1 . People who play drums regularly for years differ from unmusical people in their brain structure and function. The results of a study by researchers from Bochum suggest that they have fewer, but thicker fibers in the main connecting tract between the brain hemispheres(半球). In addition, their motor brain areas are organized more efficiently. This is the conclusion drawn by a research team headed by Dr. Lara. It was published in the journal Brain and Behavior, online on 4 December 2019.
The researchers were interested in drummers because their movement control far surpasses that of untrained people. "Most people can only perform fine motor tasks with one hand and have problems playing different rhythms with both hands at the same time," explains Lara, "Drummers can do things that are impossible for untrained people."
The team intended to gain new insights into the organization of complex motor processes in the brain by identifying the changes in the brain caused by this training. The researchers tested 20 professional drummers who have played their instrument for an average of 17 years and currently practice for more than ten hours per week. They examined them using various MRI imaging techniques that provide insights into the structure and function of the brain. They then compared the data with measurements of 24 unmusical control subjects. Both groups had to play drums to test their abilities and were then examined in the MRI scanner.
Drummers presented clear differences in the front part of the corpus callosum(胼胝体)responsible for motor planning. The data indicated that the drummers had fewer but thicker fibers in this important connecting tract. This allows musicians to exchange information between the hemispheres more quickly than the controls.
Although drummers might be good at motor coordination, they are less active in motor tasks than that of control subjects. This phenomenon indicates that a more efficient brain organization in the areas leads to less activation in professionals.
1. Which has the closest meaning with the underlined word in Paragraph 2?| A．Correspond with. | B．Go beyond | C．Differ from. | D．Fall behind. |
| A．By analyzing previous study. |
| B．By organizing complex motor tasks. |
| C．By testing their abilities and scanning the brains. |
| D．By comparing amateur drummers and unmusical people. |
| A．They are more active in motor tasks. |
| B．They can play rhythms more quickly. |
| C．They have better imagination and insights. |
| D．They have more efficient brain organization. |
| A．Playing drums changes the brain. |
| B．Playing drums can be trained. |
| C．Playing music makes you active. |
| D．Playing music brings benefits. |
2 . The Indian government declared an “emergency situation” in New Delhi on Sunday as air pollution hit dangerous new highs and people had the selfies(自拍) to prove it.
Officials announced a series of measures to fight against smog in the capital city, including halting construction projects, closing a coal-fired power factory for 10 days and washing the dusty roads. The citizens，meanwhile，took “smog selfies” as they walked through dirty air which could taste and smell. Some selfie photographers joined hundreds of protesters in downtown New Delhi to demand that the government deal with the deadly smog.
New Delhi, already one of the world’s dirtiest cities, is experiencing its worst smog in nearly two decades. The city saw levels of PM2.5 of more than 900 micrograms per cubic meter on Saturday. That’s more than 90 times the level that the World Health Organization considers safe and is 15 times higher than the Indian government’s standards.
Particulate(微粒的) matter comes from vehicles, coal factories, burning trash piles, dust and other sources. New Delhi’s severe pollution was initially blamed on the widespread bursting of firecrackers during the festival Diwali. But images published by NASA last week suggested that crop burning in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana could be the reason for the increasing levels of PM2.5. New Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, said that farmers in those states begin burning straw at the start of every winter to clear their plants for planting wheat.
The pollution can lead to lung cancer, heart disease and related illnesses, particularly in growing children. Kejriwal said people should avoid going outdoors until the pollution levels drop and should work at home as much as possible. Of course, they should put down the selfie sticks, too.
