1 . Taking an afternoon nap could keep your brain sharp, a new study has said. Adults ages 60 and older who took afternoon naps showed signs of better mental ability compared to those who didn’t nap, according to a study published in General Psychiatry earlier this week.
Researchers analyzed napping habits in 2, 214 older Chinese people and measured their cognitive abilities using several cognitive tests. Participants took the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Beijing version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, both of which test for memory, language and other cognitive abilities. In every category listed in the study, nappers tested statistically higher on average compared to their non-napping counterparts.
Researchers did not gather data from people under 60, so a correlation cannot be drawn between napping and younger generations. The study also noted that there are conflicting studies about the benefits and risks of napping.
Sleeping behaviors can be affected by a multitude of factors, said Dr. David Neubauer, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. “Daily routines, medication use and sleep disorders can all play a role in how frequently someone takes a nap.” he said.
Neubauer recommended taking a shorter “power nap” of up to 20 minutes to decrease the chances of transitioning into slow-wave sleep, which makes people feel groggy when they wake up. “Napping can be a healthy part of an older adult’s day”, Neubauer acknowledged, but make sure “sleepiness isn’t due to a treatable nighttime sleep disorder.” Older individuals who want to do all they can to preserve their cognitive functioning should put nighttime sleep first.
1. What is the best way to keep a better cognitive ability for the old?| A．Take a nap every day. |
| B．Take sleep disorder seriously. |
| C．Have a good sleep at night. |
| D．Do exercise regularly. |
| A．By taking the examinations and assessment. |
| B．By analyzing napping habits and giving tests. |
| C．By measuring nappers’ ability and analyzing them. |
| D．By doing an experiment. |
| A．Taking a nap. |
| B．Medicine treatment |
| C．Sleep problems |
| D．Everyday activities. |
| A．It appears in short nap up to 20 minutes. |
| B．People should avoid it in their naps. |
| C．It is a healthy part of an elder’s day. |
| D．It was recommended by Neubauer. |
内容主要包括：
1. 向Tom表达歉意。
2. 向Tom解释原因。
3. 祝Tom下周愉快并另约时间陪Tom去北京旅游。
注意:
1. 词数100 左右
2. 适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
3 . In primary school, I
Then came the
My life began to turn back around when I went to an inpatient rehabilitation center (住院康复中心), along with my mom. At first, I didn’t
As I felt better, things began to get
Lately, I’ve been able to stand with help for five minutes straight. I feel
This journey has changed my life. It’s made me brave and
| A．still | B．never | C．just | D．sometimes |
| A．sports | B．camps | C．activities | D．discussions |
| A．chance | B．room | C．reason | D．price |
| A．Because | B．If | C．Though | D．When |
| A．changed | B．worked | C．continued | D．stood |
| A．confusion | B．safeness | C．sadness | D．relaxation |
| A．regretted | B．imagined | C．enjoyed | D．avoided |
| A．journey | B．search | C．idea | D．goal |
| A．mind | B．like | C．suggest | D．admit |
| A．talked | B．visited | C．passed | D．agreed |
| A．easy | B．important | C．hard | D．dangerous |
| A．clearer | B．worse | C．better | D．stranger |
| A．memory | B．performance | C．tour | D．creativity |
| A．paying for | B．picking up | C．throwing out | D．turning over |
| A．hopeful | B．lucky | C．awful | D．unsatisfied |
| A．teach | B．invite | C．order | D．persuade |
| A．believed | B．joined | C．remembered | D．left |
| A．try | B．story | C．right | D．disability |
| A．polite | B．honest | C．strong | D．friendly |
| A．dreams | B．methods | C．costs | D．needs |
4 . Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are an integral part of sea life and sustain it by providing shelter and habitat to various organisms. They also supply and recycle nutrients as well as enable a growing fish population, along with other species, for a healthy and diverse ecosystem. However, the rise in average water temperatures due to climate change has resulted in more frequent and longtime coral bleaching (白化现象) events that damage their health, causing fish and other sea species to abandon them.
In order to restore this delicate ecosystem, scientists from the UK and Australia conducted a study that involved using loudspeakers underwater near damaged coral reefs to make them sound healthy and attract fish, potentially kick-starting the natural recovery process of coral reefs and their dependent life forms. The location for this experiment was the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea, found alongside the east coast of Queensland, Australia. The site is noted to have the largest coral reef system in the world.
“Healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places-the crackle of snapping shrimp and the whoops and grunts of fish. Young fish concentrate on these sounds when they're looking for a place to settle,” said Steve Simpson, study co-author and a professor at the University of Exeter, UK.
