Ways to Keep Your Brain Young

Every brain changes with age, and mental function changes along with it. Mental decline(下降) is common, and it is one of the most worrying consequences of aging.

1. Here are some ways that can help reduce your risk of age-related memory loss.

Get plenty of mental stimulation (激发).

Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. 2. Experiment with things that require manual(手工的) skills as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting and other crafts.

Get some physical exercise.

3. Animals that exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the parts of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also stimulates the brains to become more efficient and adaptive, which means having better performance.

Avoid tobacco and too much alcohol.

Avoid tobacco in all its forms and don’t abuse (滥用) alcohol. 4. And if you use alcohol responsibly, you may actually reduce your risk of dementia(痴呆). At least five studies have linked low amounts of alcohol with a reduced risk of dementia in older adults.

Other ways.

Improve your diet and eat the right food, as good nutrition(营养) can help your mind as well as your body. Stay slim and keep your blood pressure low. 5. Protect your head: moderate or severe head injuries strongly increase the risk of mental decline in old age. Build social networks. Strong social ties have been associated with lower blood pressure and longer life.

A. In fact, mental decline is not unavoidable.

B. Too much drinking is a major risk factor for dementia.

C. Experts are not ready to recommend aspirin(阿司匹林) for dementia.

D. Research shows that exercise may help your mind as well as your muscles.

E. High blood pressure increases the risk of mental decline in old age.

F. Low scores on mental tests don’t necessarily predict a risk of mental decline in old age.

G. Read, take courses, or try “mental gymnastics” such as word puzzles or mental maths problems.

完形填空

Rocky had always been picked on by some of his schoolmates. Nothing _________ him more. But no matter how much he told them not to do so or even shouted at them, they wouldn’t _________ . One of his friends wanted to help him and told him a(n) _________ about Sparky.

Sparky was a fighting bull. One day, Sparky stood next to his owner’s house, _________ the farmer’s TV, and it was showing a bullfight. Sparky _________ that this was what lay _________ him, so he spent the rest of his life preparing for the day of his fight.

Soon, that day arrived. When Sparky _________ the bullring (斗牛场), he was suddenly pushed in the back. It was very _________ , and Sparky felt like his blood was boiling. But he knew _________ what he needed to do, and he remained still. Soon, the bullfighter _________ , trying to provoke(挑衅) Sparky. Sparky felt like _________ his horns(角) deep into this stupid guy, but he controlled his _________ , kept still and waited.

After some time, the crowd started to whistle. It got so bad that the bullfight organizers decided to _________ the bull. This had been the most boring bull that anyone could remember.

So Sparky was _________ to his field and allowed to live out his life in peace. Never again did they put him in a bullring, _________ everyone knew that he would provide no amusement.

His friend told Rocky: “Those people _________ making fun of you because they see how angry they make you. But _________ you did what Sparky did, not reacting to anything, they’d get bored and look for someone else to _________ , someone who could provide more amusement.”

Rocky gradually tried to put this _________ into practice. At first, it wasn’t easy, but as Rocky _________ to his plan, those people got bored with him. After a few days they found more interesting things to do than make fun of Rocky.

1.A. amazedB. upsetC. excitedD. shocked

2.A. startB. allowC. stopD. help

3.A. jokeB. ideaC. secretD. story

4.A. doingB. thinkingC. questioningD. watching

5.A. agreedB. imaginedC. realizedD. found

6.A. ahead ofB. afterC. underD. beside

7.A. borrowedB. openedC. enteredD. ordered

8.A. painfulB. comfortableC. peacefulD.different

9.A. fortunatelyB. exactlyC. rapidlyD. possibly

10.A. failedB. appearedC. leftD. laughed

11.A. sticking B. holdingC. runningD. turning

12.A. cryB. angerC. dangerD. escape

13.A. killB. rideC. changeD. hit

14.A. soldB. repairedC. cleanedD. returned

15.A. onceB. becauseC. thoughD. unless

16.A. suggestB. dislikeC. missD. enjoy

17.A. whileB. untilC. ifD. before

18.A. pick onB. pick up

C. put on D. put up

19.A. chanceB. knowledgeC. resultD. advice

20.A. keptB. madeC. gotD. fight

请在空格上填上一个正确的词或用所给词的正确形式填空，每空1.5分。

Christmas was coming. Mr. Smith had no money1._____ (buy) any presents for his children. His wife was ill and he had spent a lot of money 2.____ her medicine. The harvest was bad and everyone in his family was going to be hungry the next spring. He was quite 3.____(worry) about it.

