Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

    Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Read on for some techniques worth trying.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

    ⒉ Go for a walk

    Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒊ Learn something new

    Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

A Small-Town Christmas

    I worked lots of extra hours in my first Christmas season as a clerk for Dancer's, the department store in my small hometown of Wayland, Michigan.

    I'd started the job, which paid 85 cents an hour, that summer of 1966 after getting a work permit at age 15. Our neighbor Arnie Wilde was the manager, and I soon learned how to fit shoes, measure and cut cloth, and keep the shelves of shirts and underwear nice and neat.

    We closed at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and at 5:55 a local farmer came in to find gifts for his wife. Arnie told me this was a holiday habit of Mr. Johnson's, and that we'd do our best to take care of him.

    I knew Mr. Johnson, whose daughter was in my class and in the band, so I went to help him. We wandered through the sweaters, dresses and skirts, the pretty towels and practical flannel ( 法 兰绒) nightgowns. We talked about size and color and what I thought Mrs. Johnson would like.

    After nearly half an hour of mulling, Mr. Johnson decided on a flannel nightgown with pretty pink slippers to match and a piece of jewelry that I'd pointed out to him. I wrapped his gifts and completed the sale, and Arnie and I walked home for dinner.

    The next Christmas Eve, like clockwork, Mr. Johnson came in at 5:55. We went through the same process, taking lots of time again to choose and wrap gifts. Tired but happy, Arnie and I headed for home.

    By my third Christmas at Dancer's, I was an experienced salesclerk. Mrs. Johnson had come into the store in late summer to buy school clothes for the kids, and we chatted while I helped her shop. As she commented on pretty colors and the lovely way a dress was made, I made mental notes.

    When Mr. Johnson made his last-minute appearance on Christmas Eve, I was ready. I told him, “Mrs. Johnson was in not too long ago, and I noticed how much she liked this royal blue sweater and the plaid skirt that goes with it so beautifully.” She'd also told me that she really needed new boots, confiding that she was ashamed to walk into church with her old ones.

    I'd found some perfect boots in her size and had put them aside for Christmas Eve. Well, Mr. Johnson was impressed, and I think more than a little relieved. We had him out the door by 6:10 with everything wrapped in paper and ribbons!

    I worked for Arnie three more holiday seasons and was always there just before closing on Christmas Eve, when Mr. Johnson knew I had the answers he needed. The big stores in Grand Rapids had more merchandise and lovely Christmas fantasies in their windows, but it's only in a small town that neighbors take care of neighbors.

⑴Questions①to⑤. Judge if the following statements agree with the information given in the passage. Choose A  for  TRUE  if  the  statements agree with  it;  choose B  for  FALSE  if  the statements don't agree with it; choose C for NOT GIVEN if the information the statements carry is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

⑵Questions⑥to⑨. Match the following words with their meanings in the passage. Note that there are four choices more than you need.

⑶Question⑩. Choose the best answer from A, B, C or D.

    Kids who are old enough to surf the Internet can get to know the world. But it can also bring problems. For example, some of the websites are not proper for kids, which can lead to kid's growth problems. That's why it's important to know what your kids see and hear on the Internet.

    When it comes to safety problems, it's wise to take advantage of online protection tools. They will control your kids' seeing and using adult material. Many Internet service-providers (ISPs) provide parent-control choices to prevent certain material from coming into a computer. You can also get software (软件) that keeps your child from certain sites based on a “bad site” list that your ISP creates. Besides, keep the computer in a common area, not in their own bedrooms, where you can keep a close eye on their activities.

    Discuss the dangers of talking with strangers online and remind your kids that people online don't always tell the truth. Tell your kids never to give strangers their personal information, such as the address, phone number, school name or location. Tell them never to exchange photos with strangers in the chat rooms online, which will put the families at risk. Tell them never to agree to meet anyone from a chat room in person. Tell them never to reply to a dangerous email, message, post or text. Give your kids some encouragement to let them tell you about any communication or conversation that is dangerous. Nothing can make sure that they'll be kept away from 100% of the risks on the Internet. So it's important for you to spend time online together to teach your kids proper online behavior and educate them about online risks so they can surf the Internet safely. Taking an active part in your kids' Internet activities will help ensure that they benefit from the wealth of valuable information it offers.

    If your child spend long hours online, especially at night, with people you don't know, you should take notice of your kids behavior. If your child suddenly turns off the computer when you walk into the room, ask why. Unwillingness to discuss online activities is another sign to watch for.

    If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping. I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insect bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} We sleep in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor's bill for my son's food poisoning.

    I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A.I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

B.Things are going to be improved.

C.I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

D.The trip they took me on was a rough one.

E.After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

F. This time there was no tent.

G. There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。

When a thought has found words

    Poetry is the forgotten child of literature. Few people read it for pleasure and modern poets are looked upon as odd creatures from a strange universe. In Western high schools, poetry is seldom taught because it is considered old-fashioned and not relevant to the needs of today's students.

    In China, however, poetry is still an important part of the curriculum and, with recent changes announced by the Ministry of Education, the number of poems students will have to memorize and recite is being increased from fourteen to seventy-two. Now, before you gasp in horror, let's think about the reasons why studying so many poems, especially ancient poems, is important.

    First of all, poetry is an essential part of traditional Chinese culture. It is a pathway to understanding your history and your society. It is also the key to understanding the thoughts and emotions that are common to everyone but which we may be unable to express—the joy of Li Bai dancing with the moon, for example. Everyone has feelings of joy, love, loneliness, sadness and even anger, and a good poem can put those emotions into words and bring us self-understanding.

    Poems can also express beauty. In a few short lines, even something commonplace can become beautiful. Here is a poem called "Fog" by Carl Sandberg: The fog comes / on silent haunches (弓腰蹲着) / and then moves on. Yes, fog does move smoothly, silently and mysteriously like a cat, and Sandberg captures that feeling and image, and makes it beautiful.

    Of course, to really appreciate poetry, it has to be really aloud. After all, a poem is really just a song without music. Most ancient poetry, especially Western poetry, was actually spoken before it was written. Take Homer's Iliad (伊利亚德), the story of the Trojan War (特洛伊战争), for example. That epic saga (史诗般的故事) of Helen's kidnapping and the war that followed was apparently told for hundreds of years in palaces, taverns (客栈) and on street corners before Homer wrote it down and was given credit for it.

    The American poet Robert Frost said, "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words." And poems are very concise—there is not a wasted word. You are lucky that you now have seventy-two poems to learn!

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The following methods may work best for you.

    ●Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    ●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    ●Write your notes in your own words.

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols (符号) and that you use them all the time. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.