Parents, teachers, and others who deal closely with teenagers know how difficult the adolescent（青少年的）years can be. This was thought to be due to the "foolishness of youth".
Now, scientists study the physical development of the brain in more details than ever before. Their discoveries have led a new theory of why teens act this way.
Recently, scientists have discovered that though our brains are almost at their full size by the age of six, they are not fully developed. Only during adolescence do our brains truly "grow up". During this time, they go through great changes, like a computer system being upgraded（升级）. This "upgrade" was once thought to be finished by age 12. Now scientists have found that our brains continue to change until age 25. Such changes make us better at balancing（平衡）impulses（冲动）with following rules. But a still-developing brain doesn't do this well. The result, scientists believe, is the unpredictable behavior（不可预测的行为）seen in teenagers.
The studies show that teens are more likely to take risks. Luckily, the news isn't all bad. As brain scientist B. J. Casey points out, the teen brain inspires such behavior in order to help teens prepare for adult life.
One way the brain does this is by changing the way teens measure risk and reward（回报）. Researchers have found that when teens think about rewards, their brains create pleasure. Researchers believe this makes the rewards seem more important than the risks, and makes teens feel the excitement of new experience.
Research has also found that it makes social connection seem especially rewarding. Teens have a strong need to meet new people, because a teen brain can change to deal with new situations. So it connects social rewards with more pleasure. In this way, the brain encourages teens to have a wide circle of friends, which is believed to make them more successful in life.
Unluckily, this need for greater rewards can sometimes lead teens to make bad decisions. However, it also means that teens are more likely, and less afraid, to try new things or to be independent. And the impulses of the teen brain are what help teens leave their parents' care and live their own life successfully.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what have the scientists discovered now?| A．A changing brain helps follow the rules. |
| B．Our brains finish upgrading by age of twelve. |
| C．Our brains are fully developed by the age of six. |
| D．A developing brain can cause unpredictable behaviors. |
| A．teenagers should learn from their bad decisions |
| B．many teenagers are able to change their behaviors |
| C．the way the teen brain works makes them less afraid |
| D．the impulses of a teenage brain should be controlled |
| A．The teen brain makes risks less exciting. |
| B．The impulse of teen brain can benefit（有益于）teenagers. |
| C．Teenagers with more friends are more successful. |
| D．Teenagers make wrong decisions because of their brain. |
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【推荐1】In ancient China，there was a man called Zhou Yong． Before his father died， he left Zhou Yong a great number of gold ingots（元宝）．Zhou hid them in a safe place in his home． One day， Zhou decided to travel far away． He was afraid that someone would steal the gold ingots． But they were too heavy for him to bring along with him．So he put all the ingots into a jar （坛子）and gave it to his friend Wang Wu，telling Wang that the jar was full of fresh red dates （红枣）．
A year later， one day before Zhou came back，Wang's wife wondered what was in the jar． So she secretly opened it． She was shocked when she saw so many ingots inside． She told Wang about it and they took the ingots out and filled the jar with fresh red dates．
When Wang returned the jar to Zhou， Zhou found the ingots were missing． They argued about it for a while，then they went to see the county magistrate（县官）．
When the magistrate asked Wang what had happened， he answered， "Zhou said that there were fresh red dates in it when he gave me the jar a year ago．"
The magistrate examined the jar and the fresh red dates in it carefully．Then he said： "Bring the ingots back， Wang Wu!"
Wang still denied （否认）having taken them． But after the magistrate explained what he knew，Wang finally admitted （承认）that he had taken the ingots．
1. Zhou Yong got lots of ingots from_______．| A．Wang Wu | B．his wife | C．his father | D．the county magistrate |
| A．someone wanted to steal it | B．he couldn't bring it along with him |
| C．he didn't want it anymore | D．it was full of red dates |
| A．so many ingots | B．the red dates | C．the county magistrate | D．Zhou Yong |
| A．careless | B．lazy | C．clever | D．brave |
| A．Wang denied that he had taken the ingots． |
| B．Wang's wife admitted that she had taken the ingots． |
| C．The county magistrate saw Wang take away the ingots． |
| D．The red dates would go bad if they were in the jar for a year． |
【推荐2】
Most people remember their childhood by looking at old photos or videos. But for some, they choose to remember it by making models of their old homes where they grew up.
Du Yi, a Chinese miniature (微缩模型) artist, used to make models of historic buildings. One day, a friend asked him to make a model of his old home in the countryside. He thought it was meaningful, so he helped. After he posted a short video online, it went viral. He won thousands of fans. Today, he has over 200,000 followers online.
