Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.

The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.

“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”

The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混乱的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.

Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.

“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”

1.The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.

A． notice           B．medicine          C．comfort           D．action

2.When making decisions, _____.

A．teens’ brains continue to do much needless work

B．the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active

C．people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s

D．adults are more independent than teens

3.What is the effect of having too much grey matter?

A．It makes us always feel disappointed.

B．It makes us more intelligent.

C．It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.

D．It had a bad effect on decision-making.

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A．Teens have different brains from those of children.

B．Adults work more effectively than teens.

C．Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.

D．Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

 

.

The UN Environment Programme says that rising temperature could mean the end for some

migrating animals.Migrating or mobile animals move through several environments as they travel away from the cold of winter to warmer areas. Birds may fly from one part of the world to another, perhaps stopping at feeding grounds(聚食场) on the way. Whales and turtles cover vast areas of ocean. The report says that changes in any one of the places which these animals use can cause serious harm."Obviously these animals have developed their traveling patterns over thousands of years. But climate change is almost certain to be extreme over the next 25 t0 50 years, and it is extremely

unlikely that these animals can change their habits fast enough," said the report author Dr. Robert Hepworth.

Hardest hit by rising temperatures are turtles. Scientists have found that at higher temperatures,turtles produce far more female eggs than male ones. In parts of Malaysia, turtle birthing sites are producing only females, the report says, It also provides evidence that some turtles are more likely to develop cancer as the waters get warmer.

With birds, the main problem is climate-related damage to important areas at either end of the travels or at resting places along the way. About one-fifth of migrating birds are now in danger because of climate-related changes including rising sea levels, land loss and more violent storms,the report concludes.Other animals picked out as particularly in danger include:

◆the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose main food( tiny shrimp ) is disturbed by the change in ocean flows

◆the White-beaked Dolphin, which is out-competed by other kinds of dolphins in warmer waters.

The report is not all bad news. Even with major climatic changes, protecting the environment can still help mobile animals to recover.

"We need governments to start taking action at the national and international level. The clock is running." said Dr Hepworth. And some animals are already adapting, with the report mentioning whales that are changing their feeding behavior, finding new feeding grounds and new foods to eat.

48. What does the text mainly talk about?

A. The effect of climate change on migrating animals,

B. How animals are adapting to changes in temperature.

C. The importance of saving migrating animals.

D. The need for government policies to prevent global warming.

49. Which of the following is mentioned as a consequence of rising temperatures?

A. More storms will affect the ability of whales to find their feeding grounds.

B. 20% of all birds are likely to die out because of land loss.

C. Migrating animals can adapt to the changes quickly.

D. Warmer oceans will increase the competition between different kinds of dolphins.

 

阅读下面短文，从各题A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

People who smoke could lose around one third of their daily memory, researchers say.

A study by a team at Northumbria University showed that smokers lost more of their memory when compared to non-smokers.

And the research also found that those who kicked the habit saw their ability to recollect information restored to almost the same level as non-smokers.

The study involved more than seventy 18-to-25-year-olds and included a tour of the university’s campus. Those who took part were asked to recall small details, such as a list of songs played at a campus concert and tasks completed at various points－known as real world memory test. Smokers performed badly, remembering just 59 percent of tasks. But those who had given up smoking remembered 74 percent and those who had never smoked recalled 81 percent of tasks.

Dr. Tom Heffernan, who leads Northumbria University’s Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research Group, said the findings would be useful in anti-smoking campaigns. He said, “Given that there are up to 10 million smokers in the UK and as many as 45 million in the United States, it's important to understand the effects smoking has on everyday cognitive（认知的）function-of which prospective memory is an excellent example. ”

“This is the first time that a study has set out to examine whether giving up smoking has an impact on memory. We already know that giving up smoking has huge health benefits for the body, but this study also shows how stopping smoking can have knock-on benefits for cognitive functions too. ’’

The research will now investigate the effects of passive smoking on memory, while Dr. Heffernan and Dr. Terence O’Neil will look into the effects of third-hand smoking－toxins left on curtains and furniture.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Smoking does harm to health.

B．Smokers take a tour to the University’s campus.

C．Smoking can affect one’s memory.

D．Smokers are compared to non-smokers.

2.How did those who took part in the study perform when asked to recall small details?

A．Smokers did the worst among the participants.

B．Non-smokers could recall about half of them.

C．Smokers could recall nothing at all.

D．Those who gave up smoking did best.

3.According to Dr. Tom Heffernan, the findings_______.

