Reading is good for you. There is increasing evidence to show that reading isn’t merely a way of improving literacy and knowledge, but that it might actually be good for one’s mental and physical health, too.
In the age of Twitter and short attention spans, reading novels, which requires intense concentration over a long period of time, could be the antidote(矫正方法).
Neuroscientists Baroness Susan Greenfield says that reading helps to lengthen attention spans in children and improve their ability to think clearly. “Stories have a structure that encourages our brain to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance,” she says “It is essential to learn this skill as a small child.”
“In a computer game, you might rescue a princess, but you don’t care about her, you just want to win,” she explains, “But a princess in a book has a past, present and future. You can relate to her. You see the world through her eyes”
According to professor John Stein, Oxford university, reading is far from a passive activity. “Reading exercises the whole brain,” he explains. “ When we get lost in a good book, we are doing more than following a story, Imaging what is happening is as good as activating the brain as doing it. In other words, our brains simulate(模仿) real experiences, and it is just as if we were experiencing them ourselves. This doesn’t happen when we are watching a TV or playing computer games.”
Getting stuck in a good novel appears to be good for one’s mental health. Reading helps one not only fights loneliness, but also forget one’s own problems for a while.
Researchers found that just six minutes of reading could reduce stress levels by more than two-thirds, more than listening to music or going out for a walk. The concentration required to read distracts the mind, easing muscle’s tension and slowing the heart rate. Reading may be good for physical health, too, by preventing brain aging and disease.Which of the following statement is true about playing computer games?
| A．It encourages our brains to think clearly |
| B．It makes people feel lonely |
| C．It makes the player concentrate on the result instead of the role in it |
| D．It can help lengthen one’s attention span. |
According to John Stein, reading _______
| A．is simply following a story |
| B．is a passive activity |
| C．can active the brain |
| D．has the same results as watching TV |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To show how to improve children’s attention spans |
| B．To encourage people to read |
| C．To show that Twitter has a negative influence |
| D．To compare the results of reading and watching TV |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about
| A．the mental and physical benefits of reading |
| B．ways of getting rid of stress |
| C．the problems we face in daily life |
| D．the factors that cause people to feel lonely |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Reading Books Helps Keep Your Healthy |
| B．The Structure of a Book |
| C．The Brain Activities While Reading |
| D．How to Teach Children to Read |
People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are too many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of our shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.
Look at one of the most famous shy people of them all, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.
I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we grow up and become adults, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul. In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as .
| A．a not very normal mental condition |
| B．a disease that can be easily cured |
| C．something we pick up after birth |
| D．a kind of emotional disability |
From the passage, we know that Johnny Carson .
| A．has dealt with shyness very successfully |
| B．has done away with his shyness carefully |
| C．is described as a hero in some legend books |
| D．failed to become a good talk show host |
The passage tells us that Sally Fields was .
| A．proud all the time |
| B．close to Jane Fonda |
| C．impolite when young |
| D．shy in her early years |
The author thinks that our shyness is there because .
| A．we are not open enough |
| B．we don’t feel secure at heart |
| C．we try to reach out to others all the time |
| D．we lack some social skills |
In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t it happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of Tomorrow
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it over-looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower? Probably not—it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring. The whole passage is mainly about .
| A．predictions that have come true |
| B．predictions that haven’t come true |
| C．why predictions don’t come true easily |
| D．what technology will bring about |
The author of this passage won’t believe that .
| A．predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology |
| B．the future isn’t always easy to guess |
| C．not all past predictions have come true |
| D．many of the high-tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now simply never appeared |
The underlined word “weird” in Para. 5 probably means .
| A．wonderful | B．stupid |
| C．practical | D．strange |
What does the author think of the flying car?
| A．It is too difficult to imagine. |
| B．It is too crazy an idea. |
| C．It is likely to be made. |
| D．It is often reported in the news. |
You might notice something new in the next few years as you watch Disney programs: Starting in 2015, there won’t be any candy, sugary cereal or fast-food commercials aimed at kids. 
The Walt Disney Company has become the first major media company to ban ads for junk food on its TV channels, radio stations and websites. It hopes this will stop kids from making poor food choices.
First Lady Michelle Obama called it a “game changer” that is sure to send a message to the rest of the children’s entertainment industry. “Just a few years ago, if you had told me or any other mom or dad in America that our kids wouldn’t see a single ad for junk food while they watched their favorite cartoons on a major TV network, we wouldn’t have believed you, ”said the First Lady, who heads a campaign to help stop child obesity.
The ban would apply to Disney-owned ABC stations as well as Radio Disney and Disney-owned websites aimed at families with young children. In addition, Disney plans to make changes to its kids’ menus at theme parks and resorts(度假胜地). Fast-food options will be replaced with healthier choices, such as smoothies(果汁), apples, vegetables and yogurt.
