She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother. And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).
Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.
To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.
“She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though. “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.
It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein.
41. SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________.
A. she is a superhero B. she has experienced such conditions a lot
C. she is a mental patient D. she has no sense of fear
42. Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________.
A. The function of a particular organ B. SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety
C. The process of removing amygdala D. A special way to get along with monsters
43. What do we know from the research on SM?
A. It was easy for her to avoid danger.
B. SM never felt fearful but disgusted.
C. SM was frightened by nothing except monsters.
D. SM got along well with the snakes.
44. What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?
A. Indifferent B. Supportive C. Disapproving D. Interested
45. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. People can remove their amygdala to be fearless.
B. SM will be admired because of her bravery.
C. No one can survive if their amygdala is removed.
D. The sense of fear is crucial to humans.
閱讀快車系列答案科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Amazed zoo visitors watch as an orangutan(猩猩) named Bonnie swings along cables way above their heads. She’s not making a great ape escape; she’s taking a “highway” to higher learning.
Bonnie is traveling on the Orangutan Transit System, called the O-Line, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The O-Line stretches from the Great Ape House, where Bonnie lives, to an exhibit called Think Tank. There she and other orangutans participate in a study trying to answer the questions: Do animals think? If so, how?
Think Tank scientists look for clues that an animal is thinking. A baby orangutan following its mother is probably not thinking. But an orangutan using a stick to reach honey in a beehive probably is thinking. It’s figuring out how to obtain a sweet treat.
To learn more about what the orangutans are thinking, Think Tank scientists are teaching orangutans a language of symbols. The apes don’t actually speak. They point to the symbols to show their thoughts.
Each symbol stands for a word. Different categories of the symbols have their own shapes. Food symbols, for example, are rectangles(矩形); object symbols are circles; and verbs are diamonds.
Computers help the orangutans learn the symbolic language. After the apes are shown an apple, for example, their task is to touch the apple symbol on a computer screen. They can do so. All six orangutans have learned a few symbols, but only Azy and Indah have learned eight symbols and can use the computer.
Azy and Indah choose to live at Think Tank. The others commute(往返) from the Great Ape House on the O-Line. All attend Think Tank sessions, though none are made to do so. “They’re eager to learn”, one of the scientists says. “They never turn me down!”
What is the main idea of the passage?
Scientists are doing research on whether animals can think and how they think.
Biologists have found that orangutans are more intelligent than other animals.
Orangutans at the National Zoo can be taught to communicate with humans easily.
Animals are being taught by scientists to speak to one another at the National Zoo.
The Orangutan Transit System refers to _____.
a way that can teach animals to learn things and communicate quickly
a place for various animals in the National Zoo to participate in the study
a walkway for the orangutans to travel to different sections of the zoo
a line for the orangutans to travel between the Great Ape House and the Think Tank
According to the passage, scientists use a system of symbols to help _____.
find out which orangutan can learn the symbolic language fast
attract all the orangutans to live together at Think Tank
communicate with the orangutans and understand them better
understand whether animals can learn a language and express themselves by using it
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
a baby orangutan has his own intention though following his mother
many animals in the wild can learn symbolic languages to express their thoughts
the cleverer the animals are, the more knowledge they would like to learn
orangutans can form mental images in their minds when they see objects
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
A Fan of Dae Jang Geum 《大長今》影迷
Dae Jang Geum (《大長今》) is a hot new Korean TV series. Because of this series, my personal status and living standard have been greatly ___1__. My girlfriend used to cook every evening. Well, now she does nothing but ___2__ in front of the TV when she’s not __3__, and commands me, “You — go to make some instant noodles. Come and watch the play and just imagine we are enjoying Korean __4___.”
She also swears to __5__ all Korean dishes in Dae Jang Geum. So she orders me to __6__ the TV and record any details of Jang Geum’s cooking. But when she presented her version of Korean food, it is like the dog-meal. “You can __7__ get things done if you find the right tools”, my girlfriend blamed her clumsy (笨拙的) kitchen performances on __8__. So I decided to __9__ her a new kitchen knife. In a store, she became unusually __10__ when making her selection. She finally picked one that was __11__ Jang Geum’s. To prove that her slow knife skill was due to the blunt (鈍的) knives, she __12__ her cutting. As a result, she hurt her fingers three times. Fortunately the knife is not __13__ the salesman boasts.
My girlfriend is a fan of Jang Geum’s Korean __14__. Not only did she talk about the dress every day, she also threatened to change my tie into a __15__ like the one on Jang Geum’s dress. Finally, I lost my patience and took her to a maternity shop (孕婦專賣店) where I recommend (推薦) one suit to her, “Do you think it looks like a Korean dress?” __16__, my future parents-in-law just happened to be shopping at the time. They were __17__ when they saw what we were doing.
The Dae Jang Geum series __18__ realizing the ambition of the youth. However, it fails to realize my girlfriend’s. __19__ being engaged in her work or study, she simply sits on the sofa every night, staring at the TV, a bag of chips in her hand. This situation has __20_ even though the series is now over.
