1 . We often hear people say, “I have a good memory for things like that.” or “I can remember names.”

But do you know memory is the single most important thing and it has played a very important part? For early men, there were dangers all around them-bad weather, wild animals. The keys to keep on living lay in man’s ability to remember these dangers and the ways he had dealt with them in the past. And as man learned how to deal with them, he became civilized. Surprisingly, scientists have not yet found a way to open up the brain and observe its function without destroying it. Perhaps there are two types of memory: long-term and short-term. Short-term refers to those facts that stay with us for a few seconds to a few hours. For example, when you stay at a hotel, you remember the room number and forget it as soon as you leave. Long-term memory, on the other hand, means you remember things for a long period of time. If you spend your honeymoon in a special hotel, it’s likely that you’ll remember your stay quite clearly.

Scientists also believe that a short-term memory can become a long-term memory if a lot of chemical and physical changes take place in the part of the brain. Although the human brain weighs three pounds, it contains 30 billion nerve cells (神经细胞) acting like a computer. When those changes strengthen (加强) the links in certain nerve cells, a thought becomes a part of the long-term memory.

1. From the first paragraph, we know that someone is good at remembering _____.

A．names

B．figures

C．pictures

D．actions

2. To live safely, people in the past should be able to remember______.

A．the learning ability	B．the dangers around them
C．some wild plants	D．their friends’ addresses

3. How many types of memory are mentioned in the passage?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

4. A short-term memory can become a long-term memory when _____.

A．certain nerve cells get destroyed in daily life

B．the facts stay in the brain for quite a few hours

C．people become strong through different exercise

D．some nerve cells link strongly by certain changes

5. What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Living skills	B．Chemical changes
C．Memory types	D．Physical changes

2 . Why do plants grow in some places and not in others? Why does some land have so much growing on it, while other land has almost no plants growing on it at all?

To grow, plants need several things. One is warmth. In very cold places almost nothing grows. Plants also need water. In very dry parts of the Earth only a few unusual plants can grow. That’s why dry deserts everywhere are almost not covered by trees or grass.

Plants must also have a place in which to put down their roots and grow. They find it difficult to grow on hard land. The town is built on hard land. The plants here have only the soil found between the cracks of the stones to grow in.

Another thing plants must have before they can grow is food.

What will happen if we try to make things grow on the sandy beach? A few plants, such as beach grass, will grow in sand, but most plants won’t. Even if the weather is warm enough and we water the plants each day, many of them will die because the sand on this beach has almost no food for plants.

1. According to the passage, plants need        things to grow well.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

2. What does the underlined word “cracks” mean in the text?

A．缝隙

B．表面

C．夹层

D．底部

3. The reason why most plants can’t grow on the sandy beach is that        .

A．there isn’t enough sunlight	B．there is too much water
C．it is too crowded there	D．it has little food for plants

4. The passage can most probably be found in a        book.

A．science

B．history

C．travel

D．math

3 . Experts say that the ability of dogs to smell is one million times stronger than that of humans. With so much sniff (闻) power, it’s hardly surprising that they stick their heads out of car windows. They don’t care about the scenery. What they’re after are the smells.

When dogs put their faces into the wind, their upper lips and noses are sniffing, their eyes partly closed, and their ears folded back. It looks as if they’re enjoying themselves very much, but mainly they’re concentrating. It’s as though they’re closing down all the rest of their senses to concentrate on this one. Every dog loves to hang his head out of the window, and all dogs have an excellent sense of smell. This ability is increased when they are moving quickly, which is one reason that they take advantage of open car windows. It also probably makes them excellent hunters.

Smell is so important to dogs that they have two systems for it. One is in the nose, which consists of a huge amount of tissue (组织) with scent receptors (嗅觉感受器). This area takes up about 1/2 square inch in humans, but up to 20 square inches in some dogs. As air moves over the tissue, odor molecules (气味分子) reach the millions of scent receptors. The more air flowing there is, the better dogs smell. So they love to put their faces into the wind.

