The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.
Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.
They then “translated” the texts into more “straightforward”, modern language and again monitored the readers’ brains as they read the words.
Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.
Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.
This “lighting up” of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.
Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university’s magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: “Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain.
"The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike.”
【小题1】How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers?

The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.

Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection.

Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.

They then “translated” the texts into more “straightforward”, modern language and again monitored the readers’ brains as they read the words.

Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.

Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.

This “lighting up” of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading.

The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.

Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university’s magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: “Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain.

"The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike.”

1.How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers?

A．They set off far less electrical activity in the brain.

B．They light up the mind shorter than the initial electrical spark.

C．They shift physical pathways in the young and the elderly.

D．They draw readers’ attention and help make self-examination.

2.Why does the author mention” They then” translated”… modern language“？

A．To prove that classics are more useful than ordinary versions.

B．To show self-help books act like rocket-boosters to the brain.

C．To tell serious literature sets off far less electrical activity.

D．To make known ordinary versions set off more electrical activity

3.What can we conclude according to the researchers?

A．Self-help books are more valuable than classics.

B．Serious literature lights up the mind shorter than ordinary versions.

C．The right hemisphere of the brain is related to autobiographical memory.

D．Literature has a beneficial effect only on the mind of the young.

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

A．Ordinary Versions Create New Thoughts

B．Modern Language Increases the Brain

C．Classics Help lmprove the Brain Activity

D．Self-help Books, Rocket-boosters

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意．然后从1—15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered about hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor.  Yesterday he proudly claimed in   1   that despite his complete   2   of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was   3   to die on something she had swallowed.

    “I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I   4   playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope（听诊器）and walked around one of the biggest hospitals in London. “At first, I just   5  . Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and other doctors, it’s easy to   6   people in,” he said.

    One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been   7   by a car and fainted. When she   8   in hospital, York was standing over her.

    “He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection,” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong. “I would never have   9   he was a fake（冒牌货）if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his   10   a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears.”

    Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was “shocked and horrified” that he   11   with his cheating for so long and then   12   him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminals with mental disorders.

    “I can only hope that this will not lead to   13   problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the   14   of the psychiatrists who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a   15   after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence.” Judge Adams warned York.

A. court       B. hospital      C. bed     D. prison

A. knowledge      B. need   C. lack    D. loss

A. certain     B. about  C. free    D. quick

A. enjoyed   B. suggested   C. felt like      D. avoided

A. looked     B. saw     C. glanced      D. watched

A. invite    B. follow C. bring  D. take

A. knocked down B. taken away C. picked up   D. dropped off

A .came to   B. arrived       C. hurried       D. got

A. recognized      B. reported     C. realized      D. suggested

A. address  B. jacket  C. car      D. photograph

A. got away       B. got up C. got down    D. got in

A. put B. gave   C. sentenced   D. sent

A. physical      B. mental       C. serious       D. further

A. behavior     B. appearances       C. medicine    D. expressions

A. policeman     B. psychiatrist C. doctor D. professor

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意．然后从1—15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered about hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor.  Yesterday he proudly claimed in   1   that despite his complete   2   of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was   3   to die on something she had swallowed.

    “I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I   4   playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope（听诊器）and walked around one of the biggest hospitals in London. “At first, I just   5  . Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and other doctors, it’s easy to   6   people in,” he said.

    One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been   7   by a car and fainted. When she   8   in hospital, York was standing over her.

    “He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection,” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong. “I would never have   9   he was a fake（冒牌货）if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his   10   a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears.”

    Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was “shocked and horrified” that he   11   with his cheating for so long and then   12   him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminals with mental disorders.

    “I can only hope that this will not lead to   13   problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the   14   of the psychiatrists who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a   15   after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence.” Judge Adams warned York.

