If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory（记忆力） is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(过错). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things they cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: Practice remembering.
【小题1】The main reason for one’s poor memory is that _______.

The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:

“I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.”

“I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”

But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”

I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.

Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative, they’re rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame (责怪) others, and you play the role of victim (受害者), chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.

This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard (标准) for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.

Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.

1.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed

B．How to make friendship last for ever

C．You are who your friends are

D．Friends are the most important in one’s success

2.The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.

A．they’ll push you ahead                  B．they’ll influence you

C．they’ll cover your shortcomings           D．they’ll help you achieve your goal

3.The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.

A．the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor

B．people have poor taste in music

C．people have different attitudes towards the same thing

D．young people have greater chances of succeeding

4.By taking the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.

A．improve a lot in making more friends

B．come to the right way of making friends

C．develop a better relationship with your friends

D．arrange the time with your friends properly

The question of what children learn, and how they should learn it, is continually being debated and redebated． Nobody dares any longer to defend the old system, the parrot-fashion （way of learning by repeating what others say） of learning lessons, the grammar-with-a-whip（鞭子） system, which was good enough for our grandparents． The theories of modern psychology have stepped in to argue that we must understand the needs of our children． Children are not just small adults; they are children who must be respected as such．

Well, you may say, this is as it should be, and a good idea． But think further． What happens? “Education” becomes the responsibility not of teachers, But of psychologists． What happens then? Teachers worry too much about the psychological implications（暗示） of their lessons, and forget about the subjects themselves． If a child dislikes a lesson, the teacher feels that it is his fault, not the child’s． So teachers worry whether history is “relevant” to modern young children． And do they dare to recount stories about violent battles?　Or will this make the children themselves violent? Can they tell their classes about children of different races, or will this encourage racial hatred? Why teach children to write grammatical sentences? Oral expression is better． Sums? Arithmetic? No: real-life mathematical situations are more understandable．

You see, you can go too far, Influenced by educational theorists, who have nothing better to do than write books about their ideas, teachers leave their teaching-training colleges filled with grand, psychological ideas about children and their needs． They make complicated（复杂） preparations and try out their “modern methods” on the long-suffering children． Since one “modern method” rapidly replaces another, the poor kids will have well been fed up by the time they leave school． Frequently the modern methods are so complicated that they fail to be understood by the teachers, let alone the children; even more often, the relaxed discipline so necessary for the “informal” feeling the class must have, prevents all but a handful of children from learning anything．

68．Under the old system, children were           ．

A．made to learn passively                         B．spoiled by their parents

C．treated as adults                                   D．were forced to become parrots

69．Modern psychologists hold the view that           ．

A．children must be understood and respected

B．children are small adults and they know what they need

C．children are better off without learning lessons

D．education of children is the responsibility of psychologists

70．What happens when teachers pay too much attention to the psychological implications during a lesson?

A．They find that children dislike the lessons．

B．They tend to blame students for their failure in teaching．

C．They don’t pay enough attention to students’ actual lessons．

D．They no longer want to teach children history．

71．How do you understand the underlined sentence at the end of the passage?

A．Children will learn well in a relaxed classroom atmosphere．

B．Few children will actually learn when there is no discipline．

C．Relaxed discipline is necessary for children to develop．

D．No children will learn anything without strict discipline．

72．What is the author’s attitude toward the theories of modern psychology?

A．Uninterested．                                    B．Tolerant．

C．Satisfied．                                          D．Critical．

Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence -- and a not-so-good influence -- on this generation of American teenagers. More than 2,000 middle and high school teachers took an online survey. Researchers also spoke with teachers in focus groups.

Three-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” effect on their students’ research habits and skills. But 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an “easily distracted(分心的) generation”. And 64 percent said the technologies “do more to distract students than to help them academically(学术地).” Many students think “doing research” now means just doing a quick search on Google.

The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the College Board and the National Writing Project. A majority of the teachers came from Advanced Placement classes, which provide college-level work for high school students.

Judy Buchanan is director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report. Ms. Buchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more, and learn faster.

“Teachers really like these tools because they are ways to make some of learning exciting and engaging. Young people like these tools. And the goal is to really help them become creators of content, and meaningful content, and not just sort of consumers.”

But one problem the survey found is that many students are lacking in digital literacy. In other words, they trust too much of the information they find on the Internet. Judy Buchanan says these students have not developed the skills they need to judge the quality of online information.

“It’s just a lot to learn about how to distinguish credible sources. And it’s something that really has to be taught and paid attention to. It’s like everything else in a world in which things can happen quickly, you really do need to have a way to step back, reflect and analyze the information you have. And teachers can do a lot to teach that.”

Another problem the survey found is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all: being able to quickly find information online. Teachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and ability of their students to work hard to find answers. They say students are overly dependent on search engines and do not make enough use of printed books or research librarians.

Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities.

67. Most teachers who took the online survey thought the Internet tools help students in _____.

A. becoming more independent        B. being more serious in study

C. doing a quick search on Google      D. developing their research ability

68. According to Ms. Buchanan, the survey aims_______.

A. to help students become more creative    

B. to draw students’ attention away from the Internet

C. to make people learn the benefits of the Internet tools

D. to persuade students to use traditional ways of research

69. According to the researchers, which of the following do students lack when facing the Internet?

A. The ability of doing research online.

B. The interest in using the Internet tools.

C. The skills of judging online information．

D. The methods of obtaining online information．

70. Which of the following is the disadvantage of the Internet tools?

A. Offering little useful information．        

B. Search engines are not very convenient.

C. Making students unwilling to work hard．  

D. Making students addicted to online information．