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　　Youtube and Lenovo, the computer manufacturer, announced on Monday a science contest called SpaceLab for students around the world aged 14 to 18, and it is not quite like any other science contest．For one, the students do not actually have to perform any experiments．Instead, they will make videos to express ideas for experiments that could be conducted in the zero-gravity environments of the space station．

　　The two winning entries(参赛作品)will be built and flown there, and astronauts will conduct a demonstration that will be broadcast to classroom via YouTube．

　　These will not be the first student experiments to get to the space station．Students at 12 school districts around the country are currently writing proposals for experiments to fly there next spring, part of a program run by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education(NCESSE)in Capitol Heights, Maryland．“It's changing the way kids are looking at science,” said Jeff Goldstein, the center's director．Earlier this year, 27 student experiments, out of 1,027 proposals, flew on two space shuttle flights．

　　For the YouTube contest, NASA has signed an agreement with Space Adventures, a company in Vienna, Virginia, which is best known for arranging trips by space tourists to the space station．Space Adventures will act as a middleman to prepare the winning experiments for flight．

　　Restrictions for experiment proposals include no dangerous animals, no explosions and nothing sharp．Entries will be selected and the finalists(参加决赛的选手)will be distributed among three geographical regions．For each region, there will be 10 finalists in the 14-16-year-old category and 10 in the 17-18-year-old category．

　　A popular vote among YouTube visitors will provide a quarter of the final score．Also judging the finalists will be a group of experts including Stephen W．Hawking．

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　　Authorities in India warn that the world-famous Taj Mahal desperately needs repairs．Some say that this architectural landmark could eventually collapse unless efforts are made to protect and preserve it．

　　The Taj Mahal, completed in 1648, was built in Agra, India, on the edge of the Yamuna River．The wooden foundation that holds up the building stays strong because of the moist environment around the river．If the river were to dry out, the wooden foundation could crack and fall apart．Over the past decade, the Yamuna has been shrinking, especially during the summer months．This is partly because of overuse of the river water by residents and businesses．

　　Some officials have said the building may collapse in as little as five years．Other experts disagree and question whether the building really faces any danger．Certain politicians and historians, however, are pushing the government to begin preservation efforts, or work to repair and take care of the monument．This is not the first time the Taj Mahal has been threatened．In 1996, officials thought air pollution was turning the building yellow．The Indian government ordered nearby factories to stop burning coal or leave the area．

　　Shah Jahan, a former emperor of India, began building the Taj Mahal in 1631．He had it built in honor of his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahl, who was buried inside the Taj Mahal with Jahan．Many architects say the building is a masterpiece of symmetry．Symmetry is a visual technique where the right side of an object looks the same as the left side of the object．

　　The Taj Mahal has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a list of amazing human-made landmarks．The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)lists the Taj Mahal as a World Heritage Site and helps preserve the famous structure．Because of the building's importance in Indian culture, Minister of Parliament Ramshankar Katheria has taken the case to both the Prime Minister and President of India．Katheria has said, “I am demanding a high-level inquiry to analyze the severe threat posed to the wooden structures in the foundation of the Taj．”

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　　My grandmother's eightieth birthday was approaching and I was at a loss as to what to give her．She had recently moved into a nursing home and didn't have room for extra "stuff"．She insisted that she didn't need a thing．

　　Finally, I came up with an idea．In her birthday card, I sent her a gift certificate for "A letter a week for the next year!" It was a big promise．I've never been much of a letter writer, but now I was living far from home, and should be able to find plenty of news．Growing up just a mile from my grandparents, we'd always been close．I knew that she'd love to hear what was going on in my life．

　　The letter gift certificate was a huge hit．She got fifty-two letters that first year．As her next birthday rolled around, she asked for another letter gift certificate for her birthday．In fact, that's also what she wanted for her next eight birthdays．

　　For nine and a half years I wrote her．She was rarely able to write back．So much happened in those nine years! At first I wrote about the cold Michigan winters．Then I wrote about my pregnancy! During the kids' preschool years I shared every funny thing they did and said, and as they grew they started adding "picture letters" to the envelope．I sent postcard letters from vacations．

