Work your brain!
Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say，do or think，who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.
The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein，fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells，it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orange­flavored drinks.
Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning，far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的) as possible we need to eat right，exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．
Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.
“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active，” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.
“People cannot stop aging，but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up.”
Following are Dr.Stewart's advice for improving brain health：

When we walk on a street or sit down to have a cup of coffee in a small café in Shanghai, we will often see foreign faces at every turn. Today, foreigners do not come to Shanghai to seek adventures, as they did in the old days, or arrive in the city for a short visit, as some did when China just carried out the opening-up. Instead, many foreigners come to Shanghai to settle in the city. They are attracted by the life in Shanghai and choose to stay in the city. Their stay has made Shanghai more like an international city.

Early in the 1990s, a group of Western-style buildings emerged at the Gubei New District in the southwestern part of the Hongqiao Development Zone in Shanghai. The Western-style buildings, marked by their great arches and the typical flavors of the unique European style, appealed to many foreigners and become their favorite choice when they came to live or work in Shanghai. Foreigners gathered in the zone, enjoying their quiet life there.

As the city further develops, more and more foreigners choose to live in the downtown area where most native Shanghai people live. They live close to local residents and gradually become interated(一体化)into the local life—they learn to cook local dishes, they learn to speak the Shanghai dialect and they celebrate traditional Chinese holidays together with native people. Their lifestyle is becoming more and more similar to that of local residents.

In the past, foreigners that came to Shanghai were mostly representatives(代表)sent to work in the city. Today, however, many foreigners that live in the city are students, business starters or ordinary people. Related information shows that there are more than 50,000 foreigners living and working in Shanghai.

1.Foreigners used to come to Shanghai to_____.

A．start small cafés                        B．help build houses

C．have a short visit                        D．learn the Shanghai dialect

2.The underlined word“emerged”in the second paragraph probably means_______.

A．built             B．appeared          C．stood             D．lay

3.In the past, most of the foreigners coming to Shanghai were_______.

A．business starters    B．students          C．ordinary people    D．representatives

4.Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

A．There are fewer foreigners in Beijing than in Shanghai.

B．It is the foreigners who make Shanghai an international city.

C．Many foreigners enjoy the traditional Chinese festivals.

D．The foreigners came to Shanghai to seek for money in the past.

5.The best title for this text would be______.

A．Foreigners Settling in Shanghai             B．The Development of Shanghai

C．The Lifestyle of Shanghai People            D．Contributions of Foreigners in Shanghai

A water bearer in India had two large pots;  each hung on the ends of a pole. The water bearer often  carried the pole __36__ his neck. One of the pots had a crack(裂缝) in it, __37__ the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house,  the cracked pot __38__ only half full. For a full two years,  this went on __39__，  with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course,  the perfect pot was __40__ of its advantages. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection,  and __41__ that it was able to __42__ only half of what it had been made to do.  __43__ two years of what  sensed to be a bitter __44__，  it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself,  and I want to __45__ to you. I have been able to  __46__ only half my load because this crack  in my side __47__ water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my __48__，  you have to do a lot of this work,  and you don't get full value from your __49__，”  the pot said.

 The bearer said to the pot,  “Did you __50__ that there were flowers only on your side of the path,  __51__ not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always __52__ your fault,  and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,  and every day while we walk back,  you've __53__ them.

