No one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams misht be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time (午睡时间) dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
“I was astonished by this finding,” Robert Stickgold told Science News. He is a cognitive neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School who worked on the study of-how the brain and nervous system work, and cognitive studies look at how people learn and reason. So a cognitive neuroscientist may study the brain processes that help people learn.
In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze (虚拟迷宫). The maze was difficult, and the study participants had to start in a different place each time they tried - making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the particularity stayed awake and half were told to take a short nap. Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dreams before sleep and after steep - and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.
About a dozen of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these people tried the computer maze again, they were generally able to find the tree faster than before their naps. However, people who had other dreams, or people who didn’t take a nap, didn’t show the same improvement.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn’t help a person learn - it’s the other way around.
小题1:It is a cognitive scientists job to study__ .| A．how people dream and learn | | B．the structure of the nervous system | | C．whether someone is reasonable | | D．the process of understanding |
小题2:The purpose of the study attended by 99 college students is to .| A．find the hidden tree in the maze | | B．test the design of a difficult virtual maze | | C．train people’s memory | | D．see how dreams and learning are connected |
小题3:The better performance in working out the maze is connected with .| A．how people dream | B．what people dream | | C．when people dream | D．where people dream |
小题4:The writer will probably continue to talk about in the 6th paragraph.| A．how learning process caused the dream | | B．how a dream helps a person learn | | C．how dreams and learning influence each other | | D．how to improve people’s memory |
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小题1:D
小题1:D
小题1:B
小题1:A |
小题1:D 第一题询问认知学科学家的研究范围，文中第二段有直接提到a cognitive neuroscientist may study the brain processes that help people learn，故选择D
小题1:D 综合推断题。询问文中的研究的目的是什么，由文章中对于参与者做梦和学习技能的能力分析可以得知研究的目的是分析做梦和学习的关系，故选择D
小题1:B 细节题，询问学习成果好坏与人们做梦的关系，文中倒数第二段提到However, people who had other dreams……didn’t show the same improvement，说明学习成果与人们做梦的内容有关，故选择B
小题1:A 由文章最后一段the dream itself doesn’t help a person learn - it’s the other way around得知作者的观点是学习产生梦，所以可推测到他接下来将讨论学习过程是如何导致梦的产生的，故选A |
核心考点
试题【No one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams misht be connected to】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
I’m a teacher. But there are days, like today, when I wonder why. The results of an English quiz taken by my fifth-graders were depressing. Despite my best efforts, the world of pronouns remains a mystery to them. How I wish there were a way to make the study of our language as exciting as a computer game, so the glazed (目光呆滞) looks would not appear in their eyes at the mention of the word “grammar.” I remember my husband’s words: “Why don’t you quit? You’d probably make more money by doing something else, and you wouldn’t have papers to grade every night.”
Tonight I have a stack of papers to grade, which I promised my students I would return tomorrow. But a friend, whom I haven’t seen in a year, is visiting from Belgium, and I told her I would keep this evening free.
Sitting in traffic behind a distant stoplight, it’s hard not to replay the day. A voice reports the body of a local youngster, missing for weeks, has been identified.
This missing child has had a deep effect on my students. They wondered, “If it happened to her, could it happen to me?”
My children had found the answer themselves. They got out their pencils, markers and made cards. Cards were written with words of compassion and love for a mother and father they didn’t know. Cards were filled with red hearts, golden crosses, flowers and angels. Their cards, intended to comfort others, comforted the children themselves by leading them past the anxiety, back into the world of security (安全) that should be theirs.
And then I remember why I’m still teaching. It’s the children. They’re more important than a lifetime filled with quiet evenings and more valuable than a pocket filled with money. My classroom, a child-filled world of discovery, of kindness and of caring is the real world.
It’s time to call my friend. I have promises to keep. She’ll understand. After all, she’s a teacher.
