Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey hair．But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong.
According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age．In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s—much later than previously thought.
Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain them, and even produce new ones well into middle age．For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age．But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.
This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years．It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive(认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s．Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving.
Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed—how fast you can push a button when ordered．However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond．In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.
Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing．A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions．It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy．Barbara Strauch probably agrees that ______．
| A．the young are better at handling important things |
| B．people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s |
| C．ageing leads to the decline of the function of the brain |
| D．wrinkles and grey hair are the only symbols of ageing |
The continuing research has found older people perform better on _____ .
| A．vocabulary tests |
| B．number ability |
| C．perceptual speed |
| D．body balance |
People are happier with age because ______.
| A．they learn to value the time left |
| B．they know how to share feelings |
| C．they cannot focus on negative aspects |
| D．they do not realize the possible dangers |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People get wiser with age． |
| B．People get more forgetful with age． |
| C．People get happier with age． |
| D．People get more self-aware with age． |
第三部分: 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A woman whose sports car was stolen with her dog in it put up notices all over the area that made it clear getting back her pet was more important than her car．
“Whoever did this can keep my car．Please let Benjerman come home,” the notice said．
It is not known whether the thief showed any pity, but almost 30 hours after the 1 pm theft Friday, Atkins and Benjerman，a 12-year-old black retriever（猎犬），were reunited after police located them in Barrington．
“He’s hungry, he’s dirty, but he’s very happy to be home，”Atkins said．
The car was found at about 5 pm Saturday off Route 125 in a swampy area frequented by off-the-road cars and dirt bikes．However, the police couldn’t control Benjerman，and they had to call Atkins to come and get him．
Atkins said the thief cared for Benjerman a little by providing him with some dry cat food．She believed Benjerman ended up drinking some muddy water in the area．
She said they have been together for nearly 11 years after she took him back from a society shelter in Dallas, Texas．
Before Benjelman was found，Atkins and several friends put up notices all over the city and in Somersworth．They also contacted animal shelters，throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts The notice stated there was a re
ward，and also that the dog needed medication．Any caller could remain anonymous（匿名的）．
Atkins had parked the car outside a hardware store with the keys inside and gone in to rent a carpet cleaner．
¨It was l0 minutes and I came out and my car was gone along with Benjerman in broad daylight，” Atkins said．The car thief threw Atkins’ wallet and other personal items out of the car before escaping from the scene．
56．Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened?
a．Notices were put up saying there was a reward．
b．Atkins saw Benjerman again．
c．Police found Atkins’ car．
d．Atkins took Benjerman back from a society shelter．
e．Atkins hired a carpet cleaner in a hardware store．
A．d,e,a, b,c B．d,e,a,c,b
C．e,a,d,b,c D．e,a,c,d,b
57．We can infer from the passage ．
A．the dog was treated extremely badly by the thief
B．car stolen accidents happen frequently nowadays
C．the dog was found because of the reward
D．the thief stole the car easily
58．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Benjerman was sent back immediately after A
tkins put up the notices．
B．Atkins and her friends made a great effort to look for Benierman．
C．The thief gave the dog back but kept the sports car．
D．The dog was back at 1 pm on a Friday．
STAGE
Keep it in the air: The Chaoyang Theater is one of the Beijing theaters to present acrobatics(杂技 ) all year round. Top acrobatic artists invited from all over the country perform for Chinese and foreign tourists. The program contains trick cycling, leaping through hoops and Chinese magic tricks. Some of the artists have won prizes in international competitions.
Time: 7∶15 p.m. Daily
Place: 36, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 65072421, 65071818
Use your head: Green Hat is a new drama given by a group of young Chinese actors. It’s a rewrite of American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel The Scarlet Letter. It describes the heroine’s great courage in finding the true love against the public disagreement.
Time: 7∶15 p.m. until March 5, except Mondays
Place: China Children’s Theater
Tel: 66037255, 66037265
Mix and match: Story of Puppets tells of a fairy, Zixia, who looks for true love in the human world. After watching a puppet play Peony Pavilion, she thinks there must be true love in reality, so she uses magic to turn the puppet characters into humans, wanting to fall in love with the puppet hero. But things don’t go as she planned... Li Liuyi, the director of the play has made several successful attempts to present different traditional operas in one play. This time he combines Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Pingju Opera along with a band, using the structure of modern drama.
