For hundreds of years, scientists learned about the brain by observing people recovering from injuries. Many with an injury on the left side of the brain had problems understanding or using words. From this, doctors reasoned that the left brain must manage speech and language. They didn’t know, though, if speech and language centers were on this side in everyone. The finding of a new study may be able to tell the answer.
In the new study, researchers used fMRI (功能性磁共振成像) to watch brains in action as 39 children and 14 adults tried to understand sentences. Each fMRI scan (扫描) produced many pictures of the brain. Patches of color in each image highlighted which parts of the brain were getting the most blood. This is a sign that they were turned on and active.
To the researchers’ surprise, the left side of the brain was not the only part that was turned on in the children. Both sides became active when they tried to understand a sentence. That activity in the right brain started to fall in children who were older. By age 19, no activity showed up on the right. All speech-and-language processing now was taking place only on the left. The move from two-sided to one-sided language processing takes place gradually. It starts around the time we learn to talk.
Elissa Newport, who led the study, finds it exciting that children have speech centers on both sides of their brains. “If both sides of their brains can pitch in, this may also explain why left-brain injuries often are not as damaging in young children as in adults,” said she.
Children process language like “mental switch-hitters”. So, the next time you think your parents or older siblings (兄弟姐妹) don’t understand you, give them a break. They could be using just a smaller part of their brains.
1. How did the researchers conduct the study?| A．By drawing pictures of brains. | B．By highlighting different signs. |
| C．By reading examination results. | D．By studying the blood samples. |
| A．Younger children need less time to understand a sentence. |
| B．Children use both sides of the brain for language processing. |
| C．The right side of the brain is less important than the left side. |
| D．The right side of the brain gradually becomes inactive after birth. |
| A．Get involved. | B．Get damaged. |
| C．Be examined. | D．Be recognized. |
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【推荐1】More than one billion young people risk damaging their hearing through excessive (过度的) use of smartphones and other audio devices (音频设备), the UN warned Tuesday, proposing new safety standards for safe volume levels.
In order to safeguard hearing, the World Health Organization and International Telecommunications Union issued a voluntary international standard for the manufacture and use of audio devices.
Young people are particularly prone to get risky listening habits. Around half of those between the ages of 12 and 35, or 1.1 billion people, are at risk due to “long exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices”, the UN health agency said.
Currently, about five percent of the global population, or some 466 million people, including 34 million children, suffer from disabling hearing loss. WHO considers a volume above 85 decibels (分贝) for eight hours or 100 decibels for 15 minutes as unsafe.
WHO is calling for parental as well as automatic volume controls on audio devices to prevent dangerous use.
While some smartphones and other audio devices already offer some of these features, the UN would like to see a uniform standard used to help protect against disabling hearing loss.
“Think of it like driving on a highway, but without a speedometer (速度计) in your car or a speed limit,” Shelly Chadha of the WHO told reporters in Geneva. “What we’ve proposed is that your smartphones come fitted with a speedometer, with a measurement system which tells you how much sound you’re getting and tells you if you are going over the limit.”
1. What does the underlined word “prone” in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Likely. | B．Addicted. | C．Willing. | D．Expected. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By offering examples. |
| C．By analyzing reasons. | D．By giving figures. |
| A．Half of 1.1 billion people are getting risky listening habits. |
| B．About 466 million children are suffering from hearing loss. |
| C．A volume above 85 decibels for 10 hours or 120 decibels for 15 minutes is unsafe. |
| D．A uniform standard has been made to help protect against disabling hearing loss. |
| A．To indicate it is dangerous to drive on the highway. |
| B．To suggest a speedometer should be fitted in a car. |
| C．To show how a smartphone works with a measure system. |
| D．To emphasize that it is necessary to fit a measure system in smartphones. |
【推荐2】Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.
A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason this happens is because the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart, crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. You won’t feel any immediate effects, but if you sit for long periods of time it’s important that you shouldn’t have your legs crossed for more than 15 minutes, and it’s important that you get up and walk around at least once every hour.
Crossing your legs can also lead to neck and back pain. Ideally, it’s best for our bodies to sit with our feet planted flat, hip width apart, on the floor. When you sit with your legs crossed your hips are in a twisted position, which can cause one of your pelvic bones(盆骨) to rotate. Since your pelvic bone supports your neck and spine（脊椎）, this can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck.
When you sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time your feet and legs get painful. This is because when one leg sits on top of the other it causes pressure on the veins and nerves in your legs and feet. It can cause numbness and/or temporary paralysis（瘫痪） in the legs, ankles, or feet. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your legs until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.
