Can you imagine being savagely attacked by a dog? What if the attack was so severe that your nose, lips and chin were completely destroyed? How would you feel about yourself? Would you be able to look at yourself in the mirror? And how do you think other people would treat you?
Isabelle Dinoire is someone who can answer all of these questions honestly and openly.
Last November Isabelle was attacked and mauled by her own dog. The attack was so severe that her lower face was damaged; it seemed, almost beyond repair. She was rushed to hospital and became the first person ever to have a face transplant.
With such severe injuries doctors offered Isabelle little hope that they would be able to repair the damage to her face using conventional surgery.
Shortly after being admitted, she came to the attention of Dr Bernard Devauchelle who, unlike other surgeons, believed there was an alternative: "We found ourselves saying, yes, it's clear this woman needs a transplant," he said.
Two days after the operation she saw her face in the mirror for the first time. She said "I was scared to look at myself, but when I did it was already marvelous and I couldn't believe it. I thought it would be blue and swollen but it was already beautiful."
Now, less than a year after her 15 hour operation, she’s trying to rebuild her life and there is no doubt how she feels about her new face: "I have been saved. Lots of people write saying that I need to go on, that it's wonderful. It's a miracle somehow."
Although there were ethical questions raised about their decision to carry out the procedure, the doctors who operated on Isabelle are quick to defend their decision.
One of them said "Was it possible for her to live without a face? It's easy to say we shouldn't have done the operation, but her life has changed, she goes shopping, goes on holiday, she lives again." What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．The first face transplant | B．A successful face operation |
| C．The most severe damaged face | D．The breakthrough of surgery |
The writer uses the five questions at the beginning of the passage to ___________________.
| A．tell the story about Isabelle Dinoire | B．show a severe face damage event |
| C．draw the readers’ attention to the topic | D．invite the readers to answer them |
It can be concluded from Isabelle Dinoire’s remarks that___________________.
| A．she was too shocked to see herself in the mirror |
| B．she was satisfied with the result of the operation |
| C．she thought her damaged face couldn’t be repaired |
| D．she looked more beautiful than before |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．It seemed that it was impossible to recover Isabelle’s face using face transplant |
| B．After operation Isabelle thought she looked beautiful and rebuilt her life again |
| C．Some doctors had no better idea to repair the damage to Isabelle’s face |
| D．It was Dr Bernard Devauchelle who came up with the idea of face transplant |
Yesterday I started the Year of Giving, my first day of a year-long journey into exploring the act of giving and the meaning of charity. I chose December 15 as the starting date, which marked three years since my mother died from heart disease. She was one of the most generous people that I have ever known. She always thought of others first and certainly serves as an inspiration to me.
I had a rather busy day yesterday, ironic (具有讽刺意义的) for someone who is unemployed right now. In the morning I went to the gym, and unsuccessfully got the phone call from the unemployment office for some job searching. Before I knew it, it was noon. I grabbed a quick lunch and rushed down to a meeting. On my way to Connecticut, I wondered if I would see someone that I would feel forced to give my first $ 10 to. I was running late and decided to do it afterwards.
After the meeting I had about half an hour to find the first person of my Year of Giving! I decided to check out DuPont Circle. I had met a guy there named Jerry once and thought he would willing accept my $ 10. He wasn’t there, but I did see a man sitting by himself who looked really lonely, so I approached him. Now I had to figure out what I was going to say, I think I said something like, “Hi, can I sit down here?” “I would like to know if I could give you $ 10?” He asked me to repeat what I had said, I did, then he looked at me funny, got up and left.
I then started walking south where I spotted a man standing by the bus stop on Connecticut Ave. He appeared to be in his 60s. I don’t know what drew me to him, but I thought I would make my second attempt. I was a bit nervous and asked him which bus came by that stop. Then I explained that I was starting a year-long project to give $ 10 to someone every day and that I wanted to give my $ 10 for today to him. The gentleman, I later found out that his name was Ed, responded without hesitation that he could not accept my offer and that there were many people more deserving the money than him. This was exactly one of the things that I hoped would happen. People would think of others before themselves.The author set the starting date on December 15 to ____.
| A．help the charity | B．remember his mother |
| C．make an explosion | D．fulfill a wish if his mum |
In the author’s first attempt to give away the money, ____.
| A．he was considered ridiculous |
| B．he hesitated for a long time |
| C．he was forced to donate the money |
| D．he had no time to take action |
In the author’s second attempt, the gentleman refused his offer because ____.
| A．he didn’t need other’s help |
| B．he thought more for others |
| C．he didn’t care about money |
| D．he wanted to get more money |
We can refer that the author was inspired by ____.
| A．true friendship | B．his own kindness |
| C．generous donations | D．human’s good nature |
Scientists are fond of running the evolutionary clock backward, using DNA analysis and the fossil record to figure out when our ancestors stood straight and split off from the rest of the primate evolutionary tree. But the clock is running forward as well. So where are humans headed? Here's a thoughtless assessment of possible paths, ranging from similar humans to alien-looking hybrids bred for interstellar (星际的) travel.
