1970 was "World Conservation Year". The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped that the governments would act quickly in order to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only 860 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air and the water, and everything that grows and lives. We can't live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves. What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask "What must we do now?" The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conservation is necessary. Many are hoping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of eleven kilometres of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called "No, One's Going to Change our World. " It was made by Scatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve wild animals. "No,One's Going to Change our World. " was _ . A) an important book published in 1970 B) a record calling on people to conserve nature C) an idea that nobody would accept D) a rule worked out by the United States
B
Five or six years ago, I attended a lecture on the science of attention. A professor who conducts research over in the medical school was talking about attention blindness, the basic feature of the human brain that, when we concentrate on one task, causes us to miss just about everything else. Because we can't see what we can't see, our lecturer was determined to catch us in the act. He had us watch a video of six people tossing basketballs back and forth, three in white shirts and three in black, and our task was to keep track only of the tosses among the people in white. The tape rolled, and everyone began counting. Everyone except me. I'm dyslexic , and the moment I saw that tape with the confusing basketball tossers, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep track of their movements, so I let my mind wander. I became curious, though, when about 30 seconds into the tape, a gorilla walked in among the players. She (we later learned a female student was in the gorilla suit) stared at the camera, beat her chest with her fist, and then went away while they continued passing the balls. When the tape stopped, the professor asked how many people had counted at least a dozen basketball tosses. Hands went up all over. He then asked who had counted 13, 14, and congratulated those who'd scored the perfect 15. Then he asked, "And who saw the gorilla?" I raised my hand and was surprised to discover I was the only person at my table and one of only three or four in the large room to do so. He'd set us up, trapping us in our own attention blindness. Yes, there had been a trick, but he wasn't the one who had played it on us. By concentrating so hard on counting, we had managed to miss the gorilla in the midst. Attention blindness is the fundamental organizing principle of the brain, and I believe that it presents us with a great opportunity. My take is different from that of many neuroscientists: Where they see the shortcomings of the individual, I sense an opportunity for cooperation. Fortunately, given the interactive ... Most of the people failed to notice the gorilla in the video because _ . A) they focused on the basketball tossing only B) they were trapped by the basketball players C) they did not know what they were supposed to do D) they did not listen to the lecture carefully
A
Q: "Hi Dave,how are you today?Just thought I'd let you know what I'm doing,"they would read.Or "Sorry you're going.I've had a good time and that would probably have had something to do with you,so thanks." In some ways,the relaxed attitude was shocking,says Melville.But it was a sign of how students' understanding of their role has changed. "They have a more independent view of the university,and they feel free to comment,"said Melville. A committee,led by Melville,was set up earlier this year to explore the change in students' attitudes towards teachers. "This is something being driven by young people,"said Melville. "They live surrounded by different kinds of electronic resources.They use social networking tools and things like Wikipedia.The first group of these students is now at university." Students don't regard teaching staff in the same way as previous students did. "Because Web2.0, Google,Wikipedia are all about being able to change things yourself,students expect to be able to do this as well,"said Melville. There have been other changes in the student--teacher relationship.If students choose to study through a social networking group,they are in control.They don't always make staff welcome,and they are free to decide which staff members they allow in. "Almost everybody who gets into using these kinds of technologies,it appears,becomes much shallower in their research,"said Melville. What may be the disadvantage of using the technologies? A) Students have more information resources besides from teachers. B) Technologies keep them from doing deep research. C) Teachers can't control or influence their students at all. D) Students spend too much time on online games.
A: B
(Question)
People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests. A study of more than 1,000 Scottish 70-year-olds found that those who had had complex jobs scored better on memory and thinking tests. One theory is that a more stimulating environment helps build up a "cognitive reserve" to help buffer the brain against age-related decline. The research was reported in Neurology. The team, from Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, is now planning more work to look at how lifestyle and work interact to affect memory loss. Those taking part in the study took tests designed to assess memory, processing speed and general thinking ability, as well as filling in a questionnaire about their working life. The analysis showed that those whose jobs had required complex skills in dealing with data or people, such as management and teaching, had better scores on memory and thinking tests than those who had done less mentally intense jobs such as factory workers, bookbinders, or carpet layers. While the study did not look at biological reasons for the protective effect of certain jobs, potential explanations include that structural changes within the brain mean less damage is accumulated over time. Study leader Dr Alan Gow said: "Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on." "However," He added, "while it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs, there still seems to be a small advantage gained from these complex jobs for later thinking skills." Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study added to the growing evidence about factors that affected brain health as we aged. "Keeping the brain active throughout life could be helpful and different types of work may play a role. However, it's important to note that this study points to a small and subtle association between occupation and later-life cognition... We can learn from Dr Simon Ridley that _ . A) different occupations may make a difference in keeping the brain active B) people's occupation has a direct influence on later-life cognition C) the study added more evidence about the factors affecting aging D) the study denied the association between jobs and later-life memory
(Answer)
A