Almost everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our  36_ , intelligence and attention. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us  37_  the day.
 38 __, a new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are 39___ to how smart humans can get.
Each of our body parts develops in a certain way for a reason.  40  _, we are not 3 meters tall  41 _ most people’s hearts are not strong enough to send  42 _  up that high. Scientists say that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby’s brain size is limited by a series of __43  , such as the size of the mother’s pelvis (骨盆). If our brains developed to be bigger, there could be more  44  during childbirth.
The study of Jews, who have an average IQ much _ 45_  than other Europeans, showed they were more  _46_  to develop diseases of the  _47_  system. This might be because of their increased brainpower.
If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at _ 48 _ ? Not really, say scientists. They studied  _49_  like caffeine (咖啡因)that improve attention. They found the drugs only helped people with serious  50 _ problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the  51 _ effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is a(n)  52 limit to how much people can or should concentrate.
Our memory is also a “double-edged sword”. People with extremely good memories could  53__ having a difficult life because they cannot  _54 bad things that happen to them.
Thomas Hills, one of the authors of the paper, said that   55  all the problems in trying to get smarter, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a “super mind”.

According to a recent report, some once-hot majors like English, Computer and Law for Chinese students entering college have now fallen out of favor. The reason is that more graduates studying in those fields end up    1  .
This year, a sample of 500,000 college    2   from 2009 were surveyed and 220,000 questionnaires were received back for the 2010 report. Among the   3   
majors, Law graduates had the most difficulty finding jobs, with the   4   
unemployment rate(比率) of 17.7% of all the majors in 2009. English majors had the highest    5   of the unemployed for three years, with 15,700 graduates still out of work.
“Such majors as Computer, English and Law were the most    6   ones for Beijing students entering universities in 2005, but now these graduates are in a tight corner,” said Ba ran, a senior counselor（顾问）at a well-known company. Ba said that the expansion（扩大）of college enrollment（注册）for those hot majors five years ago has    7   an over-supply in the market, making it harder for those graduates to find jobs.
On the other side, engineering graduates majoring in Geological Engineering, Ship and Marine Engineering are    8   most in the job market. Engineering majors are more practical in professional skills and work experience, which are favored by many    9  . The graduates are thus armed with a competitive    10   in the cruel job market.
The report    11   a system should be set up against majors with a high risk of    12  . Undergraduates studying Law or English are encouraged to change their    13   or obtain a second degree. For some colleges and provinces with   14   employment rates, the report advised a（n）   15   in enrollment numbers or even a temporary (暂时的) stop in enrolling students.

When my daughter Kelsey was a child, she loved to join me in the garden. To 36 chaos(混乱)in my own garden beds, I provided her with a space of her own, so Kelsey’s Corner was born. There she was 37 to dig and plant as she wished. Over time, that small piece of land grew into a favorite place in the 38.
As she approached high school, Kelsey took her 39 off the garden. I didn’t 40 to accept this change. It seemed acceptable that something as boring as working in the dirt gave way to the mystery of a(n) 41 social life, so I began to take care of the space. Even so, I knew it always would be Kelsey’s Corner.
Now my daughter is eighteen and is in the 42 weeks of her high school career. Our mailbox is filled with college admission materials, 43 me that the world has come for this young lady and that she will soon answer its 44. Kelsey is looking forward to her wonderful college life 45 her mother and I are anxious about the coming life 46 our daughter around.
Kelsey’s Corner seems extremely deserted in this early spring 47 Kelsey’s leaving. One morning, when I 48 past Kelsey’s Corner, I noticed some green seedlings had 49 at the foot of some dead stalks(秆).
It’s 50 that life is a cycle. Kelsey’s leaving is 51 one point on the cycle. Now the life wheel will roll with Kelsey as she 52 into her adult life.
Let her live as she will and let her 53 when she can, and whether she comes alone or in 54, she will be welcome home. I’ll take care of Kelsey’s Corner faithfully. It will also cycle annually, rolling on towards a 55 stage of our lives, one that promises a rich harvest.

Water and its importance to human life were the centre of the world’s attention last week. March 22 was World Water Day and     36    the theme “Water for Life”.
There are more than one billion people in the world who live without     37    drinking water. The United Nations      38    to cut this number in half by 2015.
Solving such a big problem seems like a(n)     39    challenge. But everyone,     40    teenagers, can do something to help. A teenage girl in the US has set an example to the     41  of her age around the world.
Rene Haggerty, 13, was awarded the 2004 Gloria Barron Prize for her work—     42    discarded(废弃的) batteries（电池）which pollute water.
In 2003, Haggerty went on a field trip to the Great Lakes Science Centre in Ohio. There she saw an exhibit about how     43    in old batteries harm the water of Lake Erie.
Haggerty learnt that     44     the batteries was an easy solution. “I think everybody can do it, because everyone     45    batteries, and it can make a big difference.” With these words, she began to     46    awareness in her area.
She     47     her county government and school board. She got permission to start a recycling programme in schools     48    the public library, hospital, and churches. With help from her family, friends and local waste-management    49   , she gathered containers, arranged transportation, and made a(n)     50    video.
Over the past two years, she collected four tons of batteries and drew the attention of officials, who were in charge of a battery recycling programme but had made     51   progress.
When asked     52    she feels like a hero, Haggerty is quite ____53   . “Not really. Well, maybe for the fish I saved!”
Every year the Gloria Barron Prize     54  young Americans aged 8 to 18 who have shown leadership and courage in     55    the public and the planet. Each year ten winners receive US $ 2,000 each, to help with their education costs or their public service work.

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and 36  , making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to 37  . It had taken years, and they had 38  saved enough money and had got passports (护照) and 39 for the whole family to the United States.
The entire family was filled with 40  about their new life.  41  , seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but he42     a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. 43   the possibility of rabies (狂犬病), they should be quarantined (隔离) for fourteen days.
The family’s 44    was destroyed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had 45  . The father, filled with disappointment and 46     , hurried to the dock to watch the ship leave — without the Clark family. 47    of disappointment came to the father. Five days 48     , the tragic news spread throughout Scotland — the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, 49   many lives with it. The Clark family should have been on that ship, 50   because the son had been bitten by the dog, they were51   in Scotland. When Mr. Clark heard the news, he 52    his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning 53  he had felt was a(n) 54  into a blessing.
Although we may not always understand, all things 55   for a reason.
【小题1】