Almost everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our  36_ , intelligence and attention. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us  37_  the day.
 38 __, a new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are 39___ to how smart humans can get.
Each of our body parts develops in a certain way for a reason.  40  _, we are not 3 meters tall  41 _ most people’s hearts are not strong enough to send  42 _  up that high. Scientists say that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby’s brain size is limited by a series of __43  , such as the size of the mother’s pelvis (骨盆). If our brains developed to be bigger, there could be more  44  during childbirth.
The study of Jews, who have an average IQ much _ 45_  than other Europeans, showed they were more  _46_  to develop diseases of the  _47_  system. This might be because of their increased brainpower.
If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at _ 48 _ ? Not really, say scientists. They studied  _49_  like caffeine (咖啡因)that improve attention. They found the drugs only helped people with serious  50 _ problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the  51 _ effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is a(n)  52 limit to how much people can or should concentrate.
Our memory is also a “double-edged sword”. People with extremely good memories could  53__ having a difficult life because they cannot  _54 bad things that happen to them.
Thomas Hills, one of the authors of the paper, said that   55  all the problems in trying to get smarter, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a “super mind”.

Ever wondered why some businesses fail and others seem to go from strength to strength（越来越兴旺发达）? One of the major reasons for success or failure in any business is the choice of location. The ABS can be of great help in choosing the most likely place to set up your business. Whether it’s simple or a complex business.

Case study one

A Sydney doctor specializing pediatrics(小儿科) was hoping to set up a practice outside the metropolitan area, probably on the northern coast of New South Wales. He was unsure of the best place in this region and came to the ABS for help. The ABS was able to put together a report containing details of the proportion of the children in particular areas, along with information on regions with the highest birth rates. This enabled the doctor to work out where future demand for his services would be.

Case study two

A suburban retailer（零售商）in Perth owned a shoe store which stocked a wide range of shoes for men, women and children. There had been an increase in the number of similar shoe stores in the suburban shopping center and the owner wanted to assess the possibility of switching to selling imported shoes and handbags for women only. In order to ensure whether there was a market for these products, the retailer needed to obtain details of income by age, sex, and occupation for all the women in the city of Perth. Using information from the 1996 Census(普查)of Population and Housing, the ABS was able to provide this type of information in a detailed report. With the information, the retailer was able to believe that there were enough professional working women in the area with middle to high incomes, which makes his business possible.

1. What information did the Sydney doctor get from the ABS about the northern coast of New South Wales?

A. The number of medical practices there.

B. The detailed information about the children.

C. Its present and future economic situations.

D. The ideal place to start a practice there.

2. The retailer wanted to switch to selling imported shoes and handbags for women because________.

A. there were more and more working women

B. he wanted to enlarge the original store

C. there were more and more shoe stores

D. imported products were popular

3. What does the ABS do for its customers?

A. Doing research work in the fields.

B. Suggesting the most potential market.

C. Providing considerable amounts of data.

D. Predicting the possible consumer goods.

4. This passage is most probably a(n) _____________.

A. handout for management           B. income report

C. advertisement                   D. plan for a project

It’s summer movie time again. And heroes are ready to try their strength and magic on the silver screen. Check out our list of four films that look most promising to young audiences.

Notes:

① villain  n. 坏人

② knight  n. 骑士，武士

According to the passage, if you want to see a film whose leading actor is Jackie Chan, you will see the film on ______.

A. June 4    B. June 16    C. June 30    D. July 7

In Spider-Man 2, Aunt May’s trouble is caused by ______.

A. Peter Parker          B. Mary Jane     C. Dr Otto Octavius    D. Spider- Man

Which of the following films is set in ancient Britain?

A. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

B. Around the World in 80 Days

C. Spider-Man 2

D. King Arthur

Someone said that encouragement is simply reminding a person of the “shoulders” he’s standing on, the heritage he’s been given. That’s what happened   36   a young man, the son of a(n)   37   baseball player, was chosen by one of the minor league teams. Hard as he tried, his first season was   38   , and by midseason he expected to be removed   39   day. The coaches were    40   by his failure because he possessed all the characteristics of a superb athlete, but he seemed to have become   41   from his potential.
His   42   seemed darkest one day when he had already struck out his first time at bat. Then he stepped up to the batter’s box again and quickly ran up two strikes. The catcher called a   43   and ran for a conference to discuss strategies. While they were busy, the   44  , standing behind him, spoke casually to the boy.
Then play   45  , the next pitch was thrown and the young man knocked it out of the park. That was the turning   46  . From then on, he played the game with a new confidence and power that quickly   47   the attention of the parent team, and he was called   48   to the majors.
On the day he was leaving for the city, one of his coaches asked him what had caused such a turnaround. The young man replied it was the   49   remark the judge had   50   that day when his baseball career had seemed   51  .
“He told me I reminded him of all the times he had stood   52   my dad in the batter’s box,” the boy explained. “He said I was holding the bat just the way Dad had held it.   53   he told me, ‘I can see his genes in you; you have your father’s   54   .’ After that, whenever I swung the bat, I just   55   I was using Dad’s arms instead of my own.”

完形填空  (共15小题；每小题1分，共15分)
On a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the lake behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the ­ 36  door, leaving behind his shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He  37  into the water, not realizing that as he swam to the middle of the lake, a(n)  38  was swimming toward the 39 . His mother in the house saw the two. Full of  40 , she ran toward the water, screaming at her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became  41  and made a U-turn to swim hurriedly to his mother. But it was too late. Just as he reached her, the crocodile  42  him. The mother grabbed her little boy by the  43  just as the crocodile seized his legs.
The crocodile was  44  stronger than the mother; but the mother was much too  45  to pull her son back. A farmer heard the  46  , raced from his truck, took aim and shot the crocodile.
Remarkably, a few weeks later, the little boy  47 . His legs were extremely scarred by the attack of the animal.  48 , on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh(肉体) in her  49  to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who  50  the boy after the accident, asked if he would show him his scars（疤痕）: The boy, with obvious  51  , said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom would not let go.”
You and I can  52  with that little boy. We have scars, too. Not from a crocodile, but the scars of a painful  53 . some of those scars are ugly and have  54  us deep regret. But , some wounds, my friend, are because our relatives have  55 to let go. In the course of your struggle, they have been there holding on to you.

【小题10】

A．hurried B．worried C． eager D．anxious