Reading and Optional Choices

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

1

We usually say that people have five senses. Senses are the way that we learn what is happening around us. The five main senses are： sight， hearing， touch， taste， smell. ___1___ This part of the body receives information and then this information is sent to the brain. For example， we use eyes to see the things around us. ___2___ That is to say， eyes control sight and ears control hearing. Skin controls touch. Taste depends on tongue while smell depends on nose. Besides， there are also other senses， which are as these five senses. There is a sense of balance， which stops us from falling down. We also have senses of hunger， thirst and cold.

___3___ That may sound strange， but touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. However， by holding it in your hands， you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. ___4___ When you feel these things about the ball， you really see it.

Have you ever wondered why some people like very loud music？ They must like to feel the sounds of music as well as to hear them. “Don’t touch！” This is what all children often hear， and they soon learn what it means. ___5___ But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say， “Do touch！” There you can feel better， reach out and touch. Then you will really see.

A. No one knows why.

B. With ears we hear sounds.

C. Most museums are just for looking.

D. You can feel how heavy the ball is.

E. Each sense depends on a certain part of body.

F. If you want to know it better， reach out and touch it.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.___________

2

It’s the start of a new academic year and there’s every reason to go back to school—or at least master a new skill.

Start with art. If you’ve always regarded yourself as a bit of a Picasso， consider joining an art class. ___1___ For example， you’ll meet like-minded people and become more confident.

Speak a foreign language. Just back from holiday and feeling ashamed of your trying to speak Spanish to waiters？ ___2___ Research shows that learning a foreign language can possibly make dementia （痴呆） happen at a later time and that it still benefits even if you take up a foreign tongue later in life.

___3___ Signing up for a healthy cooking course will teach you about nutrition as well as how to rustle up （很快制作） delicious meals. In this way， you may give your family a big surprise with your carefully prepared dishes.

Take photos to feel good. Joining a photography course to take better pictures could improve your mental （心理上的） health. According to researchers， taking a photo a day and posting it online is beneficial. ___4___ Besides， they may see the world differently and get out of their usual routine.

Pick up an instrument. Scientists find that playing an instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once. Just like other physical exercises， regular practice in playing instruments strengthens the brain functions. ___5___ Researches about the benefits of playing instruments have improved our understanding of mental function.

A. Be a master cook.

B. It helps people to connect with others.

C. Pick up your courage and believe in yourself.

D. Raising your language skills can be what you need.

E. Trying your hand at it has many positive mental effects.

F. Besides， expressing yourself musically can lower stress levels.

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3

I love visiting new cities and going to places of interest. Recently， I visited the German city of Leipzig and it was a really amazing trip！ Leipzig is quite a big city， and there’s so much to do and see. ___1___

The Museum of Fine Arts

___2___ But I really enjoyed my visit to Leipzig’s Museum of Fine Arts. I saw lots of different types of artworks in the museum—from pieces that are over 400 years old to modern art！ I like learning about different artists from different times. It was certainly a cool way for me to spend a rainy afternoon here！

The St Nicholas Church

___3___ The church has connections to both famous musicians and important events. I had heard a lot about this history， so it was amazing to finally visit the church in person.___4___ There were beautiful paintings on the wall and it was very peaceful to stay here.

Leipzig Zoo

In my opinion， Leipzig has one of the best zoos in the world！ The zoo is huge， and there are so many different animals—including tigers， elephants and even koalas！ ___5___ There’s a flowing river and you can travel down it on a boat. It is really cool！ I’d love to visit Leipzig Zoo again one day.

A.I was really impressed！

B.My classmates invited me to go there.

C.The best part of the zoo is the wildlife area.

D.These are the top three places I love most.

E.This is a church with a very interesting history.

F.Sometimes art museums can be a little bit boring.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5. _________

4

Dreams may make you smart. This was discovered by scientists who do research on dreams.

What is a dream exactly？ Scientists explain that during sleep time your brain reviews your experiences in the day. ___1___ As your brain connects things， it turns them into a story， and then you get a dream. ___2___ What has happened during the day may be painful. While you are sleeping， however， the brain will replay the painful memories in a safe dream space. There the bad memories become less painful. And you will feel better after waking up.