Different populations of a species have to be separated from each other in order for those populations to diverge into separate species. Populations are increasingly in contact with each other， leading to greater gene-mixing. It's believable that separate species would appear. Evolution is still at work and the trend may well be accelerating. Cultural diversity is fading as human society becomes more interconnected globally.
The radical king of evolution moves much more quickly than biological evolution. High-tech improvements are ranging from Supermen, to camera-equipped flying drones（遥控飞机）, to pills that keep soldiers going without sleep or food for days. To date, genetic medicine has focused on therapies that work on only one person at a time. The effects of those therapies aren't carried on to future generations. Tinkering with the germline could conceivably produce a superhuman species in a single generation-but could also conceivably create a race of monsters.
Today the rapid pace of cybernetic(计算机控制论的) change has led to worry that artificial intelligence may outpace human’s natural smarts. In some fields, artificial intelligence has already bested human. We're already making machines that can be assimilated (同化) including artificial limbs, mechanical hearts, and artificial retinas (视网膜).
If humans survive long enough, there's one sure way to grow new branches on our evolutionary family tree by spreading out to other planets. If humans established a permanent settlement on other planets, the radically different living conditions would change the evolutionary equation (方程式) What will be inconceivable millions of years from now? Two intelligent species
, human and machine, definitely work together to spread life through the universe.Scientists study the evolution according to .
| A．different populations of a species |
| B．DNA analysis and the fossil record |
| C．cultural diversity and greater gene-mixing |
| D．high-tech enhancements and biological evolution |
Which is NOT true about human beings' evolution?
| A．New species will appear. |
| B．Human's evolution is faster than biological evolution |
| C．Cultures will become more colorful. |
| D．The evolution might create a race of monsters. |
What might bring threat to human beings?
| A．Supermen. | B．Monsters. |
| C．Alien. | D．Artificial intelligence. |
Which of the following must happen in the future?
| A．Humans survive long enough. |
| B．Humans spread out to other planets. |
| C．Human and machine work together. |
| D．Living conditions change the evolutionary equation. |
American kids are taking more tests than ever before, and they're stressed out. Is help on the way? Just the sight of a test booklet makes some kids sweat. For others, it is a blank answer sheet. Then there are the dreaded words, "Take out your Number 2 pencil." All these fill 10-year-old Chelsea Logo with fear. "I start to tap my pencil on the desk," says the fifth grader from Toluca Lake Elementary, near Los Angeles, California. "Then I feel the butterflies in my stomach."
Chelsea is not alone. In a recent survey by Kids Health£.org, more than 70% of kids aged 9 to 13 said they worry about tests. It's no wonder. Across the United States, public schools give more than 250 million standardized tests each year.
Why do kids have to take so many tests? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires that students in grades 3 through 8 be tested each year. The law's goal is for all students to be at grade level by 2014. Students must pass the tests and meet other requirements or their schools may be shut down.
The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants to change NCLB. But that doesn't mean he favors getting rid of tests. Duncan believes tests should be used mainly to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses. Tests, Duncan says, should not be used to punish kids or their schools for failure. "The goal is to focus on great teaching and learning," Duncan said.
Under NCLB, each state sets its own standards for students to meet. The result, Duncan says, is that states are making the tests easier. To fix this problem, 48 states are now working together to create common standards. "I want to set a high bar for kids, " Duncan says, "so they'll be in great shape to achieve their 
dreams."
Like them or not, tests are here to stay. So how can you handle test nerves? Schools are teaching students to relax through. deep breathing. and stretching (伸展运动) . In Oakland, California, Principal Zarina Ahmad of Piedmont Avenue Elementary leads her students in a cheer to get them excited about learning.
"Kids are under high pressure," says Ahmad. "There has to be time for kids to be kids. Still, we need tests to help us assess what students have yet to learn."The underlined part "the butterflies in my stomach" can be replaced by .
| A． nervous | B．guilty | C．exciting | D．proud |
According to the passage, the NCLB law .
| A．is focusing on teaching methods in schools |
| B．is requiring schools to make the tests more difficult |
| C．is trying to make schools be responsible for students |
| D．aims to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses by means of tests |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that .
| A．it's possible to get rid of tests |
| B．schools have no good way to deal with students' stress |
| C．tests help assess what students have to learn |
| D．schools are aware of students' stress caused by tests |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Why kids are more stressed than before? |
| B．Kids' tips for test success |
| C．How to deal with test stress |
| D．Put kids to the standardized test |
If you bought some candy months ago but never ate it, how can you tell whether it’s still safe to eat? The easiest way is to check the “expiration date (保质期)” printed on the wrapper. If that date has already passed, you’re likely to throw the candy away. But is that really necessary?
