We may all have had the embarrassing moment: Getting halfway through a story only to realize that
we've told this exact tale before to the same  person. Why do  we  make  such  memory mistakes?
     According to the research published in Psychological Science, it may have to do with the way our
brains process different types of memory.
     Researchers Nigel Gopie, of the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto, and Colin Macleod, of the
University of Waterloo, divided memory into two kinds. The first was source memory, or the ability to
keep track of where information is coming from. The second was destination memory, or the ability to
recall who we have given information to.
     They found that source memory functions better than destination memory, in part because of the
direction in which that information is travelling.
To study the differences between source memory and destination memory, the researchers did an
experiment on 60 university students, according to a New York Times report. The students were asked
to associate (聯(lián)想) 50 random (隨意的) facts with the faces of 50 famous people. Half of the students
"told" each fact to one of the faces, reading it aloud when the celebrity's (名人的) picture appeared on
a computer screen. The other half read each fact silently and saw a different celebrity picture afterward.
     When later asked to recall which facts went with which faces, the students who were giving
information out(destination memory)scored about 16 percent lower on memory performance compared
with the students receiving information(source memory).
     The researchers concluded that outgoing information was less associated with its environmental
context (背景)-that is ,the person-than was incoming information.
     This makes sense given what is known about attention. A person who is giving information, even little
facts, will devote some mental resources to thinking about what is being said. Because our attention is
limited, we give less attention to the person we are giving information to.
     After a second experiment with another group of 40 students, the researchers concluded that selffocus
is another factor that undermines destination memory.
     They asked half the students to continue giving out random information, while the other told things
about themselves. This time around, those who were talking about themselves did 15 percent worse than
those giving random information.
     "When you start telling these personal facts compared with nonself facts, suddenly destination
memory goes down more, suggesting that it is the selffocus component (成分) that's reducing the
memory."Gopie told Live Science.

1. The point of this article is to ________.

A. give advice on how to improve memory
B. say what causes the memory to worsen
C. explain why we repeat stories to those we've already told them to
D. discuss the differences between source memory and destination memory

2.What can we learn from the article?

A. Source memory helps us remember who we have  told the information to.
B. One's limited attention is one of the reasons why those reading aloud to the celebrity's pictures    
    perform worse on the memory test.
C. Silent reading is a better way to remember information than reading aloud.
D. It tends to be more difficult for people to link incoming information with its environmental context
     than outgoing information.

3. The underlined word"undermines" probably means________.

A. weakens    
B. benefits
C. explains  
D. supports

4. What did the scientists conclude from the second experiment?

A. Destination memory is weaker than source memory.
B. Focusing attention on oneself leads to relatively poor source memory performance.
C. Associating personal experience with information helps people memorize better.
D. Selffocus is responsible for the reduction of destination memory.

     On May 23,1989, Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad, New Mexico. She hadn't seen
the sun for eighteen and a half weeks. Stefania was in a research program, and the scientists in the
program were studying body rhythms (節(jié)奏). In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a cave,
30 feet in depth.
     During her time in the cave, Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice. Her living
place had been very comfortable, but there had been nothing to tell her the time. She'd had no clocks or
watches, no television or radio. There had been no natural light and the temperature had always been
kept at 21℃.
     The results were very interesting. Stefania had been in the cave for over four months, but she thought
she had been there for only two. Her body clock had changed. She hadn't kept to a 24hour day, she had
stayed awake for 20～25 hours and then had slept for 10 hours. She had eaten fewer meals and had
lost 171 bs in weight as a result!She had also become rather depressed (抑郁).
How had she spent her time in the cave?As part of the experiment she'd done some physical and mental
tests. She'd recorded her daily activities and the results of the tests on a computer. This computer had
been specially programmed for the project. Whenever she was free, she'd played cards, read books and
listened to music. She'd also learned French from tapes.
     The experiment showed that our body clocks are affected by light and temperature. For example, the
pattern of day and night makes us wake up and go to sleep. However, people are affected in different
ways. Some people wake up naturally at 5:00 am, but others don't start to wake up till 9:00 or 10:00 am. This affects the whole daily rhythm. As a result, the early risers are at their best in the late morning. The
late risers, on the other hand, are tired during the day and only come to life in the afternoon or evening!

1. Stefania stayed in the cave for a long time because________.

A. she was asked to do research on mice
B. she wanted to experience loneliness
C. she was the subject of a study
D. she needed to record her life

2. What is a cause for the change of Stefania's body clock?

A. Eating fewer meals.
B. Having more hours of sleep.
C. Lacking physical exercise.
D. Getting no natural light.

3.Where does the text probably come from ?