Du often makes the miniature house 30 times smaller than its real size. It usually takes him one to two months to make a model with the pictures provided by customers. Hundreds of small pieces and about 50 different materials, including wood, paper and materials straight from nature are used. He often visits the villages to take a closer look at the details. He can spend the whole week studying one building, trying to understand the story, shapes and colors. “I have to be very careful about the details. If they are good, the work will come to life,” Du says. His miniature houses are sold at a starting price of around 20,000 yuan.
“When I first saw the model of my old home, it took me back to my childhood. Grandfather taught me how to farm and make toys from things around us,” says Hao Wei, one of Du’s customers.
When a skillful (灵巧的) hand meets the need of people, a good business starts.
1. Some people make models of their old homes to ________.| A．study historic buildings | B．remember their childhood | C．support their families |
| A．Lost value. | B．Sold well. | C．Became popular. |
| A．careful and hard-working | B．independent and brave | C．patient and proud |
| A．Du’s customers are always happy with his works. |
| B．Du’s works are sold well because of the low prices. |
| C．Du can often make a miniature house very quickly. |
【推荐3】When the other 9-year-old children are playing and studying in school, little Anna is taking care of(照顾) her grandmother and great-grandmother.
Tony, Anna’s neighbor(邻居), has a small supermarket.
Little Anna thanks them for what they do for her. And she says she does the housework happily because she wants to do it. She always says, “
| A．Every morning, she gets up early and makes breakfast for her family. |
| B．Anna likes English and science books best. |
| C．I want to help my family and other people. |
| D．The family live in a small house in a village. |
| E．Many people want to help the little girl. |
| F．He usually gives some vegetables to Anna’s family. |
【推荐1】The following gives us a general introduction to some articles in the magazine Reader’s Digest. Read it and find out what interests you most.
| PAGE 58 Cover story Your Amazing Body! What do fingerprints say about your health risks?Why do you have a runny nose when you catch a cold? Science has many of the answers—but not all! PAGE 78 Fascinating Facts Great Ocean Secrets Scientists are still searching for the truth about many creatures and features(特征) of the deep ocean. | PAGE 82 Drama in Real Life My Friend the Timber Wolf Deep in the Alaskan forest, the writer comes upon an injured(受伤的) wolf mother and her pups(幼兽)… PAGE 100 Travel America’s Greatest Road Shows Vacations are wonderful, but these unusual places of interest prove(证实) that getting there can be half the fun. |
| A．Page 100 | B．Page 82 | C．Page 78 | D．Page 58 |
| A．Travel. | B．Cover Story. |
| C．Fascinating Facts. | D．Drama in Real Life. |
| A．vacations can help people relax |
| B．it’s hard to reach unusual places of interest |
| C．America is filled with unusual places of interest |
| D．the journey to these places of interest is great fun |
How tall is a tree? Usually trees in parks are over a few meters tall. But in Xizang, a fir (冷杉) tree is 83.4m tall! It is the tallest tree in China until 2022. The tree is about 380 years old. It is still growing well.
Chinese scientists measured (测量) it in August. How did they measure such a tall tree? Scientists climbed up to the top of the tree. It took them about seven to eight hours to get to the top. They put down a 100-meter-long metal tape (金属卷尺) to the ground (地面). Scientists measured this tree with a drone (无人机) in May. They said it was 83.2m at that time. This time, they measured the tree more carefully and found it is 83.4m.
Scientists used a drone to take a photo of the tree. The drone took three to six photos every few meters. It got over 160 photos. Putting them together, scientists got a full-size (全尺寸) photo of the tree!
1. The tallest tree in China is ________ until 2022.| A．22m | B．83.2m | C．83.4m | D．92m |
| A．100 | B．380 | C．450 | D．530 |
| A．Scientists can’t climb the tree. |
| B．Scientists measured the tree in June. |
| C．The drone got over 60 photos for a full-size. |
| D．Scientists measured the tree with a drone in May. |
| A．A Kind of Fir Tree | B．China’s Tallest Tree |
| C．How to Measure a Tree | D．A Photo of the Tree |
Several festivals throughout Asia celebrate the elephant, but none are quite as colorful as the Painted Elephant Parade in Jaipur, India.
Every year in March, the air is filled with excitement and delicious smells of food are flowing around. The parade is the first event of Holi, an ancient Hindu celebration which marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
The parade’s four main colors are red, blue, yellow, and green. With all this joyful color, the painted elephants play an important role in it. While it’s not that easy to paint the elephants. Work clothes, paintbrushes, and water are needed for sure. Painters must be extra careful because their canvas tends to move and has extremely heavy feet. Thus, a soft voice, gentle hands, another person to help, and some tasty snacks for the elephants are also important.
