Have you ever been stuck(困住) for hours on a h...

Have you ever been stuck(困住) for hours on a hard math problem? If you sat there for some time you might eventually solve it, but scientists say that daydreaming might be a much better way to tackle(处理) difficult tasks.

In fact, daydreaming has long been misunderstood. It’s considered to be a bad thing and often associated with laziness. “We’re harsh(严厉的) on ourselves if we catch ourselves mind wandering,” says Professor Kalina Christoff from the University of British Columbia in Canada.

But the truth is that some of the most important scientific discoveries came about because scientists allowed their minds to wander. For example, Albert Einstein began his theory of relativity(相对论) when he daydreamed about riding a beam(束) of sunlight to the edge of the universe. And now, research has shown that normal people can also improve their problems solving ability in the same way, reported The Telegraph.

In a study, 145 people aged between 19 and 32 were asked to list as many unusual uses as possible for everyday objects. Some of them were given a 12-minute break while the others were not allowed any break from the task. People on the break did not simply relax—some of them were told to carry out a tiring memory task while others did an easier task.

Scientists found that people who did the easier task were daydreaming a lot. They thought about personal issues in the past or in the future because their mind was at ease.

After the break, all participants were asked to return once again to the task of listing unusual uses for everyday objects. It was found that daydreamers improved their performance by 40 percent, while all the other people, including those who didn’t have a break and who did tiring tasks during the break, performed the same as before.

“People think that when the mind wanders away, it just gets turned off—but we show the opposite,” explained Christoff. “A more playful attitude might allow you to call in more resources(解决办法).” So when you are struggling to solve complicated problems, it might be better off if you switch to a simpler task and let your mind wander for a while, she sug­gested.

According to Christoff, people typically spend one-third of their waking time daydreaming. “It’s a big part of our lives, but it’s been largely ignored(忽视) by science.”

1.. It was believed that daydreaming __________.

A. had something to do with imagination

B. had been misunderstood for a long time

C. was a waste of time when the mind was shut off

D. was a good way to relax and solve problems

2.. What is the main purpose of Paragraph 3?

A. To show that great scientists daydream a lot.

B. To inform us that daydreaming has its benefits.

C. To prove people can daydream whenever they like.

D. To introduce new experiments on daydreaming.

3.. What did the scientists discover in the experiment?

A. People’s minds turned off as they daydreamed.

B. The group that were given hard memory tasks performed best.

C. People who had a break showed improvement in the task.

D. Daydreaming could improve people’s problem-solving abilities.

4.. How did the scientists get their conclusion?

A. By studying brain scan results of the groups.

B. By comparing the performances of different groups.

C. By asking and observing people in different groups.

D. By analyzing the amount of tasks each participant did.

九年级英语阅读理解极难题查看答案及解析

Have you ever been on a student exchange program? How useful was it? We asked three people for their opinions.

Ellen

I spent 8 days in Germany when I was studying for my Level A. I went to school every day, and spent the evenings with a family. It was great because I had to speak German all the time. However, the most useful thing was that I was paying more attention to communicating in the language, instead of speaking perfectly correct German. I was really glad that people could understand what I was saying. I’d certainly introduce it to other students studying languages.

Frank

I went on an exchange with my class for a week in Japan. Before the exchange, I thought my understanding of grammar was pretty good, but I had much trouble listening and speaking. So, what I thought most meaningful was that I had no choice but to use everyday language skills, rather than the language from books. If I had the opportunity, I’d certainly take part in another language exchange.

Alice

I took part in a French exchange. It lasted two weeks and I stayed with my exchange family in a small town just outside Paris. I’m quite a shy person, so in the first few days, I was kind of nervous, but then it was fine. I love French and my French has always been good. But the exchange really helped develop my speaking skills, and made me a much more confident person. It felt great to be able to talk with French people. I also found that everyone who took part in the exchange did a lot better in their end-of-year exams.

1.How long did Frank stay in Japan?

A.A week B.Eight days. C.Two weeks. D.Half a year.

2.What did Alice think about her exchange?

A.It developed her listening skills. B.It made her more confident.

C.It taught her exam skills. D.It took too much of her time.

3.All three people would most likely describe their exchange as 　　　　　 .

A.tiring B.exciting C.boring D.helpful

4.Who will be interested in the passage above?

A.Students who are learning a foreign language.

B.Students who want to work as teachers later.

C.Students who are interested in traveling abroad.

D.Students who are not doing well in their studies.

九年级英语阅读单选简单题查看答案及解析

What are the kindest things that have ever been done for you? Once, years ago, I made a list, on a late night flight to my hometown.

