A new study says electronic toys are not helping babies learn.

"Even if companies are marketing them as educational, they're not teaching the babies anything at this time," said Anna Sosa the study's author.

Researchers listened to audio(声音的)recordings of parents playing with their babies aged 10 months to 16 months. The researchers compared the experiences when the children played with electronic toys, traditional toys such as blocks, or when the children looked at books. What they found is that parents talked less with their babies when the babies played with electronic toys.

Why is this important? Research shows that how quickly children develop language is often based on what they hear from parents. When the infants played with electronic toys, parents said little to their children. But with traditional toys, such as blocks, parents shared the names and descriptions of the animals, colors and shapes as their children played. There was even more information given by parents as their babies looked at the pictures in books.

Of course, there is no need for parents to throw out electronic toys, but they should look at their infants’ play with such toys as entertainment, not a learning experience.

Toy Industry Association spokeswoman Adrienne Appell responded to the study. She said it is important that parents make time to play with their children. "Playing is a way that kids can learn so much, not only cognitive(认知的) skills, but social and developmental skills," she said. She added that play should be balanced, including time for just "make believe" activities, as well as traditional and electronic toys.

21. What’s Anna Sosa’s attitude towards companies claiming that their toys are educational?

A. supportive               B. indifferent     C. uninterested      D. doubtful  

22. We can learn from the text that babies in the research __________.

A. liked traditional toys better than electronic toys

B. interact less with their parents when playing with electronic toys

C. talked little with their parents when playing with electronic toys

D. listened to audio recordings of their parents

23. Children develop language more quickly when their parents __________.

A. read them picture books often                  B. teach them how to speak

C. buy them a lot of toys                                    D. throw away their electronic toys

24. According to Adrienne Appell, playing __________.

A. can’t take the place of learning

B. shouldn’t take most of children’s time

C. is good to children’s overall development

D. can’t develop children’s cognitive skills

Do you believe that things are connected for no scientific reason at all? For example, do you avoid saying the word “four” to avoid bad luck? If so, you have a superstition (迷信). And you’re not alone – all kinds of people have them.

For example, Portugal’s soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo always steps onto the pitch (球场) with his right foot first, according to The Telegraph. And sports players are not alone in having superstitions. A visitor once asked the Nobel Prize winning scientist Niels Bohr whether he really believed that the horseshoe he’d hung at his country home was lucky. “Of course not,” the Danish physicist said. “But I understand it’s lucky whether you believe in it or not.”

One recent study found that even scientists at MIT and other top US schools tended to look for a meaning in natural events, similar to the connection between stepping on the pitch and playing soccer well, according to The Atlantic. When the researchers gave the scientists little time to answer questions, they were twice as likely to agree with statements such as “Trees produce oxygen so that animals can breathe” as they were when they had more time to think about their reply.

It seems that fear can make people think differently in this way, too. In a British study, students imagined meeting a “witch” who said she would cast (施魔法) an evil spell(符咒) on them. About half said a scientist should not be worried about the spell. Yet each of them said that, personally, they wouldn’t let the witch do it to them.

So why are so many of us superstitious? Well, it seems to be our way of dealing with the unknown. “Many people quite simply just want to believe,” Brian Cronk, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University, said in a 2008 interview. “The human brain is always trying to work out why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre (古怪的) explanations.”

And these explanations aren’t completely unhelpful. In fact, superstitions can sometimes work and bring real luck, according to psychologists at the University of Cologne in Germany in the May 2010 issue of the journal Psychological Science. They found that believing in something can improve performance on a task like an exam.

So, what about you? What superstitions do you follow to keep you safe and successful?

25. The author mentions avoiding saying the word "four" in the opening paragraph to ________.

A. show how foolish it is to believe in superstitions

B. introduce the readers to the topic of superstitions

C. discuss the scientific reasons behind superstitions

D. prove that it is reasonable to be superstitious

26. How many superstitious practices are mentioned in the passage?

A. 3                        B. 2                                  C. 4                             D. 5

27. What’s the author’s attitude to superstitions?

A. Unknown            B. Positive                         C. Negative                  D. Neutral

28. What is the best title of the article?

A. Why superstitions are common

B. How superstitions affect our daily lives

C. How some common superstitions came into being

D. How to get rid of superstitions

This could be the perfect gift for the partner, who embarrasses you on the dance floor. Smart socks, which can teach to dance, may be the answer for anyone with two left feet.

The socks have been developed as a running tool to help runners improve their skills. Thanks to the socks, users can accurately record not only how far and fast they run but also how well. It means the user maximizes their performance, and reduces damage to body and prevents hurt. The hi-tech socks are made of special fibers that watch the movements of your feet. They look, feel and can be washed like normal clothes.

Sensors (传感器) record each movement and send it by an ankle transmitter (脚踝发射器) to a smart phone. Then a “virtual coach” application shows the information and can tell the user what they are doing wrong, and help to improve skill in any task with feet.

The socks should be useful to athletes and weekend joggers. “People think running is so easy and of course everybody can do it but not necessarily safely and well,” Dr Davide Vigano said. A recent study showed that between 60 and 80 percent of runners got hurt per year. This is pretty much more than any other human activity. Researchers say the technology can also be developed to teach people how to dance, play sports such golf, or even to help to teach women to walk better in high heels.

