Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1500 BC to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, 'so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always. been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world's population is left-handed.
Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person's two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the left hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain(大脑). The right side of the brain, which makes a person's hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and working out problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.
No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed.
Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged(损害) when they are born However, this doesn't happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因)for right-handedness, he/she may become either right-handed or left handed according to the chance(偶然性) and the people they work or live with.
Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don't have to.
1.How many people in the world are left-handed now?
A.Less than one sixth B.More than a half.
C.About 40%. D.The passage doesn't tell us.
2.What is the left hand for most people used to do?
A.It's used to find or hold things.
B.It's used to work with things.
C.it's used to make a person's hands and eyes work together.
D.it's the centre for thinking and working our problems.
3.The best title for this passage is "_______"
A.Scientists' new inventions B.Left-handed people
C.Which hand D.Different brains, different hands
An old man went to live with his son, his daughter-in-law, and a four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled(颤抖),his eyesight was very poor, and he couldn't walk steadily(平稳地).The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Rice often dropped on the floor.
The son and the daughter-in-law became angry with the old man,so they put a small table in the corner. There,the grandfather ate alone, while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the table. Since the grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was put in a wooden bowl.
The four-year-old son watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with a piece of wood on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" The boy answered,"Oh,I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old son smiled and went back to work. The words struck the parents so that they were in silence. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken,both knew what must be done. That evening the man took his father's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
1.Why was the old man's food put in a wooden bowl?
A.Because the wooden bowl was light enough.
B.Because the old man had broken a few bowls.
C.Because there was only a wooden bowl left.
D.Because the son and the daughter-in-law became angry with the old man.
2.The underlined word "struck" in Paragraph 3 probably means ________ in Chinese.
A.使……生气 B.使……担心 C.使……害怕 D.使……震惊
3.Why did the man lead the old man back to the family table?
A.Because he realized his mistakes.
B.Because the old man didn't drop rice on the floor any more.
C.Because the old man's food was put in a wooden bowl.
D.Because a gentleman led him back to the family table.
Cliffs of Moher are the top tourist attraction in Ireland.They are 214 meters high at their highest point and stretch(绵延)8km along the coast. To stay on top of the rocks is a quite a frightening but exciting experience. Address: Street R 478, County Clare Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:00 am-7:00 pm; Sunday: 11:00 am-5:00 pm; Closed on Christmas Day Price: Adults: £10; Children under 10: £4 Website: www.cliffsofmoher.ie |
Dublin Castle is in the heart of old town. It contains the Chester Beatty Library, which is both a library and an art museum that are worth visiting. Address: Dame Street, Dublin City Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:45 am-4:45 pm; Sunday: 11:00 am-4:45 pm; Closed on Christmas Day Price: Adults: £4.5; Children under 12: £2 Website: www.dublincastle.ie |
1.If Mrs. Smith wants to go to an art museum ,which website can she visit for more information?
A.www.cliffsofmoher.ie B.www.phoenixpark.ie
C.www.fotawildlife.ie D.www.dublincastle.ie
2.If David takes his 9-year-old son to Cliffs of Moher, they will pay________.
A.£6.5 B.￡12 C.￡14 D.£ 20
People always have communication with each other. In the past when they couldn't write, they used simple symbols to send their messages. Some groups of North American Indians were good at __________messages. For example, a small stone on top of a large one meant "This is the way." If there was another small stone on the right, it meant "Turn right." Some grass with a knot meant "Danger!" and so on.
In forests of Africa, it was __________to travel between villages. But drum could be heard from many kilometers away. So, some groups of Africans made their drums "__________" like people.
The Incas of South America used to send messages by tying knots with ropes. Messages have been found, but __________can understand what they mean. And the Egyptians used pictures as a kind of __________, but only a few people were __________ to understand them.
Today, we also use a lot of symbols. When we are in a car and we see a red light, we stop the car. When a mother says to her child, "Eat your cake!" the child eats the cake. Sometimes the red light and the words of the mother are symbols. And the __________ of course, is that the __________ way of communication between people is sound.
There are more than 3,000 languages in the world today. And about 13 of them are spoken by large groups of people. Languages of the world are both similar and different. They are similar because we can talk and write about the same things. They are different because we talk and write about these things with different __________.
There is no __________that we learn a second language in order to communicate with people who do not speak our language.
1.A.sending B.spreading C.publishing D.giving
2.A.difficult B.easy C.interesting D.boring
3.A.say B.speak C.tell D.whisper
4.A.anybody B.somebody C.everybody D.nobody
5.A.hearing B.thinking C.writing D.reading
6.A.learned B.taught C.made D.told
7.A.matter B.fact C.condition D.situation
8.A.important B.necessary C.basic D.first
9.A.symbols B.signs C.expressions D.words
10.A.doubt B.discussion C.chance D.choice
—I spent the whole night preparing for my exam.
—Don't stay up too late, or you will be tired out. Remember, .
A.it never rains but it pours
B.you can't burn the candle at both ends
C.you can't put all your eggs in one basket
D.the grass is always greener on the other side
-I'm awfully sorry for bringing you so much trouble.
- __________
A. Never mind. B. it's a pleasure. C. Of course not. D. You are welcome
