Giving your child a chocolate bar for him to finish his maths homework is an excellent idea, according to
researchers who claim that the yummy treat could improve the brain's ability to do the most "dreadful" subject.
The study, presented at the British Psychological Society annual conference, is great news for students who
binge on(暴食) chocolate when revising for exams. For the study 30 voluhteers were asked to count backwards
in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer. The findings show
that they could do the calculations more quickly and more accurately after they had been given the cocoa drink.
However,the same was not true when the group was asked to count backwards in groups of seven, which the
researchers described as a more complex task, requiring a slightly different part of the brain. The findings also
show that the volunteers did not get as tired doing the calculations if they bad heen given the cocoa drink despite
being asked to do them over and over for an hour. The flavanols (黃烷醇) work by increasing the flow of blood
into the brain. Dark chocolate contains higher quantifies of the chemical than plain or milk chocolate. Prof.
David Kennedy at Northumbria University said that chocolate could be beneficial for mentally challenging tasks.
The researchers gave the volunteers a total of 500 mg of flavanol. Although the amount was too great to be
found naturally in the diet, researchers said that people should ensure that they have lots of flavanols. "The
more fruit and vegetables and things that are high in flavanols, the better that is for your brain in the long run."

1. The researchers tend to think that _____.

A. chocolate is good for children's health
B. delicious food improves the brain's ability
C. maths is difficult for children to learn
D. all students like eating chocolate for exams

2. How did the volunteers' calculations get improved after the drink?

A. Hot drink helps students operate computers fasten.
B. Hot drink is likely to speed up the brain's activity.
C. The flavanols help more blood flow into the brain.
D. The flavanols are chemicals that make people relaxed.

3. Which of the following contains the most flavanols?

A. Dark chocolate.
B. Plain chocolate.
C. Milk chocolate.
D. Fruit.

4. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that _____.

A. flavanols can help solve more complex problems
B. lower doses of flavanol have no effect on the brain
C. people should eat more vegetables instead of chocolate
D. students should have enough flavanols in the daily diet

     In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he
invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the
first photograph.
     The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another French, took
a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see
everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.
     Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around
the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.
     In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving
things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment.
But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States. After 1840s daguerreotype artists were
popular in most cities.
     Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The
pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality (個性).
     Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers
and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.
     In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy films readymade in
rolls (卷). So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process the film
immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later meaning that they did not have to
carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less
expensive.
     With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They
took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures "snapshot".
     Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used
documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than
drawing.
     Photography also turned into a form of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photographs were not
just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. the invention of cameras
B. a kind of new art-photography
C. the development of photography
D. the important dates in the history of photography

2. The first pictures of a war were taken by _____.

A. a French photographer in the 1840s
B. an American photographer in the 1860s
C. a German reporter in the 1880s
D. a French artist in the 1890s

3. Photography can also be an art form because artists can _____.

A. take anything they like
B. keep a record of real life
C. take photos of the famous people
D. show ideas and feelings in pictures

     Surely, it's good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more
pleasant. But really, there's one important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do it,
"learning bursts right open," says Evelyn Vuko, a long time teacher who writes an education column (專欄)
called "teacher says" for the Washington Post.
     In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they're more comfortable asking
questions and getting extra help; This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests.
When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems,
such as problems with learning.
     As a kid in elementary or middle school, you're at a wonderful stage in your life. You're like a sponge (海
綿), able to _____. Besides, you're able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows
that, and, in most cases, is excited to be the person who's giving you all that material and helping you put it
together. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you're open to what they're teaching you.
That's why they want to be teachers in the first place-to teach!
     Some kids may be able to learn in any case, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive
to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren't going well, they won't learn as well and won't
enjoy being in class.

1. What is the best title of the passage? (within 10 words)
    ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in Paragraph l can be replaced by the following one "you can learn more and easily."?
    ___________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
    ___________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the benefits if kids get along well with their teachers?
    ___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the third paragraph into Chinese.
    ___________________________________________________________________________________

     Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently-
opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation
teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers
eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their children's work on the Internet.
     The school, which costs the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams.
The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants.
     Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other
schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be
watching you."
     Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on
interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on the computer
and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access to the school's network to read the teacher's
feedback on their children's progress.
     Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective
communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview.
"It's not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代數(shù)方程式) and then presenting them in 8 test,"
Grover said. "It's about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality of water problem or how it
might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu."
     David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to "turn over a new leaf" after discipline problems in his previous
school left him with an "average to really bad" academic record. "This is a great opportunity for me," he said.
"In other schools, I would not _____."

1. What's the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Although the students have their
    lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please
    answer within 10 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________