Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity. Shakespeare uses a linguistictechnique known as functional change that involves, 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

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Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.

Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.

Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited．By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”

Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.

Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram （EEG） as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.

“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.

1．The research conducted by the professors has showed that .

A．Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers

B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.

C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.

D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable

2．Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2^nd paragraph?

A．technique B．word C．brain C．sentence

3．In the 3^rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state .

A．the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique

B．a sense of drama created by playing the game

C．the Shakespeare’s thinking process

D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book

4．Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in .

A．language used in plays B．characters showed in works

C．brain activity increased in reading D．thinking process when writing

BCAC

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Scientists have made a major ____ in cancer research.

A. break-in B. breakthrough

C. breakup D. breakdown

Some people can stay up all night and still get work done the next day. I’m not one of them. After a night without enough sleep, I feel bad-tempered. I have trouble remembering things. And all I want to do is go to bed.

How do you feel after you’ve stayed up late to finish schoolwork or the day after an overnight party? Scientists now say that your answers to these questions may depend on your genes.

New research suggests that a gene called “period 3” influences how well you function without sleep. The “period 3” gene comes in two forms: short and long. Everyone has two copies of the gene. So, you may have two longs, two shorts, or one of each. Your particular combination depends on what your parents passed on to you.

Scientists from the University of Surrey in England studied 24 people who had either two short or two long copies of “period 3”. Study participants (参与者) had to stay awake for 40 hours straight. Then, they took tests that measured how quickly they pushed a button when numbers flashed (闪过) on a screen and how well they could remember lists of numbers.

Results showed that the people with the short form of “period 3” performed much better on these tests than the people with the long form did. In both groups, people performed worst in the early morning.

After the first round of experiments, participants were finally allowed to sleep. People in the group that performed well on the tests (those with the short form of “period 3”) took about 18 minutes to nod off.

While people with the long “period 3” gene fell asleep in just 8 minutes. They also spent more time on deep sleep. That suggests that people with the long form of the gene need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working in top form.

I think I must have the long form of “period 3”. What about you?

The purpose of this passage might be ___________

A. to tell us the importance of plenty of sleep.

B. to tell the result of a research on sleepy gene.

C. to inform the harm of lacking sleep.

D. to announce the sleeping rules of humans.

What kind of people need less sleep according to the research?

A. Those with two short copies of the gene.

B. Those with two long copies of the gene.

C. Those with one short and one long copy of the gene.

D. Those with three short copies of the gene.

If one lacks enough sleep, one should avoid doing important or dangerous things ___________.

A. at noon B. at night

C. in the afternoon D. at dawn

Why did the writer think he or she had the long form of “period 3”?

A. Because the writer could remain energetic without enough sleep.

B. Because the writer could do things correctly at dawn.

C. Because the writer needed more sleep to keep energetic.

D. Because the writer recovered quickly after sleep.

Now, it’s time for some brief news items.

Teens Go Online

Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids spend on line and keep them away from chat rooms.

Chat to the magic Mum

British author J. K. Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.

School Soldiers

Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.

Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas (睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra (代数), American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.

1.In the first news item, which country is NOT covered in the research?

A. Britain. B. France. C. Sweden. D. Spain.

2.What is the second news item mainly about?

A. J. K. Rowling will have an Internet interview.

B. Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother.

C. The Harry Potter book will be available on the Internet.

D. The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June.

3.Why will Russian school students have basic military training?

A. To get ready for a military parade.

B. To learn to protect themselves.

C. To gain some military knowledge.

D. To develop their love for the country.

4.The news from Florida can be given a title “____________”.

A. Get up Late B. Online School C. Magical Computers D. No Teachers

Babies who are slow to gain weight in the first months of their lives generally catch up to their peers by age 13,a large UK study shows, Researchers said the results would make parents whose babies fail to put on weight quickly less worried.

The researchers looked at data from ,11,499 children who took part in a large study, It showed that 507 who were slow to gain weight in the first eight weeks of life recovered fairly quickly and had almost caught up by age 2. Another group of 480 who were slow to gain between eight weeks and nine months continued to put on weight slowly until they were seven years ,but then had a sudden increase and caught up by age 13, The different pattems of recovery between the two groups were likely due to different reasons for slow weight gain ,the researchers said, All the children were still lighter and shorter than their peers by the time they were teenagers ,but within the normal range.

The findings highlight the importance of monitoring a baby’s weight and height gain during the first few weeks and months ,but not creating anxiety with parents of slow-growing babies, said the study leader Prof Alan Emond from the University of Bristol.

“In the past, a lot of parents have been caused unnecessary anxiety by heaith professionals and this is a positive and reassuring message.”He said in many cases of slow growth where children do not follow the standard’curve’(曲线)it is just because they are following their genetic potential.

Dr Simon Newell, vice-president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said he broadly agreed with the concluslons of the researchers but stressed that poor weight gain was something that needed to be monitored closely, “I would encourage parents to use growth charts but if measurements show your baby is smaller than averager it may be completely normal, ”he said.

1.What can we know from the findings of the research?

A、All the cases of slow weight gain in the first months of the babies’ lives are caused by the same reason

B、Slow-growing babies will have the same height and weight with their peers by age13

C、Many cases of children whose growth don’t meet the growing standard curve cannot be treated as abnormal

D、The findings won’t cause parents’ anxiety so monitoring a baby’s growth from his/her birth is unnecessary

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A、It’s important to monitor a baby’s weight and height gain for new parents

B、New parents should feel anxious about their baby’s weight and height gain

C、Researches still couldn’t find the reasons for slow weight gain

D、All the children’s weight and height became normal by age 13

3.What does the underlined word in the fourth paragraph mean?

A、Making sure something is certain to be true

B、Making someone calmer and less anxious

C、Confirming something is to happen again

D、Being sure that someone can be attracted

4.Which of the statements would Dr Simon Newell agree to?

A、To some degree, growth charts can help parents monitor their babies’ weight gain

B、It’s abnormal for babies are smaller than average

C、He agreed with the researchers completely

D、Babies’ weight gain can only be monitored and measured by using growth charts.

5.The writer wrote this passage in order to

A、tell us how to help babies grow faster

B、explain why babies are gain weight slowly

C、report on the findings of a research

D、reduce the anxiety of some parents

The question came up at the meeting_____ we had enough money for our research.

A. that B. which C. whether D. that if

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