Going to school means learning new skills and facts in different subjects. Teachers teach and students learn, and many scientists are interested in finding ways to improve both teaching and learning processes.

Sian Beilock and Susan Leving, two psychologists at the University of Chicago, are trying to learn about learning. In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, Beilock and Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn: If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math. “If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement,” Levine told Science News. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are, then these girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.

Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult to learn—and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone.

The new study involved 65 girls, 52 boys and 17 first-and second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.

The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers: To find out which teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales receipt, for example, was probably anxious about math.

Boys, on average, were unaffected by a teacher’s anxiety. On average, girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did. Plus, on the test showing whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy, 20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math—and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers with math anxiety.

According to surveys done before this one, college students who want to become elementary school teachers have the highest levels of anxiety about math. Plus, nine of every 10 elementary teachers are women, Levine said.

1.Sian Beilock and Susan Levine carried out the new research in order to ___________.

A．know the effects of teaching on learning      B．study students’ ways of learning math

C．prove women teachers are unfit to teach math D．find better teaching methods for teachers

2.The underlined part in paragraph 2 most probably means that girls may ___________.

A．end up learning math anxiety from their teachers

B．study the ways their female teachers behave

C．have an influence on their math-anxious female teachers

D．gain unexpected achievement in such subjects as math

3.In the study, what were the teachers required to do?

A．Prepare two math achievement tests for the students

B．Tell their feelings about math problems

C．Answer whether a math superstar had to be a boy

D．Compare the students’ scores after the math tests

4.What is the finding of the new study?

A．No male students were affected by their teachers’ anxiety

B．Almost all the girls got lower scores in the tests than the boys

C．About 30% of the girls thought boys are better at math than girls

D．Girls with math-anxious teachers all failed in the math tests

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．117 students and teachers took part in the new study

B．The researchers felt surprised at the findings of their study

C．Beilock and Levine are interested in teaching math

D．Men teachers are better at teaching math than women teachers

Hans was an honest fellow with a funny round good-humored face. Living alone, every day he worked in his garden. In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his. All sorts of flowers grew there, blooming in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower’s place, so that there were always beautiful things to see, and pleasant odors to smell.

Hans had many friends, the most devoted being the Miller. So devoted was the rich Miller to Hans that he’d never go by his garden without plucking a large bunch of flowers or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with fruits. The Miller used to talk about noble ideas, and Hans nodded and smiled, feeling proud of having such a friend.

The neighbors thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Hans anything in return, though he had hundreds of sacks of flour, many cows and sheep, but Hans never troubled his head about these, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship.

In spring, summer, and autumn Hans was very happy, but when winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. Though extremely lonely, the Miller never came to see him then.

“There’s no good in going to see Hans while the snow lasts.” The Miller said to his wife, “When people are in trouble they shouldn’t be bothered. So I’ll wait till the spring comes when he’s happy to give me flowers.”

“You’re certainly very thoughtful,” answered his wife, “It’s quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship.”

“Couldn’t we ask Hans up here?” said their son. “I’ll give him half my meal, and show him my white rabbits.”

“How silly you are!” cried the Miller. “I really don’t know what’s the use of sending you to school. If Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, our good supper, and our red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody’s nature. I am his best friend, and I’ll always watch over him, and see that he’s not led into any temptation. Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me for some flour. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they shouldn’t be confused. The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that.” He looked seriously at his son, who felt so ashamed that he hung his head down, and grew quite scared, and began to cry into his tea.

Spring coming, the Miller went down to see Hans. Again he talked about friendship. “Hans, friendship never forgets. I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life. See, how lovely your roses are!”

Hans said he wanted to sell them in the market to buy back his things which were sold during the hard time of the winter.

“I’ll give you many good things. I think being generous is the base of friendship.” said the Miller. “And now, as I’ll give you many good things, I’m sure you’d like to give me some flowers in return. Here’s the basket, and fill it quite full.”

Poor Hans was afraid to say anything. He ran and plucked all his pretty roses, and filled the Miller’s basket, imagining the many good things promised by the Miller.

The next day he heard the Miller calling: “Hans, would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”

“I’m sorry, but I am really very busy today.”

“Well,” said the Miller, “considering that I’m going to give you my things, it’s rather unfriendly of you to refuse. Upon my word, you mustn’t mind my speaking quite plainly to you.”

Poor Hans was driven by his friendship theory to work hard for his best friend, leaving his garden dry and wasted.

One evening Hans was sitting by fire when the Miller came.

