Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”

“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (說明書). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”

Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.

This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.

“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.

But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?

According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.

By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.

Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.

“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”

1.What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

A．To show that Tony Buzan was worried about his study.

B．To invite us to think about the importance of manuals.

C．To prove that the mind map is a useful tool for the brain.

D．To show why Tony Buzan studies the brain and learning.

2.What does the word “stimulate” mean in the passage?

A．Excite.            B．Improve.          C．Encourage.        D．Affect.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．If we learn the mind map, we will become the best student.

B．The mind map will help your brain connect separate details.

C．The mind map will be more effective if we put more details in it.

D．We will solve the problem if we make connections between ideas.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to make the mind map?

B．Is the mind map widely used?

C．Can your memory be mapped?

D．Is the mind map helpful in thinking?

 

Jack is an English student. He always stays at home for his holidays. But last winter he thought, “I have never left the country. All my friends have been to Germany. They like it very much. So this year I’m going there for my holiday.”

    First he went to Berlin and stayed in a small hotel for a few days. One morning he went out for a walk. In his country people drive on the left, but in Germany they drive on the right. Jack forgot about this, and while he came to a busy street, a bike knocked him down.

    Jack lay on the ground for a few seconds and then he sat up and said, “Where am I?”  An old man was selling maps at the side of the street. He quickly came to Jack and said, “Maps of the city, Sir? “

1.Jack is a(n) _____________.

A. German student  B. American student 

C. English student  D. French student

2.Jack went to Germany ____.

A. to visit his friends    B. to see his parents       

C. to drive a car          D. to spend his holidays

3.In Germany people drive ____.

A. on the right  B. on the left   C. in the middle  D. in the air

4. What happened to Jack one morning?

A. He lost his way.         B. A bike knocked him down. 

C. His car broke down.     D. He didn’t find his hotel.

5. When Jack said “Where am I ? “ What did the old man think?

A. He thought Jack was hurt.   

B. He thought Jack wanted to go home. 

    C. He thought Jack wanted something to eat.

D. He thought Jack wanted a map.

 

I’m  _________ English. My name _________ Lily. I’m a new student. I’m twelve. Now I’m in Class Three, ________, No.5 Middle School. My teacher is Miss Green. I have a sister. _______ name is Lucy. We are twins. We _________ the same. She is______ a different不同的 school.

I’m ________ duty值日 this morning. I can’t look after my sister. At school I help my teacher put放 her book, map and pictures on her ________. I tell my teacher everyone is here. But I’m ________. Jim is not at school. I don’t __________ where he is. I think he is at home.

1.A. a            B. /            C. an            D.the

2.A.am          B.is            C. are           D.be

3.A.Grade One    B. Grade one    C. grade one      D. grade One

4.A. Hers        B. Her’s        C. Her           D. She

5.A. put         B. see          C. look          D. ask

6.A. on          B.in           C.at             D. of

7.A. on          B. in           C. at            D. of

8.A. chair        B. book        C. bed          D. desk

9.A. right對     B. good         C. wrong錯     D.OK

10.A.do         B. know        C. thank         D. think

 

In April, 2013, I visited Yangzhou.

Ge Garden is very beautiful and peaceful. The ticket has a map on the back of it that I didn’t noticed until I had already left. But to be honest, I don’t think that map is very useful because it isn’t very clear an tailed. In my opinion, it’s better to improve it. Compared with He Garden, the map on the back of the ticket for He Garden is much clearer, more detailed and more useful. However, in the room that has the picture of the family members, there is only Chinese, no English, so my advice is to add English in interesting places. I got lost in the Slender West Lake. I spent about 30 minutes just trying to get out of one area. I think they need more signs posted along the trails. I like the Slender West Lake best, as she is so pretty! The ladies that were sweeping were very sweet. They always smiled at me and said hello, so it was nice.

Taking a taxi is the most efficient(有效率的) and quickest way to get around Yangzhou. I didn’t have a problem getting to the places which I’d like to go to while using a taxi. The driver was very friendly. The fare isn’t too high, either. But I didn’t enjoy taking the bus. The bus ride to the Mastixia Bay (茱萸灣公園) took long although I only had to pay one yuan. It was also hard finding where Bus 32 was. I tried asking some people in English but they couldn’t understand me, so I had to ask in simple Chinese that I only know buy that still didn’t work. I spent about one hour walking around the city to look for Bus 32. The tricycle(三輪車) was nice, but it was a little too expensive for a small distance. Maybe I was ripped off by the guy who rode for me, but it was an enjoyable ride. I felt like I was part of the garden city more.

Over all I am satisfied with Yangzhou and will recommend it to others.

1.How many places of interest are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three            B. Four             C. Five             D. Six

2.The underlined phrase “ripped off” in Paragraph 3 may mean “________”.

A. 優(yōu)惠            B. 退款            C. 騙錢            D. 免費

3.Which of the following I NOT the writher’s advice?

A.English should be added in interesting places.

B.Everyone in Yangzhou should speak English.

C.The Slender West Lake needs more signs along the trails.

D.The maps on the tickets for Ge Garden need improving.

4.We can infer（推斷） the passage may be written by ___________.

A. a foreign visitor                    B. a lady sweeping in the park

C. a taxi driver                       D. a guy riding a tricycle

 

閱讀理解
Mary has a room. It’s a big and nice room. It’s bright and clean (明亮清潔的). There are some pictures on the front wall. On the back wall there is a map of China.
There is a desk and a chair in her room. Her backpack is behind the chair. Some books and her pencil-case are on the desk. There are some color pencils, a pen, a ruler, and a knife in the pencil-case. Mary’s bed is near the desk. Her shoes and a volleyball are under the bed.
Mary and her friends are often in her room. They usually listen to music there. Mary likes English and Chinese very much. But she doesn’t like math. It’s to difficult for her. Mary’s Chinese teacher is Mr. Wang. The students all love him, he is very strict, but sometimes very funny.
【小題1】Mary’s room is __________________________.

A．too small

B．big and nice

C．bright and clean

D．both B and C

【小題2】 The volleyball is _______________________.

A．on the desk

B．on the wall

C．under the bed

D．behind the chair

【小題3】 Mary likes ______________________________.

A．playing the guitar	B．playing soccer
C．going to movies	D．listening to music

【小題4】Mr. Wang------- ______________________________.

A．is an English teacher	B．is busy and strict
C．doesn’t like his students	D．is Mary’s Chinese teacher

【小題5】 Which is right(正確的)?

A．There is a map of China on the front wall

B．Mary’s backpack and books are on the desk

C．English and Chinese are Mary’s favorite subjects（最喜歡的科目）

D．Mary doesn’t like her Chinese teacher