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① Everybody has a brain, but not many people know how the brain works. Some people believe that the brain is like the hard disk (磁盘) of a computer. We use it to store things-pictures, language (words, texts, sounds) and so on. Others compare the brain to a huge container with lots of shelves and boxes in it. We put information into these boxes and hope to find it again later.

②The brain is not a computer disk, And it isn’t a container. Look at the picture here. It looks a bit like weeds (杂草) in a garden, doesn’t it? The picture actually shows a child’s neocortex—a part of the brain. You can guess what happens—more ‘weeds’ grow as the child gets older. Scientists call these neuronal (神经元的) networks. What makes them grow? Learning! “Learning is brain change,” says Professor James Zull from Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. “Without learning, nothing changes in the brain. For every new word you learn in your English lesson, every problem you solve in maths, every new song you learn to sing, a neuronal network grows in your brain and the brain changes.”

③There are many ways to make your brain stronger. The more neuronal networks we grow, the better we can think and the better we remember. You may wonder if there is anything you can do to make the networks in your brain grow better. Professor Zull says yes, there is. He says that brain change is the strongest in the following situations:

·You are interested in and like what you are learning;

· You are in control of what you learn;

· You get challenging tasks that make you think hard.

Choose a right way to learn something, and you may develop your brain better than you think.

3 . Spring fever is not an illness.     1     It can affect (影响) both adults (成人) and children. Daydreaming, a lack (缺少) of interest in work or studies, and a strong interest to go out are because of spring fever.

By springtime, you’ve been in school for about one month.     2     You see flowers come out; you hear birds singing as they return to their home; you feel warm wind. Summer is coming, bringing with the dreams of swimming pools, water slides (滑水), water games, and freedom from school.

If you have spring fever, you may find yourself daydreaming, looking out of windows, putting off homework. If you have spring fever, you will find it difficult to care about your grades.     3    

    4     Kids want to play team sports like soccer and baseball, ride bikes, and play in the park. Spring fever—it isn’t an illness, and it isn’t an excuse.     5     If you are interested in outdoor activities, you should also try to do well in schoolwork. Remember, the coming of spring fever tells you that summer will soon be here. Work for the prize of summer break!

4 . 阅读短文，根据语篇要求填空，使短文通顺，意思完整，每空限填一词。

Do you know Iceland? A small country in Europe. It used to     1     one of the richest countries in the world. Summer in Iceland is very short, which lasts from June to August. Its winter starts from September and ends next May.

In 1980, Iceland started to develop its tourist industry (旅游业). Forty years have passed     2     then. In summer, lots of people from around     3     world come here to have a visit. In winter, people in Iceland have to spend the long dark night. They usually have a lot of special activities, such as skating, riding motorbikes and having parties     4     have an exciting night.

Because     5     a long cold winter, Iceland has a short growing season. Food problem was always a headache for Iceland in the past. Now the problem being solved.

5 . Everyone has a family name. In China, the family name is the first name, but in the UK the family name is the last name. Do you know how English people get their family names? And what do they mean? English people usually get their family names in these ways.

Some family names come from the places (地方) of their homes. A man live on or near a hill (山), his family name may be Hill. In the UK, people’s names may be Lake because they live near the lake.

Some family names come from a person’s job (工作). If a man is a cook, his family name may be Cook.

And many people get their family names from their father’s family names. If his name is “Jackson”, you can know that he is the son of Jack.

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6 . Life is full of laughter and tears. People around the world love to laugh. It can help us forget about worries and keep us in a good mood. However, what do you think makes you laugh? Maybe it is a good joke, a funny movie or an interesting story.     1     Most people laugh when they think something is funny, but they also laugh when they are spending time with friends.

    2     Sometimes it’s a quiet chuckle (轻声地笑), and sometimes it’s a big laugh. How do you laugh? Do you laugh so hard that your body shakes and you have tears running down your face? Everyone has a special kind of laugh.

    3     Babies start laughing soon after they were born. Some people can’t hear and some people can’t talk, but they all know how to laugh.    4     Monkeys laugh aloud. Dogs laugh and shake their tails. Laughing is a natural way to tell someone, “I’m happy.”

Scientists do not know what makes people and animals laugh for sure.    5     You try not to laugh when you are being tickled (胳肢) or when you hear a funny joke, but it might not work. When your body really wants to laugh, it does! Life is beautiful, so try your best to laugh.

8 . Bicycles are used by people of all ages around the world. It’s common in many cities to see thousands of bikes running down a street.

    1     It was thought that only men could run machines, and that women wouldn’t be able to control a bicycle. In the 1890s, though, with women’s growing independence(独立), bicycles offered women a way to travel by themselves.    2    

Most bikes today have two wheels, but you’ve probably seen other kinds, too.

Some people start riding bikes that have three wheels. The third wheel makes the bike easier to balance(平衡). These bikes are called tricycles. As you’ve seen, the bi- in bicycle means “two”.     3     Bikes with three wheels aren’t just for young children. They matter to adults because bikes with three wheels can help move people or things.

Some bikes also have only one wheel and no handlebars(把手).     4     The first part of the word, uni-, means “one”. Riding a bike with only one wheel is a balancing act—that’s why unicycles are used in the circus(马戏团).

    5     Bikes with four wheels are called quadracycles. Again, the first part of the word refers to the number of wheels. In this case, quadra- means “four”.

9 . We know many musical instruments well, such as pianos, violins and drums. What about the erhu? The erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family, and it has a long history.

The modern erhu developed from the xiqin, which was played by an ethnic minority group (少数民族)during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use the erhu to perform different kinds of music and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying(伴奏) instrument in different folk music. At present, it is used in both traditional and modern music, such as in pop, rock and jazz. It has even become a solo(独奏的) instrument. One of the most famous musical pieces played on the erhu is Erquan Yingyue.

As the erhu was mainly played by common people and the playing sills were always passed down orally, people can hardly find written records or books about the erhu. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians(历史学家) usually turn to ancient paintings. The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province, where five erhu pictures were discovered on murals(壁画).

Looking at screens at night can cause us to sleep poorly, according to a US study.

In the evening,our bodies make melatonin(褪色素). Melatonin makes us feel sleepy and relaxed. It’s an important part of our sleep cycle. Our electronic screens prevent that cycle     1     working in a normal way.

Phones, computers     2     TVs make blue light. Blue light stops our bodies from making melatonin. Even just     3     little bit of blue light can have a big effect. Eight minutes of blue light can keep your brain “awake”     4     another hour, according to the study. Even if you fall asleep, you may have lots of dreams. Your brain won’t have a good rest.

It’s even worse if you play an exciting game before bed. Games make our hearts beat faster,     5     we have a harder time falling asleep. Then, when we fall asleep, we don’t get enough “deep sleep”.