1 . Neuroscientists (神经科学家) now know that brain maturation (成熟) occurs far later than previously thought. Great changes in brain are still taking place during young adulthood, especially in the regions that are important for planning ahead, expecting the future results of one’s decisions, and comparing risk and reward. Indeed, some brain regions do not reach full maturity until the early 20s. Should this new knowledge make us rethink where we draw legal boundaries between kids and adults?
Maybe. But it’s not as simple as it seems for two reasons.
First, different brain regions mature along with different timetables. There is no single age at which the adolescent brain becomes an adult brain. Systems responsible for logical reasoning mature when people are 16, but those involved in self-regulation are still developing in young adulthood. This is why 16-year-olds are just as capable as adults when it comes to permitting informed medical papers, but are still immature in ways that reduce their criminal responsibility, as the Supreme Court has noted in several recent cases. Using different ages for different legal boundaries seems strange, but it would make neuro- scientific sense if we did it reasonably.
Second, science has never had much influence on these decisions. If it did, we wouldn’t have lived in a society that allows teenagers to drive before they can buy beer. Age boundaries are drawn mainly for political reasons, not scientific ones. It’s a pity that Neuroscience won’t have much of an impact on politics although it is always correct.
Children are so changeable in their growth and how cultures understand child development is so different. It is pointless to try to determine the “right” age of maturation. The Dutch, for example, allow children to drink alcohol at the age of 16 but not to drive until they are 19. Even if I firmly believe legal decisions should refer to Neuroscience seriously and it’s a good idea to lower the drinking age and raise the driving age in the US, I recognize that the government might never accept it.
1. What can we learn about brain maturation according to the passage?| A．All the brain areas become mature at the same time. |
| B．Scientists’ brain matures much earlier than politicians’. |
| C．The region in charge of logical reasoning isn’t mature until 18. |
| D．The time of brain maturation is not as early as thought before. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Skeptical. | C．Indifferent. | D．Intolerant. |
| A．It’s illegal for a Dutch boy to drive at the age of 16. |
| B．The culture of the Dutch is much better than the USA. |
| C．It’s of great value to determine the right age of maturation. |
| D．The influence of science on law and policy making is very big. |
| A．Should Children Learn from Capable Adults? |
| B．Can Neuroscience Create Mature Scientists? |
| C．Should Neuroscience Affect Law Decisions? |
| D．Can Children Drive and Drink Beer Like Adults? |
1.中学生做家务状况描述；
2.造成此状况的原因；
3.你的观点。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.短文的题目和首句已为你写好。
The Importance of Doing Housework
It’s widely known that Labor Education will be included in the education of middle schools in China.
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3 . You are in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at the sweater. You listen to the conversation.
"I can't believe it—a Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome."
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It's nice and the price is right. You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover（暗中影响的）marketing.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that 'don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice deceptive, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative. "Look at the traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing." However, one might ask what "real" is exactly about if young women pretend to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising executives would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. While you don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.
1. In which section of a magazine is this text more likely to appear?| A．Fashion and Life. | B．History and Culture. |
| C．Marketing Management. | D．Science and Technology. |
| A．Because they are potential buyers. | B．Because they are excellent advertisers. |
| C．Because they are interested in traditional ads. | D．Because they get better paid than actors. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Angry. |
| A．Young girls are fond of sweaters. |
| B．Traditional advertising is already out of date. |
| C．Advertising agencies tend to cheat in their ads. |
| D．Undercover marketing appeals to young people. |
1. What does the center aim to do?
| A．Offer a relaxing place for sick people to recover. |
| B．Provide a colorful life for the retired people. |
| C．Encourage people to live a healthy life. |
| A．Doing exercise after lunchtime. |
| B．Exercising as planned. |
| C．Trying all kinds of exercise. |
| A．By informing the library of demands. |
| B．By paying a little more booking fee. |
| C．By contacting the people at reception. |
5 . The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don't come with an instruction manual(说明书).And each child is
To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children
The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents
Americans praise , encourage and give their children the
| A．strange | B．new | C．different | D．unlike |
| A．noticing | B．knowing | C．remembering | D．deciding |
| A．changed | B．made | C．controlled | D．influenced |
| A．values | B．standards | C．laws | D．services |
| A．sit | B．get | C．stand | D．rise |
| A．childhood | B．girlhood | C．boyhood | D．adulthood |
| A．money | B．space | C．time | D．freedom |
| A．Adults | B．Americans | C．Teenagers | D．Parents |
| A．help | B．share | C．join | D．provide |
| A．gain | B．pass | C．become | D．reach |
| A．partners | B．wives | C．husbands | D．couples |
| A．invite | B．seek | C．try | D．choose |
| A．nest | B．house | C．room | D．place |
| A．connected | B．tied | C．stuck | D．held |
| A．look | B．recognize | C．think | D．view |
| A．hope | B．suggest | C．command | D．allow |
| A．power | B．trust | C．confidence | D．energy |
| A．friends | B．companions | C．members | D．companies |
| A．known | B．contrary | C．similar | D．due |
| A．notice | B．watch | C．visit | D．observe |
6 . Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many， many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1. According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___.| A．the social movement | B．recycling techniques |
| C．environmental problems | D．the importance of Earth Day |
| A．The grass –roots level. | B．The business circle. |
| C．Government officials. | D．University professors. |
| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest. |
| B．They have settled their environmental problems. |
| C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
| D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures. |
| A．Education. | B．Planning |
| C．Green living | D．CO reduction |
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.
1. What is the text mainly about?
| A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers. |
| B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered. |
| C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life. |
| D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers. |
| A．help homeless young mothers become good parents |
| B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter |
| C．help mothers in New York be good parents |
| D．teach some parents how to love their children |
| A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother. |
| B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged. |
| C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers. |
| D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. |
| A．Canada | B．the United States of America |
| C．Mexico | D．Britain |
