CUSTOMER HEALTH: A GUIDE TO INTELLIGENT DECIS...

To above prices, please add $3 for first book and $1 for each additional book for postage & handling. Foreign countries add $5 per book. Send orders to Quackwatch, P. O. Box 1747, Allen Avenue, NY 18105. The checks must be in US dollars. We cannot process credit card orders. Please use our order form from Amazon.com and include your email address.

1.What do the four books have in common?

A. The contents.　　 B. The dates of publication.

C. The prices.　　 D. The means of cover packing.

2.What can you do to search for more information about the books?

A. Buy the brochure.　　 B. Visit Amazon.com.

C. Telephone the sellers.　　 D. Write to the author.

3.How much should a Canadian pay if he wants to buy all the four books?

A. $ 49 in total.　　 B. $ 65 in total.

C. $ 69 in all.　　 D. $ 23 in all.

4.For whom is QUACKERY AND YOU designed?

A. Those waiting to see the doctor.　　 B. Those who hold special opinions.

C. Those who order some medicine.　　 D. Those studying the science of medicine.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Visitor Guide to Birch Aquarium General Information

Thank you for respecting the health of our animals and the experience.

◆ Keep voices low in exhibit areas.

◆ No tapping on marine life displays.

◆ As a courtesy,　 please silence cell phones.

◆ Please use trash and recycling bins.

◆ Birch Aquarium is smoke-free facility.

Photography

For the safety of our live animals, please do not use flash photography. Visitors may be photographed or videotaped by aquarium staff for professional use, or by the media covering aquarium news. Entry into the aquarium grants permission for use of these images.

Refreshments

Splash Cafe offers a variety of gourmet, sustainable, and organic sandwiches, snacks, and beverages.

Drinks, food, and gum are not permitted inside the aquarium.

Restrooms ＆ Baby Care

Changing tables are located in both the men’s and women’s restrooms.

Re-entry

Please keep your ticket or have hand stamped at the Visitor Service Office if you plan to exit and re-enter the same day , including visits to Splash Coffee Shop.

Visitors with Disabilities

See the Visitor Information Center for assistance. All exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available at no charge.

Emergencies /First Aid/ Lost ＆ Found

Go to the Visitor Service Office or alert the nearest staff member.

Don’t Miss!

Watch a diver hand-feed the fishes----including three species of sharks----during our Kelp Tank Dive Show.

Learn about this unique and beautiful undersea world during a live, interactive presentation. After your visit, view the exhibit at home through our live, online Kelp Cam.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a. Visitors can attract the fish in the tank by knocking on the window of the tank.

b. Visitors can come back to the aquarium with the ticket whenever they need to.

c. Visitors are allowed to refresh themselves with snacks while enjoying the exhibition.

d. You can’t smoke freely during your visit to the Birch　 Aquarium.

e. You can’t take photos but can be photographed by the staff.

f. Babies can get changed by either mother or father.

g. The disabled have to pay for the wheelchairs provided by the aquarium.

A. a b　　 B. c e

C. d f　　 D. f g

2.What does the underlined phrase “as a courtesy” probably mean?

A. To save electricity.　　 B. For your own safety.

C. When answering the phone.　　 D. As good manners.

3.What information is necessary for visitors but not included in this Visitor Guide?

A. Opening hours　　 B. Animal Feedings

C. Membership Cards　　 D. Volunteer Work

4.In which section of a newspaper can we probably read this passage?

A. Fashion　　 B. Travel

C. Sports　　 D. Science

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

How to make Quick Decisions For Your Life

We make decisions every day.1.When it comes to making decisions, choosing the right one can at times be stressful, especially if the decision must be made quickly. Indecision often weighs us down, but there are some useful tips for making quick decisions more easily.

2.Sometimes the key to making a quick decision comes down to planning ahead of time for just such an occasion. We all know we’re going to come to an important decision-making point sooner or later, so having a plan already in hand can put our mind at ease when that time comes.

Overcome fear. 3.While it may seem difficult to overcome the fear of making the wrong choice, many experts agree that we shouldn’t be afraid to make the wrong decision, even if it seems important. The vast majority of wrong decisions can be corrected, while delaying decisions can often lead to more problems.

Write down all the advantages and disadvantages of your decision. Even if you don’t have all the information, writing down all the pros and cons（优缺点） is a good starting point for figuring out what to do. In cases where there simply isn’t enough time to write things down, make a mental list in your mind. Thinking of the pros and cons can help you organize your thoughts. 4.

Determine criteria. Remember that every decision you make should come with a certain list of criteria.5.But once you know the requirements you’re looking for, making a decision will become easier. Look for the choice that satisfies the list you’ve made, and once that choice is found, you should move ahead with it.

A. Have a plan.

B. The list may be short or quite long.

C. Communicate your decision with others.

D. And this can always lead to a clear answer.

E. So cut out any options that you know you will not choose.

F. Often, one thing that keeps us from making decisions is fear.

G. Some can be very important while others are not serious in the long run.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists（心理学家）are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they're a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.