1. Which of the positions is the most ideal to keep healthy?| A．Sit for a whole night while changing the crossing leg frequently. |
| B．Keep both of the feet flat and wide apart on the land. |
| C．Rest one foot on the other for less than 15 minus. |
| D．Put down the crossing feet immediate legs get numb. |
| A．A sudden blood pressure increase. |
| B．A twisted neck and spine. |
| C．Permanent injuries to nerve |
| D．Losing the ability to walk forever. |
| A．Ways to keep a right sitting position. |
| B．Tips to lower pressure to veins and nerve. |
| C．The health problems crossing legs will lead to. |
| D．Relation between habits and health problems. |
【推荐3】Many people think of guys as being carefree when it comes to their appearance. But in fact, a lot of guys spend plenty of time in front of the mirror.
Body image is a person’s opinions and feelings about his or her own body and physical appearance.
So,what can you do to develop a positive body image? Here are some ideas:
Recognize your strengths. Different body types are good for different things. What does your body do well? Maybe your speed, strength, or coordination (协调) makes you better than others at a certain sport. That may be basketball, table tennis, mountain biking, dancing, or even running. Or perhaps you have skills, like drawing, singing, playing a musical instrument, writing, or acting.
Exercise regularly. Exercise can help you look good and feel good about yourself. Good physiques (体形) don’t just happen.
Respect your body! Practising good habits- regular showering; taking care of your teeth, hair, and skin; wearing clean clothes, and so on-can help you build a positive body image.
| A．Use this as an opportunity to discover what you’re good at. |
| B．Be yourself. |
| C．They care just as much as girls do about their body image. |
| D．Just explore talents that you feel good about. |
| E．They take hard work, regular workouts, and a healthy habit. |
| F．The good news is that self-image and body image can be changed. |
| G．Having a positive body image means feeling satisfied with the way you look. |
【推荐1】This year, the world celebrates a century of Disney magic, starting from a small animation studio to one of the most influential entertainment (娱乐) companies in the world.
In 1923, the Disney Brothers Studio was founded in California by Walter Disney and his brother Roy. In 1928, Disney launched his most symbolic creation, Mickey Mouse, with the release of Steamboat Willie. With his big round ears and cheerful personality, Mickey quickly became an instant hit.
Disney’s dream extended beyond the world of animation, however. In 1955, Disneyland, the first theme park in the world, opened its doors in California. This sparked the creation of several more Disneyland parks worldwide.
| A．New characters have joined the Disney family |
| B．The company continued to explore new entertainment |
| C．His love for his daughters was a big source of inspiration |
| D．Let’s explore the journey of Disney’s growth and development |
| E．Disney movies often draw inspiration from classic stories and real-life places |
| F．This success marked the beginning of Disney’s journey to bring joy to people |
| G．Throughout its history, Disney has become a symbol of magic and imagination |
【推荐2】For a lot of people, age-related cognitive decline (认知衰退) follows “gradually, and then suddenly”. At first, the loss of mental sharpness is difficult to detect. But one day you may find that your memory and other mental muscles have grown noticeably, frustratingly weak.
Research has found cognitive decline may begin as early as your 20s. “Typically, a person peaks out around their 30th birthday,” says Michael Merzenich, a former director of the Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California. Each decade thereafter, the average person’s mental sharpness steadily drops off.
The brain’s toolset usually grows rusty (生锈的) as a result of disuse—not because of unpreventable degradation but due to taking your brain offline. “Offline” refers to autopilot activities. “This means doing the same things—relying on the abilities or skills you acquired at a younger age,” he explains. During the first few decades of your life, this sort of cognitive coasting isn’t really possible. But once you’ve settled into adulthood—into a set of routines—your day-to-day life may not ask much of your brain’s executive (决策的) functions, which are the high-level operations helping you solve complex problems. The older you get, the more difficult for you to change your habitual routine.
Fortunately, constantly engaging your brain’s learning machinery with skills or activities that are new makes it possible to prevent age-related cognitive decline.
More of Merzenich’s research has shown that “targeted” brain training can help people strengthen their memories, concentration, and high-level processing capabilities. Even among people with mild brain injury, cognitive damage is often reversible with proper training. He recommends adopting a new hobby—something that forces you to learn a new set of skills. “The goal is to expand your understanding in a new way,” he says.
Like your body, your brain requires exercise to stay healthy. Challenging it with new hobbies and learning opportunities may be the best way to maintain its fitness.
1. What can we learn about cognitive decline?| A．It is difficult to detect. |
| B．It processes gradually. |
| C．It can be prevented. |
| D．It occurs in one’s thirties. |
| A．The meaning of “offline”. |
| B．The features of mental sharpness. |
| C．The reasons for cognitive decline. |
| D．The process of brains growing rusty. |
| A．Believable. | B．Lasting. | C．Predictable. | D．Curable. |
| A．Keeping our habitual routine. |
| B．Training our brain to keep it healthy. |
| C．Detecting mental sharpness regularly. |
| D．Adopting as many hobbies as we can. |
【推荐3】Some people must carefully pay attention to everything they put in their mouths in order to control their weight. By contrast, others can eat French fries to their hearts' content and achieve the same result. How do some people manage never to gain weight?
