1 . If you don't use it, you lose it. At least, that's how the old saying goes. It refers to the idea that something which does not get used regularly quickly falls into a state of decline. Muscles, for example, will waste away without use. In order to resist this, people take regular exercise to keep their skills sharp.
Well, what about the brain? As we age, our brains can naturally begin to decline. In some cases, this can lead to certain mental conditions such as dementia(痴呆)，which I'm sure you will agree, no one wants. However, all is not lost because these days it's relatively easy to train your brain. Smart phones and apps have put programmes into our hands that can test, maintain and even improve our memories, mathematical skills and a lot of other mental abilities. With a little practice every day, we can keep our brains nice and sharp, right?
Well, no, actually. According to a report from the Global Council on Brain Health, even though many people thought it was important to play online games, such as puzzles and mind games, which are designed to improve brain health, the evidence of the benefits was “weak to non-existent”.
There are other ways to promote the old grey matter. It recommends seeking out new activities that challenge the way you think and are socially engaging，while leading to a healthy lifestyle. Among their suggestions are practising tai chi, taking photography classes, learning new technologies, gardening, art projects or volunteering.
There's more good news, too, James Goodwin, chief scientist at Age UK has said that brain decline is not inevitable (不可避免的）. As long as the activities are “new to you and require your concentrated attention”, they can provide benefits for brain health. So, hurry up, get out there and try something new. Maybe it's time to try that hobby you've always wanted to do. And as for me? I'm off to learn the piano.
1. From which is the text probably taken?| A．A biology textbook. | B．A healthy magazine. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A research paper. |
| A．Making more shopping. | B．Avoid brain decline. |
| C．Doing exercises alone. | D．Going out with friends. |
| A．Trying something new. | B．Using smart phone regularly. |
| C．Playing games online. | D．Doing what you are good at. |
| A．Advantages of trying something new. |
| B．Disadvantages of using smart phones. |
| C．Ways to keep our brain as sharp as possible. |
| D．How to spend time meaningfully at an old age. |
2 . We have the most friends at the age of 26 after having spent the first quarter of our lives building up our friendship circle, a new research has claimed.
The research into friendship shows that our social circle peaks at 26 years and 7 months, at which we typically have five close friends. Women are the most popular at 25 years and 10 months, with men hitting the highest friendship point a little later at 27 years and 3 months.
The research, by Forever Friends, shows that about a third of adults meet their closest friends while at school, with about a fifth saying they meet them at work.
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter now also play a major role in building new friendship. The research points out that 25 to 34-year-olds make 22 friends via Facebook, compared to 18 to 24-year-olds who make 12, and 35 to 44-year-olds who make just four.
Forever Friends’ relationship coach Sam Owen says, “It is no coincidence that over a third of us meet our best friends at school. It is a key time in our lives when friendship is growing through sharing notes, giving gifts, seeing each other regularly and laughing a lot. As adults we can often forget how powerful these small things are and how the little things can make a difference. ”
Later in life we find ourselves losing friends. Over half of us lose friendship through moving, while 36% say that over time they grow apart from close pals. Having children also causes 19% to drift away from childhood friends.
With growing pressures being put on friendship these days, it’s important to make time for our friendship.
1. How many friends can a 20-year-old college student make via Facebook?| A．4. | B．18. |
| C．12. | D．22. |
| A．how important making friends is |
| B．that friendship is not easy to keep |
| C．how much has been done to keep friendship |
| D．that friendship at school is important |
| A．make sense of | B．lose contact with |
| C．feel sorry for | D．make up with |
| A．a brochure | B．an advertisement |
| C．a textbook | D．a newspaper |
In Darrel Gregory’s encouraging picture book I’m Not Very Good at It, a mother suggests a means for her daughter to handle her low self-esteem.
