As   16 she nor her husband smoked, Mrs. Trench was surprised to see cigarette ash on her doorstep as she entered the house. When she opened the living-room door, she was astonished to see a strange man fast   17  in an armchair! Taking care not to disturb him, Mrs. Trench left the house immediately. She called a taxi and went straight to the police station. When she got there, she lost no time to explain   18  had happened and added that the man   19  have got into the house   20  an open window. Mrs. Trench returned home   21  a police car together with two policemen. But it was too late: the man had disappeared.  22  (hurry) upstairs, she went to her dressing-table. She smiled   23  relief when she saw that the only thing the man had taken was an imitation diamond necklace   24  was almost   25 .

In meditation(冥想) ，people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds. they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.

According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a market change in how the brain allocates(分配) attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli(刺激), like facial expressions.

The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice. everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain, It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.

In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.

Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number. as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number, This shows that attention can change with practice.

Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study.” I am a much better listener,” he said. “I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”

The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A. feelings             B. minds               C. people               D. thoughts

Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ________.

A. are given less pressure                    B. allocate their attention better

C. have more stimuli for life                D. practice them more frequently

In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours ________.

A. were more likely to catch both of the members

B. were used to memorizing numbers in groups

C. usually ignored the first number observed

D. paid more attention to numbers than to letters

The study proves that ________.

A. meditation improves one’s health

B. brain activity can be recorded

C. human attention can be trained

D. mediators have a good sense of hearing

Book now to see Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss star in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre in London．

Dates: 22 January 2011 to 31 January 2011

Times: 22 Jan 2011 6:30 PM; 24—29 Jan 2011 7:30 PM; 29 Jan 2011 2:30 PM; 31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM．

Place: Comedy Theatre

The Children’s Hour

The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman is a striking play about the power of a lie． Karen Wright （Keira Knightley） and Martha Dobie （Elisabeth Moss） run a girls’ boarding school in the 1930s New England． When an angry student starts a rumour that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian （女同性恋者） affair, it gradually destroys the women’s careers, relationships and lives． The Children’s Hour is an upsetting story of cheat, shame and courage．

Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children’s Hour received its world opening on Broadway in 1934． Generations on, its exploration of a culture of fear remains remarkably relevant．

Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss Star

Keira Knightley, nominee （被提名者） for Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards for The Misanthrope, returns to the London stage． Knightley starred in Love Actually, The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, Pride and Prejudice．

Elisabeth Moss, best-known for playing Peggy Olson in Mad Men, made her Broadway stage debut （首映） in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow in 2008． The Children’s Hour will be her West End debut．

Book The Children’s Hour Tickets

Book theatre tickets to see The Children’s Hour at London’s Comedy Theatre today． With two big stars in the leading roles, The Children’s Hour tickets are sure to sell fast． Book yours online now with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner on this wetsite． Just click the green book button to buy your The Children’s Hour tickets．

1.If you visit London in January, at which time can you see the play?

    A． 21 Jan 2011 6:30 PM．               B． 23 Jan 2011 2:30 PM．        

    C． 26 Jan 2011 2:30 PM．               D． 31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM．

2.We can learn from the passage that The Children’s Hour____________．

    A． used to be forbidden                B． is about the power of love

    C． was set in England in the 1930s     D． is not popular these days

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

    A． Keira Knightley was awarded Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards．

    B． Elisabeth Moss ever performed on the Broadway stage．

    C． Without the two big stars, people would not buy the play’s tickets．

    D． You can only buy a ticket with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner．

4.Where shall we probably read this passage?

    A． In a movie magazine．               B． In the newspaper．           

    C． On the website．                    D． In an academic journal．

下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加，删除或修改某个单词。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Today is my father’s birthday. To celebrate his birthday, I went to a shop and choose a present for him. After that, I went home by the train. On the way, I was imagining how happily my father would be when he accepted the present. The train got to the next stop before I knew it. An old lady got the train. Every seat was taken, but she had to stand with two heavy bags in both of her hand.

After an immediate hesitation（犹豫）, I gave my seat to her and he was grateful for all what I did.

In my opinion, give others a hand whenever they are in trouble not only brings happiness to the ones who receive it but also to the ones who give it.

A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.

In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility (谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．

    The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．

In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 — I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．

    But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．

1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that_____________________．

A．the author regretted his act of prejudice

B．the blind woman needed the money badly

C．the author was as poor as the blind woman

D．the author was a native American

2.According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably_______．

A．rather hurt     B．very excited     C．deeply moved      D．greatly inspired

3.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should_________．

A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled

B．try to experience different kinds of life

C．treat others equally with love and respect

D．think about one’s past as often as possible

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

A．Learn from Your Past               B．How My Dream Comes True

C．A Belief That Will Never Change    D．A Priceless Lesson in the Street