Time: 7∶ 30 p.m. until March 10, except Mondays
Place: Small Playhouse of Beijing People’s Art Theater
Tel: 65250123
Peking Opera: The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances at the Chang’an Grand Theater. Each performance includes two classical excerpts (选段). One is Wenxi (a play focusing on singing and dancing); the other is Wuxi (a play full of acrobatic dancing). The first night will be The Crossroad and Presenting a Pearl of the Rainbow Bridge. And the second night will see the performance of The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers and Havoc in Heaven.
Time: 7∶30 p.m. February 27, 28
Place: Chang’an Grand Theater
Tel: 86531043
73. If a tourist want to see a performance on March 15, he can call _____ to book a ticket.
A. 86531043 B. 65250123 C. 66037255 D. 65071818
74. We can learn from the text that _____.
A. Story of puppets is a play held in China Children’s Theater
B. the artists who have won prizes will perform only magic tricks
C. on March 5 there will be two plays for us to choose
D. the artists in the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe are from all over the country
75. According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A. The director of the Story of Puppets combines different operas in it.
B. Green Hat is based on a famous novel acted by some American artists.
C. Top Acrobatic artists will present their performances around our country.
D. The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances with the same excerpts.
Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials (商业广告) thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. “Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” “Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” “Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of “You Need It! Buy It Now!”
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed, new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless (鲁莽的) or daring, the ride can be as thrilling (惊心动魄的) as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests, even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.
68. The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because _____.
A. the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun
B. they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between
C. the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses
D. both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.
69. According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
A. Buses on the road. B. Films on television.
C. Advertisements on the billboards. D. Gas stations.
70. The writer of this passage would probably favor _____.
A. bus drivers who aren’t reckless B. driving alone
C. a television set on the bus D. no billboards along the road
71. What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips.
B. To persuade you to take a long bus trip.
C. To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.
D. To describe the billboards along the road.
72. The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are _____.
A. exciting B. comfortable C. tiring D. boring
What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”
65. A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.
A. whose parents are clever
B. often thinking about difficult problems
C. often helped by his parents and teachers
D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use
66. It is better for parents ________
A. to praise and encourage their children more often
B. to be hard on their children
C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do
D. to give their children as much help as possible
67. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.
B. The less you use your mind, the duller you may become.
C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.
D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.
I don' t know if I am missing the greatest pleasure of my life. I am no fan of computer games. Some guys forget themselves and forget day and night when they play games. For example, a colleague has been playing since 1 o’clock this morning and now it is 7 o'clock. He is still commanding his army of little people to attack strange-looking animals. Some games could be fun, 1 admit, and it is therefore understandable that such a game catches players. For example, games like Red Storm or some role-play games, you do something and try to outwit(智胜) your computer. You get some fun out of these games. It is understandable that such a game pushes you into a pitfall(陷阱) of pleasures. But some games look quite stupid and simple. Again for example, my colleague has been interested in Stone Age, a cartoon-like game rooted in prehistoric time. The game is well made, full of strange people and animals and you can play on line with partners. You can have reference books to study so as to shortcut your rivals(对手) and increase your own conquering power.
I believe some kinds of games are really created for adults. But seeing these adults play the simple games with such interest, I just wonder if there is something wrong with me and if I am losing the greatest possible fun of my life. I ask why I don’t bother playing such games and why I seem to have some aversion(讨厌) to such games. I have no answers. Certainly computer games is no my idea of a good time. I would rather listen to some music or read a book. Take music for example. Good music tops my list of pleasures. Nothing could beat music, all in a harmony of sounds and emotions. But how about games? Why am I so strongly biased(偏见) against such games?
61. From the passage we know that ______.
A. the author is a fan of computer games
B. the author spends much time playing computer games
C. the author once played a whole night
D. the author doesn't like playing computer games
62. In this passage, the author tells us a fact that ______.
A. some computer games are interesting enough to attract people
B. many people fall into a dangerous pitfall
C. many people are suffering a lot from the computer games
D. computer games are pitfalls for most players
63. The underlined word "bother" here means ______.
A. make trouble B. take an interest in C. disturb D. confuse
64. The author has a pleasure to ______.
A. make a computer game B. read books
C. listen to good music D. ask himself questions
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