The story centers on a downcast girl, who, when asked to do anything, tells herself, “Okay, but I’m not very good at it.” These words are voiced aloud whether she’s making a birthday card, baking, or helping her mother with a bird house. When her mother asks her why she responds in this manner, the girl replies, “Because that’s what my brain said.” Through a series of playful explanations, her mother advises her to listen to her heart instead. After a few attempts at practicing this new habit, the girl realizes that being good at something----or not!----is not as important as trying.
The story’s repetitive structure emphasizes its therapeutic message about stopping self-doubting talk and about practicing stillness. Though perfectionism and fear of failure are possible explanations for the girl’s behavior, the specific reasons and context for her self-doubt are absent. It is a depersonalized story whose heroine is generic, nameless, and tough to connect with. She is preschool-aged, but is asked to possess great self-awareness about her own personality and to shift her own features----it happens too early for a preschool-aged child, if not idealistic.
Ari Miller’s soft illustrations(插图) make the text vivid. Their detailed home scenes portray the girl’s activities. They are faithful depictions of the story that track the girl’s emotional change through subtle facial expressions. The girl’s mother is left out of these images, though her advice and support is one of the main features of the story.
Sincere in its description of growing past self-doubt, the picture book I’m Not Very Good At It encourages positive outlooks.
1. What type of writing is the text?| A．A report | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A review. | D．An announcement. |
| A．confident | B．shy | C．depressed | D．courageous |
| A．The girl follows her heart and grows stronger with few attempts. |
| B．The mother encourages her daughter to build up self-esteem. |
| C．Ari Miller’s illustrations describe the mother’s activities. |
| D．The story just centers on how to practice stillness. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Supportive. | C．Negative. | D．Critical. |
4 .
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| A．TV show | B．newspaper | C．story book | D．radio program |
| A．558366 | B．633800 | C．556779 | D．766588 |
| A．$240 | B．$200 | C．$160 | D．$120 |
5 . Unsolved Mysteries About the Planet Earth
◆Mystery 1: Where did all the water come from?
Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface and earns it the nickname “the blue planet”. And where did it come from? The most popular scientific theory states that the water came from several violent asteroids (小行星) filled with ice. Another suggests that the water actually has been around since Earth’s formation. However it happened, though, it’s certainly worked out well for Earth’s life forms.
◆Mystery 2 :What about all the oxygen?
Another thing is the planet’s oxygen. Tiny creatures released oxygen as a waste product, filling the atmosphere with it. After that, the level of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere went wildly up and down until it finally calmed down around 540 million years ago. Since then, it’s remained at about the breathable level we experience today. But what caused it to be suddenly steady?
◆Mystery 3: What caused the Cambrian (寒武纪) Explosion?
The Cambrian Explosion refers to the explosion of complex life forms that occurred on Earth about 540 million years ago. Before then, life had consisted mostly of bacteria. But at the beginning of the Cambrian period, complex creatures began developing at a rate never seen before. Suddenly, life forms had brains, eyes, and bones. Most living creatures today can trace their blood back to the Cambrian period.
◆Mystery 4: Will we ever be able to predict earthquakes?
We still haven’t been able to come up with a way to accurately predict earthquakes. We can certainly try, but our current technology cannot predict them exactly. We know that earthquakes start when rocks crack underground and send earthquake waves toward the surface, but we haven’t figured out why that happens, or how to predict it.
1. Which of the following is true according to the text?| A．Earth is called the blue star because of water coverage. |
| B．The level of oxygen has been steady all the time. |
| C．Complex creatures had rapid development after the Cambrian period. |
| D．We know nothing about predicting earthquakes. |
| A．It is the oldest mystery of the four. |
| B．It will be solved in the near future. |
| C．It is the most difficult mystery to solve. |
| D．It is a matter that is of practical significance. |
| A．A diary. | B．A geography book. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
6 . It’s a good idea for families to talk about what they would do to escape a fire.You’ll want to talk about escape plans and escape routes,so let’s start here.