In addition to candy bars and fast-food meals, other foods that don’t meet Disney’s nutritional standards will be banned from the company’s kid-targeted media. Any cereal with 10 grams or more of sugar per serving will be off the air. There will be no ads for full meals of more than 600 calories. Juices with high levels of sugar and foods with too much salt will also be pulled.
Leslie Goodman, Disney’s senior vice-president of Corporate Citizenship, said a company that wants to advertise will need to show that it offers a range of healthy options.
Disney isn’t the only one pushing away unhealthy foods. Last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested a ban on drinks over 16 ounces sold in movie theaters, restaurants and convenience stores in the Big Apple. He says large, sugary drinks are partly to blame for obesity. What will the Walt Disney Company do from 2015?
| A．Produce more and better cartoons for young kids. |
| B．Stop broadcasting advertisements for junk food on TV. |
| C．Help kids develop healthy lifestyle in the program. |
| D．Provide healthier food for kids while they are watching programs. |
What Michelle Obama said suggests that while watching cartoons .
| A．kids didn’t believe what the commercials said |
| B．kids don’t enjoy eating candy, sugary cereal or junk food |
| C．kids would see a lot of fast-food commercials on TV |
| D．kids find pleasure in watching fast-food commercials |
The underlined phrase “be off the air” in Paragraph 5 probably means“ ”.
| A．not be broadcast | B．be in need |
| C．become popular | D．be praised |
According to Michael Bloomberg, to fight child obesity, kids should .
| A．watch fewer cartoons |
| B．drink less sugary drinks |
| C．not go to movie theaters |
| D．take more physical exercise |
Nearly all the tourists who come to southeast France make a tour to Monaco(摩纳哥), too. Lying near the French-Italian border, Monaco is not part of France, but a separate principality(公国), though it is surrounded by its greatest neighbour.
Monaco became a principality in the 16th century after being owned by a family member of a certain Italian king. The French and Italians, however, soon came to “protect” it one after another, until 1861, when it became its own master again.
Facing the blue Mediterranean(地中海), Monaco is mainly made up of two cities, Monaco, where the palace of the prince(王子)stands, and Monte Carlo(蒙特卡洛), which is a wonderful place for tourists. Every year, around half a million people from all parts of the world come to Monaco, nearly 25 times as much as its population.
Believe it or not, Monaco has no soldiers or policemen of its own. Law and order is kept by French police, and French stands for it in its foreign affairs, even the money used in Monaco is franc, too. Monaco is .
| A．another name for Monte Carlo |
| B．mostly visited by French tourists |
| C．surrounded by France |
| D．more related to Italy than to France |
Monaco has a population of .
| A．over 20, 000 | B．20, 000 or so |
| C．more than 25, 000 | D．no more than 20, 000 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The national income of Monaco depends mainly on France. |
| B．Monaco is famous for having no soldiers or policemen of its own. |
| C．Monaco does not have a seat in the UN because it is too small a country. |
| D．Monte Carlo City seems more important for the existence of this principality. |
The Head of Monaco is .
| A．the King |
| B．the President of France |
| C．a member of the royal family |
| D．the Emperor |
Think of London and you will probably remember the bright red double-decker buses. Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and the noisy tuk-tuks may come to mind. Think of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars. 
Imagining what these cities would look like without those is difficult. They are symbols of these cities that make them different. However, these city symbols are not always so well loved by their city leaders. City leaders want what is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport.
In Bangkok, city leaders have banned(禁止)tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting. However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful as it has not changed Thai people’s love for the cheap tuk-tuks over taxis.
In London the city’s first ever mayor(市长)removed the red double-decker buses, which he thought were old fashioned. His plan worked, but Londoners were unhappy to lose the nice old buses they believed represented the best of their city. They made their unhappiness felt when the mayor came up for re-election. Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back.
As for San Francisco, several cable cars are still in use but mainly as tourist attractions. They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.
City transport symbols may have a place in their city people’s hearts, but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world. As Londoners have proved, their continued life depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the first paragraph?
| A．To introduce some city transport symbols. |
| B．To explain why some cities are popular. |
| C．To talk about modern transport in some cities. |
| D．To attract more tourists to visit some cities. |
The London double-decker bus is returning mainly because .
| A．the new mayor loves it |
| B．Londoners fought for it |
| C．it is an improved transport |
| D．it is popular with tourists |
Which proves the old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?
| A．Only a few cable cars are still in use in San Francisco. |
| B．Bangkok city leaders tried to remove the cheap tuk-tuks. |
| C．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election. |
| D．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker buses. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Modern cities should remove old city transport symbols. |
| B．The writer thinks highly of the old city transport symbols. |
| C．Old city transport symbols face the problem of survival. |
| D．Tourist cities will lose their attraction without the symbols. |
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