When you tidy your messy bedroom，it gets a lot easier to find things.Dreams may work the same way for a messy brain，helping you learn by organizing memories and ideas.
To test how much dreams can help learning，Robert Stickgold had some students play a shapefitting game called Tetris (俄罗斯方块) for a few hours and then go to sleep.Soon they were dreaming of falling Tetris shapes.Interestingly，the worst Tetris players had the most Tetris dreams and improved their game the most.Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills.
As we dream，many important tasks are getting done.The brain decides what to keep and what to forget.It is connecting new experiences to older learning.In fact，the brain is learning all night long.
Another important task of dreams may be to help us deal with emotions (情绪)．At night，emotions are in the driver’s seat.People who have had an upsetting experience often dream about it afterward.Often the dream event changes somehow—another way the brain tries to make the memory less upset.So if your best friend moves away，you might dream that you’re the one who’s moving.In fact，dreams have a proven power to improve mood，and people who dream about what’s bothering them usually feel better sooner than those who don’t.
Everybody dreams for a couple of hours every night—in the course of your life，you’ll spend about 25 years asleep and 6 years dreaming.There’s probably no single answer to the question why we dream，but there doesn’t have to be.One dream might help you remember your math facts，while another might lead to a new invention，or give you a fun，crazy story to tell your friends.It’s all in a night’s work for our busy，mysterious brains.
小题1:Robert Stickgold’s test shows that________.| A．games are useful for memory | | B．dreams can help improve skills | | C．players stop learning in dreams | | D．tasks can only be settled through dreams |
小题2:We can learn from Paragraph 4 that________.| A．dreams can get rid of sufferings | | B．only drivers can deal with emotions | | C．one may be less upset after a dream | | D．dreams can copy what one experienced |
小题3:Which of the following does the author probably agree with?| A．Dreaming does harm to one’s mood. | | B．Dreaming affects the quality of sleep. | | C．It’s hard to find out the secrets of dreaming. | | D．It’s not so important to know the cause of dreaming. |
小题4:What does the text focus on?| A．Dreams and memories. | B．Dreams and emotions. | | C．The benefits of dreams. | D．The patterns of dreams. |
小题5:In which part of a magazine can this text be found?| A．Entertainment. | B．Tourism. | | C．Science. | D．Advertisement. |
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小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:C |
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。文章说明了梦的好处，即可以改善学习和情绪。
小题1:解析： 推理判断题。根据第二段可知，为了证实梦对学习有帮助，Robert Stickgold做了这次实验，而实验结果表明选手的技能有所提高，根据本段最后一句“Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills.”可推知，梦对学习各种技能都是有帮助的，故选B。
答案： B
小题2:解析： 细节理解题。根据第四段第一句“Another important task of dreams...emotions (情绪)．”和最后一句“In fact，dreams have a proven power to improve mood...”可知，梦有助于改善心情，故选C。
答案： C
小题3:解析： 细节理解题。根据最后一段第二句“There’s probably no single answer to the question why we dream，but there doesn’t have to be.”可知，作者认为关于我们为什么会做梦的解释不止一个，但也没必要非要有一个解释。
答案： D
小题4:解析： 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要说明了梦的好处：有助于改善学习和情绪。
答案： C
小题5:解析： 推理判断题。根据文章主旨可知，文章是关于梦的科学研究方面的知识，所以最可能在杂志的有关科学的栏目里找到此文章，故选C。
答案： C |
核心考点
试题【When you tidy your messy bedroom，it gets a lot easier to find things.Dreams may 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Think of the last time a song really moved you, or meant something to you．Listening to and playing music affects marry different sections of the brain, affecting us physically as well. Why are we as humans so connected to music?
Making music is something that we are born with. There"s a reason we refer to music as the “universal language”；there has been no known human culture without music. Dancing and music came before agriculture, and possibly even before language．The fact that whale music and human music have so much in common suggests that music may exist before humans and that we may be latecomers to the musical scene rather than being the inventors of music．
We begin life being affected by music; babies first begin to respond to music even before their birth. Whether or not it"s true, everyone has heard that playing classical music; for your baby supposedly helps him or her become smarter. A study done in the United Kingdom concluded that children were able to recognize and even preferred music that they had heard lip to three months before birth. Although it made no difference whether it was rock music or country music, the babies who were exposed to faster songs showed a stronger preference for that song than those who had heard something slower. Researchers have also found that the playing of soft background music or a mother"s soft singing actually helps premature (早产的)babies. Those who were subjected to the music tended to gain weight faster and were able to leave hospitals earlier than those who weren"t. However, the study in the UK uncovers no links between babies listening to music and increased intelligence or brain development.
