A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have disclosed.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA．As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they are easy to have illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said: "These results are exciting because they prove for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D．
"This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."
He said further studies are required to confirm the findings.
Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added: "Although it might sound absurd(荒谬的), it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process."
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals.
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
58.What’s the best title of this passage?
A.Sunshine helps to keep you young.
B.Vitamin D has a protective effect on many diseases.
C.Telomeres - a biological marker of ageing.
D.People have found the secret to having a long life.
59.How can people get Vitamin D?
A.through water. B. through sunshine.
C.through food. D.both B and C.
60.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A.women with high levels of vitamin D shows a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
B.vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases.
C.too much sunshine may increase our risk of skin cancer.
D.It has been proved that sunshine helps to keep you young.
Please be advi
sed that Nairobi like any other large city has a security and crime problem. However, if you observe the following simple guidelines you will have a trouble-free stay here:
1. Do not wear a money belt. This makes you an instant target.
2. Cameras of all kinds are a favourite with snatchers. Feel free to use them within the Starehe Campus and the hotel grounds but not in the streets.
3. Ladies’ handbags are also a regular snatch. Avoid carrying one, and if you must, be alert and hold on to it tightly.
4. Jewellery and even glasses with valuable frames are also often targeted. Bear this in mind.
5. When in a vehicle keep the doors always locked, and the windows only slightly open — especially at traffic lights, junctions and in slow moving traffic.
6. Beware of street children, their begging often quickly transforms into something more unpleasant.
7. Stay wi
th the main party all the time, and avoid wande
ring off on your own.
8. Finally, the best defence is to be alert at all times and conscious of your environment. Should you have any problem or need help at any hour of the day or night, call any of the following and they will do their best for you:
Office fixed, home fixed and mobile phones
● Kenndy Hongo 763856 761221 763182 761294
● Fred Okono 761221 764988 604490
● Edwin Otieno 761221 761642 763011 701279
64. This selection must be delivered by _______.
A. the Nairobe city government
B. the police of the Nairobe Airport
C. the organizer of the seminar （研讨会）
D. Kennedy Hong, a detective
65. After reading this notice, visitors to Nairobe might gain an impres
sion that _______.
A. Fred Okono and his fellow workmates are very kind and helpful
B. Nairobe is a large city which is very developed
C. the crime problem is very serious in the city of Nairobe
D. they should not have paid a visit to Nairobe, and should buy a ticket back immediately
66. The notice tells us that _______.
A. something unpleasant could happen to you if you use a camera during the seminar
B. ladies must not wear a handbag or any jewellery
C. in the hotels of Nairobe, it might be dangerous to stay in a single room
D. everything will be OK if you always watch out and are clear about the surroundings
On May 8, last Thursday morning, the Olympic flame was lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma! It was a historic moment for China exactly three months ahead of the Beijing Games.
Tibetan female climber Cering Wangmo reached the summit with a special extreme-altitude Olympic torch. This event is what China has promised to the world as the high point of the torch relay, the longest and most challenging of all time.
Five torchbearers(火炬手) finished the highest relay ever—three of the climbers are Tibetan athletes.
Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in Chinese, English and Tibetan, as they stood at the summit celebrating, with the event broadcast on national television.
“I finally fulfilled the last dream of my husband,” said Gyigyi with tears in her eyes. She was the first torchbearer. Her husband lost his life in an attempt to climb all 14 mountains in China more than 8,000 meters three years ago.
“We are on top of the world! One world, one dream,” shouted Nima Cering, at the top of his voice. He said that although he had climbed the peak（峰顶）several times, this was the most significant ascent(登高). “As a Tibetan and a Chinese I pray for the success of Beijing 2008,” he added.
The special torch is different from the one currently touring the Chinese mainland, after an around-the-world relay. Officials organizing the trek（跋涉） up the peak had earlier set an April 26 target to begin the ascent, but high winds and heavy snow had delayed the mission.
The Xinhua News Agency said that the Qomolangma leg of the torch relay represents the Olympic motto, “higher, faster and stronger,” in practice and w
ill promote unity among all 56 ethnic groups in China.
59. It was a historic moment because ______.
A. some Tibetan torchbearers took part in it
B. it was lit three months before the Olympic Games were held
C. it was lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma for the first time
D. it was the longest attempt in history
60. Which is RIGHT according to the whole passage?
A. All the five torchbearers are men
B. Only the five torchbearers reached the summit.
C. Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in their native language.
D. At least
two of the five torchbearers are females.
61. What does the word “leg” underlined in the last paragraph refer to?
A. one part of a journey or race
B. one of the long parts that connect the feet to the rest of the body
C. the leg of an animal, especially the top part, cooked and eaten
D. the part of a pair of trousers that covers the leg
62. What would be the best title for the text?
A. One world, one dream
B. Relay reaches its highest point
C. Qomolangma, the highest summit in the world
D. The special torch and the brave torchbearers
63. Where can you read about this passage?
A. In the English textbook. B. In the newspaper.
C. In the science report. D. On the street wall.
四、阅读理解（总计20小题，每小题2分）
第一节、根据短文内容，选出最佳选项（总计15小题，每小题2分）
Can trees talk? Yes—but not in words. Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree(柳树) attacked in the woods by caterpillars(毛毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that the caterpillars got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. The even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapour — a signal causing its neighbours to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty. 
Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be always in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar(花蜜) for honey. So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending messages?
56. From the passage we know that caterpillars _______.
A. like willow trees B. enjoy eating fallen leaves
C. can talk to other caterpillars D. can send out a special vapour
57. Caterpillars will stop eating willow tree leaves which _______.
A. have a chemical change and become tasteless B. have a pleasant taste
C. are being attacked D. are communicating
58. According to the passage, bees
communicate with each other by _______.
A. talkingB. making unusual sounds
C. singing songsD. flying certain patterns
The most exciting kind of education is also the most pe
rsonal. Nothing can exceed (超越) the joy of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information you come across accidentally—or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of information or working through a problem. Such personal encounters are the “payoff” in education. A teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it—but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy happen. That's up to you.
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A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times. Preparing the research paper is an active 
and individual process, and ideal learning process. It provides a structure within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are basic to education. But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what you can do. Writing a research paper is more than just a classroom exercise. It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing（综合）, which forms the basis of many skills applicable（可利用的） to both academic and nonacademic tasks. It is, in the fullest sense, a discovering of an education. So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying experience!
ought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever produced before, is upsetting. To others, the very idea of having to work independently is threatening. But there is no need to approach paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view the research paper as an obstacle to overcome. Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within reach if you use the help this book can give you.
Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials. The World health Organization (WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation (保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality. Some pollutants arise from insulation (隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials. As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important.
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde (甲醛). Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes. Paint, lacquer, etc. can also release dangerous gas into indoor air.
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）. Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide. It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber. These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material. As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer.
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution. Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium. As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms. The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air. The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer.
53．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Some building materials pollute indoor air.
B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution.
C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer.
D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution.
54．Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?
A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive.
B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives.
C．They have a high rate of lung cancer.
D．They spend most of their time indoors.
55．Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?
A．It is a kind of insulation foam.
B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas.
C．This material is not easy to catch fire.
D．It is rarely present in rock formations.
56．Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?
A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on.
B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material.
C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases.
D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials.