Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic(语言的)technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb.Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence.This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle(拼图玩具)together.If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game.But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited.By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak.The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1.The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A.Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B.Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C.Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D.Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2.Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A.technique B.word C.brain C.sentence
3.In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A.the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B.a sense of drama created by playing the game
C.the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D.the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4.Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A.language used in plays
B.characters showed in works
C.brain activity increased in reading
D.thinking process when writing
高一英语阅读理解简单题
Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic(语言的)technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb.Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence.This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle(拼图玩具)together.If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game.But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited.By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak.The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1.The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A.Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B.Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C.Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D.Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2.Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A.technique B.word C.brain C.sentence
3.In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A.the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B.a sense of drama created by playing the game
C.the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D.the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4.Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A.language used in plays
B.characters showed in works
C.brain activity increased in reading
D.thinking process when writing
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In a research carried out in the UK, it was found that only four out of every five employees were happy at work. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the pay or the love for the work that made people happy. Instead, friendly, supportive colleagues and a good manager have been found to be the primary causes of happiness at work. So how do you develop a sense of joy on the job? Here are some suggestions.
Happiness is a state of mind, so staying happy at work is completely based on a positive attitude towards your job. Focus on the bright side of the work rather than keep talking about what makes you unhappy.
Challenge yourself and take charge of your own growth in your career. Boredom is one of the primary factors that cause people to change jobs. Find new challenges and it’s a great feeling to take control over what you do and see a task through.
Having coworkers you like and enjoy working with is a feature of happiness in the workplace. Talk to people, get to know them and try to get along well with them in the workplace. Meeting new people and getting fresh views can help you to keep yourself interested in your work.
Complete your tasks, no matter how disagreeable or tough they might be. This gives you a sense of achievement and encourages you to work towards your goals in future.
Sitting and staring at your screen all day long isn’t going to help you. Instead, take breaks and go outside for some time. For example, go out for a few minutes to feel the breeze (微风). Eat your lunch outside or work for a few minutes during that hour, which helps you stay happy at work.
1.Which of the following is a main cause of happiness at work?
A. One’s love for the work.
B. Having a good manager.
C. Having many supporters.
D. The pay one gets from work.
2.Why does the author advise us to keep challenging ourselves at work?
A. To do our work more creatively.
B. To learn from new experiences.
C. To avoid feeling bored in the work place.
D. To prove that we have the ability to do the task.
3.The passage is written for___________.
A. general workers
B. new graduates from universities
C. those working on computers
D. people working in big companies
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that too many kids are eating too much pizza and too many calories are doing harm to children’s health.
“There are a lot of takeaways from the study. But the biggest thing is that parents are serving their kids too much pizza,” said Dr.William Dietz, one of the study’s authors and the director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the Milken Institute of Public Health at the George Washington University.
The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which tracked the diets of more than 11,000 children and teenagers. Researchers figured how many children eat pizza in the United States, how often they eat it, and how much they eat when they do.
Pizza, pretty alarmingly, is the second leading source of calories in the diets of America’s children, next only to grain desserts, such as cookies and other sweets. On any given day, roughly 20 percent of all children aged 2 to 11 and adolescents aged 12 to 19 eat pizza. And when they do, they eat a lot of it. When children eat pizza, they eat roughly 400 calories, according to the study. For teenagers, it’s upwards of 600 calories.
All that is pretty problematic, according to Dietz largely because kids don’t tend to balance the pizza slices with salads, vegetables and other more nutritional(有营养的) foodstuffs. Days on which children and teenagers eat pizza are not only associated with considerably higher intakes of fat, but also, quite simply, with more food: on average, children consume 84 extra calories on the days they eat pizza, while adolescents consume an extra 230 calories.
“When you eat extra calories and don’t compensate(抵偿) for them at another point of the day or week, it can lead to weight gain and even obesity.”Dietz said.
There is a Silver lining. Pizza consumption is still too high by nutrition standards, but it’s lower than it used to be. Consumption(消费) fell by roughly 25 percent between 2007 and 2016, according to the study. Much of that has come at dinner where it's fallen by 40 percent for children and about 33 percent for teenagers. It’s unclear whether the decline has been in connection with a growing concern over obesity, especially among the country’s youth.
But the drop in pizza consumption, while significant hasn’t been big enough “It’s a positive trend,” Dietz said. “But we’re not quite them yet.”
It’s easy to see the appeal of pizza. It’s cheap. Parents can buy a lot of pizza for not a lot of money. Besides, they can buy pizza from a chain shop, a mom-and-pop store or a grocery freezer. And it’s universally loved. The estimated 3 billion pizza eaten each year in the United States is a proof of the food’s unmatched popularity. Given how much the country loves pizza, what’s to be done? Dietz suggests pizza with smaller serving sizes and healthier toppings(配料). “We’re not suggesting that kids avoid pizza altogether.” said Dietz. “But when parents serve it, it’s important that they understand it’s extremely caloric. They should serve smaller pizza, or at least smaller slices.”
1.According to the study, the problem with kids is that .
A. they are overweight B. they have too many takeaways
C. they are fed too much pizza D. they have very bad health
2.How did the researchers get the result?
