Some students get so nervous before a test, and they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock has studied these highly anxious test-takers.

Sian Beilock: “They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about it as your cognitive horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.”

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

Sian Beilock: “what we think happens is when students put it down on paper , they think about the worst that could happen and they reassess the situation. They might realize it’s not as hard as they might think it was before and, in essence, it prevents these thoughts from popping up when they’re actually taking a test.”

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.

Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.Prefessor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.

Sian Beilock: “What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention, all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most likely to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these testing situations.”

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.

1.What may happen if students have the problem of test anxiety?

A．Test anxiety can improve students’ performance to some degree.

B．Students’ attention and memory resources run out when worried.

C．Students may not be admitted into their favorite college if worried

D．Test anxiety is sure to cause students to fail the test.

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The result in the math test agrees with that in the biology test.

B．In the first math test, students who sat quietly performed better.

C．In the second math test, students who wrote about their feelings did worse.

D．Some college students are highly anxious test-takers while others are not..

3.What does the underlined phrase “popping up” mean?

A．Giving out                             B．Fading away

C．Becoming clear                         D．Appearing suddenly

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．It is a common practice for students to get worried before a test.

B．Being worried before tests does harm to students’ performance.

C．Anxious students overcome test anxiety by writing down fears.

D．It is important for students to overcome test anxiety.

THE WAY TO READ FAST

Perhaps you have been told about some habits（习惯） which stop a person reading fast、and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.

Do you still have any of these bad habits7 Check yourself by answering "yes" or "no" to

these questions:

1. Do you move your lips(嘴唇) when reading silently？

2. Do you point to words with your finger as you read?

3. Do you move your head from side to side as you read?

4. Do you read one word at a time?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit.

If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, you will know it and can stop them.

If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you will not have a free finger to use in pointing while reading.

If you move your head, place your chin（下巴）in one hand, and hold your head still(不动地，静止地).

If you read no more than one or two or three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in more words at each glance(看一眼) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.

1.You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading       

A．to hold a piece of paper between them

B．to stop yourself talking to others

C．to tell others to be silent

D．to feel whether y our lips move or not

2.When your eyes travel across the lines of words,        

A．you need to read the words out

B．you need to look at every word carefully

C．you need to read several words at a time

D．you need to remember every word

3.When you read,        

A．don’t use your finger to point to words

B．don’t hold your books with your hands

C．don’t hold your head still

D．don’t do any of the things mentioned(提到)above.

Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day privileges at four of America’s greatest museums. Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.

Boston

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Chairs

February 11—May 8, 2005

Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “ chair photographs ”from around the world presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.

For more information: www. gardnermuseum.org

New York

The Noguchi Museum

Noguchi and Graham

December 1, 2004---May 1,2005

Noguchi’s long-term collaboration with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as high point in the history of both modern dance and art. The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.

For more information: www. noguchi.org

Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

In Full View : American painting ( 1720---2005)

January 11--- April 10, 2005

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists. 2005 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of the Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.

For more information: www.pafa.org

Seattle

Seattle Museum of Glass

Murano: Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection

Through November 7, 2004

This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.

For more information: www. museumofglass.org

1.Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?

A．www. pafa.org

B．www. noguchi.org

C．www. museumofglass.org

D．www. Gardner museum .org

2.We learn from the text that Martha Graham is _______.

A．a dancer          B．a painter          C．a glassblower       D．a photographer

3.If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit _____.

A．The Noguchi Museum

B．Seattle Museum of Glass

C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

D．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

         In college, Spring Break（春假）is usually associated with the beach, parties and sleepless nights, bringing about relaxation, free time and friends. Students who wish to spend their break doing something productive and rewarding, however, may choose to participate in the Alternative Break Program. It places college students in communities both at home and abroad.

         The Program allows students to take part in various projects dealing with issues such as literacy（识字）, homelessness and the environment. It includes helping kids with their lessons, raising money for families in need and collecting data for environmental research.

         The hope is that, by getting themselves involved in different environments, students will have the opportunities and broaden their view. In turn, they will incorporate（融合）their experiences and lessons learned into their own communities. In a word, the program aims to encourage students to be active citizens and engage themselves in making a difference in society.

         In the spring of 2006, about 3,600 students in the USA participated in the Alternative Break Program.

         Samantha Giacobozzi, now director of the Program, has been on five alternative break trips herself, including trips to New Orleans, India and the Dominican Republic. “I was a student who went on alternative break trips and had my life totally transformed by that experience,” she said. “Every year, we meet many students who have attended the Program. You can see changes in their life that are connected with their alternative break experiences.”

         The Program began in 1991. Today, it has become increasingly popular with college students in the United States.

1.Who may choose to participate in the Alternative Break Program?

(No more than 12 words)

2.What issues will students deal with in the Program? (No more than 10 words)

3.What is the aim of the Program? (No more than 20 words)

4.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “transformed” in Paragraph 5? (1 word)

5.Would you like to join in the Program? And why? (No more than 25 words)

阅读下面的短文，根据要求回答相关问题。（请将答案直接写在答题卷上）

[1] Hurt may occur at any time in our daily life, and forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing．Several new studies, however, say that  it could have a lot of health benefits．When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem．Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can ________.

[2] When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colors and often gain special power．In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness for Good, says being angry can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.

[3] The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headache, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.

[4] So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things．Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.

[5] Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past.

1.What does the underlined word “it” (paragraph 1) probably refer to?( no more than 4 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________

2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 1 with proper words．( no more than 4 words )

______________________________________________________________________________

3.Complete the following statement with proper words．( no more than 4 words )

It is proved that people who _______________________________ are more relaxed and healthy.

4.Why doesn’t it matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things? ( no more than 15 words )

_____________________________________________________________________________

5.What is the main idea of the passage? ( no more than 10 words )

_______________________________________________________________________________