A．would be really a surprise to the public

B．would contribute to fighting against smoking

C．would be used in real world memory test

D．would be nothing new to the researchers

4.What does the underlined word “impact’’ most probably mean?

A．order            B．impression         C．expression         D．effect

5.What will Dr. Heffernan and Dr Terence O’Neil do?

A．Investigate the effects of third-hand smoking.

B．Do research on how smoking affects passive smokers.

C．Find ways to persuade people to quit smoking.

D．Study whether giving up smoking affects memory.

 

答对三题以上（含三题）才给予加分；请在完成前五部分的前提下完成该部分

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.

Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an honesty box alongside a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated (轮流替换) each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.

Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. The effect may result from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.

“If nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we’re being watched we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us,” Dr. Bateson said.

“We thought we’d get a slight effect with eyes, by it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(进化) to respond to.”

The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could increase ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.

1．This passage is mainly about ____________.

         A．the policy of honesty B．an honesty box to collect money

         C．evolution on honesty          D．an experiment on honesty

2．The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers __________.

         A．wanted to get a comparatively more exact result

         B．had known they wanted to do something illegally

         C．meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues

         D．intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price

3．People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because ____________.

         A．they want to leave a good impression

         B．they fear to be laughed at by others

         C．they’ve got the nature through evolution

         D．they take the photo for a real pair of eyes

4．The underlined phrase “sheds light on” in the last paragraph means _________.

         A．causes somebody to become cheerful

         B．makes something easier to understand

         C．comes upon something by accident

         D．brings something into the broad daylight

5．Images of a pair of eyes can be applied to all except ________.

         A．ticket sales on public transport        B．cold drink sales in public places

         C．places with “No spitting!” signs        D．electrical appliances(电器) used at home

 

 

The UN Environment Programme says that rising temperatures could mean the end for some migrating animals.

Migrating or mobile animals move through several environments as they travel away from the cold of winter to warmer areas. Birds may fly from one part of the world to another, perhaps stopping at feeding grounds on the way. Whales and turtles (海龟) cover vast areas of ocean. The report says that changes in any one of the places which these animals use can cause serious harm. "Obviously these animals have developed their travelling patterns over thousands of years. But climate change is almost certain to be extreme over the next 25 to 50 years and it is extremely unlikely that these animals can change their habits fast enough," said the report author Dr Robert Hepworth.

Hardest hit by rising temperatures are turtles. Scientists have found that at higher temperatures, turtles produce far more female eggs than male ones. In parts of Malaysia, turtle birthing sites are producing only females, the report says. It also provides evidence that some turtles are more likely to develop cancer as the waters get warmer.

With birds, the main problem is climate-related damage to important areas at either end of the travels or at resting places along the way. About one-fifth of migrating birds are now in danger because of climate-related changes including rising sea levels, land loss and more violent storms, the report concludes.

Other animals picked out as particularly in danger include:

· the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose main food (tiny shrimp) is disturbed by the change in ocean flows and

· the White-Nose Dolphin, which is out-competed by other kinds of dolphins in warmer waters.

The report is not all bad news. Even with major climatic changes, protecting the environment can still help mobile animals to recover. "We need governments to start taking action at the national and international lever. “The clock is running.” said Dr Hepworth. And some animals are already adapting, with the report mentioning whales that are changing their feeding behaviour, finding new feeding grounds and new foods to eat.

1.What is the main topic of the text?

A．The effect of climate change on migrating animals.

B．How animals are adapting to changes in temperature.

C．The actions required to save migrating animals.

D．The need for government policies to prevent global warming.

2.By saying "the clock is running" in the last paragraph, Dr Hepworth means that “_______”.

A．it may be too late to save some animals

B．it is time to start protecting the animals

C．there is not much time to solve the problem

D．it takes time to complete the actions

3.According to the report, how will global warming affect turtles in the future?

A．They will only produce female babies.

B．Their food supply will gradually disappear.

C．Some will suffer from higher rates of cancer.

D．They will be in greater danger because of more violent storms.

4.Which of the following is mentioned as a consequence of rising temperatures?

A．More storms will affect the ability of whales to find their feeding grounds.

B．20 percent of all birds are likely to die out because of land loss.

C．Migrating animals are likely to start adapting to the changes more quickly.

D．Warmer oceans will increase the competition between different kinds of dolphins.

5.What can be inferred (推断) about turtles from the text?

A．They are the only animals besides humans that suffer from cancer.

B．They have traditionally lived longer than other ocean-based animals.

C．Those born nearer a hotter area are more likely to be female.

D．Most kinds of turtles are likely to die out within 50 years.