Many students want to improve their memories and learn better. Today we will introduce some no-cost things you can do.
Exercise
Before you study, doing exercise may help you better remember what you will learn. Recently, researchers have found that people who did 15 minutes of training remembered more words. Scientists say the best time to exercise is right before you study. It can make you more active.
Pre-study test
The students who take a test before studying remember more information than those who don't. For example, if you are using an English textbook, you might first look at some important words at the end of the unit. You could ask yourself what they mean or how they are used. While you might not know the answer, you will probably have a goal to learn so that you can remember the answer when studying!
Sleep
A study show that sleep helps you to learn in two ways. An expert explains that "a person with enough sleep can concentrate best." He also says, "Sleep itself plays an important role in making the memory stronger which is necessary for learning new information.”
Wakeful rest
When you finish studying, you often go straight another activity. Perhaps you play a video game or watch TV. But researchers suggest that resting after you study may help you remember what you've studied. In a study, even older adults who rested for 10 minutes after learning new words remember more words better.
1. Why can exercise before studying make you remember well?2. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
3. In which two ways can sleep help you learn well?
4. What helped the older adults remember new words more and better?
5. What is the writer's purpose in writing this article?
2 . You have been told to wash your hands many times a day to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus（新冠病毒）. But what about the mobile phone that you're always using? Scientific studies have shown that the virus can live for two to three days on smooth materials like plastic and stainless steel. Experts suggest cleaning all "high touch" surfaces every day, including phones, keyboards and computers. However, few people know how to do the cleaning. Here are some things not to do when cleaning the phone.
◆Do not spray（喷）cleaners directly on the phone.
◆Do not put the phone into any cleaning liquids（液体）.
◆Do not use tools that use forced air, which are often used to clean computer keyboards.
◆Do not clean the phone with hard materials, they could make small cuts on it.
So, what is the right way? Below are some suggested ways to clean the phone. With any of these suggestions, be sure not to get the phone wet.
◆Start by turning off the phone. Make sure the phone is not connected to the electricity.
◆Use cleaning cloths with 70 percent alcohol（酒精）instead of the common ones.
◆Use paper cloths, or other soft cloths like those used to clean the eyeglasses. It's OK to cover the cloths lightly in cleaners. But do remember to clean the phone"gently".
Cleaning the phone is one of the measures that are helpful to keep away from the new coronavirus. You should clean your own phone often and tell others the correct ways to do it.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 1 that________.| A．people needn't wash their hands as required |
| B．all mobile phones are made of stainless steel |
| C．viruses can live on mobile phones much longer |
| D．people pay less attention to viruses on mobile phones |
| A．Hard materials. | B．Tools using forced air. |
| C．Paper cloths with cleaners. | D．Common cleaning cloths. |
| A．Turning off the phone. | B．Using 70 percent alcohol. |
| C．Using soft cloths. | D．Cleaning the phone gently. |
| A．Tools. | B．Materials. | C．Ways. | D．Marks. |
| A．Cleaning mobile phones: do's & don'ts. | B．Mobile phone: the most dangerous thing. |
| C．The correct ways to protect mobile phones. | D．The best way to fight against the coronavirus. |
3 . How can we think in English? I think the best way is to practice as what a football player does every day. During the practice, the football players pass the ball to his teammates over and over again, so they won’t have to think about passing the ball in the game, they will just do it. You can train yourself to think in English in this way. The first step is to think of the words that you use daily, simple everyday words like book, shoe or tree. For example, whenever you see a “book”, you should think of it in English, instead of in your language. After you have learned to think of words in English, you’d better go on to the next step — thinking of sentences in English.
Listening is very useful way to learn English. Listen first and don’t care too much about whether you fully understand what you’re hearing. Try to say what you hear as much as possible. The more you listen, the better you learn. After you reach a higher level, start having conversations with yourself in English. This will lead you to think in English.
1. What does the underlined words “do it” mean in the passage? (no more than 3 words)2. What is the second step to think in English? (no more than 5 words)
3. Will having conversations with others in English lead you to think in English? (no more than 3 words)
4. 请将文中画线的句子翻译成汉语。
5. 请给短文拟一个适当的英文题目。
4 . Language students often think they have memory problems. They worry because they can't remember words. In fact, the problem usually isn't with their memory. The problem is with how they study.
To remember words better, you need to understand ________ memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you see, hear, or read something, it goes first into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is like a very big library with many, many books. And like a library, it's organized (有条理的). When you put away a book-or memory-you can't just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again.
How can you do this with vocabulary? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by making up new sentences with it. Even better, you can make up a short story about the word, with people or places that you know. Another way is to create a picture in your mind with the word. For example, if the word is "height", you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to memorize words. They make the meaning of the words stronger in your long﹣term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.
