A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I 　 31　 that there was an electronic keyboard on a stand, leaning　 32　 the wall. Being a piano music lover and 　 33 , I asked, if the woman played. She nodded and added that she had been 　34　 lessons—at age 54! I told her that it was very　 35　 that she was pursuing （追求） her passion（热情） to play the piano.

　 Then she asked me　 36　 question.

　 “I have been playing for 8 years now, ” I answered.

　 “Then you must play a song for me before you leave, ” she　 37 . I thought she was joking and I simply smiled. At the end of the deal of the vitamins, she　 38　 me of our musical “ 39　 ”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room, 40 asked me to play a song for her. I thought　 41　 and decided to play David Lanz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had so much passion for　 42　 , and it was my soul-searching song.

　 I played the song to the best of my ability, and with my emotions　 43　 into it as possible. She loved it. 　 44　 I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out, “Young man! ”

　 I turned around. And there was an old lady　 45　 one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to　 46　 you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to　 47　 my bed, but your music made me feel good, ”she said. With that, she turned around and walked　 48　 back to her room.

　 I was deeply　 49　 by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s　 50　 for peace and joy.

31. A. observed 　　　B. watched

C. noticed 　　　　　D. caught

32. A. on 　　　B. at

C. over 　　　 D. against

33. A. player 　　　B. teacher

C. composer 　　　D. starter

34. A. giving 　　　B. attending

C. teaching 　　　 D. reviewing

35. A. interesting 　　　B. wonderful

C. moved 　　　　　　D. impressive

36. A. another 　　　B. a different

C. the same 　　　　D. other

37. A. advised 　　　B. ordered

C. demanded 　　　D. requested

38. A. warned 　　　B. reminded

C. asked 　　　　　D. required

39. A. course 　　　B. task

C. discussion 　　　D. deal

40. A. and 　　　　 B. but

C. as a result 　　　D. what’s more

41. A. for the moment 　　　B. at the moment

C. for a moment 　　　　　D. at a moment

42. A. music 　　　B. songs

C. the piano 　　　D. vitamins

43. A. dropping 　　　B. falling

C. pouring 　　　　　D. running

44. A. Since 　　　B. As

C. While 　　　　 D. Because

45. A. taking 　　　B. making

C. having 　　　　 D. moving

46. A. thank 　　　B. praise

C. admire 　　　　D. owe

47. A. get on 　　　B. get up

C. get off 　　　　 D. get down

48. A. quietly 　　　B. calmly

C. happily 　　　　 D. slowly

49. A. shocked 　　　B. touched

C. delighted 　　　　D. disturbed

50. A. world 　　　B. heart

C. brains 　　　　 D. dreams

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding  B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking

C. great and important; common                       D. hopeful and helpful; careless　

According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.

A. a normal person; a funny person                        B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person  D. a famous person; an ordinary person　

A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.

A. whose parents are clever              B. often thinking about difficult problems

C. often helped by his parents and teachers  D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use　

It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often  B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do    D. to give their children as much help as possible　

Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.