On 23rd December, 2013, Michael Schumacher — the famous Formula-One race car driver — received serious brain injuries after hitting his head on a rock while downhill skiing with his son. The accident happened during a family holiday in the French Alps. Although he was wearing a helmet, which broke apart on impact, the F1 celebrity was moving at speeds of up to 62 mph and skiing outside the off-piste safety demarcations (滑雪场地外的安全区). Doctors reported that he would have died on impact if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet. He has been in a coma (昏迷) since arriving at a nearby hospital where he was airlifted to from the site of the accident.
Michael Schumacher grew up in frugal (简朴的) conditions and started what would become his remarkable professional career when his working class father — a bricklayer — built him a go-kart from where he started participating in competitions. He started his adult career racing for Formula Ford in 1988 and later raced for Formula One Ford, Ferrari, and Mercedes AMG. He holds numerous F1 world records including most race victories, fastest laps, and most races won in a single season. According to the Formula One website, he is “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen”. Also notable are his contributions to charity, during the peak of his career he has given away more than 50 million Euros to a variety of charity organizations, most to help children around the world.
Millions of Europeans and other fans around the world are holding their breath and waiting for information about his hopeful recovery. We wish him and his family the best.Michael Schumacher is in a coma after ________.
| A．crashing in an airlift accident |
| B．a Formula One Ford car crash |
| C．a skiing accident during his holiday |
| D．a bump onto a rock in a skiing race |
What is a go-kart most likely to be?
| A．A medical instrument. |
| B．A small car-racing field. |
| C．A racing-car driver’s safety helmet. |
| D．A small motor vehicle used for racing. |
From the passage we can learn that Michael Schumacher ________.
| A．is recovering quickly at the Alpine Hospital in France |
| B．gave all his money to charity during the height of his career |
| C．raced for Ferrari and Mercedes before becoming a celebrity |
| D．came from humble origins to become the greatest F1 driver ever |
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 Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early 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 (灵活的).” 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 |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ______.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．a person who is good at learning foreign languages |
| C．a person who can speak two languages |
| D．an active language learner |
There are some highlights in April in Shanghai.
Live Music – Late Night Jazz
Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. He’s coming with his new 7 – piece band, Herbie’s Heroes. Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don’t expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie’s third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly.
Place: The Jazz Club Dates:15 – 23 April Price:￥80
Time: 10:00 p.m. till late! TEL:6466 – 8736
Scottish dancing
Take your partners and get ready to dance till you drop. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn. Instructors will demonstrate the dances. The live band, Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent.
Place: Jack Stein’s Dates: every Monday Price:￥60 including one drink
Time: 7:00 – 00:00 p.m. TEL:6402 – 1877
Exhibitions – Shanghai Museum
There are 120,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof. It’s always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition. There are lots of mummies and more gold than you’ve ever seen before. Let us know if you see a mummy move!
Place: Shanghai Museum Price:￥30（￥15 for students）
TEL:6888 – 6888 Dates: daily
Time: Monday – Friday 9:00 a. m. – 5:00 p. m., Weekends 9:00 a. m. – 9:00p.m.
Dining – Sushi chef in town
Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it’s become an art form. The most famous Sushi ‘artist’ is Yuki Kamura. She’s also one of the few female chefs in Japan. She’ll be at Sushi Scene all of this month.
Place: Sushi Scene in the Shanghai Hotel Dates: all month
Price: ￥200 Time: lunchtime TEL: 6690 – 3211
For a full listing of events, see our website.From the text we may learn that Sushi is .
| A．a cook | B．an instructor | C．a kind of food | D．an artist |
Which is not true about the ads?
| A．Yuki Kamura will stay in Shanghai in April for a whole month. |
| B．A family of parents with 15 – year – old twins should pay 75 yuan for the Shanghai museum admission. |
| C．You will probably be taught to dance if you go to Jack Stein’s. |
| D．American jazz from Herbie Davis is popular in Shanghai. |
Where are the ads available to people?
| A．Newspaper | B．Magazine | C．TV | D．Internet |
Last Friday my brother and I were driving home together after doing some shopping and gave our attention to an interesting conversation. Because of this distraction (分心)my brother took a wrong turn.
Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us towards a bridge and we had no way to turn back. Unwillingly, my brother paid the bridge fee and drove on. He was clearly frustrated by the mistake and the needless waste of $4.
We eventually reached an exit and, as we took it, my brother noticed a young fellow pulled over to the side of the road. He came out of his car and tried to phone someone. I was busy trying to figure out which way we would go next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat tire and needed a tool to get it off.
My brother gave him a wrench, and then began to help him change the flat. The young man said that this had been a bad week for him: earlier he had gotten into a minor car accident, and now this flat on his way home from work. But he called us “a breath of fresh air” and kept thanking us because he really would have been stuck if we hadn’t come along.
After we finished the job he thanked us again and pulled out $20 from his pocket and tried to give it to us. “No,” I said. “We were never supposed to even get on that bridge,we took a wrong turn. But now we know why we did. It was to help you. Thank you for turning our mistake into an opportunity to serve.”
