Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
In the study,99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a compute, trying to get through a virtual maze（迷宫）.The maze was different place each time they tired—making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and an half were told to take a short nap .Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dreams before sleep and after sleep—and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.
Stickgold, a neuroscientist（神经科学家）,wanted to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren＇t moving during sleep.
Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working ; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn‘t help a person learn—it＇s the other way around.He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processes associated with learning.
All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn＇t take a nap, didn＇t show the same improvement.Before having a short nap, participants of the experiment were asked to .
| A．stay in a different place in the maze |
| B．design a virtual maze which is difficult to get through |
| C．experience the experiment and try to remember something |
| D．get through a virtual maze on a computer from the same place |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Participants who took a nap were required to express their thoughts. |
| B．Some dreams may encourage people to invent something new. |
| C．Participants who dreamed about films could finish the task more easily. |
| D．Participants whose dreams had something to do with the maze could find the tree faster. |
According to Stickgold, .
| A．every person may dream about what they learned |
| B．people＇s brain processes may still be connected with their learning in their dreams |
| C．once people＇s eyes stop moving, they are sure to dream about something |
| D．no matter how fantastical or boring, dreams are connected with people＇s life |
What is the best title for this text?
| A．Dreams Are Strange | B．Not All Dreams Are True |
| C．Dreaming Makes Perfect | D．Stickgold, a Dream Expert |
A clever cat has been called a hero after he prevented his owners’ home from burning down. Five-year-old Pepper has learned to open windows and lets himself out every night by using his paws to turn the latch. So when a fire broke out while his owners were at Christmas shopping, the quick-thinking cat leapt into action and opened the window to allow the poisonous smoke to escape.
Owner Sharon White said, “He can climb back in through the window, so he really does come and go as he pleases. Pepper is still a bit afraid but is still managing to eat plenty of food.” Sharon and her husband Phil were handed Pepper over four years ago after a neighbor could no longer look after it.
The fire started at 4 pm on Saturday after the couple went to the shops and left their microwave on a ten minute timer, which then caught fire. Sharon said, “We put something in the microwave for ten minutes and then went out to do our Christmas shopping in the local town. I discovered on the way that I had left my purse at home but decided not to turn around. It was my relative who lives next door that rang us and told us that we’d better get home as there was quite a lot of smoke coming out of our house and the firefighters were here.”
Firefighters rushed to their £350,000 house and put out the fire before it could spread and the kitchen suffered only smoke damage. Phil added, “Pepper managed to get out and smoke must have been pouring out the window which attracted the attention of the neighbors. He’s got a real mind of his own. Without him, the fire could have been so much worse.”
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．A quick-thinking cat thanked his owners. |
| B．A quick-thinking cat saved a house from a fire. |
| C．A quick-thinking cat saved himself from a fire. |
| D．A quick-thinking cat showed how clever he was. |
How did Pepper help avoid the danger of the fire?
| A．By ringing a neighbor’s bell. |
| B．By running into a neighbor’s room. |
| C．By standing in the way of some fire fighters. |
| D．By opening the window and letting out smoke. |
From Paragraph 2 we know that Pepper ____.
| A．didn’t belong to Sharon at first |
| B．was not frightened by the fire at all |
| C．has been taught to open the window |
| D．was found by its owners on the street |
What can we learn from what Sharon said in Paragraph 3?
| A．She and her husband were terribly frightened. |
| B．She and her husband didn’t call the firefighters. |
| C．It was that [LU2] relative who first noticed the smoke. |
| D．She and her husband knew there would be no damage. |
We can infer that Sharon and her husband Phil ____.
| A．are very careful |
| B．lived a very poor life |
| C．are very thankful to Pepper |
| D．didn’t like Pepper before the fire |
I wasn’t surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms. Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globesand four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie. As Good As It Gets. Given those accolades, Ms. Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she’ll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid (小报) news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Linsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms. Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she’s an exception.
What Ms. Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they’re earning big incomes, they’re so pampered (纵容) by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they’re hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can’t deal with the problems. That’s often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn’t want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life. According to the passage, Ms Hunt _________.
| A．has been acting for about 30 years |
| B．entered Hollywood when she was a little girl |
| C．is the daughter of a famous actor |
| D．was a model when she was six |
The underlined word “accolades” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.
| A．difficulties |
| B．awards |
| C．salaries |
| D．opinions |
Helen Hunt wouldn’t allow her daughter to become a child star because she thinks _________.
| A．child stars often take drugs and alcohol |
| B．being a child star may ruin her future |
| C．child stars aren’t able to solve their problems |
| D．it is difficult to succeed as a child actor |
From the passage we can conclude that _________.
| A．few child stars will succeed in the future |
| B．there is no way to save the entertainment business |
| C．the author has a different opinion about child stars |
| D．meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars |
I would like to talk about a very dear friend of mine, whose name was Peggy. She died at home last night at the age of 83. She was my first badminton coach and probably the best friend I’d ever had.
