1 . Do you have a brain for math? New research indicates that levels of two key neurotransmitters (脑神经传递素) — glutamate (谷氨酸) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)can predict mathematical abilities, suggesting brain chemistry may be playing a role in those who find math easy.
The new study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, recruited 255 subjects extending a range of six-year olds in primary school to university students. The research focused on glutamate and GABA, known to play a role in brain plasticity (可塑性) and learning. Based on prior research, the focus was on two brain regions linked with mathematical abilities — the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS 顶叶内沟) and the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG 脑额中回).
The results were interestingly different. In the youngest subjects high GABA levels and low glutamate levels in the left IPS were consistently associated with high math skills. But in the older university group the exact opposite was seen: low GABA and high glutamate were linked with strong mathematical abilities. Levels of both neurotransmitters in the MFG did not associate with math skills.
The group was tested twice over 18 months, allowing the researchers to see if these neurotransmitter levels could predict mathematical ability into the future. And it worked, with neurotransmitter levels effectively predicting one’s success on math tests completed a year and a half later.
Another recent study from the same research team looked specifically at GABA levels in MFG of 14 to 18 year olds. That research indicated MFG GABA levels could effectively predict whether a student was still studying maths or had ceased that subject years prior.
Cohen Kadosh, one of the researchers working on the study, says this may indicate math education can help stimulate the development of key brain regions. Further research will work on whether certain learning interventions can help those children less interested in math so these brain regions still get the developmental workout they need.
“Not every adolescent enjoys maths so we need to investigate possible alternatives, such as training in logic and reasoning that engage the same brain area as maths,” says Cohen Kadosh.
1. What is the new study aimed at?| A．Exploring mental development of the subjects. |
| B．Finding the tie between brain chemistry and math. |
| C．Testing the link between brain regions. |
| D．Revealing the structure of brain. |
| A．The levels of GABA decide one’s math skills. |
| B．Low MFG glutamate means poor math ability. |
| C．Neurotransmitters in the MFG affect math skills. |
| D．Math education may help with brain development. |
| A．Studying more possible options. |
| B．Tracing slow learners’ early learning. |
| C．Training math learners respectively. |
| D．Developing key relevant brain areas. |
| A．Factors Affecting Math Skills |
| B．Ways to Promote Math Education |
| C．Brain Activities Involved in Math Study |
| D．Math Ability Predicted by Neurotransmitters |
2 . The Surprising Strength of “Weak” Social Ties
It’s long been known that a community of supportive relationships improves our quality of life and can even help us recover from illness.
Claire gets cheered up by going to the library and chatting with her favorite librarian every week. Sherry gets great joy from her Sunday breakfasts at a local diner because the manager and her favorite waitress are nice to her.
When we feel blue or lonely, we tend to turn down social engagements, either to avoid the imagined embarrassment of being the only sad person in a group or because socializing with people we don’t know well can be awkward at first.
| A．All of those connections matter — and so do you |
| B．Harvard researcher Hanne Collins discovered something new |
| C．Even those we meet only once can leave a lasting impression |
| D．Our shared kindness and familiarity offer me a sense of community |
| E．Interacting with the weak ties encourages us to behave more professionally |
| F．But saying yes, despite the hesitation, offers an opportunity to feel less lonely |
| G．So notice, pay attention to, and be grateful for your big, wide world of loose social ties |
I was invited to a cookout on an old friend’s farm in western Washington. I parked my car outside the farm and walked past a milking house which had apparently not been used in many years. A noise at a window caught my attention, so I entered it. It was a hummingbird (蜂鸟), desperately trying to escape. She was covered in spider-webs (蛛网) and was barely able to move her wings. She ceased her struggle the instant I picked her up.
With the bird in my cupped hand, I looked around to see how she had gotten in. The broken window glass was the likely answer. I stuffed a piece of cloth into the hole and took her outside, closing the door securely behind me.
When I opened my hand, the bird did not fly away; she sat looking at me with her bright eyes. I removed the sticky spider-webs that covered her head and wings. Still, she made no attempt to fly. Perhaps she had been struggling against the window too long and was too tired? Or too thirsty?
As I carried her up the blackberry-lined path toward my car where I kept a water bottle, she began to move. I stopped, and she soon took wing but did not immediately fly away.
Hovering (悬停), she approached within six inches of my face. For a very long moment, this tiny creature looked into my eyes, turning her head from side to side. Then she flew quickly out of sight.
During the cookout, I told my hosts about the hummingbird incident. They promised to fix the window. As I was departing, my friends walked me to my car. I was standing by the car when a hummingbird flew to the center of our group and began hovering. She turned from person to person until she came to me. She again looked directly into my eyes, then let out a squeaking call and was gone. For a moment, all were speechless. Then someone said, “She must have come to say goodbye.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
A few weeks later, I went to the farm again.
