In the early 1950s, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals, people who speak only one language. So which is it?
Researchers presented their newest studies last month at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The latest evidence shows that being bilingual does not necessarily make people smarter. But researcher Ellen Bialystok says it probably does make you better at certain skills.
Ellen Bialystok said, “Imagine driving down the highway. There’re many things that could capture your attention and you really need to be able to monitor all of them. Why would bilingualism make you any better at that?”
And the answer, she says, is that bilingual people are often better at controlling their attention — a function called the executive control system.
Ms. Bialystok is a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, Canada. She says the best method to measure the executive control system is called the Stroop Test. A person is shown words in different colors. The person has to ignore the word but say the color. The problem is that the words are all names of colors.
Ellen Bialystok said, “So you would have the word blue written in red, but you have to say red. But blue is so salient(顯著的), it’s just lighting up all these circuits(電路) in your brain, and you really want to say blue. So you need a mechanism(機制) to override that so that you can say red. That’s the executive control system.”
Her work shows that bilingual people continually practice this function. They have to, because both languages are active in their brain at the same time. They need to suppress(抑制) one to be able to speak in the other.
This mental exercise might help in other ways, too. Researchers say bilingual children are better able to separate a word from its meaning, and more likely to have friends from different cultures. Bilingual adults are often four to five years later than others in developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
小題1:What’s the best title of the text?
A．Bilingual People, Smarter
B．Monolingual People, Smarter
C．Bilingual People, Longer Lives
D．Bilingual People, Better at Some Skills
小題2:The underlined word “override” in Paragraph 6 probably means ____.
A．pay attention to B．take no notice of
C．take an interest inD．take care of
小題3:In the Stroop Test, supposing you have the word yellow written in white, you will have to say ____.
A．whiteB．yellowC．blueD．red
小題4:Which group of people can most likely pass the Stroop Test?
A．People who can speak only Chinese.
B．People who can speak only Japanese.
C．People who can speak more than one language.
D．People who can speak only English.
小題5:Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the text?
A．A bilingual child is better at separating a word from its meaning.
B．A bilingual child can more easily make friends with a foreign child.
C．Bilingual people are more able to monitor several things at the same time.
D．It’s not possible for bilingual people to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:A
小題4:C
小題5:D
文章講述的是會雙語的人，在某些方面更擅長，文章中指的是一種測試
小題1:主旨大意題，文章講述的是會雙語的人，在某些方面更擅長。
小題2:猜測詞意題，根據(jù)前面的you really want to say blue和上一段的The person has to ignore the word but say the color. The problem is that the words are all names of colors可知，你需要忽視你想說的
小題3:實施細節(jié)題，根據(jù)第五段的A person is shown words in different colors. The person has to ignore the word but say the color.可知，要說單詞的顏色，而不是說單詞
小題4:實施細節(jié)題，根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段的Her work shows that bilingual people continually practice this function可知
小題5:實施細節(jié)題，根據(jù)最后一段的Bilingual adults are often four to five years later than others in developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease可知，D是錯誤的
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you can find in any neighborhood, these two loved each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their houses.
One evening, Brownie’s family noticed that Brownie hadn’t returned home. They went looking for him with no success. Brownie didn’t show up the next day, and, although they made their efforts to find him, by the next week he was still missing, Curiously, Spotty showed up at Brownie’s house alone, barking and jumping. Busy with their own lives, they paid no attention to the nervous little neighbor dog.
Finally, one morning Spotty refused to take “no” for an answer. Ted, Brownie’s owner, was continuously disturbed by the angry, determined little dog. Spotty followed Ted about, barking all the time, then rushing toward a nearby empty lot and back, as if to say, “Follow me! It’s urgent!”
Eventually, Ted followed Spotty across the empty lot as Spotty stopped to race back and barked encouragingly. The little dog led the man to a deserted spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie alive, one of his legs crushed in a steel trap (圈套). Frightened, Ted now wished he had taken Spotty’s earlier appeals seriously.
Then Ted noticed something. Spotty had done something else besides leading Brownie’s human owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the injured dog, Ted found some food remains of every meal. Brownie had been fed that week! Spotty had been visiting Brownie regularly, in the hope of keeping his friend alive. Spotty had actually stayed with Brownie to protect him from hunger and other dangers, and keep his spirits up.
Brownie’s leg was carefully treated and he soon got well again. For many years thereafter the two families watched the faithful friends chasing each other down that well-worn path between their houses.
小題1:At the very beginning, Ted paid little attention to Spotty because __________.
A．he was not free at the moment
B．he was sure Brownie would be OK
C．he didn’t like Spotty at all
D．his missing dog made him sad
小題2:After Ted was brought where Brownie was trapped, he ___________.
A．managed to free his dog at once
B．was very thankful to Spotty
C．regretted not following Spotty earlier
D．was angry with the trap-maker
小題3:The BEST title for this passage might be____________?
A．Dogs in LoveB．A Friend in Need
C．Human and dogsD．Dogs Are Communicative
小題4:We can infer from the passage that ___________.
A．humans and animals depend on each other for comfort
B．It’s not right to hunt for animals in any neighborhood
C．Ted has to take better care of his beloved dog later on
D．Brownie would have died without Spotty’s timely help

