A team of US psychologists(心理学家) have found that talking to another person for ten minutes a day helps with memory.
“Socializing(交际) is just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual(智力的) performance,” Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, said in a statement.
In one investigation, they analyzed data on 3610 people, aged 24 to 96.
They found that the higher their level of social interaction(交流), the better their cognitive(认知的) functioning. Social interaction includes getting together or having phone chats with relatives, friends and neighbors.
In another experiment, the researchers conducted laboratory tests on 76 college students, aged 18 to 21, to evaluate(评估) how social interactions and intellectual exercises affected the results of memory and mental performance tests.
The students were divided into three groups: the social interaction group had a discussion of a social issue for 10 minutes before taking the tests; the intellectual activities group completed three tasks (including a reading comprehension exercise and a crossword puzzle) before the tests; and a control group(对照组) watched a 10-minute clip(电影片段) of the Seinfeld television show.
“We found that short-term social interaction lasting for just 10 minutes improved participants’ (参与者) intellectual performance as much as engaging in (从事) so-called ‘intellectual’ activities for the same amount of time,” Ybarra said.
The study was expected to be published in the February issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.What does the underlined word “boosting” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．Improving. | B．Reducing. |
| C．Preventing. | D．Training. |
Which is not included in social interaction?
| A．Having a talk with a neighbor. |
| B．Attending a birthday party. |
| C．Watching TV at home alone. |
| D．Calling your classmates. |
What’s the purpose of the experiment on 76 college students?
| A．To judge the effect of social interaction on memory and intelligence. |
| B．To find out what is real social interaction. |
| C．To learn how much time is needed for social interaction. |
| D．To show the function of people's cognition. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Intellectual exercises make your memory better. |
| B．Different people have different ways of communication. |
| C．Communicating with others keeps you healthy. |
| D．Social interaction makes you smart. |
Elvis Aron Presley, often called “the king of rock music”, died on August 16th, 1977, at the age of forty-two. He left a great influence on popular music, and millions of fans. During his lifetime, Elvis sold more than four hundred million records. After Presley died, many of his records rose quickly. When Presley died, many mourners journeyed to Memphis, Tennessee, Presley’s home, to pay their last respects(敬意). While most of these fans knew a lot about the songs of Elvis, few of them knew the story of how Elvis had made his first recording. Elvis did not really want to become a recording star. His first record was for his mother. He paid four dollars to a small Memphis recording shop, and recorded two songs. The songs were “My Happiness” and “That’s Where Your Heartaches Begin”. Sam Philips, who owned the shop where Elvis made the record, liked Presley’s songs. He said he would call him some day. About a year later, Philips did call and asked him to cut a record. This first record had “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on one side, and “That's All Right, Mama” on the other.The passage is mainly about___________.
| A．Elvis Presley’ mother |
| B．the beginning of heartaches |
| C．how Elvis Presley began his career |
| D．the way to make a record |
The underlined word “mourners” are __________.
| A．people who get up early |
| B．usually record-producers |
| C．sad people |
| D．the opposite of night people |
The passage shows that _________.
| A．Elvis loved his mother |
| B．many people loved Elvis |
| C．Sam Philips kept his word |
| D．all of the above |
In our life, we may meet persons with different personalities. What is your personality type? Read about the following and find out!
A Dreamer thinks there is a “right” way to do things. This person wants to live in the “perfect world”. Many are good listeners and like to help others. Many Dreamers work as teachers, and often lead others. Famous Dreamers: Mohandas Gandhi, Angelina Jolie.
A Partner wants to be in a group. For this person, rules are important. They consider tradition to be of great value. Partners are often serious, careful people. Many do well as teachers, managers and police officers. Famous Partners: Queen Elizabeth II, Mother Teresa.
For Thinkers, understanding things is very important. They like to deal with problems and make new things. Thinkers can also be active. They like to win. They have very strong opinions (想法). Many Thinkers work as scientists, inventors and engineers. Famous Thinkers: Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking.
Artists want to be free. They don’t want to follow the rules all the time. They also like trying new things. Like Thinkers, many Artists have strong opinions. They are creative and do well as musicians and actors. Famous Artists: Cristiano Ronaldo, Madonna.How many personality types are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
If you are active and like to win, maybe you are similar to ____________.
| A．Gandhi | B．Mother Teresa |
| C．Bill Gates | D．Madonna |
Which could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Famous People | B．Personality Types |
| C．Perfect World | D．Job Hunting |
五位年轻人打算暑假期间去国外旅行。请仔细阅读第1～5题中对他们的描述，从A—F中选出符合各自要求的国家（其中一项为多余选项）。 Tony is a sports fan. He likes studying, too. This summer, he would like to visit a place where he can enjoy sports.
Judy lives in high mountains. So she would most like to see the sea and enjoy water sports. And she hopes to go to a country where she can eat different kinds of fresh fruits.
Sam likes places where the people are friendly. He loves to make friends with people who are from different countries. And he hopes to live comfortably there and have a good rest.