1. A. increased B. degraded C. depressed D. raised
2. A. stand B. lie C. seat D. sit
3. A. at work B. at table C. on leave D. on business
4. A. fruit B. vegetables C. dishes D. cakes
5. A. eat B. learn C. cook D. perform
6. A. stand for B. go by C. pass by D. stand by
7. A. easily B. hardly C. difficultly D. carefully
8. A. her forks B. her spoons C. her knives D. her pans
9. A. buy B. borrow C. lend D. fetch
10. A. careless B. alert C. patient D. modest
11. A. better than B. the closest shape of C. sharper than D. taken from
12. A. speeded up B. slowed down C. brought down D. improved
13. A. as fast as B. as dull as C. as slow as D. as sharp as
14. A. diet style B. dish flavor C. dressing style D. cooking style
15. A. inside pocket B. butterfly knot C. pretty collar D. long belt
16. A. Coincidently B. Disappointedly C. Fortunately D. Excitedly
17. A. very puzzled B. pretty satisfied C. very pleased D. pretty shocked
18. A. shoots at B. aims at C. directs at D. works at
19. A. In spite of B. Because of C. Instead of D. In case of
20. A. changed little B. turned a lot C. developed a little D. improved a lot
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
When we’re little, our mother is the center of our attention, and we are the center of hers. So our mother’s characteristics leave an indelible(持久的)impression, and we are forever attracted to people with her facial features, body type, personality, even sense of humor. If our mother is warm and giving, as adults we tend to be attracted to people who are warm and giving. If our mother is strong and even-tempered, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates.
The mother has an additional influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general. So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are. They will probably grow up to be warm and responsive lovers and also be cooperative around the house.
Conversely, a mother who has a depressive personality, and is sometimes friendly but then suddenly turns cold and rejecting, may raise a man who becomes a “dance-away lover”. Because he’s been so scared about love from his mother, he’s afraid of commitment and may pull away from a girlfriend for this reason.
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father—the first male in our lives—who influences how we relate to the opposite sex. Fathers have an enormous effect on their children’s personalities and chances of marital happiness.
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men. If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and demonstrates that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men. But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive.
In addition, most of us grow up with people of similar social circumstances. We hang around with people in the same town; our friends have about the same educational backgrounds and career goals. We tend to be most comfortable with these people, and therefore we tend to link up with others whose families are often much like our own.
Why do our mother’s characteristics leave us an indelible impression?
A. Because we are likely to be attracted to people with her characteristics.
B. Because the mother and her child are the centers of each other when her child is very young.
C. Because our mother is better than our dad.
D. Because our mother is a woman who is kind to us.
Which of the following is NOT true?
A. If our mother is warm and giving, we love to be together with warm and generous people.
B. If our mother is strong and well-controlled, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates.
C. Mother not only gives her children clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general.
D. Fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men.
What does the underlined word “lavishes” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Uses much. B. Uses little. C. Never uses. D. Seldom uses.
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Mothers’ influence on their sons.
B. Parents’ influence on their children.
C. Parents’ impression on their children.
D. Fathers’ influence on their daughters.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：
As she’s not here, I suppose she _____ home.
A. must go B. must have gone
C. might go D. might be going
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013-2014學年江蘇省南京市高三第二次英語模擬試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解
First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.
Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark.
Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal (聲音的) on political issues in the three years left in office.
So far, critics have complained about Michelle’s silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre (殘殺) at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists (女權主義者) who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation’s “mom-in-chief.” Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected.
“The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you’re the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That’s a huge melting pot, so to reinforce (強化)that she's African American over anything else would not be wise,” said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies (遺產) of America’s first ladies and their historical influence at American University.
Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to “spread herself too thin.”
“She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas,” Jarrett told the Associated Press. “That, she said, “is better than trying to take on every single possible cause.”
But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to “go a little harder at issues” over the next several years. “Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart,” he said.
Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the “Let’s Move” campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise (特許), which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables.
“There’s no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she’s been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up,” she said. “But she’s not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either.”
1.Critics were disappointed with Michelle because _______.
A. she didn’t put gun-control measures into effect
B. she failed some feminists to stand out to be a career woman
C. she didn’t solve some racial problems
D. she failed to voice her opinion on some issues
2.According to the professors or advisers, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. It’s not wise to reinforce Michelle is African American over anything else.
B. It’s better for Michelle to have a maximum impact than to take on every possible cause.
C. It's expected for Michelle to go a little harder at issues.
D. It’s a tradition for first ladies to stay out of political issues.
3.What does the underlined phrase “spread herself too thin” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. Try to do a lot of work at the same time.
B. Get very tired.
C. Try to improve physical fitness.
D. Move herself away from others.
4.In Paragraph 9, the campaign “Let’s Move” might be aiming to help people _______..
a. gain widespread support
b. become more physically active
c. have access to healthier foods
d. raise awareness about gun control
A. a, c B. a, b C. b, c D. c, d
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