A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries |
| B．the changes in people’s diet |
| C．the effect of fish eating on people’s health |
| D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures |
We can infer from the passage that there are fewer heart disease deaths ________.
| A．in countries of the yellow-skin race |
| B．in highly-developed countries |
| C．in the countries with high consumption of fish |
| D．in the countries with good production of fish |
The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between _________ and the level of heart disease.
| A．the amount of fish eaten | B．regular fish-eating |
| C．the kind of fish eaten | D．people of different areas |
From the passage we know the author is most probably ______.
| A．a heart doctor | B．a science researcher |
| C．a supporter of healthy eating | D．a university student |
OSCAR THEATRE
BOOKING
- in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 am-8 pm.
- by post
Stating the performance and choice of seats, enclosing a cheque, postal order, or your credit card details to Oscar Theatre Box Office, PO Box 220, Main street. All cheques should be made payable to Oscar Theatre.
- by telephone
Ring 0844 847 2484 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard accepted).
- on-line
Complete the on-line booking form at www.oscartheatre.com.
DISCOUNTS
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday inclusive, and for all matinees(下午场). Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until one hour before the show (subject to availability).
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible(有资格的) for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten per cent discount for parties of twelve or more.
Schools: school parties of ten or more can book $9 tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.How can you pay for a ticket when you book by post?
| A．By visiting the website of a post office. |
| B．By going to you local bank in person. |
| C．By enclosing your MasterCard in an envelope. |
| D．By providing your credit card information. |
What benefit can bookers enjoy according to the text?
| A．A group of ten adults going to a performance can claim a discount. |
| B．A school party of 15 persons that book in advance pay $135 in total for a performance. |
| C．Someone accompanying a wheelchair user to a performance receives a discount. |
| D．An 18-year-old teenager is eligible for Saver discounts. |
According to the text, who can get Standby tickets?
| A．Full-time students buying tickets 45 minutes before a performance begins. |
| B．65-year-olds buying tickets an hour and a half before a performance begins. |
| C．Theatre-goers who are unexpectedly unable to be present at a performance. |
| D．Anyone who buys tickets an hour before a performance begins. |
As a professor I have grown accustomed to the opinion regarding American education. We are repeatedly told that American schools are failing, that colleges are not teaching, and that the students of today are not as good as the students of the past.
There are, of course, problems with the education system. Because of economic inequality some schools are significantly better than others and the ideas of equality of education and equality of opportunity are cruel jokes. However, the mere fact that there are some serious problems does not mean that all the dire claims are true.
One stock (陈腐的) claim is that America has fallen behind the world in education in terms of performance on various tests. While the fact that America is behind other countries is a point of concern, there are at least three points worth considering here. The first is the above-mentioned economic inequality which will tend to result in poorer performance when taking the average for America. The second is that many countries have put considerable effort into improving their education systems and hence it is worth considering that America’s decline is also due to the improvement of others. The third is the matter of the measures— do they, in fact, present an accurate picture of the situation? I am not claiming that the data is bad. I am merely raising a reasonable concern about how accurate our picture of education is at this time.
Another stock claim is that American students are doing badly on standardized tests. While there is clearly value in assessment, it is reasonable to consider whether or not such tests are a proper and adequate measure of education. It is also worth considering whether the puzzle with these tests is itself causing damage to education. That is, as teachers teach for the test and students learn for the test, it might be the case that what is being taught is not what should be taught and what is being learned is not what should be learned.According to the professor, many people’s attitude towards American colleges is .
| A．negative | B．positive | C．approving | D．indifferent |
What does the underlined word “dire” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Exact or precise. | B．Extremely serious or terrible. |
| C．Fair or objective. | D．Long and boring. |
Judging by the text ,the claims are centered on .
| A．what should be taught in the American classroom |
| B．fair judgment of American education |
| C．American students’ performance on tests |
| D．an accurate picture of American colleges |
The passage is written mainly to .
| A．defend American education |
| B．show dissatisfaction with American education |
| C．explain why American students do badly on tests |
| D．offer advice on American education reform |
Matt Haimovitz is 42 and a renowned cellist (大提琴手) in the world. He rushed into the classical music scene at the age of 12 after Itzhak Perlman, the famed violinist, heard him play.
But nothing in his family history explains where Haimovitz got his extraordinary talent. And that’s typical, Ellen Winner, a professor says.
“People are fascinated by these children because they don’t understand where their talent came from. You will see parents who say, ‘I wasn’t like this, and my husband wasn’t like this.’ It seems to sometimes just come out of the blue,” Winner says.
It’s not clear whether a prodigy’s （天才）brain is any different from the brains of other children, in part because there have been no study comparing the brains of prodigies to those of average people.
“But I believe that anything that shows up so early, without training, has got to be either a genetic or some other biological basis,” Winner says. “If a child suddenly at the age of 3 goes to the piano and picks out a tune and does it beautifully, that has to be because that child has a different brain.”
Children who are extremely gifted tend to be socially different, too, Winner says. “They feel like they can’t find other kids like themselves, so they feel strange, maybe even like a freak, and feel like they don’t have anybody to connect with. On the other hand, they also long to connect with other kids, and they can’t find other kids like themselves.”
As Haimovitz got older, he became frustrated. He wanted to play other kinds of music but felt constricted by the image and the expectations of the boy prodigy who played classical music and filled concert halls.
