Children who are brought up by two parents grow up to be cleverer than those raised by just one person, new research suggests. Being with both parents in the earliest years of life leads to a child developing more brain cells, the scientists believe. Being brought up by both parents causes boys to have better memory and learning functions. By contrast, it causes girls to develop improved co-ordination and sociability.
It is believed that babies with two parents tend to get more attention and more stability(稳定), and that they are less likely to suffer emotional distress(悲伤) in the first years of life. This leads to greater brain cell production ------ for boys it is grey matter brain cells that develop and for girls is white matter brain cells.
The researchers from Canada studied mice and experimented by creating one-parent and two-parent family groups. They then measured the offspring’s(后代的) brain cell development from birth to adulthood. Adult mice with the highest number of brain cells turned out to be those who had been brought up by two parents rather than one. As babies they had received more attention and more nursing as both parents took turns to lick and tend to their youngsters, said Dr Samuel Weiss.
As a result, the babies with two parents are less likely to suffer early life hurt which can have a massive impact on how their brains develop in later life, the research shows. However, what did surprise the researchers is that female babies who grew up with both parents turned out to be good single mothers, as if good parenting was passed on.
The researchers said,“ In the mouse model, parenting and the environment directly impacted adult brain cell production. It is possible that similar effects could be seen in other mammals, such as humans.”From the first paragraph we can draw a conclusion that ________.
| A．Girls have better memory and learning functions. |
| B．Boys are better at co-ordination and sociability. |
| C．The benefits vary between the sexes. |
| D．The benefits are the same between the sexes. |
The researchers proved their idea ________.
| A．by questionnaire on parents. |
| B．by experiment on mice. |
| C．by raising babies themselves. |
| D．by experiment on humans. |
The underlined word “impacted” means _________.
| A．destroyed | B．constructed |
| C．influenced | D．disagreed |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Children brought up by two parents are cleverer. |
| B．Children brought up by single parent are cleverer. |
| C．Children grow up themselves are cleverer. |
| D．Children grow up themselves are more self-confident. |
Alzheimer's disease affects millions of people around the world. American researchers say the disease will affect more than one hundred million people worldwide by the year twenty fifty. That would be four times the current number. Researchers and doctors have been studying Alzheimer's patients for a century. Yet the cause and cure for the mental sickness are still unknown. However, some researchers have made important steps towards understanding it.
Several early signs of the disease involve memory and thought processes. At first, patients have trouble remembering little things. Later, they have trouble remembering more important things, such as the names of their children.
There are also some physical tests that might show who is at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The tests look for proteins in brain and spinal cord fluid. The proteins appear to be found only in people with the disease. The protein tests correctly identify the presence of the disease in about ninety percent of patients.
Now, a much simpler physical test to predict Alzheimer's risk has been developed. Researchers found that trouble with the sense of smell can be one of the first signs of Alzheimer's. Using this information, they developed a test in which people were asked to identify twelve familiar smells. These smells included cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, paint thinner, and smoke.
The study continued for five years. During this period, the same people were asked to take several tests measuring their memory and thought abilities. Fifty percent of those who could not identify at least four of the smells in the first test had trouble with their memory and thinking in the next five years.
Another study has shown a possible way to reduce a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age. Researchers in Chicago found that people who use their brains more often are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Those who read a newspaper, or play chess or word games are about three times less likely to develop the condition.
Researchers say they still do not know what causes Alzheimer's disease. But they say these findings might help prevent the disease in the future.
41. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Some early signs of the Alzheimer's disease.
B. Some physical tests about Alzheimer's disease.
C. The research about Alzheimer's disease.
D. The patients of Alzheimer's disease.
42. What’s the current number of Alzheimer’s patients?
A. 100 million B. 25 million C. 400 million D. 2050 million
43. What is not the early signs of the Alzheimer's disease according to the passage?
A. Poor memory B. Proteins exist in the brain.
C. Trouble with the sense of smell. D. Less use of the brain.
44. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Alzheimer's disease. B. Alzheimer's patients. C. The cause and cure. D. The research.
