Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神經(jīng)元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions _y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to ( for example ："The hand took hold of the ball" ) , the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much researeh suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互動）.Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for ncurosciencc of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does--well，perhaps you'll understand why.
【小題1】Mirror neurons can explain         .

A．why we cry when we are hurt

B．why we cough when we suffer from a cold

C．why we smile when we see someone else smile

D．why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late

【小題2】The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “  ”

A．set off

B．cut off

C．built up

D．broken up

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons  .

A．relate to human behavior and interaction

B．control human physical actions and feelings

C．result in bad behavior and social disorders

D．determine our knowledge and language abilities

【小題4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways to find mirror neurons.

B．Problems of mirror neurons.

C．Existence of mirror neurons.

D．Functions of mirror neurons.

Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神經(jīng)細(xì)胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer. 
【小題1】According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______.

A．focused

B．relaxed

C．a(chǎn)wake

D．busy

【小題2】What does the author imply about newspapers?

A．They are solution providers.

B．They are a source of inspiration.

C．They are normally full of bad news.

D．They are more educational than websites.

【小題3】 By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”.

A．wander into the wild

B．listen to a beautiful tune

C．switch to the traffic channel

D．stop concentrating on anything

【小題4】The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.

A．offer practical suggestions

B．summarize past experiences

C．a(chǎn)dvocate diverse ways of life

D．establish a routine for the future

In a few years，you might be able to speak Chinese，Korean，Japanese，F(xiàn)rench，and English-and all at the same time. This sounds incredible，but Alex Waibel，a computer science professor at US's Car-negie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany's University of Karlsruhe，announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.
One application，called Lecture Translation，can easily translate a speech from one language into an-other. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Us-ers also have to be trained how to use the programme.
Another machine can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what languagethey speak. “It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you，”Waibel said
Prefer to read? So- called Translation Glasses transcribe(轉(zhuǎn)錄) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal display(LCD) screen.
Then there's the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech.The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person's face，according to research-ers.
During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU's Pittsburgh campus，a Chinese student named Sang Jun had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks，neck and throat. Then he mouthed-without speaking aloud- a few words in Mandarin(普通話) to the audience. A few seconds later，the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: “Let me introduce our new prototype.”
This particular instrument，when fully developed，might allow anyone to speak in any number of lan-guages or，as Waibel put it，“to switch your mouth to a foreign language”. “The idea behind the universi-ty's prototypes is to create'good enough' bridges for cross- cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world，”Waibel said.
With spontaneous(自發(fā)的) translators，foreign drivers in Germany  could listen to traffic warnings on the radio; tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people;leaders of different coun-tries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.
【小題1】What can't be learned from the text?

A．The spontaneous translators will help us a lot.

B．There is no Muscle Translator in the world now.

C．Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth.

D．A lecture translation can translate what you said into other languages easily.

【小題2】What does the underlined word mean?

A．happening at at the same time.	B．happening by itself.
C．similar in size.	D．Similar in quality.

【小題3】What's the final destination of inventing the language translators?

A．To make cultural exchanges between different countries easier.

B．To help students learn foreign languages more easily.

C．To make people live in foreign countries more comfortably.

D．To help people learn more foreign languages in the future.

【小題4】What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?

A．The translator is so good that it can translate any language into the very language you need.

B．The translator is becoming more and more common in the world as a bridge.

C．With the help of the translator，you only need to open your mouth when you want to say something without saying the exact words at all.

D．The translator needs to be improved before being put into market.

【小題5】Where can we probably find this passage?

A．A newspaper.	B．A magazine on science.
C．A fairy tale.	D．A scientific fantasy book.

Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes.Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans.The other is found in 93 t0 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark - striped zebrafish(斑馬魚) to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素) gene into a young fish.As with humans, zebrafish skin color is deter-mined  by pigment cells，which contain melanin(黑色素).The number,  size and darkness of melanin perpigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light - skinned Europeans also have a mutation (變異) in the gene for melanin production.This results in less pigrnented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in hu-man ancl zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about l.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra - violetrays of the sun. which can cause skin cancer.
But when modem humans leave Africa to live in northem latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer.lt also could lead to research in-to ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
【小題1】Scientists have done an experiment on a dark -striped zebrafish in order to

A．fincl the different genes o humans'

B．prove the humans' skin color is determined by the pigment gene

C．find out the reason why the Africans' skin color is dark

D．fincl out the ways of changing people's skin color

【小題2】lt can be inferred from the passage that      .

