A new study finds that the animal known as man’s best friend can also be a good friend to the heart. Researchers in California say they have found that even just a short visit with a dog helped ease the worries of heart patients.
The study divided the patients into three groups. In Group A, a dog and a person visited each patient for twelve minutes. Patients in Group B received just a human visitor for twelve minutes. And members of Group C received no visitor, human or canine(犬的).
The dogs would lie on the hospital bed so the heart patients could touch them. The researchers say some patients immediately smiled and talked to the dog and the human visitor. Dogs, in her words, “make people happier, calmer and feel more loved.”
The researchers examined the patients before, during and after the visits. They measured stress levels based on blood flow and heart activity. They say they found a twenty-four percent decrease in the group visited by both a dog and a person. They reported a ten percent decrease in the group visited by a person only. There was no change in the patients without any visit. These patients, however, did have an increase in their production of the hormone epinephrine (epinephrine肾上腺素). The body produces epinephrine during times of stress.
The increase was an average of seven percent. But the study found that patients who spent time with a dog had a seventeen percent drop in their levels of epinephrine. Patients visited by a human but not a dog also had a decrease, but only two percent.The author believes that _______.
| A．the dog can take the place of most medicines |
| B．the dog is the most popular pet for man |
| C．the findings of the research cannot be trusted |
| D．visits by a human work better than visits by a dog |
Which of the following best shows the stress level changes in the groups of patients? BACC
From the research findings we may conclude that _______.
| A．the less the body produces epinephrine, the better |
| B．the longer a visit lasts, the happier the patient should be |
| C．the patients enjoyed the dogs’ company more than the human visitors’ |
| D．it’s impossible for heart patients to recover without dogs’ visits |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Worried Heart Patients | B．Epinephrine and Stress |
| C．Good Friend to the Heart | D．Three Groups of Patients |
The sun is shining when I get on No. 151 bus. We passengers sit jammed together in heavy clothes. No one speaks. That’s one of the unwritten rules of Chicago commuting. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to hide behind our newspapers. The phenomenon is striking: people who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newsprint to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a voice suddenly rings out: “Attention! Attention!” Papers rattle (发出细小声). Necks crane (伸长). “This is your driver speaking.”
We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice has authority.
“All of you put your papers down.”
The papers come down, an inch at a time. The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.”
Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles.
I face an older woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.
“Now, repeat after me…” It is a command, delivered in the tones of a drill sergeant (操练军士). “Good morning, neighbor!”
Our voices are weak and timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them at the same time, like schoolchildren, to the strangers beside us.
We smile and can’t help it. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.
The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. Not a single newspaper goes back up. I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on bus No. 151. This day is starting off better than most.On hearing the sudden utterance of “Attention!”, the passengers ___________.
| A．stopped reading and put down their newspapers immediately |
| B．looked up from the newspapers to see who was speaking |
| C．sat still without response |
| D．were frightened |
The underlined word “commuting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ___________.
| A．daily traveling between home and work |
| B．long-distance ride |
| C．communication technology |
| D．behavior patterns |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The passengers on the crowded bus were so absorbed in reading their newspapers that no one spoke. |
| B．The passengers were physically close together but mentally they kept each other at a terrible distance. |
| C．The passengers didn’t follow the driver’s instruction at first. |
| D．When the bus driver said nothing more, the passengers picked up and read their newspapers again. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Warmth of Communication |
| B．The Exchange of Information |
| C．The Power of Observation |
| D．The Attitude to Loneliness |
The novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, born 200 years ago, was a poor housewife with six children, who suffered from various illnesses. And yet, driven by a passionate hatred of slavery, she found time to write “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” which became the most influential novel in American history and aroused radical change both at home and abroad.
Today, however, the book has a different reputation, owing to the popular image of its character, Uncle Tom-whose name has become a saying for a cowardly black man who betrays his race.
But this view is wrong: The original Uncle Tom was physically and morally strong, an inspiration for blacks and other oppressed people worldwide.
Indeed, that’s why in the mid-19th century Southerners attacked “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as a dangerously destructive book, while Northern reformers-especially blacks-often praised it.
