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  (混亂的) 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.”
小題1:The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.
A． noticeB．medicineC．comfortD．a(chǎn)ction
小題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．a(chǎn)dults are more independent than teens
小題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.
小題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.

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:D
小題4:C

試題分析：這篇文章講述了灰質(zhì)使得青少年不能集中精力，隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，灰質(zhì)減少，大腦才能更有效的工作。
小題1:solace意思為安慰，故選C。
小題2:根據(jù)“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.”故選A。
小題3:根據(jù)Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”所以答案為D。
小題4:根據(jù)全文內(nèi)容以及Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”，因此選C。
點(diǎn)評(píng)：要想答好題目，重在理解全文意思。這篇文章比較難，先看問(wèn)題，再帶著問(wèn)題讀短文，找出各段落的主旨句，理解全文內(nèi)容，總結(jié)全文中心，然后再回到問(wèn)題上來(lái)，很容易選出正確答案。
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：完形填空

The students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had __36  himself．The suicide note read: “It’s hard to  37  when nobody cares.”
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A．a(chǎn)shamedB．valuedC．excitedD．scared
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A．takingB．goingC．givingD．looking
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Looking for some inspiration or the “write” kind of ideas for your creative stories? To start with, some writers describe winter by using their five senses or their imagination. Others write on their favorite winter activity. Whatever you choose to write about, working on a winter story can always help to improve your writing skills. Now read the following story and see if it helps get rid of any icy writing block you’ ve been struggling with.
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Unseen by those who remained locked inside their homes, warm in their beds, I enjoyed being alone with the beauty of the wintertime. Those indoors were unable to appreciate the snow-scapes, ice crystals, frost and the crisp（清新的）breeze. For them, the coming of winter meant just the arrival of the cold.
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B．To show readers how to work on a winter story.
C．To inspire readers to take more exercise in winter
D．To tell readers how to appreciate the beauty of winter.

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A．progressB．pollutionC．educationD．production
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A．a(chǎn)gricultureB．industryC．environmentD．population
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

First Lady Michelle Obama urged students to visit China at the "100,000 Strong" China Study Abroad forum at Howard University in 2011.
President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong" Initiative （倡議） during his 2009 visit to China. The program aims to increase and diversify the number of American students studying in China by making studying abroad more affordable.
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Nicole Baden, a senior communications major at Howard University, recalled how her time in China really helped her master the language. "You have to experience the culture while learning the language to really master it and to understand why things are how they are compared to your own culture," Baden said.
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小題1:The examples mentioned in the passage mainly indicate that _____.
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B．a(chǎn)ll students of the US are living a comfortable life in China
C．Chinese young people are friendly to foreigners
D．it isn’t realistic for some US young people to study in China
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D．Michelle Obama called on US students to study in China at a government meeting.
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A．The US has an ambitious program for Americans studying in China.
B．Michelle Obama encourages American students to study in China.
C．More American students plan to study in China.
D．China is attracting more and more international students.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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A．the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world
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C．there is only one seed bank in the world at present
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B．The Millennium Seed Bank Project.
C．Britain’s seed bank.
D．Kew Gardens’ next goal.
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A．The global partnership of collecting wild plant species.
B．The temperature condition of the wild plant species in the bank.
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All this hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(填鴨式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self-study a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut-throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the l970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.
小題1:The students spend the least time in school in         .
A．the UK B．Finland C．the USA D．Korea
小題2:According to the text, we think in Korea         .
A．students spend more time in studying
B．students are tired of studying in class
C．students leave their school early
D．students are always top scorers
小題3:The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragragh 2 probably refers to         .
A．private evening tutoringB．self-study at home
C．long-hour studyD．school study
小題4:From Paragragh 3, we can know that         .
A．Finnish students are less stressed in study
B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain
C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia
D．British schools are less competitive than universities
小題5:According to the author, the key to improving education is         .
A．the attitude B．the schooling time
C．star pupils D．new teaching approach

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Whenever my dog, Barney, comes into the house after having been for a ride in the car, he runs to the pen(圍欄) we have set up for him by the back door. It’s not something we intentionally trained him to do. The habit came simply because my husband tended to put him in his pen whenever they came in. After doing it a few times, Barney just figures that’s what you do when you come inside after a car ride.
It’s the same with your thinking. You get into the habit of thinking a certain way and then you’ll rarely question it after that.
This is especially true when you were growing up. You developed habits that just made things easier for you. You probably didn’t even think about them. That’s just the way it was and that’s what you did. Just like Barney thinks he has to go into his pen, you do things automatically as well.
For example, when you were a kid, you may have been told not to “talk back” and to just keep quiet about things that were bothering you. These are habits that might have worked to keep you safe and out of trouble when you were young.
Now that you're grown up, you may be finding that these previous strategies are actually causing you problems. In a relationship, not communicating isn't going to work as your partner can’t read your mind. What works when you're a child may not work when you become an adult.
When you decide you need to change your thoughts, your brain may at first feel that it's not a safe thing to do. Lots of practice and years of experience says it’s not. Also, you don’t know to question the thought. It’s a truth for you. The trick is to look at your results and see if your thoughts are the cause. Be willing to question your thinking and ask yourself if there are thoughts that are hindering (妨礙) you. As you are now in a different phase of your life, different strategies may be needed.
小題1:As with the dog Barney, people _______.
A．think in a habitual way
B．enjoy having a car ride
C．usually behave in a friendly way
D．have a good memory
小題2:According to the passage, as a kid, one tends to _________.
A．be afraid to make mistakes
B．have the experience of playing with a dog
C．learn much from adults like his/her parents
D．form a habit which can keep his/her out of trouble
小題3:In the writer’s opinion, adults should _______.
A．not“talk back”
B．a(chǎn)void causing any problem
C．change the habit which will bring troubles
D．value their habits formed in their childhood
小題4:It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A．the author’s husband must be good at training dogs
B．childhood is the best time for developing good habits
C．one can change his/her life by changing his/her thoughts
D．you should change all your childhood habits when you grow up

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Technology has totally transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.
According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated(孤立的). The study suggests, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that Americans have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.
From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls maintain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.
On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy (治療) center.
As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist. After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their cars, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones but not to each other.
小題1:What does the passage lead you to believe?
A．Americans are more socially isolated today.
B．Americans are more socially connected today.
C．Americans don’t make good use of technology.
D．Technology plays a bigger role in American society.
小題2:Which of the following has nothing to do with the isolation among Americans?
A．Sex.B．Education.C．Skin color.D．Age.
小題3:What is true about the mother and son in the passage?
A．They came for therapy in the same car.
B．They were quite close to each other.
C．There was not much communication between them.
D．They preferred talking to each other on cell phones.
小題4:What can we learn from the passage?
A．The writer is totally against the modern technology.
B．The mother and the son have finished their family therapist and get a better relationship.
C．As far as the writer is concerned, he has benefited a lot from the modern technology.
D．Those black and well-educated people have stronger social network than aged white people.

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