___3___ This idea is supported by a study. So scientists advise you not to stay up all night studying， especially when an exam is coming. They say a sweet dream might help you get higher marks.

___4___ It was reported that a famous songwriter came up with his best song in a dream， and wrote it down as soon as he woke up. ___5___ In fact， the songwriter spent a lot of time thinking about the song before the dream. In a word， hard work matters more for creativity， though dreams also have a role to play.

A. Dreams may make you more creative， too.

B. Dreams also seem to be able to help you learn.

C. Dreams may help you deal with worries and fears.

D. However， dreams alone can’t bring about creativity.

E. Therefore， dreams can help songwriters write beautiful songs.

F. It tries to connect your new experiences with the old memories.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

5

Hongbao in China

While Western kids dream about what Santa will bring them， Chinese kids will be getting their money box ready to receive hongbao. Hongbao， red envelopes （信封）， are the traditional gifts that adults give children during the Chinese New Year holiday period. The general idea is that adults with income （收入） give children with no income hongbao during Chinese New Year. ___1___

You’ll see hongbao used as decorations （装饰） on just about every Chinese New Year flower and plant that is displayed during the season. ___2___ And they are only used for decoration. I know because my son checks them whenever he can reach them.

___3___ Weddings （婚礼） are big events where hongbao are given by guests invited to the wedding instead of gifts. The amount of money to give at a wedding can be tricky （微妙的） and if you are invited to a Chinese wedding， you can ask for some advice about how much to give.

If you need hongbao， you can buy them at shops at any time of the year. ___4___ So you make sure you don’t get one that says “Congratulations on your marriage” for a birthday.

These days， people don’t even have to leave the comfort of their sofas to give hongbao. ___5___ WeChat， a popular instant message and photo sharing App， introduced electronic hongbao， so now it’s even easier.

A. These will be empty.

B. It is necessary to buy fancy ones.

C. Hongbao are given at other occasions too.

D. Ask the shop owner or a friend which one to buy.

E. Friends send each other hongbao from their smartphones！

F. In fact， “children” can even mean young adults who are unmarried.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

6

Sleep plays an important role in brain development. Children should get enough sleep. ___1___ A study says that because of being short of sleep， it is much harder for children to do something carefully. And also they become forgetful and easy to make mistakes. Another study shows that the right amount of night-time sleep is just as important for children’s development as healthy eating and taking exercise.

___2___ In general， a younger child needs more sleep than an older one. Children at the age of 5—11 will need 10—12 hours of sleep a night while children at the age of more than 11 will need less hours.

In fact， many parents don’t know how to help their children get enough sleep. Here is something you can do. For children at the age of 5—11， a 30—40 minutes’ routine （常规） before sleep is helpful. ___3___ In the activities， children relax and enjoy themselves a lot， and they will go to sleep more easily.

Children at the age of more than 11 may go to bed late in the evening， talking with friends online， playing games or watching TV. ___4___ And they will be even tired during the day. So limit （限制） your children’s use of the Internet， games and the TV before they go to bed. ___5___

A.Why does a child need so much sleep？

B.If not， many problems will come to them.

C.How many hours of sleep is enough for a child？

D.It includes a bath， reading a story together and so on.

E.So they will find it difficult to get up the next morning.

F.And don’t allow them to have a computer or TV set in their bedroom.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

7

As time goes by， are you still the same person you were？ Many of you would think you can keep the same personality （性格）. ___1___ You could be a completely different person when you get old. Psychologists （心理学家） at the UK’s University of Edinburgh did the study on a group of Scottish people. ___2___

In 1950， a group of teachers gave over 1，200 14-year-old students personality tests. ___3___ They were self-confidence， sense of responsibility， patience， strong wishes to win， creativity and moods （情绪）.

In 2012， researchers successfully found 174 of those 1，200 students and gave them a test similar to the one they had received before. ___4___ They were surprised to find great changes to all six personality traits of these people. ___5___ “It was as if the second test had been given to different people，” the study reported.

In the past， personality was widely believed to be unchangeable. This new study may bring some fresh ideas to the world.