I met her at 12 when she coached an after-school badminton program. She saw my potential, but I thought she was a little frightening so I didn’t go back to the program. She went to my house to ask me back. I did go back and that was the beginning of my badminton “career”. She brought me to tournaments and encouraged me. At the time my mother was drinking heavily and badminton kept me out of trouble and focused on a positive pursuit.
Peggy was a person who had the qualities of honesty and integrity. She was devoted to her family and was married for over 50 years. She loved her children and was so happy to become a grandmother with the addition of Merissa to the family. She loved to have fun and play games. Another true love of her life was cats; she had one cat that lived 22 years. Before she died she had 10 cats and they brought her great joy and comfort. She also loved the Montreal Canadiens, and she supported them and often watched them play hockey games.
She wasn’t a celebrity; she was a homemaker who was proud to provide a happy home for her family. She was a loyal and dedicated friend to many. She never forgot a birthday, anniversary or to send a Christmas card. Speaking of Christmas she was an expert on Christmas and decorations. She was able to prepare this year’s tree and had hoped to spend this Christmas with her family but it wasn’t meant to be.
I had the privilege of speaking to her just a couple hours before she passed away and she told me that her life wouldn’t have been the same without me and I am grateful for that and I feel the same. Paragraph 3 tells us that Merissa __________________.
| A．is Peggy’s grandchild |
| B．is the name of Peggy’s cat |
| C．lived 22 years |
| D．didn’t get along well with Peggy |
The underlined part “Montreal Canadiens” refers to ____________.
| A．a hockey team |
| B．a group of cats |
| C．a music group |
| D．an interesting game |
Which of the following statements about Peggy is TRUE?
| A．She was once coached by the author. |
| B．She died before this year’s Christmas. |
| C．She was unmarried when she died. |
| D．She died at the age of 50. |
It’s implied in the passage that the author __________________.
| A．thought Peggy was friendly at first |
| B．got out of her drinking problem thanks to Peggy |
| C．hadn’t talked to Peggy for a long time before she died |
| D．thought her life would have been different without Peggy |
Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead，realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds and the power to grow them are contained in the human mind. Success is a choice but not a chance. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing yourself esteem (自尊)．Your level of self esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself，and thus over your life. People with low self esteem do not believe that they have any power，or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance brought about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for whatever happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident while successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause，we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we consciously choose to accept and believe. Thoughts and beliefs cause everything. Our attitudes and actions are a result of habits ingrained in us over a period of time. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success depends upon our level of confidence. We are responsible for either reinforcing good habits or kicking bad habits and consciously replacing them with consistently practiced good habits.
If you associate with positive thinking people，you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary，the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding，planting，and nurturing (培育) the seeds that contain future victory，born from setbacks.
In short，in all areas of your life，whether they are financial，physical，emotional，or spiritual，you are responsible. Once you recognize this，accept it，and firmly believe it，you are on the road to success.Losers would think that________.
| A．success is the result of hard work |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．they fail only because of bad luck |
| D．they don’t make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that________.
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as________.
| A．the proof of the author’s point |
| B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic |
| D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title of the text?
| A．Success Is a Choice |
| B．The Secrets of Success |
| C．Develop Our Confidence |
| D．How to Achieve Success |
Living in a green area can make you live longer，according to research published today. The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy (预期寿命) between rich and poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
Richard Mitchell，from Glasgow University，and his colleagues, found that the gap between the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to built-up areas.
Green spaces，classified by the researchers as “open，undeveloped land with natural vegetation”，encouraged people to walk and be more active. Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere，the researchers said.
The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels，and possibly help patients recover faster.
A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our wellbeing. But few studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities，the Glasgow team said.
Using information from a landuse database of 2001，the researchers divided the preretirement population of England into four groups according to income level，and five groups according to access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001～2005.
They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more built-up places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart conditions and stroke (中风)．There was no difference，however，in deaths from lung cancer.
The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. “The result of the study is clear：Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to________.
| A．the gap |
| B．the number of deaths |
| C．the income |
| D．the living area |
What was the special point of the Glasgow team’s research?
| A．They offered a scientific definition of “green spaces”． |
| B．They encouraged people to exercise in green areas. |
| C．They studied the effects of greenery on people’s health. |
| D．They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities. |
What advice would the researchers probably give according to the last paragraph?
| A．More health information should be given to the public. |
| B．People should take more exercise every day. |
| C．More trees and grass should be planted in cities. |
| D．People should help to fight against health problems. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People should live in green areas. |
| B．Green spaces promote good health. |
| C．Income influences health less than environment. |
| D．Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot. |
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