Time and how we experience it have always puzzled us．Physicists have created fascinating theories, but their time is measured by a pendulum （钟摆） and is not psychological time, which leaps with little regard to the clock or calendar．As some-one who understood the distinction observed, "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours it seems like a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove, a minute seems like two hours．"

Psychologists have long noticed that larger units of time, such as months and years, fly on swifter wings as we age．They also note that the more time is structured with schedules and appointments, the more rapidly it seems to pass．For example, a day at the office flies compared with a day at the beach．Since most of us spend fewer days at the beach and more at the office as we age, an increase in structured tune could well be to blame for why time seems to speed up as we grow older．

Expectation and familiarity also make time seem to flow more rapidly．Almost all of us have had the experience of driving somewhere we’ve never been before. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, with no real idea of when we’ll arrive, we experience the trip as lasting a long time. But the return trip, although exactly as long, seems to take far less time. The novelty of the outward journey has become routine. Thus taking a different route on occasions can often help slow the clock.

When was become as identical as identical as beads（小珠子）on a string, they mix together, and even months become a single day. To counter this, try to find ways to interrupt the structure of your day—to stop time, so to speak.

Learning something new is one of the ways to slow the passage of time. One of the reasons the days of our youth seems so full and long is that these are the days of learning and discovery. For many of us, learning ends when we leave school, but this doesn’t have to be.

1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is used to show         .

A．psychological time is quite puzzling

B．time should not be measured by a pendulum

C．physical time is different from psychological time

D．physical theory has nothing to do with the true sense of time

2.Why do units of time fly faster as we grow older?

A．Our sense of time changes.

B．We spend less time at the beach.

C．More time is structured and scheduled.

D．Time is structured with too many appointments.

3.In Paragraph 3 “novelty” probably means         .

A．excitement B．unfamiliarity

C．imagination D．amusement

4.The purpose of the passage is to         .

A．give various explanations about time

B．describe how we experience time psychologically

C．show the different ideas of physicists and psychologists on time

D．explain why time flies and how to slow it down psychologically

 

Are some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both questions is yes.To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random (随意地) from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that integigence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates (表明) that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who lives in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.
【小题1】Which of the following best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph One?

A．To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.

B．Intelligence is developed by the environment.

C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

【小题2】In the first paragraph,“no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence” suggests that       .

A．no environment can change the least able into the most able

B．the difference in men’s intelligence depends on the amount of their education

C．if a person is born clever, he is certain to be a genius

D．if a person is born stupid, nothing can change him into an educated person

【小题3】The last paragraph mainly shows       .

A．the importance of education

B．the relationship between environment and birth

C．the writer’s final conclusion

D．the relationship between intelligence and environment

【小题4】The best title for this passage would be       .

A．Dependence on Education	B．Intelligence
C．Surroundings	D．Effect of Education

【小题5】Which statement about the passage is true?

A．All twins have similar degrees of intelligence.

B．A man who is educated in university must make greater achievements than a man who works in a boring factory.

C．Proper education can change one’s intelligence at some degree.

D．Education can’t make a child born with low intelligence cleverer.

Are you a social butterfly, or do you prefer being at the edge of a group of friends? Either way, your genes and evolution may play a major  1  , US researchers reported on Monday.

While it may come as no surprise that genes may help explain  2  some people have many friends and others have  3  , the researchers said, their findings go just a little farther than that.

"Some of the things we find are  4    uncommon," said Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University in Massachusetts, who helped   5  the study.

"We find that how interconnected your friends are   6   on your genes. Some people have four friends who know each other and some people have four friends who don't  7  each other.  8     Dick and Harry know each other depends on Tom's  9    ," Christakis said in a telephone interview.

Christakis and colleague James Fowler of the University of California San Diego are  10     known for their studies that show obesity, smoking and happiness spread in networks.

For this study, they and Christopher Dawes of UCSD used national data that   11   more than 1,000 identical(同卵的) and fraternal（异卵的） twins’ genes. Because  12  share an environment, these studies are good for showing the impact that genes have  13  various things, because identical twins  14  all their genes while fraternal twins share just half.

"We found there appears to be a genetic tendency to introduce your friends  15  each other," Christakis said.

There could be good, evolutionary reasons  16  this. People in the middle of a social network could be secret to useful gossip,  17   the location of food or good investment choices.

But they would also be at risk of catching effects from all sides -- in which case the advantage would  18   more cautious social behavior, they wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It may be that natural selection is  19  not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into  20   with," Fowler said in a statement.