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There are a number of special days of the year that are celebrated in different countries. The origins of most of the days are unknown. They were certainly not created by individual people. Other days, however, especially those celebrated in western countries, often owe their origins to a particular person. One of the most popular of these, even though it is fairly recent, is Mother’s Day. Mothers have always been highly regarded in all cultures. The ancient Romans had a festival known as Hilaria, during which children took presents to the temple of the “Mother of the Gods”. The Christian Church adopted this idea and called it Mothering Sunday. However, over the years this custom was gradually forgotten and almost disappeared by the end of the 19th century.
Born in 1864 in Virginia, USA, Anna Jarvis was a school teacher and believed children should show gratitude to their mothers for all their love and care. Encouraged by a friend, she wrote to thousands of important people—politicians, churchmen, doctors, city officials—and asked them to support her idea: a special day of the year for thanking mothers.
In 1910 the Governor of West Virginia introduced Mother’s Day into the state. The date chosen was May 10—the second Sunday in May, which is still observed in America today. This date was chosen because May 10 was the date on which in 1908 Anna Jarvis’s mother had died. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made May 10 the official date for Mother’s Day throughout the United States.
Soon there was a Mother’s Day International Association and the custom began to be adopted in many countries of the world.
Anna Jarvis, a sad and disillusioned（失望的） woman, died in 1948. The custom she had worked so hard to establish and which had become almost universal had lost its original purpose. It had been taken over by business. Like Christmas, the giving of presents and the sending of cards had become a multi-million-dollar industry.
小題1:The story is about     .
A．Mothering Sunday for Christmas
B．the origin of a special day for mothers
C．President Wilson and Anna Jarvis
D．how people celebrate Mothers Day
小題2:Anna Jarvis wanted to       .
A．thank her mother for her care
B．introduce a celebration for mothers
C．meet thousands of important people
D．make her pupils celebrate her on Mother’s Day
小題3:May 10 became the date for Mother’s Day because       .
A．May is in the American spring
B．it was the second Sunday in May in 1910
C．President Wilson liked the date
D．this was the date on which Anna Jarvis’s mother died
小題4:Unfortunately, Anna Jarvis was not happy with Mother’s Day when she died because     .
A．her mother was not there to see it
B．she had never been a mother herself
C．people were too interested in making it a business
D．no one gave any presents or cards to their mothers

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to se11 millions of models because he could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made a great many cars of exactly the same kind． Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（機械師）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “Model T” did not appear until 1908-----five years after Ford had started his great motor car factory．This car showed to be so well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty years．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would otherwise be very expensive．
小題1:Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．
A．cheap and strongB．cheap and long
C．fast and expensiveD．strong and slow
小題2:Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．
A．he made many great cars
B．his cars are many
C．he made lots of cars of the same kind
D．both A and B
小題3:The young man became a mechanic，_______．
A．which was his father’s will
B．which was against his own will
C．which was against his father’s will
D．which was the will of both
小題4:The “Model T” was very famous_____．
A．before 1908B．between 1982 and 1908
C．before 1892D．a(chǎn)fter 1908
小題5:Ford built his own car factory_____?
A．in 1903B．in 1908C．in 1913D．in 1897

