She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother. And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).
Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.
To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.
“She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though. “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.
It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein.
1.SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________.
A. she is a superhero
B. she has experienced such conditions a lot
C. she is a mental patient
D. she has no sense of fear
2.Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________.
A. The function of a particular organ
B. SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety
C. The process of removing amygdale
D. A special way to get along with monsters
3.What do we know from the research on SM?
A. It was easy for her to avoid danger.
B. SM never felt fearful but disgusted.
C. SM was frightened by nothing except monsters.
D. SM got along well with the snakes.
4.What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?
A. Indifferent B. Supportive C. Disapproving D. Interested
5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. People can remove their amygdala to be fearless.
B. SM will be admired because of her bravery.
C. No one can survive if their amygdala is removed.
D. The sense of fear is crucial to humans.
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They [elevators] are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.
1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
A. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator
B. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette
C. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride
D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator
2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.
A. turn around and greet one another
B. look around or examine their phone
C. make eye contact with those in the elevator
D. try to keep a distance from other people
3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?
4.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. judge B. ignore C. put up with D. make the best of
5.According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
A. someone’s odd behaviors
B. the lack of space
C. their unfamiliarity with one another
D. their eye contact with one another
Until a few months ago, he was a butler(管家) in one of the more expensive residential buildings in Manhattan. But now, Nepal-born Indra Tamang is the owner of two multi-million dollar apartments in the same building.
The former owner - his former employer, Ruth Ford - died last year and left the apartments to Mr Tamang in her will.
Mr Tamang is happy but quickly points out that his good fortune did not come easily. "I am happy and have been touched by the generosity of the Ford family," he says. "I never expected that I will be given the ownership of these apartments. But I have been working for the family for the last 36 years, devotedly, with honesty and dedication(奉献). So my hard work has been rewarded."
Mr Tamang was 21 when he was brought from Nepal by Charles Ford, a writer and a photographer. Mr Ford died in 2002; his sister, actress Ruth Ford, then took charge and told Mr Tamang that he was like a brother to her after Charles's death.
Mrs Ford died aged 98. During the last five years of her life, she lost her eyesight and also developed speech problems. Mr Tamang looked after her most of the time and took care of her medicines and food.
He also worked with Charles Ford on various photography projects, which he now wants to keep as the photographer's legacy(遗产). He hopes to organize exhibitions of Mr Ford's photographs and edit a book of his works.
Mr Tamang plans to sell the bigger, three-bedroom apartment to pay the taxes he owes to the government on his legacy. He says: "The rules of the building might be a problem, as they require a minimum monthly income to qualify to live as owner of apartments. I have my small house here but I am happy with it,"
Mr Tamang has learnt his lesson from the life of his employers and plans to use his money with great caution. "I think one should save money for old age. That's when you need it the most to get care," he says.
1.Mr Tamang treated the legacy as __________.
A. a reward B. a punishment C. business D. a gift
2.What DIDN’T Mr Tamang do in the Ford family?
A. Show Mr Ford's works in the exhibition.
B. Look after Ruth Ford when she was ill.
C. Work on kinds of photography projects
D. Experience deaths of Charles Ford and Ruth Ford
3.Mr Tamang wants to sell one apartment to _______.
A. buy the small house
B. pay the government the tax of the apartments
C. edit a book of Charles Ford's photographs
D. move into the expensive apartments as soon as possible
4.What lesson does Mr Tamang learn from the Ford family?
A. To find a good butler.
B. To spend money thoughtfully.
C. To save money for children.
D. To get good care when people get old.
5.What can we know from the passage?
A. Charles Ford gave the apartments to Mr Tamang.
B. Charles Ford couldn't see or speak before his death.
C. Mr Tamang treated Ruth Ford much better than her brother.
D. Mr Tamang will still live in his small house in the near future.
I wasn’t surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those accolades, Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she’ll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid (小报) news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she’s an exception.
What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they’re earning big incomes, they’re so pampered (纵容) by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they’re hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can’t deal with the problems. That’s often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn’t want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life.
