Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia（痴呆） in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones（荷尔蒙） , U．S．researchers reported on Thursday．
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s（早老痴呆症）．University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans．“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy（怀孕） are protecting the brain, including estrogen（雌激素）, which we know has many neuroprotective （保护神经的） effects,” Kinsley said．
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview．“They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes．” Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline．
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida．
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain．If you look at female animals that have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young．But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations（改变） to the brain．”
【小题1】How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

A．Some researchers have told them．

B．Many women say so．

C．They know it by experimenting on rats．

D．They know it through their own experience．

【小题2】What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Baby rats．

B．Animals．

C．Old rats．

D．Grown-up rats．

【小题3】What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

A．Estrogen．

B．The hormones of pregnancy．

C．More exercise．

D．Taking care of children．

【小题4】“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals．” What does the sentence suggest?

A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans．

B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals．

C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans．

D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals．

【小题5】Which title is the best for this passage?

A．Do You Want to Be Smarter?

B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

C．Mysterious Hormones

D．An Important Study

 

 

The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although. you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding, converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power outlets（插座）．

The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.

The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is enough to power a phone for a week．

Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流） into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines are at a disadvantage．

Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non- electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym goers-will make the switch．

1.Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for_______．

A .using the man-powered exercise equipment

B. saving electricity for local businesses

C. producing green electricity to power their phones

D. paying higher membership fees

2.The spin bikes made by Resource Fitness are different from those by Green Revolution in that_______.

A. they are easier to ride

B. they are more expensive

C. they don't have wires connected

D. they can not store extra electricity

3.What might prevent the green exercise equipment from getting more popular？

A .People's unwillingness to go green．

B. The high cost of making it.

C. Safety problems concerning electricity.

D. Lack of certificates．

4.The underlined words“make the switch”in the last paragraph most probably mean_____.

A. change to a different gym

B. use green exercise equipment

C. switch on the spin bikes

D. add a battery to the machine

 

对话填空

M: Well, Stella? Why do you look (44) u_________? W: Oh, Bill, I have just had a quarrel with Mr. Philips. M: Mr. Philips! What on earth was it (45) a_____? W: Well, I have made three bad (46) m_____ so far this week. Today I (47) f_________ to give him an important message, so he got really angry with me. M: But I don’t understand. You are usually very careful and (48) n_____ make mistakes. W: I’m just so tired, I don’t know (49) w______ I am doing. M: Why? Have you been going to bed late these days? W: No, I’m usually in bed by about eleven. But I keep being (50) w______ up by half past four every morning. And then I cannot go back to sleep. M: Why? W: It’s my (51) n_____, the milkman next door. He has to get up at half past four and he always turns the radio on (52) l_____. M: Ask him to turn it down then. W: It’s difficult. I don’t know him yet. M: If you don’t want to see him, write him a letter. W: Do you think it’s a good idea? M: Yes, I do. I’ll help you (53) w______ the letter. W: OK, let’s try.

(44) ________ (45) ________ (46) ________ (47) ________ (48) ________ (49) _______ (50) _______ (51) ________ (52) ________ (53) _______

Abby Subark is a mother of two from Boston. “For my kids, I’m nervous. I don’t know if they’ll be able to achieve their American dream.” She may be right. More than hard work or education, the best way to get rich in America is to be born rich.
It is the case that somebody who is in the upper third of income, poor scores, in the bottom on tests when they are in eighth grade, is more likely to go to college and finish college than a poor kid with the top scores. That’s what the working persons’  children are up against.
The Economic Policy Institute finds it would take a poor couple with 2 children 9 or 10 generations to achieve middle class status. That’s about 200 years. The hallmark (特征) of American opportunity has always been the ability to do better than your parents. But compared with similar developed countries, the United States ranks fifth out of six for so-called intergenerational mobility (变动).
If you look at the mechanisms (机制) for upward mobility that were so readily available 50 years ago, they are becoming out of reach, like plentiful factory jobs with good wages and affordable education and health care.
White families are twice as likely as blacks to be upwardly mobile. For most people in America today, where you end up depends on where you start.
If you started in the middle-income class, about 40 to 45 percent of what you are making right now is due to the fact that your parents were in the middle-income class. The rest is up to you.
But for the millions of people who find themselves below the poverty line and the millions more who are the working poor, their starting point for the American dream leaves them painfully far away from the middle class.
【小题1】The main idea of the passage is _______.

