1 . New findings show that musical training affects（影响）the structure and function of different brain areas, how those areas communicate during the creation of music, and how the brain interprets and combines sensory(感官) information. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. These views suggest potential new roles for musical training including training plasticity（可塑性）in the brain, offering an alternative tool in education, and treating a range of learning disabilities.
Today’s new findings show that long-term high level musical training has a broader effect. Researchers found that musicians have a better ability to combine sensory information from hearing, touch, and sight. The age at which musical training begins influenced brain structure and its function. Beginning training before the age of seven has the greatest effect.
Even older adults who took music lessons as children but haven’t actively played an instrument in decades have a faster brain response(反应) to a speech sound than those who never played an instrument, according to a study appearing November 6 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The finding suggests early musical training has a lasting, positive effect on how the brain deals with sound.
“Playing a musical instrument is a multi-sensory and motive experience that creates emotions and movements—from finger tapping to dancing — and engages pleasure and reward systems in the brain. It has the potential to affect brain function and structure when done over a long period of time,” said Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, press conference speaker, also an expert on music.
“As today’s findings show, musical training brings about new processes within the brain, at different stages of life, and with a range of effects on creativity, cognition(认知), and learning,” he added.
1. From the first paragraph, we can see musical training can           .

A．affect one’s communication with others

B．help musicians create better music

C．provide new treatment of mental diseases

D．offer an alternative tool in education

2. Why does the author mention “Even older adults … a speech sound.” in Para. 3?

A．To suggest how new roles for musical training work.

B．To prove early musical training affects the function of the brain.

C．To explain how the brain interprets sensory information.

D．To show how the brain areas communicate in music training.

3. Which of the following best describes the function of early musical training?

A．Difficult but interesting.	B．Painful but effective.
C．Lasting and positive.	D．Important and necessary.

4. According to the passage, we learn that            .

A．musical training causes new processes within the brain

B．Gottfried Schlaug thinks it hard to learn music

C．playing a musical instrument is a single -sensory experience

D．people having music lessons as children respond slowly

5. The best title of the passage should be               .

A．Older People and Musical Training

B．Musical Training Affects Brain Structure and Its Function

C．Long-term High Level Musical Training

D．Brain Interprets and Combines Sensory Information

2 . In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day.   In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City.   They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.

For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders.   For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(车道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents.   Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.

But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.

The city government has not yet decided what to do.     It wants to keep everyone happy.   On weekends, Central Park—the largest place open ground in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only.

1. In New York, a group of bike riders        ．

A．are keeping practicing for health

B．have no cars of their own

C．are complaining there are not enough buses

D．are trying to settle the problem of air pollution

2. The bike riders suggest that         ．

A．bikes should be used instead of cars

B．bike lanes should be drawn

C．fewer buses or cars should be used

D．the number of special lanes should be decreased

3. The advantage of the special lanes is that        ．

A．they will make cars and buses run slowly

B．they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks

C．they will make the city more beautiful

D．they will prevent accidents

3 . 完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（ABCD）中，选出可以填入空白的最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
“Father, I don’t like to go to school,” said Harry Williams one morning. “I wish you_______let me stay at home. Charles Parker’s father doesn’t make him go to school.”
Mr. Williams took his little boy_______the hand, and said kindly to him, “Come, my son. I want to_______you something in the garden.”
Harry walked into the garden with his father, who led him along_______they came to a bed in which peas(豌豆) were growing. Not a weed(杂草) was to be_______about their roots.
“See how beautifully these peas are_______, my son,” said Mr. Williams. “How clean and healthy the vines(藤) look. We shall have a good_______Now let me show you the vines in Mr. Parker’s garden.”
Mr. Williams then_______Harry to look at Mr. Parker’s pea vines.
After a few moments, Mr. Williams asked, “Well, my son, what do you_______Mr. Parker’s pea vines?”
“Oh, Father!” replied the little boy. “I never saw such________looking peas in my life! The weeds are nearly as________as the peas themselves. There won’t be half a crop!” “________are they so much worse than ours, Harry?”
“Because they have been left to grow as they________I suppose Mr. Parker just planted them, and never took any care of them________”
“Yes. A garden will soon be overrun（超过） with weeds________it is not taken good care of,” Mr. Williams________, “and so it is with the human garden. Children’s minds are like garden beds. They must be________cared for. I send you to school in order that the garden of your________may have good seeds and________plentifully. Now which would you________, to stay at home or go to school?”
“I would rather go to school,” said Harry.1.

A．could

B．should

C．might

D．would

2.

A．in

B．with

C．by

D．of

3.

A．offer

B．show

C．give

D．remind

4.

A．when

B．where

C．before

D．until

5.

A．made

B．changed

C．seen

D．planted

6.

A．growing

B．moving

C．shaking

D．dancing

7.

A．result

B．harvest

C．match

D．present

8.

A．forced

B．ordered

C．followed

D．led

9.

A．think of

B．look at

C．hear of

D．deal with

10.

A．ugly

B．fine

C．dirty

D．poor

11.

A．deep

B．long

C．high

D．wide

12.

A．When

B．Why

C．Where

D．How

13.

A．pleased

B．stayed

C．left

D．belonged

14.

A．ahead

B．outside

C．forward

D．afterward

15.

A．as

B．or

C．if

D．so

16.

A．required

B．answered

C．explained

D．announced

17.

A．carefully

B．correctly

C．gently

D．slightly

18.

A．school

B．mind

C．family

D．dream

19.

A．produce

B．develop

C．decrease

D．drop

20.

A．find

B．support

C．know

D．prefer