A study made by University of Sussex found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain . The researchers said : “ Simultaneously（同时）, using mobile phones , laptops and other media devices could change the structure of our brains . ” Worryingly , the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion . The finding has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span , depression , anxiety and lower grades at school .
The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology . This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email , or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web . The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex ( ACC ) . The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account . The study , published in the journal PLOS ONE , is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain .
Researcher KepKeeLoh said : “ Media multi-tasking is become more popular in our lives today and there is growing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being . ” He added that more researches are needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain . This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more likely to use lots of devices simultaneously .
Scientists have previously described brain structure can be altered on prolonged exposure to new environments and experience . Other studies have shown that training – such as learning magic or taxi drivers learning the map of London – can increase grey matter densities（密度）in certain parts .
【小题1】What can we learn about grey matter from the passage ?

A．Watching the TV for a long time can reduce grey matter .

B．The decrease of grey matter in the ACC affects emotion .

C．People with less grey matter prefer to use media devices .

D．Taxi drivers in London have more grey matter than others .

【小题2】We can know about the study by University of Sussex that __________ .

A．the volunteers in it have lower grades at school

B．it can change the structure of grey matter in our brain

C．it is the first to link multi-tasking with the structure of the brain

D．the findings of it have been supported by some other researches

【小题3】 How does the researcher , KepKeeLoh , feel about the study ?

A．Surprised .	B．Cautious .
C．Disappointed .	D．Confused .

【小题4】What’s the purpose of the passage ?

A．To inform people of the findings of a research .

B．To stress the importance of grey matter in our brain .

C．To advise people to do more training about our brain .

D．To warn people of the possible danger of media devices .

   Need inspiration？Happy background music can help people get the creative juice flowing.

Simone Ritter, at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and Sam Ferguson at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, have been studying the effect of silence and different types of music on how we think.

They divided 155 volunteers into five groups. Four of these were each given a type of music to listen to while taking a series of tests, while the fifth group did the tests in silence. The tests were produced to judge two types of thinking: divergent thinking, which refers to the process of creating new ideas, and convergent thinking, which is how we find the best solution to a problem. Ritter and Ferguson found that people were more creative when listening to music they thought was positive, coming up with more special ideas than the people who worked in silence.

"We also performed other types of music that were sad, anxious and calm, and didn't see this effect, " says Ferguson. "It seems that the type of music present is important, rather than just any music." In addition, no type of music helped convergent thinking, suggesting that it's better to solve problems in silence.

Ritter and Ferguson write that their finding could be used to improve creative thinking in places like educational institutions or laboratories, but Irma at the University of Helsinki in Finland, says happy music may help creativity by setting off the release of dopamine, a brain chemical involved in pleasure and relief." Dopamine also increases creative thinking and goal-directed working, "says Irma. And she also thinks happy music may not help convergent thinking because this kind of thinking relies more on logic and less on creativity.

【小题1】How does happy background music help people work?

A．By making people enjoy the juice.

B．By influencing people's behavior.

C．By inspiring people to work more.

D．By improving people's creativity.

【小题2】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Dopamine can direct our convergent thinking.

B．Divergent thinking helps find the best solution.

C．Divergent thinking helps produce the new ideas.

D．Dopamine can reduce our divergent thinking.

【小题3】What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Happy Music Makes You Lively

B．Happy Music Excites Your Creativity

C．Happy Music Keeps You Clever

D．Happy Music Simplifies Your Work

   My family lived in a motel（汽车旅馆）for two years. Like most families living there, we stayed in a two-bedroom suite. We were living from paycheck to paycheck, so when Christmas approached, we didn't know if we would be able to buy gifts for our children.

A few days before Christmas someone dropped off presents for all the kids that lived at the motel. It brought so much joy to all the children, most of whom knew that they wouldn't be receiving anything.

Five years ago, we moved out of the motel. After that, my husband and I were working hard at Joe's Crab Shack to support our family. A few days before Christmas, I was busy working. The man at my table could see the large tables were taking most of my time, but I was very patient and friendly. Between drinks and food I was able to chat with him about his family and mine. He left me $10, then walked out. About 10 minutes later, I turned around and there he was again. He gave me a hug , and put something inside my apron, telling me“Have a Merry Christmas”. I reached into my apron and pulled out $800.

I was so overwhelmed（不知所措的）by his generosity that I burst into tears. He had given me more than enough money to help my family catch up on our bills. After discussing what we should do with the money we had left over, we decided to buy presents for the families living at the motel, so we could pass on the blessing that we had received. Since then, it has been a tradition for us to give Christmas gifts to the families in need.

Last year we were able to give presents to each of the 80 children at a school in our community, and throw a Christmas party for them. This year our goal is to add at least 20 children.

【小题1】What does the underlined part suggest?

A．They paid for checks nonstop.

B．They might struggle in finance.

C．They were in heavy debt.

D．They had to save money for children.

【小题2】What did the author do according to the passage?

A．She was a cleaner.

B．She was a housewife.

C．She was a waitress.

D．She was a shop manager.

【小题3】What did the author do with the remaining money given by the stranger?.

A．She used all the money to improve their life.

B．She threw a Christmas party for schoolkids.

C．She bought some presents for poor families.

D．She donated all the money to her community.

【小题4】The author wrote the passage to _____________.

A．share her own experience

B．stress the importance of love.

C．call on readers to do good deeds

D．express her thanks to a stranger

Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical（批判性的）thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes（过程）. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word "critical" here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen—beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning (错误的推理).
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker; if you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today's world, fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banish Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein, Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, "Please go slowly, I don't understand things quickly."
【小题1】Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically,__________.

A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast

B．we will follow the ideas of others naturally

C．we might be controlled by other people's ideas

D．we might be fooled by other people's ideas

【小题2】If you are a critical thinker, you will________.

A．criticize other people for their mistakes	B．trust the reports in the newspapers
C．take one view against another view	D．think deeply about different ideas

【小题3】In the last paragraph, "something new" suggests that________.

A．the smarter you are, the faster you do things

B．intelligence is not decided by speed

C．speed can improve intelligence

D．the faster you do things, the smarter you become

【小题4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Understanding Critical Thinking	B．Thinking and Critical Thinking
C．Thinking Natural and Human	D．Thinking Fast Means Intelligence

用所给词的适当形式填空
【小题1】Tears ran down her cheeks as she told us about her _______ （suffer）.
【小题2】The course aims to develop the children’s _______ （appreciate）of Chinese and foreign classical music.
【小题3】The young man won _______ （admire）for his courage in fighting for his life in the hospital.
【小题4】I would rather live without these _______ （bear）tension.
【小题5】Your suggestion has greatly helped with the _______ （accomplish） of our work.
【小题6】The teacher couldn’t tell what was wrong with her，so he sent her to see a _______ （special）.