PEOPLE who have had a painful experience may wish they could wipe the memory from their minds. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, US, say that this may someday be possible.

A drug remains far off, but researchers have laid a foundation with their discovery that proteins can be removed from the brain’s fear center to cut memories forever.

Previous research had already shown that a special behavior therapy (治疗) could cut painful memories. But relapse (复发) was possible because the memory hadn’t necessarily disappeared.

By looking at that process, Richard Huganir and Roger Clem, two researchers from Johns Hopkins University, discovered a “window of vulnerability (脆弱的窗口)” when proteins are created. The proteins help signals travel within the brain as painful memories are made. Because the proteins are unstable, they can be easily removed with drugs or behavior therapy to cut memories.

Researchers used mice to find the window, but think the process would be the same in humans. They used electric shocks to make the mice fear a certain sound. The sound triggered (触发) the creation of the proteins, called calcium-permeable (钙通透性) AMPARS, which formed for a day or two in the fear centers of the mice’s brains.

The researchers are working on ways to reopen the window by recalling (唤醒) the painful memory and using drugs to remove the protein. They published their report online last month in Science Express.

Their research has drawn interest and concern from experts in mental healthcare.

Kate Farinholt, a mental health expert with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Maryland, US, said many people suffering from a painful event might benefit from erasing a memory. “Erasing a memory and then everything bad built on that is an amazing idea, and I can see all sorts of potential ,” she said.

But there are a lot of unanswered questions, too.

“Completely deleting a memory is a little scary. How do you remove a memory without removing a part of someone’s life,” Farinholt said. “And is it best to do that, considering that people grow and learn from their experiences?”

1.What have researchers at Johns Hopkins University found recently?  

A. A new drug to erase painful memories from human brains.

B. A special behavior therapy to erase painful memories.

C. Removing certain proteins from the brain can wipe painful memories.

D. Erasing memory damages a patient’s brain functions.

2.What makes it possible to erase painful memories according to Paragraph 4? 

A. The way the brain cells are created.

B. The unstable character of the proteins in the brain.

C. The strength of the signals the proteins send.

D. The drugs that can stop the formation of memories.

3.Which of the following shows the stages of the process done on mice? 

a. removal of fear proteins            b. making mice fear a certain sound

c. fear proteins created in mice brains   d. making mice recall painful memories

A. a-b-c-d    B. d-a-c-b    C. b-c-d-a    D. c-b-d-a

4.What is Kate Farinholt’s opinion of the research? 

A. People may lose the chance to learn from their bad experiences.

B. The research will be a great breakthrough in treating painful memories.

C. People could suffer long-term memory loss.

D. People could forget happy memories as well.

OK, I admit it: emoticons (表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast (抨击) the use of emoticons as “infantile (幼稚的) just like the people who use them”  He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent (明显的) from the comment that goes before the emoticon,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’ s an emoticon gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into (融入) something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow valid (正确的). Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature (不成熟的). It’s just a question of individuality. :)

1.According to the article, emoticons are popular because ______. 

A. most of them look funny

B. they are easy for lazy people to use

C. they add feeling and character to a communication

D. a reader cannot understand a message without them

2.Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with?  

A. Instant Message chatters are childish.[来源:Zxxk.Com]

B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

C. Men never use emoticons.     

D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.

3.From the text, we can conclude that the author ______. 

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourage his friends to use emoticons

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

4.What is the main point of the article? 

A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

B. The history of emoticons.

C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断:如无错误,在该行右边横线上画一个勾(√);如有错误（每行只有一个错误）,则按下列情况改正：

此行多一个词:把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉,在该行右边横线上写出该词,并也用斜线划掉。此行缺一个词:在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）,在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。此行错一个词:在错的词下划一横线,在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。注意:原行没有错的不要改。

I was recent told that listening to loud music is gradually        1._____

making people lose hearing. I'm sure it has already been         2.______

happened to my neighbor. For years she has turned a deaf        3.______

ear to my requests to turn her radio down. When she gave a       4._____

party she does have to invite the rest of the street. Everyone      5.______

can dance in her music in his own room. Now a scientist has      6.______

discovered a certain electronic sounds have strange effects on     7._____

rats. He declares they break down, almost paralyzed(瘫) with its   8. ______

legs trembled. Then it is simply a matter of throwing them        9.______

out by their tail. I wonder if the same thing will happen to        10._____

my neighbor someday.

假如你是李明，你发现部分同学每次遇到重要考试，都会出现一些焦虑症状。请你用英语写一封信，向某学生英文报编辑反映该问题并提出建议。信的内容应包括下列要点：

焦虑症状： 头晕、乏力、食欲不振等

建 议：1．制定计划    2．正常作息    3．保证睡眠

其他建议(内容由考生自己拟定)

注意：1.根据以上内容写一篇短文，不要逐句翻译，可适当增加细节以使行文连贯。2.要准确使用语法和词汇；使用一定的句型、词汇，清楚、连贯地表达自己的意思；3. 词数：100个左右。开头已给出，不计词数。参考词汇：头晕dizzy(adj.)

Dear editor,

　I’m a Senior Three student of Chengdu No.7 High School. I’m writing to tell you about some

symptoms of anxiety among us students before exams.__________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                         Yours sincerely, Li Ming

 —I’m sorry. I wasn’t helpful when you were in trouble.

   —Oh, ________. In fact, you did help me a lot．

   A. thanks anyway       B. it doesn’t matter     C. of course not   D. sure you were

 —Well, I should say this meeting is ________success.

   —Just have _______with the organizer and you can learn a lot from him. 

   A. a; words              B. a; a word                C. /; words         D. /; a word

Some people prefer to work and live in Chengdu, for the price of an apartment is less than half of ________ of big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

   A. it                       B. what                        C. that                   D. One

 The husband rushed to the hospital ____ he heard that his wife was injured.

   A. at the moment        B. for the moment            C. in a moment   D. immediately

I like this jacket better than that one, but it costs almost three times______. 

   A. so much                 B. as many               C. as much         D. so many

How many times have you found yourself arriving at school to start your day, only ________ that you left your homework at home?

   A. having discovered              B. discovering              C. to discover      D. Discover