A. Through interviewing. B. By analyzing data.
C. By tracking kids’ diets. D. Through experimenting.
3.We know from the passage that when kids eat pizza, .
A. they usually don’t eat other food B. they eat less of other food
C. they are not likely to balance their diet D. they usually eat with vegetables
4.What does the underlined part a silver lining in Paragraph 7 probably mean?
A. Something hopeful B. Something valuable.
C. Something miserable. D. Something successful.
5.What’s the key message of the last paragraph?
A. Pizza consumption fell significantly in America.
B. Pizza has many advantages over other food.
C. Eating too much pizza can lead to failing health and obesity.
D. The pizza problem may be improved through its size and topping.
高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
New research has found that even if you give up smoking,the damage it has done to your genes(基因)will stay there for a much longer time.
In the research,a team of US scientists studied the blood of 16,000 people.Among them, some were smokers,some used to smoke,and the rest were non-smokers.Scientists compared their genes and found that more than 7,000 genes of smokers had changed a number that is one-third of known human genes.
According to NBC News,both heart disease and cancer are caused by genetic changes. Some people may have had the changes when they were born,but most people get them in their day-to-day lives while doing things like smoking.
When you stop smoking,a lot of these genes will return to normal within five years.This means your body is trying to heal(治愈)itself of the harmful effects of smoking.But the changes in some of the genes stay for longer.They can stay for as long as 30 years.It’s almost like leaving a footprint on wet cement(水泥)— it will always be there, even when you’ve walked away and when the cement becomes dry.
Although the study results may make people unhappy,there is a bright side: the findings could help scientists invent medicine to treat genetic damage caused by smoking or find ways to tell which people have heart disease or cancer ricks.
1.The function of Paragraph 1 is to ______________.
A. give an example B. show the main idea of the passage
C. make an argument D. introduce the topic of the passage
2.Most genetic changes happen because of ____________.
A. people's bad living habits B. environmental pollution
C. people's condition at birth D. heart disease and cancer
3.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 4 refers to ________________.
A. the cement B. the footprint
C. the harmful D. the genetic change
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The findings help to find treatments for genetic damage caused by smoking.
B. The findings have prevented more people from starting smoking.
C. The findings offer evidence that a damaged gene can heal itself.
D. The findings are the fruit of more than three years' research
高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
New research has found that even if you give up smoking, the damage it has done to your genes (基因) will stay there for a much longer time.
In the research, a team of US scientists studied the blood of 16, 000 people. Among them, some were smokers, some used to smoke, and the rest were nonsmokers. Scientists compared their genes and found that more than 7, 000 genes of smokers had changed—a number that is onethird of known human genes.
According to NBC News, both heart disease and cancer are caused by genetic changes. Some people may have had the changes when they were born, but most people get them in their daytoday lives while doing things like smoking.
When you stop smoking, a lot of these genes will return to normal within five years. This means your body is trying to heal (治愈) itself of the harmful effects of smoking. But the changes in some of the genes stay for longer. They can stay for as long as 30 years. It’s almost like leaving a footprint on wet cement (水泥) — it will always be there, even when you’ve walked away and when the cement becomes dry.
Although the study results may make people unhappy, there is a bright side:the findings could help scientists invent medicine to treat genetic damage caused by smoking or find ways to tell which people have heart disease or cancer risks.
1.The function of Paragraph 1 is to ______.
A. give an example
B. arouse readers’ interest
C. make an argument
D. give the main idea of the passage
2.Most genetic changes happen because of _______.
A. people’s condition at birth B. environmental pollution
C. people’s bad living habits D. heart disease and cancer
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.
A. the cement B. the footprint
C. the harmful effects D. the genetic change
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The findings are the fruit of more than three years’ research.
B. The findings have prevented more people from starting smoking.
C. The findings offer evidence that a damaged gene can heal itself.
D. The findings help to find cures for genetic damage caused by smoking.
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
When the recent research was analyzed(分析), it was found that a lot of people wanted free pictures or free music from the Web. If it couldn’t be free, then they wanted it “new” or at least at a low price. It seems that 70 percent of people aged 16 to 24 download music online but only 1 in 40 tracks are bought legally.
Thus, some companies are planning to give all of their music away for free. The music will be totally free except that you will have to pay with your time by watching advertisements. This will be perfect for those who have lots of time but little money.
The Web has encouraged a belief that things can be free, or at least very cheap. It seems that everyone is looking for a good deal on the Web. The desire for free objects is part of the nature of the Web because the Web is about self-service and self-service is all about being free, cheap, fast and convenient. It’s interesting how words change their meaning. Stealing has now become file sharing, but it’s not really stealing, is it?
Free is a funny word. We all know that very little is really for free. If we go searching on the Web for free music, we know—or should know—that there are risks involved. However, it doesn’t matter. We still want free things, or at least the sense that we’re getting a real bargain and that at a minimum we’re saving time.
What can be the worst experience on the Web? A site that charges us high prices and wastes our time.
1.What is the best title for the text?