“We have only a cock,” said Mrs. Smith one day. “You’d better take it to the town. Sell it there and buy some cakes and 4._____(candy) for our children.”

“That is a good idea!” the man said and caught the cock the next morning and put5._____ into a box. It was difficult to walk on the road, because it 6.____(cover) with thick snow. Two hours later, he was very tired and wanted to have a rest. He put the box on the ground and sat down.

“The air in the box must be old,” the man said to 7.____(he). “I’d better let the cock walk outside for a while, 8.____ it’ll die.”

So he put the cock on the ground. Then, when he wanted to start off again, Mr. Smith tried to get the cock, but he found he couldn’t catch it 9.____ longer.

“How foolish you are!” Mr. Smith shouted 10._____(anger) at the cock. “You can herald(预示) the break of day at night but you can’t find the way to the town in the daytime!”

改错

以下短文有十处错误，请改正。

“Happiness Shared” was title of an e-mail I received from a website that I really enjoyed. It inspired me to contacting two friends and invite him over for a craft day. I was excited about sharing craft ideas and baking cookies with friend! Then one friend sent me a message saying that she was depressing and thought she should not come, so she would only bring us down. I sent her a quote what inspires me when I’m upset. It is, “Think about how you want to feel and do whatever it takes to make it to happen.” Finally, she comes and we had a great day. It is so nicely to have someone to share your day with!

书面表达

假设你是张华，你的朋友李明在骑车上学的途中遇到车祸，腿受伤并在医院接受了手术。请你代表全班同学给他写一封慰问信，表达以下几点信息：

1、听说他住院并接受了手术，表示慰问；2、你们将在周六上午去看望他；3、将会帮助他补习所缺的功课；4、愿意提供任何可能的帮助。

文章必须包含以上要点，词数为100~120。

The morning for our snowmobiling (雪上汽车) adventure finally arrived, and we set off on the hour-and-a-half drive to the resort(度假地). A fresh powder had fallen the night before, and everything was frosted white. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions. The sun sparkled on the snow, and the trails (路线) were completely empty – not another person or snowmobile in sight. We were thrilled at being the only people for miles around until we got going.

As we drove through the deserted wilderness, my excitement became stone-cold fear. I had no idea what I was afraid of, or why I was afraid, but suddenly every turn, every hill, every steep (陡峭的) side of the mountain frightened me to death. I kept imagine us crashing headlong into a tree or falling off the side of a drop.

But after lunch things changed. We were the only humans who had been there since the snowfall. The peaceful place, the incredible beauty of the landscape, and the almost sacred experience of sharing a mountain with the wildlife touched my very core (核心). My mind cleared and quieted and my muscles relaxed.

As we drove the last leg of the run, I began to resent being afraid to drive. Deep down, I wanted to be in charge of the thing that scared me. It made me angry that fear was keeping me from something I really wanted to do. The day was coming to an end, and the resort was only a few miles away. I knew that if I didn’t take my chance now, I would regret it.

I signaled for my husband to pull over. I wanted to drive, although my heart pounded (重击). I started off slowly and felt the wind in my face. I smiled and sped up a little. With a “Yee-haw!” I went full out, taking my husband on the best ride of the day.

We ended the day on that breathless, carefree(轻松愉快的)note, and I felt proud of myself – proud of overcoming my fear.

1. What can be concluded from the article?

A. The author was confident as she was driving in the deserted wilderness.

B. The author didn’t get worried until they started to drive through the deserted wild.

C. Realizing that she and her husband were the only people around, the author became anxious.

D. The author was so nervous that she almost crashed into a big tree.

2.According to the article, after lunch the author _______.

A. gradually calmed down

B. stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery

C. saw some wildlife on the mountain

D. was afraid to continue her journey

3. The underlined word “resent” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.

A. assume B. undertake C. hate D. recognize

4.What is the story mainly about?

A. What the author loves about snowmobiling.

B. What difficulties the couple faced during their adventure.

C. What interested the author during her time snowmobiling.

D. How the author overcame her fear during her adventure.

Turning the lights out or wearing a blindfold while eating could be a quick way to lose weight, according to scientists. The simple trick works because it stops diners eating for pleasure rather than for calories. It also triggers (引发) a part of the brain that is worried that unseen food may go bad.

