Recently, a scientist did some experiments．He left a group of 4-year-olds in a room with a bell and a candy．If they rang the bell, he would come back and they could eat the candy．If, however, they didn't ring the bell and waited for him to come back on his own, they could then have two candies.

In videos of the experiment, he can see the children kicking, hiding their eyes--trying to exercise self-control so they can wait and get two candies．The results are different．Some broke down and rang the bell within a minute．Others lasted 15 minutes.

The children who waited longer went on to get higher SAT scores．They got into better colleges and had better adult success．The children who rang the bell quickest were more likely to have received worse teacher and parental evaluations （评价） 10 years later and were more likely to have drug problems at age 32.

The experiments are worth noting because people spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve education, how to become rich．But when the result is not good, they will come back to ask "how do we get people to get the sort of self-control that leads to success?" This is to enter the world of human nature.

So these experiments along with everyday experience, tell us that self-control is most important．Young people who can sit through sometimes boring classes to get a degree can work hard in order to learn a language well．They can avoid drugs and alcohol．For people without self-control skills, however, school is a series of failed ordeals（煎熬）．No wonder they drop out and their later life is a group of foolish ideas, such as drug use, stealing and so on.

1.The scientist did some experiments to         .

A．test children's self control and later success

B．test children's intelligence of ringing the bell

C．find good ways of training children to learn

D．prove that children's education is important

2.We can learn from the experiment that        

A．all children tried to ring the bell for more candies

B．some children didn't get any candy in the end

C．the children have different self- control

D．the last one to ring the bell is most successful

3.What is the best title for this passage?

A．Ways of self-control training

B．Experiments on children's ringing the bell

C．Higher score, better achievements

D．Self-control is the key to success

 

Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.

Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.

With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.

“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”

This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.

“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.

In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.

1.Babies choose the larger amount of food     .

A．by saying numbers                      B．with the help of parents

C．on personal preference                  D．through their natural abilities

2.The quantifying ability refers to the ability to     .

A．choose between different substances

B．get much knowledge of the world

C．describe the quantity of something

D．obtain math-related skills

3.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?

A．The process of doing research.

B．The scientific findings.

C．The final choice of infants.

D．The observation of infants’ behavior.

4.We can learn from the text that     .

A．some parents don’t care about their kids

B．people used to think the world is known to babies

C．little research has been done on infants

D．scholars disagree on baby-training programs

5.What’s the best title of the text?

A．Breakthrough in Baby Studies

B．Amazing Baby-training Ideas

C．Early Human Abilities

D．Unique Quantifying Methods

 

As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"

I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.

"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."

"Go," he said to me, "and come and see me when you get back." For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls -and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I'll never forget what he said. "Fred," he said, smiling, "You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there's only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are."

Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are.”

1.When the writer was small, he lived        .

A．in the city	B．on the farm
C．with his grandparents	D．away from his parents

2.The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because        .

A．there were old stone walls.	B．it was an exciting place for him.
C．he liked his grandfather.	D．the living room there was clean

3.The underlined word “approve” in paragraph 2 means        .

A．prove

B．suppose

C．allow

D．mind

4.We can learn from the passage that the writer was        .

A．adventurous

B．funny

C．smart

D．talkative

 

Alia Sabur, from Northport, N. Y., US, went to college at age 10. And four years later, Sabur became a bachelor of science in. Applied Mathematics summa cum laude（以最优等成绩）from Stony Brook University -- the youngest female in US history to do so.  Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (哲学博士) in Materials Science and Engineering.

With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching. "I really enjoy teaching," she said. She was three days short of her 19th birthday in February, 2008, when she was hired to become a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea.  This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness' Book of Worm Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of Isaac Newton, in 1717.

Although she doesn't start until next month, Sabur has taken up teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans. Sabur is old enough to teach in the city, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work. In Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck.  In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be 1 year old-when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday, so in Korea Sabur is considered 20.

On top of her unprecedented (空前的) academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do (跆拳道黑带). She is also a talented clarinet (竖笛) player who has performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth. So is there anything Sabur can't do?

1.We can learn from the passage that Sabur is ________.

A．America's youngest bachelor of science

B．Drexel University's youngest student

C．the world'syoungest college professor

D．the world's youngest female teacher

2.When Sabur was hired as a professor, her actual age is ________.

A．fourteen

B．eighteen

C．nineteen

D．twenty

3.What does the author mean by saying "she might have more luck" (in Paragraph 3)?

A．Sabur might be permitted to drink in a Korean bar.

B．Sabur would be allowed to attend parties in Korea.

C．Sabur is old enough to teach at Konkuk University.

D．Sabur is lucky to be hired by Konkuk University.

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

A．Alia Sabur is the youngest female doctor from Stony Brook University.

B．Colin Maclaurin has once been the youngest college professor in the world.

C．In Korea, Alia Sabur is not allowed to drink for she is still underage.

D．Alia Sabur knows anything but Tae Kwon Do.

 

1 

The "Occupy Wall Street" movement gained more support on Wednesday as unions and students joined in. With the protests developing from a group of young people's camping out near the New York Stock Exchange on September 17 to large-scale (大规模的) movements across the country and around the world, people can't help asking: What has led to "Occupy Wall Street?"

Three years after the severe economic crisis, the U.S. economy now is stuck again. Protesters are not satisfied with the present economic situation since unemployment rate is above 9 percent and economic growth has slowed. The housing market is still struggling for a recovery three years after the bubble (泡沫) burst. People are losing their houses even after they have paid a large amount of mortgage(抵押). It is getting difficult for young people to find jobs. People feared that a similar crisis like the one in 2008 may be already on its way.

It is Wall Street that possessed the most riches. It is Wall Street greed that, at least partly, led to the financial crisis in 2008. It was Wall Street's "fat cats" who take taxpayers' aid money as their own big bonus (奖金). With the growing economic crisis around the world, people realize that Wall Street is responsible for it. So they try to target people who created the crisis.

The majority of the protesters are young people under 30. Many of them are unemployed. Some are students with mountains of loans (贷款). Some are hard-working people about to lose their houses even if they have paid a large amount of mortgage. They are complaining that the hard-working middle class is getting poor, yet Wall Street stays wealthy.

William Cohan, author of Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the world, wrote recently that Wall Street not only learned nothing from the 2008 crisis, they are also trying to kill all reforms that might "break this dangerous cycle in which bankers get very rich while the rest of working people suffer from their mistakes."

1.. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The cause of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

B. The demand of the protesters of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

C. The popularity of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

D. The development of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

2.. According to the second paragraph, what set off the “Occupy Wall Street” movement?

A. The housing market.                                              B. The bad economic situation.

C. The mortgage                                     D. The high unemployment rate.

3.. We can learn from the passage that Wall Street is the symbol of          in the USA.

A. civilization          B. power                         C. wealth             D. fashion

4. We can infer that William Cohan         .

A. is the organizer of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement

B. lives on Wall Street

C. is against the “Occupy Wall Street” movement

D. approves of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement