One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology”rather than experiencing the natural world.Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors,which will change the wild places of the world,its creatures and human health for the worse,unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes,even if it was torn down.We cannot be the last generation to have that place.At this rate,kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes.“If the decline in parks use continues across North America,who will defend parks against encroachment(蚕食)？”asks Richard Louv,author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience,kids can turn out just fine,but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives.That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health,to stress levels,creativity and cognitive(认知的)skills.Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it:research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters(培养)leadership by the smartest,not by the toughest.Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child.The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world.A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes.We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame.They are over-protected and frightened.It is dangerous out there from time to time,but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite(仪式)of passage.
Everyone from developers,to schools and outdoors’ citizens,should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring,taking friendship in fields and woods that cement(增强)love,respect and need for the landscape.As parents,we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature.This could yet be our greatest cause.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that_______.
| A．kids are missing the sense of wonder outdoors |
| B．parks are in danger of being gradually encroached |
| C．Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods |
| D．children are expected to develop into protectors of nature |
According to the passage,children without experiencing nature will______.
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author,children’s breaking an arm is_______.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage,the author mainly intends to_______.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
It was almost four o’clock in the morning when the fire broke out.“We watch one window blow out，and then another，and heard people shouting，”says Stanley,21，a junior from Westfield State College in Massachusetts.Students were throwing ropes made from bed sheets out their windows，and a couple of them were trying to climb down.
Almost all the hotel’s 502 rooms were filled with college students from across the United States who were spending their holiday here in Acpulco，Mexico.As the smoke thickened，Moreno ran upstairs to where other Westfield students were rooming.“Some people had no idea what was going on，”he says.“I was shouting at the top of my voice.I made sure I hit every door.”At the same time，Stanley was downstairs helping people get through the smokefilled hall.There he joined forces with Nalewanski who had just come back from his own night out.
“Let’s go.”Nalewanski says.He and Stanley wet their shirts in the bathroom and wrapped them around their mouths and noses so they could breathe.Then they ran up the stairs.
Nalewanski and Stanley found Moreno on the fourth floor.They all ran upstairs and down the corridors(走廊) on every floor，hitting every door hard.
In the end，no one was seriously injured.Even more unbelievable，all the Westfield students made it back to Massachusetts later that same day.
Westfield president Evan Dobelle says，“I have a great deal of pride in these young men and they were able to react in such an emergency.”What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．College students have a terrible holiday |
| B．College students survived a big fire |
| C．Heroes：close call in a hotel fire |
| D．A big fire broke out in a hotel |
What do we learn from Stanley from the passage?
| A．He is in his last year in college. |
| B．He is a very brave young man. |
| C．He was reading a book when the fire broke out. |
| D．He was the first one to find out there was a fire. |
According to the passage ________ might not have woken up people during the fire.
| A．Evan Dobelle | B．Nalewanski |
| C．Stanley | D．Moreno |
The students helped people out through all of the following ways EXCEPT ________.
| A．helping people get through the hall |
| B．shouting loudly to warn people |
| C．hitting doors to wake people up |
| D．Making ropes for people to climb down |
A new study suggests that the way to weight loss may be clear.A couple of glasses of water before meals help dieters lose about 5 pounds more than those who do not drink water.While drinking water before a meal may fill a person up，the contents of their meal are important as well.Should a person be eating a low－fat diet or a lowcarbohydrate (低糖的) diet? Or does it matter at all?
Recent research suggests that one diet isn’t any better than the other.A few weeks before the water study，another concluded that lowfat and lowcarbohydrate diets tied in weight loss.While the lowcarbohydrate dieters did show a slight increase in good cholesterol (胆固醇) and a reduction in blood pressure，there was not much difference in the dieters’weight loss.The point here is that the person had to stick to the diet.What helps a person see a diet through? It could be body type.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association，as reported by Timemagazine，found that body shape is the key to which diet a person will be able to stick with.Apples are people who carry most of their weight above the belt，while pears carry their weight around their hips (臀部)．Apple types were more likely to be highinsulin secretors (高胰岛素分泌者) who respond more strongly to carbohydrates in their bodies.They lost the most weight on a lowcarbohydrate diet.Pears were lowinsulin secretors who lost the same amount of weight on both diets.Unstable (不稳定的) insulin levels can create stronger hunger senses，causing the apple types to go off their diet plans.
All of these studies again come down to choosing the diet that helps you eat less.The bodytype diet does make some sense as men are more likely to be apple types，with larger stomachs，and tend to do well on higherprotein diets，while women，who tend to carry weight around their hips，find themselves drawn to the lowfat diets.The reality is if a diet is failing you try another one.A plan you can’t，or won’t，stick to will never work，no matter what the research says.If you want to lose weight but don’t know what diet suits you，you can always ________.
| A．drink a few cups of water after each meal |
| B．drink a few cups of water before each meal |
| C．eat plenty of pears |
| D．eat plenty of apples |
Compared with a lowcarbohydrate dieter，a lowfat dieter may ________.
