During the 19th century, scientists found that when certain parts of the brain of a person were hurt, he would lose the power of doing certain things. And so people thought that each part of the brain does a different job. But modern research has discovered that this is not so, for it is not easy to show exactly what each part of the brain does. In the past fifty years there has been a great increase in the amount or research done on the brain. Scientists have found out that the way the brain works is not so simple as people in general may think. Chemists tell us that about 100,000 chemical changes take place in the brain every second. Some recent researches also suggest that we can remember everything that happened to us. We may not be able to think of the things we have heard and seen but it is kept there in the store-house of the human mind. Earlier scientists thought that the power of one's brain got weaker and weaker as one grows older. But it is plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It is now thought that is not true. As long as the brain is given plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It has proved that an old person who has always been active in the mind has a quicker mind than a young person who has done physical work without using much of his brain. It has been found that one's brain usually works _ . A) faster when he is old B) a little now and a little then C) in a very simple way D) without any rest all day long
D
(Question)
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but _ . It was only when I turned to meditation for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature! The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress. Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre. If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play. In the author's opinion, _ . A) a bath can make people relaxed. B) depression is usually caused by hard work. C) walking in a busy city centre harms people's health. D) adults should express their inner feelings freely.
(Answer)
D
Ques: An American spacecraft is moving closer to a dwarf planet called Ceres . The American space agency's Dawn spacecraft is set to reach the planet-like object in March. Space agency scientists will then place Dawn in an orbit around the dwarf planet. Agency scientists want to know more about ice on Ceres. The spacecraft will gather clues about whether Ceres may have once had conditions to support life as we know it. Dawn left Earth more than seven years ago on a trip to explore Ceres and another dwarf planet, called Vesta . Both dwarf planets are in the main belt of asteroids , a group of large objects, between the planets Mars and Jupiter. Marc Rayman is the chief engineer and director of the Dawn mission. Scientists call Vesta and Ceres "protoplanets ". Mr. Rayman says they were in the process of becoming full-size planets when, in his words, "their growth was terminated ." Scientists believe Ceres is made of rock, and covered with ice. The Dawn mission is based in Los Angeles, California. Scientists there send second-by-second commands to the spacecraft. They direct its every move, including telling it what pictures to take. Dawn will make a map of the dwarf planet. It will also try to discover how Ceres' surface has changed. Carol Raymond is the deputy principal investigator of the project. He says Dawn made an unexpected discovery while orbiting Vesta. "Instead of being bone dry, which we expected, there were _ on the surface of Vesta that showed significant amounts of water bound in the rocks and possibly even free water that could have flowed on the surface in the past." She says that if Earth's water came from wet worlds like Vesta and Ceres, then life could have developed there, too. If Dawn finds that the environment of Ceres could have supported life, scientists may seek to explore the dwarf planet with other scientific instruments. Dawn will gather information about Ceres until the middle of 2016. It will then continue to orbit the small planet. Which of the following about spacecraft Dawn is true? A) It was sent into space in 2008. B) It is orbiting around the dwarf planet Ceres. C) Its destination is just the dwarf planet Ceres. D) It will gather information about Ceres until early 2016.
Ans: A
One night, as Diaz stepped off the train and onto a nearly empty platform, a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wanted my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go '" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The robber looked at him puzzled, saying, "Why are you doing this?" Diaz replied, "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me....." Diaz says he and the teen went into a diner and sat in a booth. "The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. The kid said, "You know everybody here. Do you own this place?" "No, I just eat here a lot," Dias said. "But you're even nice to the dishwasher," he said. Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?" "Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said. When the bill arrived, Diaz said, "You're going to have to pay for this bill because you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you." The teen returned it immediately. "I gave him $20.... I figure maybe it'll help him." Diaz says he asked for something in return--- the teen's knife--- "and he gave it to me." Afterwards, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch." "I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world." By telling the story of Diaz, the author intends to tell us _ . A) to keep calm in danger B) not to go out alone at night C) to treat others kindly D) not to harm others on purpose
C