Another experiment at the University of California at Irvine compared the puzzle-solving abilities of 3-year-olds who were given piano lessons with the ability of others who sang, used computers, or did nothing. The children studying piano were better at the puzzles. Also, high school students with a musical background seem to do better on their SATs. Whether it"s natural intelligence that helps the children excel in both music and math, or the music that helps develop other areas, you can"t deny the benefits of a musical background.
On the other hand, it"s possible that some music and lyrics（歌词）could be hard for children and teenagers．The lyrics of today"s popular music are stated more and more clearly. A study oil mass media and teenagers showed that a group of 14- to 16-year-olds in 10 different southeastern cities listened to music an average of 40 hours per week. Obviously, the music they are listening to plays a large part in their lives，and especially influences self-identity. So any bad influences in the music will have a very direct effect on the teenagers. Several other experiments mentioned in the American Academy of Pediatrics" policy statement on the "Effect of Music Lyrics and Music Videos on Children and Youth" supported this idea. One study from Sweden found that children who developed a preference to rock music were more likely to be influenced by their peers than by their parents. Others showed links between a predilection for heavy metal and detrimental behaviors, including taking drugs, self-killing risk, and other risk-taking habits. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn"t support the idea of censorship（检查制度）, but strongly encourages parents to monitor what their children are listening to.
小题1:Music is regarded as the “universal language” because ______. | A．music is important for human beings’ mental and physical health | | B．music is played by people from all over the world | | C．music is of great benefits to human language | | D．music is present throughout the development of human culture |
小题2:Which of the following proves a musical background benefits children a lot? | A．An experiment at the University of California. | | B．A study done in the United kingdom. | | C．A study on mass media and teenagers. | | D．A study from Sweden. |
小题3:According to Paragraph 3, what affects babies’ preference for songs?| A．The lyrics | B．The tone | C．The style | D．The speed |
小题4:The author mentioned several other experiments in the AAP’s policy statement to prove________. | A．parents should monitor what their children are listening to | | B．music can have harmful effects on teenagers | | C．teenagers are more likely to be affected by their friends | | D．children shouldn’t be exposed to too much music |
小题5:What will the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows? | A．More bad effects of music on teenagers’ daily habits. | | B．Some experiments about music and teenagers. | | C．Tips for parents on monitoring the music their children prefer. | | D．Benefits of listening to a variety of music. |
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“I can’t concentrate.” “My mind wanders when I try to study.” Lack of concentration is one of the most common complaints heard at school.
We all have the ability to concentrate. Think of the times when you were attracted to a super novel or the times when you were playing your guitar or piano. But at other times your mind races from one thing to another. Here are some tips.
Rest from time to time. Remember to take short breaks. Lectures are usually 50 minutes long, and that’s about the length of time most people can direct their attention to one task. But that’s just an average. Your concentration time might be shorter (20-35 minutes) or longer (perhaps 90 minutes).When you take a break, you get more oxygen to your brain! When we sit for long periods, blood tends to be pooled in our lower body and legs. Get up and walk around the room for a couple of minutes. As a result, more oxygen is carried to the brain and you can concentrate better.
_______________If you study one subject for a long time, you may find it hard to concentrate. Many students improve their concentration by changing one subject to another every one to two hours. In this way you can pay more attention to something that’s different.
Reward yourself. Give yourself a reward when you’ve completed a task. The task might be small, such as staying with a difficult paper until you’ve finished. But giving yourself a reward can help you be more interested in doing other tasks.
Increase your activity level. Your concentration wanders more easily if you just read an article straight through. Instead, take the heading for each part and turn it into a question. For this part, that would be, “How can I increase my activity level while studying?” Then study that part to answer that question. Do this routinely. The questions give us a focus for each part and increase our involvement(参与).
