1 . If you’ve ever emerged from the shower or returned from walking your dog with a clever idea or a solution to a problem you’d been struggling with, it may not be an unusual thing.
Rather than constantly wearing yourself out at a problem or desperately seeking a flash of inspiration, research from the last 15 years suggests that people may be more likely to have creative breakthroughs or insights when they’re doing a habitual task that doesn’t require much thought — an activity in which you’re basically on autopilot. This lets your mind wander or engage in spontaneous cognition or “stream of consciousness” thinking, which experts believe helps recollect unusual memories and generate new ideas.
“People always get surprised when they realize they get interesting, novel ideas at unexpected times because our cultural narrative tells us we should do it through hard work,” says Kalina Christoff, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. “It’s a pretty universal human experience.”
Now we’re beginning to understand why these clever thoughts occur during more passive activities and what’s happening in the brain, says Christoff. The key, according to the latest research, is a pattern of brain activity — within what’s called the default mode network — that occurs while an individual is resting or performing habitual tasks that don’t require much attention.
Researchers have shown that the default mode network (DMN) — which connects more than a dozen regions of the brain — becomes more active during mind-wandering or passive tasks than when you’re doing something that demands focus. Simply put, the DMN is “the state the brain returns to when you’re not actively engaged,” explains Roger Beaty, a cognitive neuroscientist and director of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Lab at Penn State University. By contrast, when you’re trapped in a demanding task, the brain’s executive control systems keep your thinking focused, analytical, and logical.
A cautionary note: While the default mode network plays a key role in the creative process, “it’s not the only important network,” Beaty says. “Other networks come into play as far as modifying, rejecting, or implementing ideas.” So it’s unwise to place blind faith in ideas that are generated in the shower or during any other period of mind wandering.
1. When do people expect to get an innovative idea according to the research?| A．When doing routine work. |
| B．When working attentively. |
| C．When tackling tough problems. |
| D．When desperately seeking inspirations. |
| A．Getting by good luck. |
| B．Getting by great efforts. |
| C．Getting by unexpected accident. |
| D．Getting by universal experience. |
| A．A student who is playing football. |
| B．A student who is focusing on papers. |
| C．A student who is closely monitoring his research. |
| D．A student who is fully engaged in math questions. |
| A．We can get novel ideas by the default mode network. |
| B．We should take the idea popped in the shower seriously. |
| C．Believe in ideas that are generated by the default mode network. |
| D．Think twice before putting ideas playfully crossing your mind into practice. |
2 . Have you ever made your life look a little more attractive on social media than it actually is? If so, you may be damaging your mental health.
The posts we make on social media platforms allow us to look back and see what we did on a given day. But what happens when, in an effort to impress our online friends, photos and videos we post become beautiful versions of the things we did?
A young girl named Sophia went out to a romantic anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, had a near relationship-ending fight during dessert, then came home and posted, “Had the best time out with the love of my life!”—even with a photo of the meal. No surprise, but according to a new study, Sophia was by no means unique. Two-thirds of users admit lying about their lives on social media with 20 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 stating that they edit their own stories by frequently lying about relationships and promotions.
By beautifying our online stories, we are harming our memories. We start believing the stories we tell rather than remembering what really has happened. Soon, the real experience is lost and all that remains is the beautified version of history.
Scientists fear that these edited stories will end up changing our memories. It’s well confirmed through research that our own memories are often unreliable and can be easily controlled. Writing down one’s life in the form of a journal, or even on social media can help us keep our memories undamaged, but only if we tell the truth. And recording our experiences through whatever medium, to later recall lessons we have learned, is not only acceptable but desirable. In fact, looking back on our own past—however embarrassing or uncomfortable—is not just healthy but can be enjoyable.
1. Why did Sophia post her story with a photo of the meal?| A．To make herself attractive. | B．To show her photography skill. |
| C．To convince others of her story. | D．To show how amazing the meal was. |
| A．Encouraging. | B．Critical. | C．Humorous. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．recalling the unpleasant past can also be enjoyable |
| B．writing down our life on social media does no good to us |
| C．recording our experiences through media is unacceptable |
| D．editing our own stories will make us unreliable |
| A．Leaving others a good impression is desirable. |
| B．Editing our online stories weakens our memory. |
| C．Posting our experiences on social media is risky. |
| D．Beautifying our history ends up hurting ourselves. |
3 . At our residence, we made sure a small lawn (草坪) space remained green by watering regularly. I live in an area
Every morning I am awakened by the shrill
It’s easy to attract birds to your
| A．destroyed | B．threatened | C．controlled | D．surrounded |
| A．growing | B．moving | C．sticking | D．changing |
| A．called in | B．brought in | C．resulted in | D．joined in |
| A．strange | B．quiet | C．creative | D．unusual |
| A．bravely | B．silently | C．immediately | D．frequently |
| A．cages | B．plants | C．cities | D．forests |
| A．far | B．hardly | C．little | D．less |
| A．dialogues | B．claims | C．whispers | D．songs |
| A．because | B．when | C．until | D．since |
| A．shelter | B．view | C．shade | D．position |
| A．after | B．from | C．to | D．with |
| A．jump | B．smell | C．eat | D．rest |
| A．annoyance | B．fright | C．pleasure | D．surprise |
| A．go about | B．worry about | C．account for | D．answer for |
| A．business | B．garden | C．home | D．space |
| A．greet | B．name | C．buy | D．spot |
| A．admire | B．explore | C．paint | D．display |
| A．challenge | B．idea | C．treat | D．deal |
| A．examine | B．steal | C．donate | D．prepare |
| A．Happy | B．Silly | C．Sad | D．Rude |
4 . A letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives(档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.