　　I flew home annually to visit and soon realized that the entire nursing home staff knew all the details of my life, as more and more often they were reading the letters to her．

　　My last letter arrived the day after her death．I've always wanted relationships with no regrets．None of that "I wish I had told her I loved her" for me! I felt I had given her the best gift I could．

　　Months later, while going through her things, my dad found a box．It was filled with letters from me．Those letters are a journal of my life．Some were unremarkable．Others were filled with moments and pictures I had completely forgotten．In some ways it seems I missed those years due to motherly exhaustion．She saved those memories for me in my letters．

　　Life really does fly by．Loved ones come and go．But sometimes our gifts to others come back to us in unexpected ways．This is one of those times．

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阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给出的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Why can some people sleep through noises like a honking car or flushing toilet, while others are awakened by the lightest sound?

　　To find the answer, sleep researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted an unusual study of 12 self－described deep sleepers．After tests confirmed that the healthy volunteers were solid sleepers, they took part in a three-night study in the university's sleep laboratory．The participants spent the night in a big and comfortable room．But the room also included four speakers positioned near the top of the bed．

　　During the night, the deep sleepers were subjected to 14 different recorded sounds, like street traffic, toilets flushing, and an airplane flying overhead．Next door, the researchers monitored their sleep patterns and brain waves．

　　As expected, all of the participants slept relatively well, but there were differences in how they responded to the noisy interruptions．Some of the sleepers didn't wake up even when a sound was blasted at 70 decibels(分贝)；others were awakened by sounds at 40 or 50 decibels．

　　The researchers discovered that the difference in a sleeper's reaction to noise could be predicted by the level of brain activity called “sleep spindles(纺锤体)”．A sleep spindle is a burst of high－frequency brain activity coming from deep inside the brain during sleep．The source of the spindles is the thalamus(丘脑), a part of the brain that sends sensory information to the rest of the cortex(皮层)．

　　Before the study, the Massachusetts researchers theorized that the spindles are the brain's way of preventing sensory information from passing through the thalamus and waking the rest of the brain during sleep．They found that sleepers who experienced the most sleep spindles during the night were also the soundest sleepers and were least likely to be awakened by noise．

　　Scientists already know that most people become lighter sleepers with age, most likely because older people experience less “slow wave sleep”, which is the deepest stage of sleep．People also produce fewer sleep spindles as they age．But even when controlling for the stage of sleep a person was in, the number of sleep spindles still predicted their risk for awakening because of noise．

　　More research is needed, but the findings suggest that a better understanding of sleep spindles could lead to new behavioral or drug therapies for people with sleep disorders．For example, future studies may try to determine whether diet, exercise or other behaviors may influence the number of sleep spindles a person produces during the night．

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阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给出的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Endangered languages are languages that wouldn’ t exist any longer, much like endangered species of plants or animals．Languages are considered to be endangered when parents are no longer teaching the language to their children and are not using it actively in everyday life．A language is considered to nearly disappear when it is spoken by only a few elderly native speakers．

　　The world faces enormous challenges in order to protect different kinds of languages．Of the more than 6, 912 languages, half may be in danger of disappearing in the next several decades．

　　It is caused by many reasons：small numbers of speakers, the regular use of other languages, attitudes towards their languages, moving of the younger population, government policies, and languages used in education and so on．A language may lack important things such as a body of literature, and people who read and write it．A language may also lack prestige(声望)and support of its speakers．

　　The survival of a language is also threatened when speakers move to other areas where different languages are spoken, or when government policies improve the use of a specific language in school, official business and the media．These situations encourage people to learn the wider－known language and may cause them, especially the young, to stop using their mother tongue．Often those speaking lesser-known languages will choose to learn a more prestigious language with the hope of greater economic opportunities．Most of the world's parents are teaching their children English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian or some other main languages instead of their own languages for social and economic reasons．

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阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给出的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me．” However, that's not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves－the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．

　　We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though．In fact, we really shouldn't be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．

　　This “self－talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though, that as much as 77％of self－talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back, The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

　　Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effects they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses to others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange．And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．

　　Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves：Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid．