Mr. Vigano said, “People could all benefit from the idea. We have had interest from all sorts of sports, like skiing, football, cycling and golf. Anything where you have to use your feet can use it. It could even be put in high heels to help women walk in them safely.”

Socks are just the start, and the technology could be used in gloves, hats and boots. The socks, anklet and software package, are expected to be sold for around £120, which will go on sale in March.

29. What does the underlined part “anyone with two left feet” refer to?

A. People who are disabled.                         B. People who are interested in dancing.

C. People who invented the socks.         D. People who are not good at dancing.

30. What’s special about fibers that the socks are made of?

A. They feel much softer than normal clothes.

B. They can monitor the movement of feet.

C. They are expensive to produce.

D. They act as a smart phone for users.

31. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the socks?

A. They can improve the skill of running.

B. They can help women walk better in high heels.

C. They can teach people to dance well.

D. They can be worn for days without washing.

32. According to Dr Vigano, _________.

A. everyone can make good use of the smart socks

B. users can run as fast as they like with the socks

C. 60 to 80 percent of runners would like to buy the smart socks

D. no runners will get hurt, thanks to the socks

Researchers in the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA)have discovered a major difference in the way men and women respond to stress. This difference may explain why men are more likely to suffer from stress-related disorders.

Until now, psychological research has maintained that both men and women have the same“fight-or- flight”reaction to stress. In other words, individuals either react with aggressive behavior, such as verbal or physical conflict(“fight”),or they react by withdrawing from the stressful situation(“flight”).However, the UCLA research team found that men and women have quite different biological and behavioral responses to stress. While men often react to stress in the fight-or-flight response, women often have another kind of reaction which could be called“tend and befriend.”That is, they often react to stressful conditions by protecting and nurturing their young(“tend”),and by looking for social contact and support from others—especially other females (“befriend”).

Scientists have long known that in the fight-or-flight reaction to stress, an important role is played by certain hormones(激素)released by the body. The UCLA research team suggests that the female tend-or-befriend response is also based on a hormone. This hormone, called oxytocin, has been studied in the context of childbirth, but now it is being studied for its role in the response of both men and women to stress. The principal investigator, Dr.Shelley E.Taylor, explained that“animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer, more relaxed, more social, and less anxious.”While men also secrete(分泌)oxytocin, its effects are reduced by male hormones.

In terms of everyday behavior, the UCLA study found that women are far more likely than men to seek social contact when they are feeling stressed. They may phone relatives or friends, or ask directions if they are lost.

The study also showed how fathers and mothers responded differently when they came home to their family after a stressful day at work. The typical father wanted to be left alone to enjoy some peace and quiet. For a typical mother, coping with a bad day at work meant focusing her attention on her children and their needs.

The differences in responding to stress may explain the fact that women have lower frequency of stress-related disorders such as high blood pressure or aggressive behavior. The tend-and-befriend regulatory(调节的)system may protect women against stress, and this may explain why women on average live longer than men.

33.Which of the following is true about oxytocin according to the passage?

A.Men have the same level of oxytocin as women do.

B.Oxytocin used to be studied in both men and women.

C.Both animals and people have high levels of oxytocin.

D.Oxytocin has more of an effect on women than on men.

34.What can be learned from the passage?

A.Male hormones help build up the body’s resistances to stress.

B.In a family a mother cares more about children than a father does.

C.Biological differences lead to different behavioral responses to stress.

D.The UCLA study was designed to confirm previous research findings.

35.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A.How men and women suffer from stress

B.How men and women get over stress

C.How researchers overcome stress problems

D.How researchers handle stress-related disorder

One of the common complaints we hear from the people around us are problems they are facing. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up. How to solve them? The answer is that we must equip ourselves to deal with different kinds of worries by learning the three basic steps of problem analysis. The three steps are:

Get the facts

Why is it so important to get the facts? Unless you have the facts, you can’t possibly attempt to solve your problem intelligently. Without the facts, all you can do is wondering around in confusion. It is not an easy job to get facts. When you are worried, your emotions are riding high.   36     .

When trying to get the facts, you can pretend that you are collecting this information not for yourself but for some other person.      37     . You can also pretend that you are a lawyer preparing to agree. Try to get all the facts both on your side and the other side of the case. You will generally find the truth lies somewhere in between.

     38     .

Whenever you are worried, write down the questions that make you worry. And write out all the various steps you could take and then the probable consequences of each step. For example, what am I worrying about? What can I do about it? Here is what I’m going to do about it. After carefully weighing all the facts, you can calmly come to a decision.

Act on that decision.

     39     . How can you break the worry habit before it breaks you? Crowd worry out of your mind by keeping busy. Plenty of action is one of the best ways to cure worry.

     40     . If you know a situation is beyond your power, say to yourself: “It is so; it can’t be otherwise.” Don’t permit little things to ruin your happiness. Try to cultivate a mental attitude that will bring you peace and happiness.

A. This will help you to take a cold and fair view of the evidence.

B. Unless you take your action, all your fact-finding and analysis is a sheer waste of energy.

C. But here are two ideas that can help you see the facts in a clear and objective way.

D. Analyze the facts.

E. There comes a time when you must decide and never look back.

F. Decide how much anxiety a thing may be worth.

G. Accept what can’t be avoided.