In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(认知的) skills didn't get any smarter.

More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet and answering general knowledge questions. All participants were given a sort of I.Q test before and after the experiment.

Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet. On some sections of the test, the people who surfed the Net scored higher than those playing the games.

"If you're (playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, the study's lead author. "But if you're expecting (these games) to improve your I.Q., our data suggests this isn't the case," he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

One maker of brain games said the company's games have been proven to boost brain power.

"Their conclusion would be like saying, 'I cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes and therefore it is impossible to do so," Aldrich said in a statement.

"There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, who was not linked to the study and has no ties to any companies that make brain training games.

Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can spark(激发) new connections between nerves and produce new brain cells. "Fitness changes the building blocks of the brain's structure," he said.

1.. It can be inferred that the online brain games mentioned in the text are_____________.

A. costly     B. unreliable      C. illegal    D. effective

2.. Which of the following statements is true about the experiment in the second paragraph?

   A. The experiment lasted for a week.

B. Age didn’t affect the result of the research.

C. Every person played online brain games three times a day.

D. People who didn’t play online brain games did better in I.Q test

3.. What can we learn from the text?

   A. Playing games which are fun can improve your I.Q.

B. There is a lot of evidence to suggest skills can transfer to the real world.

   C. Do physical activity can boost your brain power.

D. Playing online games can spark new brain cells

4.The underlined sentence suggests that ___________.

   A. The research was not linked to the study  

B. Those playing the games can score higher in the test

C. playing the games can spark new connections between nerves

D. This isn’t the case that these games can improve your I.Q. 

 

 

Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test.

Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon（现象）. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment（评价） to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.

The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition（习得）of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.

Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can’t see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.

The author mentions Erica’s performance in her study in order to show_________.

A. her cleverness in test taking                          B. the good way to take tests

C. the improper way of teaching                        D. the best way to read textbooks

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The teachers are curious about teaching to the test.

B. Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students.

C. Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests.

D. Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill.

In the author’s opinion, __________.

A. some good methods of assessment should take the place of tests

B. more attention should be paid to the nature and quality of what is taught

C. students should not be concerned with grades but do more reading and thinking

D. students needn’t learn grammar skills because they are useless for understanding

By “crisis of comprehension” (in Paragraph 4) the author means many students ______.

A. are too much concerned with grades

B. fail to understand the real goal of education

C. lack proper practice in grammar drills

D. do well on tests but can’t understand what they read

 

SECTION B

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrase that best fits the context. （10分）

It was a Sunday afternoon. I was waiting outside the classroom where my son was about to take a(n)    31  . The boys and girls were busy discussing the exam, while their anxious parents were watching them outside. There was a lot of  32   .

I noticed one boy who was standing alone in silence, with fear written all over his face. He did not join other children  33   the discussion and he looked puzzled. He wanted to mix with the others;  34   , he didn’t seem to be confident enough. He 35   me deeply. I moved towards him and smiled at him. He smiled back warmly. Then I started to encourage him and told him that he would do well in the exam. This helped him  36   his fear and he told me something about himself: his parents never cared about him and did not  37    him even if he was always a top student. I told him that his education was preparation for later life that should never be   38   . He became encouraged and said he would try to fight against all the difficulties in his life and be successful. He then went into the   39  and we lost touch.

A few days later, I happened to be in the school and I saw him again. He looked different. He gave me a broad smile and came to me with    40   steps. He said happily that he had got first place in the test and that those few minutes with me was really important to him. He thanked me for the words I had said. It was a great moment for me.

31. A. class          B. exam        C. lecture        D. meeting

32. A. voice          B. noise        C. sound         D. fun

33. A. to             B. into         C. together       D. in

34. A. though         B. besides       C. therefore      D. however

35. A. excited         B. delighted      C. impressed     D. appealed

36. A. restart          B. promote      C. remove       D. keep

37. A. support         B. control       C. share          D. rescue

38. A. given out       B. given up      C. given away     D. given in

39. A. restroom        B. classroom     C. waiting room   D. dining room

40. A. certain          B. ready        C. hopeful        D. confident

 

 

Young people can have problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people like parents and classmates.

