Unit 2 Heroes
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
LOS ANGELES—Old people who keep walking a relatively long distance may be less likely to suffer from cognitive(认知的) decline，a new study suggests.
“By walking regularly，and maintaining a little bit of moderate physical activity，you can reduce your likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease and spare brain tissue，” Kirk I．Erickson，the study's lead author，said.
Erickson and his colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh began to establish a link between walking and memory in 1989.
According to the report on their study published online Wednesday in Neurology，an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology，researchers tracked the physical activity and cognitive patterns of nearly 300 adults.
At the very beginning，all participants，on average 78 years old and about two－thirds being women，were in good cognitive health.The researchers charted how many blocks each person walked in one week.
Nine years later，the participants were given a MRI scan to measure their brain size.All of them were deemed to be“cognitively normal.”
But after four more years，test showed a little more than one third of the participants had developed a mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
By correlating cognitive health，brain scans and walking patterns，the research team found that being more physically active appeared to lower the risk of developing cognitive impairment.
As to how much walking would help prevent cognitive decline，the researchers suggested that walking about six miles，or 9.6 km，per week appears to protect the brain against shrinking in old age.
The researchers said the relationship between walking and gray matter volume appears to apply only to people who regularly walk relatively long distances.
The more someone walks，the more gray matter tissue the person will have a decade or more down the road in regions of the brain，namely the hippocampus，the inferior frontal gyrus and the supplementary motor area，that are central to cognition.
And among the more physically active participants who had retained more gray matter a decade out，the chances of developing cognitive impairment were cut in half，the study said.
【语篇解读】 老年人进行适当、有规律的散步能减少认知能力下降的可能性。
1．When did the old people tested in the research begin to show difference in cognitive decline?
A．When they were 78 years old.
B．When they were 87 years old.
C．Between the year 1989 and 1998.
D．Between the year 1998 and 2002.
答案 D [细节理解题。从文中第三段可知，实验于1989年开始，在9＋4年之后，测试结果显示实验对象在认知能力上已经存在差异。]
2．What do we know about the gray matter?
A．The quantity of it has a decisive influence on the cognitive ability.
B．It's something in the muscle that develops from physical activity.
C．It's a brain disease that will damage the cognitive ability.
D．It's some brain matter that can cure brain diseases.
答案 A [细节理解题。从文章最后三段可知，体力运动较积极的人脑部的gray matter较多，可推断gray matter的数量可显示认知能力水平。]
3．Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “shrinking” in Para.9?
A．worrying B．weakening
C．widening D．wandering
答案 B [词义猜测题。根据文意可知，walking可防止脑部萎缩，功能退化，与答案B(weakening)最相近。]
4．What is TRUE about the research?
A．Men and women differ in the decline of cognition.
B．The research subjects were required to walk blocks per week.
C．The findings suggest the more walking，the better health.
D．There were about 200 women involved in the research.
答案 D [正误判断题。从文中第四、五段可知，测试对象约300人，其中约2/3为女性。]
B
Basketball player Tina Charles grew up understanding the importance of education and of giving back to others. When the WNBA(美国女子职业篮球赛)star and the 2012 US Olympic Women’s Basketball team athlete heard about the chance to fund a school in an African village, she made sure to take part.
Charles first came across the opportunity while she was a sophomore in college. At that time, she didn’t have the funds to help out, but all of that changed when she was drafted to the WNBA. With the help of two charitable organizations — OmniPeace and buildon — Charles funded the entire ＄32 000 cost of the school.
The school, completed earlier this spring, was built in the small village of Ganale in western Africa. Before Charles’contributions, children living in the village were schooled in tiny mud huts. The lack of proper lighting and of proper airflow made it difficult for the students to learn. The new school building is nearly 3 000 square feet and contains three large classrooms. It can fit up to 150 students at a time and is also used for adult literacy classes in the evenings. The school will be a source of learning for generations to come.
Charles undertook this charitable act while playing professional basketball and preparing for the London Olympics. The Olympic Games begin today, July 27, and Charles will play for a team that has won the gold medal in the last four Olympic Games. The first-time Olympic competitor considers her placement on the team, along with 12 fellow female basketball players, a testament to how hard she works.
Whether it is representing her country in the Olympic Games or giving back to the community, Charles is always working hard. “Once you receive, you have to give,”she told Time for Kids, “I wanted to give others the same opportunity I had growing up.”
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇人物介绍。著名篮球明星蒂娜·查尔斯不仅仅球技超人，而且热衷于慈善事业。最近，就在即将参加2012伦敦奥运会之际，在慈善组织的帮助下，她慷慨捐资，为非洲的一个村子建立了一所学校，其无私精神值得称赞。
5. Charles donated to build a school probably because ______.
A. she has earned a large amount of money
B. she thought she should do something in return
C. she had a chance to receive further education
D. she was a famous basketball star in the U.S.A.
答案 B [细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Basketball player Tina Charles grew up understanding the importance of education and of giving back to others.”可知，她认为她应该做一些回报别人的事情。]
6. What made Charles regretful when she was in college?
A. She didn’t work hard at her lessons.
B. She wasted much time playing games.
C. She couldn’t go to school like others.
D. She couldn’t afford to build a school.
答案 D [细节理解题。根据第二段中的“she didn’t have the funds to help out ....”可知，她当时缺少资金，没钱建造学校。]
7. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A. Children couldn’t learn anything at school.
B. Many adults are interested in learning.
C. Even villagers can learn in the new school happily.
D. The new school is made up of several parts.
答案 C [推理判断题。该段介绍了新学校的规模和用途，特别是成人和孩子都可以受益，由此可知C项和文意相符。]
8. We can infer from the fourth paragraph that Charles ______.
A. plays an important part in her team
B. is always busy doing something important
C. is sure to gain a gold medal in the Olympics
D. is getting along well with her female players
答案 A [推理判断题。根据第四段中的“The first-time Olympic Competitor considers her placement on the team, along with 12 fellow female basketball players, a testament to how hard she works.”可以推知，查尔斯在她的球队中举足轻重。]