“Hans,” cried the Miller, “My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I’m going for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it’s such a bad windy night. It has just occurred to me that you can go instead of me. You know I’m going to give you my good things, so you should do something for me in return.”

“Certainly,” cried Hans. He struggled into the stormy night, and got the doctor to ride a horse to the Miller’s house in time to save the boy. However, Hans got lost in the darkness, and wandered off into a deep pool, drowned.

At Hans’ funeral, the Miller said, “I was his best friend. I should walk at the head of the procession.” Every now and then he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

1.From the passage, we can learn that Hans ___________.

A．was extremely wise and noble

B．was highly valued by the Miller

C．admired the Miller very much

D．had a strong desire for fortune

2.“Flour is one thing, and friendship is another” can be understood as ___________.

A．“Different words may mean quite different things.”

B．“Interest is long-lasting while friendship is flexible.”

C．“I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life.”

D．“I think being generous is the base of friendship.”

3.From the Miller’s talk at home, we can see he was ___________.

A．serious but kind

B．helpful and generous

C．caring but strict

D．selfish and cold-hearted

4.What’s the main cause of Hans’ tragedy?

A．True friendship between them.

B．A lack of formal education.

C．A sudden change of weather.

D．Blind devotion to a friend.

5.The author described the Miller’s behavior in order to ___________.

A．entertain the readers with an incredible joking tale

B．show the friendship between Hans and the Miller

C．warn the readers about the danger of a false friend

D．persuade people to be as intelligent as the Miller

根据短文内容，从A到F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。

A. A sense of humor is not an inborn ability.

B. A sense of humor can be developed in our life.

C. A sense of humor helps us from several aspects（方面）.

D. A sense of humor means more than telling jokes.

E. A sense of humor can be expressed in many ways.

F. A sense of humor helps people to better enjoy life.

1._____ As awareness of the benefits of humor increases, most of us want to get all the laughs we can. It seems that almost every day there is another new discovery about the power of humor to help us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Every system of the body responds to laughter in some important or positive way.

2._____ Many people mistakenly believe that we are born with a sense of humor. They think that when it comes to a sense of humor, “either you’ve got it or you don’t.” This is false. What is true, however, is that the ability to laugh and smile is actually something we are born with. For example, we laugh when we are tickled under the arm, even without thinking about how to react.

3._____ The parts of the brain and central nervous system that control laughing and smiling are mature at birth in human infants, but that is not the same thing as having a sense of humor. (After all, when a baby laughs in his small bed we don’t rush over and say, “That kid has a great sense of humor.”) Your sense of humor is something you can develop over a lifetime. Don’t be nervous before others and try to laugh at yourself—then you will make them laugh too.

4._____ Humor includes a lot more than laughing and joke telling. Many people worry needlessly that they do not have a good sense of humor because they are not good joke tellers. More than jokes, a sense of humor requires being willing and able to see the funny side of life’s situations as they happen. In fact, one of the best definition of a sense of humor is “the ability to see the nonserious element in a situation”.

5._____ There may be a thousand different ways to express your sense of humor, but joke telling is only one of those ways. As more is discovered about how humor benefits our life, more people will be able to see and enjoy the humor when they are in a difficult situation. Life depends on air, food and water, but it is made easier to live with a good sense of humor.

下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加.删除或修改某个单词。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

1. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

例如：

My sister saw a lovely cup when shopped the other day. She liked it at once. Then she bent down and picking it up to look at the price on it. As she did this, lots of tea splashed on his T-shirt! I had to try hardly not to laugh at her shocked face! My sister was about get out of the shop as quickly as she could while a shop assistant came over to us. It turned out to be her own cup, that she’d left on the shelf by the mistake. The assistant was clearly as embarrassing as my sister, so I just thought it was funny!

—I really think he is an excellent actor.

—I agree with you _______.

A．in a way           B．on the way         C．by the way         D．in the way

—The price is fine with me. How would you like it to be paid?

—Just ______ cash, please.

A．by               B．in                C．with              D．through

I’d like to buy a house ---modern, comfortable, and ______ in a quiet neighborhood.

A．in all             B．above all          C．after all           D．at all

She doesn’t care about what others think; She’s  not at all ______ to other people’s feelings.

A．common          B．sensitive          C．peaceful          D．painful

She _______ you for your money, but not for love.

A．married with       B．married to         C．got married        D．married

My younger brother dreams ___________ a spaceman.

A．of becoming       B．to become         C．becoming         D．of to become