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 glass 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 acquire a new skill.

Start with art. If you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a Picasso， consider joining an art class. ___1___For example， you’ll meet like-minded people and boost your self-esteem.

Speak a foreign language. Just back from holiday and feeling ashamed of your attempts to speak Spanish to waiters？ ___2___Research shows that learning a foreign language can possibly delay dementia （痴呆） 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. Enrolling on 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. As with other workout， disciplined and structured practice in playing instruments strengthens the brain functions. ___5___Researches about the benefits of playing instruments have advanced our understanding of mental function.

A. Be a master chef.

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.

1. ___ ___ 2. ___ ___ 3. ___ ___ 4. ___ ___ 5. ______

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 safari 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

Have you ever tried to hide your emotions from someone during a conversation？ ___1___

Scientists from the Ohio State University have found that people are able to tell other people’s emotions according to changes in the color of their faces.

Scientists studied pictures of people’s facial expressions. ___2___For example， happiness makes our faces red around the cheeks and a little blue around the chin. Disgust （厌恶） creates not only a blue-yellow color around the lips， but also a red-green color around the nose and forehead.

“We believe these color patterns are the result of small changes in blood flow triggered （触发） by the central nervous （神经） system，” lead researcher Alex Martinez said.

___3___Is it the color alone， or also facial expressions， that help people tell others’ emotions？

To figure this out， scientists added color patterns to pictures of faces that showed no facial expressions. ___4___They were able to tell the emotions 75% of the time without any difficulty.___5___For example， when two people are heatedly arguing over something， we say they are red in the face. When a person is very angry， we’d say he or she is blue in the face.

A.But this raises a question.

B.Why can the color of the face show one’s emotions？

C.It’s not always easy， because the color on your face may tell the truth.

D.They found that every facial expression is connected to a certain color.

E.Then， volunteers were asked to tell what emotions the faces were showing.

F.This is why there are some Chinese sayings that connect emotions to the color of one’s face.

1. ___ ___ 2. ___ ___ 3. ___ ___ 4. ___ ___ 5. ______

5

A hobby can be almost anything that a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbyists raise pets， watch birds， paint pictures， play the piano， and grow flowers. ___1___They collect everything from books to butterflies， from boxes to stamps.

People take up hobbies because these activities offer enjoyment， friendship， and relaxation. Hobbies offer interesting activities for the old. Some hobbies can make a child grow as a person， develop his interest， and help him learn new skills. ___2___Doctors have found that hobbies are useful in helping patients recover （恢复） from illness. Hobbies give patients， who can’t move around， something to do and provide interests that keep them from thinking about their illness. Many hospitals treat patients by having them take up interesting hobbies. ___3___

In early times， most people were too busy making a living to enjoy hobbies. But some persons who had spare time did enjoy hobbies. ___4___People today have more time than ever before. Machines have now reduced much time that people must spend on their jobs.

___5___Those who have developed hobbies never need to worry about what to do with their newly-found free time hours.

A.Hobbies can help kids to keep healthy.

B.Hobbies can also help a patient to keep healthy.

C.More people retire at an earlier age than before.

D.The ancient Egyptians played games with balls made of wood.

E.They also go to concerts， climb mountains， go fishing， skate， and swim.

F.Anyone， old or young， sick or well， rich or poor， can follow a good hobby despite his age， health or money.

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 came 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 your 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.

1. ___ ___ 2. ___ ___ 3. ___ ___ 4. ___ ___ 5. ______