What I loved most was that my brother was able to see a chance to help. His reaction in the situation is a lesson for everyone and we felt so good the rest of the day. When did the author and his brother notice the young man who had a flat tire?
| A．Before they arrived at a bridge. |
| B．When they were passing through an exit. |
| C．When the young man stopped them for help. |
| D．After they came back to the right road. |
We can learn from the text that the writer’s brother ________.
| A．didn’t know the roads well |
| B．was a warm-hearted young man |
| C．made the turn to help the young man |
| D．regretted making a wrong turn all the way home |
What did the young man mean by calling the writer and his brother “a breath of fresh air” ?
| A．He had been in the hot sun waiting for help for so long. |
| B．His car’s air conditioner was broken. |
| C．They calmed him down by offering him a cold drink. |
| D．They changed his bad luck and the bad mood he was in. |
Which of the following sentences best describes the writer’s experience?
| A．It’s no use crying over spilt milk. |
| B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it. |
| D．If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. |
LONDON (Reuters)—New faces given to a Chinese man after a bear tore off part of his face and a FrenchCaribbean man disfigured by a rare tumor show that such transplants can work and are not medical oddities (怪异)，researchers said．
The findings give hope to some people with severe facial disfigurement and suggest the transplants could prove longlasting without major problems．Despite the tissue rejection in the first year after their transplants，neither men had psychological problems accepting their new faces and have been able to rejoin society，they reported．
Only three people have received face transplants．The world’s first was carried out on French woman Isabelle Dinoire in November 2005 after she was disfigured in an attack by her dog．In 2007，her doctors reported that she had recovered slowly and steadily，overcoming two periods of rejection．
In 2006，Chinese doctors performed a face transplant on a 30yearold hit by a bear．While there were some complications with tissue rejection following the operation，two years later the man was doing well，his doctors said．“This case suggests that facial transplantation might be an option for restoring a severely disfigured face，and could enable patients to bring themselves back into society，” Shuzhong Guo and colleagues at Xijing Hospital in China wrote．
A French team described their work on a 29yearold man who suffered from Von Recklinghausen disease，an illness that changes the shape of his face．“The man，who was not named，was given a new nose，mouth and chin in a 2007 operation．He began to work 13 months after the transplant has more function in his face and has not rejected the new tissue，” his doctors said．
“Our case confirms that face transplantation is practical and effective for the correction of specific disfigurement，” Dr．Laurent Lantieri and colleagues at the HenriMondor hospital outside Paris wrote．What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Face transplants can work． |
| B．Face transplants help regain confidence． |
| C．Three people have received face transplants． |
| D．Disfigured people need face transplants． |
The underlined word “restoring” in Paragraph 4 means “________”．
| A．removing | B．recovering | C．repairing | D．rejecting |
What problem resulted from the facial operations?
| A．The patients wouldn’t accept the facial change． |
| B．It was hard for the patients to get along with others． |
| C．It took some time for the patients to recover from the operation． |
| D．The patients usually suffered from tissue rejection． |
Should ecigarettes (electronic cigarettes) be a new choice for the smokers trying to get rid of the habit? Reactions from Americans are mixed．More than half of the people questioned in a survey think ecigarettes should be controlled by the US Food and Drug Administration，but 47 percent believe the ecigarettes should be available to the smokers who want to quit．
“In the hunt for a safer cigarette，ecigarettes are becoming a popular choice among those either trying to quit or looking to replace standard tobacco smoke with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer，” Zogby International，which conducted the survey，said in a statement．
About half of the 4,611 adults who took part in the survey had heard about ecigarettes，which are batterypowered，or rechargeable cigarettes that vaporize a liquid nicotine solution．They do not produce smoke but a water vapor without smell．Sold mostly on the Internet，ecigarettes were first made in China．
Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using ecigarettes，saying there was no evidence to prove they were safe or helped smokers break the habit．The WHO said people who smoke ecigarettes breathe in a fine fog of nicotine into the lungs．
Nearly a third of people questioned in the survey think that ecigarettes should be allowed in places where smoking is forbidden，because they don’t produce smoke，but 46 percent disagree．Men who were aware of the availability of ecigarettes were more likely than women to say they should be a choice available to smokers who want to quit．Young people，aged 18－29，and singles were the groups most open to trying ecigarettes．Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death worldwide，according to the WHO．What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
| A．American smokers ought to try ecigarettes． |
| B．Americans have different opinions about ecigarettes． |
| C．Every kind of cigarettes should be forbidden in America． |
| D．Most of the Americans don’t like ecigarettes． |
According to Zogby International，ecigarettes ______．
| A．are much safer than common cigarettes |
| B．are popular among people who want to quit smoking |
| C．will take the place of traditional cigarettes |
| D．are produced in a safer way by manufacturers |
What do we know about ecigarettes from the passage?
| A．Most Americans are familiar with them． |
| B．They are a good choice as there is no nicotine． |
| C．They produce a water vapor that can’t be seen． |
| D．Most people buy them on the Internet． |
What’s the attitude of the WHO towards ecigarettes?
| A．Negative | B．Supportive | C．Doubtful | D．Indifferent |
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