It seems an unlikely route to the top. Some say medicine might help. But a study says,

  "Who needs brainboosting drugs when you've got ancestors?" Researchers have discovered that,considering your origins gives a better sense of control and can largely boost your chances of success in exams.

  The socalled "ancestor effect" appears to work by acting as a reminder to the brain that seemingly impossible barriers can be overcome. Psychologists think the effect may be rooted in the fact that those,who familiarize themselves with their family history,appear to gain a stronger sense of identity and selfesteem,which somehow boosts intellectual performance.

  In intelligence tests on 80 volunteers,scientists found a noticeable improvement among those who were asked to spend a short while considering what previous generations of their fami?lies had suffered. Those who simply had to recall a more ordinary memory did not fare well.

  The findings suggest remembering the hardships of grandparents,great grandparents and even longforgotten ancestors,seems to have a direct benefit on the brain's ability to meet the demands for its intelligence.

  Researchers reported, "Our ancestors managed to overcome lots of problems,such as bad illnesses,wars,loss of loved ones and economic problems. So when we think about them,we are reminded that humans who are genetically similar to us can successfully overcome a plenty of problems and misfortunes."

  To test their theory,the scientists tested 80 students. They were asked to spend five mi?nutes thinking about their ancestors or a recent trip to the shops. Immediately afterwards,the students were asked how confident they felt about upcoming exams. Those in the two groups that remembered lost generations were more confident about their chances of success. The students then underwent a range of intelligence tests. In one,the"ancestor effect" boosted scores to 14 out of a maximum16,compared with just 10 out of 16 in the other group.

  In a report on their findings the researchers said, "We showed that an easy reminder about our ancestors can significantly increase intellectual performance. Whenever people are in a situa?tion where such performance is extremely important,such as exams and job interviews,they have an easy technique to increase their success."

(   ) 1. According to psychologists,the"ancestor effect" works because it can help people

① better their sense of control

② strengthen their physical energy

③ obtain a stronger sense of identity

④ have a stronger sense of selfesteem

   A. ③④   B. ①③④   C. ②③④   D. ①②③④

(   ) 2. What does the underlined word "fare" (Para.3) most probably mean?

   A. Focus one's mind easily.

   B. Devote oneself to sth.

   C. Progress or get along.

   D. Feel comfortable or relaxed.

(   ) 3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. Lost generations were more confident than later generations.

   B. Misfortunes and difficulties are necessary on the way to success.

   C. In terms of the "ancestor effect", the spirit of ancestors is stressed.

   D. The"easy technique" mentioned in the passage can be only used in exams.

(   ) 4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

   A. How to overcome nervousness in exams.

   B. Thinking about your ancestors makes you smarter.

   C. Knowing history better is significant for one's development.

   D. One's intelligence is passed down from his/her ancestors.

Fearful parents are saying no to sleepovers,banning children as old as 15  from using pub?lic transport on their own and watching over their kids like hawks at the local park,according to a new British study.

The survey of 6,099 people commissioned (受委托) by LV = Streetwise,a charity that ed?ucates children about safety,revealed that nearly a quarter of children aged 15 or under were not allowed to sleep at a friend's house,60 percent were forbidden to travel on public transport alone and 43 percent can't go to the park without a parent or guardian.

It said more than 60 percent of mums and dads think the world is more dangerous than when they were kids.

"It's difficult for parents to know when is the right time to step back and allow children to experience things on their own,and this report shows just how much things have changed over the last generation," said LV = group chief executive Mike Rogers in a statement.

In contrast,just four percent of today's adults say they were banned from sleepingover when they were 15 or younger,only two percent were forbidden to use public transport,and the same number couldn't go out on their own in familiar surroundings,such as their local town or park.

"Stranger danger" is the number one worry for over half of all parents (54 percent) ,fol?lowed by bullying (47) ”mugging (47) and road danger (34) .

On average,children today can look forward to walking to school on their own by the age of 11,use public transport on their own at 12 ,and babysit their brother or sister by the time they're 14.

In contrast,parents say they were allowed to walk to school unaccompanied at the age of nine,use public transport alone by the time they were 11 ,and babysit a sibling by the time of their 12th birthday.