A．nowadays people who want to change their skin color have to suffer 8 lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment

B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene

C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer

D．there are two kinds of genes

【小題3】The passage mainly tells us that      .

A．scientists have found out that people's skin color is determined by the gene

B．the new discovery could lead to research into ways to change skin color safely

C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin color as he liked

D．people can not change their skin color without any pain

【小題4】The reason why Europeans are light - skinned is probably that      .

A．they are bom light - skinned people

B．light - skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanin production

C．they have fewer activities outside

D．they pay much attention to protecting their skin

【小題5】The writer's attitude towarcls the discovery is      .

A．neutral

B．negative

C．indifferent

D．positive

When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago.
Underwater archaeology-----the study of ships, aircrafts(工藝品) and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water-----is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment. Besides the Swedish ship wreck(殘�。�,underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
Underwater archaeology can provide facts about the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of people’s way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times.
Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world's knowledge of history, but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines(挖掘機(jī)）often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater “museums” of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures.
【小題1】What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?

A．To provide background information of the topic

B．To attract readers' attention to the topic

C．To use an example to support the topic

D．To offer basic knowledge of the topic

【小題2】The aim of underwater archaeology is to_________ .

A．explore water bodies

B．search for underwater life

C．study underwater artifacts

D．examine underwater environment

【小題3】Underwater archaeologists are worried because_____.

A．sea hunters have better diving equipment

B．their knowledge of world history is limited

C．dredging machines cause damage to the ports

D．sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research

【小題4】What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce a young branch of learning.

B．To discuss the scientists' problems.

C．To explain people's way of life in the past.

D．To describe the sunken ships.

Not everyone goes to university after high school graduation. Some work, others join the army and an increasing number worldwide are taking a “gap year” to travel or do community service in their own countries or abroad. They are studying sharks off the Australian coast, building schools in Mexico and learning Spanish or Italian.
The concept of a gap year may not be new, but the recent surge (涌現(xiàn)) of interest certainly is.  Some students are putting off admissions. Others, who don’t get into the college of their choice, are taking a year to explore new frontiers before reapplying.
Students are choosing to take a breather; they are thinking. They are not sure what they are going to do. They are going and exploring some of their interests. They are getting experience they can take to the school they finally go to.
It is an idea actively encouraged by colleges. Princeton University has just launched a “bridge year” program that will send 10 percent of its incoming class to do volunteer work abroad, starting in 2009. And the Harvard has spent the last 30 years urging incoming students to take a gap year.
“Many speak of their year away as a ‘life-changing’ experience or a ‘turning point’” says Harvard admissions director Marlin Lewis. “Many come to college with new opinions about their academic plans, their extracurricular interests and the career possibilities they observed in their year away.”
【小題1】The reasons why some take a gap year are the following EXCEPT that ________.

A．they hate studying

B．they don’t know what to do

C．they want to get experience

D．they want to know their real interests

【小題2】A student won’t ________ in a gap year.

A．travel	B．join the army
C．do community service	D．learn a foreign language

【小題3】After a gap year, one would probably _________.

A．take another year off

B．earn a lot of money

C．be refused by his college

D．have new ideas about their future career

【小題4】From the passage we know that ________.

A．more and more students will take a gap year

B．fewer and fewer colleges will encourage his students to take a gap year

C．the gap year can only give one some experience about society

D．nobody will change his own interests after the gap year

The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (懷舊的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(轉(zhuǎn)換) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot(發(fā)現(xiàn)) spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
【小題1】What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?

A．The absence of blackboard in classroom.

B．The use of new technologies in teaching.

C．The lack of practice in handwriting.

D．The popular use of smartphones.

【小題2】Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________.

A．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.

B．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.

C．found that good essays are made up of long sentences.

D．discussed the importance of writing speed.

【小題3】Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?

A．Spelling improves one’s memory of words.

B．Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.

C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.

D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.

【小題4】What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Window.

B．Soul

C．Picture.

D．Imagination.

【小題5】What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?

A．Computers can help people with their choice of words.

B．Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.

C．Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.

D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, genetically modified (GM, 轉(zhuǎn)基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the world, mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?
Despite what it promises, GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any crop. In fact, studies show that the most widely grown GM crop, GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report that analysed nearly two decades of research on major GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.
Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides（殺蟲劑）. On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But neither is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.
At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.
As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice.
【小題1】The author develops the second paragraph mainly      .

