The research carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology
Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered
most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were
viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings
or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that
beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
【小题1】The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".

A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces

B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly

C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters.

D．some of them were art masters, while others were not.

单词拼写

66．When his car was damaged he got $3,000 ______（保险）．

67．The children’s ______（诊所） was open during school hours．

68．Nancy had her bedroom ______（用家具装修）comfortably and tastefully．

69 He achieved a worldwide ______（名誉） by his pioneer researches in physics and astronomy．

70．In this chapter we have shown, in a ______（简化）form, a typical data processing application．

71．Education is ______ （义务的）for all children in Britain between the ages of 5 and 16．

72．She _____（剃） her head and became a nun（修女）．

73．Professor Watson is leaving the ______（学术的） world to take a job in industry．

74．The North-West was by no means a _____（没有希望） country地方．

75．Now there are two _____（邮箱） for the different letters．

Among professional basketball players，Jeremy Lin’s background is not typical.He graduated from Harvard University，which sends few players to the NBA，and he is the only Chinese?American NBA player.But when you watch him on the court，there is no doubt that he belongs there.He moves with speed and grace(魅力) that show years of faithful practice，which is fueled by a love for basketball.

The Family Effect

Lin’s enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan，where his father started watching it.Lin’s father moved to U．S.，and his interest in the sport only grew.He passed on this love of basketball to his son，introducing him to the game at the age of five.The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.After each game，his parents would discuss not only his score but also his conduct toward other players.This taught Lin that character was more important than playing well，a lesson he still remembers.

Rise of a Star

In high school，Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA but did not really expect to do so.When he applied for college，he was not offered a single sports scholarship.However，after his admission to Harvard，he was offered a place on its college basketball team.During Lin’s time at Harvard，his basketball career began to take off.He scored 1,482 points，making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.Eventually，the recognition he received led him to suspect that his NBA dream could come true.

When he first graduated，no professional teams offered Lin a contract(合约)，but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League.He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.

Life in the NBA

His journey in NBA did not go very well at first.He spent most of his time on the bench during the past two seasons.He constantly compared himself to other players and gave himself no time to rest up.For the first time in his life，he no longer enjoyed playing basketball.After a few very difficult months，he realized that much of his anxiety and stress came from self?centered desires like wanting to be famous.So he transformed his attitude.He never stopped practicing and never gave up any slim chance.

Now he has become the NBA’s latest phenomenon after leading the New York Knicks to seven straight wins.He stays_humble and thinks that the credit for the winning goes to everyone in his team.Knicks fans developed nicknames for him，such as “Linsanity”，“Lincredible”，and “Linderella”．The Associated Press called Lin “the most surprising story in the NBA”．

1.Which of the following is TRUE of Jeremy Lin?

A．He was born in U．S.

B．He was sure of his NBA dream in high school.

C．He loves playing basketball all the time.

D．He was coldly received when he first came to NBA.

2.The underlined phrase “stays humble” in the last paragraph means ________.

A．tries his best? B．is modest

C．keeps working hard? D．faces the difficulties

3.What can we learn from Jeremy Lin?

A．Hard work brings success.

B．We must have a father like Jeremy’s.

C．A good university can help us realize our dreams.

D．Team honour is more important than our own success.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A．What Is Next for Jeremy Lin?

B．Jeremy Lin’s Tips for Success

C．Following Dreams and Finding Joy

D．Six NBA Teams Eyeing Jeremy Lin

Custom tattooed fish (纹身鱼) may be big sellers at markets, but an animal expert say it is a cruel and potentially lethal practice.

In Laitai Flower and Fish Market near the Lufthansa Center in Beijing, four of over 20 fish stores sell marine ornamental fish that are tattooed using laser (激光)  guns with beautiful images in order to make them more attractive to customers. Many people just love these kinds of fish, which gives them a unique visual impression. The price of these fish ranges from 50-100 yuan. Some customers are willing to pay an additional 100 yuan to have Chinese characters tattooed on to the fish. The most popular characters are “zhaocai” (attracting fortune) and “ill” (blessing).The color of tattooed fish won’t fade away, and the fish can be cared for as regular fishes:

But Ye Zhenjiang, a professor from the Ocean University of China, said “the practice would damage a fish’s mackerel scale, which is its protective layer Although I haven’t done any research on the impact of the laser on mackerel scale, it is obvious that the mackerel scale may be infected or even destroyed under the exposure of laser,” Ye said. “It’s like tattooing a human being’s body, and it breaks the physiological balance of the fish and damages: the skin’s protective surface, It may even cause death among fishes which have thin mackerel scale.”

A specialist in aquatic(永生的) animal study surnamed Xu from the Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, said, “We have no specific regulations to prevent fish from being tattooed. An official surnamed Bai from the Fishery Surveillance and Administration Bureau(FSAB), said there is no study showing that the laser threatened a fish’s health. He said a regulation on small animal protection, to be passed in the near future, doesn’t include regular aquatic animals. He said the institution is only responsible for aquatic animals that are on the verge of extinction. He said tattooed fish are mainly from south China’s Guangdong province because Beijing does not have the laser technology to tattoo a fish.

“It’s too brutal to tattoo pictures or characters on fishes, even if it makes them more beautiful,” many tropical fish buyers told METRO yesterday. “We would never buy fish like that and we prefer them with natural beauty.”

1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A. Tattooed fish look more attractive to customers.

B. Tattooed fish give people a unique visual impression

C. Tattooed fish can be harder to raise.

D. The color of tattooed fish will stay for ever

2. From Ye Zhenjiang’s talk, we know that _________.

A. It is illegal to tattoo fish by laser.

B. The mackerel scale offish is easy to destroy.

C. People can tattoo fish in other parts except mackerel scale

D. It may be a disaster for fish to be tattooed.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.

A. The price of tattooed fish is much higher than that of regular fish.

B. The FSAB will pass a regulation on tattooed fish.

C. Beijing did not have the laser technology to tattoo a fish.

D. The youth would buy tattooed fish the moment they see them.

4. This passage most probably comes from

A. a newspaper       B. a novel         C. a fairy tale      D. a magazine

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.?

The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.

A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.

Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.?

“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.?

It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.?

Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.?

1.The main subject talked about in this passage is_____________.?

A. science on learning a second language?    

B. language can help brain power?

C. man's ability of learning a second language?          

D. language learning and maths study

2. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to_____________.

A. make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well?

B. prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language?

C. to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language?

D. say language is also a kind of physical labor?

3. The underlined word “bilingual” probably means_____________.?

A. a researcher on language learning

B. an English native speaker?

C. an active language learner

D. a person who can speak two languages?

4.We may know from the scientific findings that_____________.?

A. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time

B. there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language?

C. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain

D. the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is?

5. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_____________.?

A. early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects

B. learning a second language is the same as studying maths

C. Italian is the best choice for you as a second language?

D. you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language