By using loudspeakers to copy such sounds, parts of dead coral reefs were found to attract twice as many fish, compared to places where no sounds were played. “These returning fish, are crucial for coral reefs to function as healthy ecosystems. Boosting fish populations in this way could help to kick-start natural recovery processes, preventing the damage we're seeing on many coral reefs around the world,” said lead author, Tim Gordon.
1. What causes the phenomenon of coral bleaching?| A．Diverse species. | B．Noise pollution. |
| C．Fishing industry. | D．Climbing temperatures. |
| A．Removing damaged coral reefs. | B．Using loudspeakers to keep fish away. |
| C．Building new homes for sea species. | D．Playing certain sounds to appeal to fish. |
| A．To provide some findings of the study. | B．To show the progress of the experiment. |
| C．To explain reasons for the new approach. | D．To give another solution to the problem. |
| A．The attempts are in vain. | B．Natural recovery is impossible. |
| C．Initial success has been achieved. | D．The coral reefs have returned to normal. |
5 . Guide to what's worth watching
I Feel Bad
Don't let the depressing name of the show mislead you. Based on the novel I Feel Bad: All Day. Every Day. About Everything, this new half-hour situation comedy finds humor in the endless small failings of its heroine—a working mom in her 40s who depends on her parents for child-care help when she escapes her chaotic family life to manage an all-male team of much younger video-game developers. Sarayu Blue stars. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 10 pm., NBC.
Dead Lucky
Among plenty of imported police crime dramas, Dead Lucky has one major edge: It has Rachel Griffiths as its lead. The Golden Globe-winning Australian actress plays a moody but gifted detective whose pursuit追捕）of a killer leads into comers of Sydney new to most American viewers. That, and co-star Brooke Satchwell, might be enough. Thursday, Sept 20, Sundance Now.
Art in the Twenty-First Century
Do you suffer from dandruff-like（如同有头屑一样的）symptoms when faced with contemporary art? The series that's long been a cure for such head-scratching returns with new episodes that will focus on innovative创新的）artists in Johannesburg, Berlin, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and on how place shapes the artists* work Friday, Sept 21, at 9 pm., PBS.
Maniac
Psychological dark comedies seem to be trending this fail. In this 10-part series, Emma Stoneand Jonah Hill co-star as unhappy strangers who develop a deep connection when they both volunteer for a drug trial. Saturday, Sept. 22, Netflix.
1. What can be learned about the program that is aired on NBC?| A．It is an amusing | B．It is based on a true story |
| C．It is popular among children. | D．It is a Golden Globe-winning series. |
| A．Maniac. | B．I Feel Bad. |
| C．Dead Lucky. | D．Art in the Twenty-First Century. |
| A．Saturday, Sept. 22. | B．Friday, Sept. 21. |
| C．Thursday, Sept. 20. | D．Wednesday, Sept. 19. |
6 . For some years，my mother worked for a charity as President and Secretary.Selling raffle tickets(兑奖券) was her main means of bringing in the charity’s muchneeded funds.We girls would accompany her，selling tickets with great success.My father made and donated beautiful wooden toys，jewellery boxes and other lovely items as prizes.
Now my sister was always coming up with “good ideas”，most of which didn’t work out to plan.But that didn’t deter her.She had many just waiting to be tested.When she was eight and I was just five，we had a wonderful idea for a business adventure.We decided we would sell raffle tickets for charity，and that charity was us!
So one afternoon，we told our mother we were going to play in the park with our cousins as we did most days after school.But instead，we walked around the streets armed with a raffle book，a pen and a large cloth bag to carry the money.
We’d accompanied our mother many times when she sold tickets，so people were familiar with us when we appeared at their doors.Despite the blank looks they received when asking about the prizes on offer，they were very generous.Although there were no actual prizes，our mother’s previous track record enabled us to sell nearly the whole book of raffle tickets.
Like a little pair of lottery(彩票) winners，we walked home and proudly showed off our takings.But our enjoyment of this sudden wealth was shortlived，and our plans for spending it quickly failed.Our angry mother took us back to every ticket buyer，making us apologise and give the money back.Thankfully，our sweet neighbours didn’t make a big deal of our “clever” misbehavior and thus my mother’s
fundraising career could continue safely.We were taught a good lesson by our mother that day.Also I remember my sister’s entrepreneurial(企业家的) spirit dried up a bit after that.
1. What did the author’s father do?
| A．He got prizes ready. | B．He sold handmade items. |
| C．He was in charge of a charity. | D．He helped design raffle tickets. |
| A．Embarrass. | B．Shock. |
| C．Discourage. | D．Mislead. |
| A．They ran into their mother. |
| B．They met some generous strangers. |
| C．They got lost while walking around the streets. |
| D．They took advantage of people’s trust in their mother. |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. | B．What’s done can’t be undone. |
| C．Misfortune never comes alone. | D．Good advice is beyond all price. |
