the higher risk of developing diabetes(糖尿病)，high blood pressure，high cholesterol(胆固醇) and other illnesses.
Billions of dollars are spent every year treating obesityrelated conditions.
“None of us wants this future for our kids，” Mrs.Obama said at the White House.
“We have to act，so let’s move.”
Her campaign has four parts：helping parents make better food choices，serving healthier food in school vending machines(自动售货机) and lunch menus，making healthy food more available and affordable，and encouraging children to exercise more.
The campaign，which Mrs.Obama starts，is aimed at solving the childhood obesity problem in a generation，so that children born today can reach adulthood at a healthy weight.
“This isn’t like a disease where we’re still waiting for the cure to be discovered.We know the cure for this，” she said at the opening ceremony.
President Barack Obama praised his wife for solving what he called one of “the most urgent health issues facing the country”．
“This has enormous promise in improving the health of our children，in giving support to parents to make the kinds of healthy choices that are often very difficult，” he said.The best title of the passage would be “________”．
| A．The first lady begins to fight against childhood obesity |
| B．The most urgent health issues facing the country |
| C．The Obamas care about the health of fat children |
| D．The first lady can’t resist the temptations of junk food |
Why did Michelle Obama launch the campaign?
| A．To fight against adulthood obesity. |
| B．To help children to eat less junk food. |
| C．To encourage Americans to live more healthily. |
| D．To call on people to exercise more after work. |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．She is addicted to buying junk food. |
| B．She is also fond of junk food sometimes. |
| C．Many people are able to resist junk food. |
| D．Her immune system was not strong enough. |
What do we know about Americans?
| A．They all enjoy junk food. |
| B．They don’t eat their vegetables. |
| C．They have some time for exercise. |
| D．Many have obesityrelated illnesses. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．People don’t know the cure for obesity. |
| B．President Barack Obama supports his wife. |
| C．The campaign has solved the problem. |
| D．Obesity is the most urgent problem facing America. |
On May 23,1989, Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad, New Mexico. She hadn’t seen the sun for eighteen and a half weeks. Stefania was in a research program, and the scientists in the program were studying body rhythms (节奏)。In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a cave, 30 feet in depth.
During her time in the cave, Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice. Her living place had been very comfortable, but there had been nothing to fell her the time. She’d had no clock or watches, no television or radio. There had been no natural light and the temperature had always been kept at 21℃.
The results were very interesting. Stefania had been in the cave for over four months, but she thought she had been there for only two. Her body clock had changed. She hadn't kept to a 24-hour day. She had stayed awake for 20-25 hours and then had slept for 10 hours. She had eaten fewer meals and had lost 17lbs in weight as a result! She had also become rather depressed (抑郁).
How had she spent her time in the cave? As part of the experiment she'd done some physical and mental tests. She'd recorded her daily activities and the results of the tests on a computer. This computer had been specially programmed for the project. Whenever she was free, she'd played cards, read books and listened to music. She'd also learned French from tapes.
The experiment showed that our body clocks are affected by light and temperature, For example, the pattern of day and night makes us wake up and go to sleep. However, People are affected in different ways. Some people wake up naturally at 5:00 am, but others don't start to wake up till 9:00 or 10;00 am. This affects the whole daily rhythm. As a result, the early risers are at their best in the late morning. The late risers, on the other hand, are tired during the day and only come to life in the afternoon or evening! Stefania stayed in the cave for a long time because___________.
| A．she was asked to do research on mice | B．she wanted to experience loneliness |
| C．she was the subject of a study | D．she needed to record her life |
What is a cause for the change of Stefania’s body clock?
| A．Eating fewer meals. | B．Having more hours of sleep |
| C．Lacking physical exercise. | D．Getting no natural light. |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A novel | B．A news story | C．A pet magazine | D．A travel guide |
It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth (收费站). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
| A．She knew the car drivers well. |
| B．She wanted to show kindness. |
| C．She hoped to please others. |
| D．She had seven tickets. |
Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she .
| A．thought it was beautifully written |
| B．wanted to know what it really meant |
| C．decided to write it on a warehouse wall |
| D．wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom |
Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
| A．Judy Foreman. | B．Natalie Smith. |
| C．Alice Johnson. | D．Anne Herbert. |
Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence above?
| A．Kindness and violence can change the world. |
| B．Kindness and violence can affect one’s behavior. |
| C．Kindness and violence can reproduce themselves. |
| D．Kindness and violence can shape one’s character. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．People should practice random kindness to those in need. |
| B．People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others. |
| C．People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet. |
| D．People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver. |
We have met the enemy and he is ours We bought him at a pet shop. When monkey-pox, a disease usually found in the African rain forest suddenly turns up in children in the American .Midwest it’s hard not to wonder of the disease that comes from foreign animals is homing in on human beings. “Most of the infections （感染）we think of as human infections started in other animals “ says Stephen Morse director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Columbia University.
It’s not just that we’re going to where the animals are; we’re also bringing them closer to us Popular foreign pets have brought a whole new disease to this country A strange illness killed Isaksen’s pets and she now thinks that keeping foreign pets is a bad idea “I don’t think it’s fair to have them as pets when we have such a limited knowledge of them “says Isaksen
“Laws allowing these animals to be brought in from deep forest areas without stricter control need changing “says Peter Schantz Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call. Researchers believe infected animals may infect their owners. We know very little about these new diseases A new bug（病毒）may be kind at first. But it may develop into something harmful（有害的）Monkey-pox doesn’t look a major infectious disease But is not impossible to pass the disease from person to personWe learn from Paragraph I that the pet sold at the shop may_______.
| A．come from Columbia |
| B．prevent us from being infected |
| C．enjoy being with children |
| D．suffer from monkey-pox |
Why did Isaksen advise people not to have foreign pets?
| A．They attack human beings |
| B．We need to study native animals |
| C．They can’t live out of the rain forest |
| D．We do not know much about them yet |
What does she phrase “the wake-up call” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?
| A．a new disease | B．a clear warning |
| C．a dangerous animal | D．a morning call |
The text suggests that in the future we .
| A．may have to fight against more new diseases |
| B．may easily get infected by diseases from dogs |
| C．should not be allowed to have pets |
| D．should stop buying pests from Africa |
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