1. What does the underlined word “halting” in Paragraph 2 meap?| A．Stopping. | B．Encouraging. | C．Protecting. | D．Changing. |
| A．The poor condition in New Delhi has led to a strike. |
| B．New Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world. |
| C．A lot of people especially children died of smog in New Delhi. |
| D．Kejriwal suggested that people stop working to deal with smog. |
| A．Images of people living in New Delhi. |
| B．Levels of PM2.5 in most cities of India. |
| C．Sources of particulate matter in New Delhi. |
| D．Measures taken by the New Delhi government. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Opposed. |
3 . Andrew Orkin was taking a break from his evening jog to sit by Prospect Park Lake when he was frightened to see a mass of snakes. They turned out to be swamp eels(黄鳝) that had escaped from one of two large plastic bags that split open as a man dragged them to the shoreline. After dumping the eels in the lake, the man walked away, explaining to bystanders that “I just want to save lives.”
The illegal release became a curiosity on social media, but the dumping of exotic(外来的) animals in urban parks isn’t new. New Yorkers free thousands of non-native animals every year. “People like animals and they sometimes think they’re doing a good thing by letting them go,” said Jason Munshi-South, an urban ecologist at Fordham University. “Most will die. Some will become a problem, and then there’s no going back.”
New York state and city officials say it’s too soon to know how the eels in Prospect Park might affect local species. The eels eat almost anything including plants, insects, frogs, turtles and other fish. And they could prey(捕食) upon or compete with the park’s native species for however long they survive.
There are no plans to eradicate the eels. Since they’re active at night and spend most of their time in the mud of lakes and rivers, spotting and removing them from the lake could be impossible. Officials say they will look for swamp eels during the agency’s next survey in the spring, but don’t expect them to make it through the winter. However, University of Toronto freshwater ecologist Nicholas Mandrak said, “Even if they don’t survive, they could have negative short-term effects.”
1. Why did the man pour the eels into the lake?| A．To challenge the law. | B．To increase the local species. |
| C．To keep the eels alive. | D．To become a web celebrity. |
| A．They might get caught once again. |
| B．They might not adapt to the new environment. |
| C．They might frighten the joggers by the lake. |
| D．They might pose a threat to local species. |
| A．Get rid of. | B．Look after. |
| C．Sell. | D．Examine. |
| A．It is risky. | B．It is tricky. |
| C．It takes patience. | D．It requires legal support. |
4 . If you visit Uluwatu temple in Bali, be cautious. The long-tailed temple monkeys there are well-known thieves. Since a long time ago, they have made a living by robbing visitors of their possessions and then holding those objects until a ransom in the form of food is paid. But Jean-Baptiste Leca of the University of Lethbridge, in Canada, wondered whether these monkeys are cleverer still. Sometimes, they do not accept the first offer and hold out for more. He therefore asked himself whether they are able to assess how valuable an object is to its owner, and factor that into their negotiations.
Dr. Leca and his colleagues conducted their experiment by wandering around the temple with video cameras, recording the activities of the monkeys. Every time they saw a monkey show interest in a particular tourist? they recorded the interaction. To work out what was going on, they had first to establish the relative values of food rewards to monkeys, and of stealable objects to people.
To confirm which stealable objects are most valued by people, they divided them into six classes: empty containers, such as phone cases and plastic bottles; accessories (搭配物) such as hairpins and key rings; hats and shoes; spectacles and sunglasses; and electronics and wallets. They then observed how often victims bothered to bargain with the thief for the return of property belonging to different classes, and thus classified objects into low value, medium value and high value.
They found that monkeys do, indeed, have a complicated sense of what they are doing — at least, adults and sub-adults do. These animals have a preference for stealing high-value items, and will often hold out either for more rewards, or for better ones, if they are in possession of such items. But this is something that they have to learn how to do as they grow up. Young monkeys make no such distinctions, and sub-adults are less good at doing so than adults.
