Many people think of the brain as a mystery.They don't know much about intelligence and how it works.When they do think about what intelligence is，many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life.But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights，your muscles get bigger and you get stronger.A person who can't lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time.That's because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise.And when you stop exercising，the muscles shrink and you get weaker.That's why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don't know that when they practice and learn new things，parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise. Inside the cortex(皮層)of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells，called neurons. The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network. Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems. When you learn new things，these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger.The more you challenge your mind to learn，the more your brain cells grow.Then，things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do—like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra(代數(shù))—seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time.The result is a stronger，smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals'brains.They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more perspicacious—they were better at solving problems and learning new things.
【小題1】According to the first paragraph，________.

A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle
B．until now it's impossible to explain the brain's mystery
C．many people believe one's intelligence is naturally determined
D．one's brain grows stronger as the age increases
【小題2】Training muscles is compared to ________.
A．using the brain
B．connecting things in your brain
C．lifting weights
D．doing research about the brain
【小題3】What does the underlined word“perspicacious”in the last paragraph probably mean?
A．Strong. B．Smart.
C．Popular. D．Active.
【小題4】The following paragraph will most probably talk about ________.
A．the differences between animals'brains and humans'brains
B．the relation between human brains and muscles
C．scientists' findings about animals' brains
D．how to make your brain smarter through self?development


【小題1】C
【小題2】A
【小題3】B
【小題4】C

解析科學(xué)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，經(jīng)常學(xué)習(xí)能促進(jìn)大腦的發(fā)育，正如經(jīng)常鍛煉能使肌肉更強(qiáng)健一樣。
【小題1】考查推理判斷。根據(jù)第一段中的“many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life”可知C項正確。
答案　C
【小題2】考查細(xì)節(jié)理解。根據(jù)第一段中的“But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.”可知答案。
答案　A
【小題3】考查詞義猜測。根據(jù)破折號后面的“they were better at solving problems and learning new things”可知，該詞應(yīng)為“敏銳的”之意。
答案　B
【小題4】考查推理判斷。最后一段提出科學(xué)家是從研究動物的大腦得出的結(jié)論，因此下一段最可能進(jìn)一步描述這些研究成果。
答案　C

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

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【小題1】We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.

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【小題2】What is the text mainly about?
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【小題3】What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
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B．If your tongue is dried without any saliva on it，it will not work.
C．A tissue paper is the only thing that can be used to dry our tongues.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Imagine you’re in a dark room, running your fingers over a smooth surface in search of a single dot the size of this period, How high do you think the dot must be for your finger to feel it?
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Our hands are smart and can do many tasks automatically - button a shirt, fit a key in a lock, play the; piano for others．Dr．Lederman and her colleagues have shown that blindfolded subjects can easily recognize a wide range of common -objects placed．in their hands．But on some feeling tasks, touch is all thumbs （very clumsy）． When people are given a raised line drawing of a common object, they're puzzled．“If all we've got is outline information;" Dr．Lederman said,．“no weight, no texture, no temperature information, well, we're very, very bad with that．"
Touch also turns out to be easy to fool, Among the sensory tricks now being investigated is something called the Pinocchio illusion． Researchers have found that if they shake the band of the biceps（二頭肌）, many people report feeling that their forearm is getting 'longer, their hand floating ever further from their elbow（肘）． And if they are told to touch the forefinger of the shaken arm to the tip of their nose, they feel as though their nose was lengthening, too． 
【小題1】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?   

A．Our eyes are more sensitive than our fingers．
B．Our fingers are more sensitive than our eyes．
C．Our eyes are more sensitive than our ears．
D．Our noses are less sensitive than our ears．
【小題2】The sense that is firstly awaked during a child's development is the sense of        ．
A．sightB．tasteC．hearingD．touch
【小題3】The underlined sentence “You can't do that with touch” here means “You can't        ”．
A．close your skinB．close your eyes ' C．touch anythingD．see anything
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A．living a well-rounded virtual life
B．understanding how the mind works
C．favoring eyesight and hearing
D．building better 'touch screen objects
【小題5】In the view of       , movement is needed when we want to know something by touching．
A．the author B．Chris Dijkerman
C．Lynette JonesD．Susan Lederman

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

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【小題1】Why were redwood trees easier to find in the forests of North America millions of years ago?

A．The trees were taller and stronger． 
B．The soil was softer for seeds to develop． 
C．The climate there was warmer and wetter． 
D．The temperature was lower along the Pacific coast． 
【小題2】Which of the following is a function of the tree bark as mentioned in the passage?
A．It allows redwood trees to bear seeds． 
B．It prevents redwood trees from attack by insects． 
C．It helps redwood trees absorb water in the air． 
D．It makes redwood trees more beautiful and appealing． 
【小題3】Why do redwood trees grow to live that long according to the passage?
A．They have heavy and straight tree trunks． 
B．They are properly watered and catered to． 
C．They are more resistant to fire damage than other trees． 
D．They produce many young trees to maintain their life cycle． 
【小題4】How does a “fairy ring’’ form according to the passage?
A．By killing an old tree． B．By connecting root systems． 
C．By inserting holes into old trees． D．By surrounding a mature tree． 

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Chinese scientists have found a new way to use cells found in human urine （尿液）that could aid in the treatment of a range of nerve disorders.That is a new technique for reprogramming cells in human urine into nerve progenitor cells  that can grow into multi-functional nerve and brain cells.
The technique is expected to be used in the study and treatment of nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other nerve disorders.
Pei Duanqing, a professor at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his research team has combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram kidney epithelial(腎表皮) cells in urine into NPCs.
These NPCs, normally only found in the human brain, were later proven to be transgene-free and self-renewing, he said.
"These nerve and brain cells can survive for up to one month when transplanted into the brain of a newborn rat," said Pei. "My team is working hard to understand why our experimental condition allowed the urine cells to become NPCs, because we want to improve the technique and make it more efficient".
Scientists have long searched to treat and study neural disorders by obtaining and transplanting neural stem cells. However, the previous method of getting and using cells from either fetal (胎兒)or adult human tissue remains challenging due to ethical concerns and immune system rejections, he said.
Pei hopes the discovery will be used to generate NPCs from patients with nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease. "These NPCs from patients may help us discover new drugs for these diseases."
"It is a remarkable advance in the stem cell field. The results and methods obtained from this study will be of great value and significance to the field, " said Fred Gage,a professor with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
【小題1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．NPCs are beneficial in treating human diseases.
B．Chinese scientists succeeded in making NPCs from human urine.
C．Chinese scientists have found cures for all diseases.
D．A new technique was used to study the use of human urine
【小題2】Pei and his tean try their best to work hard in order to      .
A．make more contributions to medical study
B．discover another new technique
C．make the technique more perfect
D．treat more patients suffering from bad diseases
【小題3】What is the challenge of making NPCs in the previous method?
A．The ethical comcerns and immune system refusal
B．The difificulties in getting cells from human.
C．The under-developed techniques in medical science.
D．The lack of financial support from the government.
【小題4】From the last paragraph we can infer      .
A．the new technique will be developed in science
B．the results and methods will be applied to treating cancers
C．the study will give a major push to the stem cell field
D．the mew technique will bring great profis

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