An experiment by the University of Konstanz, in Germany, found that people who were blindfolded consumed nine percent fewer calories before they felt full, compared to those who could see. They also vastly overestimated how much they had eaten because they could not see how much was left on the plate. Blindfolded volunteers estimated(估计) they had eaten 88 percent more than they actually had.

Scientists believe that not seeing food on the table also allows the body to know when it is full in real time rather than remembering past experiences where it might have taken a full plate to feel full.

In the experiment, 50 people were blindfolded and 40 were allowed to see their food. All were told not to eat within two hours of the experiment. They were then given three 95g bowls of chocolate ice cream and invited to eat for 15 minutes. Their bowls were taken away and the remaining ice-cream weighed, while the participants were quizzed on how much they thought they had eaten.

On average the group who could see ate 116g while the blindfolded groups ate 105g. However, the blindfolded group believed they had eaten 197g while compared with 159g for the non-blind volunteers. They were also asked how pleasant the ice-cream tasted and the blindfolded group rated lower than those who could see.

“The experienced pleasure of eating was significantly lower in the blindfolded group. Not seeing the food might have decreased the appetite. Sight plays an important role in the eating experience and in the overall dining experience.”

Previous studies have shown that the visual influence of food plays a large part in the taste. While restaurants that allow diners to eat in the dark state that it triggers other senses, in fact eating in darkness is likely to taste far milder than usual.

1.With the lights out, diners eat less partly because ______.

A. they want to quickly finish their meals

B. they trust their feelings more than ever

C. they focus more on fun than the calories

D. they worry about the quality of the food

2.We can learn from the passage that the blindfolded group ______.

A. spent a much longer time eating the same food

B. believed they ate more than they really did

C. depended on past experiences to feel full

D. thought the food tasted better than usual

3. The last two paragraphs tell us that ______.

A. diners are likely to lose their appetite eating in darkness

B. senses rather than sight play an important role in the taste

C. findings of this experiment differ from the previous studies

D. restaurants benefit a lot from allowing diners to eat in the dark

4.The main purpose of the passage is to ______.

A. provide statistics related to eating in the dark

B. offer reasons for people to eat in the dark areas

C. inform the readers of the result of an experiment

D. persuade the readers to lose weight in a new way

The world shares him and London claims him, but Stratford-on-Avon intends to spend 2016 celebrating Shakespeare as their man: the bard（诗人）of Avon, who was born there in 1564, and died there 400 years ago.

Stratford remained hugely important throughout Shakespeare’s life, argues Paul Edmondson, the head of learning and research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. "People have seen Shakespeare as a Dick Whittington figure, who turns his back on Stratford and his family, goes to London to earn his fortune and only comes back to die," he said. "But Stratford is where he bought land and property, where he kept his library, where he lived and read and thought. We are going to spend the year re-emphasizing the importance of Shakespeare, the man of Stratford."

The anniversary of the death of the most famous and the most performed playwright in the world will be marked across Britain and the globe. Macbeth is about to open in Singapore, Romeo and Juliet in Brussels. Shakespeare’s Globe is completing the first world tour, in which it has taken Hamlet to almost every country. North Korea is still holding out, though.

The Globe director recently jokily claimed Shakespeare as a true Londoner. Stratford, however, will be insisting that the town made and educated Shakespeare. "His old school room in Stratford-on-Avon where Shakespeare learned ‘small Latin and less Greek’ --as kindly laughed at by his friend Ben Johnson--will open its doors, scarred by centuries of naughty schoolboys, to mark 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death," said Paul Edmondson.

Shakespeare bought the splendid New Place, the second best house in the town, when he had made his fortune on the London stage. "You don't buy a house like New Place and not live there," Paul said. He believes that after Shakespeare bought it, all his thinking time was spent there, and that the late plays, including The Tempest, were at least planned in his library and probably written there.

1.What made people regard Shakespeare as a Dick Whittington figure?

A. His life experiences.

B. His achievements in literature.

C. His popularity in London.

D. His contributions to Stratford.

2.Where is the play Hamlet resisted?

A. In Brussels. B. In Singapore.

C. In North Korea. D. In London.

3.What can we know about New Place?

A. The Tempest was totally finished there.

B. Shakespeare learned Latin and Greek there.

C. It was completely destroyed by naughty schoolboys.

D. Shakespeare probably spent his last few years there.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. Bard of London B. Man of Stratford

C. Life of Shakespeare D. Plays of Shakespeare

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。

(请将答案写在答题卷上)

Real-life Room Escape Games

Real-life room escape games are a type of physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use the things in the room to settle a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.

