Are you a forgetful person? You might be able to blame your genes, a new study in the journal Neuroscience Letters suggests.
Researchers from the University of Bonn have identified a variant（变体） on the DRD2 gene that seems to be associated with increased forgetfulness.
Everyone has one of two variants of the DRD2 gene, the difference is just one letter in the genetic code: Some people have the cytosine (C) variant, while others have the thymine (T) variant. The researchers wanted to see how having one variant over another was associated with forgetfulness.
To test this, they analyzed the DRD2 gene of 500 study participants, and also had the participants answer surveys about their forgetfulness (such as how often they misplaced their keys, or forgot names).
Most of the study participants—three quarters of them—had the thymine gene variant, while the other quarter had the cytosine gene variant. Researchers found an association between more forgetfulness problems and having the thymine gene variant of DRD2. Meanwhile, the cytosine gene variant seemed to have a protective effect against forgetfulness.
However, “there are things you can do to compensate for forgetfulness; writing yourself notes or making more of an effort to put your keys down in a specific location—and not just anywhere,” study researcher Dr. Sebastian Markett, of the University of Bonn, said in a statement.
Research has also suggested that some age groups are more forgetful than others. A recent national poll showed that millenials, who were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are actually more likely than seniors to be absent-minded with things like what day of the week it is, where they put their keys and remembering to bring their lunch.
Meanwhile, another study recently published in the journal BMC Psychology showed that men are more likely than women to experience minor memory problems.What do we know about the DRD2?
| A．It has two similar variants. |
| B．Some people don’t have it. |
| C．It’s bad for people’s memory. |
| D．Everyone has one of its variants. |
We can infer from the study that ______.
| A．most people have the C gene variant |
| B．about 75% of the study participants are forgetful |
| C．people with the C gene variant are more forgetful |
| D．the T gene variant helps improve people’s memory |
Paragraph 6 is mainly about ______.
| A．the result of study |
| B．how to avoid the forgetfulness |
| C．why forgetfulness is normal |
| D．the influence of forgetfulness |
Which section of a newspaper is the test most probably taken from?
| A．Health. | B．Nature. |
| C．People. | D．Science |
Italians are considered the most handsome men in the world while men who are balding(变秃的) and aging do not necessarily lose their looks, according to an international survey.
A “Male Beauty” survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene (卫生) was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a “great smile”.
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man’s appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most. “Men are seen like a fine wine – they only get better, which is good news for some of us, ” Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
But looks did also come down to geography. The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome – even though Italy was not in those countries surveyed. They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be necessarily requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely to think a macho (男子气概的) look was appealing. Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value “a great smile” than men do.
How many respondents think hair is the necessary requirement for men?
A. 12. B. 100.
C. 10,000. D. 60.
According to the survey, the underlined phrase “come down to” can be replaced by “________”.
A. stand for B. equal to
C. relate to D. go with
By saying “Men are seen like a fine wine” means “________”.
A. men’s appearances get better as time goes by
B. men are almost addicted to a fine wine
C. drinking fine wine is often seem according to the survey
D. a fine wine can make men look better
What can we learn from the passage?
A. Synovate was one of the respondents from Italy.
B. Russian men were ranking the third place.
C. Having a great smile is the most important for Spanish men.
D. There are 12 countries surveyed, including Italy and Canada.
Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system —pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking abou
t being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
What is very important in determining if we are alone in the unive
rse?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been f
ound
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future
Two teaching staff stood in court last week, in different parts of Britain, each charged with assault (人身侵犯) after attempting to remove a troublemaking student from the classroom. In both cases the men had been suspended(使暂时停职) from their schools and each had spent almost a year waiting for their cases to come to court. One man, Mark Ellwood, was cleared. The other was found guilty. Both cases show the almost impossible position teachers are now in as they try to keep order in schools. They have the responsibility for what goes on in classrooms, but it’s naughty pupils who have the power.
