In meditation（冥想），people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath .As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.

According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a market change in how the brain allocates attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world．Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli, like facial expressions.

The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.

In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day .A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period．Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.

Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number .as if letting it go ,which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number ,This shows that attention can change with practice.

Just ask Daniel Levison, who meditated for three months as part of the study. “I am a much better listener,” he said．“I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”

1．The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to         .

       A．thoughts                B．minds                  C．people                D．feelings

2．In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours         .

       A．usually ignored the first number observed

B．were used to memorizing numbers in groups

C．were more likely to catch both of the numbers

D．paid more attention to numbers than to letters

3．What can be concluded from the passage?

       A．Meditation improves one’s health.

B．Mediators have a good sense of hearing.

C．Brain activity can be recorded.

D．Human attention can be trained.

In meditation（冥想），people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.

According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli, like facial expressions.

The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.

In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.

Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice.

Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study.” I am a much better listener,” he said. “I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”

56. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A. feelings         B. minds         C. people        D. thoughts

57. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ________.

A. are given less pressure                    B. allocate their attention better

C. have more stimuli for life                 D. practice them more frequently

58. The study proves that ________.

A. meditation improves one’s health          B. brain activity can be recorded

C. human attention can be trained            D. mediators have a good sense of hearing

第三部分：閱讀理解（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）

請認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，從短文后所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

 A

In meditation（冥想），people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.

According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli, like facial expressions.

The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.

In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.

Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice.

Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study.” I am a much better listener,” he said. “I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”

56. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A. feelings         B. minds         C. people        D. thoughts

57. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ________.

A. are given less pressure                    B. allocate their attention better

C. have more stimuli for life                 D. practice them more frequently

58. The study proves that ________.

A. meditation improves one’s health         B. brain activity can be recorded

C. human attention can be trained                D. mediators have a good sense of hearing

第三部分：閱讀理解（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）
請認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，從短文后所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
A
In meditation（冥想），people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.
According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli, like facial expressions.
The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.
In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.
Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice.
Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study.” I am a much better listener,” he said. “I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”
56. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.
A. feelings         B. minds         C. people        D. thoughts
57. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ________.
A. are given less pressure                   B. allocate their attention better
C. have more stimuli for life                D. practice them more frequently
58. The study proves that ________.
A. meditation improves one’s health        B. brain activity can be recorded
C. human attention can be trained              D. mediators have a good sense of hearing