The games are based on- Escape the Room video games, such as Crimson Room and QP-Shot, created by TAKAGISM Inc. by Toshimitsu Takagi in 2005, in which the player is locked inside a room and must explore his or her surroundings in order to escape. 1. Other inspirations include adventure board games and movies. Real-life room escape games are becoming popular in the United States, Japan, and China. 2. For example, some games require you escape prison cells while others require you escape space stations.

3. Soon, they were exported to North America, Asia and Australia. Examples include the two pioneer companies Hint Hunt and Adventure Rooms.

The games were so successful that new locations began opening up across China, in cities big and small, according to Want China Times. In the southern city of Shenzhen, for example, the first escape game location opened last August. 4. “These real-life escape games can help those who stay at home on their computers and iPads all day to experience real social circles,” Tian Xiaochuan, who owns two room escape game stores in Jinan, told Want China Times.

Earlier this year, The South China Morning Post said the real-life escape games are a hit among “highly stressed students and overworked young professionals.” 5. Some players get so involved that they tear down equipment or decorations inside their “prisons”, as Zhu Yumeng, chief operating officer of Beijing room escape game store Taoquan told China Daily.

A. Each game adds local themes to settings.

B. And seven new game locations quickly followed.

C. They should also be brave enough to face their fears.

D. Sometimes the excitement becomes a bit much, though.

E. Weekend or day event escape games have been held in some stores.

F. Permanent real life escape games in a fixed location were first opened in Europe.

G. Players must be observant and use their critical thinking skills to escape the room.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

In Florida for Thanksgiving, I was surfing the channel guide for CNN, hoping to find out whether a decision had been reached in the Michael Brown case (the case of a police officer who shot an unarmed teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014). I said, looking at the television screen, “I hope they _________ him.”

My mother’s tone pierced (刺破) the _________ . “Why, why would you hope for that?” I exhaled （吐气）, knowing I was about to have _________ uncomfortable conversation with my mother, the retired _________ .

“He was unarmed, ma,” I said to her. “ _________ he was a kid.”

To her, even if only for a moment, I was just another asshole (混蛋) on the street. I _________ it in her face, and it was terrible. She said _________ , “You don’t know the whole story, you haven’t seen the evidence. Whether you like it or not, cops(警察) are innocent _________ proven guilty too.” I stayed _________ as she continued. “And he wasn’t a small kid, he was _________ in size. What if that was me facing Michael Brown? I wouldn’t have _________ a chance.”

My 5 feet 8 inches mother couldn’t have _________ a 6 feet 4 inches man without a weapon. I would want her to pull out her gun and fire until she came home to me because that’s my mom and it’s my job to get crazy when I think of her in _________ . Just like when I _________ the man who slapped her in face and knocked her to the ground, bile (胆汁) rises in my throat.

This is my lived experience. I _________ in a household where my mother and stepfather wore guns and _________ . They always came home with _________ ; some we could hear, and some _________ in the kitchen. We gathered together at night with my two younger sisters to watch TV as a family: “Rescue 911,” “America’s Most Wanted,” “Law & Order,” and other cops shows. We watched “Picket Fences” peacefully until the _________ where the man who killed a cop got off, and my mother and I had our first uncomfortable conversation when I said he might be _________. After that, we had to boycott（联合抵制）the show.

1.A. forgive B. adore C. free D. accuse

2.A. soul B. airC. throat D. case

3.A. another B. any C. this D. that

4.A. policewoman B. referee C. housewife D. lawyer

5.A. But B. So C. And D. Yet

6.A. watched B. touched C. saw D. obtained

7.A. naturally B. seriouslyC. mildly D. anxiously

8.A. if B. when C. though D. until

9.A. acute B. awake C. sleepy D. quiet

10.A. bigB. typicalC. distinct D. tiny

11.A. made B. lost C. missed D. had

12.A. cast down B. taken down C. let down D. cut down

13.A. tears B. delight C. danger D. disguise

14.A. picture B. mirror C. shape D. draw

15.A. was born B. was adopted C. brought up D. grew up

16.A. radios B. glasses C. watches D. rings

17.A. gifts B. stories C. snacks D. shows

18.A. delivered B. enjoyedC. tasted D. whispered

19.A. adventure B. accident C. incident D. contradiction

20.A. lucky B. innocent C. merciful D. ridiculous