The findings show that long-term exposure to greenness is positively associated with white and grey matter volumes in several parts of the brain. Some of them are related to higher scores on cognitive tests. Moreover, larger volumes of white and grey matter in those parts might lead to better working memory and less inattentiveness.
Exposure to nature has been thought to be necessary for brain development in children. Another study of 2,593 children shows that children in school with more green space have a greater increase in working memory and a greater decrease in inattentiveness.
Humans are believed to be tied to nature. Playing in greener areas offers children opportunities to search and learn. Accordingly, green space is thought to prompt important exercises in discovery, creativity and risk taking. These exercises in turn positively influence brain development.
Dr. Dadvand’s study suggests how such structural changes could bring about the beneficial effects of green spaces on cognitive development, it also adds to the proof that suggests the lasting effects of early life exposure to greenness on our health and the benefits of increasing greenness in cities.
Further studies are needed to prove the findings in other populations, settings and climates. And researchers need to examine differences according to the nature and quality of green space.
27. The second paragraph is mainly about .
A. how the study was performed B. what was recorded in the study C. how long the study lasted D. who took part in the study 28. The word “prompt” in paragraph 6 probably means “ “. A. control B. encourage C. balance D. change 29. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Working memory influences white and grey matter in the brain. B. Dr. Dadvand stressed the importance of changing the environment. C. Studies proved the influence of greenness on populations outs of Spain. D. Living in greener neighborhoods benefits children in brain development.
D
We often reach a point in our life when we should be ready for change that will help us unlock
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our self-improvement power. However, there’s always something staring at us right under our nose but we don’t see it. The only time we think of unlocking our self-improvement power is when everything gets worst.
When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth have fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad. We see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and difficult.
The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self-improvement power is when the whole world is falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change, but change becomes more painful when we ignore(忽视) it，
Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another. we are all going to finally unlock our self-improvement power not because the world says so. But because we realize it's for our own good.
Happy people don’t just accept change; they embrace (拥抱)it. Unlocking our self-improvement power means unlocking ourselves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she doesn't have the courage to be around groups of people. She heard her family tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd come, she steps back and locks herself up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
Self-improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different way, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result in a healthier life. Reading books every day would build up knowledge. And only when we are enjoying the whole process of unlocking our self-improvement power will we realize that we’re beginning to take things light and become happy.
30. The writer mentions the three questions in Paragraph 2 to show that .
A. we learn our lessons when we experience pain. B. we are responsible for the problems we meet.
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C. life fails us when we get into the wrong way. D. life is a long journey full of ups and downs. 31. What is the key to solving Jane’s problem?
A. She needs to remember why she started. B. She has to know how to get on with people.
C. She has to realize she is not what she is in her story. D. She needs to understand the importance of confidence. 32. The writer probably agrees that .
A. the world tells us how to improve ourselves. B. people change when they find it easy to do that. C. welcoming change in life is a drive to become better. D. enjoying the process of self-improvement makes life simpler. 33. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Is it important to take things light? B. Is it necessary to embrace challenges? C. To hold on to the last moment or to give up? D. To free ourselves out of the box or to stay in it? 四、阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题．（共10分，每小题2分）
When it comes to the letter grade on your test or homework, you might notice that there is no letter E. Have you ever thought about why that is so?
In the A, B, C, D and F grading system, the first four letters are typically considered passing grades. An F in this system simply stands for“fail”.The word“fail”happens to start with the letter F, which seems to leave out the letter E. The fact”．Some schools have U grade for“unsatisfactory”,or I grade for “incomplete”.
Even with all this said, we should also point out that E grade actually has been used pretty commonly throughout the history of letter grades in the US.
The first college in the US to use a letter grading system like the ones we use today is Mount Holyoke College. In 1897,they began to use the following grading scale:
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A: 95-100%(excellent) B: 85-94%(good) C: 76-84%(fair) D: 75%(barely passed) E: below 75%(failed) We can see the inclusion of E instead of F.
Gradually,the letter grading system became more popular throughout the US. However, many schools decided to drop the E grade and go straight to F.There is no evidence(证据) to really support this,but one possible explanation is that teachers were worried that some students and parents might mistake E for “excellent”.
Why do we have letter grades? Well,part of the reason is that they made grading simpler during a time of great change for schools. As the 20th century began,growing cities and an increase in immigration led to larger school classrooms. Most teachers at that time thought this new letter grading system was an easy,fair and clear way to grade students.
Today,more and more people argue that letter grades don’t fully reflect(反映) student learning。However，as teachers try to improve grading methods,many parents continue to favor the letter grades they got as kids, they are familiar(熟悉) and easy for parents to understand. So while they might not be perfect, the letter grades probably aren’t going away any time soon.
34.what does an F stand for in the A、B、C、D and F grading system? 35.when was the letter grading system first used in the US college? 36.what is one possible explanation for dropping the E grade?
37.what did most teachers think of the letter grading system in the 20th century? 38.why do many parents still prefer the letter grades today?
书面表达（共10分）
五、文段表达(10分)
39.从下面两个题目中任选一题，根据中文和英文提示，完成一篇不少于50词的文段写作，文中已给出内容不计入总数．所给提示词语仅供选用，请不要写出你的校名和姓名。
假如你是李华，你们学校要举办一场关于京剧的讲座，你打算邀请你们班交换生Peter参加，请用英语写一封电子邮件，告诉他讲座时间和地点以及需要做什么准备。
提示词语：lecture（讲座）,invite,information,question,online 提示问题：·When and where will you have the lecture?
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Dear peter, How is it going? There’ll be a lecture on Peking Opera in our school. If there is anything that I can do, please let me know. Yours, LiHua ·what do you advise Peter to prepare for it?
“静以修身，俭以养德”，勤俭节约是中华民族的传统美德，无论生活富足与否，我们都应该提倡节俭，拒绝浪费。
某英文网站在开展以“节约是美德”为主题的征文活动，假如你是李华，请用英语写一篇短文投稿．谈谈生活中你是怎么做的，以这样做的意义。
提示词语：thrifty(节约的).save.turn off.money.virtue（美德） 提示问题：·What do you do in your daily life？
It’s one of our traditional virtues to be thrifty. ·why do you do so？
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