"Perception, one of the most important factors, has nothing to do with the body type because our personal feeling is always wrong. We often feel that some people who eat more don't put on weight. Actually? those who appear to eat whatever they like without gaining weight aren't eating more than the rest of us," said professor Kathleen Melanson. "For example, your friend who eats ice cream on a daily basis might eat less at another meal- or snack less throughout the rest of the day.”
“Physical activity can also make a difference, but it doesn't have to be a gym workout. There's little evidence to suggest that—without exercise-some people were born to burn significantly more calories than others," said Dr Ines Barroso, a researcher at the University of Cambridge. But there may be physical differences that allow some people to naturally control the number of calories they consume without exercising much self-regulation.
A lot of nervous system signals and hormones （激素）that circulate in our blood interact to tell us when we're hungry or full. This is called the appetite regulatory system, and it may be more sensitive in some people than others, Melanson said. One important hormone involved in this system is leptin （瘦素）.It helps regulate how much food we want to eat over longer periods of time, not just for our next meal. So a person with a more sensitive system might go back for seconds and thirds at a party, then feel full for the next few days and eat less.
Genetics can also play a role in a person's tendency to gain or lose weight. Researchers have identified over 250 different regions of DNA that are associated with obesity, according to a 2019 study published in PLOS Genetics.
1. What does the underlined word “Perception" in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Connection. | B．Sense. | C．Defense. | D．Reduction. |
| A．It makes people usually feel hungry. |
| B．It helps people have a better appetite. |
| C．It helps people regulate their food intake. |
| D．It makes people more sensitive to the flavour of food. |
| A．Weight problems can be avoided. |
| B．Losing weight is equally difficult for everyone. |
| C．Some people may be born to have weight problems. |
| D．Genes can be completely changed to avoid weight problems. |
| A．To share some ideas about how to lose weight. |
| B．To explain why some people never gain weight. |
| C．To advise people to control their daily diet strictly. |
| D．To call for people to pay attention to healthy eating. |
【推荐1】Preventing heart disease is a topic I think about all the time, given my family history of heart disease. So last summer, I travelled to Bolivia. The natives, called the Tsimane, were reported to have the healthiest hearts in the world. I wanted to learn what they could teach me about preventing heart disease.
Getting to the Tsimane wasn't easy. They lived in small family groups of about 60 people along river banks. We finally found one of the villages at sunset. That night, we set up our tents in the middle of the village. Thatched huts surrounded us, with no electricity or modern conveniences.
At first, I thought they mainly got their calorics from meat. However, I found food such as rice and com made up nearly 70% of their diet. The food was not processed, lacking added sugars or salts.
During my stay there, I went hunting and fishing with the men and played soccer with the kids. I found the Tsimane were standing or walking nearly all of their waking hours. Men spent lots of time tracking animals. Fanning and gathering, mostly done by children and women, were all-day affairs.
I also got a clear idea of how they rested. As soon as the sun went down, people returned to their huts and went to sleep. And with the call of the cock in the morning, another day began.
The lifespan of the Tsimane is actually much shorter than those living in the US. Various factors, like animal attacks and infections, bring down the lifespan. But up until the day they die, they are often very healthy. While heart disease kills thousands of Americans every year and costs nearly a billion dollars a day, the Tsimane remind us that wealth doesn't necessarily buy health.
1. Why does the author pay so much attention to preventing heart disease?| A．He dreams of becoming a doctor. | B．He wants to teach others about the topic. |
| C．His family members encourage him to do so. | D．He was born with a high risk of heart disease. |
| A．Housing, food and cooperation. | B．Diet, activity and rest. |
| C．Physical work, social life and lifespan. | D．Group size, family history and consumption |
| A．Natural sound. | B．Routine activity. | C．Animal behaviour. | D．Natural light. |
| A．Take in less sugar and salt. | B．Stand less and walk more. |
| C．Eat white meat instead of red meat. | D．Live in the middle of the community. |
【推荐2】If you’re into sports, you’ve seen it happen. You’ve probably even experienced it: Football players shaking hands after four quarter of knocking each other around. Tennis players jumping over the net to shake hands with their opponents after a hard-fought match. It’s all part of sportsmanship, a great tradition in sports and competition that means playing clean and handing both victory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity.
What Is Sportsmanship?
Some people define good sportsmanship as the “golden rule” of sports-in other words, treating the people you play with and against as you’d like to be treated yourself. You show good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and other officials.
But sportsmanship isn’t just reserved for the people on the field. Cheerleaders, fans, and parents also need to be aware of how they behave during competition. Sportsmanship is a style and an attitude, and it can have a positive influence on everyone around you.