45. According to the passage, we can learn that _______.
A. there are no proteins in the brains of the people with no Alzheimer's disease
B. the people who often use their brains will not get Alzheimer's disease
C. researchers and doctors have found ways to cure Alzheimer's disease
D. the people who have the trouble with the sense of smell will certainly suffer from Alzheimer's disease
Greece declared a national state of emergency on Saturday as scores of forest fires that have killed at least 46 people continued to burn out of control, leaving some villages trapped within walls of flames, cut off from firefighters.
Although most of the fires have been on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, some broke out on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of homes and closing a major road linking the capital to the main airport for several hours. The national fire brigade said that by evening it had brought those blazes under control, including one that came within about six miles of the city.
The country has been vulnerable to fire this summer because of drought and three consecutive heat waves that sent temperatures soaring over 100 degrees. More than 3,000 forest fires have destroyed thousands of acres of wooded areas since June; the earlier fires killed nine people. The latest spate of fires on the peninsula started Friday. Strong, hot winds have spread the flames.
Firefighters expect the death toll to rise, because they have not yet been able to search some areas that had been overrun by flames.
Hardest hit by the fires were a dozen small villages t around the town of Zaharo in the western peninsula, where at least 12 people, including some who may have been trying to flee by car, were killed. Scores of other residents, including elderly and disabled people, remained trapped in their homes, phoning in to local television and radio stations, crying for help.
Late Saturday, Mr. Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece appeared on national television and declared that he was mobilizing all of the country’s resources to control the fire. Mr. Karamanlis also suggested that the recent fires might have been purposely set. “So many fires sparked simultaneously in so many regions is no coincidence,” he said, “We will get to the bottom of this and punish those responsible.”
The overstretched national fire services are being helped by an estimated 6,000 soldiers mobilized for the operation. A fleet of water-dumping aircraft was expected from France, Germany and Norway, after Greece appealed to the European Union for “urgent assistance.”
51.The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______ in the passage.
A. firefighters battles fearlessly in Greece to control the fire
B. constant fires in Greece have caused great life and wealth lose
C. Greece is facing great danger as forest fires continue to break out
D. Greek government is investigating the cause of recent forest fires
52. We can know from the passage that ______.
A. Athens, capital of Greece was not threatened in the fire
B. Greek government did not take effective measures to control the fire
C. many people had to leave their homes to avoid fire
D. all people endangered by the fire have already got immediate and proper help
53. According to the passage, which of the following might not contribute to the recent forest fires in Greek?
A. Storm thunders in summer
B. Lack of rainfall
C. Extremely hot weather this summer
D. Hot and strong wind
54. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. now the fire crisis in Greece has come to an end
B. assistance from EU members is expected to come to help Greece
C. firefighters in Greece so far can still manage the situation
D. the number of people who die in the fire is expected not to rise any more
55. Mr. Karamanlis believes the forest fires in Greece _______.
A. is a happening by chance B. is a natural disaster
C. might be caused by human on purpose D. is a punishment of nature
I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone.
One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory.
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude.
The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of.The author was probably the girl’s .
| A．neighbor | B．friend | C．mother | D．teacher |
Why was the girl heartbroken?
| A．She was considered too short to be a top player. |
| B．Her coach stopped her training because of her height. |
| C．She couldn’t be on a college basketball team. |
| D．She wouldn’t be admitted by an ideal college. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．her family wouldn’t like to pay her college fee |
| B．her father forced her to play basketball in collage |
| C．being a top basketball player can win you a scholarship for college |
| D．she wouldn’t like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty |
Which word can best describe her father?
| A．Encouraging. | B．Optimistic. | C．Stubborn. | D．Cruel. |
Which proverb best matches the story?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Rome was not built in a day. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．Pride comes before a fall. |
For some people, the sight of a mouse can be reason to scream. For other mice, the same sight can be reason to sing.