Liu Wei, a Junior 2 student from He’nan, could not understand his teacher and was doing badly in his lessons. He became so worried about it that he started to cut his finger with a knife. Another student, 14-year-old Yan Fang from Guangzhou, was afraid of exams. She got very worried in the test, and when she looked at the exam papers, she couldn’t think of anything to write.

A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% Shanghai teenagers have mental (心理的) problems. Their troubles include being worried and very unhappy, and having problems in learning and getting on well with people. Many students who have problems won’t go for advice or help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others don’t want to talk about their secret.

Liang Yuezhu, an expert on teenagers from Beiing Anding Hospital has the following advice for teenagers:

Talk to your parents or teachers often.

Take part in group activities and play sports.

Go to see a doctor if you feel unhappy or un well.

61. The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on well with others may have______.

A. mental problems                                               B. a headache

C. knives with them                                               D. no parents

62. Liu Wei cut his finger with a knife because_______.

A. he was afraid of his teacher                               B. he wanted to frighten his parents

C. he was so worried about his study               D. his finger was badly hurt

63. Yan Fang’s problems happened whenever______.

A. she studied very hard                                       B. she had exams

C. she talked with her parents                                     D. she thought of something

84. Students who have problems won’t ask others for help because______.

A. they won’t let others think they are stupid

B. they don’t think doctors can help them

C. they don’t want to tell their secret to others

D. both A and C

65. Liang Yuezhu’s advice tells us that______.

A. it’s better for the students who have mental problems to join others

B. it’s unnecessary for students to be with others

C. only group activities and sports can help students with mental problems

D. teachers and parents can’t do anything about mental problems

 

The girl looking for the job turned out to be excellent but she ended up giving her employer a headache when it also turned out that she used an unreal diploma(文凭).

In December, a Civil Administration Bureau in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, an­nounced that it needed five new staff members. Some 120 people applied and took the exam. Ap­plicants were required to show proof of a college degree at least.

Mei Jing beat everyone in the test and the interview. When a follow-up check was done, however, her education certificate(证书) was discovered to be an unreal one.

This was a bit of an embarrassment for the employers. A dilemma, one might say. If she were hired because of her excellent performance, she still wouldn't have the qualifications on pa­per. But, if she were dropped because she didn't meet the education requirements, they would lose a good worker. Tough problem!

While Mei's future hangs in the balance, the public having learned of the case got involved. Some people said the Bureau should employ her, since results are the only important thing. “After all, ability is more important than a diploma, ”said one office worker.

Others, however, have attacked Mei's dishonesty. They said that morality was, after all, more important than talent, especially in the case of a government position. Mei wasn't honest, so she shouldn't be hired.

But, Shen Ronghua, the head of the Shanghai Public Administration and Human Resources Institute, tries to be a bit more philosophical.

“There is still a sort of  'diploma means this'  prejudice among people,”  Shen explains, “Many employers regard a diploma as the only sign of ability and talent.”

So, with this in mind, people may pay little attention to whether someone has real ability or not. They turn to chasing a diploma instead. The unreal diploma is the natural product of this thought.

The conclusion? "China needs a new human resource system. The new system will not define a person only by his or her diploma, " Shen says.

1.What's the meaning of the underlined word “dilemma” in Paragraph Four?

A. A problem easy to deal with or solve.

B. A situation in which it is difficult for you to make the decision.

C. A difference in two or more statements, ideas, or stories.

D. Something said or done that is funny.

2.What can we infer from this news report?

A. The Civil Administration Bureau of Wuhan employed the girl.

B. The girl was not employed because of dishonesty.

C. It remained to be seen whether the girl was to be employed or not.

D. Another Human Resource Institute employed the girl.

3.What does Shen Ronghua mean by saying “diploma means this”?

A. A diploma can tell whether a person is honest or not.

B. A diploma is the only sign of ability and talent.

C. A diploma is what you get after you finish a course.

D. A diploma means a job.

4. Which of the following do you think is the best title of this news report?

A. A Girl's Unlucky Experience.       B. Unreal Diploma.

C. Dishonesty Has Been Attacked.     D. Can A Diploma Be All There Is.