Warming Up & Reading — Pre-reading
阅读理解 A
Adolescents have always been known to do wild, even dangerous things.This was thought to be due to the foolishness of youth. Now, brainimaging technology allows scientists to study the physical development of the brain in more detail than ever before. Their discoveries have led to a new theory of why teens act this way.
Recently, scientists discovered that though our brains are almost at their full size by the age of six, they are far from fully developed. Only during adolescence do our brains truly grow up. During this time, they go through great changes, like a computer system being upgraded (升级)．This upgrade was once thought to be finished by about age 12. Now, scientists have concluded that our brains continue to change until age 25. Such changes make us better at balancing impulses (冲动). But a stilldeveloping brain does this awkwardly. The result, scientists say, is the unpredictable behavior seen in teenagers.
The studies find that teens are more likely to take risks.
Fortunately, the news isn't all negative. As brain scientist B．J.Casey points out, the teen brain inspires such behavior in order to help teens prepare for adult life.
One way the brain does this is by changing the way teens measure risk and reward. Researchers found that when teens think about rewards, their brain gives off more of the chemicals that create pleasure than an adult brain would. Researchers believe this makes the rewards seem more important than the risks, and makes teens feel the excitement of new experiences more strongly than adults do.
Research into the teen brain also found that it makes social connections seem especially rewarding. So, it connects social rewards with even more pleasure. In this way, the brain encourages teens to have a wide circle of friends, which is believed to make us more successful in life.
Unfortunately, this hunt for greater rewards can sometimes lead teens to make bad decisions. However, it also means that teens are more likely, and less afraid, to try new things or to be independent. The scientists' findings suggest that in the long run, the impulses of the teen brain are what helps teens leave their parents' care and live their
own lives successfully.
语篇解读：本文是说明文。文章介绍了新的科学发现——为何青少年易于表现出极端行为。
1．What did scientists find recently? A．How teenagers' brains work.
B．Why teenagers behave in extreme ways. C．When a teenager's brain is well developed. D．Which part of the brain changes in adolescence.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据首段中“Their discoveries have led to a new theory of why teens act this way”可知，科学家发现了导致青少年行为极端的原因。
2．What does the author mean by “the news isn't all negative” in Paragraph 3?
A．Teenagers deal with new things better than adults. B．The way the teen brain works has some advantages. C．The negative side of the research is not understood. D．Teenagers are able to change their behavior gradually. 解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“As brain scientist
B．J.Casey points out, the teen brain
inspires such behavior in order to help teens prepare for adult life”可知，青少年的这种大脑运行方式有其有利之处。
3．How does the teen brain differ from the adult brain? A．Teens attach greater importance to risks than rewards. B．Adults are more likely to connect risks and rewards. C．Adults have stronger belief in themselves. D．Teens get more pleasure from rewards.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第四段中的“Researchers found that when
teens think about rewards, their brain gives off more of the chemicals that create pleasure than an adult brain would”可知，青少年会从奖赏中感受到比成年人更多的快乐。
B
Drayton Manor in the UK first opened its gates to the public in October, 1949, as an inland pleasure resort and was originally just a normal park with tea rooms,
boat rides and a pet's corner. Since then it has grown to become the UK's leading familyrun theme park and the fourth most popular theme park in the UK. The park's motto is “Family Run for Family Run”．
Drayton Manor Theme Park stands in an area of 280 acres and boasts
36 rides in total, including 4 roller coasters and 3 water rides. Within the park is a 15acre zoo which houses over 100 species of animals.
Drayton Manor is proud to be the first in the world for some of its rides. For instance, the Apocalypse is the world's first standup tower drop ride and G Force is the world's first X Car Coaster (apart from its original design in Germany)．
If you fancy a camping holiday at Drayton Manor, there is a 75pitch camping and caravan (宿营拖车) site with onsite facilities such as toilets, showers (for the disabled, too), and security. Not only are you situated on the park itself, but you are also close to a large number of other local attractions and facilities.
A day at Drayton Manor is fun for all the family. Unfortunately, there
are height restrictions on some of the rides. Children over 1.4 m can ride on all the rides by themselves. Children between 1.4 m and 1 m must be accompanied by an adult to enjoy some rides. There are several rides which children shorter than 1 m are not allowed to ride on. There are numerous places to eat and drink, so you will never need to go hungry. And for the smaller children at Drayton Manor, there is Robinson's Land which had some big events happening in 2010.
