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As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be. We suddenly can’t remember where we put the keys just a moment ago or an old acquaintance’s name. As the brain fades, we refer to these occurrences as "senior moments." While seemingly innocent, this loss of mental focus can potentially have a detrimental impact on our professional, social, and personal well-being.Neuroscientists are increasingly showing that there’s actually a lot that can be done. It turns out that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles do, and the right mental workouts can significantly improve our basic cognitive functions. Thinking is essentially a process of making neural connections in the brain. Because these connections are made through effort and practice, scientists believe that intelligence can expand and fluctuate according to mental effort.A new company has taken it a step further and developed the first "brain training program," called Lumosity, to actually help people improve and regain their mental sharpness. Lumosity is far more than an online place to exercise your mental skills. That’s because they have integrated these exercises into a Web-based program that allows you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills. The program keeps track of your progress and provides detailed feedback on your performance and improvement. Most importantly, it constantly modifies and enhances the games you play to build on the strengths you are developing—much like an effective exercise routine requires you to increase resistance and vary your muscle use.Apparently it works. In randomized, controlled clinical trials Lumosity was shown to significantly improve basic cognitive functions. One study showed students improved their scores on math tests by 34 percent after using Lumosity for six weeks. The company says its users have reported clearer and quicker thinking, improved memory, increased alertness and awareness, elevated mood, and better concentration at work or while driving.While many of the games at Lumosity are free, a modest subscription fee is required to use the full program over the long term. However, Lumosity is currently offering a free trial of their program to new users so that you can see how well it works before you decide to subscribe. The company believes the results will speak for themselves. Which of the following statements is true about Lumosity()

Access to these games is quite expensive.
B. Chronic users have to pay for the access to the games.
C. All the games at Lumosity are free of charge.
D. Access to the games is limited to subscribers.

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In these times of fast media and ever-growing Internet, we are under so many external influences that it is anything but easy to think for ourselves. Unless you are a cunning, very aware person, you most likely don’t even know when your thinking is not your own.Not that all outside influence is bad to form your own views, but being unable to think for yourself can make you miserable at best, or a puppet of someone else’s programming, at worst.Admittedly, we are all born into societies or cultures where the norms and customs are already established. We have little choice but to conform to what is already in place. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, it can be confining and controlling if we accept everything blindly and never question the status quo.Does this mean all of your ideas can be original and unlike everyone else’s Not at all!Nor does it require being contrary and argumentative just to be defiant or stand out. To think for yourself means that whatever opinions you hold will be well thought out and arise from thorough investigation and thoughtful analysis. It means choosing not to compromise the facts for the sake of consensus or fitting in. It is not unlike critical thinking—it just brings about a broader scope of choices and decision-making in your life.For example, how many of us feel the need to keep up with "the latest" We wear clothes, listen to music and follow trends that the media tells us we should in order to be cool. Marketing companies create ads that tempt us into a herd mentality as we fall into debt, wear fashions that are unbecoming, and get caught up in a cycle of over-spending and then stressing out over it. We are living lives designed for us by the powers without our conscious participation.Another trap we fall into when we don’t think for ourselves is groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that takes place within a group of people who try to avoid conflict and reach agreement without critically evaluating options or alternative ideas. The problem with groupthink is that it hinders finding the best solutions, impedes creative ideas and frustrates independent thinking. Wanting to be part of the crowd can certainly have its drawbacks! Trying to conform to established ideas()

A. is something you can easily avoid doing
B. is sometimes what we can’t help doing
C. can seldom do any good to you
D. rarely happens in modern society