The painters often plan the theme, or designs, for days before they even touch their canvas. Designs are drawn on paper or computers, and then enlarged. Once the artist is ready to paint the elephant, it will be cleaned. The designs are usually outlined in white paint across the elephant before they are filled in with the fancy colors. Hours later, the moving models are dressed with special jewelry. Their noses are painted with gold and decorated with rings. It’s an eye-catching line of color as these huge moving canvases walk down the street.
Gathering alongside the streets, people sing and dance to welcome the colorful elephants, praying for luck and blessing. Hand-made silk umbrellas and the white vencamaran can be seen everywhere, which also express their deepest sincerity. Many tourists come to the parade for the wildest part, that is, sprinkling colorful powder on others no matter if you are strangers. It’s said that the more colorful you are, the luckier you will be. So why not come and try your luck?
1. According to the passage, the Painted Elephant Parade ________.| A．is followed by Holi | B．is held in most Asian countries |
| C．is a symbol of spring | D．is a newly developed celebration |
a. Get the elephants completely cleaned.
b. Plan and decide the theme or designs.
c. Color the designs with different colors.
d. Draw on the elephants with white paint.
| A．badc | B．bcbd | C．dabc | D．dcbd |
| A．painting the elephants is individual work | B．it usually takes weeks to paint an elephant |
| C．tourists come to the parade for colorful powder | D．local people and tourists join the parade together |
| A．tell us the ways to celebrate spring | B．show us how to paint the elephants |
| C．introduce us the history of the parade | D．invite us to enjoy the elephant parade |
【推荐1】Every year many young people leave school for a few weeks or months and enjoy an unusual type of educational program. They learn new skills by living in a different country and doing unusual jobs. There are several organizations. They help students to find the experience they are looking for. The table below shows a few possibilities for students.
| Country | Job | Time | Description | |
| India | Teaching young children | Two months | ※ ※ | Teaching music and art Helping children to learn how to communicate |
| Ghana | Health care worker | Three months | ※ ※ | Learning how doctors work in a less developed country Helping care for sick people |
| Thailand | Saving elephants | Three weeks | ※ ※ | Looking after elephants Seeing how keepers train elephants |
| New Zealand | Teaching Chinese | Six weeks | ※ ※ | Helping adults learn Chinese Spreading Chinese culture |
One interesting possibility is helping elephants in Thailand. Most people think of elephants as animals in zoos or circuses. Now, hundreds of them are homeless. Theses gentle animals are often found on the streets as they don’t have owners to care for them. Although they may look well, they are often in poor health and don’t have enough to eat. One center in Thailand cares for these elephants. It gives them a safe and natural living space. When they are at the center, they stay in a building but are free to walk around. Students come from all over the world to help here. The student helpers work with the elephant keepers. These keepers train the students in caring for the elephants. In the morning, they go to the forest together and lead the elephants to the center. They clean them and give them food. In the afternoon, they take the animals back into the forest for the night. Helping at the center is interesting and the young people learn a lot.
1. Which country can students choose if they want to prepare themselves for studying medicine?| A．India. | B．Ghana. | C．Thailand. | D．New Zealand. |
① feed elephants ② clean elephants ③ train elephants ④ ride elephants
| A．①② | B．①②③ | C．①②③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Working with animals is great fun! | B．A step closer to realizing your dream! |
| C．A job can be a learning experience! | D．Learning outside school is difficult! |
【推荐2】In Barnes London Wetland Centre, you can enjoy a large number of wild birds and wild animals. Adults’ fare is ￡7.95, and children’s fare is ￡4.50. But if holding a London pass, you can have free admission(入场).
London Wetland Centre is thought to be the European City’s best place to contact wild animals. London Wetland Centre is the UK’s most worthy(值得) of showing off, and the most exciting wildlife projects, including 43 hectares of grassland, as well as pools.
Barnes wetlands are located(位于) in the Thames. This award-winning centre always interest many scientists. There are many different kinds of animals, including the cormorant(鸬鹚)，the Kingfisher(翠鸟) and the endangered water vole(河鼠).
In London Wetland Centre there are a large number of different habitats. When visiting the centre, visitors can watch movies through the video to learn more about wetlands and the knowledge of biological species(生物种).
For children, London Wetland Centre is a good choice to learn a lot about the knowledge of nature.
There are many other interesting places about wildlife. If you are interested in wildlife, why not go to London Zoo, Regent(丽晶)Park or River Thames downstream to experience the world’s most beautiful gardens. Holders of London Passes can visit them freely.