1. What is the purpose of Leca's research?| A．To prove monkeys are cleverer than men. |
| B．To find out what is valuable for monkeys. |
| C．To record the negotiations between monkeys. |
| D．To make sure monkeys can judge item values. |
| A．Bilk. | B．Reward. | C．Tax. | D．Rent. |
| A．By the material of objects. | B．By the preference of victims. |
| C．By the buying price of objects, | D．By the frequency of bargaining. |
| A．Young monkeys can evaluate items. | B．All monkeys prefer high-value items, |
| C．Monkeys have a simple sense of acts. | D．Monkeys' stealing is an acquired skill. |
5 . Salad plants have already been grown in old shelters and tunnels. Urban farming is a regular topic of interest at places like the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where leaders consider whether the world's food system, blamed for causing both obesity and malnutrition, can be fixed. There are already plenty of urban farming projects around the world, particularly in the US, Japan and the Netherlands, from urban fish and plant farms to vertical farming.
“It's becoming an expanding industry,” said Richard Ballard, one of the founders of the farm Growing Underground. “There're several other businesses starting up in London in containers, and there are other vertical farms around the country now.”
Growing Underground is not a standard farm. The rows of crops could be in almost any tunnel, but these plants are 100 feet below Clapham High Street and show that urban agriculture is, in some cases at least, not a fad. The underground farm has occupied a part of the Second World War air-raid shelters for nearly five years, and Ballard is planning to expand into the rest of the space later this year.
Growing Underground supplies herb and salad mixes to grocery shops, supermarkets and restaurants. Being in London creates an advantage, Ballard says, as they can harvest and deliver in an hour.
He adds other advantages. Being underground means temperatures never go below 15℃ surface greenhouses need to be heated. They can do more harvests: 60 crops a year, compared with about seven in a traditional farm. Electricity to power the lights is a major cost, but the company believes renewable energy will become cheaper.
Similar British companies include the Jones Food Company in Lincolnshire, while in the US AeroFarms has several projects in New Jersey, and Edenworks in Brooklyn.
1. What do we know about urban farming?| A．It leads to a healthier lifestyle. | B．It is rarely discussed at the WEF. |
| C．Different farming methods are used. | D．Local governments pay efforts to develop it. |
| A．A dream that's easy to realize. | B．A field controlled for a long time. |
| C．An approach to a serious problem. | D．A fashion that’s popular for a short time. |
| A．It is more productive than a traditional farm. | B．It provides food directly to the customers. |
| C．Its major products are herbs and salads. | D．It uses less energy than a greenhouse. |
| A．Current food system causes health problems |
| B．Growing Underground attracts more people |
| C．Traditional farming will be replaced soon |
| D．Urban farming is still thought costly and time-consuming |
6 . Do you like the woolly mammoths from the movie Ice Age? Too bad they're extinct? Thanks to recent developments in biotechnology, the stuff of science fiction may soon become a reality through an attractive process called "de-extinction", which aims to bring the extinct species back. The resurrected species are functionally equal to the original extinct species, but they are not exact copies.
There are three primary techniques of de-extinction. One of them is that scientists deliberately select existing species with similar characters to the extinct species to produce later generation. This is a natural method. Another is cloning. A cloned animal is created by obtaining the DNA of the extinct animal. The later generation will be an identical copy of the extinct species. This is only applied to animals that are either endangered or have recently gone extinct, as it requires well-preserved eggs. The third is the newest technique, genetic engineering. It uses gene-editing tools to place selected genes from extinct animals in place of those present in its closest living relative.
If we refer to Jurassic Park , resurrecting extinct animals is a terrible idea. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about dinosaurs running wildly, as their DNA has disintegrated over the 65 million years since their extinction. DNA can survive for several million years at best under certain rare conditions, but does that mean we should do that?
De-extinction is more for ecology than for tourism. Ecologist Ben Novak said, “All animals perform critical roles in their ecosystem. Woolly mammoths, for example, were excellent gardeners. Their disappearance was followed by a loss in diversity and the Arctic grassland became a cold, ice field. If a resurrected animal is always going to be a zoo animal then it shouldn't be brought back.”
