Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”

“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”

Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.

This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.

“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.

But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?

According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.

By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.

Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.

“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”

1.What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

A．To show that Tony Buzan was worried about his study.

B．To invite us to think about the importance of manuals.

C．To prove that the mind map is a useful tool for the brain.

D．To show why Tony Buzan studies the brain and learning.

2.What does the word “stimulate” mean in the passage?

A．Excite.            B．Improve.          C．Encourage.        D．Affect.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．If we learn the mind map, we will become the best student.

B．The mind map will help your brain connect separate details.

C．The mind map will be more effective if we put more details in it.

D．We will solve the problem if we make connections between ideas.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to make the mind map?

B．Is the mind map widely used?

C．Can your memory be mapped?

D．Is the mind map helpful in thinking?

Anyone who has ever traveled with a teenager knows that the teenager can make the vacation good or bad for the entire family. As a travel agent, Lynda Maxwell said, “If teenagers are happy, everybody is happy.”

    Teenagers are often interested in travelling, but their interests and schedules often aren’t the same as their parents’. It means that when the parents start to look for a place of interest in the early morning, their teenagers may be sleeping soundly!

    The thing makes travelling with teenagers very difficult, but it isn’t impossible. The experts said, “The keys to success is what parents do before they travel.”

For many families, the hardest part may be finding a vacation time that is right for everyone. Be sure to sit down with everyone else in the family before setting a date.

“After setting a date, ask teenagers where they would choose to go,” suggested Maxwell. It is possible that they’d like nothing more than to sit on a beach for a week. “Maybe there’s a compromise(折中),” said Maxwell.

“Most teenagers like using the Internet now, so parents can ask them to think up the ideas about what to see and do,” said Brad Anderson. “I find teenagers are excellent at making great suggestions.”

1.The main problem of travelling with teenagers is that______.

A. they are always causing problems                  

B. there’s no way to make them happy                        

C. they don’t want to travel with their parents                   

D. their interests and schedules are different from their parents’

2.Maxwell thinks that      .

A. teenagers are good at making suggestions                 

B. parents should discuss the travel plan with their teenagers

C. parents should choose the places where teenagers like to go                          

D. teenagers should try their best to make their parents happy

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. Teenagers often have some great ideas of travelling.            

B. Teenagers always make their parents disappointed.        

C. Most parents often look for travel information online.                 

D. Teenagers should learn how to get along with their parents.

Who do you admire(崇拜)?Different people may have different ideas.
If you’re a sports fan, perhaps the person you admire most is a great basketball player, and Yao Ming is probably the one in your mind. If you study music or play an instrument, perhaps the person you admire most is gifted musician like Mozart, who began to write beautiful music at a very young age. Or maybe you admire great scientists, for example, Yuan Longping.
We have many reasons to admire famous people and we often give much of our respect to them. However, we shouldn’t neglect those who are common, such as nurses, train drivers, firemen, cleaners and so on. They may be working in a corner of the world without being noticed, but all these people spend their working days serving the public. They show great dedication(奉献).However, what they do is often unnoticed by us. Have you ever thought of what our life will be like if they stop working?
So next time when you appreciate famous people, don’t forget those who are common around you.
根据短文内容，选择正确的答案。（5小题，每小题2分，共10分）
【小题1】Yao Ming is a great ______.
A. pop singer                B. actor                C. basketball player
【小题2】Mozart began to write ______ when he was very young.
A. music                 B. letters              C. books
【小题3】The underlined word“neglect”in Paragraph 3 means______.
A. give comments on         B. make fun of          C. care little about
【小题4】In Paragraph 3,the writer mainly points out ______.
A. the reasons why we admire famous people
B. the importance of common people’s work
C. the places where common people are working
【小题5】What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Famous people are admired by most of us in our life.
B. Common people should also be given respect as the famous ones.
C. Common people should be given the most respect in our society.