Imagine being able to recall just about anything, your mind functioning as a nearly endless encyclopedic(百科全书的)book of names, pictures, dates and events.

       Brad Williams’ excellent memory recall makes him a personified version(个人版)of Google. His wide memory allows him to recall almost any news event and anything he has experienced, including specific dates and even the weather. “I was sort of a human Google for my family. I’ve always been able to recall things,” the 51-yearold said on Good Morning America in his first television interview.

       Williams’ type of detailed, complete memory is called hyperthymesia and few known cases exist. Brad’s brain scan are now being studied by scientists at the Center for Neurobiology(神经生物学)of Learning and Memory, at the University of California.

       At first, the drive-time radio broadcaster didn’t think his ability to recall so much was anything special. Gradually, over the years, other people noticed how much he was able to remember in detail about events. Then in 2006, he read an article about a wman whom scietists called AJ, which prompted Williams to come forward. AJ is a writwer of a medical journal, and the only scientifically-documented case of superior memory.

       “When I read about AJ, my immediate thought was : Oh my God. That’s Brad!” said williams’ brother, Eric Williams.

       Eric Williams is eager to learn about the inner working of his brother’s mind. He is in the process of making documentary(纪录片)about Brad, appropriately titled: “Unforgettable.” In the film, which hasn’t been finished yet, Williams takes on a person who is Googling answers to 20 questions. He answers 18 of them correctly and is 11 minutes faster than the Google user.

       “All of us have the ability to store this information, but the difference with Brad is that he can recall it,” Eric Williams said.

According to the passage, which of the following is true about Brad Williams?

       A.He has worked for Google, so he recall any news events.

       B.He may be one of the rare cases of people with a superior memory.   

       C.He is now the host of Good Morning America.

       D.He is working as a teacher in California.

Why does Brad Williams have such a good memory?

       A.Because he was born with a rare ability.

       B.Because his work requires a good memory.

       C.Because he has to answer others’ questions.

       D.Because he was specially trained in his chilhood.

The underlined word “prompted” most probably means _______.

       A.helped             B.wanted     C.warned     D.encouraged

The best title for this passage might be ___________.

       A.The Ability to Store All Information

       B.A Documentary called Unforgettable

       C.“Google Man” Recalls Nearly Every Thing

       D.Brad Williams and Google User

Surveys of American teenagers find that about half of them do not get enough sleep on school nights. They get an average of 60 to 90 minutes less than experts say they need.

Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups. Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.

As a result,many students go to class feeling like Danny,16 years old. He plays two sports,lacrosse and football. He is an active teen—except in the morning. DANNY:“Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible. I’m just very out of it and tired. And through first and second period I can hardly stay awake.”

Michael Breus,a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders says:“These aren’t a bunch of lazy kids—although,you know,teenagers can of course be lazy. These are children whose biological rhythms,more times than not,are off.”Teens,he says,need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night. He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression that could have big effects on their general well-being. It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road because any tired driver is dangerous,especially a teenager with a lack of experience.

So what can schools do about sleepy students?The psychologist says one thing they can do is start classes later in the morning.

Eric Peterson,head of St.George’s School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island,says,“In the end,schools ought to do what’s the right thing for their students,first and foremost.”And he wanted to see if a 30-minute delay would make a difference. It did.

According to the passage,which of the following is the chief cause of sleepy teenagers?

A. Persona haibits.                    B. Early school hours.

C. Sports activities.                    D. Too much home work.

According to Michael Breus,          .

A. Teenagers are too lazy to get up early for school.

B. Teenagers should change their biological rhythms.

C. Lacking sleep can cause serious problems.

D. Sleepy teenagers shouldn’t drive to school.

What is Eric Peterson’s opinion on the issue?

A. Schools should try their best to help students.

B. Students should adjust to their school’s schedule.

C. Changing school schedule is their last choice.

D. Something has to change at the end of a school day.

What does the underlined word“It”in the last sentence might refer to?

A. St.George School.                 B. Rhode Island State.

C. Students in St.George School.        D. 30-minute delay of school day.

What can you infer might follow the passage immediately?

A. Some positive changes in St.George’s school.

B. Some complaints from teachers and parents.

C. Some tips on how to help students foremost.

D. Some unexpected outcome of the delay.

     The scene in the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow, where global warming could soon turn the global climate (气候) into a new ice age, may never occur, according to new research.

