It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland’s oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women’s Day.
The document was discovered buried in the university archives (档案) by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: “We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus (校评议委员会) at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn’t know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university’s higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote.”
In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892.
Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice. Sophia wrote a letter to St Andrews University because she wanted _______.
| A．to carry out a research project there |
| B．to set up a medical institute there |
| C．to study medicine there |
| D．to deliver lectures there |
Lis Smith found Sophia’s letter to St Andrews University _______.
| A．by pure chance |
| B．in the school office |
| C．with her supporters’ help |
| D．while reading history books |
Sophia’s letter resulted in the establishment of _______.
| A．the London School of Medicine for Women |
| B．a degree programme for women |
| C．a system of medical education |
| D．the University of Berne |
When did St Andrews University begin to take full-time women students?
| A．In 1873. | B．In 1874. | C．In 1877. | D．In 1892. |
At a day care center in Texas, children were playing outside. One of the children was Jessica McClure. She was only 18months old. Her mother, worked at the day care center , was watching the children . Suddenly Jessica fell and disappeared. Jessica’s mother screamed and ran to her.
A well was in the yard of the center. The well was only eight inches across and a rock always covered it. But children had moved the rock. When Jessica fell, she fell right into the well.
Jessica’s mother reached inside the well, but she couldn’t feel Jessica. She ran to a phone and dialed 911 for help. Men from the fire department arrived. They discovered that Jessica was about 20 feet down in the well. For the next hour the men talked and planned Jessica’s rescue.
“We can’t go down into the well, ” they said. “It is too narrow. So, we’re going to drill a tunnel across to Jessica. When we reach her, we’ll bring her through the tunnel and up through our hole.”
The men began to drill the hole at 11a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 1987. The men had a difficult job; they were drilling through solid rock. During her days in the well, Jessica sometimes called her mother, sometimes she slept, sometimes she cried and sometimes she sang.
All over the world, people waited for news of Jessica. Everyone worried about her.
At 8 p.m. on Friday, October 16, men reached Jessica and brought her up from the well. Then paramedics rushed her to the hospital. Jessica was dirty, hungry, thirsty and tired. Her feet and forehead were badly injured. But she was alive.
After Jessica’s rescue, one of the rescuers made a metal cover for the well which wrote, “To Jessica, with love from all of us.”Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to Jessica?
a. People talked and planned Jessica’s rescue.
b. Jessica’s feet and forehead were badly injured.
c. Jessica fell into a well in the yard.
d. People began to drill a hole and a tunnel.
e. Someone moved the rock on the well.
f. she was bought up from the well.
g. Jessica sometimes called or slept or cried or sang.
h. Her mother reached inside the well
| A．e, c, b, g, a, d, h, f |
| B．c, b, a, d, g, f, h, e |
| C．c, e, g, a, d, h, f, b |
| D．e, c, h, a, g, d, f, b |
Jessica stayed in the well at least ____.
| A．45 hours | B．46 hours | C．57 hours | D．58 hours |
The best title of the passage is ______.
| A．An Unluckily Girl | B．An Unpleasant Experience |
| C．Everybody’s Baby | D．Mother’s Fault |
New findings show that musical training affects（影响）the structure and function of different brain areas, how those areas communicate during the creation of music, and how the brain interprets and combines sensory(感官) information. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. These views suggest potential new roles for musical training including training plasticity（可塑性）in the brain, offering an alternative tool in education, and treating a range of learning disabilities.
Today’s new findings show that long-term high level musical training has a broader effect. Researchers found that musicians have a better ability to combine sensory information from hearing, touch, and sight. The age at which musical training begins influenced brain structure and its function. Beginning training before the age of seven has the greatest effect.
Even older adults who took music lessons as children but haven’t actively played an instrument in decades have a faster brain response(反应) to a speech sound than those who never played an instrument, according to a study appearing November 6 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The finding suggests early musical training has a lasting, positive effect on how the brain deals with sound.