Dogs have a second system in their mouths, where a tiny pipe leads to Jacobson’s organ (犁鼻器). Its task is to catch different types of smells. Dogs depend on it to find the sources of smells.

Title	Dogs’ Sense of Smell
The most     1     sense dogs have is that of smell.	a. All dogs love to hang their heads out of car windows and put their faces into the wind. It seems as if they’re just     2     themselves, but actually they’re     3     on the smells. b. All dogs have an excellent sense of smell, and this ability is     4     when they are moving quickly. Maybe this is why they are good at     5     .
The two smelling systems in dogs	The one in   their    6	Their noses have a huge amount of tissue with     7     of scent receptors. It covers as much as 20 square inches in some dogs. Odor molecules reach the receptors as     8     moves over the tissue.
	The one in their mouths	A tiny pipe in the mouth leads to Jacobson’s organ, which dogs     9     on to determine types of smells, and find their     10    .

4 . Music is part of our life.    1     It is the best tool to use when you’ve had a hard day. There are some other great uses for your collection of slow tracks.

Pregnancy (孕期)

    2    Since fetal (胎儿) brain development begins in the fifth week, it might be a great idea to try to get your baby in a relaxed state early on. Some mothers do this by putting earphones over their bellies.

High Stress Tasks

    3     The tendency of relaxing sounds to slow you down may really be good for you even if you are trying to push yourself to meet a deadline. Slowing down means you have a better chance at working more carefully and preventing big mistakes.

    4    

Going to see the doctor or the dentist can be somewhat scary experiences. You might therefore want to request some calming music.     5     If yours doesn’t, you might want to bring your own sounds stored in a device so you can have a more personal experience listening to them with earphones.

A．Medical Appointments

B．Important Interviews

C．Most people tend to use calming music.

D．Many doctors actually already provide this.

E．Parents hope their babies can grow under calming music.

F．Science has proven that musical tones affect the brain waves.

G．Gentle tunes can help you deal with stressful work well.

5 . The Smart Treat Chocolate lovers know that eating chocolate makes them happy. Now it turns out that eating chocolate may also make them smarter. Dr. Bryan Raudenbush recently conducted a study to see how eating chocolate affects people’s brains. The U.S. researchers knew that chocolate contained several stimulants. But he wasn’t sure how those stimulants actually affected chocolate eaters. To find out, Raudenbush had a group of volunteers eat 85 grams of milk chocolate. He asked another group to eat no chocolate at all. After 15 minutes, he tested their memory and their ability to solve problems. The group that ate milk chocolate had higher scores. They were able to remember more words and pictures than the group that did not eat chocolate. Raudenbush concluded that the stimulants in chocolate increased mental alertness. Of course, eating chocolate doesn’t guarantee you’ll pass every test. You’ll still need to study!

1. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．chocolate can help people pass every test

B．chocolate lovers are smarter than those who don’t love chocolate

C．chocolate can make people happy and cleverer

D．chocolate is loved by all the people

2. Why did Dr. Bryan Raudenbush conduct a study recently?

A．Because chocolate contains several stimulants.

B．Because chocolate made him happy.

C．To make himself smarter by eating chocolate.

D．To find out how people’s brains are affected by eating chocolate.

3. The word stimulants belongs to ________.

A．medicine

B．vegetable

C．commercial

D．identification

4. The author wrote the article mainly to express that ________.

A．chocolate is good for health

B．chocolate tastes better with milk

C．people’s performance can be improved by eating chocolate

D．nothing else can be more tasty and effective than chocolate

6 . What are coronaviruses? Coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960s. They are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections.

The new coronavirus. At the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus started spreading in China. This type of coronavirus is often called 2019-nCoV, novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. It is believed that the virus was transmitted from animals to humans. Some of the first cases were diagnosed in people who had visited a market selling live seafood and animals. Unfortunately, when viruses are transmitted from animals to people, it can take scientists a lot of time before they can develop a vaccine or medicines to cure it.

How does the virus spread? The virus appears to spread mainly from person to person. The transmission occurs when someone comes into contact with an infected person. For example, a cough, a sneeze or a handshake could cause transmission. The spread may also be caused by coming into contact with something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

1. When were coronaviruses discovered?

A．In the 1960s.