| A．lose weight faster |
| B．put on weight faster |
| C．have less good cholesterol |
| D．have a lower blood pressure |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Women on highprotein diets usually do well in weight loss. |
| B．Men on highcarbohydrate diets usually do well in weight loss. |
| C．Men usually like eating apples while women mostly enjoy pears. |
| D．Whether a person can stick with a diet depends largely on his or her body shape. |
In the author’s opinion，________.
| A．men don’t get hungry as easily as women |
| B．apple types work better than pear types in weight loss |
| C．the result of the recent research is not of much value |
| D．strong will as well as proper methods is the key to weight loss |
Many years ago，when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver，I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas.I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City，where I was planning to stop and visit a friend.While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台)，I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took_off，but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car.I stopped and wondered what I should do.A car pulled up behind me.It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station.They said they would take me to my friend’s.We chatted on the way into the city，and when I got out of the car，the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thankyou note for helping me.Soon afterward，I received a Christmas present from them.Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
Years later，I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning.In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day，and the battery(电池) was dead.Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars —was right next door.I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford？”I asked and explained my trouble.They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it.They would accept no payment，so when I got home，I wrote them a note to say thanks.I received a letter back from one of the salesmen.No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you，and it meant a lot，he said.
“Thank you”－two powerful words.They’re easy to say and mean so much.The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City ________.
| A．to visit a friend |
| B．to see his parents |
| C．to pay at the cash register |
| D．to have more gas for his car |
The underlined words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “________”．
| A．turned off | B．moved off |
| C．put up | D．set up |
The battery of the author’s car was dead because ________.
| A．something went wrong with the lights |
| B．the meeting lasted a whole day |
| C．he forgot to turn off the lights |
| D．he drove too long a distance |
By telling his own experiences，the author tries to show ________.
| A．how to write a thankyou letter |
| B．how to deal with car problems |
| C．the kindheartedness of older people |
| D．the importance of expressing thanks |
Louis Armstrong had two famous nick names.Some people called him Bagamo.They said his mouth looked like a large bag，Musicians often called him Pops，as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans，he grew up poor，but lived among great musicians.Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth.Armstrong often said，“Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy’s home.In his late teens，Armstrong began to live the life of a musician.He played in parades，clubs，and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River.At that time，New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians.Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago.There，the tale of Louis Armstrong begins.From then until the end of his life，Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went.Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say，“Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.” He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the bestknown and most admired people in the world.His death，on July 6,1971，was headline news around the world.Armstrong was called Pops because he ________.
| A．looked like a musician |
| B．was a musician of much influence |
| C．showed an interest in music |
| D．traveled to play modern music |
The third paragraph is developed ________.
| A．by space | B．by examples |
| C．by time | D．by comparison |
Which statement about Armstrong is true?
| A．His tale begins in New Orleans. |
| B．He was born before jazz was invented. |
| C．His music was popular with his listeners. |
| D．He learned popular music at a boy’s home. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Invention of the Jazz Music |
| B．The Father of the Jazz Style |
| C．The Making of a Musician |
| D．The Spread of Popular Music |
There ’re eight countries waiting to join the European Union.Croatia and Turkey started talks on 3 October 2005.Turkey could complete them in 15 years，Croatia by 2011.The other Balkan Countries have been told they can join the EU one day，if they meet the standards.
Albania isn’t expected to join the EU until 2015 at the earliest.It applied (申请) to become an EU member on 28 April 2009.The European Commission (委员会) has agreed to allow Albanians to travel freely within the EU.In December 2009 the EU said the rule of law and the fight against organized crime were still the “big problems” for Albania.
The EU and Albania reached the SAA (稳定和联合协议)，seen as the first step towards becoming a member，in June 2006.The talks took threeandahalf years，three times longer than those between the EU and Croatia.This is because the EU thought Albania was moving too slowly in its fight against organized crime.The EU also has doubts about Albania’s energy department，which suffers from bad supplies.
BosniaHerzegovina isn’t expected to join the EU until 2015 at the earliest.More than ten years after the 1992～1995 war，it signed an SAA with the EU in June 2008.The EU was satisfied with progress in four important areas，including public broadcasting (广播)．But in December 2009 the EU asked strongly for some other changes, and worried about the country’s future.
Iceland is the latest country to want to become an EU member.It applied in July 2009 and the talks began in July 2010.But progress will depend on whether Iceland can deal with a longrunning problem with the UK and the Netherlands.But some Icelanders think they would be better off outside the EU，fearing the EU’s effect on their traditional fishing.Which of the following countries is expected to join the EU the earliest?
| A．Turkey. | B．Albania. |
| C．Croatia. | D．BosniaHerzegovina. |
What may prevent BosniaHerzegovina from becoming an EU member?
| A．Its large population. |
| B．Its energy department. |
| C．Its organized crime. |
| D．Its worrying future. |
Why don’t some Icelanders want their country to become an EU member?
| A．They are worried about their fishing. |
| B．They are worried about relations with the UK. |
| C．They are afraid they will lose a lot of job opportunities. |
| D．They are afraid their country won’t be independent. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．EU enlargement: The next eight |
| B．The last eight countries that joined EU |
| C．The relationships among EU countries |
| D．Economic development of EU countries |