题目内容
Sara enjoys amusing her friends by ________ stories.
- A.speaking out
- B.setting off
- C.making up
- D.giving away
love with both the book and Beatrix. 
hy nations. In a climate of violence, a London peace activist joins forces with his revolutionary ex-wife Julian in order to save mankind by protecting a woman who has mysteriously became pregnant.Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study, which suggests an “empty nest” is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents’ relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”．
Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more.
One of the participants in the study，which is published in the journal Psychological Science，said：“Once the kids grow up...there’s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed.”
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff，who carried out the investigation，said: “The takehome message for couples with young children is ‘hang in there’．” Her coauthor Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner.”
However, Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living in an “empty nest” will depend on the parents’ relationship with their children.“If you’re just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life，then of course you’ll be pleased to see them go,” she said, “But if you’ve built your life around your children you’ll be terribly lonely.For some parents，their world falls apart when their children leave.”
【小题1】It is commonly believed that___________.
| A．marriages improve after children leave home |
| B．an “empty nest” is always a happy thing |
| C．parents’ relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out |
| D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home |
| A．At age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”. |
| B．Shortly after marrying. |
| C．Once their children reached their teenage years. |
| D．When they were bringing up babies. |
| A．many couples are able to spend time together |
| B．many couples are able to enjoy each other’s company |
| C．things are a little more relaxed |
| D．many couples needn’t work at all |
| A．parents should build their life around their kids |
| B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home |
| C．parents’ relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all |
| D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home |
People who enjoy a dream-filled sleep are better at recalling information and making links between facts when waking. But recharging with a shallow (小睡) offers no such mental improvement, the research suggests. The results of the study added to the growing body of evidence that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is very important to the brain’s ability to form strong memories.
An average night's rest includes four or five spells of REM sleep, but these bursts tend to be lengthier towards the end of the night. This means adults getting less than the recommended seven to eight hours a night -- and therefore inadequate REM sleep -- may be damaging their mind's ability to memorize: Although REM sleep is not classified as a type of deep sleep, it is only reached after the brain has passed through deep sleep stages.
In the recent study, participants were shown groups of three words and asked to find another word that can be associated with all three words. They were tested once in the morning and then given the same task again in the afternoon. In between, some were allowed a nap with REM sleep, some a nap without REM sleep, while the others had a quiet rest period. The quiet rest and non-REM sleep groups didn't improve, but the REM sleep group improved on their morning performance by an average of almost 40 per cent. Dr Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher at the University of California who led the study, believes the formation of connections between previously unassociated information in the brain occurs during REM sleep.
It is believed that sleep acts as a sort of mental filing system, enabling the brain to sort relevant information from useless information. This process may take place as memories are removed hem one art of the brain to others.
| Title | REM Sleep 【小题1】______ Memory |
| The result of the study | Rapid Eye Movement sleep is of great importance to the brain's ability to【小题2】______ memories. |
| The 【小题3】____ of the study | ◆ 【小题4】______ were required to think of another word associated with all three words. ◆The same task was given to participants 【小题5】______ a day. ◆ The quiet rest and non-REM sleep groups showed no 【小题6】______. ◆ The REM sleep group【小题7】______ well by an average of almost 40 per cent. |
| Dr Sara Mednick's 【小题8】_____ | Connections between previous unassociated information in the brain are 【小题9】______ during REM sleep |
| Conclusion | Sleep acts as a sort of mental filing system, enabling the brain to abandon useless information and keep the 【小题10】 ______ information. |