1.A. court                        B. hospital                      C. bed                           D. prison

2.A. knowledge                B. need                          C. lack                           D. loss

3.A. certain                      B. about                         C. free                           D. quick

4.A. enjoyed                    B. suggested                   C. felt like                     D. avoided

5.A. looked                      B. saw                            C. glanced                      D. watched

6. A. invite                      B. follow                        C. bring                         D. take

7.A. knocked down B. taken away                           C. picked up                   D. dropped off

8.A .came to                     B. arrived                       C. hurried                      D. got

9.A. recognized                B. reported                     C. realized                     D. suggested

10.A. address                   B. jacket                         C. car                            D. photograph

11.A. got away                 B. got up                        C. got down                   D. got in

12.A. put                         B. gave                          C. sentenced                   D. sent

13. A. physical                 B. mental                       C. serious                       D. further

14. A. behavior                B. appearances                C. medicine                    D. expressions

15.A. policeman               B. psychiatrist                 C. doctor                       D. professor

It came with devastating force,a natural disaster of strange intensity that shocked the world and killed tens of thousands.The waters have now receded,but disease and food and water shortages trouble a number of countries around the Indian Ocean.Millions of survivors face serious problems.

The number of survivors in need of food aid after the Indian Ocean disaster has climbed to 5 million people.They stretch from Somalia to Thailand,and the figure could rise further,the United Nations has said.

Relief teams hope to reach all of the estimated 700 000 hungry in Sri Lanka within three more days.It could take longer before enough food aid gets to the nearly 1 million people in need in hard-to-reach parts of Indonesia.Another serious problem is the need for purified water.

Although aid had poured in from all over the world to the disaster areas,“Logistics is the big problem here—just getting the stuff out to people who need it,”said Ron Libby,emergency management specialist at the USA agency for International Development.

Relief efforts are hindered by the difficulty of delivering aid to the more than 1000 islands scattered across hundreds of kilometers of ocean.

For those who survived the tsunami's force,disease is now the No.1 problem.Five million people are short of water,food and basic sanitation across the region.World Health Organization(WHO) crisis chief David Navarro said 50 000 more people could die from disease and other causes,as has been the case in previous humanitarian emergencies.

WHO said it had already received a handful of reports of malaria(疟疾) and dengue fever(登革热) and hundreds of reports of diarrhea(腹泻) and infected wounds.It said millions of water purification tablets had been sent to Asia,along with sanitation engineers to rebuild water sanitation infrastructure.

Psychologists are warning that mental health problems caused by the tsunami could prove harder to resolve than the physical damage.

Some survivors say they are plagued by recurring nightmares about walls of water.Many locals are afraid to return to beachside homes.Officials also warn that suicide rates could rise dramatically as parents struggle with guilt at losing children.

Psychologists estimate that 20 to 30 per cent of people who face traumatic events eventually develop symptoms,such as alcohol abuse,lack of concentration at work and an inability to develop close relationships.

Although the Thai Government has offered to build temporary beachside housing,many refugee families are refusing to come down from the hills.Others are afraid to go back to jobs on the sea.

Over 150 000 people were killed by the tsunami,but hundreds and thousands more have been left with no means to earn a living.

In the village of Akirapettai in India,all that is left is the twisted wreckage of the fishing fleet.Dakshina Murti,a fisherman,not only lost three family members,but also lost his boats,his nets,everything.

“Everything's gone,”he says.With no government aid so far,all he has is a wreck.There are several million people who suffered the same experience.Homes have been destroyed,as well as wharves,docks,and sheds.

For now,rebuilding the economy remains a distant concept.

This passage is mainly about _________that happened around the Indian Oceans.

A.the causes of the tsunami                               B.the result after the tsunami

C.the sign of the tsunami                                   D.the warning of the tsunami

According to what the United Nations has said,the number of survivors in need of food aid after the disaster _________.

A.is not more than 5 million                              B.is less than 5 million

C.has reached 5 million                                     D.won't reach 5 million

From the passage we learn that _________ is the most serious problem for the time being.

A.disease                             B.food                  C.water                 D.house

The passage tells us that such a disaster,as tsunami will cause diseases and _________ as well.

A.Dengue fever             B.diarrhea                    C.Malaria              D.mental health problem