　　Words possess power：both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope, build self-esteem and motivate others to do their best．Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours．

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阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给出的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011．The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012．

　　“It's the next ‘wow’vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh．“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly．”

　　The car plane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving．A runway is still required to take off and land．

　　The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both．The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations．

　　The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly．They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports：You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go．When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road．There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an airport-you park it in the garage at home．

　　The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10, 000 feet．It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1, 430 pounds, including fuel and passengers．Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions．

　　The Transition's price tag：＄194, 000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS．Another option is a full-plane parachute．

　　“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,” Gersh said．

　　So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits．“We’ re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown 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。

　　It's time for forgetting to get some respect, says Ben Storm, author of a new article on memory in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science．" We need to rethink how we're talking about forgetting and realize that under some conditions it actually does play an important role in the function of memory, " says Storm, who is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago．

　　"Memory is difficult．Thinking is difficult, " Storm says．Memories and associations accumulate rapidly．"These things could completely overrun our life and make it impossible to learn and retrieve new things if they were left alone, and could just overpower the rest of memory, " he says．

　　But, fortunately, that isn't what happens．"We're able to get around these strong competing inappropriate memories to remember the ones we want to recall．" Storm and other psychological scientists are trying to understand how our minds select the right things to recall－if someone's talking about beaches near Omaha, Nebraska, for example, you will naturally suppress(压制)any knowledge you've collected about Omaha Beach in Normandy．

　　In one kind of experiment, participants are given a list of words that have some sort of relation to each other．They might be asked to memorize a list of birds, for example．In the next part of the test, they have to do a task that requires remembering half the birds．"That's going to make you forget the other half of the birds in that list, " Storm says．"That might seem bad－It's forgetting．But what the research shows is that this forgetting is actually a good thing．

　　" People who are good at forgetting information they don't need are also good at problem solving and at remembering something when they're being distracted by other information．This shows that forgetting plays an important role in problem solving and memory, " Storm says．

　　There are plenty of times when forgetting makes sense in daily life．"Say you get a new cell phone and you have to get a new phone number, do you really want to remember your old phone number every time someone asks what your number is? " Storm asks．"Or where you parked your car this morning－It's important information today, but you'd better forget it when it comes time to go get your car for tomorrow afternoon's commute(上下班往返)．We need to be able to update our memory so we can remember and think about the things that are currently relevant．"

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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。

　　Personality types are linked with structural differences in the brain, which could explain why one child grows up to be impulsive(冲动的)and outgoing while another becomes diligent and introspective(内省的)．

　　Structural differences between the brains of 85 people have been measured and linked with the four main categories of personality types, which were classified as " novelty(新奇)seeking ", characterized by impulsive actions; "harm avoidance", marked by pessimism and shyness; "reward dependence", with an addictive personality; and "persistence", who are people tending to be diligent, hard－working and perfectionists．

　　The researchers said the brain differences are structural and can be measured in the size of specific regions of the brain that appear to be linked with each of the four personality types．For instance, people defined as novelty－seeking personalities had a structurally bigger area in the brain while people with harm－avoidance personalities had significantly smaller volumes of tissue(组织)in brain regions．

　　The fact that characteristics are reflected in specific structural differences is useful to know, for instance, when it comes to understanding a child's behavior and choosing the right approach so that somebody who is, for example, particularly timid, might be helped through education and development．

　　There is no point shouting at a child who is very shy and telling them off, because it does not come naturally to them to put themselves forward．But actually knowing there is a biological basis for this helps educators or parents to use the right approach to help a child to compensate．

　　People who have a reward－dependence personality could, for example, be helped at an early age because they are at risk of turning to drink, drugs or food if they do not get the family support and encouragement they need．

　　"This study shows that personality characteristics are something you are born with, but their full expression can be adjusted during development with the right approach, " said Professor Venneri, who carried out the study with colleagues from the University of Parma in Italy and Washington University in St Louis．

　　If you know it's not something you do but something you are, you can change the environment to reduce the risk．Knowing that someone has such a predisposition(体质)could help them" adopt preventive strategies and avoid situations where they might seek rewards which could be potentially harmful．

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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。

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND

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