Have you ever forgotten where your socks are when you wake up in the morning? Can you remember what you ate for lunch a week ago? You may think that being forgetful is not a good thing. But now you should be thankful.

Scientists from University of Toronto found that forgetting actually is a key part of learning. Getting rid of (除去) unnecessary information can help our brains work better.

What kind of information is unnecessary? Scientists say that this may have something to do with the environment you live in.

In an environment that is always changing, our brains may require us to remember less. For example, a supermarket cashier (收银员) meets many people every day and will probably only remember them for a short time. But a designer (设计师) who often meets his or her clients (客户) will remember longer.

“That’s because our brains keep making new neurons (神经元) from stem cells (干细胞). ”said Paul Frankland, a professor at the University of Toronto.

There is a special area in our brains called hippocampus (海马体). It is important for us to learn and remember. When new neurons fit in the hippocampus, they renew our old memories. This could explain why you forget so much information about the time when you were very young.

However, being forgetful is not always good. When you don’t have enough sleep, you may have a hard time remembering new information. Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information. Matthew Walker from the University of California told the Huffington Post.  

根据短文内容,选择最佳选项,并在答题卡上将选定答案的字母标号涂黑。

1.Scientists found that forgetting things can help .

A.keep making new neurons B.our brains work better

C.change the environment D.have a good sleep

2.We may in an environment that is always changing.

A.remember more B.remember less

C.sleep better D.sleep worse

3.According to the passage, the underlined word This refer to (指的是) .

A.making new neurons from stem cells

B.learning and remembering new things

C.new neurons’ renewing our old memories

D.getting rid of unnecessary information

4. helps the brain store and keep new facts and information.

A.Having enough sleep B.Changing environment

C.Neurons’ fitting in the hippocampus D.Working hard

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A.How to remember new information

B.How to forget things easily

C.Sleeping is important.

D.Forgetting is not bad.

Smarter than We Thought

It's a popular belief that fish can't remember anything for longer than seven seconds.

It may seem sad to think that they don't remember what they've eaten or where they've been, and they don't recognize you or any of their friends—every moment in their lives would be like seeing the world for the first time.

But don't be so quick to feel sorry for them. A recent study has found that fish have much better memories than we used to think. In fact, certain kinds of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago, BBC reported.

In the study, researchers from MacEwan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again.

Researchers used computer software (软件) to monitor the fish's movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.

In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory.

An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively (攻击性地) in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past fights. But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence (证据).

Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to live in the wild.

"If fish are able to remember that a certain area has safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives in danger," lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.

For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees (黑猩猩), dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence(智力).

So next time you are watching your pet fish from outside the tank, perhaps you should feel closer to them—they may remember who you are.

1.What is a popular belief about fish?

A.Fish can remember things for a very short time.

B.Fish can only remember part of their experiences.

C.Fish can remember things that happened 12 days ago.

D.Fish can remember things for longer than three minutes.

2.According to the passage, fish can ________with a good memory.

A.know where to escape and keep safe

B.find their enemies and fight with them

C.remember where to get food and stay alive

D.recognize their friends and help each other

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Our pet fish can surely remember who we are.

B.Fish are as clever as chimpanzees, dolphins and mice.

C.Clear evidence has shown certain fish can remember their past fights.

D.African cichlids can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.

Stress(压力)is everywhere in our everyday life. Not only men have it but also women and young people.

The most important reasons of stress are: death, diseases, exams, making money, getting married, moving houses, changing jobs, ending friendships and so on.

How do you know whether you have stress? Could you give your answers to the following questions?

Stress test

Do you

Yes

No

easily get angry?

often sleep badly?

get headaches a lot?

take sleeping pills(药片)?

find it difficult to relax?

usually hide your feelings?

find it difficult to put your heart into something?

If you answer “Yes” to more than two of these questions, you are one of those people with stress. So what can you do about it?

Doing relaxing exercises, talking with friends and listening to light music are all usual ways of relieving(减轻)stress. However, doctors now say that there are easier ways-people should laugh and smile more often. When you laugh and smile, your body relaxes. They also say that people, especially men, should_______ more often, because crying is the natural way of relieving stress.

1.Which of the following is not the reason of stress?

A.Taking exams. B.Changing jobs

C.Taking sleeping pills. D.Making money

2.Which of the following is true?

A.Women and young people never have stress.

B.Stress is everywhere in our everyday life.

C.People who answer “No” to all of the questions have great stress.

D.People who answer “Yes” to more than two of the questions have no stress.

3.The “________” in the last passage should be the word” ________”.

A.cry B.laugh C.smile D.smoke

4.According to the passage, what’s the easier way to relax your body?

A.Talking with friends. B.Listening to light music.

C.Doing relaxing exercises. D.Laughing, smiling and crying.

5.The main idea of the passage is________.

A.about stress and how to relieve your stress

B.that there are many reasons for having stress

C.that laughing and smiling more can help relieve your stress

D.that doing the Stress Test is a good way to help you to live a better life

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