Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.

Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.

“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.  

“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”

Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.

“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.

“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.”

How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

A. Some researchers have told them.

B. Many women say so.

C. They know it by experimenting on rats.

D. They know it through their own experience.

What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

A. Baby rats.         B. Animals.    C. Old rats.            D. Grown-up rats.

What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

A. Estrogen.                            B. The hormones of pregnancy.    

C. More exercise.                     D. Taking care of children.

“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?

A. The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

B. The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

C. The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

D. The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

Which title is the best for this passage?

A. Do You Want to Be Smarter?

B. Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

C. Mysterious Hormones  

D. An Important Study

It took George quite a while to find a  36  place for his car and in the end he had to leave it in a narrow street,   37   from the dentist’s. As he got out, he glanced at his   38 . His appointment(约会)was at five and he still had twenty minutes to   39  . He crossed into the square and   40   on a bench, partly to   41  the last of the afternoon sun,   42   to calm his nerves (神经). He hated these visits  43   the dentist(牙医).

As he sat there, watching the children at play and   44   to the old women talking to each other, he turned around to see a red car like his own come out of the   45   where he had parked. The car gathered speed and was soon   46  of sight. George   47   in his pockets for the keys: They were not there. “My car!” he cried   48   a loud voice, which made several people stare at him. He got up and ran across the   49   and then down the narrow street. His car was not to be seen--but then he discovered it concealed(被隐藏)   50   a large one. He was relieved (使宽慰)to find his   51  , still in his car.

By the time he reached the dentist’s it was already five. “I had rather an odd (奇特的)   52 ,” he said to the dentist to explain his   53  . “I thought my car had been   54  .”

“It’s quite   55   sir,” said the dentist. “As a matter of fact I have only just got here myself.”

 

36. A. leaving

B. parking(停车)

C. wide

D. special

37. A. in a way 

B. far away 

C. some way 

D. near

38. A. watch

B. teeth 

C. car 

D. place

39. A. leave

B. sit  

C. spare

D. see the doctor

40. A. stopped 

B. stepped

C. stood

D. sat down

41. A. shine 

B. enjoy

C. get 

D. receive

42. A. but also

B. so

C. in order

D. for

43. A. by

B. of  

C. to

D. with

44. A. listen 

B. listening 

C. to listen

D. listened

45. A. car

B. place 

C. street

D. way

46. A. disappeared

B. out

C. left

D. lost

47. A. looked 

B. felt

C. found

D. searched

48. A. with

B. at

C. in

D. by

49. A. square

B. hospital

C. street 

D. bench

50. A. with

B. behind 

C. after

D. in

51. A. bags

B. money

C. keys 

D. card

52. A. chance 

B. luck

C. thing 

D. experience

53. A. hateness

B. reason

C. lateness

D. car

54. A. robbed 

B. stolen

C. lost

D. there

55. A. true

B. good

C. often

D. all right

A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.

“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.

Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’s Liberation”. “I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says. “And I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there…or engineers or scientists?”

 

56. A lot of women in       wish that they were born men.

    A. European countries

B. West Germany

    C. West Europe

D. West Germany

57. “It is still a men’s would.” Means “       ”

  A. There’re more men than women in the world.

  B. There’re more men scientists or engineers than women in the world.

  C. Women cannot live without men.

  D. Women have not been given the same chance as men.

58. Anne Harper considers that women should      .

    A. be really liberated

B. live a better life

   C. be well paid

D. get better jobs than men

59. Anne Harper doesn’t wish that she were a man because she      .

  A. has got a very good job

  B. believes in “Women Liberation”

  C. does the work that a man can’t do

  D. isn’t looked down upon by anyone

60. Which of the following is NOT true?

  A. Usually the best jobs are not open to women.

  B. Women are less paid than men for the same job.

  C. There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women.

  D. Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens(二等公民).

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