小题1:According to Paragraph 3, what’s the purpose of walking around?| A．To help us stay fit. | | B．To benefit our lower body. | | C．To provide the brain with more oxygen. | | D．To increase our concentration time to 90 minutes. |
小题2:What’s the best title for Paragraph 4?| A．Study for one hour each time. | | B．Do something difficult. | | C．Study in different ways. | | D．Change subjects. |
小题3:In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that______.| A．we just read the heading of some articles | | B．we do our best to read an article straight through | | C．we ask ourselves questions about what we are reading | | D．we ask other people questions about the article we are reading |
小题4:The writer wrote the passage to______.| A．encourage us to try to concentrate | | B．teach us how to concentrate while studying | | C．give us the reasons for a lack of concentration | | D．list the benefits we can get from concentration |
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It’s a delicate（棘手的）time — if not every parent’s worst nightmare — when a child enters adolescence.
Not only are their bodies __ _ physically , but hormones (荷尔蒙) are spreading violently and bad moods are in full swing (活跃).Katie Couric spoke with Dr. Barbara Greenberg, a parenting expert and clinical psychologist , all about how parents can _ _ with their teens , and finally get some answers .Every parent wants to know what is going on inside their teenager’s _ ___, and while the normal instinct (本能) is to give them the third degree (盘问) about their day , Dr Greenberg strongly _ __ us not to question teens closely for long , who are _ __ to get upset or excited all of a sudden.
direct, general questions like “How was your day?” or “How was the date?”. Teens will respond more positively to questions like “How was the movie?” they aren’t ready to give you a whole bunch of information at once. Listening is an important part of any , and interrupting your child may not get you much .
Most adolescents are discovering who they are and how they society. While it might seem that their eyes are laden with laser beams (激光束) and you are their next target, they are also under a lot of pressure, both socially and academically. Let them themselves freely; this is their way of telling you about their .
Even though the idea isn’t “cool”, research has found that about 80% of teens admire and want to spend time with their parents. Teens really love their parents!
, but believe it. They are between wanting that precious independence and mom and dad.
Show your kids at an early age that it’s okay to talk about anything at home. like drugs, sex and alcohol can be scary for both to discuss, but having these conversations has been proven to help teens keep a healthy lifestyle.
It is totally possible to a strong relationship with your teen! Just remember to stay calm, what they have to say, and don’t take that sigh when you ask about their homework too personally.
| 小题1: | | A．promoting | B．changing | C．enlarging | D．increasing |
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| 小题2: | | A．talk | B．live | C．deal | D．fight |
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| 小题3: | | A．room | B．body | C．school | D．head |
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| 小题4: | | A．suggests | B．appeals | C．encourages | D．persuades |
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| 小题5: | | A．supposed | B．concerned | C．wanted | D．expected |
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| 小题6: | | A．Ignore | B．Ask | C．Escape | D．Avoid |
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| 小题7: | | A．common | B．indirect | C．accurate | D．specific |
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| 小题8: | | A．unless | B．because | C．if | D．when |
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| 小题9: | | A．thought | B．understanding | C．conversation | D．saying |
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| 小题10: | | A．response | B．love | C．news | D．attitude |
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| 小题11: | | A．fit into | B．put into | C．object to | D．respond to |
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| 小题12: | | A．examine | B．teach | C．enjoy | D．express |
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| 小题13: | | A．day | B．future | C．failures | D．studies |
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| 小题14: | | A．Exciting | B．Disappointing | C．Shocking | D．Frightening |
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| 小题15: | | A．fighting | B．struggling | C．concerning | D．pushing |
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| 小题16: | | A．carrying on with | B．holding on to | C．keeping up with | D．keeping out of |
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| 小题17: | | A．Worries | B．Conversations | C．Topics | D．Questions |
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| 小题18: | | A．parties | B．people | C．members | D．families |
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| 小题19: | | A．grasp | B．find | C．hang | D．keep |
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| 小题20: | | A．be silent | B．keep smiling | C．listen to | D．be friendly |
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Picture the scene: the battery on your mobile phone has run out． You can"t make any calls for help and no one can contact you． You are all alone - well, not quite． Just reach into your pocket and take out a piece of sugar．Put it into the battery, wait a minute, and you"re back on the phone．