According to psychology professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University, "Praising children for being smart can backfire." If this doesn’t get the attention of Millennium parents, I’m not sure what will.It is my observation that so many parents today believe that if their child appears to be the least bit "advanced" for his age, he’s destined to be the next Albert Einstein, Tiger Woods, or Bill Gates. It’s human nature for room and dad to show much admiration for their child and dish out praise for accomplishments achieved. The problem is, according to this study, parents may not be doing the best thing by praising their child for his intelligence.Dweck’s research involved junior high students in New York and concluded that "classroom performance improved when her study subjects believed the brain is like a muscle that can grow." Students who "focused on the learning process (effort, concentration or strategies used) asked for feedback and did better in all subjects." Feedback such as, "You did well because you worked so hard" or "You used so many descriptive words to make this story interesting" can encourage children to try new things, as they are being rewarded for their effort. When the "time and effort" strategy is being positively reinforced, the child will probably use the same strategy next time they are learning something. Over time new strategies can be introduced, so the child’s repertoire of strategies is broadened.Dweck goes on to say that "they (students who improved) performed better because their success was being measured by effort, not by test scores or grades." Parents should praise effort, not just results. Children who received praise about their innate abilities (talents or strengths) had less chance of trying new things and became anxious and under-performed as things became more difficult. That is one of the greatest dangers to continually praising children for whatever they do in order to falsely raise a child’s self-esteem.What are mom and dad to do Offer genuine praise and encouragement for efforts and successes, but balance this with setting appropriate expectations and following up with consequences when the child falls short due to laziness. Don’t make excuses. Your child will better face the challenges life has to offer in the future when you as a parent recognize the efforts he is making today. The author’s advice to parents is()

A. to expose the child to greater challenges
B. not to expect too much of a child
C. to forbid the child to make any excuses
D. to combine praise with constructive criticism

In these times of fast media and ever-growing Internet, we are under so many external influences that it is anything but easy to think for ourselves. Unless you are a cunning, very aware person, you most likely don’t even know when your thinking is not your own.Not that all outside influence is bad to form your own views, but being unable to think for yourself can make you miserable at best, or a puppet of someone else’s programming, at worst.Admittedly, we are all born into societies or cultures where the norms and customs are already established. We have little choice but to conform to what is already in place. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, it can be confining and controlling if we accept everything blindly and never question the status quo.Does this mean all of your ideas can be original and unlike everyone else’s Not at all!Nor does it require being contrary and argumentative just to be defiant or stand out. To think for yourself means that whatever opinions you hold will be well thought out and arise from thorough investigation and thoughtful analysis. It means choosing not to compromise the facts for the sake of consensus or fitting in. It is not unlike critical thinking—it just brings about a broader scope of choices and decision-making in your life.For example, how many of us feel the need to keep up with "the latest" We wear clothes, listen to music and follow trends that the media tells us we should in order to be cool. Marketing companies create ads that tempt us into a herd mentality as we fall into debt, wear fashions that are unbecoming, and get caught up in a cycle of over-spending and then stressing out over it. We are living lives designed for us by the powers without our conscious participation.Another trap we fall into when we don’t think for ourselves is groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that takes place within a group of people who try to avoid conflict and reach agreement without critically evaluating options or alternative ideas. The problem with groupthink is that it hinders finding the best solutions, impedes creative ideas and frustrates independent thinking. Wanting to be part of the crowd can certainly have its drawbacks! It can be learned from the first paragraph that()

A. it is necessary to take one’s own interest into consideration
B. a clever person is always obedient and unselfish
C. independent thinking doesn’t come easily to us
D. the Internet has made humans more thoughtful

第二篇 Saving Money Where you save your money often depends on what you are saving for. If you are saving to buy a CD (光盘) or to go to a concert, then probably you would keep your money somewhere in your room. If you are saving for a big purchase like a mountain bike or a school trip, where would you save your money One place to save money is the bank. Putting your money in a savings account will help your money earn more money. If you put your money in a piggy bank (猪形储蓄罐), one year later you’ll still have the same amount of money you put in. If you put your money in a savings account, one year later, you’ll have more money than you put in. Why When you keep your money in a bank, your money earns interest. Interest is an amount of money a bank pays you to use your money. The bank uses your money (and the money of other people, too) to loan money to people and businesses. The bank will send you a statement several times a year. A bank statement tells you how much money you have in your account. It also tells you how much interest you have earned. If you leave your money in the bank, you can watch it grow! Another way you can save money is to buy a certificate of deposit or CD. If you have some money that you don’t need to use for a long time, this is a good way to make your money grow. You can buy a CD at a bank. You agree not to use the money for a certain period of time. That period might be from six months to five years. You can’t touch your money during that time. If you do, you must pay a penalty, or fee. The word "touch" in paragraph 7 could be best replaced by

A. "deposit".
B. "lend".
C. "use".
D. "cash".

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