No one enjoys hearing the sound of someone else chewing their food. Most of the time, though, it's not that big a deal but a minor annoyance.

    But for a small group of people with misophonia (恐音症), the sound can be painful, causing extreme anger and deep discomfort. The most ordinary sounds of chewing and breathing can drive them crazy. Past attempts to explain the causes of misophonia have suggested everything from compulsive disorder to an easily-annoyed personality—but according to a study published yesterday in the journal CurrentBiology, the true criminal is the structure of the brain.

    For the study, a team of researchers led by Newcastle University neuroscientist Sukhbinder Kumar recruited (招募) 42 volunteers, of whom around half had extreme misophonia and the other half served as the control group, and played them several different noises: some ordinary; some harsh, like the sound of a person screaming; and some that were ordinary for the control group but known to be annoying for misophonics, people with misophonia, like the sound of breathing. As the participants listened, the researchers monitored them for signs of anxiety, both physical symptoms and behavioral expressions, and observed their brain activity using FMRI scans.

    The only significant difference in reaction between the two groups happened, during the misophonia-specific sounds, when those with the condition showed physical changes that suggested they were entering fight-or-flight mode.

    Misophonics had increased activity in the AIC, an area known to play a central role in the system that determines which things we should pay attention to. When the trigger sounds were played, there was not only more activity in this region but also abnormally high levels of connection to other regions.

    Misophonia, in other words, may be a result of misplaced attention the brain of a misophonic focuses on things that other people normally tune out (不予理会). On a related note, on behalf of misophonics and manners-minded moms everywhere: Please, chew with your mouth closed.

    I was driving to the grocery store on a warm morning in May. I smiled as I watched the golden sunshine 1 on the leaves. It was such a 2 and heavenly time.

    My calm was broken, 3, as I rounded a curve (拐弯处). A huge U-Haul truck was coming my way several feet over the center line. I swerved as far onto the side of the road as I could to 4 it. It was followed by not one but two other U-Haul trucks just as 5. I wondered if all the stuff inside of them 6 the same person. I slowed down my car and waited for my heart rate to 7.  It was then that I 8 a self-storage business along the side of the highway, building new units for all the people who couldn't fit their 9 into their houses. I saw a (n) 10 couple carrying boxes into one of the units. It seemed 11 that a couple just out of their teens could already have too much stuff.

    I lost my own 12 for owning stuff when a house fire in the middle of the night destroyed everything my family owned. The only thing I had left was the underwear I was wearing. Yet, our whole family had awakened 13 to escape. In the weeks that followed friends and family gave us a lot of stuff to get us back on our feet, but none of it seemed as 14 any more. What was important was seeing Mom's smile, giving Nana a hug and a kiss, and watching Dad snooze(打盹)in his chair 15 a hard day's work. What was important was the stuff of 16,  not the stuff of this world. Since then I have tried to limit the things I 17. I didn't want too much stuff to 18 my life. I wanted to only buy what I needed and to spend my days in learning, growing, and 19 my family and others.

    I assumed that only by doing so could I make my 20.

    Woodblock printing first appeared in the early Tang period. During the Song dynasty, the technique of block printing was very advanced. Books were        (beautiful) printed. Even today the books      (print) at the time are valuable and treasured by libraries and book collectors. 

    However, block printing       (be) not very convenient. Every two pages of a book had to be carved on a woodblock, and a big book would require many blocks. Besides, there had to be large places for storing the books.        (overcome) these shortcomings, Bi Sheng invented the movable type during the years between 1041 and 1048. One word was carved on one piece of clay,        was hardened with fire. Then clay characters were set on        iron plate according to the text of a book. Then ink was applied to them and       (sheet) of paper spread over them, and the printing was done. Bi Sheng's invention made printing faster and       (easy) than before. Later, movable type of metal and wood was made and widely used.

    The technique of printing was gradually known to other Asian countries and Europe. The great influence printing had       the advance of civilization is too clear to need any       (explain).

增加： 在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除： 把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。

修改： 在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;

2．只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。

    The sentence from our teachers tell us that we shouldn't be discouraged after failures. Definitely we should keep trying with determine.

    At the age of twelve, I get a nice bike as a birthday gift. So excited was I that I couldn't wait to try my hand at riding it. Besides, it was harder than expecting. The bike seemed too heavy for me to control and I fell off the bike over and over again. I was about to give up while my father came and encouraged me to keep going. With more practice, I found me doing better and better. Looking back, I feel I would not be able to ride bike if I had lost my heart.

    Honest speaking, we can't avoid failing. What matters most is that we should stick to it.

注意：

1）词数100个左右(开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数);

2）可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。

Dear Tom,

Yours,

Li Hua