1. Why does the author mention the movie Ice Age ?| A．To recall the joy from the movie. | B．To lead the audience into the topic. |
| C．To attract readers, attention to the movie. | D．To show functions of resurrecting animals. |
| A．Its main methods. | B．Its wide application. |
| C．Its complex procedures. | D．Its distinct characteristic. |
| A．Broken away. | B．Picked up. | C．Fallen apart. | D．Run out. |
| A．Can we bring extinct animals back? | B．Do you like the woolly mammoths? |
| C．Will dinosaurs be seen in the zoos? | D．Should we promote cloning skills? |
7 . Many of us work hard to achieve a successful career. We spend years in school, and then get a well-paid job that we think will bring us a comfortable life. Then one day we realize that all we seem to do is work and have forgotten how to relax.There's nothing wrong with being ambitious.The problem is that we don't keep a good work-life balance.
Here are some simple activities that can help you find more peace and balance in your life.
Take a warm bath
A warm bath will help you relax physically and mentally. The warm water will relax your muscles and in addition, the environment will help calm your mind and improve your mood.
Go outside
The fresh air and change of scenery can help you clear your mind. In addition, seeing the rest of the world helps you put things into a larger perspective.It helps you see things beyond your own busy lives.
Try meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool to help you relax. Basically, all you have to do is sit quietly for a few minutes and follow your breath. You don't have to do it perfectly,and you don't have to meditate for long periods to get the benefits.
If you want more balance in your life, then make relaxation a part of your daily life. Not only will you feel better, but also you will be more productive and gain more satisfaction from your work and your personal life.
1. What is this article about?| A．What a comfortable life is like. |
| B．The best ways to enjoy yourself. |
| C．Activities that you should do for your success. |
| D．How to live a peaceful and balanced life. |
| A．People should be relaxed instead of working hard. |
| B．Taking a warm bath is less useful for sportsmen. |
| C．Going outside can broaden your mind and horizon. |
| D．The more relaxation you have, the better you will work. |
| A．think | B．sleep | C．exercise | D．breathe |
8 . Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, has shown the world that our garbage has far-reaching effects, and not just on our environment.
The experiment in going zero waste started when the town built a new incinerator 20 years ago. But almost immediately, the incinerator was determined to be a health risk due to the poisonous gases when garbage was burned in it. It was too expensive to send waste to other towns, so locals had to come up with a new plan. Then the Zero Waste Academy was born, which helped perform this plan.
Now Kamikatsu people separate their waste into 45 different categories. But in the beginning, it wasn't easy to convince local people to do all this work, and there was some pushback. Only after that initial education period did most residents come on board.
This is all great news for waste reduction of course, but it has also had some unexpected social benefits as well. Like much of Japan, Kamikatsu's population is aging, and about 50 percent of the locals are elderly. The fact that the whole community takes their trash in to be recycled has created a local action and interaction between generations.
That idea has been purposefully expanded to include a circular shop where household goods are dropped off and others can take them, and a tableware "library" where people can borrow extra cups, glasses, silverware and plates for celebrations.
"The elderly see this not as a waste-collection service, but an opportunity to socialize with the younger generation and to chat. When we visit them, they prepare lots of food and we stay with them for a while, we ask how they are," Sakano, the founder of the Zero Waste Academy, said.
Sakano's ideas are truly revolutionary if you think about it. She's proving that community can be found through handling the stuff we no longer want and need.
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 2?| A．What harmful effects garbage burning has. |
| B．Why garbage sorting is necessary in Japan. |
| C．How the idea of zero waste was put forward. |
| D．What the Zero Waste Academy functions as. |
| A．Inactive response. | B．Generous reward. |
| C．Bitter suffering. | D．Beneficial guidance. |
| A．Reducing waste. | B．Creating community. |
| C．Increasing people's income. | D．Developing a new technology. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health. | C．Workplace. | D．Lifestyle. |
9 . Have you ever wondered why hair turns gray as you get older and whether there is something you can do to prevent graying or at least slow it down? Here's a look at what causes hair to turn gray and some of the factors that affect graying.