“When you start that early, you suddenly start to grow up in public, and I wanted to experiment,” Haimovitz says.
So he took his cello into punk rock clubs and coffee houses. He played Bach, Haydn and Hendrix. “My teacher was Leonard Rose, and we never played any 20th-century music. He didn’t like it. But once I was exposed to James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix, Miles Dewey Davis El and others, I couldn’t really turn back. I wanted to know more,” he says.According to some parents, prodigies’ extraordinary talent.
| A．comes unexpectedly | B．is inherited from parents |
| C．results from hard work | D．is trained in early times |
Winner seems to agree to the fact that ____.
| A．average people have their particular brains |
| B．biology is the base of a different brain |
| C．a prodigy’s brain is superior to those of others |
| D．genes play an important role in a prodigy |
According to the text, gifted children are .
| A．lonely | B．easy-going | C．innocent | D．social |
The last paragraph is mainly about how Haimovitz was trying to .
| A．build up his friendship | B．play different kinds of music |
| C．set up the image of a prodigy | D．perform classical music creatively |
It’s five minutes before the exam and you are in a state of panic. You just have to pass it, but how? You didn’t even open the book the night before and you hear a voice in your head saying “Cheat, cheat ...” So what are you going to do, ignore it and fail or go for it? It’s a tough decision many students must make.
Most young people believe that cheating is wrong. However, they have cheated at least once in their high school years. So, why do they do it? Are they too lazy to study? Perhaps, it’s not as simple as that. According to some experts, one main reason why students cheat is that they see their friends get away with it. It’s an easy way out. They avoid embarrassment and their parents’ anger for not doing well in an exam. Another reason is that students think it’s OK to cheat if the subject isn’t important for their future career. What’s more, most students have to put up with the pressure of getting into university. They need to get good marks to carry on with their studies. This means that there will always be students who will do anything for a better mark.
It has never been easier to cheat than it is today. With all the technology available, students needn’t cheat by looking over their shoulders anymore. They use mobile phones to send answers to each other during a test. There is also the Internet. With hundreds of websites, students don’t have to worry because they can find lots of material which they can copy and use in projects. There are even tips on the art of cheating in exams.
Obviously, if you get caught cheating, you fail the exam or the subject. But it doesn’t really matter whether you get caught or not. What’s important is that it’s wrong. You mustn’t cheat because cheating is a lie. It deceives (欺骗) people into thinking you know more than you actually do. How can you be proud of something you have achieved through cheating? In the end, it’s not about deceiving your teachers and your parents, but about fooling yourself that you can do something you really can’t.The tough decision that many students have to make before an exam is .
| A．whether to cheat or not | B．what to do if they fail |
| C．how to cheat | D．how to keep calm |
According to the experts, why do some students cheat?
| A．The subjects are important for their future. | B．They are too lazy to study. |
| C．Cheating can help them please their parents. | D．Their friends ask them to cheat. |
The worst thing about cheating is that .
| A．you cheat others and yourself |
| B．you can get caught and fail |
| C．you give others a bad impression |
| D．your teacher will inform your parents |
Which sentence best summarizes the whole text?
| A．Cheating can be explained but not excused. |
| B．Technology has made cheating easier. |
| C．Students cheat to get into university. |
| D．Cheating is a social and psychological problem. |
I bought a Paul Smith shirt three months ago. For those who don’t know, Paul Smith is an English designer brand.
His shirts cost about 1,000 yuan and upwards. I paid 50 yuan for my colorful shirt from a street vendor in Beijing.
Of course my shirt was a knockoff, a cheap copy of the brand. After a few washes, little balls formed on the surface of the thin material.
Do I care? Not at all. You get what you pay for.
I have to admit I hate shopping. I don’t care enough about spending money on clothes. I have other priorities.
In You Are What You Wear, US writer Jennifer Baumgartner says people’s clothes tell a story about their personality.
She writes: “The clothes you choose to wear provide important information about you as a person: your approximate education level, your income, social status and even your level of self-esteem (自信).” When I started work as an undercover crime reporter, I had to shop for jeans and a hoodie (连帽衫) in order to fit in with a rough and ready (世故的) social group.
I bought the hoodie in a charity shop. My daughters were shocked. They thought I looked bad, but I knew my disguise was perfect.
Elizabeth L. Cline thinks she knows best when it comes to cheap clothes in her book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. She expresses sadness that clothing has been turned into a good that is thrown away after being used once or twice.
She looks down her nose at cheap fashion and longs for the good old days when department stores sold quality clothes at high prices.
I don’t agree. At least people now can choose what to wear without breaking the bank.The underlined sentence in the article meant that .
| A．I don’t mind spending money on clothes |
| B．there’s not much point spending money on clothes |
| C．it is too much trouble to spend money on clothes |
| D．I never spend money on clothes |
From the text we can infer that the author’s disguise .
| A．immediately won the admiration of his daughters |
| B．turned out unsuited to his plan |
| C．proved that clothes can’t show a person’s true personality |
| D．had something to do with his income |
The author mentions Elizabeth L. Cline’s book to .
| A．express his anger at the poor quality of clothes |
| B．show his disagreement with her idea |
| C．show his dislike for how people treat their clothes |
| D．support her attitude toward spending money on clothes |
Which of the following might be the best title for the story?
| A．The variety of clothes | B．You are what you wear |
| C．High cost of cheap fashion | D．You get what you pay for |