That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.

Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.

Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost or weight of something. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.

With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server（服务器） address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.

The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery.  History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring coring duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes （笔画） per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.  

1．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

       A．How “at” developed into @.                  B．How @ came into being.

       C．How monks invented @.                      D．How people wrote the cost of something.

2．Who knows the origin of @?

       A．Nobody               B．Monks                C．Apple buyers       D．Internet users

3．Which is Not the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?

       A．Though “at” is short, it was used very often.

       B．The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.

       C．The monks wanted to invent a new word.

       D．Copying work was long and boring for them.

4．According to paragraph 5, what is TRUE   about the symbol of @ today?

       A．When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.

       B．Kittly 163.com@is an email address.

       C．In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.

       D．It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.

Many psychologists in the early twentieth century believed that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, and even the great Albert Einstein once wrote that most people use only a small portion of the grey matter between their ears. It's a theory that has often been put forward in television documentaries; magazines, advertisements and books over the past century.

         But nearly all scientists now agree the 10 percent theory is completely unfounded. In fact, they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded. The theory supposes that if 90 percent of the brain were removed, a person would Still be able to function normally, while in reality it is known that damage to even a small area of the brain can result in extremely serious physical injury different activities and that many areas of the brain are used at the same time for some complex activities or thought processes.

         Throughout the course of one day, most .areas of the brain are active at some time, even during sleep. The 10 percent theory suggests that certain areas o' the brain are not used, but scans slow activities throughout the entire brain and not in any separate part. The final argument against the 10 percent theory is the fact that doctors carefully map the brain before removing brain cancers so that they don't affect other essential areas.

         From an evolutionary point of view, it's highly unlikely butt our comparatively larger brains would have evolved from our ancestors if the extra areas were not needed. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence support the 1p percent theory.

1.How did the 10 percent theory get such widespread popularity?

   A. It was promoted in various types of copular media.

   B. Albert Einstein argued strongly in support.

   C. It was proven in scientific research.

   D. Few people could prove it wrong.

2.The underlined word "unfounded" is chest in meaning to _________.

   A. undiscovered         B. unproven        C. unknown        D. unnecessary

3.Which of the following is true according to the writer?

   A. We use less than 10% of our brains.

   B. Most brain disorders affect the same part of the brain.

   C. The brain is less active during times of sleep.

   D. The 10 percent theory does not make evolutionary sense.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

   A. People today use more of their brain than in the past.

   B. Scientific opinion about the topic of brain use is equally divided.

   C. Our understanding of the brain has changed greatly in the past decades.

   D. Modern scientists have a complete picture of how the brain works.

5.What is the main purpose of the passage?

   A. To present two sides of brain theory.

   B. To criticize the 10 percent theory.

   C. To explain how brain works.

   D. To describe the history of brain research.

Many psychologists in the early twentieth century believed that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, and even the great Albert Einstein once wrote that most people use only a small portion of the grey matter between their ears. It’s a theory that has often been put forward in television documentaries; magazines, advertisements and books over the past century.
But nearly all scientists now agree the 10 percent theory is completely unfounded. In fact, they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded. The theory supposes that if 90 percent of the brain were removed, a person would Still be able to function normally, while in reality it is known that damage to even a small area of the brain can result in extremely serious physical injury different activities and that many areas of the brain are used at the same time for some complex activities or thought processes.
Throughout the course of one day, most .areas of the brain are active at some time, even during sleep. The 10 percent theory suggests that certain areas o’ the brain are not used, but scans slow activities throughout the entire brain and not in any separate part. The final argument against the 10 percent theory is the fact that doctors carefully map the brain before removing brain cancers so that they don’t affect other essential areas.
From an evolutionary point of view, it’s highly unlikely butt our comparatively larger brains would have evolved from our ancestors if the extra areas were not needed. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence support the 10 percent theory.

1. 1.

   How did the 10 percent theory get such widespread popularity?

   1. A.
      It was promoted in various types of copular media.
   2. B.
      Albert Einstein argued strongly in support.
   3. C.
      It was proven in scientific research.
   4. D.
      Few people could prove it wrong.
2. 2.

   The underlined word "unfounded" is chest in meaning to _________.

   1. A.
      undiscovered
   2. B.
      unproven
   3. C.
      unknown
   4. D.
      unnecessary
3. 3.

   Which of the following is true according to the writer?

   1. A.
      We use less than 10% of our brains.
   2. B.
      Most brain disorders affect the same part of the brain.
   3. C.
      The brain is less active during times of sleep.
   4. D.
      The 10 percent theory does not make evolutionary sense.
4. 4.

   What can we infer from the passage?

   1. A.
      People today use more of their brain than in the past.
   2. B.
      Scientific opinion about the topic of brain use is equally divided.
   3. C.
      Our understanding of the brain has changed greatly in the past decades.
   4. D.
      Modern scientists have a complete picture of how the brain works.
5. 5.

   What is the main purpose of the passage?

   1. A.
      To present two sides of brain theory.
   2. B.
      To criticize the 10 percent theory.
   3. C.
      To explain how brain works.
   4. D.
      To describe the history of brain research.

The writing of Shakespeare are today little read by young people in Britain. His young readership is limited to those who choose to study literature at university.

Shakespeare’s work, together with most other classics, is seen as remote, and written in a 400-year- old version of English that is about as inviting as toothache.

Still, in British schools, it is necessary to study the poet, and when something is made compulsory, usually the result is boredom, resentment（憎恨） or both.

This was my experience of the classics at school. But when I reached my late teenage years, I had a change of heart. Like every other young person since the dawn of time, the world confused me. I wanted answers, so I turned to books to find them.

I went on to take a PhD in literature and have taught it in Britain and China. I have never regretted it. There is something in literature that people want, even if they don’t read books. You see this in the popularity of TV and movie adaptations of great works, the recent film version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice being a case in point. These popular adaptations may help increase people’s interest in the classics.

Reading a simplified Romeo and Juliet may perhaps lead to a reading of Shakespeare’s actual plays. If that is the case, then I welcome the trend. But do not make the mistake of thinking that it is the same thing. Shakespeare is a poet. His greatness is in his language. Reading someone else’s rewriting of his works is like peeling a banana, throwing away the fruit, and eating the skin. Take on the original. It really is worth the effort.

1.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. The language used in classics is no longer in use today.

   B. British students usually find compulsory reading dull.

C. Only those studying literature read Shakespeare’s works.

D. For British people, Shakespeare’s works are no longer classics.

2.According to the passage, the writer _____ .

A. has liked literary classics since an early age

B. was forced to read the classics for a PhD

C. turned to literature to seek answers in his teens

D. thinks only people who read books like literature

3.The underlined phrase “a case in point” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A. a great hit                

B. a good example

C. a movie adaptation         

D. a popular phenomenon

4.What does the writer intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A. The fruit of a banana is more useful than its skin.

B. The rewriting trend does more harm than good.

C. Readers should try to read the original versions.

D. Readers need to learn the language in the classics.