Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain．Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health．They describe chocolate as“something to die for”or say“death by chocolate”．Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
A happier heart
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart．Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow．These benefits are the result of coca’s chemicals, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation（炎症）．
Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help．Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3．5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly．
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout（锻炼）．In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks．
Better for your skin．German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special cocoa every day．After three months, the women’s skin was moister（滑润的）and smoother．The research shows that chocolate helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance．
Brain gains
It sounds almost too good to be true, but research suggests that chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving by increasing blood flow to the brain．
52. What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues”in the first paragraph?
A. Stop talking． B. Speak up． C. Think of it． DvListen to it
53. What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
A. Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk．
B. Sports drinks can make people easy to be tired．
C. Drinking milk can keep you energetic at work．
D. We should drink chocolate milk between times when we work hard．
54. The conclusion that chocolate may help lower blood pressure was made by_________．
A. scientists at Harvard University
B. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University
C. scientists at Indiana University
D. German researchers
55. What’s the best title for this passage?
A. Chocolate, a Healthy Food B. More Chocolate, Less Health
C. Chocolate and Blood Pressure D. Advice on Eating Chocolate
The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over．
A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami, sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday．
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side． In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow．
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel． Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard．
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said．
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment．
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1．5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9．0 earthquake struck Japan．
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters．
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship． A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it．
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition twice that size．
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected．Which of the following is NOT the reason for sinking the Japanese ship?
| A．It had no lights or communications system. |
| B．It might be washed up onto the shore． |
| C．It was a danger to other passing ships． |
| D．The oil it carried could pollute the sea． |
The plan to fire on the Japanese ghost ship was paused because ____________．
| A．the ghost ship was beyond the reach of the Coast Guard’s guns |
| B．the shells were not powerful enough to sink the ghost ship |
| C．state officials worried the ghost ship might give out radiation |
| D．a Canadian fishing boat wanted to save the ghost ship |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Japanese ghost ship arriving at US |
| B．Tsunami garbage heading to US |
| C．Cannon fire sinking Japanese ghost ship |
| D．Japanese ghost ship polluting the Pacific |
It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too．It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm so necessary in modern traffic condition．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous．Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may be not able to stop in time．The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies (奶奶).
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings．Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive．Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users．It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.According to the passage, troubles on the road are often caused by .
| A．road conditions | B．the speed of modern life |
| C．the large number of cars | D．the behavior of the drivers |
In the writer’s opinion, .
| A．drivers should show road politeness properly. |
| B．strict traffic rules are badly needed |
| C．unskillful drivers should be punished |
| D． drivers should avoid traffic jams |
The underlined word “give-and-take” in the passage means .
| A．politeness and impoliteness |
| B．willingness to give in to each other’s wishes |
| C．offering help to others as much as possible |
| D．good manners and bad manners |
What is the best title of the passage?
A．Road Politeness
B．Traffic Problems
C Bad Manners on the Road
D．Good Drivers and Bad Driver
People have been burying the dead at Salem’s Hope Cemetery since 1833. The place is filled with old gravestones and gothic mausoleums(哥特式陵墓), the spirits of the dead hanging over the land like an early morning fog.
Keeping watch, a few steps from the road with her skirt over the pedestal (基座), is Goldie Belle Taylor, her face weathered but otherwise in good condition. On this day, she is holding a bunch of pink rises because Goldie Belle always holds flowers. Someone makes sure of that.
“And she has had fresh flowers in her hands for the last 150 years.” Karen Biery lives in Damascus, about five miles west of Hope Cemetery. She’s written a book based on the legend of Goldie Belle Taylor titled Believe. In 1886, at the age of two, young Goldie Belle used her hands to sop up (抹去) the left over elderberry juice from her father’s iron kettle. She died not long after from poisoning. She was the love of her dad’s life, and he was so upset that he sold the family farm to buy the Italian made statue, which today marks her grave.
At first, it was her father who brought the flowers and laid them in her hands. When he died in 1896, the flowers kept coming. Her flowers are different per season. Why do the flowers keep miraculously appearing? People have tried to find out by having camped by the statue, but not even the groundskeepers have been able to catch the criminal.
