I’m usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.

       Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things and a growing perception (看法) that the world is a more dangerous place.

       Considering that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope(应付).

       At the top of the list is nurturing（培养）a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties help build communities and protect individuals against stress.

       To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.

       Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are expected to. It’s not just from video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.

       Keep your expectations for your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxiety and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn’t have to ruin your life.

63．The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people’s state of mind are ______.

A. surprising          B. confusing          C. illogical          D. questionable

64．What does the author mean by saying “we can’t turn the clock back” (Para 3)?

A. It’s impossible to slow down the pace of change.

B. The social reality children are facing can’t be changed.

C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.

D. It’s impossible to forget the past.

65．The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ______.

A. to provide them with a safer environment      

B. to lower their expectations for them

C. to get them more involved socially   

D. to set a good model for them to follow

66．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Sometimes local news about murder and crime also affects children a little.

B. TVs and computers play an important role in isolating children from the real world.

C. To children, anxiety is completely avoidable.

D. Exercise does not help to lessen children’s anxiety.

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

Pessimistic，anxious and depressed people may have a higher risk of dementia (痴呆)，US researchers reported on Thursday.

A study of a group of 3,500 people showed that those who scored high for pessimism on a standardized personality test had a 30 percent increased risk of developing dementia 30 to 40 years later.

Those scoring very high on both anxiety and pessimism scales had a 40 percent higher risk，the study showed.

“There appears to be a dose?response pattern.That is，the higher the scores，the higher the risk of dementia，”Dr Yonas Geda，a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester，Minnesota who led the study，said in a statement.

Geda and his colleagues looked at the medical records of 3,500 men and women who lived near the clinic between 1962 and 1965.

They all took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory，a standard personality and life experience test，Geda’s team told a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami.

In 2004，the team interviewed the participants or family members.

Those who scored higher for anxiety and pessimism on the test were more likely，as a group，to have developed dementia by 2004，including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular (血管的) dementia.

This did not mean a person who is pessimistic could assume he or she has a higher risk of developing dementia.

“One has to be cautious in interpreting a study like this，”Geda said.

“One cannot make a leap from group level data to the individual.Certainly the last thing you want to do is to say，‘Well，I am a pessimist；thus，I am doomed to develop dementia 20 or 30 years later，’because this may end up becoming a self?fulfilling prophecy (预言)．”

And there is NOT any specific way to prevent dementia，although many studies have shown that a healthy diet，exercise，keeping active in other ways，doing puzzles and other activities lower the risk.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．It is impossible for people to avoid dementia.

B．People who always have negative feelings may have a higher risk of getting dementia.

C．If we have a healthy diet，we would have no chance of getting dementia.

D．A person who is pessimistic has a higher risk of developing dementia.

2.According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?

A．There are many ways to prevent dementia effectively.

B．A person who is pessimistic is sure to get dementia.

C．Those who lead a happy life will not get dementia when they are old.

D．Those who scored high for pessimism might have a higher risk of dementia.

3.Which of the following does NOT help reduce the risk of getting dementia according to the passage?

A．A healthy diet.? B．Proper exercises.

C．Doing puzzles.? D．Getting up early.

4.Which of the following words is not close to the meaning of the word “pessimistic”？

A．Cheerless.? B．Optimistic.

C．Unhappy.? D．Upset.