39.A.Oh B.Alas C.Right D.As 40.A.result B.effect C.scale D.cause III. Reading Comprehension
Directions: After reading the following passages, you will find 5
questions or unfinished statement. For each question or statement there are 4 choices marked A, B, C or D. You should make the correct choice.
Passage One
Just as exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, bones and muscles, it may also power up the brain. A succession of scientific studies of animals implies that physical activity has a positive effect on mental functioning.
“It’s clear that the brain benefits from exercise,” says scientist William Greenough of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His studies with rats have demonstrated two primary effects of activity: vigorous physical exercise provides the brain with more fuel, and skill-based exercise increases the formation of connections in the brain, which, according to the proposals of some scientists, may make the brain better able to process information.
In one experiment, laboratory rats were separated into three groups. One group was exercised by running inside an automatic wheel, a second group improved their skills in a complicated obstacle course, and a third group was inactive.
“The animals that learned to go through the obstacle course exhibited a greater number of brain connections than the animals in the exercised or inactive groups,” Greenough said. “In contrast, the animals that exercised inside the automatic wheel possessed a greater density of blood vessels in the brain than did either of the other two groups of animals.”
Learning a new dance step may boost the brain in the same way that learning a language can, he says. And if the dance is a good physical exercise as well, the benefits multiply. Young brains may be especially able to boost brain power through exercise, suggested another of Greenough’s experiments that showed the most significant changes in the brain occurred among rats that had been exercised when very young. And while animals aren’t people, he says it is logical to make the inference that an effect found in rats may also apply to humans.
Human studies have focused primarily on older adults and suggest that regular exercise can improve the speed with which the brain processes information. Measurements made by Arthur Kramer at the University of Illinois demonstrated that inactive adults, aged 63 to 82, could hit buttons faster in response to a tone after they went through a 10-week water exercise course. A corresponding control group that didn’t exercise showed no improvement.
41.__________ can benefit from physical exercise. A. Only the heart and lungs B. Only bones and muscles C. Only the brain D. All of the above
42. What makes the brain better able to process information? A. Vigorous physical exercise. B. Skill-based exercise. C. Both of them. D. Neither of them.
43. While _________ of rats showed a greater number of brain connections, ________ had a greater density of blood vessels in the brain.
A. the first group/the third group
B. the second group/the third group C. the first group/the second group D. the second group/the first group
44. One possible reason for scientists to make experiments with rats or other animals is that _____. A. rats benefits from the experiments
B. the experiments can boost the brains of the rats C. an effect found in rats may also apply to humans D. rats and humans are very much alike
45. Which word in Paragraph 6 tells us that older adults were divided into two groups in the humans studies? A. Corresponding. B. Inactive. C. Older. D. Faster./
Passage Two
Mary Engelbreit was a talented but struggling artist in her mid-twenties when she flew to New York from her native Saint Louis, hoping to find work illustrating children’s books----her life’ goal. So she was disappointed when all the book publishers she visited turned her down. One even suggested her drawings might be better suited to greeting cards.
“I was crushed,” she admits. Greeting cards seemed a comedown from her high expectations, but the advice stayed
with her, and she decided to give it a try. The results transformed her life forever.
Today Mary Engelbreit sells an astonishing 14 million greeting cards a year. Her popular designs appear on more than 2,000 products, including books, calendars, and kitchen items. She runs a retail company and the annual sales are in the $100 million range----all as a result of that fateful, disappointing trip to New York.
Once you know Engelbreit’s distinctive style, you can recognize her cards from 200 paced away----bright, funny, and with an eye to the past. Engelbreit is cheerful, down-to-earth, humorous, and always cute. “ I think the world could use more cuteness,” she explains. Indeed, it’s her trademark.
With her work taking off in so many directions, it was perhaps inevitable that Engelbreit would eventually realize her dream of illustrating a children’s book. In 1993 she created drawings for a children’ book and saw it become a best-seller. At the same time she made a surprising discovery: “It was fun, but oddly enough, I like doing greeting cards best.” 46. When she flew to New York, Mary Engelbreit expected ______.
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