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Perhaps every older generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn’t it obvious that kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?
However, this summer, my impression of today’s kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity (成熟) and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.
At age 5, Rachel had her long hair cut off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that’s what she did.
Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called “charity: water”. Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she skipped her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.
Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.
When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life-support machine. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.
Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser (募捐行動). Contributions poured in, often they donated $9. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.
This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE of Rachel?
A．She died at the age of 8.B．She was a cancer patient.
C．She was a warm-hearted girl.D．She founded Locks of Love.
小題2:The underlined word “skipped” in Paragraph 4 probably means “      ”.
A．put off B．gave upC．expectedD．planned
小題3:According to the text, Rachel set up the birthday page to       .
A．make more new friends
B．call on people to donate hair
C．a(chǎn)sk her friends to send her gifts
D．raise money to help African children
小題4:How does the author feel about the young generation now?
A．WorriedB．Critical.C．Appreciative.D．Doubtful
小題5:What would be the best title for the text?
A．Rachel’s last fund-raiser
B．Rachel and her birthday page
C．Kids are addicted to social networks.
D．What’s wrong with the young generation?

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38-year-old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky,” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres,” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk.
Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it’s not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city,” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.”
Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn’t take any unnecessary risk she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it,” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1,000°C, so if you hesitated your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision --- there wasn't time to do anything else.”
And what about the future? “I haven’t been to the volcanoes in Indonesia yet. And I would love to spend some time working in the Antarctic,” she says. “I would also like to know why quiet lava flows erupt from some volcanoes and why other volcanoes go bang.” In other words, Hazel Rymer won’t be exchanging her volcanoes for the relative safety of driving to work just yet.
小題1:Hazel’s claim that “driving to work is more risky” than exploring volcanoes shows that ______.
A．people have exaggerated the dangers of volcanoes in the past
B．Hazel does not really understand the dangerous situations she puts herself in.
C．there are many bad drivers in the place where Hazel lives
D．Hazel is being modest and understating the dangers she faces
小題2:When did Hazel first become interested in volcanoes?
A．When she was visiting Italy.
B．When she was at school.
C．When she was twenty.
D．When she saw Vesuvius.
小題3:The underlined word “these” (in paragraph 3) refers to __________.
A．melting ice-caps B．volcanic eruptions
C．changes in sea level D．higher temperatures
小題4:When Hazel was on Mount Etna she had to ________.
A．take a dangerous route
B．take an unnecessary risk
C．leave her boots behind
D．walk for ten hours around the mountain
小題5:In the future, Hazel wants to ________.
A．revisit volcanoes she knows
B．go on holiday to the Antarctic
C．find a less dangerous job
D．discover new things about volcanoes

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

One day a famous actor had just got into the train with all his luggage when a young man came and   31  down in the seat opposite him. The young man took out a  32  and began to read it, 33  the actor tried to get some   34 in his corner of the carriage.
When he opened his eyes,  he   35  that the young man was looking at him with his   36  open, his book forgotten. The actor shut his eyes and tried to sleep again, 37  every time he opened them, the young man was looking at him with the same excited look .At last, he gave up the attempt(企圖) to sleep, took out a newspaper, put it   38  in front of him and began to read. The young man tried several times to get into conversation with the actor, but   39 .
After a long period of silence the young man said again, “I’m George P. Anderson of Willington, Vermont.” This time the actor put his   40  down and said, “So am I.” That was the end of the conversation.
小題1:
A．layB．satC．lookedD．got
小題2:
A．newspaperB．magazineC．bookD．letter
小題3:
A．whenB．becauseC．a(chǎn)sD．while
小題4:
A．drinkB．helpC．foodD．sleep
小題5:
A．foundB．thoughtC．feltD．expected
小題6:
A．bookB．mouthC．a(chǎn)rmsD．shirt
小題7:
A．butB．thereforeC．soD．however
小題8:
A．a(chǎn)wayB．upC．downD．out
小題9:
A．failedB．succeededC．missedD．refused
小題10:
A．paperB．luggageC．feetD．hands