B．In the 1970s.

C．In the 1980s.

D．In the 1990s.

2. Where did the new coronaviruses start spreading at the end of 2019?

A．All over the world.

B．In America.

C．In France.

D．In China.

3. Is it easy for the doctors to cure COVID-19?

A．Yes, it is.

B．I don’t know.

C．No, it isn’t.

D．Not mentioned.

4. How many ways are mentioned for the spread of the new coronaviruses?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

7 . Throughout the world, there are about one thousand kinds of bats (蝙蝠), which are usually divided into two groups: Megachiroptere and Mricochiroptera. Their body lengths vary (变化) rather widely from 1.5 inches to 16.7 inches.

Bats are the only little mammal (哺乳动物) that can actually fly in the world, and it is safe to say they are very good at this skill using echolocation (回声定位) to find their way in the sky. Using echolocation bats are able to take sound waves to create a detailed map of the area around them.

Bats use the ability not only to know what may be in their way but also to hunt for food. Bats are active during the night, and they use nighttime to look for food. In fact, they can eat so many bugs (小虫) in one night as to make them flightless for a period of time. Bats not only eat bugs, but also feed on fruit and small birds. Many places have brought in bats to help as a choice instead of using pesticides (杀虫剂).

Anyone can build or buy a bat house to put up in the backyard. Building a bat house is easy and just a little care is needed to keep it. It could help deal with bugs each year. Bats stay together in these bat houses along with inside houses, buildings, trees and other places, and usually stay together in large numbers.

As you can see, bats are far from the scaring creatures. So, next time you see them, stop and think of the bugs and flies you will miss.

1. According to the passage, bats can’t fly for a period of time when they are ________.

A．too full

B．too tired

C．very hungry

D．very sleepy

2. Which of the following statements about bats is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Living habits

B．Physical features.

C．Diet.

D．Growth.

3. What does the writer think of bats?

A．Scaring.

B．Clever.

C．Helpful.

D．Strange.

4. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．bats have sharp eyes at night

B．many people may be afraid of bats

C．a bat house in the backyard needs no care

D．bats send out sound waves to find their way

8 . Important Note:

The Safe comes in Factory mode with door locked. Press the Power on Button once and place any finger on the scanning window to unlock. Press the Power on Button again to lock. Unless a Fingerprint is properly registered, the safe can be unlocked by placing any finger after pressing the Power on Button.

Step 1: Fingerprint Registration

1. Press the Initialization button on the back cover and release. The buzzer will beep once with red light blinks once on the scanning window.

2. Place any finger in proper position on the sensor when the red light is flashing. A long beep is heard followed by green light, move the finger away from the sensor and place the same finger on the sensor again when the red light flashes again. 2 beeps are heard followed by green light blinks twice indicating a fingerprint is properly registered to be able to unlock the Safe.

Recommendation: Follow the same procedures of 1 and 2 to register a few more fingerprints for the same user as spares. This is to ensure the user can unlock the safe with spare fingerprints even one of the fingerprints is not working.

Step 2: Unlock and Lock the Safe

1. Press and release the Power on Button, and the red light (above the scanning window) will turn on. Place the registered finger on the sensor for recognition; remove the finger when the red light turns off. A beep is heard together with green light on, and the door is now unlocked.

2. After closing the door, press the Power on Button and release, the green light is on and the door is now locked together with a confirmation beep.

1. What must be done first to use the Safe in a right way?

A．To press the power button.

B．To clean the scanning window.

C．To register a fingerprint accurately.

D．To detect the sensitivity of the sensor.

2. When can spares be used?

A．When the green light can’t be turned off.

B．When one of the fingerprints is ineffective.

C．When the sensor for recognition doesn’t work.

D．When the initialization button is out of condition.

3. What is the article about?

A．A product release.

B．An advertisement.

C．An instruction sheet.

D．A market questionnaire.

