阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons(神经元)in our brains．

　　Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate(模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action．This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports．But the idea goes further：mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions _y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people．

　　Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel．Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language．A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to(for example ："The hand took hold of the ball"), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed(in this example, actually taking hold of a ball)．

　　Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior．Much researeh suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning．However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders．

　　Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动)．Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent(相等物)for ncurosciencc of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics．And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does－well，perhaps you'll understand why．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　Finally, a cell phone

　　That's … a phone

　　With rates as low as ＄3.75 per week!

　　“Well, I finally did it．I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone．My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help．But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind．The phones all have cameras, computers and a "global－positioning"something or other that's supposed to spot me from space．Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids! The people at the store weren't much help．They couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want a phone the size of a postage stamp．And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the'contract(合同)lasted for two years! I'd almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone．Now, I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use．”

　　Affordable plans that I can understand－and no contract to sign(签订)! Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense．Why should I pay for minutes I m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan，I won 't find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone．Best of all, there is no contract to sign ________ so I m not locked in for years at a time．The US－based customer service is second to none．And the phone gets service anywhere in the country．

　　Call now and receive a FREE gift when you order．Try Jitterbug for 30 days and if you don 't love it, just return it! Why wait, the Jitterbug comes ready to－use right out of the box．If you aren't as happy with it as I am, you can return it and get your money back．Call now, the Jitterbug product experts are ready to answer your questions．

　　Call 1－888－809－8794 or visit www．jitlerbugdirect．com．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　At exactly eleven Sir Percival knocked and entered, with anxiety and worry in every line of his face．This meeting would decide his future life，and he obviously knew it．

　　“You may wonder, Sir Percival,” said Laura calmly, “if I am going to ask to be released(免除)from my promise to many you．I am not going to ask this．I respect my father's wishes too much．”

　　His face relaxed a little, but one of his feet kept beating the carpet．

　　"No, if we are going to withdraw．(退出)from our planned marriage, it will be because of your wish, not mine．

　　“Mine?"he said in great surprise．“What reason could I have for withdrawing? ^’

　　"A reason that is very hard to tell you, "she answered．"There is a change in me．”

　　His face went so pale that even his lips lost their color．He turned his head to one side．

　　"What change? "he asked, trying to appear calm．

　　“When the promise was made two years ago,"she said, ⁴⁴ my love did not belong to anyone．Will you forgive me, Sir Percival, if I tell you that it now belongs to another person?”

　　“I wish you to understand, “Laura continued, “that I will never see this person again, and that if you leave me, you only allow mc to remain a single woman for the rest of my life．All I ask is that you forgive mc and keep my secret．"

　　“I will do both those things, ”he said．Then he looked at Laura, as if he was waiting to hear more．

　　“I think I have said enough to give you reason to withdraw from our marriage,”she added quietly．

　　“No．You have said enough to make it the dearest wish of my life to marry you,”he said．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　Some people believe that a Robin Hood is at work, others that a wealthy person simply wants to distribute his or her fortune before dying．But the donator who started sending envelopes with cash to deserving causes，accompanied by an article from the local paper, has made a northern German city believe in fairytales(童话)．

　　The first envelope was sent to a victim support group．It contained ?10, 000 with a cutting from the Braunschtveiger Zeitung about how the group supported a woman who was robbed of her handbag; similar plain white anonymous(匿名)envelopes, each containing ?10, 000, then arrived at a kindergarten and a church．

　　The envelopes keep coming, and so far at least ?190, 000 has been distributed．Last month, one of them was sent to the newspaper 's own office．It came after a story it published about Tom, a 14－year－old boy who was severely disabled in a swimming accident．The receptionist at the Braunschweiger Zeitung opened an anonymous white envelope to find 20 notes of ?500 inside, with a copy of the article．The name of the family was underlined．

　　"I was driving when I heard the news,"Claudia Neumann, the boy s mother, told DerSpiegel magazine．“I had to park on the side of the road; I was speechless．”

　　The money will be used to make the entrance to their house wheelchair－accessible．and for a course of treatment that their insurance company refused to pay for．

　　“For someone to act so selflessly, for this to happen in such a society in which everyone thinks of himself, was astonishing, "Mrs．Neumann said．Her family wonder whether the donator is a Robin Hood character, taking from banks to give to the needy．

