The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
【小题1】What is true about Kays?

The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.

Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.

Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!

Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.

【小题1 】What is true about Kays?

A. It is a family business.

B. It’s a brand(牌子) of curling stones.

  C. It’s a place in Scotland.

D. It’s the name of a curling stone dealer(业者).

【小题 2】How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?

  A. 8          B. 16           C. 32           D. 96

【小题 3】What does the underlined word “sliced” mean in Chinese in the second paragraph?

A. 切割    B. 镶嵌         C. 移开        D. 固定

【小题 4】Which of the following statements is NOT RIGHT according to the passage?

A. Kays of Scotland has been curling stone maker for more than 150 years.

B. The weight of each curling stone must be 44 pounds.

C. We use a special machine to polish the curling stone.

D. The workers in Kays are all experienced.

【小题 5】What’s the passage mainly about?

A. The history of curling.

B. How to make a curling stone.

C. The rules of curling.

D. How to become a curling stone maker.

Taking part in charity is not just for adult people. Kids can do it too! Melvin Sheppard, 14, an American student, has done charity work for 8 years. He has also encouraged his classmates to join him.

Melvin studies at William Allen Middle School in Philadelphia. Recently, he collected $ 1,500 by himself and $487 from his classmates to donate to Cooper University Hospital.

Melvin was born nine weeks premature (早产的) in Cooper University Hospital, weighing 2.6kg. His father told him how Cooper saved his life, so he feels thankful to the hospital.

Melvin's classmates joined him once they found out about his kind behavior. Their teacher, Michael Bemer, also held a class with them about helping others. "It wasn't really about the money," Bemer said. "It was about the fact that they were doing something good."

"It feels great, helping someone that I know." said Jordan, Melvin' s classmate. Melvin's neighbors also helped out.

Since Melvin was 6, he and his parents have given money to Cooper University Hospital every year. This year, Gray E. Stahl, the head of Cooper's division of neonatology(新生儿科学部门), went to Melvin's school to accept the money.

The money goes to a part of the hospital that helps about 500 young patients every year.

"When they leave, we call them graduates," Stahl said, "my co - workers and I are pleased when our graduates and their families do well, like Melvin and his family."

1.When did Melvin start to do charity work?

A. When he was 14 years old.

B. When he was 8 years old.

C. When he was 6 years old.

D. When he was born.

2.Why did Melvin donate to Cooper University Hospital?

A. He was a doctor in Cooper University Hospital.

B. His father worked in Cooper University Hospital.

C. He was thankful to Cooper University Hospital.

D. He used to volunteer in Cooper University Hospital.

3.Where did Gray E. Stahl accept the money?

A. At Melvin's school.

B. At Melvin's house.

C. At Cooper University Hospital.

D. At Cooper's division of neonatology.

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Many college graduates accept the money every year.

B. The money helps about 500 0ld patients every year.

C. Melvin does the charity work alone for many years.

D. Melvin's teacher thinks it is a great thing to learn to help others.

Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”

“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”

Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.

This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.

“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.

But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?

According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.

By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.

Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.

“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”

1.What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

A．To show that Tony Buzan was worried about his study.

B．To invite us to think about the importance of manuals.

C．To prove that the mind map is a useful tool for the brain.

D．To show why Tony Buzan studies the brain and learning.

2.What does the word “stimulate” mean in the passage?

A．Excite.            B．Improve.          C．Encourage.        D．Affect.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．If we learn the mind map, we will become the best student.

B．The mind map will help your brain connect separate details.

C．The mind map will be more effective if we put more details in it.

D．We will solve the problem if we make connections between ideas.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to make the mind map?

B．Is the mind map widely used?

C．Can your memory be mapped?

D．Is the mind map helpful in thinking?

Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”
“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”
Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.
This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.
“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.
But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?
According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.
By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.
Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.
“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?