A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. Jet lag interferes with a person's normal times for sleeping and waking. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They also may have problems thinking clearly and remembering.

Kwangwook Cho is a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain. He reported the findings of his jet lag study in the publication Nature Neuroscience.

The study involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. The women had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.

Mister Cho took some fluid from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone that increases during stress. He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains using magnetic resonance imaging. This is a way to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes.

It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.

Mister Cho says he believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.

Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently affect memory.

1.According to the text, jet lag _____.

A. can cause difficulties in speaking

B. can make people feel tired for a few weeks

C. is the illness only found in people who work on the airplanes

D. can be caused by flying over several time zones in an airplane

2.It is inferred that more tests need to be done because _____.

A. the conclusion was questioned by many scientists

B. scientists fear that his research is not done properly

C. every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests

D. the woman who were studied in the research were not healthy

3.What is the subject discussed in the test?

A. The cause of jet lag.

B. A story of a group of flight attendance.

C. A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain.

D. The importance of having enough rest after long flights.

BEIJING — China’s education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.

Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get ‘‘extra credits’ up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students’ chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.

“It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.

Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. uIt will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.

The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges(优先权).

The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.

Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.

But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My - 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math，and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.

A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”   

Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider  the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance  examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China，” lie said.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A．high school students with talent in sports are weak in academic performance

B．students who win awards in Olympic competitions can’t get extra credits in 2011

C．the number of competitions whose winners can get extra credits will be smaller

D．the extra credits have reduced students' chances of being admitted by famous colleges

2.What does the underlined word “geek” probably mean?

A．a winner          B．a smart learner     C．a competitor       D．a dull student

3.Which person in the passage was strongly against the new policy?

A．Xiong Bingqi       B．Chen Lei          C．Dong Wen         D．Yuan Guiren

4.What might be the best title for the text?

A．“Extra credits policy in China to be adjusted

B．Promotion of national Olympic competitions

C．Advice on the national college entrance exam

D．Chinese government to push education reform

Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big. All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.www.zxxk.com

The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slowly that garbage from all over the world collects there.

In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.

The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.www.zxxk.com

Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.

1.How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?

A. By giving an example.       B. By listing the facts.

C. By telling a story.           D. By giving a comparison.

2.What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.

B. It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.

C. It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California.

D. It is described as a kind of oceanic land.

3.Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.

B. Because the polluted plastic products will affect the food chain.

C. Because it maybe form an island in the pacific.

D. Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.

 Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.

   The result: 10% fewer heart attacks, 8% fewer strokes, 4% fewer deaths, 11% fewer new cases of heart disease, and 240 billion dollars in health care savings.

   Researchers found it could prevent 100,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths every year.

   The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California, San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University.

Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠）, which is how foods may list their salt content.

The government says the average American man ears ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also rise. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.

Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute show that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.

1.According to the passage, what disease is not related to salt in diet?

A.Cancer.                    B. Stroke.                C. Blood pressure.                D. Heart attack.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A. all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt

B. the American Heart association suggest less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone

C. how much salt is contained in certain food is measured by the amount of sodium

D. the less salt one eats, the healthier he will be

3.The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to________.

A. attract the public attention to the problem

B. require fast food places to list salt information

C. inform people of the harm that salt does to health

D. put pressure on food companies and restaurants

4.The last paragraph mainly tells us________.

A. Bloomberg has made some other efforts to improve people’s health

B. Bloomberg is very successful in his career

C. parents must pay great attention to calorie information

D. a new study is being done about calorie information

Almost everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our 16_ , intelligence and attention. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us  17_  the day.

 18 __, a new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are 19___ to how smart humans can get.

Each of our body parts develops in a certain way for a reason.  20  _, we are not 3 meters tall  21 _ most people’s hearts are not strong enough to send  22 _  up that high. Scientists say that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby’s brain size is limited by a series of __23  , such as the size of the mother’s pelvis (骨盆). If our brains developed to be bigger, there could be more  24  during childbirth.

The study of Jews, who have an average IQ much _ 25_  than other Europeans, showed they were more  _26_  to develop diseases of the  _27_  system. This might be because of their increased brainpower.

If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at _ 28 _ ? Not really, say scientists. They studied  _29_  like caffeine (咖啡因)that improve attention. They found the drugs only helped people with serious  30 _ problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the  31 _ effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is a(n)  32 limit to how much people can or should concentrate.

Our memory is also a “double-edged sword”. People with extremely good memories could  33__ having a difficult life because they cannot  _34 bad things that happen to them.

Thomas Hills, one of the authors of the paper, said that   35  all the problems in trying to get smarter, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a “super mind”.

1.                A．memory        B．character       C．.ability    D．emotion

2.                A．go through      B．get through      C．put through    D．carry through

3.                A．Though         B．Therefore       C．Meanwhile    D．However

4.                A．standards       B．measures       C．ranges   D．limits

5.                A．For example     B．In addition       C．At first   D．Above all

6.                A．until           B．before         C．because  D．so that

7.A. blood      B information        C. breath            D. strength

8.                A．reasons        B．factors         C．aspects   D．effects

9.                A．chances        B．lives           C．choices   D．deaths

10.               A．smarter        B．better          C．higher D．lower

11.               A．likely          B．possible        C．probable  D．sure

12.               A．nervous        B．bodily          C．personal   D．physical

13.               A．exercising      B．concentrating    C．memorizing D．thinking

14.               A．poisons        B．drinks          C．plants     D．drugs

15.               A．health         B．family          C．attention  D．living

16.               A．same          B．different        C．opposite   D．similar

17.               A．lower          B．smaller         C．higher D．upper

18.               A．end up         B．make up        C．start up   D．come up

19.               A．remember      B．forget          C．perform   D．share

20.               A．supposing       B．considering     C．concerning D．regarding