1. In the writer's opinion, students can't remember words because ________.| A．they have memory problems | B．they are too worried |
| C．they don't like to study | D．they don't do it in a right way |
| A．what | B．how | C．where | D．who |
| A．Short-term memory is not used often. |
| B．What we see goes into long-term memory first. |
| C．We will forget a word soon if it goes into short-term memory. |
| D．We will never forget a word if it goes into long-term memory. |
| A．Listening to some familiar stories. | B．Making up sentences with the word. |
| C．Talking with people that you know. | D．Drawing pictures of the word on paper. |
| A．language students' problems in study |
| B．short﹣term and long﹣term memory |
| C．how to make the meaning of words stronger |
| D．how to improve ways to remember words better |
5 . Can you understand the following words? “Long time no see.” “Good good study, day day up.” “I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”
Yes, we call these examples Chinglish, like “people mountain, people sea”.
Chinglish usually means English vocabulary with Chinese grammar on street signs or products.
However, many English speaking tourists love them. Tom has been living in Beijing for years. “I think many Chinese people dislike Chinglish. But I love it. It’s quite interesting. I think if the translations of English in China are all perfect, something will be lost from Chinese culture.” However, Chinglish will probably become a part of history in future. Beijing has made a plan to correct Chinglish within (在……之内) five years. “It is so funny to see Chinglish on the signs. And they are a kind of trouble for communication between the Chinese and foreigners.” a Beijinger said.
However, some people in China like Chinglish. They think that English has “borrowed” a lot from other languages such as German, French and Spanish in the past, and now it’s Chinese’s turn.
1. What is Chinglish according to the passage?| A．The English words easy to pronounce. |
| B．The Chinese words difficult to translate. |
| C．The English words with Chinese grammar. |
| A．There are many people. | B．Humans are powerful. | C．All the people are running. |
| A．It shows Chinese are popular. |
| B．It is hated by all foreign tourists. |
| C．It is also a part of Chinese culture. |
| A．put English words into Chinese | B．change English and Chinese | C．correct Chinglish in future |
| A．French | B．Chinese | C．Spanish | D．German |
6 . Sue and Linda usually go to school by car. They drive past a restaurant, a supermarket and a shop. The library is next to the supermarket. Jack and Michael usually go to school by bus. They go past a bank and a post office. The bank is next to the post office. Mary usually goes to work by bike. She rides (骑车) past a library, a hotel and a swimming pool.
1. How many people are there in this passage?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．It’s next to a swimming poor. | B．It’s on the right. |
| C．It’s next to a post office. | D．It’s between a shop and a restaurant. |
| A．By bike. | B．By bus. | C．By car. | D．We don’t know. |
| A．A restaurant. | B．A post office. | C．A park. | D．A swimming pool. |
| A．On foot. | B．By bus. | C．By bike. | D．By taxi. |
7 . The London Eye is a huge Ferris wheel(摩天轮) in London. English people built it to celebrate (庆祝) the year 2000. It was opened on February 1st, 2000. It is 135 meters tall. When it was built, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. It is very popular with tourists(游客). In fact, it is the most popular paid(付费的) tourist attraction(景点) in London. More than 3.5 million(百万) people take a ride on it every year.
If you take a ride on the London Eye, you will be able to see a lot of London. From the top you can see about 40 kilometers away. A ride on the London Eye takes about 30 minutes. It also doesn't stop when you get on and off. Don't worry because it doesn’t go very fast! There are 32 capsules(舱) to ride in, and about 800 people can take a ride at the same time. It might not be as old as other places in London, but it has already become an important London attraction.
1. Why did English people build the London Eye?| A．To celebrate the year 2000. | B．To make some money. |
| C．To welcome foreign tourists. | D．To make the city famous. |
| A．More than 4.5 million. | B．More than 3.5 million. |
| C．More than 5.5 million. | D．More than 2.5 million. |
| A．Take a ride on a bus. | B．Take a ride on a bike. |
| C．Take a ride on a train. | D．Take a ride on the London Eye. |
| A．You can only get on the London Eye when it stops. |
| B．You can only get off the London Eye when it stops. |
| C．The London Eye doesn't stop when you get on or off. |
| D．The London Eye goes very fast after tourists get on it. |
| A．25. | B．35. | C．45. | D．55. |
Why are dogs our best friends? Maybe because they can understand our words much better than we thought, according to a study in Hungary. It found that dogs understand not only what we say,but also how we say it.
"The results were very exciting and very surprising," said the researcher Attila Andies,from Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.
For the study,the researchers first trained 13 dogs for months. The dogs had to sit quietly inside machines,so that the researchers could check their activity.
Then the researcher put headphones on dogs and played people's voices to them. There were four different voices. Some were positive words,such as "well down" , or neutral(不带感情色彩) words like "however". The words were also in different tones( 音调). Some were positive( 积极的) and some were neutral.