小题1:The writer wonders why she is a teacher because _____.| A．her students often play games in class | | B．teaching is not a well-paid job | | C．her students feel bored with grammar | | D．she feels frustrated at teaching |
小题2: The students’ attitude to the missing child’s parents might be that of _____.| A．doubt | B．unconcern | C．sympathy | D．tolerance |
小题3:What is the most important according to the writer?| A．A pocket filled with money. | | B．The kind and caring children. | | C．A lifetime filled with quiet evenings. | | D．The freedom to control her own time. |
小题4:What promise will the writer keep?| A．To grade papers that night. | B．To help a student with homework. | | C．To accept her husband’s advice. | D．To meet her old friend. |
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According to a recent survey, Canadian parents realize their role as protectors and providers to raise their children both emotionally and physically. That’s not very different from the way our parents saw themselves. But with more two-career families and busy schedules, one thing parents today recognize more than ever is the need to set aside special time for their children. These ‘nurturing moments’ are changed into memories that they will treasure all their lives. Nurturing moments might be the time between our work and life,bringing your child to work with you to see what you do during the day,visiting your child’s make-believe world,discussing his other school day and exploring the natural world outside your door.
These times are not merely a luxury (奢侈), they’re a necessity. It’s during these moments that parents pass values and attitudes to their children. Over time, children pick up good habits and positive self-image.
Here are a few tips for making the most of your family time together:
Regularly sit down as a family to share a meal. Allow each person to describe something interesting about his or her day.
Make one night a week family night. Family members take turns choosing a special activity for the evening everyone partakes in the fun.
Show your children you care about their interests by having them teach you about their activity or hobby.
Nurturing healthy children involves body, mind and spirit. The little things you do to your care are the building blocks for confidence, self-esteem and a healthy outlook. By giving your children these tools, you prepare them for life.
小题1:Present-day parents are different from those in the past mainly because________.| A．they need more time to spend on their children | | B．they pay more attention to their children’s health | | C．they are much busier with their work | | D．the role they play in bringing up children is different |
小题2:Which of the following is closest in meaning to ‘nurturing moment’?| A．The time between work and everyday activities. | | B．The time when you are busy with your work. | | C．The time when you play with children. | | D．The time when you show your care for your child． |
小题3:．We can infer that “visiting your child’s make-believe world” ________.| A．is a luxury for parents | | B．is a necessity for parents | | C．is good to the imagination of the children | | D．benefits the healthy growth of the children |
小题4:The purpose of the author in writing this article is________.| A．to persuade and advise | B．to argue and instruct | | C．to amuse and interest | D．to explain and comment |
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New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-held cell phones. The ban will begin November 1st, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month.
First-time violators（违法者）will face a ＄100 fine. A second time call for a ＄200 fine and every violation after that will cost＄500.
At least a dozen localities（地方）have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed. At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State.
“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop(膝上电脑), I still can read a paper, I can still change my trousers while driving 65 mph. I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said.
Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make up while driving caused at least as much of a concern. They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things.
小题1: How much fine will a hand-held cell phone user receive if he has been caught using it four times while driving after November？ | A．＄500. | B．＄1000. | C．＄1200. | D．＄1300. |
小题2:. We can see from this passage that ____. | A．the ban has been put into effect in most states in the U. S. | | B．many of the developed countries forbid drivers using hand-held cell phones | | C．over fifty localities or states ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones | | D．more people in the U. S. are against the ban than for it |
小题3:The official mentioned in this passage ____. | A．does not agree with this ban | | B．doesn’t believe using hand-held cell phones while driving will cause any danger | | C．doesn’t understand why hand-held cell phones alone should be banned among many others | | D．believes changing pants while driving will cause greater danger |
小题4:The writer intends to tell us in the last paragraph that ______. | A．it is not fair to have this ban passed | | B．the ban will never be passed in the whole country | | C．more activities of the same kind should also be banned | | D．the ban will meet with more criticism |
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完型填空（共20小题；每小题1。5分，满分30分）
Every human being, 36 what he is doing, gives off body heat. The usual problem is 37 dispose of it. But the designers of the Johnstown campus of the University of Pittsburgh set themselves the 38 problem — how to collect body heat. They have designed a collection system which utilizes 39 body heat, but the heat given off by such objects 40 light bulbs and refrigerators as well. The system works so well 41 no conventional fuel is needed 42 the campus’ six buildings comfortable.