The age at which you'll get your first gray hair （supposing your hair doesn't simply fall out） is largely decided by genetics. You'll probably get that first strand （缕）of gray hair around the same age your parents and grandparents started to go gray. However, the rate at which the graying progresses is somewhat under your own control. Smoking is known to increase the rate of graying. Generally poor nutrition, insufficient B vitamins, anemia, and untreated thyroid （甲状腺）conditions can also speed the rate of graying.
What causes your hair's color to change? That has to do with the process controlling the production of the paint called melanin （黑色素），the same material that tans your skin in response to sunlight. Every hair cell contains melanin cells called melanocytes. The melanocytes produce eumelanin（真黑素），which is black or dark brown, and pheomelanin, which is reddish-yellow, and pass the melanin to the cells which produce keratin （角蛋白）, the chief protein in hair. When the keratin-producing cells die, they keep the coloring from the melanin. When you first start to go gray, the melanocytes are still present, but they become less active. Less paint is kept into the hair so it appears lighter.
As graying progresses, the melanocytes die off until there aren't any cells left to produce the color. While this is a normal and unavoidable part of the aging process and is not of itself associated with disease, some autoimmune diseases can cause premature graying. However, some people start going gray in their 20s and are perfectly healthy.
Extreme shock or stress can also cause your hair to go gray very quickly, though not overnight.
1. What determines your first strand of gray hair?| A．Genes. | B．Ages. | C．Nutrition. | D．Disease. |
| A．Avoids. | B．Protects. |
| C．Sunburns. | D．Covers. |
| A．It helps the hair keep shining. | B．It can prevent the hair turning gray. |
| C．It is mainly made of hair protein. | D．It makes the hair look lighter. |
| A．The process of hair changes. |
| B．The causes of hair turning gray. |
| C．The factors of hair components. |
| D．Relationship between gray hair and health. |
10 . After bikes and umbrellas are made sharable across China, some companies started eyeing the fitness market, so shared gym rooms have hit the streets in Beijing.
Unlike regular gyms that provide large, open spaces for many members to share at the same time, the newly built shared gym rooms are small, stand-alone rooms for a person to use, often set up near living communities.
Every four-square-meter room is equipped with a treadmill (跑步机), an air cleaner, a mirror, a television and an air conditioner, and users can let down the curtains for privacy. When exercising, users can listen to music, watch movies and check emails by connecting to the Internet by the screen fixed on the treadmill. There’s no shower or washbasin.
Similar to using a shared bike, users can locate a shared gym room by smartphone application, book a room in advance and then need to scan (扫描) a QR code for use. A refundable deposit (保证金) of 99 yuan is required, and users are charged 0.2 yuan per minute.
The shared gym rooms are created by Misspao, a Beijing-based technology company founded in July. Within two weeks since it was founded, the company has already got two rounds of funding valued over 100 million yuan, Yicai Global reports. The idea of the shared fitness experience is not entirely nascent. Last December, the Shanghai-based technology company VRUN set up shared treadmills in office and apartment buildings.
The sharing economy is still becoming popular in China. According to Yicai Global, confident investors are pouring millions into sharing start-ups. In March, the State Information Center published a report which predicts that the total value of China’s sharing economy will see a yearly growth of 40% in the coming years, and it is expected to contribute around 10% to the country’s GDP by 2020.
1. What makes the shared gym room different from the regular one?| A．Offering open spaces. | B．Standing in the living zone. |
| C．Holding one person at a time. | D．Having some advanced equipment. |
| A．Users can have a shower in it after exercise. |
| B．Users who want to use it need a smartphone. |
| C．Users who use it first need to pay for 99.2 yuan. |
| D．Users’ privacy can’t be protected while they are exercising. |
| A．Simple. | B．Popular. | C．Satisfying. | D．New. |
| A．To introduce shared gym rooms. |
| B．To advertise a technology company. |
| C．To predict the future of the sharing economy. |
| D．To persuade people to support the sharing economy. |