The book was influential overseas, too.In Russia it inspired Vladimir Lenin, who recalled it as his favorite book in childhood. It was the first American novel to be translated and published in China, and it fueled antislavery causes in Cuba and Brazil.
The book’s progressive appeal was the character of Uncle Tom himself: a strong man who is notable because he does not betray his race; one reason he gave up escaping from his plantation is that he doesn’t want to put his fellow slaves in danger. And he is finally killed because he refuses to tell his master where two runaway slaves are hiding.
Unfortunately, these themes were lost in many of the stage versions of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.
The play, seen by more people than those who read the book, remained popular up to the`1950s and still appears occasionally. But in the play Stowe’s revolutionary themes were drowned.
But it doesn’t have to be that way; indeed, during the civil rights era it was those who most closely resembled Uncle Tom-Stowe’s Tom, not the sheepish one of popular myth-who proved most effective in promoting progress. Both Stowe and Tom deserve our reconsideration and our respect.Harriet Beecher Stowe managed to write “Uncle Tom’s Cabin because __________.
| A．she wanted to earn money to support her family |
| B．she hated slavery from the bottom of her heart |
| C．she tried to set an example to her six children |
| D．she had the similar life experiences with Tom |
As for the influence of the book, __________.
| A．it was the first American novel to be translated into Russian |
| B．it was the most influential book for Vladimir Lenin in his life |
| C．it also gave rise to the causes of anti-slavery in the distant Africa |
| D．its character Tom inspired the blacks and other oppressed people in the world |
What is true of the character Uncle Tom in the book?
| A．He is a black man who betrays his race. |
| B．He manages to escape from the plantation. |
| C．He doesn’t put his fellow slaves in danger. |
| D．He kills himself instead of giving away the slaves. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The theme on revolution and progress in the book were lost in the play. |
| B．The book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” has more readers than the stage versions. |
| C．The play was very popular and nowadays it is still put on now and then. |
| D．It is the Uncle Tom in the book that promotes the progress of mankind. |
Last Sunday, Aron Ralston, an experienced hiker and mountaineer, set off to walk alone through the Bluejohn desert canyon (峡谷) in Utah. He was planning an eight-hour, 21–kilometer hike. While he was climbing through a narrow part of the canyon, a big stone weighing about 400 kilos fell and trapped his right arm.
When he failed to return to the mountain camp where he was staying that night, people simply thought he had decided to camp out somewhere in the canyon. When he still had not returned by Tuesday, the alarm was raised, A search party set out on Wednesday evening, but there we no sign and his family began to fear the worst.
In fact, Ralston, 27, was lying trapped in the canyon. By Tuesday, he had run out of water. By Thursday, he realized that he would not survive unless he took unusual action, so he used his pocket knife to cut his arm below the elbow (肘). He then climbed down to the bottom of the canyon. There he met two other hikers, who helped him back to safety. He received some help at a local hospital before being carried to St. Mary’s hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado for surgery.
Ralston’s astonishing survival brought equal amounts of praise and criticism. While praising the climber for his bravery and calm, experts also pointed out he had broken the first rule of outdoor pursuits. He had failed to leave words with anyone of where he was going that day.
This was in fact Ralston’s second near-death experience. In February, he was buried up to the neck in snow by an avalanche (雪崩) while skiing in the Colorado Rockies. Ralston not only managed to dig himself out but he also rescued his skiing companion, who had been completely buried in the snow. Ralton rescued himself and his friend in less than 15 minutes.According to the passage, a “hiker” is probably someone who _______.
| A．enjoys walking short distances |
| B．enjoys walking long distances |
| C．climbs rocks and mountains |
| D．likes adventure |
When a big stone trapped his right arm, ________.
| A．he went on climbing the canyon |
| B．he managed to return to the mountain lodge |
| C．he cut off part of his arm to survive |
| D．two other hikers helped him out |
Why did Ralston’s survival bring criticism?
| A．Because this was his second near-death experience. |
| B．Because he was brave and calm. |
| C．Because he told no one where he was going when he set off. |
| D．Because he amputated his arm below the elbow. |
Which of the following describes what happened to Aron Ralston?
a.A large heavy stone hit him and landed on his arm.
b.He had to cut off part of his arm to get it out
c.He was going through a narrow valley.
d.A search party set out to look for him
e.He climbed down to the bottom of the canyone.
| A．c,a,d,b,e | B．c,e,a,d,b |
| C．c,a,b,d,e | D．c,e,a,b,d |
If you’d like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage Sites may be your best choices.