“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing,” says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes,” and the intern put the letter back. “The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”
Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a clue that the stolen letter was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team got back the letter but were unable to accuse the suspect because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both genuine and exactly belonged to Smithsonian.
The letter was written by Darwin to thank an American geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, for sending him copies of his research into the geology of the area that would become Yellowstone National Park.
The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. “It was luckily in good shape,” says Kapsalis, “and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly, but nothing that will prevent us from using it. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”
It would be difficult to steal things like the letter. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s,” says Kapsalis, “and we keep our high value objects in a safe that I can’t even reach.”
1. What happened to Darwin’s letter in the 1970s?| A．It was got back by the FBI. | B．It was stolen more than once. |
| C．It was bought by the archives. | D．It was put in the archives for research purpose. |
| A．They proved its real identity. | B．They kept it in a safe. |
| C．They helped repair the letter. | D．They accused the suspect but failed. |
| A．Display it in the Archives. |
| B．Turn it into an item of interest. |
| C．Carry out a major repair. |
| D．Make it available on line. |
| A．People grow more interested in art objects |
| B．Strict safety measures are taken in Archives. |
| C．The value of museum objects has been increased. |
| D．The letter helped Ferdinand do research into geology. |
5 . Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled--- to $1.01 per pack---smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increase for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely. In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light King cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S, C, where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price is $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys---13.8%, far below the nation average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky. Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, representatives from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke”.
That’s true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low—income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
1. The passage is mainly about ________.| A．the effect of tobacco tax increase | B．the rate of teen smoking |
| C．the price of cigarettes | D．the differences in tobacco tax rate |
| A．benefit | B．remove | C．discourage | D．free |
| A．tolerance | B．unconcern | C．doubt | D．sympathy |
6 . Plants cannot run or hide, so they need other strategies to avoid being eaten. Some curl up their leaves, others produce chemicals to make themselves taste bad if they sense animals drooling on them, chewing them up or laying eggs on them—all signals of an attack. New research now shows some flora can feel a plant-eating animal well before it launches an attack, letting a plant prepare a preemptive（先发制人的）defense that even works against other pest species.
When ecologist John Orrock of the University of Wisconsin-Madison sprayed snail slime—a liquid the animals release as they slide along—onto soil, nearby tomato plants appeared to notice. They increased their levels of an enzyme（酶）, which is known to prevent plant-eating animals. “None of the plants were ever actually attacked,” Orrock says. “We just gave them cues that suggested an attack was coming, and that was enough to cause big changes in their chemistry.”
Initially Orrock found this defense worked against snails; in the latest study, his team measured the slimy warning’s impact on another potential threat. The investigators found that hungry caterpillars（毛虫）, which usually eat tomato leaves greedily, had no appetite for them after the plants were exposed to snail slime and activated their chemical resistance. This nonspecific defense may be a strategy that benefits the plants by further improving their overall possibilities of survival, says Orrock, who reported the results with his colleagues in March in Oecologia.
The finding that a snail’s approach can cause a plant response that affects a different animal made Richard Karban curious, a plant communications expert, who was not involved in the study. “It is significant that the plants are responding before being damaged and that these cues are having such far-ranging effects, ” Karban says. The research was comprehensive, he adds, but he wonders how the tomato plants felt chemicals in snail slime that never actually touched them.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Orrock says. He hopes future research will make out the mechanisms that enable plants to sense these relatively distant cues.
1. John Orrock sprayed a liquid onto soil near tomato plants to ________.| A．make them grow better |
| B．give them a warning |
| C．keep plant-eating animals away |
| D．inform plant-eating animals of danger |
| A．To introduce another animal. |
| B．To confirm the result of the study. |
| C．To appeal to people to protect animals. |
| D．To analyze different resistance chemicals. |
| A．How tomato plants become aware of danger. |
| B．What the chemicals in the snail slime are. |
| C．Whether the research is of practical value. |
| D．What the finding of the research is. |
| A．Watchful Plants. | B．Greedy Animals. |
| C．A Snail’s Approach. | D．A Defense Attack. |
7 . Physical education, or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.
Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all. doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.
High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s studies and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.
The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity (肥胖). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as computer games, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure (措施) to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.
Not doing sports increases teens’ hazard of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be prevented by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activities each week improved their academic (学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what does physical education in high school mean?| A．Making teens attach importance to ęxercise later. |
| B．Removing the stress faced by teens at school. |
| C．Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise. |
| D．Helping teens learn to make good plans |
| A．Happiness. | B．Risk. | C．Safety. | D．Sadness. |
| A．means making students choose between sports and studies |
| B．helps students make good use of all their time |
| C．means students adjust to their studies better |
| D．helps students do better in their studies |
| A．Why high school students should receive physical education. |
| B．Why some schools consider physical education important. |
| C．How schools can help students love doing sports. |
| D．How high school students can live a better life. |
Taking the volunteer trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary project was something I had wanted to do for several years. Unfortunately, I was busy with work. As
Literally after one day of volunteering, I was already regretting only having two weeks to stay. Every day was amazing and full of wonderful
9 . While my grandfather was in hospital, I flew to see him. I was fearful I wouldn't see him again.
When reaching his hospital room, I was
"You what, Grandpa?" I whispered. But he didn't have any more strength to
The next morning I had to leave. I kept
A week after I returned home, I received a/an
My grandfather is still very ill and I know our time is
| A．excited | B．shocked | C．impressed | D．terrified |
| A．sought | B．failed | C．refused | D．managed |
| A．respond | B．strike | C．smile | D．signal |
| A．doubting | B．asking | C．wondering | D．confirming |
| A．solved | B．gathered | C．admitted | D．learned |
| A．warning | B．envelope | C．call | D．gift |
| A．reason | B．love | C．fault | D．chance |
| A．puzzled | B．upset | C．relieved | D．affected |
| A．hit | B．tricked | C．spotted | D．guided |
| A．forest | B．hospital | C．flat | D．plane |
| A．exhausted | B．touched | C．devoted | D．trapped |
| A．Painfully | B．Additionally | C．Finally | D．Immediately |
| A．break down | B．apologize | C．pull over | D．stop |
| A．weak | B．annoyed | C．hurried | D．gentle |
| A．held on | B．picked up | C．hung up | D．settled down |
| A．deserved | B．imagined | C．calculated | D．received |
| A．limited | B．replaceable | C．impossible | D．fundamental |
| A．memories | B．feelings | C．manners | D．reactions |
| A．exploration | B．adventure | C．experience | D．journey |
| A．request | B．goal | C．motto | D．reason |
10 . I was walking around in a Big Bazar store doing some shopping, when I saw a cashier（收银员） talking to a boy of 5 or 6 years old. The cashier said, “I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.” Then the little boy turned to me and asked, “Uncle, are you sure I don’t have enough money?”
I counted his cash and replied, “You know that you don’t have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.” The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. I asked him whom he wished to give this doll to. “It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much. I wanted to gift her for her birthday. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.” His eyes were so sad while he was saying this.
“My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy said that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I think that she may take the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, “I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.” Then he showed me a very nice photo of him, where he was laughing. He then told me, “I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won’t forget me. I love mommy and I wish she didn’t have to leave me, but daddy said that she has to go to be with my little sister.
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy, “I suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll.” He said, “OK, I hope I do have enough.” I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.
The little boy said, “Thank you, God, for giving me enough money!” Then he looked at me and added, “I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.”
1. What difficulty did the little boy run into in the store?| A．He forgot to take any money. | B．He couldn’t afford the doll. |
| C．He failed to find a doll for his sister | D．He couldn’t find his parents. |
| A．It was what he himself loved most. | B．It was the best gift for his mother. |
| C．It was a gift intended for his sister. | D．His sister would forget him without it. |
| A．She would have to leave the boy for a while. |
| B．She didn’t want the boy to buy her a white rose. |
| C．She would be really excited to meet her daughter. |
| D．She must be in a dangerous situation in hospital. |
| A．The boy himself was really fond of the doll. |
| B．The boy’s sister would be upset without the doll. |
| C．They boy thought he couldn’t have the gift for his sister. |
| D．The boy was sad that his mother would leave him. |
| A．He was deeply moved by the boy’s love for his family. |
| B．He was wealthy enough to help those who are in need. |
| C．He wanted to help the little boy out in place of God. |
| D．He believed his help would make the boy’s sister happy. |