However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

All emotions affect our thinking and motivation（动机）, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

1.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.

B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

2.Damasio’s study suggests that _________.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision making

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

3.Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.

B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.

D．They are too angry to bargain.

4.What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision making.

B．Sad people always make worst choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Decisions, decisions! Our lives are full of them, from the small ones to the life-changing. The right to choose is central to everyone. Yet sometimes we make bad decisions that leave us unhappy or full of regret. Can science help?

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.

Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision-making, but in fact they are a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional centre is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasia, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasia thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choice, which we use to help the present decision-making.

However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems that anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.

All emotions affect our thinking and motivation，so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there is one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.

1.What does the underlined word “central” mean?

A．in the middle       B．easy to reach       C．important         D．having power

2.Damasia’s study suggests that ________.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision-making.

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision-making.

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds.

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions.

3. According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.                B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.       D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

4. Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.         B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.       D．They are too angry to bargain.

5.What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision-making.

B．Sad people always make worse choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Contrary to many people believe, highly intelligent children are not necessarily certain to achieve academic success. In fact, so-called gifted students may fail to do well because they are unusually smart. Ensuring that a gifted child reaches his or her potential requires an understanding of what can go wrong and how to satisfy the unusual learning requirements of extremely bright young people.

One common problem gifted kids face is that they, and those around them, place too much importance on being smart. Such an emphasis can encourage a belief that bright people do not have to work hard to do well. Although smart kids may not need to work hard in the lower grades, when the work is easy, they may struggle and perform poorly when the work gets harder because they do not make the effort to learn. If the academic achievement of highly intelligent children remains below average for an extended period, many teachers will fail to recognize their potential. As a result, such students may not get the encouragement they need, further depressing their desire to learn. They may fall far behind in their schoolwork and even develop behavior problems.

IQ is just one element among many in the recipe for success—Children develop well or struggle in school for a host of reasons apart from IQ. These include motivation and persistence, social competence, and the support of family, educators and friends.

Because highly gifted children solve the most varied thought problems faster and more thoroughly than those with more average talents do, they need additional intellectual stimulation while they wait for the rest of the kids to learn the basics. Two central approaches are used to satisfy the educational needs of such children: acceleration and enrichment. Acceleration means studying material that is part of the standard subjects for older students. Enrichment involves learning information that falls outside the usual subjects.

A child might skip one or more grades as a way of accelerating in school. But being with older children for the entire school day—and perhaps for grade-based extracurricular activities such as sports—can make a child feel inferior in every filed outside of academics. One very bright fourth-grader who had skipped two grades remained far ahead of his classmates intellectually, but as his classmates reached adolescence, his social and other shortcomings became painfully apparent. While acceleration is not an option, or not a good one, enrichment can be. After all, school is not a race but an adventure in learning. As such, the goal is not finishing first but absorbing as much knowledge as possible in the time assigned. Thus, providing opportunities for a child to study topics outside the regular subjects can be at least as valuable as pushing him or her through the required material faster.

1. What is the basic reason for the low academic achievement of highly intelligent children?

A. Teachers’ failure to recognize their potential.

B. Too much emphasis on being intelligent.

C. Studying topics outside the regular subjects.

D. Lack of encouragement from teachers.

2. According to the passage, which of the following belongs to enrichment activities for talented children?

A. Skipping one of more grades and studying together with older children.

B. Learning the same material in the standard subjects for older students.

C. Learning information that is not included in the regular subjects.

D. Learning how to read with fluency even in their pre-school days.

3.Which of the following statements do you think is true about the writer?

A. He is in favor of enrichment rather than acceleration.

B. He is in favor of acceleration rather than enrichment.

C. He speaks highly of both enrichment and acceleration.

D. He thinks neither enrichment nor acceleration is a good choice.

4. In this article, the writer wants to ______.

A. point out the weaknesses of acceleration for gifted children

B. compare acceleration with enrichment for gifted children

C. stress the importance of enrichment for gifted children

D. discuss how to bring out gifted children’s potential

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able to think, understand, and learn things quickly. But are they smart like humans or more than cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are similar in some ways. How?

Fact 1: Talk to me

Like humans, every dolphin has its own “name”. The name is a special whistle. Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, “talk” to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans, dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one speaks “dolphin” yet, but some scientists are trying to learn.

Fact 2: Let’s play

Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups, and they often join others from different groups to play games and have fun—just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do.

Fact 3: Fishermen’s helper

Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the seas of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use an interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins show signs to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins in doing so? They get to eat some of the fish.

1.What does a dolphin often use as its “name”?

A. A body language.　　　　　　　　 B. A special whistle.

C. Its feeling.　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Its age.

2.Why do dolphins join others from different groups?

A. To learn to “talk”.

B. To meet their families.

C. To play games.

D. To find food.

3.How do dolphins help fishermen catch fish?