According to a new report from the US Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), tons of food is wasted each year, largely because people don’t fully understand what expiration dates, or use-by dates, actually mean.
Food dating was introduced in 1970s because customers wanted more information about the things that they were eating. When they first showed up, use-by dates were only supposed to indicate freshness because producers wanted their products to be tasted in their best conditions.
But the truth is that these dates arent related to the risk of food poisoning or food-born illness, according to Time News. However, most customers misinterpreted use-by dates and related them to the safety of the food, and they still largely do now.
Eggs, for example, can still be eaten three to five weeks after purchase even though the use-by date is much earlier. When their use-by dates pass, strawberry juice may lose its red color and biscuits may lose their crunch（松脆的口感）, but they are not harmful.
“It’s a confusing subject, the difference between food quality and food safety,” said Jena Roberts, vice president of National Food Lab, a US food testing company. “Even in the food industry I have colleagues who get confused.
This is why scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed following the use-by dates. We want this to be clearly communicated so customers are not misinterpreting the date and contributing to a lot of waste, said Dana Gunders, a staff scientist with the NRDC.
But this wont be a mistake that is easy to correct since people have believed it for so long. Another problem is that the quality levels of different foods change differently-some are still eatable long after their use-by date while others are not.
As a result, food industry officials are now thinking of changing the use-by date to a date indicating when food is most likely to throw away.According to the text, use-by date
was first intended to ________.
| A．reduce the waste of food |
| B．show whether the food was fresh |
| C．show the safety of food |
| D．give a warming of food poisoning |
Which of following is TRUE?
| A．Most customers understand what use-by date mean. |
| B．Biscuits cant be eaten when not as crunchy as they were bought. |
| C．Use-by dates have existed for more than 50 years. |
D．Even after their use-by dates pass, some food are still safe to eat. |
Scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed together with the use-by dates because________.
| A．Most consumers often misunderstand use-by dates |
| B．use-by dates are not helpful or reliable |
| C．more consumers get worried about food safety |
| D．the quality level of different foods changes differently |
For light sleepers
Millions of people have trouble falling asleep each night, which is why Light Sleeper was created.
Developed in the United Kingdom, Light Sleeper's makers say it can help a person fall asleep and also help a person fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
Light Sleeper works by projecting (投射) a light onto the ceiling while the person is lying down. The idea is to watch the light, because the light moving in a circle has a relaxing effect.
One of the advantages of the product is that it won't disturb other people in the room. The product can be easily moved and will switch itself off after 30 minutes to save power.
Stop the snoring (打鼾)
Here's a new product designed to slow down the frequency and level of your snoring. The Snore Stopper has a sensitive instrument that will detect when you're snoring. Once it does tha
t, it will send a very mild electronic signal to your wrist. This consequently changes your sleeping position to stop you from snoring. The Snore Stopper; won't cause any damage to your body.
Get your true colors
Photoshop features a pen that will copy the color settings of what you are monitoring onscreen to use as a color in your program. Now an off-line product allows you to pick a color when not using the computer software.
The Color Picker is a concept pen. After placing the pen against an object, the user just presses the scan button. Color sensors (感应器) inside the pen send information to a box, which then mixes red, green and blue to produce the desired ink color.
Keep it fresh
More high technology products are showing up in the kitchen. A new Bagel dome (圆顶形物) advertises that it will keep your baked goods fresher for longer periods of time. The product, which is able to remove air, works for bread rolls, cakes and other perishables. To use it, you just push a button at the top.How can Light Sleeper help a person fall asleep?
| A．Its light makes people feel calm. |
| B．It doesn't make any noise. |
| C．It is fixed on the ceiling. |
| D．Its light moves fast. |
What do we know about the Snore Stopper?
| A．It will cause slight damage to a person's body. |
| B．It will wake a person up once he starts snoring. |
| C．It can make sure a person doesn't snore all night. |
| D．It can make a person snore less by changing his sleeping position. |
The Color Picker will probably be used while you're .
| A．using the computer |
| B．drawing pictures |
| C．collecting information |
| D．designing a program |
The underlined word "perishables" in the last paragraph refers to foods which .
| A．are easy to keep |
| B．go bad easily |
| C．are rich in vitamins |
| D．keep you thin |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．the Color Picker is convenient to use |
| B．Light Sleeper was designed by an American |
| C．the Bagel dome mainly serves as decoration |
| D．few people would like to try the Snore Stopper |