Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences .Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars . Often they relive (重新体验) these experiences in nightmares .

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill ,which will help people forget bad memories . The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience . They hope it might reduce , or possible erase (抹去) the effect of painful memories .

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain . So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced , not that the memories are eased .

The research has caused a great deal of argument . Some think it is a bad idea , while others support it . Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war .

They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories . “Some memories can ruin people’s lives . They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare . They usually come with very painful emotions ,” said Roger Pitman , a professor of psychiatry (精神病学) at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering .”

But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (物质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past . “All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are . I’m not sure we’d want to wipe those memories out.” said Rebecca Dresser , a medical ethicist (伦理学家).

Some people fear that although the drug would first be used in only very serious cases , it would become more and more common . “People always have the ability to misuse science,” said Joeph Le Doux, a New York University memory researcher . “All we want to do is help people have better control of memories .”

What’s the main idea of the text ?

      A.People often suffer from bad memories .

       B.American researchers are trying to develop a pill .

       C.Forget bad memories , and be happy .

       D.The research has cause a heated argument .

The underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 refers to “       ”.

       A.the new drug          B.the research into the drug

       C.the memory            D.the chemical in the drug  

Which of the following is not the opinion of the supporters ?

       A.The pill can erase all the memories in the past

       B.Some memories can ruin people’s lives. The pill can relieve emotional suffering .

       C.The pill can also help many other types of people who suffer from terrible memories .

       D.The pill can also prevent or treat troubling memories in soldiers after war

Which of the following is not the opinion of the opponents (反对者)?

       A.Our memories give us our identity .

       B.The memories help humanity avoid mistake of the past .

       C.The drug should be used in only very serious cases .

       D.People may not be sure whether they want to wipe the memories out .

It could be inferred from the passage that         .

       A.the pill has been developed and will be more and more common

       B.the pill has helped soldiers forget bad experiences during the war .

       C.The pill is being tested on some people by some researchers .

       D.The pill will be forbidden because people have different opinions of it .

The question of what children learn, and how they should learn, is continually being debated and redebated. Nobody dares any longer to defend the old system, the learning of lessons parrot-fashion, the grammar-with-a-whip system, which was good enough for our grandparents. The theories of modem psychology have stepped in to argue that we must understand the need of children. Children are not just small adults; they are children who must be respected as much.

Well, you may say, this is as it should be, a good idea. But think further. What happens? "Education" becomes the responsibility not of teachers, but of psychologists (心里学家). What happens then? Teachers worry too much about the psychological implications (暗示) of their lessons, and forget about the subjects themselves. If a child dislikes a lesson, the teacher feels that it is his fault, not the child’s. So teachers worry whether history is "relevant" to modern young children. And do they dare to recount stories about violence? Or will this make the children themselves violent? Can they tell their classes about children of different races, or will this encourage racial hatred? Why teach children to write grammatical sentences? Verbal expression is better. Sums? Arithmetic? No: Real-life mathematical situations are more understandable.

You see, you can go too far. Influenced by educational theorists, who have nothing better to do than to write books about their ideas, teachers leave their teacher-training colleges filled with grand, psychological ideas about children and their needs. They make elaborate, sophisticated (精致的,复杂的) preparations and try out their "modem methods" on the long-suffering children. Since one "modem method" rapidly replaces another the poor kids will have had a good bellyful by the time they leave school. Frequently the modem methods are so sophisticated that they fail to be understood by the teachers, let alone the children; even more often, the relaxed discipline so essential for the " informal" feelings the class must have, prevents all but a handful of children from learning anything.

8. People do not dare defend the old system mainly because under the old system________.

A. too much grammar was taught to children     B. children were spoiled (宠坏)

C. children were treated as grown-ups          D. children were made to learn passively(被动的)

9. What view do the modem psychologists hold?

A. Children must be understood and respected.

B. Children are small adults and know what they need.

C. Children are better off without learning lessons.

D. Education of children is the responsibility of psychologists.

10. What happens when teachers pay too much attention to the psychology of their lessons?

A. They find that the children dislike the lessons.

B. They tend to blame students for their failure.

C. They do not pay enough attention to the actual lessons.

D. They no longer want to teach children history.

11. Grammatical sentences are regarded as unimportant because ________.

A. it is better to use verbs only

B. words are said out of natural feelings only

C. talking freely and naturally without sentences is a better form of expression

D. it is felt that formal grammar rules might cause unnatural expressions

12. According to the passage, the modern methods are understood by ________.

A. neither teachers nor pupils      B. only a handful of teachers and pupils

C. the more sophisticated teachers  D. everyone who enjoys the relaxed discipline of the informal classes

What Is a Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.

Boys are found everywhere—on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.

When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.

A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.

He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.

Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.

A boy is a magical creature—he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”

1.The whole passage is in a tone of _________.

A.ambition and expectation                 B.respect and harmony

C.humor and affection                     D.confidence and imagination

2.By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means        .

A.he has altogether five fingers              B.he is slow, foolish and clumsy

C.he becomes clever and smart              D.he cuts his hand with a knife

3.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________.

A.ice cream                             B.comic books

C.Saturday mornings                      D.Sunday schools

4.What does the writer feel about boys?

A.He feels curious about their noise.

B.He is fed up with these creatures.

C.He is amazed by their naughtiness.

D.He feels unsafe staying with them.

 

NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive experiences in nightmares.

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected.

The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. “Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”

But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.

1.The passage is mainly about        .

A. a new medical invention                                            

B. a new research on the pill

C. a way of wiping out painful memories            

D. an argument about the research on the pill

2.The drug tested on people can        .

A. cause the brain to fix memories                                  

B. stop people remembering bad experiences

C. prevent body producing certain chemicals     

D. wipe out the emotional effects of memories

3.We can infer from the passage that        .

A. experts are not sure about the effects of the pills

B. the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories

C. taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health

D. the pill has already been produced and used by the American public

4.Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph?

A. Some memories can ruin people's lives.

B. People want to get rid of bad memories.

C. Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

D. The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.

 

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