1. The Wetland Centre in the passage is in the__________ .| A．USA | B．PRC | C．UK | D．UN |
| A．4 | B．3 | C．43 | D．34 |
| A．Tower Bridge |
| B．London Wetland Centre |
| C．Big Ben |
| D．London Tower |
| A．干流 | B．支流 | C．上游 | D．下游 |
| A．￡4.50 | B．￡9.00 | C．￡7.95 | D．￡9.95 |
【推荐3】Everyone knows that Hawaii is a beautiful group of islands(岛屿) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But did you know that “Hawaii” is both the name of the state(洲) and the name of the biggest island in the state? So most people call the island of Hawaii the “Big Island”.
The weather on the Big Island is very interesting. It is different in different parts of the island.
On the west side of the island, the weather in sunny Kailua Kona is almost great. It gets up to about 27℃(81℉) in the winter and 30℃(86℉) in the summer.
The Kohala area in the north is the driest part of the island with only about 56 cm (22 inches) of rain a year. On the east side, Hilo gets around 320 cm(126 inches) of rain per year. It is one of the wettest cities in the United States! All that rain makes for some amazing waterfalls (瀑布) near Hilo.
Water temperatures are the coldest in February and warmest in September and October. There is good snorkeling, great scuba diving, and wonderful fishing year-round. That makes the Big Island popular（受欢迎）with people from all over the world any time of the year.
1. Big Island refers to (指) ________.
| A．Hilo | B．Kohala | C．Hawaii | D．Kailua Kona |
| A．Hilo doesn’t have much rain. | B．It’s not cold in Kailua Kona. |
| C．It rains a lot in the Kohala area. | D．It is the same in different parts. |
| A．Why do people like Hawaii? | B．Where is the state of Hawaii? |
| C．When did Hawaii get its name? | D．How is the weather in Hawaii? |
| A．Sports. | B．History. | C．Science. | D．Geography. |
In April, many places in Japan become carpets（毯子） of pink and white cherry blossom（樱花）. Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry trees outside. In Japan the school year begins in April. In some parts of the country, the first day of school is also the start of the cherry blossom season.
In the season, the Japanese get together under the trees with their family and friends. They sing, drink, eat and talk until late in the evening. Japanese people started to hold parties like this in the third century.
There are more than 305 kinds of cherry trees in Japan. The Japanese love cherry blossom. They think that a flower is like a man’s life, short but bright.
1. In which month do many places in Japan become carpets of pink and white cherry blossom?| A．In May. | B．In April. | C．In March. | D．In February. |
| A．the first day of school | B．the end of school |
| C．the middle of school | D．the first day of a vacation |
| A．They visit their friends. | B．They go shopping. |
| C．They hold parties. | D．They go boating and cycling. |
| A．In the first century. | B．In the second century. |
| C．In the third century. | D．In the fourth century. |
| A．Less than 305. | B．More than 305. | C．About 503. | D．305. |
| A．it means spring time is here | B．it’s beautiful |
| C．it’s nice and lovely | D．it’s like a person’s life |
【推荐2】Tom was three years old. He liked to watch TV with his parents after dinner, but his parents never let him stay long. Mother would say, “It’s eight o’clock now. It’s time for you to go to bed, Tom.”
“But why don’t you go to bed, too?” Tom always asked.
“We are adults(成年人),” Mother would say. “And adults go to bed late.”
One evening Tom asked his mother for an apple.
“But it’s too late,” his mother didn’t want to give him anything to eat at bedtime. “The apples are already asleep.”
“But not all of them, Mom,” Tom said. “The baby apples are perhaps asleep, but their parent are surely awake.”
1. Tom liked to watch TV with_____________after dinner.| A．his father and mother | B．his sister |
| C．his grandparents | D．his brother |
| A．never | B．sometimes | C．often | D．usually |
| A．an egg | B．an apple |
| C．an orange | D．a pear |
| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon |
| C．at bedtime | D．at noon |
| A．Tom was a quiet boy | B．Tom was a bad boy |
| C．Tom was a lazy boy | D．Tom was a clever boy |
For many centuries and in all countries，people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting．Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain．Many people feel in their bones the coming of wet weather, their joints hurt．Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming，but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way．If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sigh that the weather will become clear and fine．Such rainbows come in the evening．If the stars twinkle clearly at night，then fine weather will continue．If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm．If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine．If a rainbow appears in the morning，rainy weather will probably come．Most of the above saying have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting。
1. People’s joints ache ．
| A．is a sign of coming rain | B．without any reason |
| C．because they are ill | D．because of the insects |
| A．Weather forecasting is a report about the weather． |
| B．Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like． |
| C．Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain． |
| D．People Can change the weather． |
| A．be warm | B．be rainy |
| C．be clear and fine | D．be cold |
| A．use our eyes and brains | B．study the weather hard |
| C．read correctly the signs | D．all of the above |