A.They tested six basic personality characteristics.

B.Then they compared the then-and-now test results.

C.They wanted to know if people’s personality was unchangeable.

D.But according to a new study， your personality can change greatly.

E.The younger and older self seemed to be totally different for each person.

F.The research found almost everyone’s personality changed when they grew old.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

8

Nexi is one of the new-type robots. ___1___ But robots like Nexi are more than just entertaining toys.

Nexi， a social robot created by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology （MIT）， can express human emotions. Roboticists （机器人专家） at MIT call Nexi a “social robot”. ___2___ Nexi can look sad， mad and even bored. Some social robots can also “read” our facial expressions. Roboticists believe that it won’t be long before we have social robots in our homes， helping us live better lives.

___3___ It is a robot health coach. It has a screen where you enter information about what food you ate that day or how much you exercised. Autom has a face with eyes that move. It speaks with a synthetic （合成的） voice. Autom gives you advice about your diet and exercise and drives you to do better.

In a test， Autom helped people lose weight better than other ways of recording diet information. Brcazeal thinks this is because Autom used facial expressions and words of encouragement： In fact， many people who used Autom gave the robot a new name and talked to it. ___4___

In the future， humans may communicate with social robots just like they do with other people."""" ___5___ It may also be your coach helper， or friend. Let’s wait and see what will happen in the future！

A. It moves on wheels and can pick up objects.

B. Autom is another social robot developed at MIT.

C. The robot of the future will be not just a machine.

D. A social robot is a robot that can communicate like a person.

E. You can talk with social robots freely because they can understand what you say.

F.When robots use human expressions and body language， people reply to them like they reply to people.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

9

How important is music？ Many people usually think that listening to music is nice but not very important. It is often only thought to be entertainment （娱乐）， but not the first choice for education. ___1___ Music education is much more necessary than people usually think.

___2___ Music reflects the musicians’ thoughts and ideas， and the social environment they come from. For example， just as Mozart’s music represents a lifestyle， rock music also represents a lifestyle. George Gershwin’s music is another example. He introduced jazz style into his music.

___3___ Science explains how the sun rises and sets. Music explores emotional （情绪的） meanings， such as sadness and happiness. People need every possible way to learn about our world.

Music shows people’s thoughts. It is a special language. We can “talk” to each other and exchange our thoughts in this amazing way. ___4___ All of these can be shared with others. When we do not let our children receive a good music education， we take them away from the meanings that music expresses. ___5___ So music education is necessary for all students.

A.Music tells us who we are.

B.In fact， this opinion is wrong.

C.Music makes our lives more colorful.

D.Our children are short of a wonderful part in their lives.

E.Music provides a kind of ability to know the world in a different way.

F.Through the language we express our feelings， discoveries， ideas and hopes.

1. ______ " 2. ______ " 3. ______ " 4. ______ " 5.______

10

Some people love solving math problems， but more people feel upset when they have to deal with numbers. ___1___

The problem really starts at school in childhood. ___2___ And girls may be more likely to be influenced. The Program for International Student Assessment （国际学生评估项目） found around 31% of the students aged 15 to l6 across 34 countries said they were nervous when doing math homework， and nearly 60% said they worried math classes would be difficult.

Shulamit Kahn， a woman from Boston University， believes giving students good role models is important， especially at a young age. ___3___

Writing for BBC Future， David Robson， an expert， says， “It’s not clear why math causes so much fear compared to other subjects like geography. But the fact that there’s a right or wrong answer—there’s no room for bluffing （故弄玄虚）—might make people more worried. They may think they can’t perform well. ___4___”

The reasons for math anxiety （焦虑） may be different， but someone thinks expressing fears can be helpful. ___5___ Ideally， we need to think positively about math.

A. We can encourage children to see a math test as a challenge.

B. It may sound unbelievable， but this “math anxiety” is perfectly common.

C. Parents should give a hand to children who want to solve math problems.

D. She thinks the best way is to let people who love math， especially women， teach children math.

E.And once we suppose we’re not a math person， we avoid solving things that we probably could do.

F.Research has found that math teachers who are nervous about teaching the subject can pass on their anxiety to the pupils.

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