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Diana Velez does everything with great effort---and at maximum speed．That  21 learning a new language，completing two certificates(證書) and opening a store．
When arriving in Canada in 2008，she set one  22 ：to have what she had back home in Colombia．“I didn’t want to  23  what I do，like those who come to a new country，”she said．“I  24  to open a store here in Canada but knew I had to  25  myself properly.”
Diana quickly realized that turning her dream of shop ownership in Canada a 26  meant going to school to get the  27  education and certification．“My experience of owning a shop and working as a designer in Colombia gave me  28  in my abilities，but I couldn’t speak the language and I had to  29 how to do things in Canada．It was like having to  30 all overagain，”said Diana．
  31  ，she found just the help she needed for her re-launch (重新開張)  32  continuing education at George Brown College．She began taking  33  for both the Essential Skills in Fashion Certificate and the Image Consulting Certificate in May 2009． 34  Diana met with the language barrier(困難)，she was always going 35  while at college．
By the end of October 2009, she had completed all certificate requirements．Within two years after her  36  in Canada，Diana at last achieved her  37  goal when her new store opened its doors in Toronto’s Sheppard Centre．She was on the fast-track to   38 ．
Looking back，Diana，a fashion(時裝)designer， 39  her achievements to the goal she set，the education she received from the college，and  40 ，the efforts she made．Now Diana is very happy doing what she is doing．
小題1:
A．requiresB．encouragesC．includes D．a(chǎn)dvises
小題2:
A．goalB．memoryC．choice D．problem
小題3:
A．continueB．chooseC．change D．lose
小題4:
A．demandedB．decidedC．a(chǎn)greed D．hesitated
小題5:
A．teachB．prepareC．enjoy D．persuade
小題6:
A．realityB．factC．challenge D．wonder
小題7:
A．physicalB．privateC．primary D．necessary
小題8:
A．pressureB．judgmentC．influence D．confidence
小題9:
A．put awayB．depend onC．learn aboutD．look into
小題10:
A．a(chǎn)dvanceB．startC．suffer D．work
小題11:
A．NaturallyB．GraduallyC．Luckily D．Clearly
小題12:
A．throughB．forC．before D．with
小題13:
A．notesB．responsibilitiesC．chances D．courses
小題14:
A．ThoughB．AsC．Since D．Once
小題15:
A．a(chǎn)roundB．backC．a(chǎn)headD．out
小題16:
A．a(chǎn)dventureB．a(chǎn)rrivalC．performance D．journey
小題17:
A．originalB．commonC．a(chǎn)nother D．distant
小題18:
A．successB．wealthC．gloryD．happiness
小題19:
A．a(chǎn)ddsB．connectsC．devotesD．owes
小題20:
A．a(chǎn)fter allB．a(chǎn)bove allC．a(chǎn)t least D．a(chǎn)t first

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.
In the same time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s funeral(葬禮). He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I’ve arrived!
I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平靜)as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
小題1:Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?
A．To visit their family and friends
B．To escape from the cold winter
C．To escape from their busy work
D．To attend a friend’s funeral
小題2:What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?
A．He checked into a wrong hotel
B．He forget to bring the laptop
C．He misspelled her wife’s address
D．He forgot to mail his letter
小題3:The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had          .
A．gone back to his hometown
B．called his family to say hello
C．been awarded a prize
D．died and gone to heaven
小題4:How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?
A．PleasedB．AmazedC．FrightenedD．Moved
小題5:Which of the following is true according to the text?
A．The woman’s husband died of a heart attack
B．The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail
C．The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago.
D．His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error.

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