A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as a result of a condition known as jet lag．Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane．People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days．They may also have problems thinking clearly and remembering．

　　Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines．They had served passengers on airplanes for five years．These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones．In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag．Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights．The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas．

　　The researcher took some saliva from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone (荷尔蒙) that increases during stress．He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen．And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes (脑叶)．

　　It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes．This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen．The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test．And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones．

　　The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip．He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years．Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory．

　　Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain．They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently (永久性地) affect memory．

1．According to the text, jet lag________．

[　　]

A．can cause difficulties in speaking

B．can make people feel tired for a few weeks

C．can be only found in flight attendants

D．can be caused by flying over several time zones

2．It can be inferred from the text that ________．

[　　]

A．the conclusion is refused by many scientists

B．scientists fear that this research is not done properly

C．every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests

D．the women who were examined in the research were not healthy

3．From the result of the research we can see that ________．

[　　]

A．the women who have a longer rest between long flights show better memory

B．the women who fly in a short time have smaller right temporal lobes

C．the women who have longer flights fail the memory test

D．the women who rest more than 14 days produce lower levels of hormones

4．What is the subject discussed in the text?

[　　]

A．The cause of jet lag．

B．A story of a group of flight attendants．

C．The importance of having enough rest after flights．

D．A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain．

In business, there is a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firms leaders say speed is to their competitive (竞争的) strategy（策略）and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size .Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.

In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that choose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track, What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up “improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.

How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operation speed (moving quickly )and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value ).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example ,may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference .But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.

In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn’t develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.

Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right , rather than plough ahead full bore , are more successful in meeting their business goals . That kind of strategy must come from the top.

1. What does the underlined part “gain an edge ”in Paragraph 2 mean ? 

A. Increase the speed.

B. Get an advantage.

C. Reach the limit.

D. Set a goal.

2.. The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ___________.  

A. spending more time and performing worse.

B. spending more time and performing better

C. spending less time and performing worse

D. spending less time and performing better

3.What can we learn from the text?  

A. how fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.

B. how competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.

C. Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.

D. Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.

4.. Which could be the best title for the text?  

A. Improve quality? Serve better.

B. Deliver value? Plough ahead.

C. Reduce time? Move faster.

D. Need speed? Slow down.

 

In business, there is a speed difference: It’s the difference between how important a firm’s leaders say speed is to their competitive (竞争的) strategy (策略) and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size. Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.

In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that chose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track. What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up” improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.

How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value). Simply increasing the speed of production, for example, may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference. But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.

In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improve efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn’t develop team spirit among their employee, and had little time thinking about changes.

Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right, rather than plough ahead full bore, are more successful in meeting their business goals. That kind of strategy must come from the top.

64. The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means _________.

A. spending more time and performing worse  B. spending more time and performing better

C. spending less time and performing worse   D. spending less time and performing better

65. What can we learn from the text?

A. How fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.

B. How competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.

C. Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.

D. Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.

66. Where could be the best title for the text?

A. Improve quality? Serve better                 B. Deliver value? Plough ahead

C. Reduce time? Move faster                      D. Need speed? Slow down

Easter(复活节) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.  As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
【小题1】The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.

A．show the importance of Easter Day

B．introduce the issue about bunnies

C．remind people of Easter traditions

D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies

【小题2】The word "culprit" ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.

A．criminal

B．judge

C．victim

D．producer

【小题3】According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily Uncovered by predators because they_______

A．are exposed lo more skillful hunters

B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants

C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change

D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring

【小题4】The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.

A．both are affected by 1ess snow

B．both are affected by rising sea levels

C．neither can find enough food

D．neither can migrate to higher places

【小题5】Which best describes the writer's tone in the postage?

A．Approving.

B．Concerned.

C．Enthusiastic.

D．Doubtful.

Easter(复活节    ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.

And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.

Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.

The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.

American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.

The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.

Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.

All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.

1.The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.

A．show the importance of Easter Day	B．introduce the issue about bunnies
C．remind people of Easter traditions
D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies

2.The word “culprit” ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.

A．criminal

B．judge

C．victim

D．producer

3.According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because they_______

A．are exposed lo more skillful hunters

B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants

C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change

D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring

4.The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.

A. both are affected by 1ess snow          

B. both are affected by rising sea levels

C neither can find enough food     

D. neither can migrate to higher places