Culture can affect not just language and customs, but also how people experience the world on surprisingly basic levels.

Researchers, with the help of brain scans, have uncovered shocking differences in perception（感知）between Westerners and Asians, what they see when they look at a city street, for example, or even how they perceive a simple line in a square, according to findings published in a leading science journal.

In western countries, culture makes people think of themselves as highly independent individuals. When looking at scenes, Westerners tend to focus more on central objects than on their surroundings. East Asian cultures, however, emphasize inter-dependence. When Easterners look at a scene, they tend to focus on surroundings as well as the object.

Using an experiment involving two tasks, Dr Hedden asked subjects to look at a line simply to estimate its length, a task that is played to American strengths. In another, they estimated the line’s length relative to the size of a square, an easier task for the Asians.

The level of brain activity, by tracking blood flow, was then measured by Brain Scanners. The experiment found that although there was no difference in performance, and the tasks were very easy, the levels of activity in the subjects’ brains were different. For the Americans, areas linked to attention lit up more, when they worked on the task they tended to find more difficult—estimating the line’s size relative to the square. For the Asians, the attention areas lit up more during the harder task also—estimating the line’s length without comparing it to the square. The findings are a reflection of more than ten years of previous experimental research into East-West differences.

In one study, for instance, researchers offered people a choice among five pens; four red and one green, Easterners were more likely to choose a red pen while Westerners were more likely to choose the green one.

Culture is not affecting how you see the world, but how you choose to understand and internalize（使内化）it.

But such habits can be changed. Some psychological studies suggest that when an Easterner goes to the West or vice versa, habits of thought and perception also begin to change. Such research gives us clues on how our brain works and is hopeful for us to develop programs to improve our memory, memory techniques and enhance and accelerate our learning skills.

1.According to the passage, Chinese people are most likely to ________.

A. more emphasize independent thinking

B. always focus more on their surroundings

C. focus on the context as well as the object

D. think of Westerners as highly independent units

2.We know from the passage that people’s brains will be more active when ________.

A. the task is much easier    B. the blood flow is tracked

C. people begin to choose colors    D. the task is more difficult

3.What does Dr Hedden’s experiment in Paragraph 4-5 indicate?

A. Culture has a great impact on the way people talk and behave.

B. Easterners and Westerners perceive the world differently.

C. People’s perception of the world can be changed.

D. Americans are better at calculating than the Asians.

Every Sunday morning I take a light walking around a park near my home. There’s a lake ________ in one corner of the park. Each time I ________ by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s ________ with a small metal cage sitting beside her.

This past Sunday my ________ got the best of me, so l stopped jogging and walked ________ to her. ________ I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was ________ a small trap. There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap. She had a fourth turtle in her lap ________ she was ________ scrubbing with a spongy brush.

“Hello,” I said. “If you don’t mind my ________, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”

She smiled. “I’m cleaning off their shells,” she replied. “________ on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, ________ the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also ________ and weaken the shell over time.”

She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning ,relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own ________ way of making a difference.”

“But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum ________ from their shells?” I asked.

“Yep, ________, they do,” she replied.

“Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? And 99% of these turtles don't have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no ________...but how exactly are your localized ________ here truly making a difference?”

The woman giggled aloud.

She then ________ at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy ________ talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.

1.A. being located    B. locating    C. located    D. having located

2.A. reach    B. hike    C. wander    D. jog

3.A. surface    B. bottom    C. position    D. edge

4.A. curiosity    B. passion    C. enthusiasm    D. caution

5.A. down    B. over    C. up    D. around

6.A. Until    B. As    C. While    D. After

7.A. in particular    B. in return    C. in chaos    D. in effect

8.A. that    B. where    C. which    D. what

9.A. attentively    B. gradually    C. directly    D. alternatively

10.A. request    B. permission    C. doubt    D. nosiness

11.A. Something    B. Anything    C. Nothing    D. Everything

12.A. broadens    B. strengthens    C. lowers    D. enlarges

13.A. weather    B. address    C. choke    D. split

14.A. common    B. unique    C. explicit    D. potential

15.A. attached    B. tied    C. hanging    D. potential

16.A. fortunately    B. basically    C. sadly    D. absolutely

17.A. wonder    B. problem    C. offense    D. excuse

18.A. contributions    B. efforts    C. sacrifices    D. arrangements

19.A. looked down    B. drove away    C. tore up    D. thought back

20.A. would    B. might    C. shall    D. should

A good competitor will cause you to grow. He will ________ you beyond your former skill level. If you want to get good at chess, play against somebody better at chess than you are.

A. serve    B. shelter

C. stretch    D. support

It was such a beautiful expression of being the change-a celebration of self-responsibility that rarely is ________ in young people’s lives today.

A. polished    B. portrayed

C. progressed    D. proposed

The company lost $7 million this quarter ________ a profit of $6.2 million a year earlier.

A. in contrast to    B. with regard to

C. in favor of    D. at the sacrifice of

What the media should not do is to ________ people’s natural fears to create panic.

A. exploit    B. explore

C. extend    D. express

They seem to care little about others, shut down communication and ________ their own words.

A. subject to    B. subscribe to

C. bring in    D. indulge in

Two lawyers have donated $50,000 to ________ our school’s campaign “Help the Needy”, which was started by our former headmaster three years ago.

A. sponsor   B. launch   C. organize                 D. plan

Distinguished guests and friends, welcome to our school, _____the ceremony of the 50th Anniversary this morning are our alumni （校友） from home and abroad.

A. Attend      B. To attend         C. Attending        D. Having attended

（题文）It was a matter of ________ would take the position.

A. who    B. whoever

C. whom    D. whomever