Some parts of most modern buildings — theatres and offices 43 classrooms — are more than amply heated by people and lights and sometimes must be air-conditioned 44 in winter. The technique of 45 heat and redistributing it is 46 “heat recover”. A few modern buildings recover 47 , but the university’s system is the first to recover heat 48 some buildings and re-use it in 49 . Along the way, Pitt has learned a great deal about some of its heat producers. The 50 a student studies, the more heat his body 51 . Male students emit more heat than 52 students, and the larger a student, the more heat he 53 . It is tempting to 54 that the hottest prospect for the Johnstown campus would be a 55 , over-weight male genius.
| 小题1: | | A．though | B．no matter | C．however | D．in spite of |
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| 小题2: | | A．how to | B．how | C．what | D．what to |
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| 小题3: | | A．similar | B．wrong | C．opposing | D．opposit |
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| 小题4: | | A．both | B．not only | C．as well as | D．neither |
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| 小题5: | | A．for example | B．like | C．of | D．as |
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| 小题6: | | A．which | B．then | C．that | D．therefore |
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| 小题7: | | A．make | B．to be made | C．to make | D．making |
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| 小题8: | | A．including | B．as well as | C．with | D．as well |
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| 小题10: | | A．saving | B．being saved | C．disposing | D．being disposed |
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| 小题11: | | A．talked | B．thought | C．suggested | D．called |
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| 小题12: | | A．loss | B．cold | C．temperature | D．heat |
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| 小题14: | | A．the other | B．other | C．others | D．the others |
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| 小题15: | | A．hard | B．hardest | C．harder | D．more hard |
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| 小题16: | | A．takes in | B．gives off | C．gives in | D．takes out |
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| 小题17: | | A．other | B．female | C．girl | D．boy |
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| 小题18: | | A．produces | B．manufactures | C．designs | D．assembles |
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| 小题19: | | A．start | B．conclude | C．end | D．begin |
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小题20:A. easy-going . fun-making C.hard-working D. good-for-nothing |
Recently Dr. Cleiman has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle. During the hours when you labor through your work, you may say that you are “hot”. That is true, the time of day when you feel most energetic (full of energy) is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak(top). For some people the peak comes during the forenoon(上午前). For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so.
Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what this energy cycle means and which cycle each member of the family has.
You cannot change your cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. “Habits can help,” Dr. Cleiman believes. If your energy cycle is low in the morning but you have an important job early in the day, rise before your usual hour, and then you will work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a lazy yawn(哈欠) and stretch. Sit on the edge of bed before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before.
小题1: Dr. Cleiman did not explain in the passage ___________.| A．how people can make their life fit their cycle | B．whether everyo ne has a daily cycle or not | | C．why people have their energy cycle of body at different times | D．what will happen in the family if the couple fail to realize which cycle each member has |
小题2:For what reason may husbands and wives quarrel with each other?| A．Either of them gets up late in the morning. | | B．Husbands and wives have different cycles of energy. | | C．Either of them wants to change the cycle of the other’s. | | D．They do not know which cycle they themselves have. |
小题3:According to the passage,____________.| A．one should get up earlier if he wants to work better at his low point in the morning | | B．one can change his cycle | | C．whenever you feel hot, your energy cycle reaches the highest | | D．your cycle must be in the morning if you can get up early |
小题4:Which of the following can save your energy in the morning?| A．Getting up late. | B．Jumping out of bed as quickly as possible. | | C．Looking for clean clothes. | D．Sitting for a while before getting out of bed. |
小题5: Which of the following statements is wrong?| A．If you know your cycle you can make good use of time. | | B．If you know your cycle you can change it to fit your life. | | C．Father and son do not necessarily have the same cycle. | | D．Having a habit of doing something can make people affected less by their energy cycle. |
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