Our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30.【1】 used to be thought that this couldn’t be helped,but new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to work faster.“Your brain is a learning machine,”says Dr.Merzenich from University of California.【2】 (give) the right tools,we can train our acts as they did when we were young.All that 【3】(require) is the practice designed just for this purpose: a few exercises for 【4】mind.

Dr.Merzenich has developed a computer-based training method to speed up the process in【5】 the brain deals with information.Since much of the data we receive comes through speech,the Bain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to improve speed and accuracy.

Over the course of the training,the program starts asking you to distinguish sounds-between“dog” and “bog”,for example-【6】an increasingly faster speed.It’s a bit like a tennis instructor,says Dr.Merzenich,hitting balls at you faster and 【7】(fast) to keep you challenged.You may start out slow,but before long you’re pretty quick.

The biggest finding in brain research in the last decade is that the brain at any age is highly plastic.【8】 you ask your brain to learn,it will learn.And it may speed up in the process.

To keep your brain young and plastic,you can do one of a million new 【9】 (activity) that challenge and excite you: playing table tennis or bridge,doing crossword puzzles,learning a new language…“When it comes to【10】(prevent) aging,you really do‘use it or lose it’”,says Barbara Sahakian ,a professor at Cambridage University.

【题目】我记得非常清楚，以前，湛蓝的天空，鸟儿的歌唱，月光和鲜花从未令我着迷过。
I can well remember that there was a a deep blue sky, the song of birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound.

An old Hollywood movie Free Willy has touched so deeply so many large audiences.【1】The story goes;

Little killer whale Willy is captured and sent to a marine park to be trained.The whale trainers find it so hard to get Willy into their expected process of learning the designed tricks.【2】.Jessie teaches Willy to perform tricks far more wonderfully that any other whale trained by other whale trainers.

【3】He decides to help Willy escape from the marine park.The two of them make it through chains of adventures and risks and Willy eventually gets back his free in the open sea.The closing scene of the movie goes to a great length of the director’s effort to level it high up as a film to touch deep into people’s heart,in which Jessie guides Willy in its repeated desperate attempts to jump over the fence into the sea.【4】

Later,people get to know that the real whale who stars in the movie is still leading a Willy’s life in a Mexican sea park.That annoys the public and people want the entertainment industry to give up some of their gained interests and follow what is finally conducted in the case of Willy.【5】And the film studio and the Mexican park had to eventually surrender to the public and children and fund for the whale’s free life in the open ocean.

A.Willy balloons up in his self-pride for himself to be a performing whale.

B.And also it has brought in so huge profits for the film studio which produced it.

C.It wins large seas of tears from wildly-beating hearts of young kids and adults as well.

D.Jessie and Willy are planning to fight for a larger share of the gain from all the performances.

E.And there Willy encounters little Jessie and a close friendship soon develops between the two.

F.Kids and adults launch countless campaigns and demonstrations of varied scales all across the US to protest.

G.To his great shock,Jessie overheard by chance that the owner is plotting to kill Willy for the vast amount of insurance profit.

【题目】任务型阅读
Top 3 Self-Discipline Techniques
Self-discipline is the key to leading a healthier, happier and more successful life, We have shared some self-discipline techniques below. Follow these self-discipline techniques to start living a better life.
1）Start small
The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step as the proverb goes. Instead, stamina(耐力) is built up by doing a little more than the previous day's target.
The same goes for discipline. Start by trying to carry out self-discipline techniques little by little every day for big results. Increase your goals over time.
2）
Staying self-disciplined requires motivation. It can be hard to stay motivated if you feel like you haven't made any progress so far. Tracking progress makes you aware of how much you've done and encourages you to keep going.
3）Exercise your willpower
Some days, sticking to the task is going to be difficult but by reminding yourself of the end in mind and how much the goal means to you, you will be able to ignore temporary temptations for long term gain.
The above-mentioned self-discipline techniques have been proven to be extremely effective.and it is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life.
A. Build a support system
B. Measure your goals
C. Willpower and self-discipline go hand in hand
D. Self-discipline is a feature found in many successful people
E. Self-discipline is linked to effective time management
F. However, it is easier said than done
G. You don't train for a marathon by running 10 kilometers on the first day

Herman was born into an upper class New York family in 1819,but he had to drop out of school at the age of 15due to bankruptcy （破产）of the family.He struggled for living by working as a clerk at a bank,a farmer and a primary school teacher,but did not manage to hold on quite long to any of the jobs.And in 1841,he turned himself a whaling sailor on a big whaler.

In the next three years,his sailor’s life was torn apart by betrayal,injury,living with anthropophagi（食人族）， love,killing,imprisonment,prison break,which did not bear the expected fruit of fortune or being a captain.

At the age of 25 ,Herman returned to America,starting his writing career.During the following five years,he published five novels,among which was Moby Dick,but none of the works brought him any fame or sense of success.