(    ) 1. A. role                 B. rule           C. roll                  D. pole

(    ) 2. A. where              B. why          C. when                D. how

(    ) 3. A. a few                      B. several      C. few                  D. some

(    ) 4. A. generally          B. mainly      C. mostly              D. frankly

(    ) 5. A. conduct            B. introduce   C. conflict            D. instruct

(    ) 6. A. depends            B. bases         C. take                 D. put

(    ) 7. A. see                   B. inspect      C. learn                D. know

(    ) 8. A. When               B. Where       C. What                D. Whether

(    ) 9. A. genes                      B. brains        C. appearances      D. figures

(    ) 10. A. much             B. best           C. very                 D. least

(    ) 11. A. recorded         B. illustrated C. described          D. compared

(    ) 12. A. brothers          B. sisters        C. twins                D. cousins

(    ) 13. A. with                      B. on             C. for                   D. to

(    ) 14. A. share              B. have          C. own                 D. show

(    ) 15. A. into                B. to             C. in                    D. from

(    ) 16. A. for                 B. with          C. to                    D. at

(    ) 17. A. in addition to B. due to       C. as for                      D. such as

(    ) 18. A. lie on             B. bring in     C. lie in                D. send in

(    ) 19. A. acting on               B. putting on C. relying on         D. sending on

(    ) 20. A. contract          B. face          C. join                  D. contact

      Are some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both questions is yes．To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth，and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand，a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth，but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This view, now held by most experts，can be supportedin a number of ways．

      It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people，the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random (随意地) from the population，it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical twins，they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters，parents and children，usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that integigence depends on birth．

      Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one，for example，to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates (表明) that environment as well as birth plays a part．This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who lives in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all，are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．

Which of the following best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph One?

      A．To some extent, intelligence is given at birth．

      B．Intelligence is developed by the environment．

      C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid．

      D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment．

In the first paragraph，“no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence”suggests that     

A．no environment can change the least able into the most able

      B．the difference in men’s intelligence depends on the amount of their education

      C．if a person is born clever, he is certain to be a genius

      D．if a person is born stupid, nothing can change him into an educated person

The last paragraph mainly shows      

      A．the importance of education

      B．the relationship between environment and birth

      C．the writer’s final conclusion

      D．the relationship between intelligence and environment

The best title for this passage would be      

      A．Dependence on Education

      B．Intelligence

      C．Surroundings

      D．Effect of Education

Which statement about the passage is true?

      A．All twins have similar degrees of intelligence．

      B．A man who is educated in university must make greater achievements than a man who

works in a boring factory．

      C．Proper education can change one’s intelligence at some degree．

      D．Education can’t make a child born with low intelligence cleverer

I was hurrying to class one morning when Hillary Barnes, the most popular girl in school, stopped me. “Are you the twin who won the art contest?” she asked.

“No, that’s Christine. I’m Katie,” I said.

We’re not identical twins; we look quite different. Still, we’re the Carpenter Twins. It was making you angry having a twin straight out of a fairy tale. She could defeat Snow White in a beauty contest and attract friends like the Pied Piper! Compared to Christine, I felt like one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.

In math class I dug into my school bag, searching for my homework. “Here, Katie,” said Christine, offering a crumpled paper. “It was under your pillow.” “Thanks,” I said. She’d made my bed again! Truly she was an amazing sister. How could I be angry with her? It wasn’t her fault I was the one with wild, unmanageable hair and no talent.

The bell rang, and I slapped my math book shut. “Katie, don’t forget our basketball game after school,” reminded Christine.

“I won’t,” I said. Joining Christine’s basketball team was my latest effort to be like her. Though I’d practiced hard all season, my shots still bounced off the rim of the basket. I ran awkwardly when trying to dribble(运球) the ball. Once a pass I threw hit Coach Struthers in the shoulder, practically knocking her over.

This was a new day, a new game. As I was breathing slowly, thinking positive thoughts, Christine called, “Katie, here!” She threw me a ball. I jumped for it; it slipped through my fingers and flew into the bleachers. No one was seated right there, but my relief disappeared when the ball crashed into the tape recorder that was used to play The Star Spangled Banner before each game.

I apologized in a low voice as I picked up the broken pieces of the recorder. Coach looked at the mess and asked, “How are we going to play the song now?”

Christine suggested, “Let Katie sing it! She’s always singing at home.”

Coach asked, “Would you?” I found myself nodding. Coach announced the national anthem and everyone stood. Standing before a microphone, I looked at the flag and took a deep breath. The notes seemed to flow from deep inside me, and my voice was steady and clear. When I finished, the gym was silent. Then it filled with cheering. As the game started, teammates patted my back and gave me the “thumbs up” sign.

Laura Jamison said, “You should try out for the school musical!” I nodded and said that I might.

The next morning, Hillary Barnes stopped me in the hallway and asked, “Are you the twin who sings?”

“Yes, that’s me,” I answered, smiling as I walked to class.

The author wrote this story most likely to ______.

A．show that people are talented in different ways

B．explain why some people are not talented

C．inform readers about making the most of bad situations

D．persuade readers to always be kind to others

Which question does paragraph 6 answer?

A．How did Christine help Katie on the basketball court?

B．How often does the team practice?

C．How does Katie like Christine?

D．Why does Katie join the basketball team?

Which detail from the story supports the idea that Katie does a good job singing at the basketball game?

A．She looks at the flag and takes a deep breath.

B．A teammate says she should try out for the school musical.

C．Coach Struthers asks her to sing before the game. 

D．Her sister says she is always singing at home.

Based on the event described in this story, Katie can best be described as ______

A．foolish          B．cheerful    C．clumsy     D．jealous