Experiments aboard the spaceship Columbia have disproved a theory on the human nervous system which won an Austrian professor a Nobel prize 79 years ago.

West German astronaut Ulf Merbold disproved the theory during tests aboard the spaceship yesterday. His discovery is connected with the workings of the inner ear, the body’s balance mechanism(机制).

In l914 Professor Robert Barany won the Nobel prize for Physiology(生理学) and Medicine when he announced that temperature differences affected the inner ear and caused the eyes to blink(眨眼). His theory was accepted by scientists.

But Merbold carried out tests to find if the theory was correct and shocked himself and space officials when he proved it wrong.

According to Barany’s theory the eyes would blink when cold air was blown into one ear and hot air blown into the other.

But if this theory was correct such a movement would be impossible in zero gravity(重力).

Both Merbold’s eyes continually blinked when the test was carried out.

1.Tests were carried out in outer space in order to _______.

A. find what causes the eyes to blink

B. shock the world

C. win the prize

D. prove the theory

2.Barany’s theory declared to prove _______.

A. how our hearing mechanism works

B. why we constantly move our eyes

C. that eye movement is affected by temperature

D. how hearing reacts(反应)

3.Barany’s theory was proved incorrect in space by the effects of _______.

A. having no weight B. having no air

C. the pull of gravity D. hot and cold air streams

Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.

Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩)and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.

Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: “Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”

The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, “The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see and guide whether we see fear.”

To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪)to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.

“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,” Dr Garfinkel said.

“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”

1.What is the finding of the study?

A. Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat.

B. One’s heart affects how he feels fear.

C. Fear has something to do with one’s heart health.

D. One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear.

2.The conclusion was drawn by analyzing .

A. volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures

B. the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions

C. volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans

D. different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart-brain communication

3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to “mechanism” in Paragraph 6?

A. Order B. Treatment

C. Machine D. System

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Lots of people give you advice on overcoming fear. 1. However, I want to tell you that a world without fear would be more dangerous, less rewarding. So we want to treat fear as a friend? Here are three reasons.

2. Think about it. Do you get more nervous when you meet the girl (or guy) of your dreams? Which is more fearful, talking to the boss of your company or to some of your friends? 3. If you didn't have fear to guide you, you might not know that! Not so bad, right?

Next, fear encourages us to take action. Fear is a call to action. In the past, our ancestors didn't run away in fear when they saw a tiger running toward them but tried to kill it for food. Now, most of us don't face serious danger like hungry tigers every day, but we do face serious bosses or public speaking. So, what can we do? 4.

Lastly, fear lets you know you are alive. Why do we like roller coasters? 5. Same for horror movies.

So fear can guide you towards what's important for you and encourage you to take action to improve. Don't we all need that kind of friend?

A. The first is that fear is an excellent guide to opportunity.

B. They frighten us in a mostly safe way.

C. Imagine what life would be like without fear.

D. Let fear provide us with the energy to do what needs to be done.

E. Fear is showing you what is important and what matters to you.

F. Don't fear to be wrong.

G. They say if you can overcome fear, you will be successful.

Alexandra Scott was born to Liz and Jay Scott in Manchester, Connecticut on January 18, 1996, the second of four children. Shortly before her first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

On her first birthday, the doctors informed Alex’s parents that if she beat her cancer it was doubtful that she would ever walk again. Just two weeks later, Alex slightly moved her leg at her parents’ request to kick. This was the first indication that she would turn out to be a courageous and confident child with big dreams and big accomplishments.

By her second birthday, Alex was able to stand up with leg braces(支架). She worked hard to gain strength and to learn how to walk. She appeared to be overcoming the difficul-ties, until the shocking discovery within the next year that her tumors (肿瘤)had started growing again. In the year 2000, the day after her fourth birthday, Alex received a stem cell transplant(干细胞移植)and informed her mother, “When I get out of the hospital I want to have a lemonade stand. ” She said she wanted to give the money to doctors to allow them to help other kids, like they helped me. True to her word, she held her first lemonade stand later that year with the help of her older brother and raised an amazing $ 2,000 for her hospital.

People from all over the world, moved by her story, held their own lemonade stands and donated the earnings to Alex and her cause. In August of 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8, knowing that, with the help of others, she had raised more than $ 1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex’s family—including brothers Patrick, Eddie, and Joey—and supporters around the world are committed to continuing her inspiring cause through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

1.It can be learned from the text that Alex .

A. couldn’t walk until she was four

C. held her first lemonade stand in 2001

B. was the only daughter of the Scotts

D. was born with cancer

2.Why was Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation founded?

A. To promote her lemonade.

C. To attract public attention to her disease.

B. To set up a children’s hospital.

D. To collect money to help children with cancer.

3.What did the public do to support Alex and her cause?

A. They helped her sell lemonade.

C. They donated money to her foundation.

B. They provided free stands for her.

D. They donated stem cells for her operation.

4.Which of the following can best describe Alex?

A.Stubborn. B. Determined. C. Innocent. D. Energetic.

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Life is just like a box. Inside it are happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in it teach us new lessons and make us a better person.

Love

Love plays a key role in our life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could become cruel and violent. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care. They tell us what is right or wrong, good or bad. 1. .It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to the feelings of others. Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.

Happiness and Sorrow

Materialistic happiness is short?lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others gives a certain level of fulfillment. 2. .No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow. Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and pass away.

Failure and Success

3. .It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.

Hope and Despair

Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience.___ 4.___, because after every night there is a day. Nothing remains the same. We have only one choice—keep moving on in life and be hopeful.

Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be right or dull. 5. , so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

A. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour

B. So the only alternative is work hard today

C. But we always tend to take this for granted

D. Success lies in trusting yourself

E. So let’s enjoy every day

F. Failure is the path to success

G. Peace of mind is the main link to happiness

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