20．I for the light to turn green when I saw the boy help an old man up．( )A．had waitedB．was wa——青夏教育精英家教网—

14．Can Training Your Working Memory Make You Smarter？
We would all like to increase our cognitive（认知的） ability beyond the limits set by Mother Nature．So it's no wonder that brain-training programmes-which typically focus on training our working memory-are a multibillion-dollar industry．But can this kind of training really make us smarter？
Cognitive training sees the brain as a kind of muscle that can be made stronger with the right kind of practice．It consists of tasks or games carried out on computers or smart phones．Despite much research，there has so far been no agreement about its effectiveness．Some think that cognitive training increases a broad range of cognitive abilities，while others less optimistic．
Yet we do know that some cognitive skills，such as working memory and intelligence，tend to go together and are predictors of real-life skills such as work performance．Thus，training one cognitive skill might lead to an improvement in many other cognitive and non-cognitive skills．That is exactly the underlying hypothesis（假设） on which working-memory training is based．
To test this hypothesis，we examined all the studies about working-memory training we could find with normally developing children：26 experiments and 1，601 total participants．Children represent an ideal test group：during childhood，skills are still at the beginning of their development．Thus，cognitive training is more likely to succeed with children than adults．
The results were very clear．Working-memory training did not show any effect on children's fluid intelligence，a person's ability to solve new problems and adapt to new situations．It didn't influence their academic achievement or other cognitive abilities，either．The only reliable effect was that children got better at what they trained to do．No more，no less．So performing working-memory tasks does seem to make you better at doing them．Nonetheless，the fact that participants got better at such tasks does not necessarily mean that their working-memory ability increased．They may just have learnt how to perform that particular type of task．
The results do indicate that the use of working-memory training programs as an educational tool is fruitless．More generally，together with other research，the results contribute to disproving cognitive training companies'promises of a better brain．
The results have even more important implications theoretically．They question the hypothesis that training general cognitive mechanisms can affect other cognitive or real-life skills．Beyond working-memory training，other recent studies have shown the limitations of different types of cognitive training．For example，music training fails at improving cognitive skills outside music-including academic skills．
However，these negative results must not discourage us from training our cognitive and non-cognitive skills．We just have to be aware of the actual limitations of such practice in areas outside what we are actually training．But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it-the most efficient way to develop a skill is，after all，to train that skill．

67．According to the passage，cognitive training is likely toC．
A．uncover the secrets of human minds
B．make one's brain stronger through practice
C．bring much profit to the training companies
D．earn a good reputation for the training company
68．To find out the effect of working memory training，the authorC．
A．made some scientific studies
B．compared different test groups
C．reviewed the previous research
D．got some children involved in the experiment
69．Children taking part in the experiments were able toC．
A．adapt to new situations quickly
B．gain greater academic achievements
C．do better in the field that they are trained in
D．succeed when they deal with real life problems
70．What is the author's attitude toward the cognitive training？B
A．Uninterested．B．Objective．C．Disapproving．D．Optimistic．

13．In the face of the tensions and pressures we all face every single day，a sense of humor can be helpful．The ability to laugh is very important to our fullest development and to our"mental health"．And if we can laugh at ourselves，we're even further along the road to self-fulfillment．Consider the following example．
Gordon is hoping to become a professional singer．He has a good voice，and has performed in public many times．But he's very sensitive about his abilities．For instance，if his voice coach suggests he practice a particular song a few more times until he gets it right，Gordon falls apart，absolutely certain that the coach is implying that he isn't any good and he has no future in music．
He mentioned his sensitivity in his paper for a psychology class．The psychology professor called him in，outwardly to talk about the paper，but hoping to give the boy a chance to open up about the problem．The teacher rarely told her students what they ought to do，but she felt Gordon should know that such extreme sensitivity would make it difficult for him in the entertainment field，where stage personnel，and fellow performers often are very hard on new talent．She asked Gordon if he felt he had made necessary preparations to follow through in such a competitive and difficult business．
Gordon got angry with the teacher，pointing a brave finger at her，and told her she was"dead wrong"about him．Further，Gordon asked what she could possibly know about music and the pressures of the profession．The teacher stood up and turned Gordon around，right in the middle of a sentence，asking him to continue，but to watch himself in the mirror on the back of the office door as he talked．Gordon tried to go on，pointing and gesticulating，but suddenly he saw his expression in the mirror，then when he turned to face the psychologist，he noticed a smile beginning to form on the teacher's face．At the very top of his"outburst，"Gordon burst out laughing．He stopped his aggressive talk and asked the teacher if he looked that ridiculous all the time．
Seeing himself"objectively"made Gordon realize that how ridiculous it was to take himself so seriously．In our everyday life，the ability to catch ourselves being so serious，bearing all the burdens of the world，and trying to save the human race helps us relieve some built-up tension through laughter．
Laughter is a necessary part of mental health．Laughter is one of the ways in which we relax and recreate the selfhood．The things we find in humor may vary，but the experiences of humor，pleasure，and enjoyment are extremely important and must be fostered．

