Florida is celebrating a big anniversary this year. Five hundred years ago, on April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce arrived on the east coast of what is now Florida. Native Americans had been living there for centuries, but Ponce was the first European to set foot in what would become the United States.

According to legend, Ponce may have landed in Florida by mistake. He is said to have been looking for an island called Bimini and its Fountain(喷泉) of Youth. The magical fountain could supposedly make old people young again. Instead, Ponce landed on Florida and claimed it for Spain. He named it La Florida, or “flowery place”.

Ponce explored more of Florida’s coasts over the next few months. He later returned to Spain but went back to Florida in 1521 to attempt to set up a colony. However, native Americans attacked him and his friends, and Ponce was killed. It wasn’t until 1565 that Spain set up a successful colony at St. Augustine on Florida’s east coast. It is the oldest European settlement in the U.S.

Florida didn’t belong to the U.S. until Spain lost control. It was admitted to the U.S. as the 27th state in 1845.

Today, Florida has one of the fastest-growing populations of any state. More than 19 million people call it home.

It’s also popular with tourists. Last year, 89 million people visited the Sunshine State. These days, most visitors come in search of fun in the sun on its sandy beaches and its theme parks, such as Disney World and Sea World.

1. Five hundred years ago,_____.

A. the United States was founded

B. the first European came to Florida

C. Florida was discovered by human beings

D. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce was born

2. What can we learn about Ponce from Paragraph 2?

A. He hated Florida

B. He discovered Florida by accident

C. He finally found Fountain of Youth

D. He could make old people young again.

3. Ponce was killed_____.

A. by his friends

B. on his way to Florida

C. during his second stay in Florida

D. after he set up a colony

4. Which of the following is TRUE about Florida?

A. Tourists are losing interest in it.

B. Its beaches are not well protected.

C. There are 89 million people in Florida at present.

D. Its population has been increasing in recent years.

完形填空。阅读下面短文,从31-50各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。

My son, Sam, struggled through elementary school. But his sixth-grade teacher took the time to ____ Sam’s strengths and inspired him to be a better student.

On Valentine’s Day, my eleven-year-old son Sam ____ me to allow him to buy his teacher a big red heart filled with delectable(美味的) chocolates. We ____, and he bought her a small but respectably sized heart. On his small ____, $4.99 was a huge investment, and I was touched by his____.

Sam has not always loved teachers. Once he publicly admitted that he ____ school, and he was ____ with some class projects.

Last year, Sam’s most ____ achievement was having the longest “missing assignment” list in the entire fifth grade. He ____ all year to keep his head above the academic sea. Many nights Sam sank into tears of ____ while working his way through another pile of homework.

I must admit I was ____ when I first met Mrs. Hogan. She was a ____ teacher. She seemed so young and sweet and inexperienced. How was this new teacher going to ____ a boy who had learned to hate school?

As I observed this teacher’s ____ with my son at the end of each day, I realized that Sam’s inattentiveness and disorganization were not the ____ things that Mrs. Hogan noticed about him. She recognized Sam as a knowledgeable, capable student who loved to read. He, in return, rose to her expectations ____.

Sam began to do his homework without numerous ____ or a major search through his crowded backpack. He brought home less and less classwork. He ____ six A’s on his second-quarter report card.

I still don’t know how much of this ____is due to the magic of Mrs. Hogan. I do know that my son loves his sixth–grade teacher, and I think there is a magic in relationships that can ____ children when nothing else will.

1.A. motive B. encourage C. push D. change

2.A. advised B. promised C. begged D. allowed

3.A. compromised B. agreed C. refused D. argued

4.A. size B. budget C. plan D. savings

5.A. instruction B. cleverness C. generosity D. bravery

6.A. liked B. hated C. attended D. finished

7.A. bored B. excited C. desperated D. worried

8.A. enjoyable B. favorable C. reasonable D. memorable

9.A. struggled B. succeeded C. failed D. continued

10.A. regret B. anger C. frustration D. pleasure

11.A. interested B. concerned C. moved D. amazed

12.A. loving B. caring C. domineering D. beginning

13.A. win over B. pick out C. lift up D. take in

14.A. descriptions B. instructions C. interactions D. discussions

15.A. trivial B. vital C. peculiar D. primary

16.A. gradually B. rarely C. occasionally D. generally

17.A. occasions B. reminders C. rules D. suggestions

18.A. lost B. accepted C. earned D. left

19.A. independence B. meaning C. recovery D. miracle

20.A. await B. cure] C. control D. inspire

Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.

This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.

Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.

The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.

“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing,” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science.

When our minds run out of working memory, these off-topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.

“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read,” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement. People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.

The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.

1. The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

A. search B. understand C. handle D. foresee

2.What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?

A. Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.

B. On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.

C. Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.

D. People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.

3. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Mind drifts are always positive.

B. Daydreaming is good for the mind.

C. Creative moments come with working memory.

D. The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.

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