We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head. It controls our body's functions, movements, emotions and thoughts. But a brain can mean so much more.

A brain can also simply be a smart person, If a person is called brainy, she is smart and intelligent. If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say, "She's the brains in the family. " And if you are the brains behind something you are responsible for developing or organizing something. For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.

Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice. Word experts say the phrase"brain trust" became popular when Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for president in 1932, Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues facing the U. S.These professors were called his "brain trust. "

These ways we use the word "brain" all make sense. But other ways we use the word are not so easy to understand. For example, to understand the next brain expression, you first need to know the word“drain." As a verb to drain means to remove something by letting it flow away. So a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But, brain drain is when a country's most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are,sort of,draining out of the country.

However,if people are responsible for a great idea,you could say they brainstormed it. Here,brainstorm is not an act of weather. It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems.

If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make someone accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.

1.According to the text, if you're the CEO of Bai Du you can be called________.

A. the brains behind Bai Du

B. Bai Du's brain trust

C. the brain drain of Bai Du

D. the organ of Bai Du

2.Why did Roosevelt successfully win the election?

A. Because he was smart at giving advice.

B. Because word experts were popular.

C. Because he got his brain trust.

D. Because he was the brains behind America.

3.Which of the following expression is always used in a negative way?

A. Brain trust B. Brain drain

C. Brainstorm D. Brainwash

They are the little sweeties who look pretty cute in a photo,or when sleeping——but a lot less appealing at 30,000 ft,crying loudly in the seat fight next to you.

According to a new survey,almost seven in ten Britons dislike flying with babies so much that they would like to see child-free areas introduced on planes.As for long-distance flights where people want to sleep,almost one in four British travelers believes that no-kid-zones should be fixed as required sections.

The survey was conducted by bookings website LateDeals.co.uk,with 1,108 UK consumers questioned as to what they hate most about air travel.

And our dislike of noisy children and babies on planes runs deep.it seems.

More than a third of us—35 per cent—would pay extra to travel on a childless service.

Long-distance passengers would be prepared to pay an additional £63 to the cost of a return ticket if it meant adults only on board.And on short-distance flights,an extra £28 on the price of a return fare would be considered good value if it guaranteed an absence of angry babies in the middle of the economy-class aisle(走道).

However,screaming babies are not the only source of annoyance for British travellers.In fact,according to the research on the most annoying types of airline passengers,a crying baby ranks as only the fourth.Over half of those surveyed—58 percent—selected ‘drunk travellers’ as their pet peeves.People with‘bad personal hygiene(卫生)’and travellers who kick the back of the seat in front were also near the top of the list,causing anger to 48 and 47 per cent of us respectively(分别地).

Crying babies came in at fourth on the list,a pet peeve for 43 per cent of those surveyed.

1.Britons dislike flying with babies because they_________.

A.make too much noise

B.get angry easily

C.sleep right next to them

D.stay in the economy-class aisle

2.How many British travellers surveyed would like to have no-kid-zones on planes?

A.About 35%. B.About 43%.

C.About 70%. D.About 58%.

3.What kind of passengers is most disliked by British airline travellers?

A.The crying babies on a flight.

B.People with bad personal hygiene.

C.Those who have drunk too much alcohol.

D.Those who kick the back of the seat in front

Have you ever heard the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? At one time, this was pretty much true. During the Roman Empire, lots of roads were built in order to move armies, send messages by courier (信使), and make trade easier.

The network of Roman roads was begun in 312 BC. It was demanded that the roads be built strong so that they would not fall down. Roman soldiers, supervised (监督) by engineers, laid down the roads in a special pattern of layers. There were all together 4 layers, which was made of different materials, such as sand, rocks, stones and so on.

Also, Roman roads were cambered(拱形). This means that they were built higher in the middle than on the edges, allowing rainwater to run off, which prevented flooding. We use the same technique in building roads today. The Romans also laid out roads over hills when necessary, setting them down in a zigzag (之字形的)pattern to make the road rise gradually.

All Roman roads had milestones (里程碑), placed every thousand paces (a Roman mile). The milestones told when the road was built, who was emperor at the time, the road’s destination, how far the traveler was from the destination, and how many miles had been traveled since the beginning of the road. This information was a great help to travelers.

Because of their excellence in construction, it really is no surprise that many parts of Roman road still exist today. These roadways are one of the most impressive achievements of the Roman Empire.

1.The following description about Roman roads is true EXCEPT _____.

A. Roman roads were built by the Roman soldiers directed by the engineers

B. Roman roads could prevent flooding using the technique we don’t use today

C. Roman roads had milestones that were placed every Roman mile

D .Roman roads still exist today as an impressive achievement of Roman Empire

2.What information can you find on the milestones?

A. The builders of the road.

B. The materials used in building roads.

C. The distance from one city.

D. The time spent in building roads.

3.The passage mainly ______.

A. explains the saying “All roads lead to Rome”

B. praises ancient Romans for their great achievements

C. shows how great the Roman Empire was

D. introduces the construction of the Roman roads

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