The 21st century discoveries about the human brain and its functioning have showed the surprising fact that human abilities are not fixed at birth. In other words, what you are able to do with your life is not fixed when you are born. It is not all in the genes (基 因 ). It is not just nature: nurture (教育, 培育) plays an important part in the moulding (塑造) of what a person is, and what he/she can be.

    Brain plasticity (可塑性) or neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) refers to the amazing ability of the human brain to modify (修改) its structure and functions according to the changes within the body and/or in the outer environment.

    In his book „The Brain that Changes Itself‟ psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., offers an introduction to the great scientists strongly supporting neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've changed. The book describes real life stories of stroke( 中 风 ) patients learning to speak again, and the amazing story of a woman born with half a brain that restructured itself to work as a whole. It is a book that changes the way we think about our brain, its nature, and its potential (潜能).

    The genes we receive from our parents are finite (有限的), no doubt about that. However, our brain's ability to develop is infinite. New brain cells are being born all the time, and to keep them alive and growing, we have to stimulate (刺激) them.

    Here lies the promise of neuroplasticity in the moulding of children into adults who are capable of realizing their potential. For, genius is nothing but a human being who has realized his /her inborn potential! What Mozart, Einstein and da Vinci had was inborn potential plus (和，外加) the right environment.

    All geniuses started life in exactly the same way. They had parents who supported the development of their individual gifts and talents. They had the right environment and stimuli (刺激， 刺激物) that led to the best development of themselves.

    You can think about your child's gifts as the merging (融合的) colours of a rainbow. The possibilities are endless. All children are born with three natural abilities that provide them with the potential to think like a genius: the abilities to think, to learn and to develop their own individual way of thinking and learning.

    Can your child be a genius? Yes, he/she can be, if you give him/her the right environment, the right stimuli and the right guidance.

One morning the Smiths all wanted to eat something, but there was only one piece of cake. Everyone thought (认为), "____".

Dad said Grandpa should (应该) eat it. He was old. He took the plate (盘子) to Grandpa.

Mum said Grandma should eat it. She did housework every day. She got the plate from Dad. Mia got the plate from Mum. She said that grandparents and parents should eat it. Her mother was very surprised (吃惊的), but then she was very happy.

Grandpa said Mia should eat it. He said she was very cute in the family. He took the plate to Mia.

Hearing what Grandpa said, they all thought Mia should eat it. But Mia couldn't eat it. She didn't want to take the plate.

Then the cake dropped (掉) on the floor. Bruno, a dog caught it in his mouth (嘴). He liked it a lot.

Then, Mia had an idea. The family went out, for ice cream, but they didn't take Bruno.

Do you want to have a better memory? What can you do to i{#blank#}1{#/blank#} it? First of all, you should live a healthy life. You should have a healthy diet and get enough sleep i{#blank#}2{#/blank#} of staying up late. If you do not get enough sleep, you can't remember things well. Second, you can also {#blank#}3{#/blank#} yourself to some new skills. You can give your brain a lot of exercise in this way. Third, try to remember things in some funny ways or with the help of pictures or stories. Sometimes, a picture or a story is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} a thousand words. Finally, stay relaxed. Your memory will be less sharp if you worry too much. 

Follow the s{#blank#}5{#/blank#} above and you will find yourself remember things more easily. 

Maybe you often have arguments 1 your parents about clothes, homework, friends and many other things. But what's going on when your parents fight with each other? Most teenagers feel sad or afraid when their parents fight. They might think their parents don't love each other any more and that their arguments will 2 to a divorce（离婚）.

In fact, it is 3 for parents to disagree and argue sometimes. They might disagree on important things like jobs and family decisions. They might even disagree on little things that don't seem important at all — like what's for dinner. Maybe sometimes parents feel so strongly about their 4 that it may lead to arguments. However, these arguments often end quickly. Parents may say sorry and make up, and the family 5 to a normal situation.

As a family member, you should 6 what it really means when your parents fight. When your parents get angry with each other, they might say things they don't really 7 . Most people may lose their cool. So if your parents are fighting, don't worry too much about it. Try to find a good 8 to solve it.

If your parents' fighting really 9 you, you might find it hard to sleep or go to school. If this happens, try talking to your parents about their behavior. They may not even 10 it until you tell them how their argument has affected you. You can also tell it other relatives, a teacher or a close friend.

Just remember that no family is perfect and arguments are common in every family.

Listening test is one of the most important parts of the English exam. Here are some tips for you.

Before you start to listen, you need to relax. Don't be stressed out. And try to read the questions. These questions usually help you understand the conversation or the passage.

Then listen carefully to the first sentence. It usually tells you the main idea of the passage. When you're listening, try to do some thinking and take some notes, such as:

☆What happened.

☆When, where, and how.

☆What does the speaker want to tell us.

In this way, you may understand the passage better.

Please remember not to think about one or two words for a long time. When you hear some words you don't know, don't spend too much time on them. Very often, you'll find out what they mean later when you go on with the listening.