One day,my mother told me that Simon had blood cancer. Simon Sharp is my stepfather's nephew. Even though we aren't related by blood, Simonv is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and means more to me than any blood relative ever does. He likes riding his bike around Celebration, Florida. He also likes playing the piano. He is the kind of person that is impossible to forget once you meet him.

  My eyes shone with disbelief. "But he'll live,right?" I asked in a low voice. "There's no way to know for sure. He has a pretty rare case," my mom replied.

Simon seemed to get weaker and weaker. The doctors tried countless treatments,but each resulted in a worse reaction than the one before. Somehow,Simon went into remission. We were hopeful,knowing it might lead to a full recovery. The whole family was thrilled. Sadly,his health took a turn for the worse again a year later.

  It was around then that we received our "Simon Says..." T-shirts. On the front,in big blue letters,it read, "Simon Says.,." and when you turned it over it read, "Cancer is a detour,not a stop sign."That sentence showed me that no matter how hard the cancer fought against him,Simon and his loving family would do whatever it took to push fight through it. What im?pacted me even more was that it referred not only to Simon's battle,but also to the battles of all those who had a seemingly impossible challenge in their lifetime. Not too long after we got our shirts,Simon Sharp passed away when he was just fifteen years old.

  Simon touched countless people with his unique personality,kind soul,and extreme per?sistence even in his time of need. It was hard for everyone to overcome the sadness caused by the death of a family member,but we were able to. I think it's because we can wear our T?-shirts everywhere we go and proudly say, "Simon says..."

(   ) 5. Which of the following is true of Simon?

   A. He has a gift for music. B. He is an impressive boy.

   C. He once lived with the author. D. He is the author's distant cousin.

(   ) 6. What did Simon suggest by giving the T-shirts to his family?

   A. I love you all. B. Believe in me.

   C. I will never give up. D. Life is full of challenges.

(   ) 7. Who helped the author remove the sadness caused by Simon's death?

   A. Simon. B. The author himself.

   C. The author's mother. D. The author's stepfather.

(   ) 8. What would be the best title for the passage?

   A. Simon and I   B. Simon Says...

   C. Always Fight   D. Let Go of Sadness

 On March 25,1925 Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave a demonstration of the televi?sion set,which would change the world,allow us to know what was going on at the other side of the world and change entertainment forever. But,at that time,he just thought it was cool that he could see his face on a screen.

  It all began in March 1925 when John Logie Baird gave a demonstration of what can only be described as the first ever television set. All that was seen were images of people on a dark gray screen. Then on January 26 ,1926 he gave the world's first public demonstration of a work?ing television system at his laboratory in London. This was the world's first glimpse at televi?sion.

  In 1928 Baird's company broadcast the first transatlantic television signal,between London and New York. This was a great development in television history. In 1931,the first live televi?sion broadcast was made by this stage,the number of television sets was only about 200 in Brit?ain,so it was only the rich and famous who witnessed this great moment in television history.

  The television set itself was going through great change. Originally,the first ever television model,the 1928 Baird model C had a screen of only about two and a half inches square;how?ever by 1935,the Baird T5 had a significantly bigger screen and obviously had much better sound quality and picture quality.

  By 1939,with the American DuMont 183 it was clear that television was going to revolu?tionize the world,with a picture quality of outstanding clearness for the time. By this stage,television sets were still not accessible by Joe Bloggs,but the number of television sets was rela?tively large; in 1939,7000 television sets were sold.

(   ) 5. What can we infer from the passage?

   A. At first,Baird didn't think that his invention could be a contribution to changing the world.

   B. The rule of inventing television sets was very simple.

   C. John Logie Baird wanted to make contributions to humans.

   D. Watching much television can be harmful to people's health.

(   ) 6. Which of the following is true about Baird's achievement?

   A. He gave the first public demonstration of working television systems.

   B. He was the first to make the television broadcast worldwide.

   C. His company was the first to produce electronic television sets.

   D. His company produced DuMont 183 that revolutionized TV.

(   ) 7. What do the underlined words "Joe Bloggs" refer to?

   A. Famous people. B. Scientists.

   C. Inventors. D. Common people.

(   ) 8. This passage is organized in the pattern of         .

   A. comparison   B. time and events

   C. cause and effect   D. meaning and classification

  Failing to drink enough water can make our brain shrink (萎缩) ,experts have warned. Re?search showed that dehydration not only affects the size of the brain but also how it works. Just 90 minutes of steady sweating (出汗) can shrink the brain as much as a year of aging,research?ers believe.

  Being short of water,the brain is also forced to work harder to process the same informa?tion. Over days and weeks,lack of liquids could have an impact on performance at work and school,causing exam results to fall. But there is no need to panic,because after a glass of water or two,the brain quickly returns to normal.

  A team of scientists from around the UK scanned the brains of teenagers after an hour and a half of cycling. Some exercised in three layers of clothing. Others were much more lightly dressed in shorts and T-shirts. The brain tissue (组织) of those who were wrapped up had shrunk away from their skulls (头骨) .

  Researchers Dr. Matthew Kempton and Ulrich Ettinger,of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London,said; "It's clear that we saw a general shrinking of the brain tissue. Liquidfilled space in the middle of the brain expanded and there was a comparative shrinking of the brain tissue. The people who lost the most weight had the most shrinkage of the brain. " On average,the amount of shrinkage equated to 14 months of agerelated wear and tear,or the brain shrinking matched two and a half months of Alzheimer's disease (老年痴呆症) .

  The sweaty students did just as well when they were asked to play a computer game that tests the ability to plan and solve problems. But the scans showed they used more of their brain to do it,the journal Human Brain Mapping reports.

  Professor Ben McGannan of the study's funder,water cooler firm of Water for Work and Home,said:" We strongly believed loss of water was an issue affecting students' performance,but we offered financial support for this research to give us clear evidence. Most importantly,we're seeking a way to get rid of the undesirable impacts and make up enough water effectively,such as drinking beers."

(   ) 5. What does the underlined word "dehydration" probably mean?

   A. Plenty of water.

   B. The inappropriate way to drink water.

   C. Great damage done to the brain.

   D. Dryness resulting from lack of water.

(   ) 6. Without enough water,          .

   A. it is hard for the brain to think normally

   B. the body can't sweat in time

   C. people will suffer from ageing

   D. the liquidfilled space will disappear

(   ) 7. What do Professor Ben McGannan's words suggest?

   A. We should make effort to take good care of our brain.

   B. More research is needed to solve the brain's loss of water.

   C. Drinking beers is the best way to make up water in the body.

   D. Students must drink enough water to improve their performance.

(   ) 8. What subject is talked in the passage?

   A. The brain structure. B. Exercise and the brain.

   C. Lack of water in the brain. D. The importance of water.

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