Parents know they are being tougher on their children and over a third said they felt uneasy that their kids do not get the same opportunities as they did to experience freedom as a young?ster.

(   ) 5. According to the text,which can best describe the feeling of the fearful parents?

   A. Dissatisfied. B. Disappointed.

   C. Disquieted. D. Disapproved.

(   ) 6. What is the most worrying problem for over half of all parents about their children's safety?

   A. Their children sleeping at a friend's house.

   B. Stranger danger.

   C. Using public transport on their own.

   D. Bullying,mugging and road danger.

(   ) 7.        percent of children aged 15 or under were not allowed to sleep at a friend's house now in comparison with their parents'         .

   A. 25% ; 4%   B. 20% ; 4%   C. 15% ; 2%   D. 25% ; 2%

(   ) 8. What is the main meaning of the passage?

   A. Compared with their own childhood,many parents got the idea that the world is changing.

   B. More than half of parents are firmly under the belief that the world is more dan?gerous than when they were kids.

   C. With the development of the society,people have to change their opinion of the world.

   D. Some parents feel sorry for their children not experiencing freedom as a young?ster.

The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business,underpinned (加强,巩固) by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness,safety,and confidentiality (保密性) .After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach,and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons,the railway mail service still stands as one of America's most re?sourceful and exciting postal innovations (革新) .This service began in 1832,but grew slowly until the civil war. Then from 1862,by sorting the mail on board moving trains,the post office department was able to decentralize (分散,下放) its operations as railroads began to crisscross (纵横交错的) the nation on a regular basis,and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service,railway mail clerks handled 93% of all nonlocal mail and by 1905 the service had over 12 ,000 employees.

Railway post office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane,a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite (精华) of the postal service's employees,and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks (毁坏) and robberies.

As successful as it was, "mail-on-the-fly" still had its share of glitches (差错) .If they hoisted (升起) the train's catcher arm too soon,they risked hitting switch targets,telegraph poles or semaphores (信号装置) ,which would rip (扯开) the catcher arm off the train. Too late,and they would miss an exchange.

(   ) 5. Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?

   A. Cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons to deliver mails.

   B. There was a high turnover of railway mail clerks.

   C. The development of the railroads from 1862 enabled post office department to focus on timeliness.

   D. The post office department had more than 12 ,000 clerks to deal with all mail.

(   ) 6. The mail crane referred to in the second paragraph is used to         .

   A. exchange mail at stations without stopping the train

   B. exchange the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye

   C. boot out the outgoing mailbag

   D. handling and sorting the mail

(   ) 7. The underlined expression "mail-on-the-fly" refers to         .

   A. fast speed   B. skillful clerks

   C. nonstop system   D. mail cranes

(   ) 8. What is the main meaning of the passage?

   A. How the catcher arm snatched the mailbag without stopping the running train.

   B. Timeliness,safety,and confidentiality are very important in mail handling and delivery.

   C. The way the mail cranes exchanged mail.

   D. Ways improved with time in mail handling and delivery.

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it high?ly,believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad;that it sets one. person against another;that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their selfworth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them,playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their singleminded pursuit (追求) of success; the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However,while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed,others take an opposite atti?tude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players,they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people,I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying,they always have an excuse:"I may have lost. But it doesn't matter because I really didn't try. " What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost,that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly,this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's selfrespect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (緩解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.

(   ) 5. What is the main meaning of this passage?

   A. Some people value competition highly to set up selfrespect.

   B. People have different opinions about competition.

   C. Competition sets one person against another.

   D. Some people seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success.

(   ) 6. Why do some people think highly of competition according to the passage?

   A. It does good to push society forward.

   B. It helps to gain selfrespect.

   C. It improves personal life attitude.

   D. It strengthens personal relationship.

(   ) 7. The true competitors also have a wrong belief that they think        .

   A. one's worth lies in how well one performs compared with others

   B. one's success in competition needs great responsibility

   C. competition is the only way to prove themselves

   D. other human qualities are not fully necessary

(   ) 8. Which of the following can best describe the writer's point of view?

   A. Everyone should try to win or achieve success in competition.

   B. Different opinions towards competition should be encouraged.

   C. Playing well and winning are really a life-and-death matter.

   D. Trying though losing is quite a different matter from even not doing anything.

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