For two years I have been able to __54__ these  beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the __55__ you are,  there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

36．A.above　　  B．over　　　  C．across　　　  D．through

37．A.as                        B．while                  C．when                    D．so

38．A.arrived                 B．realized            C. made                 D．concluded

39．A.weekly          B．daily                        C．monthly                    D．yearly

40．A.ashamed                B．proud        C．happy              D．disappointed

41．A.sad                             B．pleased                   C．comfortable                D．safe

42．A.admit      B．achieve      C．reduce         D．attract

43．A.Before                  B. Since                      C．After                     D．By

44．A.failure                  B．success                 C．excitement            D．satisfaction

45．A.apologize                  B. talk                         C．admit                    D．apply

46．A.develop         B．permit     C．depend           D．deliver

47．A.takes                    B．causes                   C．makes                   D．reminds

48．A.fault              B．success                 C．kindness                D．sorrow

49．A.effects                 B．efforts                   C．operation                      D．attempt

50．A.look                            B．pay                       C．notice                   D．watch

51．A.but                             B．and                              C．since                     D．after

52. A．known about  B．told about C．worried about       D．come about

53．A.cared                   B．watered              C．planted                  D．pulled

54．A.pick     B．buy               C．sell         D．borrow

55．A.attitude                B．way                          C．measure            D．appearance

Work your brain!

   Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder, it controls everything we say, do or think, who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.

    The brain uses 20 percent of our body’s oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein, fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells, it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don’t die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orange­flavored drinks.

    Its complexity are stunning, far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished as possible we need to eat right, exercise and keep mentally stimulated. Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.

“It’s very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active,” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.“People cannot stop aging, but you’re able to reduce the damage; you’re able to keep the function up.”

Following are Dr. Stewart’s advice for improving brain health：

1.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.

A. inform us how the brain works

B. give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy

C. tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives

D. show how special the brain is to us

2.The underlined word “stunning” means ______.

A. interesting 　               B. strange                          C. significant　                  D. amazing

3.According to the text，more exercise ______.

A. keeps our mind sharp             

B. helps improve our memory

C. gives our brain a rest 　           

D. is good for brain cells communicating with each other

4.In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.

A. eating a good lunch                                     B. doing puzzles

C. eating a large supper                                  D. taking aerobic exercise

 A water bearer in India had two large pots;  each hung on the ends of a pole. The water bearer often  carried the pole __36__ his neck. One of the pots had a crack(裂缝) in it, __37__ the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house,  the cracked pot __38__ only half full. For a full two years,  this went on __39__，  with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course,  the perfect pot was __40__ of its advantages. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection,  and __41__ that it was able to __42__ only half of what it had been made to do.  __43__ two years of what  sensed to be a bitter __44__，  it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself,  and I want to __45__ to you. I have been able to  __46__ only half my load because this crack  in my side __47__ water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my __48__，  you have to do a lot of this work,  and you don't get full value from your __49__，”  the pot said.

 The bearer said to the pot,  “Did you __50__ that there were flowers only on your side of the path,  __51__ not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always __52__ your fault,  and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,  and every day while we walk back,  you've __53__ them.

For two years I have been able to __54__ these  beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the __55__ you are,  there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

36．A.above　　  B．over　　　  C．across　　　  D．through

37．A.as                        B．while                  C．when                    D．so

38．A.arrived                 B．realized            C. made                 D．concluded

39．A.weekly          B．daily                        C．monthly                    D．yearly

40．A.ashamed                B．proud        C．happy              D．disappointed

41．A.sad                             B．pleased                   C．comfortable                D．safe

42．A.admit      B．achieve      C．reduce         D．attract

43．A.Before                  B. Since                      C．After                     D．By

44．A.failure                  B．success                 C．excitement            D．satisfaction

45．A.apologize                  B. talk                         C．admit                    D．apply

46．A.develop         B．permit     C．depend           D．deliver

47．A.takes                    B．causes                   C．makes                   D．reminds

48．A.fault              B．success                 C．kindness                D．sorrow

49．A.effects                 B．efforts                   C．operation                      D．attempt

50．A.look                            B．pay                       C．notice                   D．watch

51．A.but                             B．and                              C．since                     D．after

52. A．known about  B．told about C．worried about       D．come about

53．A.cared                   B．watered              C．planted                  D．pulled

54．A.pick     B．buy               C．sell         D．borrow

55．A.attitude                B．way                          C．measure            D．appearance