Do you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? Normally the women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent（聪明的） than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain is made up of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the white matter, the amount（数量）of “thinking” brain is almost the same in both men and women.

It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls may learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of different information at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.

There are other important differences between two sexes（性别）. As white matter is the key to spatial（空间的）tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!

The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿）are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children when they are very young. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would ask for help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 1?

A．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain.

B．Men’s brain is 10% less than women’s.

C．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter.

D．Men and women have the same amount of white matter.

2.What can you infer from Paragraphs 2 and 3?

A．Men have weaker spatial abilities.

B．Women do not need to tell directions.

C．Women prefer doing many things at a time.

D．Women do many jobs at a time better than men.

3.What can you learn from Paragraph 4?

A．Our children needed more spatial skills.

B．Women may have more feelings than men.

C．Young boys may be stronger than young girls.

D．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills.

4.The passage is mainly about _______.

A．ways of being more intelligent

B．differences between men and women

C．studies on brains between two sexes

D．studies on white matter and grey matter

 

Have you ever heard an echo of your voice?
An echo is a reflected(反射)sound. Stand in a very large, empty hall with nothing on the walls. Then shout. The sounds you make will hit the walls and come back to you. The walls reflect the sounds. These reflected sounds are called “echoes”.
We can use reflected sound to make sound travel farther. Hold a watch about fifty centimeters from your ear. You cannot hear it. The sound of the watch travels a short way in all directions. It does not travel as far as your ear. You can make it travel to your ear by using a roll of cardboard(纸板筒).
Make the roll of cardboard about fifty centimeters long. Put one end over your ear and hold the watch at the other. Now you can hear the watch because the sound has not gone in all directions. It is reflected down the roll to your ear.
A megaphone(喇叭筒)works in the same way. It makes sound travel farther. It reflects the sound into a beam which can travel a long way. In the ship, the sailor uses the megaphone to make his voice travel. Without the megaphone, his voice cannot travel far.
We use reflected sound in many ways. We use it to measure the depth of the sea, for example. Among the animals, bats and whales use reflected sound to tell them where they are and what things are near them.
【小题1】 Which is the right order of hearing our echo in a very large, empty hall?
a. We hear the reflected sound       b. The sound returns to us  
c. The sound hits the walls          d. We make a sound

A．c, b, a, d

B．c, a, b, d

C．d, c, b, a

D．d, b, c, a

【小题2】. From the text we learn that __________ .

A．reflected sound is useful only to blind people

B．people haven’t made use of reflected sound yet

C．bats use reflected sound to fly and get food

D．whales don’t use reflected sound as they live in the sea

【小题3】 If you haven’t got a megaphone, ____ will help you to make your voice travel farther.

A．a long piece of wood	B．a roll of cardboard
C．a thin thread	D．a long piece of silk

A recent survey of 2000 parents in Britain showed that they are often afraid of science questions asked by their curious children only because they have no idea what the answer is. Here is a list of some simple questions that you can ask your parents to see if they know the answers.

    Q: Why is the sky blue?

    A: You probably know white sunlight is made up of seven colors. While it moves in a straight line when going through space, it starts to divide as it hits “raised area” in the atmosphere. The ones with longest wavelengths pass through easily. The blue , however , can be taken in by the gas molecules (分子) because it has a shorter wavelength , which in turn scatters (使分散) it in different directions. That’s why when you look up at the sky, it appears to be blue.

    Q:Why does the moon sometimes appear during the daytime?

    A: The simple answer to that is because just like any other object it is being lit by the sun. As long as it is around 45 degrees or even 90 degrees off the sun, it will receive light and be able to be seen. The only time it is not able to be seen during its 28-day orbit (轨道) around the earth is when it is right between the earth and the sun. That’s because its back , which is not lit by the sun, is facing us.

    Q: Where do birds/ honeybees go in winter?

    A: While the bird part is quite easy, since a lot of them get together and travel, the honeybee part is likely to puzzle your parents. It turns out that these busy insects stop being that active when the temperature drops below 50°F. Instead ,they get together in the lower central area of the hive （蜂巢）and form a ball around their queen. This helps keep both warm enough to survive the cold winter months.

1.The sky looks blue mainly because the color blue in the sunlight_______.

A. has the longest wavelength among all the colors

B. cannot be taken in by the gas molecules

C. doesn’t hit “raised area” in the atmosphere

D. cannot pass through space successfully

2.How long can’t the moon be seen during the daytime in a month?

A. 2                             B. 28                           C.30                                      D. 31

3.What do honeybees choose to do when the temperature drops below 50°F?

A. They choose to be active in the wild.

B. They choose to keep themselves warm.

C. They choose to travel to a warm place.

D. They choose to get together in the upper central area of the hive.

4.What is NOT explained in the passage?

A. Why is the sky blue?

B. Why is the moon able to be seen during the daytime?

C. Why do birds travel in winter?

D. Where do honeybees go in winter?

 

If you want to become a better reader, what should you know about speed of reading?
Some people read very rapidly(很快地), while others read very slowly. But which one is
better?
The rapid reader may be a good reader when he reads a storybook for fun. But he may not be
able to slow down enough to read directions(说明) carefully. He may read so rapidly that he does
not take time to understand fully the ideas and information which are important to remember.
The slow reader may be a good reader when he reads directions for making something. But he
may spend too much time in reading a simple story which is meant to be enjoyed but is not
important enough to be remembered.
So, you see, either a rapid reader or a slow reader is not really a good one. If you wish to
become a better reader, here are four important things to remember about speed of reading.
1. Knowing why you are reading will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or
slowly.
2. Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing
something, science and history books, and Maths problems. You must read such things slowly or
remember each important step and understand each important idea.
3. Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories for enjoyment,
letters from friends and bits of news from hometown papers.
4. In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as
you go along. You will need to read certain(某些) pages rapidly and then slow down and do more
careful reading when you come to important ideas.
【小题1】 What should be read rapidly?

A．Directions for making something.

B．Maths problems.

C．Science and history books.

D．Storybooks, newspapers, personal letters, etc.

【小题2】What is the important thing you should keep in mind about speed of reading?

A．To read as fast as you can.	B．To fit your reading speed to your needs.
C．To read as slowly as possible.	D．To keep your reading at a certain speed.

【小题3】Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?

A．Something about Careful Reading	B．Be a Rapid Reader.
C．How to Read?	D．How to Be a Slow Reader?

If you want to become a better reader, here are four important points to remember about rate or speed(速度)of reading:
First, knowing why you are reading and what you are reading to find out will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.
Second, some things should be read slowly. Examples are directions for making or doing something; arithmetic(算术)problems, science and history books. They are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each idea.
Third, some things should be read rapidly. Examples are simple stories for enjoyment, news, letters from friends, items or bits of news from local or hometown paper, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.
Fourth, in some of your readings, you must change your speed from fast to slow, and slow to fast, as you read. You’ll need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas which should be remembered.
【小题1】A tale about fairies(神话) should be read_________.

A．slowly

B．carefully

C．rapidly

D．to change one’s speed fast to slow

【小题2】A book about knowledge of the nature should be read _____________.

A．either rapidly or slowly

B．rapidly

C．neither rapidly nor slowly

D．slowly

【小题3】__________should be read slowly.

A．Novels	B．Letters
C．Some things full of important information	D．Newspapers and magazines

【小题4】In this passage the author advises us to ____________.

A．read more books	B．be better readers
C．fit our speed to our needs	D．change our speed of reading now and then(不时地)

【小题5】According to this passage, one must pay attention to _______in your reading.

A．why you are reading	B．what you are reading
C．the speed of reading	D．careful reading