An escape plan can help every member of a family get out of a burning house.The idea is to get outside quickly and safely.Smoke from a fire can make it hard to see where things are,so it’s important to learn and remember the different ways out of your home.If you live in an apartment building,you’ll want to know the best way to the stair or other emergency exits.If you’re in a room with the door closed when the fire breaks out,you need to take a few extra steps:
Check to see if there’s heat or smoke coming in the cracks (裂缝) around the door.
If you don’t see smoke — touch the door.If the door is hot or very warm — don’t open the door!
If you don’t see smoke and the door is not hot — then use your fingers to lightly touch the doorknob (门把手).If the doorknob is hot or very warm—don’t open the door!
If the doorknob feels cool,and you can’t see any smoke around the door,you can open the door very carefully and slowly.When you open the door,if you feel a burst of heat,or smoke pours into the room,quickly shut the door and make sure it is really closed.If there’s no smoke or heat when you open the door,go toward your escape route exit.
1. The best title for the passage is__________.| A．How to Deal with Smoke from a Fire |
| B．How to Make an Escape Plan and an Escape Route |
| C．The Best Way to Find the Stair or Other Emergency Exits |
| D．Steps on How to Escape a Fire in a Room with the Door Closed |
| A．get outside quickly and safely |
| B．stay in the room and wait for help |
| C．try to put out the fire by yourself |
| D．jump out of the room through windows |
| A．Find the nearest stair and run down. |
| B．Close the door as quickly as possible. |
| C．Open the door very carefully and slowly. |
| D．Escape from your room as quickly as possible. |
| A．A safety guide book. |
| B．A traffic guide book. |
| C．A science fiction. |
| D．A science report. |
7 . This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS; I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rarest kinds of big cats is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern Leopards.
Recently, their number has been reduced one by one. Some person shot a female Amur leopard, and then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past five years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduced the possibility of cubs’ survival.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amur leopards need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard’s problem is for governments to provide protected space for wildlife.
1. This passage is probably from .| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper report | C．a TV report | D．a film |
| A．It could lead to the death of an adult male. | B．It means it cannot give birth to the young any more. |
| C．It is worth more money than a male. | D．There is only one adult female in the world. |
①new roads ②climate change ③human hunting ④rare diseases
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．are living on plants | B．are living in the zoo |
| C．are well protected by people | D．are endangered |
8 . Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real.You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control yourself,but when you’re asleep,your sleeping position shows the real you.In a normal night,of course,you often change your sleeping positions.The important position that best shows your secret personality is the one that you fall asleep with.
If you go to sleep on your back,you’re a very open person.You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas.You don’t like to upset people.So you never express your real feelings.You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach,you are a person who likes to keep secrets.You worry a lot and you’re always easily becoming sad.You never want to change your ideas,but you are satisfied with your life the way it is.You usually live for today not tomorrow.
If you sleep curled up(卷曲),you are probably a very nervous person.You have a low opinion of yourself and often protect yourself from being hurt,so you are very defensive.You’re shy and you don’t usually like meeting people.You prefer to be on your own.You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side,you have usually got a well-balanced personality.You know your strengths and weaknesses.You’re usually careful.You believe in yourself.You sometimes feel anxious,but you don’t often get unhappy.You always say what you think,even if it makes people rather angry.
1. You may find the passage in a _______.| A．storybook | B．guide book |
| C．sports newspaper | D．science magazine |
| A．curled up | B．on her back |
| C．on her stomach | D．on her side |
| A．Sleeping positions show people’s secret personalities. |
| B．Sleeping on your side is the best way of sleeping. |
| C．Changing positions will cause sleeping problems. |
| D．Enough sleep makes people look better and healthier. |
9 . Last week，we talked about the conflict(冲突)between sleepy teenagers and early morning classes.Many people commented on our website.
For example，Damla Ece in Turkey wrote：I agree with the idea of starting lessons later so teenagers can feel better in the morning.But sleeping more than seven hours can be wasting time for students.