He had to live up with his poor life,supported by regular financial help from his father in-law.Not much changed even after his father-in-law assisted him onto a post at the customhouse(海关).His self-doubt whether he should fight to write as an author disturbed Herman for the rest of his life till his death in 1899,which is suggested in his wife’s diary.And his wife described his several struggles where he fought bitterly back to his desk to pick up his pen.

【1】Which of the following statements is TRUE about Moby Dick according to the passage?

A. It came out as a published novel in the twentieth century.

B. It was not recognized as a great work until the twentieth century.

C. It was not for sale until the twentieth century.

D. It was adampted from the passage?

【2】What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Herman chose his life on purpose to make himself a great writer.

B. Herman’s parents had scheduled those failures in his life to make him a man.

C. Herman did not offer the best of himself to foresee and avoid those series of misfortune.

D. Herman’s insufficient capability to fight problems he was faced with might result.

【3】What is the first working element that built Herman up be a most outstanding writer?

A. His rich life experience and perseverance. B. His sharp sense to observe and think.

C. Help from his wife and father-in-law. D. His brilliant language talent and skill.

【4】What can we learn from Herman’ life story?

A. There is no much point struggling and working too hard in one’s like.

B. Never invest too much of yourself into what others have the power to judge.

C. Never trust decisions that have been made by others.

D. Never doubt yourself but stick to what you are committed to.

The world’s most-used natural resource (apart from water,listed at the second place and air,as the champion) is sand,which consists of extremely small pieces of stone-and it’s disappearing.

A team’s success (at work) is often driven by 3 factors (with the importance from high to low) —its culture,the interpersonal relationship and the IQ or talent of its individuals.

Giraffes have been keeping a secret from most of us for a long time: They’ really four different species,not one. The Greenland Shark lives at least 272 years and it could live as long as 512 years,which makes it the oldest living thing with a backbone（脊椎）on Earth.

More that 70 percent of Americans think Granola Bars (格拉诺拉燕麦棒)are healthy.Interesting,less than 30 percent of nutritionists（营养学家）agree.

Nearly 80 percent of teenagers say they don’t like to eat cereal porridge（燕麦粥）for breakfast,because they have to clean up the bowls after eating it.

It’s myth that closing unused apps on your smartphone will prolong battery life.And turning off Wi-Fi doesn’t help,either.

Annual percentage of highway death had been going down for the last four decades till it last year recorded the largest increase in 50 years.Blame Snapchat and other smarphone apps.

Death from gun-shooting is as enough as from car accidents in the United Stated and as scarce as from lightning strikes in Japan,which owns the reputation of one of the safest countries.

【1】According to the passage,the world’s most-used natural resource is______.

A. water B. air C. sand D. stone

【2】According to the passage,the most important factor of a team’s success is_____.

A. a team’s culture B. the interpersonal relationship C. individual IQ D. individual talent

【3】Which of the following descriptions is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Most people still don’t know that giraffes have four species.

B. The Greenland Shark is the oldest living life on Earth.

C. Cereal porridge is as unhealthy as Granola Bars for teenagers.

D. Closing unused apps on smart phones will prolong battery life.

【4】The underlined word “scarce” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

A. enough B. safe C. familiar D. rare

【题目】假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文，文章共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1）每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2）只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Hello, everybody! I'm honored to be here sharing my ideas on high school life to you. First, we should try our best to develop good qualities, such as being actively. Additionally, get along well with others can never be ignored, that can help us make good friends and live a happy life. Second, studying effectively really count. A good habit like reviewing is of great important to the challenging study. Third, we should never forget to join sports and outdoor activities. Being energetic, I have dealt with my life more confident. I hope what I have been shared can help you lead the better life in senior high school. Wish everything a great success. That's all. Thank you.

【题目】她觉得在藏身的地方安定并平静下来很困难，因为她担心他们会被发现。
She found difficult to settle and calm down in the place, because she was worried about whether they would be discovered.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Dear Nick,

I’m glad to hear if you’re coming to Sichuan in August.You had made the wise choice to travel here.Sichuan Province is rich for tourist attractions and enjoy many world-famous place of interest,such as Jiuzhaigou and Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.

Jiuzhaigou is well known for its beautiful lakes,of that the water is clear and looks colorfully.It can excite visitors’ imagination.Other attraction is Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.It is built over 2000 years ago and is still playing important part in irrigation today.Besides,the nice weather and convenient transportation here can make your trip easier but more enjoyable.I’m sure you’ll have a good time.

I’m looking forward to your coming.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

【题目】假定你是李华，你所在的校乒乓球队正在招收新队员。请给你的留学生朋友Eric写封邮件邀请他加入，内容包括：
1)．乒乓运动的好处；
2)．报名地点： 学生会（教学楼三楼）
3)．报名时间 ：本周六下午
4). 联系人：李华 13536789874
注意：1).词数100左右；
2)．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Eric，
Yours,
Li Hua