All in all, Drayton Manor has something for the whole family and is well worth a family day trip this summer. For opening times and ticket
prices, check out Drayton Manor Home Page. 语篇解读：本文主要介绍了一个英国著名的主题公园。 4．What's the best title for this passage? A．The Zoo at Drayton Manor
B．A Family Day Trip to Drayton Manor C．The First X Car Coaster in the World
D．Drayton Manor — a Popular Theme Park in the UK
解析：选D 标题归纳题。通读全文，本文主要是介绍英国的一个大众喜爱的主题公园，故选D。
5．If Peter (1.5 m), Harry (1.2 m) and Jack (0.8 m) go to visit Drayton
Manor, ________. A．Peter cannot ride on all the rides by himself
B．Jack can take all the rides if he is accompanied by his parents C．Harry has to be accompanied by his parents on some rides D．they have to bring water and food if they don't want to go hungry 解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第四段的“Children over 1.4 m can ride on all the rides by themselves. Children between 1.4 m and 1 m must be
accompanied by an adult to enjoy some rides. There are several rides which children shorter than 1 m are not allowed to ride on.”可知A、B两项
不正确，C项正确；根据“There are numerous places to eat and drink, so you will never need to go hungry.”可知D项错误。
6．We can know from the passage that ________. A．there are no camping sites at Drayton Manor
B．Drayton Manor is very considerate when designing its camping site C．there are no local attractions and facilities around Drayton Manor D．Robinson's Land is specially designed for disabled people 解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第三段第一句中的“(for the disabled, too)”部分可知，Drayton Manor在设计宿营地时考虑到了残疾人，可见其考虑周全。
7．You are most likely to find the passage in a ________. A．biology textbook B．travel brochure C．health report
D．fashion survey
解析：选B 文章出处题。通读全文可知本文主要是介绍英国的一个主题公园，最有可能出现在旅游小册子上，故选B。
C
Jason Detzel was bored with his work as a psychologist, and he was tired of spending all day in an office. Dr. Detzel felt that in the city he was losing touch with something important, so he quit his job and
started a farm. He and his business partner found 80 acres of land in a small town and signed a 10year lease (租约). While some farms used a lot of machinery, they decided they wanted to do as much as possible with their own hands. They built a corral (畜栏) for the cows, pig shelters and a house for the chickens.
“I'm definitely happier being out in the fields with my animals. Even if there are bad days, I'm still happy，” Dr. Detzel said. “When you're inside all day, you don't get to see nature working.”
“The job is different every day on the farm. It's amazing，” he said. “You're a farmer. You're an animal doctor. You're a pipe fitter. You're definitely a carpenter a lot. You're a jack of all trades (万事通), master of none. That's what I like about it.”
Learning how to manage the animals had been one of the biggest challenges of starting the farm, Dr. Detzel said. He learned that it was important to stick to a routine. That's why he rang the same bell and
called to the cows in the same way each day. The routine helped keep the
cows calm and cooperative. It wasn't easy for Dr. Detzel to be accepted by the other farmers in his community. With all his tattoos (文身), he looked very different. When he started the farm he was in his early 30s, while most other farmers were older. There weren't many young people starting farms, because it had become harder and harder for small family farms to make much income.
Dr. Detzel said that began to change when more people became locavores. A locavore is someone who tries to eat food grown and raised nearby. By shopping at their local farmers' market, many locavores hope to reduce the amount of energy used to ship food long distances. Many locavores like knowing where their food comes from and being able to talk
to the farmers about what chemicals were used and how the animals were treated.
语篇解读：本文是记叙文。一个心理学家厌倦了自己的工作，转行开农场。 8．What was the main purpose of Dr. Detzel starting a farm? A．To get back to nature. B．To make more money.
C．To study agricultural machinery. D．To keep in touch with his friends.
解析：选A 推理判断题。由第一段中的“Dr. Detzel felt that in the
city he was losing touch with something important”及第三段中的“I'm definitely happier being out in the fields with my animals ... When you're inside all day, you don't get to see nature working”可推断，Dr. Detzel开办农场是为了回归自然。 9．What did Dr. Detzel like about his job on the farm? A．He often traded at a profit. B．He was good at many things. C．He could do many types of work. D．He could get to know many farmers.
解析：选C 细节理解题。由第四段“The job is different every day on
the farm ... That's what I like about it.”可知，Dr. Detzel很喜欢在农场因为他可以做很多不同类型的工作。
10．To manage the animals, Dr. Detzel ________. A．followed a routine B．used different bells
C．learned from other farmers D．called professionals for help
解析：选A 细节理解题。由第五段中的“He learned that it was
important to stick to a routine”可知答案。
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