　　Henning Noske, the editor of the Braunschweiger Zeitung, said：“Maybe it is an old person who is about to die．We just do not know．"However, he has told his reporters not to look for the city's hero, for fear that discovery may stop the donations．

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　　You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or creator．When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place．“They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering．“They” are wrong and bad, and life is terrible as long as “they” are around．Or you may blame yourself for all your problems, thus internalizing(内化)your victimization．The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others．

　　Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently．They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives, but they don't let this get in the way．They know they have their weaknesses, yet they don't blame themselves when they fail．Whatever happens, they have choice in the matter．They believe their dance with each sacred(神圣的)moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth．

　　Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities, yet their experience of life is worlds apart．Victims relish(沉溺)in anger, guilt, and other emotions that cause others－and even themselves－to feel like victims, too．Creators consciously choose love, inspiration, and other qualities which inspire not only themselves, but all around them．Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives．

　　In reality, all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives．One person, on losing a job or a special relationship, may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months, years, or even a lifetime．Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief, then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life．

　　In every moment and every circumstance, you can choose to have fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are．

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　　The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past．With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phones, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic(怀旧的)skill．However, while today's educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful－both in school and in life．

　　Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it's important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand．

　　Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks－both on a computer and by hand．The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate．

　　In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student's writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write．“Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts．It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas．” Berninger said．

　　Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(转换)“those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said．Seeing the words in the “mind's eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot(发现)spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time．

　　“In our computer age, some people believe that we don't have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said．“But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won't have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer．”

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　　Barditch High School decided to an All-School Reunion．Over 450 people came to the event．There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park．Several former teachers were on hands to tell stories about the old days．Ms．Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park．

　　Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans(嘟囔声)when Ms．Yates was about to speak．Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from and old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined．

　　Then Ms．Yates started to speak：

　　“I can't tell you how pleased I am to be here．I haven't seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies．I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students．Although I haven't appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination．”

　　Ms．Yates paused and started crying a bit．Then she continued：

　　“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me．Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path．”

　　“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work．You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart．”

　　There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping．Tee clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar(呼喊)．Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown．

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Bicycle Safety

　　Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园)．Obey rules and regulations．Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions．

　　Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack－even if you are only away for a minute．Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety．It's fast, easy, and free．Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen．

Equipment

　　Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly．

　　Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly．

　　Lights Always have a front headlight－visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike．A taillight is a good idea．

Rules of the Road

　　Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths．Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine．The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted．Always give the right of ways to walkers．If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go．

　　Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes．Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine．

If Things Go Wrong

　　If you break the rules, you will be fined．Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for：

No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------＄25

Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------＄30

Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------＄40

Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------＄35

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　　Welcome to your future life!

　　You get up in the morning and look into the mirror．Your face is firm and young-looking．In 2035, medical technology is better than ever．Many people your age could live to be 150,so at 40, you're not old at all．And your parents just had an anti-aging(抗衰老的)treatment．Now, all three of look the same age!

　　You say to your shirt, ”Turn red．” It changes from blue to red．In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子)much smaller than the cells in your body．The particles can be programmed to change clothes' color or pattern．

　　You walk into the kitchen．You pick up the milk, but a voice says,” You shouldn't drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip(芯片)that contains information about the milk , and it Knows the milk is old．In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip．

　　It's time to go to work．In 2035, cars drive themselves．Just tell your “smart car” where to go．On the way , you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve．Such “smart technology” is all around you．

　　So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli ,”it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already．” The Internet is one example what will be the next?

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　　In Asia, there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them．Although all kites have a similar structure(结构), they are widely different in size and shape．Kite-fighting competitions are also held, in which competitions us their kites to attack and bring down their opponents'(对手)kites or cut their strings(线)．

　　For more than 15 years, the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kite-making and kite flying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii．In its kite-making lessons, students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes! Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite．Jonathan Seocher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980．their kites are made of nylon(尼龙)．Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne．The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite．

　　The kite that is used to give lessons is regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern．The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a two-string controllable kite．Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in．Then the controls are given to the students．

　　Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites．Even the simplest structure can work, and can give hours of fun．Go on, give it a try!

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