A. A novel.  
B. A news story.
C. A pet magazine.  
D. A travel guide.

     Compared to adults, children seem to be moving constantly. So it's no surprise that most parents who
are quizzed about their child's physical activity level describe their children as fairly active. But a new
study of nearly 2000 British school children suggests that many parents overestimate the amount of
physical activity their children are really getting.
     The researchers equipped 1892 British school children, ages 9 and 10, with accelerometers that
measure all physical  activity  during  a  given  time  period.  The research, known as the Speedy study
collected the exercise data from children at  92  schools  in  Norfolk, England, between April and July
2007.
     A child was regarded inactive if he or she recorded less than an hour a day of physical activity.
Although the majority of children studied were getting enough physical activity, a sizable minority of
children were not. Overall,39 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys studied were getting less than an
hour of physical activity each day.
     But if you asked the parents of the inactive children to describe their child's activity level, the vast
majority-80 percent-described their children as fairly or very physically active, according to the findings
published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Interestingly, the children themselves had
more awareness about their lack of physical activity. Overall, 40 percent of children overestimated their
physical activity.
     But it wasn't the parents of overweight children who were most likely to guess wrong about physical
activity levels. The parents who were most out of touch about their child's physical fitness were more
likely to  have children who were slim. Parents of girls were also more  likely  to  overestimate  physical 
 activity.  The  researchers noted that parents should be educated about the importance of physical
activity for children even if the child is not overweight.
     "Parents of slim children appear to assume that  their children are adequately active." the study
authors  reported. "Increasing awareness regarding health benefits of physical activity beyond weight
control might  help have a correct idea of physical activity levels and encourage behavior change."

1. According to the Speedy study, what kind of children   can be judged physically inactive?

A. Slim children.
B. Children with less than an hour a day of physical activity.
C. Overweight children.
D. Children out of touch with their parents for a long time.

2.What does the writer probably mean by saying "a sizable minority of children were not" in Paragraph 3?

A. The amount of children's physical activity is far from the writer's satisfaction.
B. Only a small number of children were not getting enough physical activity.
C. A small number of children didn't overestimate their physical activity.
D. The minority of children were not studied at all.

3.The passage is intended to_______.

A. encourage parents to fairly judge their children's physical activity levels
B. persuade parents to keep an eye on their children's weight
C. urge children to wear accelerometers during exercise
D. advise parents to keep in touch with their children

     However important school life may be, we can't ignore the fact that children spend more time at home
than in the classroom. Therefore the great influence of parents can't be ignored or discounted by the
teacher. They can become strong supports of the school or they can consciously or unconsciously
prevent the school from accomplishing its aims.
     Administrators have been aware of the need to keep parents apprised of the newer methods used in
schools. Many principals have conducted workshops explaining such matters as the reading readiness
program and developmental math.
     Moreover, the classroom teacher can also play an important role in explaining to parents what they
should do. The informal tea and many interviews carried on during the year, as well as new ways of
reporting pupils' progress, can significantly aid the interchange of ideas between school and home.
Suppose that a father has been drilling Junior in arithmetic processes night after night. In a friendly
interview, the teacher can help the parent change his method. He might be persuaded to let Junior
participate in discussing the family budget, buying the food, using a measuring cup at home, setting the
clock, calculating mileage on a trip and engage in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.
     If the father follows the advice, it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize his son is making
satisfactory progress in math and at the same time, enjoying the work.
     Too often, however, teachers'  conferences  with parents  are  devoted to  unimportant  accounts  of
children's wrongdoing, complaints about laziness and poor work habits, and suggestions for punishments
and rewards at home.
     What is needed is a more creative approach in which the teacher, as a professional advisor, plants
ideas in parents' minds for the best use of the many hours that the child spends out of the classroom. In
this way, the school and the home join forces in fostering the fullest development of youngsters'
competence.

1.The underlined phrase "keep parents apprised of" in  Para.2 probably means to let parents ______.

A. judge  
B. know  
C. design    
D. develop

2. What is the purpose of the schools' informal tea and interviews?

A. To improve the relationship between teachers and parents.
B. To explain to parents the change of the school curriculum.
C. To report students'  misdoings and suggestions for punishments.
D. To help develop good communication between school and home.

3. Why does the author provide the example in Paragraph 4?

A. To help parents know the importance of home activities.
B. To show how the teacher can guide in home training.
C. To prove parents are nonprofessional advisors.
D. To advise parents to teach kids math at home.