“Playing a musical instrument is a multi-sensory and motive experience that creates emotions and movements—from finger tapping to dancing — and engages pleasure and reward systems in the brain. It has the potential to affect brain function and structure when done over a long period of time,” said Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, press conference speaker, also an expert on music.
“As today’s findings show, musical training brings about new processes within the brain, at different stages of life, and with a range of effects on creativity, cognition(认知), and learning,” he added. From the first paragraph, we can see musical training can .
| A．affect one’s communication with others |
| B．help musicians create better music |
| C．provide new treatment of mental diseases |
| D．offer an alternative tool in education |
Why does the author mention “Even older adults … a speech sound.” in Para. 3?
| A．To suggest how new roles for musical training work. |
| B．To prove early musical training affects the function of the brain. |
| C．To explain how the brain interprets sensory information. |
| D．To show how the brain areas communicate in music training. |
Which of the following best describes the function of early musical training?
| A．Difficult but interesting. | B．Painful but effective. |
| C．Lasting and positive. | D．Important and necessary. |
According to the passage, we learn that .
| A．musical training causes new processes within the brain |
| B．Gottfried Schlaug thinks it hard to learn music |
| C．playing a musical instrument is a single -sensory experience |
| D．people having music lessons as children respond slowly |
The best title of the passage should be .
| A．Older People and Musical Training |
| B．Musical Training Affects Brain Structure and Its Function |
| C．Long-term High Level Musical Training |
| D．Brain Interprets and Combines Sensory Information |
When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I’m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.The author and his father became further apart because______________.
| A．they had different views on things |
| B．they lived very far from each other |
| C．they only communicated by phone |
| D．they seldom went to see each other |
What made the author come back to Tennessee?
| A．Because his father invited him to go fishing. |
| B．Because he decided to live in a different city. |
| C．Because his father is ill and needs caring. |
| D．Because he regretted being rude to his father. |
For the author, fishing with his old father ___________ .
| A．helps cure his father’s disease |
| B．is a good way to get close to nature |
| C．makes him realize the importance of exercise |
| D．offers a chance for them to communicate |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer’s car is always breaking down. |
| B．Father intended me to be a fisherman. |
| C．I was unwilling to come back. |
| D．Father used to think it was useless to attend college. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Forgiving Is Difficult | B．Fishing Brings Us Together |
| C．Memories of Old Days | D．My Beloved Father |
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human conditions is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful(有压力的) conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support — money aid, material resources, and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.Interpersonal relationships are important because they can _______.
| A．make people live more easily |
| B．smooth away daily problems |
| C．deal with life changes |
| D．cure types of illnesses |
The researches show that people's physical and mental health _______.
| A．lies in the social medical care systems which support them |
| B．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others |
| C．depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
| D．is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions” ?
| A．takes place of | B．makes up of |
| C．lessens the effect of | D．gets rid of |
Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of _______.
| A．instrumental support | B．informational support |
| C．social companionship | D．the strengthening of self-respect |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．Interpersonal relationships. |
| B．Kinds of social support. |
| C．Ways to deal with stress. |
| D．Effects of stressful conditions. |
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to keep out his enemies．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．On the whole，this passage is mainly about___．
| A．an art museum called the Louvre |
| B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci |
| C．a king of France named Francis I |
| D．the best known painting in Louvre |
Which of the following is not true？
| A．The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago． |
| B．French kings and queens once lived in it． |
| C．The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190． |
| D．Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years． |
Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
| A．It helps people remember who the King of France is． |
| B．It keeps people out of the palaces． |
| C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art． |
| D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist． |
From the passage we know that _____．
| A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen |
| B．old forts always make the best museums |
| C．great art should be shared with all the people |
| D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort |
In the third paragraph the word “moat” probably means_____．
| A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies |
| B．a long and deep ditch dug round a castle and was usually filled with water |
| C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought |
| D．a long and high wall around the castle |
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