Brain scans( 扫描) showed that the dogs could recognize( 辨认) words,as well as the tone of words, much like people do. The positive words with a positive tone brought the stronger activity in their brain's reward centers(反应中枢).
"It shows that for dogs, a nice phrase can work very well as a prize, but it works best if both words and tones match, "said Andies.
They also found that dogs deal with meaningful words with the left side of the brain and tones with the right. Human brains work in the same way.
"It gave us a new understanding of language," said Andies. That is, not only do humans understand the meaning in words, other species(物种) do too.
1. For the study, researchers did all of the following EXCEPT that________.| A．They made dogs sit inside machines | B．They played with the dogs |
| C．They scanned the dog’s brains | D．They played people’s voices to the dogs |
| A．A neutral word with a neutral tone. | B．A neutral word with a positive tone. |
| C．A positive word with a neutral tone. | D．A positive word with a positive tone. |
| A．the results of the study | B．the process of the study |
| C．the reason of the study | D．the advantages of the study |
| A．The left side for both dogs and humans. | B．The left side for dogs and the right side for humans. |
| C．The right side for both dogs and humans. | D．The right side for dogs and the left side for humans. |
| A．Dogs are human’s best friends. | B．Dogs are talented in learning human’s language. |
| C．Dogs can understand the meaning and emotion in words. | D．Dogs can also learn humans’ language. |
9 . Do you often listen to music at loud volumes (音量)? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing. Over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss ,because of listening to loud noise for long periods of time. Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing.
The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 dB (分贝) for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB.
Loud noise is harmful to the inner ear. Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cells (听毛细胞) in our inner ears. These cells notice sounds. However, listening to loud noise for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die. This is what causes hearing loss. Once this happens, it's hard to get your hearing back.
Some people might think that their music isn't all that loud. But this can depend on where you are. For example, if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it. Later, when you listen to it at the same volume in a quiet place, you might feel uncomfortable
The "safe level" for most sound is below 80 dB for up to 40 hours a week. A level of 80 dB is about equal to (相当于) the noise of a subway.
Here is some advice on safe listening. Over-the-ear headphones (头戴式耳机) are better than in-ear ones. They do a better job of stopping outside noise, so you can listen at a lower volume. Don't listen to loud music on your headphones for a long time. Follow the 60:60 rule: listen to music at 60 percent of your headphones' maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes a day.
根据短文内容, 判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示, 不正确的用“B”表示。
1. It is safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 100 dB for 15 minutes
2. Listening to loud noise for a long time can cause some hair cells in the inner ear to die.
3. From the fourth paragraph, we know people don't always realize how loud their music is.
4. In-ear headphones are better than over-the-ear ones because they can stop more outside noise.
10 . Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally（理性地） about what to believe or what to do. According to a report on the World Economic Forum (2016), critical thinking, creativity, and their practical application（应用）are widely accepted as the top three skills that young people need to have in their future career.
A good critical thinker usually takes the following steps before he decides what to do. Whenever he needs to do something, he would, first of all, reason. He checks why he needs to do it and whether he really needs to do it. Then, analyze（分析）. He tries to find out what it really is and the best way to do it. After that, evaluate. He makes sure whether he is able to do it and how to do it well. Finally, he makes the decision and takes action. Take the “Double 11” (a popular online shopping day in China) as an example. A few days before it, he checks carefully what he needs and whether he really needs them, and makes a shopping list. He goes to the online shops to compare the quality（质量） and the prices of the things that he is going to buy. He compares the shops that sell these things. Then he checks whether he can afford（买得起） them and in which shops he is going to buy them. Although it takes him some time to make the decisions, he would not regret（后悔）after the shopping.
Then what would happen if he didn’ t think critically before he made the decisions? After the crazy “Double 11”, there were usually a lot of complaints（抱怨）on the Internet. There were regrets about buying more things than they needed. There were complaints about the poor quality and the prices of the things they bought. There were also complaints because they received wrong things or simply received nothing. There were all kinds of regrets and complaints. Why so? They had not thought critically before they made the decisions.
Critical thinking helps you make wiser decisions. It helps you avoid wasting time, money and so on. Therefore, do look before you leap.
1. According to the passage, critical thinking is a thinking skill that ________.| A．helps make better choices | B．will appear in the future |
| C．helps make quick decisions | D．makes us spend more money |
| A．He checks what he needs to buy. | B．He makes a proper shopping list. |
| C．He studies the quality and the prices. | D．He checks how much money he has. |
| A．Darning did a new science experiment before reading the order. |
| B．Lingling’s parents became very angry when they knew her bad marks. |
| C．After looking at the other team’s weak points, the coach made a new plan. |
| D．After hearing the stranger’ s words, the girl followed him into a supermarket. |