4. From the passage we learn that the author ________.

A. thinks teachers should do better as professionals
B. is worried about children's performance at home
C. is satisfied with the present state of school education
D. believes time spent out of the classroom has been wasted

      Learners report two main difficulties in reading, which may be linked. There are too many unknown
words and as a result reading is simply not a pleasure. For some students, even reading in their own
language is a chore. 　　
     Having a wide vocabulary is essential to making sense of written language. Of course, this is a circular
argument, because the more you read the more vocabulary you learn and the more words you know the
more easily you can read. Don't make the mistake of reading with your dictionary beside you, looking up
every single new or doubtful word. This is laborious and prevents you from practicing the skill of prediction. 　　
     Sometimes in reading you find a word you know but the sense doesn't seem to fit in. This is not
surprising because words have so many meanings and degrees of meaning. What is more, part of their
meaning is shaped by the words around them. Keep looking at the surrounding words and asking yourself
"what sort of meaning would make sense here?" 　　
     The more that people study the reading process, the better they can pass on to language learners a range
of advice to choose from. People have learned to read in all kinds of ways. Here is some information that
could help you plan to be a better reader in the foreign language you are studying. 　　
     1) Work out the general meaning first 　　
     When people read in a new language they often feel they must take a detailed approach, focusing in every
word, particularly those they don't know. They read as if they were using a microscope, looking carefully
at each of the small pieces (the individual words), but not necessarily seeing the whole picture at first. This is
called the "bottom-up" approach. Other readers try to look first at the big picture(the "top-down" approach),
attending to individual bricks only as necessary, a process that involves some intelligent guesswork. Generally
this second approach is recommended by successful learners. 　　
     2) Interactive reading 　　
     Another way of thinking about reading is to describe it as an interactive process, where the text brings
something to you and you bring something to the text. Readers bring together all their knowledge of the
world with what they see on the page in front of them. That is why, when reading in our own language,
we don't need to read every word. We add meaning which is not actually stated. 　　
     3) From supported reading to independent reading 　　
     Language learners start by needing considerable support as they read. Textbooks supply this support
in the form of introductions that summaries the contents, glossaries, pictures, explanations of new
grammar points. In your reading you need to move gradually from this support to reading more the text itself.

1. According to the author, _____.

A. looking up the dictionary is of great help for the understanding
B. reading more promotes the gaining of vocabulary
C. the more you read, the clearer the meaning is
D. the amount of vocabulary is the key to reading

2. Successful learners recommend _____.

A. trying to look first at the big picture
B. looking carefully at each of the small pieces
C. focusing on every word
D. "bottom-up" approach

3. The word "chore" in the first paragraph maybe means _____.

A. an important aspect
B. a difficult and tiring thing
C. an easy question
D. something special 

4. You come across a new or doubtful word when you are reading, you can _____.

A. just miss it and let it be
B. keep looking at the surrounding words
C. look it up in the dictionary each time
D. make sense of it with the help of dictionary

     "How can I learn English well?" This is a question many students ask. In my opinion, the most effective
way is to learn lessons by heart. If you can recite the text and write it out, you've learned it fairly well. And
if you can retell, in your own words, what the lesson is about, you're a very successful learner indeed. Your
English will be quite perfect. This is a difficult task. However, if you try to learn by heart only part of each
lesson, you'll find it not so hard as you might have expected.
     Learning this way, you will make rapid progress. Of course, writing is also necessary. It helps you a lot
on your way to success in English.
     Equally important is to feel the language. You should be able to laugh at jokes and be shocked at bad news.
When using English, try to forget your mother tongue. Instead of helping you, your own language gets in your
way. So, never try to see English through translation.

1. In the writer's opinion, the most effective way in learning English is _____.

A. to practise speaking, writing and feeling it
B. to memorize the English words and grammar
C. to translate everything into your own language
D. to forget your own native language

2. "Instead of helping you, your own language gets in your way." This sentence means that memorizing your
    own language can _____.

A. stop you mastering (having a good command of) English
B. help you to study English well
C. make English easy to learn
D. help you notice mistakes

3. "To feel the language" here means _____.

A. to get the knowledge of English by touching
B. to read and write English
C. to experience the rich meaning of the language
D. to translate English into your own by imagining

     In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile
broadband, today's connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly,
complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much
bigger too.
     There's a catch, of course. You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you
don't, it's slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
     Technology experts often talk about the "last mile" problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing
Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it's relatively easy to provide access for everyone.
It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries.
Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated
areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn't cover the expense.
     But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband
connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren't available
everywhere. Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纖電纜) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more
users.
     Still, the "last mile" problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn't have
an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone
technology is any indication (跡象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you
wherever you go.