A. By playing with other fish.

B. By following fishing boats.

C. By leading the fish into the net.

D. By showing signs to the fishermen.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Dolphins are smarter than humans.

B. Dolphins make friends with humans.

C. Dolphins teach humans to speak “dolphin”.

D. Dolphins and humans are similar in some ways.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Chokwe Selassie, aged 13, is working hard to help drivers avoid potholes(坑洼). The eighth-grader was inspired to kick off his creation on a recent morning, when his mother was driving him to school. Their car was damaged as it went over a huge pothole in the middle of the street in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. He decided to do something about the pothole problem in his city. His solution: an app that warns drivers when there is a pothole ahead.

Chokwe developed the app with his friends Rodriguez Ratliff and Emmanuel Brooks. When the app detects a pothole, it is highlighted in red. And if you get close to the pothole, your phone will warn you. Drivers can also use the app to report any potholes they meet, and to look for other routes they can take to avoid roads that have them.

The app relies on current available information about the streets of Jackson. It works by using the city’s 311 call system, and uses information already stored in a database. Through the call system, citizens dial 311 to report non-emergency problems, which include potholes. Chokwe and his friends determined that focusing on the 10 busiest streets in Jackson would give them a large enough sample size to test the prototype(原型).

Although the app isn't yet available for sale, Chokwe is already looking for ways to improve it. The prototype remains limited to 10 streets in Jackson, but he hopes to add more, so that it includes every street in the city. And then he wants to go even farther until it's nationwide.

1.The passage is mainly about ________.

A. a solution to traffic jams　　 B. an App to detect potholes

C. pothole problems in big cities　　 D. poor road conditions

2.What’s the closest meaning of the underlined phrase “kick off” in Paragraph 1?

A. leave　　 B. invent

C. begin　　 D. change

3.How does the app work through the 311 call system?

A. By replying to citizens’ calls.

B. By broadcasting traffic accidents.

C. By settling non-emergency problems.

D. By using its information about potholes.

4.Which can be Chokwe’s future target?

A. Encouraging more kids to create apps.

B. Taking part in more learning programs.

C. Making the app available for sale online.

D. Making the app include streets nationwide.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth．

Until now，it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience—what psychologists call fluid intelligence—is innate and cannot be taught（though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing）．

But in the new study，researchers describe a method for improving this skill，along with experiments to prove it works．

The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory—the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it．This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence，so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence．

First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests．Then they trained each in a complicated memory task—the child’s card game，in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard．During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance，manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time．

The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively．To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills，the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training．

The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences，were striking．Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater．Moreover，the longer they trained, the higher their scores were．All performers，from the weakest to the strongest，showed significant improvement．

“Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training．” said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper．“No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops,” he added, “and the experiment’s design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would continue to produce further gains．

1.By writing the article，the writer intends to ______________．

A. inform the readers of a new study

B. call on people to be trained to increase intelligence

C. prove one’s born brainpower can be improved

D. tell people the improved intelligence will last forever

2.The researchers thought the key to improving the intelligence was ______________．

A. memorizing telephone numbers　　　

B .improving working memory

C. training in concentration　　　　　　　

D. recalling a card

3.The following aspects of the training help increase intelligence EXCEPT___________．

A. ignoring irrelevant items　　　　　　　　

B.monitoring ongoing performance

C.managing two tasks at the same time　　

D.using previous experience

4.When the experiment was conducted, the researchers______________．

A.trained the four groups for the same period of time

B.only made comparisons between the four groups

C.compared the four groups with control groups

D.trained the four groups together

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth．

Until now，it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience—what psychologists call fluid intelligence—is innate and cannot be taught（though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing）．

But in the new study，researchers describe a method for improving this skill，along with experiments to prove it works．

The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory—the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it．This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence，so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence．

First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests．Then they trained each in a complicated memory task—the child’s card game，in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard．During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance，manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time．

The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively．To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills，the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training．

The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences，were striking．Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater．Moreover，the longer they trained, the higher their scores were．All performers，from the weakest to the strongest，showed significant improvement．

“Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training．” said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper．“No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops,” he added, “and the experiment’s design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would continue to produce further gains．”

1..The researchers thought the key to improving the intelligence was ______________．

A.memorizing telephone numbers        B.improving working memory

C.training in concentration                             D.recalling a card

2..The following aspects of the training help increase intelligence EXCEPT___________．

A.ignoring irrelevant items                             B.monitoring ongoing performance

C.managing two tasks at the same time                   D.using previous experience

3..When the experiment was conducted, the researchers______________．

A.trained the four groups for the same period of time

B.only made comparisons between the four groups

C.compared the four groups with control groups

D.trained the four groups together

4..By writing the article，the writer intends to ______________．

A.inform the readers of a new study

B.call on people to be trained to increase intelligence

C.prove one’s born brainpower can be improved

D.tell people the improved intelligence will last forever

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析