Win or Lose, Sportsmanship Helps You Get Through
Everyone feels great when they win, but it can be just as hard to be a good sport when you’ve won a game as when you’ve lost one. Good sportsmanship takes maturity and courage-when you work really hard at a sport, it’s not easy to admit you made a bad play or that someone has more skills than you. In competition-as in life-you may not always win but you can learn something from losing, too.
When you do lose-and it will happen-don’t take it out on your opponent, blame the officials, or blame your team. When it comes to losing, good sportsmanship means congratulating-the winners promptly and willingly, Also, it means accepting the game’s outcome without complaint and without excuses, even if you sometimes might suspect the referees made some questionable calls.
When you win, the trick is to be a gracious and generous winner. Good sportsmanship means acknowledging victories without humiliating opponents, being quietly proud of success, and letting victories speak for themselves. Even if you win by a landslide, good sportsmanship means still finding ways to compliment your opponents.
Practicing Good Sportsmanship
Learn as much as you can about your sport. Play by its rules. Show up for practice, work hard, and realize that on a team, everyone deserves a chance to play.
Talk politely and act courteously toward everyone before, during, and after games and events.
Stay cool. Even if others are losing their tempers, it doesn’t mean you have to. Remind yourself that no matter how hard you’ve practiced and played, it is, after all, just a game.
Avoid settling disputes with violence. If you’re in a difficult situation or someone’s threatening you, seek help immediately from your coach or from an official.
Cheer your teammates on with positive statements-and avoid trash-talking (废话) the other team.
Acknowledge good plays, even when someone on the other team makes them.
Whether you win or lose, congratulate your opponents on a game well played.
Fair and Fun
Good sportsmanship means not having a “____” attitude. Most athletes who don’t have a “____” attitude are more likely to talk about how much they love their sport and how much personal satisfaction and enjoyment they get from participation alone.
So although it’s great to be a champion, it’s even better to have enjoyed the process of trying to reach the top. It’s best to play fair while having fun.
1. What’s the main purpose of giving the examples in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| B．To arouse readers’ interest in sports. |
| C．To show the friendship between sports players. |
| D．To tell readers the common phenomenon after sports competition. |
| A．accept | B．praise |
| C．ignore | D．blame |
| A．Nothing to learn from winning. | B．Accept the outcome willingly. |
| C．Never doubt referees’ judgment. | D．Tolerate others’ rudeness. |
| A．swallow your pride | B．take it personally |
| C．win at any cost | D．fair play |
【推荐3】Everyone has unique personalities, which makes life more interesting.
Over the last 25 years, doctors have classified personalities into five basic traits(特性), called the Big Five. Everyone can be described as having varying levels of agreeableness(随和), conscientiousness(认真)，emotional stability(情绪稳定)，extroversion(外向)and openness to experience.
Contrary to common knowledge, people aren't confined to certain personality types. Usually, no one is entirely an extrovert or an introvert. While a minority may be at the extreme ends of a trait, most people are somewhere in the middle. “Every personality trait is a continuous dimension. You can be very high or very low, and most people fall somewhere in between,” said Christopher Soto, a doctor at Colby College.
Personality isn’t limited to humans, either. Research finds that all animals have personalities. Both the personality of animals and humans has an evolutionary origin. Evolution can a so explain why personalities vary so much. Depending on the situation, each of the Big Five can be advantageous. For example, agreeableness is great for relationships. But if a lion were charging at you, you'd be better off with a less agreeable and more aggressive personality leaning. Because the world is so unpredictable, every aspect of each personality trait could be useful at different times, so instead of evolving a single type of personality that s first-rank for every situation, we're left with a wide variety.
An evolutionary root of personality means traits must be inherited(继承). So whether you’d like to admit it or not, much of your personality comes from your parents. In fact, for humans, about half of the differences in personality are genetic. The rest of the variability in personality comes from your environment.
Not only does your environment shape who you are, but you can, to an extent, adjust your personality to the circumstance. You can be more outgoing at a party and more agreeable at home with your family. But you can also be introverted if you need to focus on work, or aggressive when playing a competitive sport. Humans, after all, have evolved to learn from our environments.
1. Which of the following best explains the underlined word “confined” in Paragraph 3?| A．Forced. | B．Composed. | C．Devoted. | D．Limited. |
| A．A personality difference. |
| B．An environmental condition. |
| C．An evolutionary origin. |
| D．Human's relationship with animals. |
| A．Friendly. | B．Stubborn. | C．Considerate. | D．Aggressive. |
| A．Personalities can change over time. |
| B．Your environment shapes your personality. |
| C．Your genetic starting point stays you forever. |
| D．Humans have born abilities to learn from environments. |