9 . IQ is often regarded as a crucial driver of success, particularly in fields such as science, innovation and technology. But the truth is that some of the greatest achievements by our species have primarily relied on what scientists call “cognitive flexibility”.

Cognitive flexibility is a skill that enables us to switch between different concepts, or to adapt behavior to achieve goals in a novel or changing environment. And the good news is that it can be trained. Currently, a group of researchers from Cambridge University are conducting a research, trying to work out how people can best boost their cognitive flexibility.

Cognitive flexibility may have affected how people coped with the pandemic lockdowns, which produced new challenges around work and schooling. Some people may have changed their routines from time to time, trying to find better and more varied ways of going about their day. Others, however, struggled and finally became more rigid in their thinking. They stuck to the same routine activities, with little flexibility or change.

Flexible thinking is key to creativity. It also supports academic and work skills such as problem solving. Unlike working memory, it is largely independent of IQ. For example, many visual artists may be of average intelligence, but highly creative and have produced masterpieces.

So does cognitive flexibility make people smarter in a way that isn’t always captured on IQ tests? We know that it leads to better rational thinking throughout the lifespan. For example, for children it leads to better reading abilities and better school performance.

It can also help protect against a number of prejudice. People who are cognitively flexible are better at recognizing potential faults in themselves and using strategies to overcome these faults.

Cognitive flexibility is essential for society to flourish. It can help maximize the potential of individuals to create innovative ideas and creative inventions. Ultimately, it is such qualities that we need to solve the big challenges of today.

1. What is the purpose of the research conducted by Cambridge University researchers?

A．To clarify people’s misunderstanding about cognitive flexibility.

B．To figure out the relationship between IQ and cognitive flexibility.

C．To explore effective ways to improve people’s cognitive flexibility.

D．To make out the benefits of increasing people’s cognitive flexibility.

2. What will cognitively flexible people probably do to deal with new challenges?

A．Stick to their original plan.	B．Handle new problems rigidly.
C．Adjust their thoughts and behavior.	D．Apply creative ideas to improve their IQ.

3. What can we learn about cognitive flexibility?

A．It is closely related to people’s IQ.	B．It is an unchangeable inborn quality.
C．It helps people avoid reasonable thinking.	D．It helps people make greater achievements.

4. What do the last three paragraphs mainly talk about?

A．Applications of cognitive flexibility.	B．Benefits of cognitive flexibility.
C．Experiments on cognitive flexibility.	D．Definitions of cognitive flexibility.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. disorder              B. influencing              C. escalates               D. reset                    E. satisfaction F. fruitless              G. refreshed              H. coincidence              I. functions              J. powerful K. recommended

The best thing you can do for your health: sleep well

Do you think you got enough sleep this past week? Can you remember the last time you woke up without an alarm clock, feeling     1    , not needing caffeine? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you are not alone. Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the     2     eight hours of nightly sleep.

Insufficient sleep is now one of the most significant lifestyle factors     3     whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. During sleep, a remarkable sewage system in the brain, called the glymphatic system,     4     at its peak. As you enter deep sleep, this sanitization system clears the brain of a sticky, poisonous protein linked to Alzheimer’s, known as beta amyloid(淀粉样蛋白). Without sufficient sleep, you fail to get that power clean. With each passing night of insufficient sleep, that Alzheimer’s disease risk     5    , like compounding interest on a loan.

Perhaps you have also noticed a desire to eat more when you’re tired? This is no     6    . Too little sleep swells concentrations of a hormone that makes you feel hungry while checking a companion hormone that otherwise signals food     7    . Full as you are, you will still want to eat more. It’s a recipe linked to weight gain in sleep-deficient adults and children alike.

Worse, should you try to diet but don’t get enough sleep while doing so, it is     8    , since up to 70% of the weight you lose will come from lean body mass, not fat. Turn these facts around and you realize that plentiful sleep is a     9     tool for controlling your appetite, your weight and keeping your body in shape.

Put simply: sleep – a consistent seven- to nine-hour opportunity each night – is the single most effective thing we can do to     10     our brain and body health each day, and the reason why I strongly suggest and respect sleep scientifically and personally.