Scientists say they now have proof to support the old-fashioned advice that it’s best to sleep on a problem．They say sleep strengthens the memory and helps the brain organize the masses of information we receive each day．

       The lead researcher Bob Stickgold at the Harvard Medical School said, “Sleep helps us draw rules from our experiences．It’s like knowing the difference between dogs and cats even if it’s hard to explain．”

       The US research team studied how well students remembered connections between words and symbols, reports New Scientist．They compared how the students performed if they had had a sleep between seeing the words and having the test, and if they had not slept．They found that people were better able to remember lists of related words after a night’s sleep than after the same time spent awake during the day．They also found it easier to remember themes that the words had in common．But they forgot around one in four more themes if they had been awake．

       Prof．John Groeger, of Survey University’s Sleep Research Centre, said, “People have been trying for years to find out what the purpose of sleep is, as we know that only certain parts of it have a restorative （促使康复的）value．”

       “We form and store huge numbers of experiences in the head every day, and sleep seems to be the way the brain deals with them all．”

The phrase “to sleep on a problem” in Paragraph 1 most likely means “________”．

    A．to pay full attention to a problem           

       B．to wait until the next day for a decision

    C．to sleep to forget a problem                

       D．to have difficulty in sleeping

In the study by the US research team, students were asked to ________．

    A．put together words of similar meanings      

       B．remember words and their meanings

    C．show their knowledge of words             

       D．make up lists of related words

Which of the following may be easier to remember?

    A．Themes learned right before the test．       

       B．Rules from personal experiences．

    C．Words learned before a good sleep．  

       D．Ideas stored together in the brain．

What may be the importance of the research?

    A．It shows that sleep may help us manage information．

    B．It helps find out the common themes of words．

       C．It tells us that more sleep can improve health．

       D．It proves the value of old-fashioned advice．

My First Job

I was six when I joined my father and two elder brothers at sunrise in the field

s of Eufaula Okla.__36  the time I was eight I was helping Dad fix up old furniture.He gave me a cent for every nail I___37  out of old boards.I got my first__38   job,at JM's Restaurant in town,when I was 12.My main responsibilities(职责)were__39       tables and washing dishes, __40   sometimes I helped cook.Every day after school I would__41   to JM's and work until ten.Even on Saturdays I_  42    from two until eleven.At that age it was difficult going to work and__43   my friends run off to swim or play.I didn't necessarily like work,but I loved what working__44   me to have.Because of my___45   I was always the one buying when my friends and I went to the local Tastee Freez.This made me__46  .

    Word that I was trustworthy and hard-working__47  around town.A local clothing store offered me credit(赊账)__48  I was only in seventh grade.I immediately__49   a $68 sports coat and a $22 pair of shoes.I was___50  only 65 cents an hour,and I already owed the storekeeper$90!So I learned_ 51  the danger of easy credit.I paid it__52  as soon as I could.

My first job taught me self?control,responsibility and brought me a__53 of personal satisfaction few of my friends had experienced.As my father, __54   worked three jobs,once told me,“If you__55 sacrifice(奉献)and  responsibility,there are not many things in life you can't have.”How right he was.

36.A.Before        B. Within        C. From          D. By

37.A.pulled        B. put           C. picked        D. pressed

38.A.usual         B. real          C. main          D. particular

39.A.sweeping      B. packing       C. clearing      D. emptying

40.A.or            B. so            C. but           D. even

41.A.head          B. turn          C. change        D. move

42.A.studied       B. worked        C. played        D. slept

43.A.helping       B. having        C. watching      D. letting

44.A.asked         B. told          C. promised      D. allowed

45.A.study         B. power         C. age           D. job

46.A.proud         B. friendly      C. lucky         D. hopeful

47.A.ran           B. got           C. flew          D. carried

48.A.although      B. while         C. if            D. since

49.A.sold          B. borrowed      C. charged       D. wore

50.A.keeping       B. making        C. paying        D. taking

51.A.gradually     B. greatly       C. hardly        D. early

52.A.out           B. over          C. away          D. off

53.A.point         B. level         C. part          D. sign

54.A.he            B. that          C. who           D. whoever

55.A.understand    B. demand        C. offer         D. fear

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

One day last month after I received my salary, I went shopping with my little son. __41_in the crowded store, I had my money __42_ and my whole salary was gone with it. I was so angry that I almost lost __43_ of myself. What could I do? We were not very __44_. The money was really not a small sum for my family. It would __45_ our life greatly. How could I tell my wife?

I felt very sad and even _46_for losing the money when I got home. To make up for my __47__ mistake, I gathered all my strength to give our house a thorough cleaning and then __48__ a wonderful meal and cooked a special dish my wife loved to ___49__ her.

When she came home, I __50__ a smile to greet her. She was __51__ to see the neat house and the __52__ meal. We sat at the table and began to eat. I told my story __53__. She did not respond. It was as if she had not heard my words.

“ I’ve __54__ my salary,” I murmured to her again.

“ I see,” she did not shout at me as I had __55__. She didn’t lose her __56__. So I was afraid she was trying hard to __57__ her anger.

A moment later, my wife was still __58__ and seemed to be enjoying her favorite dish. At last I could not help asking, “ I’ve lost my money. Why not shout at me?” she __59__ her eyes, looking at me and said, “ Oh, on the contrary, I am thinking about how to comfort you. It’s the __60__ who is to blame.”

A. Luckily      B. Unfortunately     C. Surprisingly     D. Secretly

A. robbed       B. stolen            C. caught         D. gone

A. control       B. heart             C. interest        D. habit

A. happy        B. poor             C. healthy        D. wealthy

A. enrich        B. improve          C. affect          D. please

A. guilty        B. ashamed          C. frightened      D. worried

A. careless      B. unforgivable       C. unforgettable    D. unbelievable

A. prepared     B. served             C. provided       D. chose

A. comfort      B. meet              C. surprise        D. please

A. gave            B. pretended          C. forced         D. made

A. satisfied     B. surprised           C. pleased         D. interested

A. delicious     B. excellent           C. cool           D. attractive

A. gladly        B. calmly             C. excitedly      D. nervously

A. spent         B. wasted           C. donated         D. lost

A. hoped        B. desired           C. expected        D. wished

A. way          B. temper           C. interest         D. control

A. hide          B. express          C. maintain        D. show

A. unhappy      B. silent             C. worried        D. surprised

A. moved       B. shut              C. raised          D. opened

A. store         B. policeman         C. society         D. thief

Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be simple fact? Do you argue whether it’s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit?

If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant’s trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant’s side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal’s tusk. The fourth, who got hold of the elephant’s tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant’s legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of the elephant’s ears, said it was like a huge fan.

Each man’s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it’s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.

To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it’s hot!

What makes people think about simple facts differently?

A. The fact that simple facts differ from one another.

B. The fact that people have different experience in the same simple fact.

C. The fact that people often disagree with one another.

D. The fact that it’s hard to make up one’s mind about simple facts.

Which of the following temperatures can the word “lukewarm” be applied to?

A. Around 1℃              B. Above 60℃    C. Around 25℃      D. Below 0℃

After reading the last paragraph, we may think of        .

A. Newton’s law                  B. Gallileo’s theory of falling objects

C. Einstein’s theory of relativity      D. Marx’s On Capital

The main idea of this passage is         .

A. people often judge something according to his own experience

B. people often agree about simple facts

C. it’s hard for a person to make up his mind about a simple fact

D. don’t care too much about simple facts

Years of hard work ___ his character.

  A. built       B. increased         C.raised         D. made