1.According to the passage, Ms Hunt _________.
A. started acting and modeling when she was a little girl
B. has been acting for about 30 years
C. is the daughter of a famous actor
D. started singing when she was eight
2.The underlined word “accolades” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.
A. difficulties B. awards C. salaries D. opinions
3.The author thinks Helen Hunt’s success is mainly due to _________.
A. her hard work B. the help of a technical director
C. her experiences as a child star D. her talent and good luck
4.Helen Hunt wouldn’t allow her daughter to become a child star because she thinks _________.
A. child stars often take drugs and alcohol
B. being a child star may ruin her future
C. child stars aren’t able to solve their problems
D. it is difficult to succeed as a child actor
5.From the passage we can conclude that _________.
A. few child stars will succeed in the future
B. there is no way to save the entertainment business
C. the author has a different opinion about child stars
D. meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars
Here in China, as the awareness of climate change improves, realizing a low-carbon way of life, also known as reducing your carbon footprint, is a growing trend among young Chinese.
Zheng Xiyu works at 1. office in Beijing’s Central Business District．Every day, 2. takes her roughly 40 minutes to go to work by bus．But she is thinking of 3. (switch) to a different way of transport--a bicycle．When buying clothes, she will choose those purely made of cotton, 4. it takes less carbon to produce cotton clothes．She’s also adapting to a vegetable diet as livestock(家畜) can make many contributions 5. today’s most serious environmental problems.
A recent survey shows 6. 78% of all the 17,000 people questioned have developed environmentally friendly habits in their daily lives．They are doing things, such as taking reusable shopping bags to the store and setting the air conditioner at a temperature above 26oC in summer.
On many popular 7. (society) networking websites, people are advocating a low-carbon lifestyle．Their tips include using the stairs and public transport more frequently 8. elevators and cars．They hope this lifestyle 9. (become) more than just a trend within certain groups.
As the most populous nation on the planet with the world’s fastest growing economy, China has become the second biggest emitter(排放者) of greenhouse gases．The recent extreme weather in the southern regions reflects a serious environmental challenge．Experts say there is no time 10. (delay) with the effort to reduce carbon emissions.
The secret of staying slim could be as simple as keeping your mind on your meals. Research suggests that 1 ourselves from distractions and concentrating completely on the food that is in front of us, helps us stay in 2 . Such ‘mindful eating’ ensures that the 3 is in tune with (协调) the body, enabling it to ‘hear’ the chemical 4 that tell it that we are full。
Digestion 5 a complex series of signals between the gut (肠道)and the nervous system and it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to tell that the body has eaten enough. This means that if someone eats too 6 , the signals will come slowly, leading to 7 .
Scientists say that distractions make it 8 for us to remember what we have eaten. This absent-mindedness stops us from feeling 9 – and sends us reaching for some snacks later on. It is thought that our memory of what we have eaten plays a key role in 10 appetite. This means that distractions stop us from remembering the detail of what we have eaten – leaving us feeling 11 .
Advocates of mindful eating 12 chewing food slowly and taking note of its color, smell and flavor. Before 13 dieters should ask themselves if they are really hungry---and if not, distract themselves by going for a walk or reading. Done 14 , mindful eating may not only leave you 15 , but also make you enjoy mealtimes.
1.A. feeling B. protecting C. freeing D. saving
2.A. shape B. health C. touch D. business
3.A. appetite B. speed C. emotion D. mind
4.A. orders B. sounds C. desires D. messages
5.A. discovers B. involves C. sends D. holds
6.A. quickly B. slowly C. gradually D. suddenly
7.A. imbalance B. damage C. overeating D. failure
8.A. clearer B. easier C. sharper D. harder
9.A. full B. great C. comfortable D. delicious
10.A. building B. losing C. controlling D. improving
11.A. upset B. eager C. hungry D. desperate
12.A. mind B. advise C. avoid D. consider
13.A. snacking B. running C. writing D. cooking
14.A. quietly B. strongly C. properly D. poorly
15.A. slim B. fat C. strong D. calm
