Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”

Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now.

Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.

Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.

Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

1. What would be the best title for the text?

    A. A Way on How to Write             

B. Increase Your Brain Power through Writing

    C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing

D. How to Start Your Writing

2. According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.

    A. the increase of your brain power           B. the ability to remember

    C. the development of your interest in study  D. the better understanding of a topic

3.The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies that ______.

    A. you are already successful             B. you still need to work hard

    C. writing can help you walk half way     D. writing is important to solve problems

4.What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?

    A. To advise readers to start their writing.

    B. To explain the importance of writing.

    C. To persuade readers to become writers.

    D. To increase readers’ brain power.

任务型阅读 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

    根据课文内容填入适当的词。

    Beijing, China successfully hosted the 29th Olympic Games in 2008. We began to learn more about the history and (1) ________ of the honourable games.

    The ancient games were held at Olympia in Greece every four years from 776 BC to AD 394. At that time, by (2) ________ the athletes were all male and they had to complete (3)________ no clothes. Single women were allowed to take part in their own (4)________ at a separate festival in (5)________of the wife of the Greek good Zeus.

    In 1896, the (6)________Olympic flame restarted to be lit in Athens. It was a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, who made important contributions to the activity. After 32 year’s (7)________, the People’s Republic of China returned to the Games and played an important role in them. In Beijing 29th Olympic Games Chinese athletes made glorious achievements and won the most gold (8)________.

The Olympians from all over the world brought joy to people across the world with their (9)________ to push the (10)________ of human achievement.

单词拼写 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

根据首字母或汉语意思，在句中填入适当的词。

1. English is made up of the grammar and vocabulary brought to Britain by people from different countries and c____________.

2. The last few years have seen many d____________ in and out of China, from earthquake to drought, even to nuclear radiation (核辐射).  

3. Old English c____________ of Celtic, and the languages of the Angles and the Saxons, which once conquered Britain, and the Vikings.

4. … Now the flame has been lit. The 2008 Olympic Games have ____________(正式地) started.

5. The Normans, who d____________ England and take control of the country in 1066, made the most contributions to Middle English.

6. The twins are so alike that we have much difficulty in d______________ one from the other.

7. They have kept a close a_____________ with a college in the US in order to obtain the latest result of the experiment.

8. The child asked his Grandma, “How much is twelve m____________ by five?” She answered quickly, “Sixty”.

9. The book is too difficult! I’m afraid I won’t be able to read it. Do you have a copy that has been ____________ (简化)？

10. They took him to court for questioning the existence of the Greek gods and for _____________ (腐化、堕落) the young people of Athens.

句子翻译 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

根据括号内的要求翻译句子。

1.  他们必须更新设备，否则将无法与其他大公司竞争。（update, otherwise）

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. 约翰的表演比山姆好是因为他做过一年的学校体操队队员。（in that）

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. 据说，每天喝八杯水对你的健康有好处。（It is said that…, per）

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4. 当我在城里漫步时，我看到保持原样的街道，沿路都有垫脚石。（as it is, with…）

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. 在节日那天，孩子们可以捉弄那些拒绝给他们糖果的邻居。（play tricks on）

_______________________________________________________________________________

短文翻译 (满分5分)

随着经济和科学的发展，广告已成为我们日常生活中的重要组成部分，广告通常用词汇和图片来说服人们去购买某种产品或服务，或者相信某一观点。

广告主要有两种形式，商业广告是一种人们为了推销某种产品或服务而花钱做的广告；另一种是公益广告，往往免费投放，其目的是就健康、安全或者其他影响到公共利益的问题对人们进行教育。

每当谈到广告时，我们要运用自己的智慧，而不要成为其奴隶。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It cost me a great deal, but I don’t regret           a year travelling around the world.

    A. spend                B. to spend             C. spending         D. spent

As her eyesight failed, she know she’d have to           from the community healthy committee.

A. receive          B. resign                   C. recover          D. recycle

It’s my           to make sure that the disabled people in our neighborhood have access to all public buildings.

  A. ambition         B. behavior             C. dignity          D. assistance

Even though Jane told him to leave her alone, her father still           her to the doctor.

  A. looked              B. obeyed               C. envied               D. accompanied

The robot was going to           by Larry’s life.

    A. test out         B. be tested out            C. testing out          D. try out