My sister had called to tell me that our mother was dying and that if I wanted to say goodbye, I needed to get there fast. So I made calls to cancel work and hurried to catch the last flight out.

After takeoff, the lights went down and I felt empty and alone.

What do you do when you get lonely and there’s no one to hold you? How do you fill a hungry heart?

I took out a notebook and listed all the kindnesses that I’d ever been given.

Five hours later, when we landed, I closed the notebook and rushed to the hospital to say goodbye to my mother.

Making that list of kindnesses that night helped me in the days ahead to do the things I needed to do and be the daughter I wanted to be.

Kindness heals and fills an empty heart. It’s a gift, once and for always.

Last night it was cold and rainy, so I wrapped myself up in a blanket. Warm then, I recalled being 7 years old in Mrs Harrison’s second grade class.

That morning, I’d worn my new shoes to school. I loved the shoes and all the way to school on the bus couldn’t stop looking at them. But when I stepped off the bus, my right foot--- and my new right shoe – went deep into a puddle of water.

Mrs Harrison saw the water I was dripping into class. She said, “Give me those shoes and warm your feet by the fire.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said.

“No trouble! We all hit a puddle now and then!”

I don’t know if she remembered it. But I do. It warmed my feet for a few hours. But it has warmed my heart for a lifetime.

Often, acts of kindness seem to be the simplest. But they become beautiful beyond all singing of it if they are remembered with thankfulness and passed on from one needy soul to another.

1.The author thinks listing kindnesses can _________.

A. help kill time when she feels lonely.

B. remind her how lucky she was as a child.

C. make her think that she was not as good as others.

D. remind her to be a good daughter.

2.The author mentioned her experience in second grade mainly to ______.

A. express her thanks to Mrs Harrison

B. show that children always love new shoes

C. encourage teachers to care more about their students

D. say that small acts of kindness can mean a lot to someone

3.According to the passage, we should _______.

A. remember these acts for a lifetime.

B. spread kindness to those in need.

C. speak about the kindness to other people.

D. make a list of kindnesses and repay them.

4.Why does the author think kindness is a gift for always?

__________________________________________________________________________

九年级英语多任务混合问题中等难度题查看答案及解析

1--I have been working hard at math. However, I can't get good marks in the exam.

--Go on studying hard. And I think your dream will

A. come true          B. come back     C. come out           D. come up with

九年级英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

—Do you think it is hard for you to learn math well?

—Yes. I really want to drop it.

A. go on learning well　　 B. pick it up　　　　

C. give it up　　　　 　　　　 D. work hard at it

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you think doing housework is a hard task for you? Have you ever thought of inventing something to make it __? A boy named Sam Houghton did and he __ a two-head broom (扫帚).

Sam was just three years old when he came up with his __. He saw his father sweep up (打扫) garden leaves and __ brooms while trying to gather large leaves and litter.

Now he is the poster boy for a new show at the British Library in London called “Inventing the 21st Century.” To celebrate __ and encourage new inventors, the famous __ is telling the story of the most special inventions coming out of Britain in the past 10 years. Sam’s broom is produced by big companies, and the brooms are very__ in England.

Young Sam Houghton is now eight years old and has another invention. He has made a balloon popping machine (气球爆破装置) for play centers. He said, “We don’t want children to cry because of __ bangs (爆炸声) of balloons. I used a box to __ the bangs so that they can’t scare (惊吓) the children.”

Have you ever wanted to be a great inventor? Watch __, think it over and work hard. Maybe you will be an inventor. Do you think so?

1.A.easier B.harder C.funnier

2.A.bought B.invented C.saw

3.A.idea B.way C.information

4.A.pick B.change C.control

5.A.inventions B.birthdays C.festivals

6.A.school B.hotel C.library

7.A.popular B.interesting C.necessary

8.A.quiet B.loud C.harmful

9.A.turn on B.turn off C.take away

10.A.quickly B.successfully C.carefully

九年级英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you ever heard of Stonehenge( 巨石阵 )? These ancient huge stones have been standing on the Salisbury Plains(索尔兹伯平原 ) in England for thousands of years. Who build Stonehenge? Some people said that the ancient Greeks built it. Some people said that it was a site where UFO landed. It’s still a mystery.

However, it is clear that the first stones arrived at Stonehenge around the same time as the ancient Egyptians were building the pyramids. These stones can only be found in South Wales,　 nearly 150 miles away. It was a huge job to move these stones far from Wales because originally there were about 80 of them here at Stonehenge. And each of the stone weighs about forty tons. To move one of these forty-ton stones, we need at least 150 people.

