Naps--short sleeps during the day--may improve memory, experts said recently. New research conducted by brain researcher Avi Karni of the University of Haifa in Israel explores the possibility that naps help lock in sometimes long-term memories. "We still don't know exactly how memory system works during sleep, but the results of this research suggest it is possible to speed up memory consolidation ," Karni said. Long-term memory refers to memories that stay with us for years, such as "what" memories -- a car accident that happened yesterday-- or "how to" memories, such as one's learned ability to play the pianos. Karni, also one of the authors of the study published in a recent issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, instructed participants to learn a difficult set of finger games, then divided the study _ into two groups: one that napped for an hour, and one that didn't. The people who took an afternoon snooze showed obvious improvement in their performance by that evening. "After a night's sleep the two groups were at the same level, but the group that slept in the afternoon improved much faster than the group that stayed awake," Karni said. And the study also showed just how much faster a 90-minute nap could help lock in long-term memories. "Daytime sleep can shorten the time 'how to' memory weakens and forgetting starts,"Karni said, "Instead of 6 to 8 hours, the brain consolidated the memory during the 90-minute nap." The text is most probably taken from _ . A) a newspaper report B) a library guide C) a project handbook D) a science site
D
(Question)
Contrary to popular belief, looking at someone's face alone is not enough to tell us whether they are roaring in celebration or screaming in frustration, researchers claimed.While people may believe they have the ability to read each other's faces, body language is the real clue that shows whether strong emotions someone is feeling are positive or negative. In a study, groups of participants were shown a series of facial expressions such as tennis players photographed just after winning or losing a point. In some cases the volunteers were able to see the player's full body, but in others they were only shown either their face or their body with the other removed. Participants could clearly tell whether the players were winning or losing when they were shown the full picture or just the body, but their guesses were no better than chance when based on the face alone. Those who were allowed to see the full image were convinced they had made their judgment based on the players' facial expressions even though results from the two other groups suggested otherwise. The researchers carried out a second study where participants were shown a wider range of faces showing emotions including joy, pleasure, victory, pain and defeat. Using photoediting software, the researchers attached the faces to bodies expressing the opposite emotion, and asked participants to act out the emotions they saw in the photos. The resulting poses were like the body poses in the photographs but not the facial expressions, demonstrating that people base their interpretation of strong emotions not on the face but the body. Dr Aviezer, who led the study, said, "These results show that when emotions become extremely intense, the difference between positive and negative facial expressions becomes unclear.The results may help researchers understand how our body interacts during emotional situations.For example, individuals may fail to recognize facial expressions, but if they are trained to process important body language, their performance may... What do we know about the first study? A) The participants were divided into four groups. B) All participants were given the same pictures to see. C) It proved that emotions influence people's body language. D) Participants could tell the players' feelings when seeing the full picture.
(Answer)
D
Ques: I love it at night. It's peaceful. And when it cools down I sometimes do some ironing. I don't really care for it. I work full-time and am too busy for most housework. I remember the old woman who taught me to iron . I was about 15 and somehow got a live-in job taking care of a woman who had been an able-bodied, healthy woman until the accident that caused her to be paralyzed. The woman had an electric wheelchair. She could move her head and arms but not her hands or fingers. She had this clamp attached to her arm and I'd have to open it and put a cup or a pencil in it and then she could move it. She would tell me how to do things. She would instruct me in great detail on the correct way to do things. Her home was perfect and beautiful. She would follow me around in her electric wheelchair to make sure I did everything exactly right. I'm sure she had been a perfect homemaker. She would have me fold everything, including socks and pillow cases. I would complain silently and wish terrible things on her. She taught me the right way to make the bed and tuck the corners. I know sometimes she'd get frustrated and impatient with me. I knew she wanted to grab it and do it herself. But she never yelled or scolded. Only she insisted I do it right. I didn't like it much, but I did it. Today I can iron pretty well. I know where to start on a shirt, the right way to do the collar and sleeves. Now that I think about it, I don't think she is an old lady. I think she might have been about my age now. Anyway, when I iron, I think of her and silently thank her for all the things I learned. What's the writer's attitude towards the lady now? A) Sympathetic. B) Fearful. C) Thankful. D) Hateful.
Ans: C
Question: Looking good, feeling good Born to a model mom and a suit maker dad, fashion was actually in my blood. I always had a strong desire to dress in a certain way and to stand out from the crowd. I made my own toys when I was a young child and sewed my first skirt at just 10 years old. A friend's mother took one look at my skirt and told me that I should be a patternmaker. In high school I started making my own clothes, mostly changing other things because I never liked anything how it was when I bought it. During the last two years of school, I worked part-time for a small business that made hand-painted silk clothing and bags. The owner became the teacher who got me into design in the first place. Another useful bit of work experience then came when I worked at a showroom during fashion week and found it very exciting. From there I worked at a top clothing store while I got my business started. For my business I started out with the idea that everything I did would be hand-made and one-of-a-kind, specially made for one individual who hopefully had the same tastes as me. Every morning I jumped out of bed, went to my studio and worked on my projects. This just showed how enthusiastic I felt about my work. And at night I even dreamed of new designs! Fashion design is _ art. What I mean is that it's something close to you and something you can touch and feel, and actually interact with. My advice to any young person who wants to be a fashion designer is to get the basic skills early on, such as sewing and pattern-making. Even if you end up specializing, it's really important to understand all aspects of design in order to make high-quality clothes. Also, if you dream of having your own clothing line, the best thing to do is start wearing your clothes. You have to try and do this because that's the way you're going to develop something that's all yours and unlike anyone else's. I passionately believe that the right clothing can make people feel better and give them more confidence. When the author was in high school, she _ . A) wore the latest fashions B) was fond of hand-painted clothing C) began to make clothes on her own D) dressed in the same way as her classmates
Answer:
C