We already know that exercise is good for our bodies. Daily exercise fights the loss of muscle tone and flexibility that tends to increase slowly with age. And it turns out that it has the same fountain-of-youth effects on our brains.
Studies show that over time our minds also become less flexible and nimble. We lose the ability to process new information or switch between mental tasks quickly — and now we know why.
A recent study examined nearly 100 individual studies on exercise and brain function and discovered exercising an average of 52 hours over six months is "associated with improved cognitive(认知的)performance in older adults with and without cognitive damage." The type of exercises that are beneficial include aerobic, strength-training and mind-body.
In previous studies, researchers from Japan's University of Tsukuba wanted to explore this idea by looking at the effect of exercise on this weakening of the brain. They tested the oxygen ability of 60 Japanese men between the ages of 64 and 75 who did not show any signs of dementia or other mental symptoms. Next, they looked at the brain activity of each man as he completed a mental task. They found that the fitter a participant was, the less brain activity he used to complete the tasks when compared with his out-of-shape peers(同龄人).
Although much research is focused on how exercise may benefit an aging brain, exercise offers brain health benefits at almost any age, and this includes children. A review of 14 studies showed that more physically active schoolchildren do better academically. Exercise actually causes your brain to grow in size. So get moving and keep moving for best results.
1.Which of the following best explains “nimble” underlined in Paragraph 2?
A. Intelligent. B. Dull. C. Unique. D. Simple.
2.What can we infer about the participants’ less-active peers?
A. They had significant brain advantages. B. Their brains were younger than their age.
C. They didn’t have to attend health classes. D. Their cognitive performance would decline.
3.How does the author support his idea?
A. By making comparisons. B. By analyzing study results.
C. By describing the processes. D. By telling his own experiences.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Exercise is beneficial for your bodies.
B. Exercise is especially good for the old.
C. Exercise can benefit your brain health.
D. Exercise may lower your risk of mental problems.
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had. He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment. Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.
Billy Wilder was born in 1906 in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Billy Wilder started law school in Vienna, Austria. However, he began reporting for a Vienna newspaper after graduation. By the 1920s, he was writing movies in Germany. However, the Nazis had risen to power in the nation. Wider was Jewish, and he recognized that he had no future in Nazi Germany. In 1933, he went to Paris. There he directed a movie for the first time. It was called “The Bad Seed”. Then he received word that producers in the United States had accepted one of his scripts. Billy Wilder left Europe for America.
In America he formed a writing team with Charles Brackett. The two writers created many films together. Wilder and Brackett wrote several successful movies. One was the nineteen thirty-nine movie, “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. Ernst Lubitsch directed the film. Wilder always praised this man as a friend and teacher whose humor and expert direction greatly influenced his works.
In 1954, Billy Wilder became an independent producer. The next year, Wilder’s first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success. It was “The Seven Year Itch”. In 1959, Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular. I.A.L. Diamond joined Wilder in writing “Some Like It Hot”.
By the 1980s, Wilder no longer was considered the most unusual, creative movie-maker in Hollywood. In recent years, however, Billy Wilder received many more awards and honors. Critics praised his gifts to movie making. In 1987, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is the highest award a producer can receive.
1.Which is Wilder’s first successful movie as an independent filmmaker?
A. Ninotchka
B. The Bad Seed
C. Some Like It Hot
D. The Seven Year Itch
2.What can we know about Wilder according to the text?
A. He intended to be a lawyer at first.
B. He starred a movie for the first time in Paris.
C. He is the first director to make realistic movies.
D. He has been accepted as the most creative movie-maker.
3.Why did Wilder leave Germany?
A. He was Jewish and couldn’t develop there.
B. The Nazis were searching for him everywhere.
C. He was invited to produce his script in America.
D. He expected to go to Paris to form a writing team.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. The Maker of History of American Movies
B. Billy Wilder — a Best Movie Maker
C. An Autobiography of a Director
D. The Best Director and Producer
Have you ever been to France before? It is not only a country of great food, fashion and art. It’s also home to the most influential painters in the world.
Edouard Manet
He was one of the first artists to paint modern life. He began to paint in his own style, but still used some of Couture’s techniques like thick lines and dark colors. He was greatly influenced by Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot, which can be seen in his use of light shades. Most of his paintings had scenes of daily life on the streets of Paris. His works include Olympia and The Absinthe Drinker.
Camille Pissarro
In his early years, Pissarro painted scenes of a river or a path from memory. After meeting Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne, who painted in a more realistic style, he changed his course to Impressionism. During his career, he experimented with various styles, and finally formed his own one. His works include Old Market at Rouen and Sunset at St. Charles.
Vincent van Gogh
He had a huge influence on art in the 20th century. His early works were most painted in somber tones. However, influenced by Monet, Pissarro, and Bernard, he adopted brighter colors in his works, and started creating his own techniques. Although he had produced more than 2,000 works of art, the artist sold only one painting during his lifetime — Red Vineyard at Arles. His works include The Potato Eaters, Starry Night and Bedroom in Arles.
Claude Monet
He was the founder of the Impressionist movement and completely changed the French painting in the 19th century. Although he first started by selling charcoal caricatures（木炭讽刺画）in Paris, he soon started painting with oil after meeting Eugene Boudin, who taught him to use oil paints and also encouraged him to paint outdoors. And then he painted with his own style. His works include Impression, Sunrise and The Water Liles.
1.What can we learn about Edouard Manet’s paintings?
A. They reflected the changes of life.
B. They were mainly about daily life.
C. They were all painted in bright colors.
D. They were painted in Morisot’s style.
2.Which painting was sold by Vincent van Gogh in person?
A. The Potato Eaters.
B. Bedroom in Arles.
C. Red Vineyard at Arles.
D. Starry Night.
3.What’s the common point of the four painters from the text?
A. All of them were given many awards in their life.
B. All of them were taught by some famous painters.
C. All of them had a good taste in delicious food.
D. All of them had their unique styles in painting.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.W hat is the story set in?
A. Old France. B. Modern France. C. A prison.
2.What can we know about Jean Valjean?
A. He lives in a beautiful house.
B. He lives with his parents.
C. He is a good worker but very poor.
3.Why does Jean Valjean go to steal the bread?
A. He hates the owner of the cake shop.
B. He has to help his sister's seven children.
C. He is brave enough to do that.
4.How long would Jean Valjean be in prison?
A. Five years B. Eleven years. C. Nineteen years.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the man say about puppies?
A. They are noisy. B. They are lovely. C. They take a lot of work.
2.Why could Susan get a puppy?
A. Her house has a garden.
B. She lives in a big apartment.
C. Her parents have m ore free time.
3.What does the m an suggest the girl do?
A. Choose another pet. B. Walk the puppy every day. C. Play with Susan's puppy.
4.What will the m an do next?
A. Go to his office. B. Go to a pet shop. C. Talk with his wife.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does the dialogue probably take place?
A. At a bus stop. B. In a supermarket. C. At the airport.
2.Why is the woman familiar with the situation?
A. She is an experienced driver.
B. She lives near the city.
C. She often takes the bus.
3.When will the m an arrive at the mall if he starts at 10 o'clock?
A. Around 10: 30. B. Around 13: 00. C. Around 3: 00.
