It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I'll meet you in the cafe at 7 o'clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

　　In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure. By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic. If the girl doesn't want to go out with the boy, she won't turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn't want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

　　The conditional is often used by people in the news－politicians, for example－who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

　　“If” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First－probability－if I can come to your party, I will; the Second－improbability－if I saw you tomorrow, I'd give you the book; and the Third－impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened)－if you have told me, I would have helped you.

　　注：conditional structure表示条件的句式，avoid避免，diplomatic婉转的，achieve达到，politician政客

1．The using of the conditional can make a speech ________.

[　　]

2．Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Language used in the news should make room to argue.

B．Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

C．English people never speak out their ideas in public.

D．The word “if” can show different meanings.

3．In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means ________.

[　　]

A．the workers will make more money

B．the spokesman doesn't give any promise

C．the spokesman keeps his word

D．the workers' problems aren't difficult

4．This passage is mainly talking about ________.

[　　]

A．the conditional in communication

B．how to invite a girl in Britain

C．British people and their life

D．some language points in daily English

阅读理解

　　It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “I finish my work, I'll meet you in the cafe at 7 o'clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

　　In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure(表示条件的句子). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic(婉转的). If the girl doesn't want to go out with the boy, she won't turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working, if she wants to go out with him, but doesn't want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

　　The conditional is often used by people in the news－politicians, for example－who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

　　“If” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First－probability－if I can come to your party, I will; the Second－improbability－if I saw you tomorrow, I'd give you the book; and the Third－impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened)－if you have told me, I would have helped you.

1．The using of the conditional can make a speech ________.

[　　]

2．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Language used in the news should make room to argue.

B．Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

C．English people never speak out their ideas in public.

D．The word “if” can show different meanings.

3．In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means “________.”

[　　]

A．the workers will make more money

B．the spokesman doesn't give any promise

C．the spokesman keeps his word

D．the workers' problems aren't difficult

4．This passage is mainly talking about ________.

[　　]

A．the conditional in communication

B．how to invite a girl in Britain

C．British people and their life

D．some language points in daily English

Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the young age of 30. It 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 University of California scientist Dr. Michael Merzenich. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that's required is the practice designed just for the purpose: a few exercises for the mind.

Merzenich has developed a computer-based training method to speed up the process（过程） in which the brain deals with information (positscience.com). Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to better speed and accuracy （准确性）.Over the course of training, the program starts asking you to tell sounds (between "dog" and "bog", for example) at an increasingly faster speed. It's a bit like tennis instructor, says Merzenich, hitting balls at you faster and faster 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 ten years is that the brain at any age is highly plastic. If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may even speed up while in the process. To keep your brain young and plastic you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you：playing table tennis or bridge, doing crossword puzzles, learning a language.... "When it comes to preventing ageing, you really do 'use it or lose it'," says Barbara Sahakian, professor at Cambridge University.

51. According to the new studies, what will happen to our brains?

A. They will not start slowing down until the age of 30

B. They will start working slowly after the age of 30

C. They can work as well as at a young age through certain exercises

D. They can not be improved once they start to slow down

52. The writer mentioned many ways to speed up your brain, EXCEPT_____

A. doing a million new activities　　

B. sleeping as much as possible　

C. playing some intelligent games

D. playing table tennis

53. What can we learn from the text?

A. Using right tools is important for brains’ work.　　

B. Brain research deals with information from the Internet　

C. Dr. Merzenich is a scientist in computer,

D. Many activities can keep our brains young.

54. Which of the following agrees with the writer’s idea?

A. The train methods work better for the old.

B. People should train the brain to stop it from aging.

C. The training of the brain should start at an early age.

D. It is necessary to take part in as many activities as possible.

55. Which one is TRUE according to the passage?

A. If you are 71 years old, your brain is too old to train.

B. You can eat the food to keep your brain young and plastic.

C. Merzenich has developed a computer-based training method to train brains.

D. You will feel younger when you train your brain.