Work your brain!

Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say，do or think，who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.

The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein，fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells，it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orange­flavored drinks.

Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning，far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的) as possible we need to eat right，exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．

Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.

“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active，” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.

“People cannot stop aging，but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up.”

Following are Dr.Stewart's advice for improving brain health：

1.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.

A. inform us how the brain works

B. give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy

C. tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives

D. show how special the brain is to us

2.The word “stunning” in Paragraph 5 means ______.

A. interesting 　       B. strange              C. significant　        D. amazing

3. According to the text，more exercise ______.

A. keeps our mind sharp 　　 

B. helps improve our memory

C. gives our brain a rest 　　 

D. is good for brain cells communicating with each other

4. In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.

A. eating a good lunch                      B. doing puzzles

C. eating a large supper                    D. taking aerobic exercise

第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
　　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
　　Nearly a thousand people laugh heartily together for jalf an hour every morning in a park in Shenzhen.The Guangzhou Daily took a closer look at those happy people.
　　They are members of a group named Laughing Club,and when they get together,all they do is laugh.
　　Zheng Lixin,the fouder of the club and regarded as the "laugh leader",told the paper that laughing does him a lot of good.He started after he read some advice in a book and tried giggling afer quarrelling with his wife to relax.
　　After laughing for a few days,Zhang found himself more outgoing and relaxed.Soon his wife joined him,bringing the family more laughter and less bickering.
　　When he got to know a kind of "laughing yoga(瑜珈)" is good for the health,Zhang went to Bomday to learn from locals and developed what he learned into more than 30 ways of laughing.
　　The "lion bellow"is to shout with the fingers outstretched(伸开) near the ears.There is the "open mouth laugh".The "bow-pulling laugh",the "welcoming laugh" and evenn the "quarrelling laugh",with different arm movements of laugh style.
　　The "laugh movement" swept over Shenzhen in a matter of months,attracting tens of thousands of people to join,and has been followed in nearby cities such as Guangzhou.
　　Every morning at the lakefront and at 8 p.m.on every Monday,Wednesday and Friday at the mountain peak square in Linadhua Mountain Park,club members gather to laugh and shout loudly.
　　56.From the first paragraph we know that________.
　　A.the Guangzhou Daily is the source of the information
　　B.those happy people come from the Guangzhou Daily
　　C.there is a Guangzhou Daily office near the Laughing Club
　　D.the Guangzhou Daily supported the laughing movement
　　57.Which of the underlined words has a meaning similar to "laughing""
　　A.B.C.D.
　　58.What is the "lion bellow"?
　　A.It's a kind of "laughing yoga".
　　B.It's a bombay style of laughing.
　　C.It's one of the 30 ways of laughing.
　　D.It's not among the 30 ways of laughing.
　　59.What's the idea expressed by the last two paragraphs?
　　A.The Laughing Club is getting larger.
　　B.The laugh movement is becoming popular.
　　C.The laughing is done only in parks.
　　D.Lianhua Mountain Park also has a lake in it.

完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）

  When Wilson got to the airport, 36 flight was already being called 37 the loudspeakers. The day before he had given up his 38 for a morning flight and had booked（预定）an afternoon 39 instead. He had to go to the reservations（预定）desk to collect his 40ticket.

　　He apologized for being 41.The reservations clerk（预订票的职员）smiled and began to look through the reservations in front of her. Then her 42 disappeared and 43 began to look 44 .

　　“Your ticket doesn’t seem to be here, ” she said. “Let me check it with the computer. ”The　45 clicked（滴答声）and whirred（飕飕声）and 46 began to flash 47 , his flight was called a second time. Wilson became very 48 .  49 the girl looked 50 .

　　“There’s been a mistake. Your new ticket was sent to you by post. That’s why it isn’t here”, she said. 51 took her only a 52 time to write 53 a new one. Wilson managed to catch the plane just before it took 54 . “What a way to start a 55 !” he thought.

A. he 　　　　B. his　　　　  C. him 　　　　  D. her

A. up 　　　　B. with 　　　  C. over 　　　   D. out

A. ticket 　　  B. wallet　　　 C. money　　　  D. plane

A. plane　　　 B. ticket　　　  C. flight　　　   D. fight

A. first　　　  B. new　　　　 C. old　　　　   D. another

A. later　　　  B. late　　　　 C. last　　　　   D. early

A. smile　　　 B. smiling　　   C. smiled 　　   D. laugh

A. he　　　　  B. his 　　　　 C. her 　　　　  D. she

A. happy 　　  B. angry 　　　 C. sad 　　　    D. worried

A. flight 　    B. loudspeakers  C. clerk 　　     D. computer

A. lights 　    B. light 　　　  C. flight 　　    D. computer

A. just 　　    B. just then 　   C. then 　　　  D. when

A. angry　　   B. happy 　　　 C. nervous 　 　 D. sad

A. Finally 　   B. Last 　　　  C. Then 　　　   D. Just

A. at 　　　   B. down 　　　  C. up 　　　　  D. out

A. That 　　   B. It 　　　　   C. She 　　　　 D. He

A. long　　　  B. short　　　   C. some 　　　  D. few

A. down 　　  B. out　　　　   C. away 　　　  D. of

A. off 　　　  B. out　　　　   C. away　　　　 D. place

A. travel 　    B. work 　　　  C. job 　　　　  D. holiday

　　Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters, screaming but enjoying themselves. Other people like to read “goose bumps (鸡皮疙瘩)” books or watch horror movies at night, scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared?

　　Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals, including humans escape from danger and save themselves. It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed, leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.

　　How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun? “Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it, others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won’t even set foot in the cinema,” said Ned Kalin, a US scientist. “Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you’ve had and partly on your genes.”

　　What happens in the brain when something frightens you? Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdale. When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdale makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. It analyzes the situation, and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdale as the engine and the cortex as the brake.

　　Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? “One reason is that we can play games with fear, find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else,” Kalin said. “To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power.” “Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing. Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain’s pleasure centre.”

　　And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.

　　72. How many questions are answered in the passage?

　　A. 2. 　　　B. 3. 　　　C. 4.　　　 D. 5.

　　73. Some people like to be scared because______.

　　A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children

　　B. it’s a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation

　　C. it can help them show their own personalities

　　D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear

　　74. Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?

　　A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.

　　B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.

　　C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.

　　D. They lack a strong response towards threat.

　　75. What is the best title of the passage?

　　A. Ready to scream? 　　　　B. How to be scared?

　　C. Willing to shake?　　　　D. Why to be scared?