Tran in Vietnam disagreed：I think teenagers，on average，need eight to ten hours of sleep every day.It's useless to try to force them to concentrate while they can't concentrate.
Afshin Heydari from Iran wrote：Schools should start early to avoid heavy traffic later in the morning.
And Suze from Jordan wrote：When I was a teenager，I enjoyed taking my courses as early as possible.That way I could find a long time in the day to do my own activities.
But Azra from Kyrgyzstan said：The reason why schools start early here is a lack of classrooms.
And Joruji in Japan wrote：When I was a teenager，I used to get up before six to go to school，which was far from home，and I don't remember having problems.I think nowadays the Internet，TV games and cell phones make teens go to sleep later.
Thirtyyearold Kika in Spain said：In my opinion，young people are very lazy.
But Dennis Jin disagreed：For high school students in China，we must reach class at 6：20 in the morning and be back home usually at 10：00 in the evening.Then we'll have some extra schoolwork to do.Can you imagine how long could we sleep every day?
Teenagers are not the only ones who suffer.Kathy in Canada wrote：My daughter likes complaining about everything in the morning，and I know that this is from lack of sleep.I wish schools should change their start time to 8：30 or 9：00 in the morning.
And Naima Star in Libya wrote：Getting up so early in the morning and leaving the warm bed is so difficult，especially in the cold weather.It reminds me of that old song：“It's nice to get up in the morning，but it's nicer to stay in bed.”
1. The passage is most likely to be taken from .| A．a personal letter | B．a travel guide |
| C．a geography book | D．a radio broadcast |
| A．Joruji，Tran and Kika. |
| B．Tran，Kathy and Dennis Jin. |
| C．Suze，Kathy and Afshin Heydari. |
| D．Suze，Tran and Afshin Heydari. |
| A．amazement | B．pleasure |
| C．determination | D．dissatisfaction |
| A．his own habit |
| B．political situation |
| C．school environment |
| D．traffic conditions |
10 . According to a new study，a lot of kids don't drink enough water.Erica Kenney，a scientist at Harvard's T．H.Chan School of Public Health，planned to look into the amount of sugary drinks kids drank at first.However，she found many kids had not enough water to drink.
Kenney and her team studied a group of 4，000 children，aged 6 to 19，between the years 2009 and 2012.She noticed that more than half of the kids were dehydrated (脱水的)．Boys were 76% more likely than girls to lack (缺乏) enough water.Nearly one quarter of the kids reported having no plain water.
“These findings are important because they show a potential (潜在的) health problem that has not been given a lot of attention in the past，” said Erica Kenney.
60% of the human body is made up of water.It controls the body temperature，sends oxygen all over the body，helps digestion，and performs various other tasks that keep our bodies healthy.
Not drinking enough water can lead to health problems.Your body needs more water when you are in hot climates，when you take part in physical exercise，and if you have a fever.
The United States National Agriculture Library says on average，kids need between 10 to 14 cups of water every day.This water can come from some foods that contain high amounts of water，such as melons or tomatoes，instead of sugary drinks that are high in calories and can lead to weight problems.
“The good news is that this is a public health problem with a simple solution，” said senior author on the study and professor health sociology at Harvard University，Steven Gortmaker.“If we can focus on helping children drink more water，we will help them feel better throughout the day and do better in school.”
1. At first，Erica Kenney's study was to ．| A．find out how much water schools offered to kids |
| B．test the bad effects sugary drinks have on kids |
| C．research how much sugary drinks kids drank |
| D．figure out whether kids like drinking sugary water |
| A．most kids have health problems |
| B．many kids don't drink enough water |
| C．girls drink more sugary drinks than boys |
| D．lacking enough water can be bad for kids' health |
| A．It is just a simple health problem for kids to be dehydrated. |
| B．The more water kids drink，the better grades they will get. |
| C．Everyone has to drink 14 cups of water every day. |
| D．Kids can benefit from drinking more water. |
| A．Science. | B．Education. |
| C．Health. | D．Economy. |
