43. So far the great discovery scientists have made about the function of brain is　 　　　　　　.

　　 A. the weight of brain 　　　 B. two types of memory

　　 C. 30 billion nerve cells　　

　　 D. chemical and physical changes

　　 　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　C

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time,” and hung up.

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said,　 “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

42. Short-term memory can change into long- term memory on condition that　 　　　　　　.

　　 A. memory is good　 B. it acts like a computer

　　 C. people do more exercise

　　 D. the links in nerve cells are strengthened by certain changes

41. Scientists’ knowledge about the function of brain is 　　　　　　.

　　 A. interesting　　　 　 　　 B. not enough 　　　

　　 C. great 　　　　　　　　　　 D. encouraging

40. According to the author, without the development of man’s memory there would be 　　　　　　.

　　 A. no modern world 　 B. no recorded history

　　 C. no animals 　　　　　　 D. no dangers

39. What conclusion is best supported by the passage?

　　 A. Parents should be trained to read to their children.

　　 B. The more children read, the cleverer they become.

　　 C. Children’s language skills increase when they are required to respond actively.

　　 D. Children who read actively act six months older.

　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　 B

We often hear people say, “I have a good memory for things like that” or “I can remember names”. But do you know memory is the single most important thing and it has played a very important part?

For early men, there were dangerous all around them-bad weather, wild animals. The key to keep on living lay in man’s ability to remember these dangers and the ways he had dealt with them in the past. In order for memories to be stored, the human brain became more complex. And as man learned how to deal with them, he became civilized(文明). Surprisingly, scientists today understand little about memory and how it works. They have not yet found a way to open up the brain and observe its function without destroying it. Perhaps there are two types of memory: short-term and long-term. Short-term refers to those facts that stay with us for a few seconds to a few hours. For instance, when you stay at a hotel, you remember the room number and forget as soon as you leave. Long-term memory, on the other hand, means you remember things for a long period of time. If you spend your honeymoon in a particular hotel, it’s likely that you’ll remember your stay quite clearly.

Scientists also believe that a short-term memory can become a long-term memory through consolidation(巩固). A lot of chemical and physical changes take place in the part of the brain. Although the human brain weighs three pounds, it contains 30 billion nerve cells(神经细胞) acting like a computer. When those changes strengthen the links(联系) in certain nerve cells, a thought becomes part of the long-term memory.

38. What was the difference between the control group and the experimental group?

　　 A. The training that parents received.　 　　

　　 B. The age of the children.

　　 C. The books that were read.　　　 　

　　 D. The number of children.

37. According to the author, which of the following questions is the best type to ask children

　about reading?

　　 A. Do you see the elephant?　　 　　　　　　

　　 B. Is the elephant in the cage?

　　 C. What animals do you see?　　　 　

　　 D. Shall we go to the zoo?

36. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

　　 A. Children who talk more can develop their language skills better.

　　 B. Parents who listen to their children can teach them more.

　　 C. Active children should read more.

　　 D. Verbal ability cannot easily be increased.

34. A. better 　 B. further　　　 C. farther　　　 D. more