It’s said that a fairy arrives at Hope Cemetery looking for the grave of her birth mother. She comes across Goldie Belle’s statue.The underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 probably refers to________.
| A．her face in good condition |
| B．her bunch of pink roses |
| C．Goldie Belle Taylor is holding pink roses |
| D．Goldie Belle Taylor always holds flowers |
It can be inferred from the third paragraph __________.
| A．her father was poisonous | B．the iron kettle was poisonous |
| C．elderberry juice was poisonous | D．it was her father that hated her |
After her father died, the flowers in the hands of Goldie Belle Taylor_______.
| A．usually change | B．were stolen |
| C．are no longer fresh | D．come from a criminal |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A fairy brings the flowers. | B．The mystery of Goldie’s flowers. |
| C．What happens to the girl? | D．How do the flowers get there? |
TS said that everyone has a changing circle of friends. However, no matter how frequently we renew our phone books, some names always remain. These names remind us of the good times we spent together with our friends. Though we may not see them every day, they will always stay in our hearts.
Tom was often called "Big Head" at school because of his extraordinarily large head. He was one of my close friends at primary school. But since graduation, we have been studying in different cities and haven't seen each other for a long time.
Several days ago, I received an e-mail saying that my former classmates from primary school were holding a party to get together and chat about past memories. I was so excited because [ would get to see Tom again. What would he look like now? Would we still feel as close to each other as we had done back then? I was a little frightened about what I would find.
When I arrived at the party, I did manage to recognize Tom. However, he was much taller than he had been before. What's more, his head was no longer big.
"Hi, Buddy. Do you recognize me?" Tom walked towards me.
"Of course. How could I ever forget our ' Big Head' ," I said jokingly, "But where has your big head gone?"
"Haha, maybe it didn't keep up with the steps of time and stayed in the past," Tom patted his own head and answered with a laugh.
All my misgivings suddenly disappeared. I realized that time had changed us outwardly, but our friendship hadn't changed at all. I chatted happily with Tom about our shared experiences in primary school.
Then I looked around the small room and saw different faces, both familiar and unfamiliar, but none of them the faces of strangers. The whole party was filled with a warm atmosphere. Everyone was lost in the sweet memories of childhood. They forgot all their present-day stresses and pressures.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Come and get some pizza!" A call from a friend woke me up from my thoughts. I hurried towards the table. "Wait! That biggest piece is mine!"Why are some names always in our phone books?
| A．Because everyone has a changing circle of friends. |
| B．Because we sometimes forget to renew phone books. |
| C．Because we'll never forget some of our friends. |
| D．Because our circle of friends will not change. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Tom has changed a lot since primary school. |
| B．Tom invited the author to the get-together party by email. |
| C．The author recognized Tom immediately because of his big head. |
| D．Tom couldn't recognize the author at the first sight. |
What does the underlined word "misgiving" mean (in para. 8 )?
| A．expectation and excitement | B．worries and doubts |
| C．stresses and pressures | D．shyness and nervousness |
The author writes the last paragraph to show
| A．others can't understand what the author is thinking about |
| B．The pizzas are not adequate for everyone in the party |
| C．the author wants to have a big pizza very much |
| D．the author enjoys the warm atmosphere of the party greatly |
Which of the following proverbs can be used to conclude this passage.'?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | B．Time reveals a person's heart. |
| C．Friends are like wine; the older, the better. | D．A faithful friend is hard to find. |
Nothing succeeds like confidence. When you are truly confident, it radiates from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet. Besides, those who are self-confident can in turn inspire confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.
So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success?
First, do what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it under any circumstances, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them.
Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What's more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Don't hesitate to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what's even better is that the things you'll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you!
As you sow, so shall you reap. With your perseverance and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to congratulate you on your accomplishments and compliments graciously. "Thanks, I really worked hard on that prospectus. I'm pleased you recognize my efforts. " The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every, aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you're working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it's well-worth the effort!Those who are truly confident
| A．succeed without effort and hard work |
| B．encourage people around to become confident |
| C．appear more attractive and thus become successful |
| D．gain the confidence of others and feel successful |
The underlined word "mock" (Para. 2) is closest in meaning to
| A．praise | B．imitate | C．talk to | D．laugh at |
When others congratulate us on our achievements, we are supposed to
| A．praise them in return | B．gain further improvement |
| C．politely accept the compliments | D．expect them to congratulate you again |
Which of the following proverbs best goes with Paragraph 4.9
| A．Look before your leap. |
| B．It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| C．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. |
| D．Learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones. |
The purpose of the text is to
| A．tell people how to become successful |
| B．convince people to do what they believe to be right |
| C．encourage people to build confidence and achieve success |
| D．criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career |