63．From the first two paragraphs，we can learn that GordonD．
A．has broken up with his coach
B．has failed to be a professional singer
C．keeps practicing and hopes for the best
D．feels very sensitive to other people's comments
64．Why did the psychologist talk with Gordon？B
A．To discuss his paper with him．
B．To help him realize his problem．
C．To point out his rude behaviors．
D．To offer advice on reducing pressure．
65．How does the author support his ideas？C
A．By offering analyses．B．By providing research results．
C．By giving an example．D．By stating an argument．
66．What is mainly discussed in the passage？B
A．Means of laughter．
B．Benefits of humor．
C．The cause of sensitivity．
D．The importance of health．

12．One man who sold tickets on the train from 1959 to 1965 Clive Codrington，pointed out that the tracks which passed through Knolly's Tunnel and the area of Tabaquite were not originally intended for passenger trains．"They were really used for the transport of cocoa and coffee，"he said．
Construction on Knolly's Tunnel began in 1896，and it was opened on August 13^th，1898by the man it was named after---Sir Clement C．Knolly，Acting Governor of Trinidad．It linked Rio Claro with Port of Spain．Its architecture is still admired and studied today，and many are amazed that Knolly's Tunnel has stood up to the earth's movement over so many years．Much research is being done on the tunnel．At the top of Knolly's Tunnel are cottages covered with leaves，where visitors can sit and enjoy the beauty of nature．Standing at the beginning of Knolly's Tunnel，you can see nothing but the tiny light at the end．The train tracks have been removed and replaced with small stones．Visitors can drive through the tunnel or walk through，but should do so in groups for safety．In the old days，there were no lights，but now there are street lights on the way to the tunnel，though not inside．
On your way in，you may notice some manholes on the walls of the tunnel．These were there for individuals to step into for safety as the train passed．Knolly's Tunnel can be accessed through Tabaquite and through Mitchell Gap．The road was recently improved，but is better when you enter from Tabaquite，and there are signs on the road directing you to Knolly's Tunnel．
On the drive to Knolly's Tunnel there are two other cottages where visitors can sit and just enjoy nature．At the site itself，there is nothing to purchase to eat or drink，but in Tabaquite there are several bars，a restaurant，and food outlets．A gas station and a health centre are also close by．
For those who admire architecture，Knolly's Tunnel is a must-see when visiting Trinidad．For the nature lovers，there is no better place for them to be and for the historians，they can walk or drive through Knolly's Tunnel knowing that many of our ancestors toiled on its structure．So when you visit Trinidad，don't forget to take a look at Knolly's Tunnel!396

59．Knolly's Tunnel is special inD．
A．its environmentB．its function
C．its location D．its architecture
60．If you are visiting Knolly's Tunnel，you canA．
A．drive through it
B．buy your meals in it
C．take a train tour through it
D．walk along the track through it
61．The underlined word"site"in the last paragraph refers toD．
A．Trinidad B．Tabaquite C．Mitchell Gap D．Knolly's Tunnel
62．What is the purpose of the passage？A
A．To suggest a visit to Knolly's Tunnel．
B．To tell the history of Knolly's Tunnel．
C．To evaluate the value of Knolly's Tunnel．
D．To witness the change of Knolly's Tunnel．

11．Finding a New Spring
A tradesman was leading a caravan（商队） to another country to sell his goods．Along the way they came to the edge of a severe hot-sand desert．They learnt that during the daytime the sun heats up the fine sand until it's as hot as charcoal，so no one can walk on it--not even bullocks（小公牛） or camels!So the caravan leader hired a desert guide，one who could follow the stars，so they could travel only at night when the sand cools down．They began the dangerous night-time journey across the desert．A couple of nights later，after eating their evening meal，and waiting for the sand to cool，they started out again．
Later that night，the desert guide，who was driving the first cart，saw from the stars that they were getting close to the other side of the desert．He had also overeaten，so that when he relaxed，he fell asleep．Then the bullocks who，of course，couldn't tell directions by reading the stars，gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle until they ended up at the same place they had started from!By then it was morning，and the people realized they were back at the same spot．They lost heart and began to cry about their condition．Since the desert crossing was supposed to be over by now，they had no more water and were afraid they would die of thirst．They even began to blame the caravan leader and the desert guide．
However，the leader himself didn't lose courage．He began walking back and forth，trying to think out a plan．Remaining alert，out of the corner of his eye，he noticed a small clump of grass．He thought，"Without water，no plant could live in this desert．"So he asked his fellow travelers to dig up the ground on that very spot．They dug and dug，and after a while they got down to a large stone．He got down into the hole，put his ear to the stone，and heard the sound of flowing water．
A spring was found．All the people were overjoyed．They drank and bathed and washed the animals and cooked their food and ate．Before they left，they raised a high flag so that other travelers could see the new spring in the middle of the hot-sand desert．Then they continued on safely to the end of their journey．

56．Why did the tradesman and his caravan have to travel during the night？B
A．To use less water while crossing the desert．
B．It was too hot to walk on the desert in the daytime．
C．They might be able to find the spring in the quiet night．
D．The guide could find a short way by following the stars．
57．Why did the group feel so desperate when they were back to the starting point？A
A．They were in danger of dying of thirst．
B．They were running out of food．
C．Their guide had lost the way．
D．Their leader had lost heart．
58．What is the moral of the story？A
A．Never give up too easily．
B．Don't mind what others think of you．
C．Don't forget sorrow follows extreme joy．
D．Never refuse to offer help when you are needed．

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