However, building Stonehenge was much more difficult. It is not just simply one stone piled on to top of another, they’re joined together.

Though many of the stones have fallen, Stonehenge still attracts nearly five thousand tourists every day. And after nearly 5000 years Stonehenge is still standing. It is sure that Stonehenge has something to do with the summer and winter solstices (夏至日/冬至日). Nature may well know all the answers, but science has yet to prove its theories. It seems Stonehenge isn’t ready to tell all its secrets yet.

1.How did ancient people move these huge stones to the plain?

A. By air.　　 B. By ship.　　 C. By labor　　 D. Unknown

2.Which of the following statement is true?

A. The scientists have already solved all the problems about Stonehenge.

B. It is easier to build Stonehenge than to transport there huge stones.

C. Some aliens build Stonehenge as a site to land their UFO.

D. Stonehenge showed the summer and winter solstices to ancient people.

3.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. An Egyptian Mystery.　　 B. The Building of Stonehenge.

C. Answer of Nature.　　 D. Stonehenge—An Ancient Secret.

九年级英语阅读单选困难题查看答案及解析

— Have you ________been to Nanjing?

—Yes, I have________been there for several times.

A.ever; already B.ever; never C.ever; just

九年级英语单选题困难题查看答案及解析

Have you ever been swimming in a pond, stream, or lake and had a leech(水蛭) stick on you? You probably shouted and tried to force it away as fast as you could. But leeches aren’t really sick, and sometimes they can save lives.

In ancient Egypt and later medieval(中世纪) Europe, doctors put leeches on patients. They believed that the spineless wormlike living things can cure all kinds of illnesses by sucking(吮吸) a patient’s blood. In Europe and in the United States, millions of leeches were used throughout the 1800s. Doctors used leeches to treat a number of illnesses, from obesity to headaches. People soon learned that leeches could not cure most diseases and were not a good treatment for patients. However in 1985, a Harvard University doctor changed people’s thinking once again. He was trying to reattach(重新接上) a patient’s ear, which had been cut off. He had trouble reconnecting the veins because the patient’s blood kept clotting(凝). He used a leech to draw out the blood and saved the ear.

Since then, leeches have often been used in surgery where body parts are reattached. During surgery, a leech is placed on the area where the surgeon does not want the blood to pool and clot. Then the leech produces a thing that keeps the veins(静脉) open and stops the blood from clotting. The leech sucks up excess blood, allowing fresh blood to flow, which helps the patient get well.　　

Some people are scared to death at the thought of having a blood sucking thing attached to them. But why not welcome a leech if it can save your life?

1.What is the passage mostly about?

A.Patient’s interest in leeches.

B.How and where leeches live.

C.The medical uses of leeches.

D.Leeches in ancient medicine.

2.When were leeches first used?

A.In medieval Europe.

B.In ancient Egypt.

C.In 1985 by a Harvard University doctor.

D.In the 1800s in Europe and in the United States.

3.When a leech is placed on a patient, which one happens first?

A.The leech produces a thing.

B.The patient’s veins open.

C.The patient’s blood flow faster

D.The leech sucks up excess blood.

4.Why did a doctor in 1985 decide to try using leeches?

A.He needed a way to close the wound.

B.He wanted to change people’s thought.

C.He believed in the mystery of nature.

D.He needed to keep blood from clotting

九年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you ever been sad because you failed in something? If so, please remember, for often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Here is a story to tell you why.

One day a little boy decided to dig a hole behind his house after watching a science program. As he was working, a couple of boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a deep hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that it was impossible to do it. Then they left.

The little boy kept on digging and digging. Suddenly, a few small colorful stones caught his eyes. He collected them and put them into a glass jar (罐) patiently. Humming (哼唱) a song, he went on digging. The jar was full soon. Then he talked to himself calmly and proudly, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have found in the process (过程) of digging!”

The boy’s goal (目标) was too difficult, but it did cause him to go on, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

Not every goal will be achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you can’t achieve your goal, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things that have come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really has a meaning.

1.What did the boy do after watching a program?

A. He bought a glass jar.　　 B. He played with some visitors.

C. He started to dig a hole.　　 D. He went on watching the program.

2.What did the older boys think of the little boy?

A. He was silly.　　 B. He was strong-minded.　　 C. He was strict.　　 D. He was energetic.

3.What does the underlined sentence “It is in the digging that life is lived.” mean according to the article?

A. Life is to make a big success.　　 B. Life is difficult but colorful.

C. Life is to find the colorful stones.　　 D. Life is on the way to achieve the goal.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析