湖南省师范大学附属中学2020-2021学年高一下学期英语入学自主检测试卷

The Science of Risk-Seeking

    Sometimes we decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking.  Some of us enjoy activities that would surprise and scare the rest of us. Why? Experts say it may have to do with how our brains work?

    The reason why any of us take any risks al all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring.  As the quality of risk-taking was passed from one generation to the next, humans ended up with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for risk.

    So why aren't we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200,000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it.

    No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years.  To help you do that, your brain increases your hunger for new experiences. New experiences often mean taking some risks, so your brain raises your tolerance for risk as well.

     For the risk-seekers a part of the brain related to pleasure becomes active, while for the rest of us, a part of the brain related to fear becomes active.

    As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we'll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.

A. It all depends on your character.

B. Those are the risks you should jump to take.

C. Being better at those things meant a greater chance of survival.

D. Thus, these well-equipped people survived because they were the fittest.

E. This is when you start to move away from your family and into the bigger world.

F. However, we are not all using the same reference standard to weigh risks and rewards.

G. New brain research suggests our brains work differently when we face a nervous situation.

    Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

    One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning experiences increase the length of time we will remember it.

    In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

    The multiplication tables (乘法口诀表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

    The law of overlearning explains why cramming (突击学习) for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.

Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.

AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169. 15 at Booking. com. A week later, the same room cost £l18. 15.

If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid-or you're looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen. com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.

Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95. 95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75. 75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62. 95.

GET ON A BIKE London's ‘Boris bikes' have attracted the most attention but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.

Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1. 50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).

The idea of changing the world seems very crazy, but there are a number of small everyday things we can do to make the world better. Community centers, parks, libraries, homeless shelters, hospitals and schools are all places where students can make a difference through service.

Alisia Orosco, 10, wanted to show her love and care to the sick kids at University Children's Hospital in Texas, where her brother had been a patient. She earned money by doing part-time jobs and used it to buy different toys for the children in hospital. Now she visits three hospitals every year with bags of toys. "I hope to help as many kids as I can," Alisia says. "It makes me happy to make them smile. "

High school students in a town of Washington made a difference to the lives of some needy children by building a playground at a worker's camp. They got a lot of help from a building supply store which provided free building materials for the project.

Teens in New Jersey decided to offer their help at a local soup kitchen where people with no homes can get free food. But there wasn't one. They created a one-day soup kitchen and were able to feed 60 needy people and allow them to take the rest home. Their efforts got more people to understand the great need of the poor in their community. Because of their efforts and success, a permanent soup kitchen was created with the $ 10,000 National award they received from Newman's Own.

High school students in Las Vegas helped 30 homeless adults prepare resumes during a job fair they held at the area's largest homeless shelter. At least nine of the adults later found jobs.

We do not usually think about how our language works. Talking is such a natural, everyday activity that we do not often stop to consider how it actually works. When we do study our language, though, we are often surprised that we are able to understand our conversations. Words can mean so many different things. However, it turns out that the speaking situation helps a lot in making language work.

First, the speaking situation helps make words more particular. For example, the word "dog" can describe a dog that a speaker saw in a dream. It can also be used to discuss a neighbor's dog. No language has a separate word for the idea "dog that I saw yesterday" and another word for the idea "dog that I saw in a dream". This is because the speaking situation makes it clear what speakers mean when they use words. So, when you have a conversation with your neighbor, the knowledge that you have a dog tells your neighbor what the word "dog" probably means in that situation.

The speaking situation also helps make language clearer. For example, the word "bank" has two possible meanings. It can mean "a place where people keep money", but it can also mean "the side of a river". So the sentence "I went to the bank. " Is not clear. It could mean I went to the side of the river or it could mean I went to the place where my money is kept. However, if the speaker is talking about fishing or going to the mountains, others probably know that "bank" means "the side of a river".

The things that speakers say may not always be clear. Sometimes the words are not very particular, but the speaking situation can provide the meaning. Other times words may have many meanings. Then the speaking situation limits the right meaning. This extra knowledge from the situation is very important to understand language.

The journey my daughter Cathy has had with her swimming is as long as it is beautiful.

Cathy suffered some terrible1in her early childhood. After years of regular treatment, she finally became healthy. Two years ago, while Cathy was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head to be a swimmer. Last summer, she wanted to2our local swim team. She practiced hard and finally3it. The team practice, however, was a rough start. She coughed and choked and could hardly4her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing bitterly one night, I decided to5her from it all. But Cathy woke me up early next morning, wearing her swimsuit6to go! I told her she shouldn't swim after a whole nights coughing, but she refused to7and insisted she go.

From that day on, Cathy kept swimming and didn't8a single practice. She had a firm intention within herself to be the best she could be. My ten-year-old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this9human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of frustration of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Cathy to accept that she wasn't a10—ever. But that didn't stop her from trying.

Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Cathy didn't expect any award but was still there to11her friends and praise their accomplishments. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach12, "The highest honor goes to Cathy!" Looking around, he continued, "Cathy has inspired us with her13and enthusiasm. 14skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset (财富) one can hold is the heart. "

It was the greatest moment of my daughter's life. With all she had been15in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph (成功).