    The next ice age could be 15,000 years away, say European scientists who last month announced a continuous record of 7.40,000 years of climate data (数据) obtained from the Antarctic ice.                         

     Scientists from 10 nations have now almost completely drilled through a 3,000-meter.depth of ice high in the Antarctic mainland. They figure out that the area where summer temperatures can fall to –40℃, has at least 900,000 years of snowfalls,, kept as neatly as the growth rings of a tree. And the ice and air caught in each layer(层) have begun to answer questions about the climates in the past..

     The results show that there have been eight ice ages in the past 740, 000 years and eight warmer periods. And by comparing the pattern of global conditions today with those of the past, the researchers reported in Nature that the present warm period could last another 15, 000 years.

     Research suggests that there is a very close connection between greenhouse gas levels and global average temperatures. It also shows that carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels are the highest for at least 440,000 years.         

     "If people say to you: the greenhouse effect is a good thing because we would go into an ice age otherwise, our data say no, a new ice age is not hanging over our heads,” said Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey. "Now we have eight examples of how the climate goes in and out of ice ages… and you can learn what the rules are that go into the climate models that tell us about the future."

     Scientists found that whenever temperatures rose in the frozen record, so did carbon dioxide level. "In 440,000 years we have never seen greenhouse gas get as thick as it is today," said Dr Wolff.

48. In drilling through the ice in Antarctica, scientists, have found that______.

     A. the lowest temperature there is -40℃     B. the depth of ice is 3,000 meters

     C. the ice has existed for 15,000 years          D. snowfalls are kept in certain patterns

49. The information of the global climate conditions in the past can be obtained through______.

     A. separating carbon dioxide from the air     

   B. examining the growth rings of trees

     C. comparing temperatures in different areas

     D. studying the ice and air caught in each layer

50. We can infer from Eric Wolff's words that_______.

     A. there is something wrong with the data     B. greenhouse effect is always a bad thing

     C. a new ice age will not come in the near future

     D. greenhouse gas will get thick in the future

51. What would be the best title for the passage?

     A. Research over the Antarctic area.                    B. Warm period to last about 15, 000 years.

     C. Report on the eight ice ages in the past.    D. Hollywood movies and the global climate.

About half American teenagers do not get enough sleep on school nights.They get an average of sixty to ninety minutes less than experts say they need.

One reason for this is biology.Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups.Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.As a result,many students go to class feeling like sixteen?year?old Danny.He is an active teen— except in the morning.“Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible.I’m just very out of it and tired.Through the first and second period I can hardly stay awake,” he said.

Michael Breus is a psychologist.Teens,he says,need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night.He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression(消沉) that could have big influence on their general well being.It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road.So what can schools do about sleepy students?The psychologist says one thing they can do is to start classes later in the morning.Studies show that students can improve by a full letter grade in their first and second period classes.

Eric Peterson is the head of St.George’s School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island.He wanted to see if a thirty?minute delay(推迟)would make a difference.It did.He says visits to the health center by tired students decreased by half.Late arrivals to the first period fell by a third.And students reported that they were less sleepy during the day.Eric Peterson knows that changing start times is easier at a small school like his.But he is hopeful that other schools will find a way.

1.What’s the best title for the passage?

A.Later classes,fewer sleepy teens

B.Early birds have good food

C.Early to bed and early to rise

D.Fewer classes,more happiness

2.The underlined word“this”in the second paragraph refers to________.

A.teenagers’ staying up

B.teenagers’ getting up late

C.teenagers’ not getting enough sleep

D.teenagers’ not studying seriously

3.Michael Breus thinks that________.

A.teens should get up early

B.teens need enough sleep to be lively

C.depression is common in teens

D.the first period class should be cut off

4.The last paragraph tells us________.

A.Eric Peterson visits the health center every day

B.it’s not easy for Eric Peterson to change start times

C.students in St.George’s School can get up later than before

D.students in St.George’s School aren’t late for school any more

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Danny is a lazy boy and always late for school.

B.Teens should go to bed early and get up early, too.

C.The psychologist has no idea how to solve the problem.

D.Enough sleep makes a healthy and active student.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网