Thanks to a couple of American scientists, this situation could become real．Swadesh Chaudhuri and Derek Lovely have invented the"bacteria battery" - powered by bacteria that eats sugar and turns it into electricity．
"This is a special organism," Lovely said．"You can harvest enough electricity to power a cell phone battery for about four days from a spoonful of sugar．"
In the past, bacteria batteries have been expensive and not long-lasting． But this battery uses more efficient bacteria that can turn 80 percent of sugar into electrical energy． This is 30 percent more than similar batteries can manage．
The bacteria battery could become as small as a household battery． It"s also cheap and stable, as sugar can be taken from waste and crops．
But the sugar to electricity process is slow: it could take weeks for the bacteria to digest a cup of sugar．And it produces "greenhouse" gases which pollute the environment．
The scientists understand there is a lot more work to be done． "It is still young," said Lovely．"Where we are now is where solar power was 200r 30 years ago．"
But he believes the battery could be used in scientific equipment at the bottom of the ocean．Other ideas include using sugar in the blood to run medical devices in the human body, and taking sugar from animal waste to provide energy to power homes in rural areas．
小题1:This passage is mainly about_ ．| A．how to change sugar into electricity | | B．a scientific invention of a new kind of bacteria battery | | C．a new way to reduce pollution caused by mobile phones | | D．a new kind of mobile phones and its future |
小题2:Which of the following is not the strong point of the newly-developed battery?| A．Convenient． | B．Stable． | C．Inexpensive． | D．Quick． |
小题3:The underlined sentence in the 7th paragraph actually means ．| A．the bacteria battery shares some similarities with solar energy | | B．scientists will continue their work until they find solar power | | C．there is much room for the improvement of the bacteria battery | | D．the bacteria battery will get popular in 20 0r 30 years |
小题4:According to the passage, who will find the bacteria battery less useful?| A．Farmers． | B．Divers． | C．Doctors． | D．Electricians． |
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Around 200 million years ago, the earth was 18 degrees warmer than it is now. That might be a bit hot for humans, but it was just right for the giant dinosaurs that wandered about the earth during the Mesozoic (中生代的) era. A new study found that planteating dinosaurs may have contributed to the warming of the earthby releasing significant amounts of methane (甲烷)．
The study, published in science journal Current Biology, focused on sauropods, longnecked herbivores (食草动物) that munched (用力咀嚼) on the top of trees. They were the largest of the dinosaurs; food broke down in their stomachs for long periods of time. The researchers estimate that a sauropoda released 2,675 liters of methane per day—adding up to a large amount of the greenhouse gas being pumped from dinosaur"s gut into the atmosphere.
Plant eaters naturally release methane as part of their digestive process. The larger the animal, the more methane it produces. Methane, a greenhouse gas, traps heat and remains in the atmosphere for approximately 915 years, which warms the atmosphere.
Today, some animals, such as cattle, goats and sheep, produce large amounts of methane as a byproduct to their food digestion. Methane is also released from human—influenced sources such as landfill, agricultural activities, coal mining and other industrial practices—which all contribute to today"s climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The researchers estimate that earth"s sauropods would have produced about 520 million tons of methane per year—similar to the total amount of methane produced today by natural and manmade sources. However, the researchers warn that their numbers are estimates based on multiple assumptions about the digestive systems and populations of dinosaurs.
The author of the study David Wilkinson says the emission of methane from dinosaurs would have been just one of the causes of warm climate during the Mesozoic era. Other causes include gases produced from volcanoes, swamps, shallow seas and so on. Still, Wilkinson says，“ The amount of methane from dinosaurs is large enough to have a measurable effect.”
小题1:Scientists think dinosaurs may have led to the global warming because ________.| A．they ate everything they found | | B．they usually had a good appetite | | C．they released a lot of methane | | D．there were too many dinosaurs on earth |
小题2:What do we know about dinosaurs from Paragraph 2?| A．Sauropods fed on plants. | | B．Sauropods were of medium size. | | C．Dinosaurs used to live on trees. | | D．Dinosaurs digested food quickly. |
小题3:Which of the following activities doesn"t produce methane?| A．Coal is dug out by machine. | | B．Trees and flowers are planted. | | C．Goats digest grass under the tree. | | D．Food is being processed in the factory. |
小题4:How does the author make his writing reliable?| A．By listing some facts. | | B．By making predictions. | | C．By citing figures. | | D．By using mind pictures. |
小题5:David Wilkinson seems to believe that ________.| A．methane had little effects on the earth | | B．many other factors contributed to warm climate | | C．other causes for warm climate were worth considering | | D．dinosaurs were mainly to blame for global warming |
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