D

Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”

Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now.

Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.

Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.

Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

71. What would be the best title for the text?

   A. A Way on How to Write

   B. Increase Your Brain Power through Writing

   C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing

   D. How to Start Your Writing

72. According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.

   A. the increase of your brain power

   B. the ability to remember

   C. the development of your interest in study

   D. the better understanding of a topic

73. If a writer writes something, it means that he or she _______.

   A. has understood it very well

   B. needs to understand it better

   C. wants to remember it in his or her mind

   D. is exercising his or her “explain power”

74. The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies that ______.

   A. you are already successful

   B. you still need to work hard

   C. writing can help you walk half way

   D. writing is important to solve problems

75. What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?

   A. To advise readers to start their writing.

   B. To explain the importance of writing.

   C. To persuade readers to become writers.

   D. To increase readers’ brain power.

D
　　Beyond two or three days，the world’s best weather forecasts are doubtful, and beyond six or seven they are worthless.
　　The Butterfly Effect is the reason. For small pieces of weather—to a global forecaster，small can mean thunder—storms and blizzards（暴风雪）—any prediction becomes worse rapidly. Errors and uncertainties increase，from dust devils and storms up to continent-size eddies（旋涡）that only satellites can see.
　　The modern weather models work with net-like points sixty miles apart，and even so，some starting data have to be guessed，since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere. But suppose the earth could be covered with sensors placed one foot apart，rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere. Suppose every sensor gives perfectly accurate readings of temperature，pressure，humidity（温度）, and any other data a weatherman would want. Exactly at noon a powerful computer takes all the data and calculates what will happen at each point at 12.01, then 12.02，then 12.03…the computer will still be unable to predict whether Princeton will have sun or rain one month away. At noon the spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations（波动）that the computer will not know about. By 12.01，those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away. Soon the errors will have added to the ten-foot scale，and so on up to the size of the globe.
63．A weather forecast ____________ in the world.
A．is reliable within one or two days
B．is doubtful beyond 24 hours
C．becomes useless beyond two or three days
D．is still worthwhile in seven days
64．Usually there is a weather sub-station____________.
A．in every city 　　　　　　　　　　B．every 60 miles
C．between two cities 　　　　　　　 D．every one foot
65．Which of the following statements is true？
A．People have not placed sensors one foot apart in the atmosphere.
B．Scientists have already put sensors one foot apart in the world.
C．Every sensor gives perfectly accurate data a weatherman wants.
D．Ground weather stations and satellites can see every place on earth.
66．Our computer will not be able to know about fluctuations because ____________.
A．the sensors are not good enough
B．they are hidden by the spaces between the sensors
C．they are too far away
D．they move very fast

A recent survey made by BUPA, an international healthcare provider, shows that 54 percent of Chinese people aged between 45 and 54 consider themselves old, while 28 percent say that the thought of getting old upsets them. 25 percent are afraid of getting old, and a third worry about life in old age.
BUPA made the survey among 12,262 people from 12 countries over 2 months, starting in June 2010. The survey shows that 72 percent of international participants(参加者) aged over 65 don’t feel old and that 67 percent still feel healthy. On the other hand, 65 percent of Chinese feel old even before reaching 60. About one third of those surveyed in China said they have enough savings(存款), and 46 percent are insured(参加保险). Around 60 percent of the Chinese participants hope they will be taken care of by family members.
According to the survey, the French hold the most positive attitude towards getting old, with 32 percent of them considering age 80 and up old. 17 percent of Brazilians look forward to old age, compared with 3 percent globally. Indians are not bothered by old age, as 70 percent said that they don’t feel that they will be affected by old age and 71 percent say they have already made preparations for this stage of life. The illnesses that most people around the world are worried about are cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
【小题1】According to the survey, many Chinese people surveyed feel old before they are ______.

A recent survey made by BUPA, an international healthcare provider, shows that 54 percent of Chinese people aged between 45 and 54 consider themselves old, while 28 percent say that the thought of getting old upsets them. 25 percent are afraid of getting old, and a third worry about life in old age.

BUPA made the survey among 12,262 people from 12 countries over 2 months, starting in June 2010. The survey shows that 72 percent of international participants(参加者) aged over 65 don’t feel old and that 67 percent still feel healthy. On the other hand, 65 percent of Chinese feel old even before reaching 60. About one third of those surveyed in China said they have enough savings(存款), and 46 percent are insured(参加保险). Around 60 percent of the Chinese participants hope they will be taken care of by family members.

According to the survey, the French hold the most positive attitude towards getting old, with 32 percent of them considering age 80 and up old. 17 percent of Brazilians look forward to old age, compared with 3 percent globally. Indians are not bothered by old age, as 70 percent said that they don’t feel that they will be affected by old age and 71 percent say they have already made preparations for this stage of life. The illnesses that most people around the world are worried about are cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

1.According to the survey, many Chinese people surveyed feel old before they are ______.

A．50 year old                            B．60 years old

C．70 years old                           D．80 years old

2.Most of Chinese people surveyed expect help from _________.

A．the government                        B．family members

C．insurance companies                    D．healthcare providers

3.Who are the youngest at heart according to the survey?

A．The Indians.                            B．The Brazilians

C．The French                            D．The Chinese

4.Why are the Indians not afraid of getting old?

A．Because they have got ready for old age.

B．Because old people are respected in India.

C．Because getting old means enjoying life.

D．Because they will get more help from society.

                                       D

You may picture firefighters holding a hose (水管) outside of a burning building, but the Golden Eagles Hotshots don’t fight fires quite that way. When they go into action, you may not even see a fire truck.

The Hotshots are firefighters who battle fires in wildness areas. But don’t think you’ll only find them in their home state California. Wherever there is a national wildfire emergency, the Golden Eagles Hotshots could be there.

But these firefighters don’t work the same way as firefighters in a big city. They work in areas where there are a large number of trees, bushes, and grass. They climb up and down steep hills to clear brush and burnable debris（残骸）. They sometimes use water, but they often fight fire with fire!

They do that by lighting what are called “backfires,” which are small, controlled fires that burn up fuel in the path of large wildfires. That way, when the wildfire gets there, it has nothing to burn and nowhere to go, because all the burnable fuel has already gone up in smoke.

The Hotshots also clear away fuel using old-fashioned hard work. For example, they use a saw to cut away trees and heavy brush that could catch fire.

Of course there are times when the Golden Eagles Hotshots do have trucks to supply water to the fires. But the water is limited, and these guys have to rely on hard work more than anything. Physical fitness is very important. They have to be in great physical shape to handle steep hills and difficult terrain(地形) while carrying a 60-pound pack.

The Golden Eagles Hotshots definitely work hard for their pay. But thanks to their efforts, many lives have been saved, many houses have not burned, and countless trees are still standing.

1.67. The firefighters mentioned in the passenger. 

2.68. According to the passage, why do the firefighters light “backfires”?

3.69. What can we learn about the Golden Eagles Hotshots?

4.70. What is the author’s attitude towards the Golden Eagles Hotshots?