1. The underlined part " a catch" (in Paragraph 2) probably means "_____".

A. a rare challenge
B. a desirable plan
C. an efficient device
D. a hidden problem

2. What can we know from the third paragraph?

A. Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.
B. Internet service providers care about rural customers.
C. Computer is popular in developing countries.
D. It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.

3. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements ______.

A. make TV and telephone available everywhere
B. bring great change to people's everyday life
C. make it possible for more people to use the Internet
D. bring faster Internet connections to users

4. What may eventually settle the "last mile" problem?

A. The broadband connection's getting faster.
B. More and more Internet users.
C. More and more Internet connections.
D. The rapid progress in cell phone technology.

     With fluent Chinese, practiced skills(技巧) on Chinese expressions and special humor in a Beijing
accent, Dashan has become a famous name across China.
     People have always wondered how the Canadian can be so good at the Chinese language. It is
considered by many people as one of the most difficult languages in the world. But to Dashan, the great
difficulty was a piece of cake because of his deep interest, proper ways and the good environment he
made for himself.
     “Interest is the best teacher.” Deeply interested in Chinese culture, Dashan decided to study in
Beijing. When he entered the Chinese Department of Beijing University in 1988, Dashan felt like a duck
in water. Study is a hard job, no matter how much interest you have. Therefore, effective ways are
necessary. As a new student, he did study the textbooks. However, that’s not enough to learn the
Chinese language well. Dashan began to read original（原版）Chinese novels, Chinese newspapers
and even works of Deng Xiaoping. “Only the material for Chinese native readers could give me a proper
sense of the language,” he said. “What you have really learned depends on what you can use. To listen
and speak as much as possible does help.”
     To help Chinese English learners, Dashan took part in a VCD program-Travel with Dashan-to teach
daily and up-to-date English in real life situations.

1. Dashan could learn Chinese very well because of _______. 

A. his VCD program                
B. his practiced skills on Chinese expressions
C. his interest and proper ways        
D. his special humour with a Beijing accen

2. It is very difficult for most people to learn Chinese but it is _______to Dashan. 

A. a joyful thing                    
B. an easy thing
C. a difficult thing                  
D. an exciting thing

3. Dashan read the works of Deng Xiaoping because _______.

A. he liked the former leader of the government
B. he hoped to learn more information of it
C. he wanted to give himself a proper sense of Chinese  
D. they are very popular in modern times

4. The main idea of the passage is _______. 

A. how Dashan learned the Chinese language so well
B. how we can master a foreign language in a short time
C. Dashan took part in a VCD program to teach English
D. try to learn English like Dashan, and you will succeed 

     Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the Cruelty young age of 30. It used to be
thought that this couldn't be helped, but new studies show that people of any age can train their brains
to work faster. "Your brain is a learning machine," says University of California scientist Dr. Michael
Merzenich. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger.
All that's required is the practice designed just for the purpose: a few exercises for the mind.
     Merzenich has developed a computer-based training method to speed up the process(過程) in which
the brain deals with information (positscience.com). Since much of the data we receive comes through
     Over the course of training, the program starts asking you to distinguish (辨別) sounds (between "dog"
and "bog", for example) at an increasingly faster speed. It's a bit like tennis instructor, says Merzenich,
hitting balls at you ~faster and faster to keep you challenged (受到挑戰(zhàn)). You may start out slow, but before
long you're pretty quick.
     The biggest finding in brain research in the last ten years is that the brain at any age is highly plastic. If
you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may even speed up while in the process.
     To keep your brain young and plastic you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite
you: playing table tennis or bridge, doing crossword puzzles, learning a language.... "When it comes to
preventing ageing, you really do 'use it or lose it'," says Barbara Sahakian, professor at Cambridge University.

1. Dr. Merzenich's training method mainly depends on ______.

A. speech training
B. computer languages
C. the activities one joins in
D. the information being dealt with

2. By saying "the brain at any age is highly plastic", the writer probably means the brain can be_____.

A. used
B. mastered
C. developed
D. researched

3. What can we learn from the text?

A. Practice makes a quick mind.
B. Brain research started ten yeas ago.
C. Dr. Merzenich is a scientist in computer.
D. People believed nothing could stop the brain slowing down.

4. Which of the following agrees with the writer's idea?

A. The training methods work better for the old.
B. People should use the brain to stop it from ageing.
C. The training of the brain should start at an early age.
D. It's necessary to take part in as many activities as possible.