Your brain controls everything you do. It makes it possible for you to think, learn, create and feel; to blink(眨眼) and breathe and for your heart to heat –this fantastic control center is your brain. It is so amazing that a famous scientist once called it “the most complex(复杂) thing we have yet discovered in our universe”.

Can this small grey organ(器官), which weighs less than one and a half kilos, really do so much? Amazingly, your brain contains about 100 billion neurons(神经元) -it would take you over 3 ,000 years to count them all. Believe it or not, the activity in your brain never stops. Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the world. And although one neuron creates only a little electricity, all your neurons together can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb (灯泡).

So exactly how fast does your brain work? Well, imagine this: a bee lands on your foot. Neurons in your skin send this information to your brain at a speed of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Your brain then uses other neurons to send the message back to your foot to shake the bee off quickly. These neurons can send this information at more than 320 kilometers per hour. No computer has your brain's unbelievable ability to deal with the amount of information coming from your eyes, ears and other sensory organs.

But how does your brain allow you to learn things that you will use in the future? The structure (结构) of your brain changes every time you have a new thought, remember or learn something. For example, riding a bike seems impossible at first, but soon you are able to do it. How? As you practice, your brain sends "bike riding" messages again and again Soon, the actions are learnt and you are able to ride a bike easily from then on.

1.From the passage we know that neurons___________.

A. receive messages very slowly B. are only found in your skin

C. send messages to your brain D. need electricity to work

2.In Paragraph 3, the writer mentions computers to ___________ .

A. compare them with the human brain

B. show how fast they have become

C. say that computers have no abilities

D. ask people to use computers more

3.When you have a new thought, ___________ .

A. your brain will power a light bulb B. your heart beats faster

C. you remember something D. the structure of your brain changes

4.Which of the statements about the brain is TRUE?

A. The speed of the neurons in the brain can be up to 320 kilometers per minute.

B. The electricity produced by the neurons can hardly power a light bulb.

C. We learn a new skill by sending the messages again and again through the brain.

D. After receiving the information, the brain send the same neurons back to your foot.

5.The article is mainly about ___________.

A. all the steps when your brain learns things

B. what an unbelievable organ the human brain is

C. how the brain makes people smarter than computers

D. the things you can do to make your brain work faster

For years, parents have been telling kids to turn down the music. Now it's more important than ever for young people to hear the message.

Phones, iPads, and other devices deliver music that is clearer and louder than ever. That may sound like a good thing, but it is not so good for the health of the ears.

A new study confirms the danger. Scientists gave hearing tests to 170 students aged 11 to 17. The results showed that nearly 30% of the students had tinnitus(耳鸣), a condition that causes ringing in the ears. Ringing can be the result of a sudden loud noise. In that case, it is likely to go away. But constant ringing is a sign of trouble.

"These weren't kids who had just come from a rock concert," Dr Larry Roberts told Times For Kids. "We made sure they hadn't heard any loud sounds for a day or two."

Since the kids' tinnitus is a continuing condition, it is not likely to go away. Ongoing ringing in the ears is a sign of hearing loss. "There's no medical cure for tinnitus," warns Roberts. "These students will need hearing assistance earlier in life than others who don't have tinnitus."

Aside from the threat of future hearing loss,students with tinnitus also face immediate effects. They are more sensitive to loud sounds. They may have difficulty concentrating(集中精力)and sleeping.

What can you do to keep your hearing sharp? Follow the 60/60 rule. Set the volume under 60%. Don't use a device for more than 60 minutes a day.

1.What does "the message" in Paragraph 1 refer to(指的是)?

A. The result of the study.

B. Turn down the music.

C. Clearer and louder music isn't good.

D. There's no medical cure for tinnitus.

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. In the author's opinion, it's good for us that devices play clearer and louder music.

B. More than 30% of the students in the tests had tinnitus.

C. Tinnitus is a problem with no medical cure.

D. Hearing loss is an immediate effect of tinnitus.

3.What's the writer's purpose in writing this passage?

A. To show the bad effects of tinnitus.

B. To show the result of a study.

C. To warn young people to turn down the music.

D. To suggest the ways to keep one's hearing sharp.

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