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How do you remember the way to your house? Where do dreams come from? It is your brain (大脑) that does these things. A British scientist showed that “sleep can improve one’s memory.” It’s not a dream for students to study when they sleep. In fact, your brain is working day and night. If you learn words before bed, a certain part of the brain may help you to remember the words while you sleep. What’s more, another scientist in the USA found that there was a “talent button (天才按钮)” in the human brain. It might make a person more talented.
There are more interesting things about the brain. Your brain uses less energy than a fridge light. Just two bananas can give the brain enough energy to work for a whole day. According to some scientists, yawning (打哈欠) keeps our brains “cool”, which makes us think quicker.
Here are some pieces of advice to keep a good brain:
Eat healthy food.
Get a lot of playtime or exercise.
Don’t drink or smoke.
Use your brain a lot.
1.A British scientist found out that ________ could improve our memories.
A．drink B．dreams C．sleep D．bananas
2.According to the passage, if we want to have a good brain, we should ________.
A．use our brains more B．sleep fewer hours
C．work longer hours D．remember fewer things
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Our brains only work in the daytime.
B．Our brains need much energy every day.
C．Smoking can keep our brains healthy.
D．Getting exercise is good for our brains.
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| Xiao Shenyang will present a comedy in mid-May. You’ll enjoy errenzhuan, a local folk dance from Northeast China. Time: 8 p. m. May 10 Tickets: 280-800 yuan Venue: Shenzhen Sports Center Booking: 11185 | |
| Rubina Ali, the young actress who played Lakita in “Slumdog Millionaire”, is performing in a musical named “Sleeping Beauty”. Time: 7:30 p. m. June 1 Tickets: 280 yuan Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater Booking: 86371698 | |
| Liu Qian, a well-known magician from Taiwan, is performing wonderful magic tricks. Time: 3 p. m. June 20 Tickets: 500 yuan (5% off if you buy on line) Venue: Shenzhen Children’s Palace Booking: 89812344 | |
| Britain’s singing sensation Susan Boyle is coming! You may enjoy her angelic voice in her concert. Time: 8 p. m. July 25 Tickets: 380-700 yuan Venue: Shenzhen Grand Theater Booking: 82337625 |
1.According to the advertisement, you can dial _________ to book a concert ticket.
A．82337625 B．86371698 C．89812344 D．11185
2.If you want to go to a musical, you should go to _________.
A．Shenzhen Grand Theater B．Shenzhen Sports Center
C．Shenzhen Poly Theater D．Shenzhen Children’s Place
3.Xiao Shenyang will present _________.
A．a musical B．a concert
C．a magic show D．a local folk dance
4.How much can you save if you buy two tickets to Liu Qian’s magic show online?
A．950 yuan B．10 yuan C．25 yuan D．50 yuan
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“Are you happy?” The simple question usually makes people confused (迷惑的). Even Mo Yan, who won a Nobel Prize, replied to it by saying, “I don’t know.”
When a migrant worker (农民工) was asked, “Are you happy? (Ni Xing Fu Ma?)” by a CCTV reporter, he looked confused before replying, “My family name is Zeng. (Wo Xing Zeng.)” This has become a joke. But his answer showed migrant workers and TV reporters live in different worlds and they cannot even communicate with each other.
Similarly, when asked, “Are you happy?” a 73-year-old man, collecting used plastic bottles in a street in Zhejiang, said, “The bottles can be sold for 0.1 yuan each.” Asked again, he said, “The government is good.” The reporter went on, “My question is ‘Are you happy?’” The old man answered, “My hearing is not good.”
The reporter probably tried to reach the same answer that the interviewees(被采访者) including the migrant worker and the old man are “happy”.
In fact, when the question is asked, we should learn about people’s true situation and their true wishes and opinions but their “Yes” or “No”.
Luckily, the government has paid more attention to the importance. Now there are many TV programs giving common people the chance to give their opinions.
“Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At last year’s National People’s Congress (人大), Wen Jiabao said and agreed that increasing happiness would be a top aim for the 12th five-year plan.
1.Ten plastic bottles could be sold for ________ to the 73-year-old.
A．0.1 yuan B．1 yuan C．10 yuan D．20 yuan
2.The government has paid more attention to the importance of ________.
A．learning about people’s true wishes and opinions
B．people’s different replies to “Are you happy?”
C．improving migrant workers’ education
D．keeping the old people’s health
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The reporters wanted the people to say “Yes” when asked “Are you happy?”
B．Letting people live more happily is a top aim in the next five years.
C．The reporter asked the old man three different questions.
D．We can call the migrant worker Mr. Zeng.
4.This passage is mainly about ________.
A．the questions B．the happiness
C．the popular songs D．the education
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Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it “automaticity (自动性)”.
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase (短语). With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount (数量) of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable (适合) for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.
1.Children with “automaticity” can read faster because they don’t have to think about ________.
A．how to read the words B．the meaning of the words
C．reading by themselves D．the meaning of the text
2.Rossman tells that any child who ________ will possibly be an automatic reader.
A．turns off TV one night 4 weeks
B．reads books by the word quickly
C．spends an hour reading every day
D．gets the same grades as others in exams
3.The underlined word “stumble” in the passage means “________” in Chinese.
A．结结巴巴地读 B．全神贯注地读
C．心不在焉地读 D．声情并茂地读
4.The best title for the passage is “________”.
A．IQ Is the Key to the Automaticity
B．TV Is Bad for Children's Reading
C．Automaticity Depends on Practice
D．Automatic Reads Will Be Successful