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
The Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, reaches a height of more than 4,800 meters, with a series of different forest ecosystems (生态系统). There you can enjoy watching excellent waterfalls . Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. For more information, please visit http: // whc, unesco, org// en/ list/637.
Khaml Ruins National Monument
The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological (考古的) interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. For more information, please visit http:// whc, unesco, org/ en/ list/365.
Henderson Island
Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls (环礁)in the world whose ecology has not been touched by human beings It is especially famous for the ten plants and four land birds that can only be seen on the island. For more information, please visit http:// whc.unesco.org/ en/ list 487.
The Old City of Jerusalem
As a holy city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the “List of World Heritage in Danger” the following year. For more information, please visit http:// whc. unesco.org/ en/ list 148.What can we know about the Jiuzhaigou Valley?
| A．It sits at the foot of a 4,800-meter high mountain. |
| B．It has different forest ecosystems |
| C．Most of China’s endangered plants can be found there. |
| D．In all about 140 kinds of birds and animals live there. |
The discovery of some of the objects in Khami shows that the city ____.
| A．had a very short history |
| B．was ruined in the mid-16th century |
| C．was once Great Zimbabwe’s largest city |
| D．once played a great role as a trade centre |
From the passage we can learn that Henderson Island ________.
| A．hasn’t been greatly influenced by human activities |
| B．isn’t suitable for humans to live on |
| C．has been open to visitors for years |
| D．is made up of a few large atolls |
If you are interested in religion, you should visit ______.
| A．http:// whc. unesco.org/ en/ list/ 148 |
| B．http:// whc. unesco.org/ en/ list 365 |
| C．http:// whc. unesco.org/ en/ list 487 |
| D．http:// whc. unesco.org/ en/ list 637 |
Some of my friends are making big decisions in their life: Which universities should they apply to? I also notice that many high school students in China are thinking of studying at universities abroad. Unluckily, from what I’ve seen, the information given by some websites and other media about studying abroad is very limited and sometimes even wrong.
There was once a Chinese girl who hoped that she could go to Columbia University in the US because she wanted to major in journalism. However, they have no journalism program at the undergraduate level! What’s more, in both Canada and the US, it’s not suggested that students throw themselves into journalism right after high school. School say that students should take in more knowledge about the world and writing before entering that field.
The University of Waterloo, a Canadian university famous for its engineering program, is another example. The emphasis (重视)of engineering in this school may go beyond your expectations. According to our teachers, this university spent millions of dollars building a library just for engineering students. The school’s computer science, mathematics and accounting are also great programs for students.
But, to be honest, according to my friends who have visited this university, the campus and the food are not very nice. Maybe this is because the school stresses its academic( 学术)strengths too much, thereby paying little attention to personal comforts.
Now you see, choosing a university is really not that easy. We need to do good research and consult as many people as possible before making a decision.For high school students it’s very important to __________.
| A．choose a proper university |
| B．study at American universities |
| C．learn the information about websites |
| D．supply the information about studying abroad |
Who can major in journalism program in Columbia University?
| A．Chinese girls. | B．Graduates. |
| C．Undergraduates. | D．High school students. |
From Paragraphs 3 and 4 we can learn in the University of Waterloo _______.
| A．engineering program is as famous as computer science |
| B．engineering students are the most intelligent |
| C．the campus is very small and dirty |
| D．the library for engineering students is very good |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Choosing a university is not easy. |
| B．How to study at universities abroad. |
| C．A Chinese girl and Columbia University. |
| D．Academic strengths of the University of Waterloo. |