What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding  B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking

C. great and important; common                       D. hopeful and helpful; careless　

According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.

A. a normal person; a funny person                        B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person  D. a famous person; an ordinary person　

A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.

A. whose parents are clever              B. often thinking about difficult problems

C. often helped by his parents and teachers  D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use　

It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often  B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do    D. to give their children as much help as possible　

Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding 

B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking

C. great and important; common                      

D. hopeful and helpful; careless　

According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.

A. a normal person; a funny person                       

B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person 

D. a famous person; an ordinary person　

It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often 

B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do   

D. to give their children as much help as possible　

Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn(孤僻) after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and asked God for help. "Please God, I can't do anything more for my son. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you."

I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. "I want to talk to you about Karl's absences." Before he could say another word, I choked up (哽咽) and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. "I love my son, but I just don't know what to do. I've tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It's out of my hands." For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, "Thank you for your time", and hung up.

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, "Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?" I nodded. "That was me. I thought I'd play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That's when I knew I had to make you proud." 　

1.According to the first report card, Karl __________.

A. often went to school late                 B. failed in all the exams

C. did a good job at school                 D. didn't do well at school

2.When the mother said "It's out of my hands." to the headmaster, she meant that she________.

A. didn't know what to do about her son 

B. would drive her son away from the house 

C. had no money to support the family

D. she would have to hang up 

3.There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.

A. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

C. the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice

D. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother

4.Who was it that telephoned Karl's mother that day?

A. The headmaster.                        B. The school adviser.    

C. Karl himself.                           D. The passage doesn't tell us. 　

5.From the passage we can learn that _________.

A. children in single-parent families always have mental problems

B. mother's love plays an important role in teenagers' life

C. parents should give their children as much help as possible

D. school education still works well without support from parents   

D
Will it matter if you don’t take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains, if a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention in class. Contrary to what many people believe, if you don’t eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.
77. The results of the test show that ______
A. breakfast has great effect on work and studies.
B. breakfast has much to do with people’s health.
C. a person will work better if he has simple breakfast
D. breakfast only affects those who work with their brains.
78. The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don’t eat breakfast, you will____.
A. not lose weight 　　                                          B. be healthier
C. gain weight　　　　                                          D. lose weight  
79. We can infer from the passage that _____
A. one can work better without breakfast.
B. morning diet will do good to your health.
C. reducing lunch and supper will help lose weight.
D. breakfast is more important than lunch and supper.  
80. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Good Breakfast　　                                          B. Why Eating Breakfast?
C. No eating, No gaining                                 D. What is breakfast