A．by classification	B．by comparison
C．by example	D．by process

【小題2】What does the underlined word “boost” in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Control.

B．Evaluate

C．Obtain.

D．Increase.

【小題3】GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from ______________.

A．practicing “green” farming

B．use of less chemicals

C．fair distribution of their crops

D．using more crops for fuel

【小題4】Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?

A．Optimistic

B．Defensive

C．Disapproving

D．Casual

More than one in eight U. S. adults finds it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time and about one in eleven tries to hide his or her online habit, according to a study showed on Tuesday.
The study by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California found one in eight adults admitted they needed to spend less time online, saying this showed "problematic Interact use" is present in a sizable portion (部分)of the population.
The study involved a nationwide telephone survey of 2,581 respondents in the spring and summer of 2004 with researchers then examining the data and preparing the report which appears in the October issue of CNS Spectrums.
The survey found that 68.9 percent of respondents were regular Internet users and 13.7 percent of the users found it hard to stay offline for several days at a time.
It found 12.4 percent often stayed online longer than intended, more than 12 percent said they saw a need to cut back on their Internet use, and 8.7 percent tried to conceal (隱瞞) "non-essential "Internet use from family, friends and employers.
A smaller number, 8.2 percent, said they use the Internet to escape problems or a bad mood, while 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered because of too much Internet use.
One report published earlier this year said that 5 percent to 10 percent of the population likely will experience Internet addiction (上癮).
It said signs include a disregard for health or appearance, lack of sleep and reducing physical activities and social communications with others, as well as dry eyes and juries of hands and fingers.
【小題1】From Paragraph 2, it tells us _______.

A．how to use the interact is a terrible problem to adults

B．how surfing the net has caused a bad result to people

C．why to throw off the Internet addiction becomes a hot problem

D．why so many adults want to spend less time on the interact

【小題2】Those who try to hide their habit of addition to the Interact make up of the respondents.

A．12.4%

B．8.7%

C．5.9%

D．13.7%

【小題3】According to the researchers, which statement is true?

A．Online habit of people has been a dangerous problem to society.

B．All of the Interact users have terrible psychological problems to solve.

C．The internet is more harmful to people than good.

D．We have to pay attention to negative effects from the internet.

London has a new magazine. But it’s not printed on paper. Everyone who has a television can receive it because it is on TV.
In order to read this magazine you have to have a decoder. Each page of it is numbered, so you only have to dial the number to choose which subject you want to read about. There’s a wide choice--- everything is included from cooking to the latest sports news.
If you want to read the news, the first thing you have to do is to turn to the index page which has an easy-to-remember page number, 100 for example. Then you start choosing what you want to read. The news is on pages 101 to 109, so you push out the numbers and the news appears written across your screen. Perhaps you want to go out in the afternoon, so you press 181, and a brightly colored weather map appears on the screen. But the weather is terrible so you decide to go shopping and dial 162 for a list of the week’s best bargains. But should you drive or take the train ? To answer the question you only have to press 189 for the traffic report. It’s very simple to use. But probably the best thing about the service is that it’s being updated all the time. Journalists type new material directly onto the screen and whole pages of the magazine can be replaced in minutes.
London has already had three services. One, transmitted（傳輸）by ITV, is called ORACLE, while the other two, on BBC, are called CEEFAX, because they let you see facts. Although CEEFAX and ORACLE have been operating for some time, they have not been well publicized. BBC engineers do not think that their idea will ever replace books and newspapers because they can be taken with you everywhere. But many people agree that this is a breakthrough as great as the invention of printing, which could change not just our reading habits but our whole way of life.
【小題1】What is unusual about the mew magazine in London?

A．You can find any subject you want in it.

B．No paper is used to print the magazine.

C．There 1,000 page numbers in the index.

D．The speed of transmitting is astonishing.

【小題2】It’s clearly seen from the passage that ________.

A．it takes long for the service of the magazine to be updated

B．most of the postmen will be out of work someday

C．the readers can get all kinds of information without leaving home

D．everyone can read the magazine if there is a television at hand

【小題3】According to the passage, the “decoder” is used to help people to ________.

A．read the information transmitted by TV signals

B．broadcast special TV programs at home and abroad

C．dial the number to choose which subject you want to read about

D．find the exact page in which you can get information you need

【小題4】The passage is mainly about          .

A．a(chǎn) new magazine printed in London

B．a(chǎn) popular TV program with three services

C．a(chǎn) great breakthrough in printing

D．a(chǎn)n up-to-date way of keeping up to date