Does solving a math problem give you a headache? Do you feel nervous when you sit a math exam? For most students, math can be tough but scientists have proved that math problems can actually trigger physical pain. Scientists came to his conclusion with an in-depth experiment, which was published in the Public Library of Science One journal. They began by finding out how much participants fear math. Those involved were asked a series of questions such as how they feel when they receive a math textbook or when they walk into a math lesson. Based on their answers, participants were divided into groups. One group was made up of people who were particularly afraid of math and participants in the other group were more comfortable with the subject. Both groups were then given either math tasks or word tasks. When a math task was going to come next, a yellow circle would appear but when a word task was soon to come, a blue square would be shown. Using a brain-scan machine, scientists noticed that whenever people from Group One saw a yellow circle, their brain would respond in a way similar to when their body is feeling pain. It was like the pain they would fee, for example, if they burnt their hand on a hot stove. But they reacted less strongly when they knew that they would be faced with a word task. However, scientists saw no strong brain response from people in the second group. Math can be difficult, and for those with high levels of mathematics-anxiety (HMA), math is associated with tension, apprehension and fear. "When you are really thinking about the math problems, your mind is racing and you are worrying about all the things that could go wrong," explained Ian Lyons from University of Chicago, US, leader of the study. "The higher a person's anxiety of a maths task, the more he activated brain regions associated with threat detection, and the experience of pain." More interestingly, the brain activity disappeared when participants actually started dealing with the math tasks. "This means that it's... In the first stage, scientists ask participants some questions to _ . A) see whether math hurts B) test their endurance C) observe how their brain response D) find out how much they fear math of pain
D
(Question)
At Harton College--an English boarding school for boys--there are many rules. 15-year-old Bob Sanders often breaks them. The boys can go into the town in the afternoon after class. But they must return to the school at six o'clock. One afternoon Bob walked to the town. He looked at the shops and then went to the cinema. When the film was over, it was after eight o'clock. He was a little worried. He walked back to prefix = st1 /HartonCollegeas fast as possible. When he arrived, he ran quickly to the main entrance. It was locked. He went round the school . uilding to another door, which was locked, too. He looked up at the window of his dormitory on the third floor. The window was open, but it was quite dark and he could not climb up the wall easily. Then he saw another open window on the ground floor. It was the window of the headmaster's study. He looked into the room--no one was there. Bob quickly climbed onto the window sill and jumped into the room. Just then he heard a noise. Then someone turned on a light in the corridor. Bob looked around and then hid under the sofa. One minute later, Mr. Mannering, the headmaster, came in. He turned on the light on his desk, and sat down on the sofa. Then he opened a book and began to read. Bob lay under the sofa as quietly as possible. He couldn't move. The floor was cold and uncomfortable. He looked at the headmaster's shoes and socks for an hour. "Why doesn't he get up and go to bed?" Bob thought. Mr. Mannering read his book for another hour. Finally, the headmaster closed his book and stood up. He put the book on a shelf and walked towards the door. "Thank heavens he didn't find me under the sofa," thought Bob. Then Mr. Mannering stopped and spoke towards the sofa. "Would you turn off the light when you leave?" He said, and left the study. Why didn't Bob go to his dormitory? A) Because its door was locked. B) Because the window was shut. C) Because it was quite dark. D) Because the wall was too high for him to climb up.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Happy birthday The China National Opera (CNO) will give a concert to celebrate its 50th birthday. Different generations of CNO vocalists, like Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei, will present the concert which will feature both songs from famous Chinese operas like The White-haired GM and The Hundred Bride, as well as, arias of such western opera classics as Madame Butterfly, La Traviata and Rigoletto. Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 7, 8 Location: Tianqiao Theatre Tel: 65514787, 83156170 Tickets: 60-500 yuan (US $ 7.2-60.2) Folk music A concert will be held to feature some recently-composed traditional Chinese music works. The concert, given by the Folk Orchestra of the China Opera and Ballet Theatre, will include such pieces as Memory of childhood, Memorial Ceremony for God and Wine Song. Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 13 Location: Concert hall at the National Library of China Tel: 6848-5462, 6841-9220 Tickets:30-200 yuan(US $ 3.6-24.1) Moon Music A concert of traditional Chinese music will be given on the eve of the Moon Festival which falls on September 21st this year. The concert will feature a number of famous pieces centred on the theme of the moon, such as Moonlight, Spring Night on a Moonlit River and Lofty Mountain and Flowing river. A number of popular traditional Chinese music performers, like Zhou Yaokun and Fan Weiqing, will play solos as well as cooperate with the folk music orchestra . Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 21st Location: Grand theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities Tel: 6606-8888, 6606-9999 Tickets: 40-220 yuan(US $ 4.8-27) Which statement is right according to the passage? A) Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei stand for the same generation of CNO vocalists. B) Rigoletto is a famous piece on the theme of the moon. C) Lofty Mountain and Flowing River is a traditional Chinese music. D) Zhou Yaokun will play solos and Fan Weiqing will cooperate with the folk music orchestra.
Ans: C
Question: Peter King, 15, and Mary King, 13, went to see a doctor. Peter had a bad cold, so the doctor gave him some pills to take. Mary had a bad cough, so the doctor gave her some cough medicine. There are the words on the bottle of the medicine: Cough Medicine Shake well before use. Take three times daily after meals. At one time: adults --------- 2 teaspoonfuls Children 8 -- 14 1 teaspoonful Children 4 -- 7 1/2 teaspoonful Not suitable for children below the age of 4 Store in a cold place. Use before Oct.2007. Mary should _ before she takes some. A) shake the medicine well B) eat her meals C) do some exercises D) drink something
Answer:
A