专题08 期末考试预测（二）-高二上学期英语期末复习大串讲（选修6）（解析版）Word版含答案.docVIP

第一部分　阅读理解(共两节，满分40分) 第一节(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分) 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。 A Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong. According to The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s—much later than previously thought. Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we keep them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years, it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive（认知的）tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words they can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed—how fast they can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age. Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with age. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we are younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as