Eating Chocolate Can Make You Smarter

     Chocolate lovers know that eating chocolate makes them happy．Now it turns out that eating chocolate may also make them smarter．

     Dr．Bryan Raudenbush recently made a study to see how eating chocolate affects people’s brains．The U．S．researcher knew that chocolate contained several stimulants(兴奋剂)．But he wasn’t sure how those stimulants actually affected chocolate eaters．

    To find out，Raudenbush had a group of volunteers eat 85grams of milk chocolate．He asked another group to eat no chocolate at all．After l 5 minutes，he tested their memory and their ability to solve problems．

    The group that ate milk chocolate had higher scores．They were able to remember more words and pictures than the group that did not eat chocolate．Raudenbush concluded(得出结论) that the stimulants in chocolate increased mental(精神的)alertness(灵敏度)．

    Of course，eating chocolate doesn’t guarantee(保证)you’ll pass every test．You’ll still need to study hard!

1．Many people like eating chocolate because it can make them      ．

A．annoyed           B．unhappy          C．pleased           D．funny

2．The American researcher knew that       ．

  A．chocolate was a kind of stimulant

  B．there were some stimulants in chocolate

  C．chocolate contained many objects in it but not stimulants

  D．many people loved to eat it because of its stimulants

3．Why did Raudenbush ask a group of volunteers to eat chocolate?

  A．Because he thought it was exciting．

  B．Because he wasn’t sure how many people eat chocolate．

   C．Because his American friend asked him to do so．

   D．Because he wanted to know how stimulants affected the eaters of chocolate．

4．The result of the test is that       ．

   A．the stimulants in chocolate increased mental alertness．

   B．the group that ate chocolate had higher scores than the group that didn't eat

   C．one group ate chocolate but another didn’t eat it．

   D．Nothing happened to the groups．

5．If you want to pass every exam，        ．

   A．you will just eat enough chocolate

   B．you will ask the expert to have a chocolate test

   C．you will still need to study hard

D．you needn’t go to school

Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain­computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.

In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.’ Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”

He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.

41. BCI is a technology that can ________.

A. help to update computer systems            B. link the human brain with computers

C. help the disabled to recover                    D. control a person's thoughts

42. How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?

A. By controlling his muscles.                     B. By talking to the machine.

C. By moving his hand.                               D. By using his mind.

43. Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?

A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair    B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair

C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair    D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

44. The team will test with real patients to ________.

A. make profits from them                         B. prove the technology useful to them

C. make them live longer                            D. learn about their physical condition

45. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

B. New Findings about How the Human Brain Works

C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

                             

When I was in primary school, I had a big argument with a boy in my class. l can't   31   what it was about, but I have never forgotten the   32   I learned that day.

     I was sure that I was right and he was wrong.   33  , he strongly believed that I was wrong and he was right. The teacher decided to teach us a lesson. She   34   a good idea. She brought both of us to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her grey desk and me on   35     In the middle of the desk was a large, round object.  It was   36   for me to see that it was black.  She asked the boy what color the object was.  "  37," he answered in a loud voice.

     I couldn't   38   that the object was whites considering that it was certainly black! One more argument started between the boy and me, this time   39   the color of the object.

     The teacher told me to go stand where the key was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed   40  , and then she asked me what the color of the object was. I  41   answer, "White. " It was then that I knew what was wrong. It was an object with two   42   colored sides, and from .his side it was white.   43   from my side was it black.

     My teacher taught 'me a very important 1.esson that day: You must "  44   in other person's position (λ??) and look at the  45   through their eyes in order to truly understand their ideas.

1.A. understand              B. remember              C. explain

2.A. class                   B. subject                C. lesson

3.A. Therefore               B. Also                  C. However

4.A. came up with            B. went on with           C. got along with

5.A. another                 B. other                  C. the other

6.A. hard                    B. clear                  C. lucky

7.A. Black                   B. White                 C. Grey

8.A. realize                  B. describe                C. believe

9.A. like                    B. against                  C. about

10.A. places                  B. objects                  C. opinions

11.A. could                   B. should                  C. had to

12.A. similarly                B. differently               C. brightly

13.A, But                    B. Still                     C..Only

14.A. appear                  B. stand                   C, hide       

15.A. situation                 B. discussion               C. solution

 

Recent research from the Pew Internet Project suggests that 90% of Americans aged from 12 to 17 use the Internet, and 51% of those teens use social networks. However, there are many possible problems with social networking sites and the teenagers who use them.

Apart from the social advantages, social networking sites can be used to record school research, develop artistic talents and experiment with other forms of subject creation. They provide a way to communicate with others who share the same interests and to get helpful advice on ongoing projects.
Along with these advantages come some dangers. For example, most social networking sites are open to all, especially MySpace, which is the most popular social network among teens in America. It means that they could be put in unpleasant and frightening situations.
A greater danger is that teens may become objects of the people with secret purposes. The secrecy of some social networking sites makes it easy for dangerous people to find young teens and invite them into dangerous conversations. It’s easy for them to pretend as teens and draw children into dangerous real-world communication as well. Then further hurt might be on its way.
Another danger is identity stealing, which can happen when teens share too much information about their names, dates of birth and locations.
Therefore, it’s very important to make sure teens are safe when they use social networks.
Many of the same rules that work for online chat work for these sites:
※Don’t use your real name.
※ Don’t give out personal information to people you don’t know. A last name and a town
are enough for a bad guy to find where you are.
※ Don’t believe that people are who they say to be.
※ Immediately end any communication that makes you uncomfortable and report it to a
parent.
Only if you are sure of your safety, can you enjoy the fun brought by social networking. Besides, trying to deal with all problems on your own can lead to terrible results. Remember, asking your parents or school officials for help doesn’t mean you are unable to do anything but wiser than many others.                                             
【小题1】How many dangers of using social networks are mentioned in the passage?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

【小题2】The writer takes MySpace as an example to show that ________.

A．students could be put into unreal situations on the Internet

B．teenagers are facing unknown dangers on the social networks

C．Internet provides more social websites to American teenagers

D．social networks are very popular among teenagers in America

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the dangers are similar when chatting online and surfing social networks

B．more than half American teenagers aged from 12 to 17 use social networks

C．teens who ask for help are wiser when meeting problems on social networks

D．there are more disadvantages than advantages for teens to use social networks

It is widely accepted that television is playing an important part in people's lives. But, there is a heated discussion as to whether television does good or harm.

Television keeps one learning more about present events, allows one to follow the most re­cent developments in politics and science, and offers various programs which are .both instructive and exciting. The most distant countries, the strangest customs and the most attractive scenes of nature are brought right into one's room or house.

However, some people insist that television is bad rather than good. They argue that it has brought about many serious problems. The major one is its effects on young people. Children are now so used to getting their information and entertainment from television that their ability to read and write as well as physical ability has been greatly weakened. Even worse than that, vulgar( 庸俗的) advertisements and poor programs may develop their bad tastes, shape their view points badly towards human life to such a degree that their minds might be destroyed.

In a word, television has both advantages and disadvantages. Whatever effects it has, one point is certain, television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society.

1.What are people discussing nowadays?

___________________________________

2.What are the advantages television has brought us ? (至少2点)

___________________________________

3.Why do some people think television is bad rather than good?

___________________________________

4.It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society. ___________________________________

5.What's your opinion about television?