Ellwood was the comparatively lucky one. He was brought in to work with children with behav
ioral difficulties. When he asked a boy to take off his jacket and put away his phone, the pupil threatened to stab（刺） him. Ellwood removed the boy from the clas
s, and when the boy started kicking him, Ellwood swept his feet from under him and lowered him to the ground. Weeks later he was charged with assault. Social services decided that the charge made him a potential risk to any child, so he was ordered to leave his wife and teenage daughters and move out of his home. The judges told him that they hoped he would now forget his nightmare and restart his life.
Sixty-two-year-old Michael Becker is the man who lost his case and will now lose his job. He taught in a special school. On the day of the incident, they were making pinhole cameras when the 15-year-old pupil arrived late. He refused to sit down, and instead walked around the classroom, telling jokes. He ignored several requests to start work and refused to leave the classroom when asked. Eventually Becker seized the boy by his belt and sweatshirt and removed him to a nearby storeroom, with the boy falling down as he struggled to break away. A teaching assistant, sent to check on him a few minutes later, found him sitting in the corridor, clearly unharmed. Becker considered the incident over, but the next day he was suspended as the subject of a police investigation.
Why did two British t
eachers stand in court?
A. Because they were charged with assault on their students.
B. Because they removed a troublemaking student from a classroom.
C. Because they were suspended from their schools.
D. Because they tried to keep order in schools.
According to the passage Ellwood __________.
A. was found guilty and lost his job B. was too strict with his students
C. often punished his students D. was lucky not to lose the case
When the incident happened, Michael Becker __________.
A. lost his case and will lose his job
B. was teaching his students to make pinhole cameras
C. ignored several requests to start work
D. was suspended as the subject of a police investigation
From the two cases we can learn in Britain __________.
A. removing students from the classroom is not allowed
B. teachers have no power to keep order in schools
C. students can do whatever they like in the classroom
D. it’s very difficult to be a teacher
Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm – two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy, “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish … again and again … every time he has an ethical (伦理的，道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?
A. The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.
B. The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.
C. The father lit a match in order to check the time.
D. They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.
From the text we know that the father _________.
A. didn’t love his son B. always disagreed with his son
C. disliked the huge fish D. was firm and stubborn
The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because _________.
A. they might catch a big fish there B. he was taught a moral lesson there
C. it was a most popular fishing spot D. their children enjoyed fishing there
What does the story imply?
A. It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.
B. An ethical decision is always easy to make.
C. It’s hard to tell right from wrong sometimes
D. Fishing can help one to make right decisions.
It is important that you make a good impression at work. If you make a good impression on your boss, he or she is more likely to give you more responsibilities which can lead to promotions (晋级) and raises. Here are some ways to make a good impression at work.
Use Proper Office Etiquette (礼仪)
Using pr
oper manners will help you make a good impression on your boss and also your co-workers. Office etiquette includes everything from the proper way to e-
mails to knowing when, where, and how to use your cell phone at work.
Face up to Your Mistakes
When you make a mistake at work, which everyone inevitably (不可避免地) does at some points, face up to it. Don’t ignore your error or place the blame on others. Take responsibility and come up with a solution to fix your mistake. Your boss may not be too happy about it, but she will at least be impressed with your response.
Know to Call in Sick
Do you think coming to work when you are sick instead of staying at home will impress your boss? Reasonable bosses know that a sick employee not only is unproductive but also he or she can spread an illness around the office. Call in sick when you are ill.
Come Through in a Crisis
When the unexpected happens at work, who will make a better impression on the boss? Of course it’s the employee who deals with the crisis quickly and effectively.
What would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to Use Good Etiquette
B. How to Deal with Mistakes at Work
C. How to Be a Good Worker in the Future
D. How to Make a Good Impression at Work
What should you do if you make a mistake at work?
A. Try to ignore the mistake.
B. Put the blame on others.
C. Think out a solution to your mistake.
D. Leave the company as soon as possible.
According to the writer, when you are ill you’d better _________.
A. go to work on time as usual
B. stay at home without telling others
C. go on working but stay away from others
D. stop working and ask for a leave
Who will make good impressions on the boss?
A. Employees who deal with the crisis quickly and effectively.
B. Employees who often make mistakes.
C. Employees who go to work though they are ill.
D. Employees who often use their cell phones at work.
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