A．How the middle class comes about in the U.S.

B．It’s hard to realize the American dream for the poor.

C．Wealth and social status depend on family background.

D．Upward mobility in America is never easy.

【小题2】Which of the statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．People used to have job opportunities and welfare for upward mobility.

B．A great many poor people can hardly realize their American dream.

C．You can make all your dreams come true in America if born rich.

D．Rich kids are more likely to go to college than poor kids.

【小题3】The underlined sentence “where you end up depends on where you start” most probably means _______.

A．Your starting point cannot determine your destination.

B．Only a high goal can ensure success.

C．One’s birth has nothing to do with his fate.

D．One’s family lays solid foundation for his future achievements.

【小题4】Why is Abby Subark nervous?

A．Her kids don’t want to compare with other rich kids in achievements.

B．Her kids don’t want to achieve success at all.

C．Her kids can achieve success through hard work and education.

D．Her kids can’t reach their goal without a rich family.

【小题5】What can we infer after reading the passage?　

A．Poverty causes people much pain.

B．People below the poverty line can never be in the middle class.

C．Lower starting point makes it hard for people to realize their dream.

D．Poor people’s starting point is too low.

首先请阅读下列书城畅销书的封面及基本信息, 第61-65题是这些书的简要内容，请匹配相关的书名。

A．Foreword

  The Antidepressant Survival Guide: Beat the Side Effects of Your Medication

by Robert J. Hedaya, M.D,

Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Hospital's Department of Psychiatry.

Motto: Live well.

B．How Fear Limits Us

  On Becoming Fearless... in Love, Work, and Life

by Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington was raised in Greece by her fearless mother. She has written this book for her two daughters in the hope that they will lead fearless lives.

Motto: Overcome the obstacle, get over the next hill.

C．Determination: How to Set Goals and Go After Them

  Fight Your Fear and Win

by Don Greene, Ph.D.

Don Greene, Ph.D., was a nationally ranked high school diver. He was the sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team.

Motto: Determination is drive.

D．The Anger Business

  Anger : The Misunderstood Emotion

by Carol Tavris, Ph.D.

Carol Tavris, Ph.D., was senior editor. She now teaches from time to time in the department of psychology at UCLA

Motto: Reduce Stress!

E．In the Presence of Danger

  The Gift of Fear

by Gavin de Becker

Davin de Becker, America’s leading expert on violence, is the bestselling author of the Gift of Fear: Survival Signals.

Motto: Trust and act on our straight instincts.

F．Moving from Fear to Freedom

  Transforming Anxiety, Transcending Shame

by Rex Briggs, M.S.W.

REX BRIGGS, M.S.W., has been a selected speaker at the National Anxiety Disorders Association of America’s conferences since 1986.

Motto: Weaken anxiety

 

下面是这些书的简要内容，请匹配相关的书名。

1.This useful and popular book shows that if you are gone broke and lose love, please hold yourself back. If you look fat, just face it calmly. If you are in survival thinking, the most important is that you get rid of all the difficulties in front of us, life will be safe, perfect. If your daughters are to take their rightful place in society, they must become fearless.

2.In this book, the author calls the nation’s leading experts on violent behavior, and shows you how to spot even tiny signs of danger before it’s too late. Most violent acts are unpredictable. It points out that true fear is often a signal that can save your life. Believe the threat of violence surrounds us every day. But we can protect ourselves by straight judgment.

3.This book based on his years of clinical experience. It says about twenty-five million Americans take medicine to avoid depression. Despite the advances in the treatment of depression in recent years, many patients, even with the best medical care, feel that they are not living rich and fulfilling lives. This book will direct you how to survive well.

4.This interesting book tells us that annoyance is as much a political matter as a biological one. And anger is a definite message: Pay attention to me. I don’t like what you are doing. Restore my pride. You’re in my way. Give me justice. This book suggests that when you’re angry, just let it right out.

5.This valuable book states that nervousness has become a constant factor in today’s society like a sign of the times, but it is sometimes difficult to recognize the effects of anxiety on our mental health. The only way to feel better about ourselves is to go out and do it.