Mice will probably 21 sing their way to any concert, but researchers in the United States have found 22 that mice do, 23 , sing.
Scientists already knew that mice make ultrasonic(超声波) sounds—noises that are too high-pitched(高音的) for people to hear 24 special equipment.
To find out whether mice put such sounds together in song-like 25 , the researchers recorded the sounds of 1 mice. Using computer 26 , they were able to separate the sounds into specific types of syllables(音节), and found the mice produced about 10 syllables per second.
The results showed that nearly all of the mice repeated sequences(顺序) of syllables in different patterns. That’s enough to meet the definition of what scientists 27 song. But not all scientists are 28 _ that what the mice are doing is 29 singing. To prove it, the researchers must show that there’s learning involved. And, they need to __ 30 why the mice sing.
21. A. almost B. even C. never D. usually
22. A. coincidence B. evidence C. guidance D. instance
23. A. at once B. by means C. for example D. in fact
24. A. during B. inside C. through D. without
25. A. fashions B. instructions C. patterns D. styles
26. A. access B. printer C. screen D. software
27. A. call B. hear C. sing D. write
28. A. accustomed B. convinced C. involved D. qualified
29. A. actually B. obviously C. simply D. unlikely
30. A. figure out B. get about C. run across D. talk over
One day last September, as Britney Spears was about to board a flight to Los Angeles from London, a blue bottle fell out of her purse. She quickly put it back in, but not before the camera recorded the event. Neither Spears nor her spokesman was willing to comment on the contents of the bottle, but the next morning London’s Daily Express published a page of pictures under the headline “EXCLUSIVE: POP PRINCESS SPOTTED AT AIRPORT WITH POT OF SLIMMING TABLETS.” Spears was apparently carrying Zantrex-3, one of the most popular weight-loss pills now sold in the United States. The pill, which is sold at about fifty dollars for a month’s supply, contains a huge amount of caffeine, some green tea, and three common South American herbs that also act as stimulants (兴奋剂). It hit the U.S. market last March and has had a success that would be hard to overstate. Millions of bottles have been sold, and during the Christmas season it was displayed in the windows of the nation’s largest chain of vitamin shops, G.N.C. (It is so highly sought after that many of the stores keep it in locked counters.) Zantrex-3 is also sold at CVS, RiteAid, Wal-Mart, and other chains, and over the telephone and on the Internet. If you type “Zantrex” into Google, more than a hundred thousand pieces of information about it will appear. At any moment, there are scores of people sell it on eBay.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the success story of Zantrex-3, however, is that it is far from unique. There are hundreds of similar products on the market today, and they are bought by millions of Americans. And though Zantrex’s producer makes some exciting statements (“the most advanced weight control compound (化合物)period”), so do the people who sell Stacker 2 and Anorex along with those who sell Carb Eliminator and Fat Eliminator. Almost all of these compounds suggest that they can help people lose weight and regain lost energy, and often without diet, exercise, or any other effort.
51. Britney Spears is a / an______.
A. dancer B. singer C. athlete D. chemist
52. Which of the following is also a kind of weight-loss pill?
A. CVS B. Rite Aid C. Wal-Mart D. Anorex
53. The underlined part of the sentence in the first paragraph is most likely similar in meaning to ______.
A. it is difficult to say how successful Zantrex-3 is
B. you can’t overstate the success of Zantrex-3
C. you can’t think too highly of the success of Zantrex-3
D. Zantrex-3 is not very successful
54. From the second paragraph we know that ______ .
A. Zantrex-3 is one of the successful weight-loss pills on the US market
B. Zantrex-3 is the most successful weight-loss pills on the US market
C. Zantrex-3 is the only weight-loss pill on the US market
D. there are five kinds of weight-loss pills on the US market
55. The text mainly tells us ______.
A. when Britney Spears was found taking weight-loss pills with her
B. how Zantrex-3 became successful in the USA
C. weight-loss pills are very popular in the USA
D. Zantrex-3 is forbidden to be sold on the US market
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