Lisa loves animals a lot. She is always trying to do something to protect animals. So she hopes to go somewhere she can have fun staying with the animals she has hardly seen before.
Ron is interested in collecting different things. He would like to go somewhere he can find some new collections. At the same time, he loves to eat something sweet.
| A．Brazil is the land of soccer. The people are really friendly. Most of them are good at sports. And the 31st Olympic Games will be held there in 2016. |
| B．Canada is one of the best places to live in the world with fresh air. Canadians are gentle and friendly. You can always see lots of foreigners there. |
| C．Australia is the land of rare animals such as koalas and kangaroos. And the best wool is produced there. It’s a good idea to enjoy operas in Sydney. |
| D．Britain is well-known around the world. However, do you know it’s famous for lots of churches and museums? People can learn a lot there. |
E. Switzerland is the land of watches. Of course, the people there are serious about being on time. Besides these, the country is famous for its sweet food, like chocolates.
F. Thailand lies to the south of China. It grows all kinds of tropical( 热带的) fruits. It has many lovely beaches and it’s famous for elephants.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a food additive (食品添加剂), which has been widely used by many food factories all over the world since it appeared first in Japan in 1909.
MSG is a substance that is added to some food to improve its original (原先的) taste and colour. It is used in foods around the world such as cakes, bread, frozen meats, fish and vegetables. In the beginning, people thought MSG was safe just like salt and sugar. However, in 1968 some people reported they seemed to have bad reactions (反应) to MSG after having had a meal at a restaurant. They included headaches and quick heartbeat (心跳). It was also reported that MSG excited a person's brain and caused his death in Japan. Scientists think that MSG may lead to many neurological disorders (神经紊乱). In mice studies done by a university, the evidence showed the mice didn’t want to eat the food including MSG.
Today many food companies “hide” MSG on food labels (标签) by using different names. If you see “natural flavorings”, “hydrolyzed protein” and “spices” in a food label, you are probably seeing a hidden way to “report” MSG in a food label. Every time we have a meal in a restaurant, we always feel the food very delicious to taste, but sometimes it is dangerous for our health because some poisonous food additives have been added to the food.
To protect people’s health, our governments, from central to local, are taking actions to stop factories producing poisonous food additives.
Monosodium Glutamate is _______.
| A．a food | B．an additive |
| C．a factory | D．a country |
MSG is often used in _______.
| A．frozen meats | B．cups |
| C．clothes | D．book covers |
The examples in the second paragraph tell us ________.
| A．the food including MSG is delicious |
| B．people like to eat in a restaurant |
| C．mice like eating the food including MSG |
| D．MSG is not safe sometimes |
If you see “natural flavorings”, “hydrolyzed protein” and “spices” in a food label, you will know________.
| A．you must eat the food in a hidden way |
| B．the food label must be hidden |
| C．MSG is probably added to the food |
| D．you must report the food to your parents |
The underlined word “substance” in the article means __________.
| A．colour | B．material | C．taste | D．Food |
Sheep always follow each other and never really think about where they are going. Perhaps fashion makes us into “sheep”. Maybe we should find our own way and not follow the crowd. Everyone wants to wear top brand clothing. However, we should remember that clothes designers(设计师) study what ordinary people wear on the street. Then they make clothes like ordinary people’s for everyone. Therefore, fashion really starts with individual(个人的) finding a new look. Then a company uses that look and then it becomes fashionable! That doesn’t mean you will. That is to say, a model might look perfect in a shirt but that doesn’t mean you will.
The same goes for mobile phones. Young people are always asking me when to change my mobile phones. Mobile phone companies are always putting new functions on their phones but do we really need all these extra functions? I use my phone to call people and to send messages to my friends. I don’t need a camera, Internet surfing or a calendar on my phone. Again, if you buy the latest phone, it will only be the latest phone for a month or so. Then something new will come out and you’ll be unfashionable again. You can’t keep up with fashion all the time, so you don’t need to follow the fashion. The underlined word “sheep” means”________.”
| A．a kind of animal which is white |
| B．people who always follow the fashion |
| C．honest people who want to be fashionable |
| D．black sheep which break laws |
Clothes designers study what you wear on the street because______________.
| A．they want to design fashion clothes |
| B．they like your clothes |
| C．they want to buy the clothes you wear |
| D．your clothes are ugly |
If you have a model’s clothes on, you________
| A．are sure to be beautiful | B．will become a model |
| C．will be smarter | D．may not look perfect |
The passage is written mainly to _________.
| A．explain what sheep are |
| B．tell us to buy new mobile phones |
| C．tell us not to be “sheep” |
| D．tell students not to care about the clothes |
What can we infer from the article?
| A．Sheep which are out of date have been killed. |
| B．The writer is a person who always follows the fashion. |
| C．Fashion only exists among those fashion models. |
| D．Fashion changes so quickly that we can hardly keep up with it. |
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