A. The Nature of the Web B. The Web and the Culture of “ Free”
C. Stealing and File Sharing D. What Does the Word “ Free” Mean?
2.Why do some companies “ sell” their music for free?
A. Their music is not popular and is out of date.
B. Most people have lots of time but little money.
C. Their music can’t be sold new or for a low price.
D. They can earn money from the advertisements added in the music.
3.Which of the following can best describe the belief of the Web?
A. Risky behaviour B. Stealing C. File sharing D. For fun.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote(引语)from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto.The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto.This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop.”
Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need.
Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.
1.The study shows _________.
A.which university should have mottoes
B.what poems are popular
C.how many students like the motto “Believe yourself.”
D.the majority of the students like to choose their favorite mottoes
2.Of the students asked, _______ students have mottoes.
A.about 78% B.about 57% C.about 16% D.about 8%
3.The motto “Self-improvement without stop” shares the similar meaning with ______.
A.going on to improve rapidly
B.growing by oneself continuously
C.making oneself better and perfect continuously
D.becoming better without having a break
4.The best title for the passage should be _______.
A.Mottoes and Character Developing B.Students and Poet
C.Mottoes and Learning D.Understanding Care
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It has been showed that teachers in UK schools are trying the use of body cameras in class to record bad pupil's behavior.
At least two schools in England have introduced the equipment for constant recording with the agreement of local education authorities. The cameras, worn on teachers’ clothing, are set to film all the time but only save encrypted footage(加密镜头)when the record button is pressed, the Times reported.
Teachers are advised to turn on the cameras during incidents in the classroom to deal with “constant low-level interruption”, but must give notice before doing so.
The technology is already used by police and some hospital staff as well as crossing-patrol officers. Footage could also be shared with parents to involve them in addressing their children’s behavior. Feedback from parents and schools was said to be positive, with teachers praising them as an effective deterrent(震慑).
A survey published on Wednesday questioning teachers on the idea found more than a third would be willing to wear a body camera in the classroom, with many wanting the technology available to help fight with bad behavior from pupils.
Of the people who said they were in favor, about 31.6 percent said they were motivated by teacher and student safety. Among those who were not willing to use the technology, reasons included concerns about their own privacy and that of the children, as well as feeling spied on, or the possibility of misuse by management.
Around two-thirds of the teachers, more than 600 in total, said they feel safer in the classroom if they knew there was a camera recording everything, while 10.9 percent said they could foresee a time when bodycams are compulsory.
Mary Bousted, general secretary at the Association of Teachers and Lectures(ATL), said all schools should be safe places for pupils and staff.
1.If a teacher wants to save the record for later use, he should _____________.
A. give first notice
B. press the record button
C. film with the camera all the time
D. ask for the permission of the students
2.What can we learn from the text?
A. Some people agree with the idea.
B. None of the parents support the idea.
C. Students are not worried about their private things.
D. All schools have been safe about for teachers and students.
3.What may be the best title for the text?
A. The Use of Body Cameras in Class
B. Parents’ Reactions to Using Cameras
C. How to Record Students’ Good Behavior
D. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking Photos
高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The purpose of the research project has a more different meaning for them than _________.
A.that for us B.it has for us C.it did for us D.it did for ours
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Children whose minds wander might have sharper brains, a research suggests.
A study has found that people who appear to be often distracted (走神) have more “working memory”, giving them the ability to hold a lot of information in their heads and control it cleverly.
Children at school need this type of memory on a daily basis for a variety of tasks, such as following teachers’ instructions or remembering dictated (听写的) sentences. During the study, volunteers were asked to perform one simple task during which researchers kept asking if their minds were wandering. At the end, volunteers measured their working memory capacity (容量) by their ability to remember a series of letters mixed with simple maths questions.
Daniel Levinson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, said that those with higher working memory capacity reported “more mind wandering during these simple tasks”, but their performance did not suffer.
The results, published online in the journal Psychological Science, appear to confirm former research that found working memory allows humans to deal with multiple thoughts at the same time.
Dr Jonathan Smallwood, of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science in Leipzig, Germany, said, “What this study seems to suggest is that, when surroundings for the task aren’t very difficult, people with additional working memory capacity use them effectively to think about other things besides what they’re doing.”
Working memory capacity is also associated with general measures of intelligence, such as reading comprehension and IQ scores. Dr Smallwood added: “Our results suggest the sorts of planning that people do quite often in daily life – when they are on the bus, when they are cycling to work, when they are in the shower – are probably supported by working memory.”
1.During the study, the researchers asked the volunteers to _______.
A. solve some difficult maths problems
B. retell some dictated sentences
C. follow the teacher’s instructions
D. carry out one simple task
2.The underlined word “suffer” in the fourth paragraph probably means _______.
A. become worse B. settle down
C. experience pain D. run out
3.According to the study, working memory _______.
A. prevents people from remembering dictated sentences
B. causes people’s minds to wander more easily
C. allows people to consider more things at the same time
D. leads to people’s worse performance during work
4.What’s the text mainly about?
A. How the working memory works in the daily life.
B. Wandering minds might have brighter brains.
C. Why people’s minds wander while working.
D. Working ability can be improved by wandering minds.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析