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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________参考词汇：二维码QRCode；测核酸nucleic acidtest；健康码Health Code；行程码Itinerary Code
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Notice On Nucleic Acid Testing
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Student Union
May2, 2022
Random Acts of Kindness
I was driving along Clarendon Street in South Melbourne on my way to Castlemaine to visit my parents. As I stopped at a traffic light, I noticed a man lying on a bench seat on the footpath beside the road. It was early evening and his rough appearance and the fact that he was holding a bottle wrapped in newspaper confirmed my immediate suspicions — he was a drunk.
As soon as I saw him, I felt a strong feeling of sympathy for him. But like so many other people, I had other places to be and other things to do. As I watched, I saw two policemen approach and instantly I felt relieved. After all, it was their responsibility to clean up the streets and make sure men like him got a chance to be somewhere safe for the night. As I sat waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The two police walked around and when they reached the man, both of whom turned their heads the other way, as if not to see, and walked right past. Suddenly, a firm belief streamed through my mind, “Life is never so busy that there is no time to serve.”
Right then I looked up and the traffic lights turned green — and I had a decision to make. I knew that if I drove off, I would have no peace, so I turned left, drove around the block, parked the car and walked back to the man. As I approached him, I felt completely unconfident to deal with the situation and even a little foolish. What was I going to say? What was I going to do? At the very least I could drive him home — if he had a home. I found him sleeping soundly and at first, he didn’t respond to me at all, so I reached out and gently shook him awake.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
He woke up, staring at me angrily.
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Much to my relief, the man agreed to get into my car.
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Teen Becomes A Local Hero
When Sydney Raley headed into her weekend shift on Saturday, December 18, she likely expected to do more of the same: Stand at the drive-through window, take orders over the headset, and hand each customer their meal with a smile.
In fact. that’s exactly how it started. Sydney Raley has been working at MC Donald’s for about seven months and so far, it’s been her typical after-school job. The day had been mostly normal -making coffee, making drinks, and going into the lunch rush.
But a few hours into her shift. things took a dramatic turn. After handing a customer some of their food, Sydney let them know that more would be coming as soon as it was ready. But just seconds later, she noticed a terrible look of panic spread across the woman’s face. Then came the coughing. She was coughing like crazy and was speechless. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and looked extremely confused and frightened.
Sydney immediately knew she was choking. The first aid training Sydney received more than four years ago hit her. Most 15-year-olds might panic at the sight of this. But not Sydney. Instead, the teen remained calm and quickly shouted to both her manager and the woman’s daughter to dial 911. Then, she dove through the drive-through window and came to the rescue.
The teen pushed the driver’s side door forcefully open and got the choking woman to her feet. Then she dug down deep into her memory bank to recall everything she learned from her Red Cross babysitter class-which she’d taken four years earlier. All that training of how to use the Heimlich maneuver(哈姆立克急教法)immediately kicked in. Still, she had never actually had to use the life-saving technique before, and after a few tries, it wasn’t quite working. Luckily, another customer was just a few feet away in the parking lot.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
She shouted to that man for assistance.
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The story has made headlines throughout the country.
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1.活动评价：
2.收获及感想。
注意：
1.词数80左右：
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Good morning, everyone!
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Thank you!
There is a farm not far from the coastline. It belongs to a man called Tom. Tom couldn’t do everything by himself on the farm. Thus, he needed to hire one man to help him run the farm. However, no one worked on his farm for long. Why？Because the work was too tiring. Since the farm is near the sea, there are often storms from the sea that strike his farm. When a storm comes, Tom and the man he hired have to get up quickly and try to reduce the losses caused by the storm. Therefore, no one liked working there. Tom had to look for people to work for him all the time.
One day, a man called Henry read the poster that Tom had put up and then came to his farm.
“Sir, I can work for you ,” said Henry.
Tom looked at Henry. This young man was neither strong nor tall.
“Are you sure?”asked Tom.
“Yes, sir. I can do the work well. But you must pay me twice what you paid others before,” said that young man.
Tom was surprised. He didn’t really believe such a man could do the work well. But it was really hard for him to find someone else to work for him. At last, he decided to give Henry a try. However, before hiring him, he said, “Can you really be a good helper？The work on the farm is hard and tiring. And there are often storms.”
Henry smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I can be a good helper. You’ll see. And storms won’t be a problem. They won’t even disturb our sleep. We can sleep very well even on stormy nights.”
And then Henry stayed on the farm. To Tom’s joy, Henry worked hard and did his work well. It was obvious that he hadn’t lied.
However, one night, there was a big storm. Tom was woken up by the strong wind. He was worried that the storm would cause great losses for his farm. And he saw his helper nowhere.
Paragraph 1
Tom thought Henry must still be sleeping.
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Paragraph 2
Tom thought he had hired the wrong man.
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| 活动时间 | start on January28, end on January30 |
| 活动地点 | at the hall of our school art building |
| 活动内容 | 1. listen to a talk on Chinese paintings 2. visit the exhibition 3. have hands-on activities |
注意：
词数100左右；
可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
开头语已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am Li Hua, chairman of the Student Union in our school.
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Yours,
Li Hua
内容包括∶1. 活动目的；2.活动内容∶创建环保与文明校园；3. 师生评价
注意∶1. 词数80左右，标题不计入总词数；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Beautiful Campus, Better Life
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