“Old wives tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another, For example, most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking, but others have not passed the test of time.
Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you, too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.
Unfortunately, not all of Mom’ s advice passed the test of medical studies, For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems? Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.
Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the test?
A. Eating garlic is good for our eyes. B. Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth.
C. Swimming after a meal is dangerous. D. Carrots prevent people from catching colds.
2. The author develops the third paragraph mainly .
A. by cause and effect B. by order in space
C. by order in time D. by examples
3. The phrase “hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means”_____”.
A. to be believable B. to be valuable C. to be admirable D. to be suitable
4.What is the author’s attitude toward “old wives tales” in the text?
A. Subjective B. Objective C. Dissatisfied D. Curious
The dark chocolate is one of the favourite food choices by many.The taste is simply irresistible，the smell is tempting and the feel of every bite is surely what you are craving for.
Aside from the taste，you simply cannot resist it because it has a lot of benefits when it comes to your health.Our health is our priority(首要事情) when it comes to the choice of our foods.If you worry that the chocolate is bad for your health then here is a list of the effects of dark chocolate to health especially when taken with the right amount every day.
First of all，it contains a component called flavonoid(类黄酮) which acts as an antioxidant(抗氧化剂)．The_antioxidants_fight_the_common_signs_of_aging.The antioxidants are also good for the heart.Studies have shown that people who ate foods rich in antioxidants have low incidence of heart diseases.
Aside from the antiaging and healthy heart benefits，the dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol(胆固醇) to as high as 10%.Lowering of blood pressure in patients of high blood level is good because it will lower the risks of stroke and certain health crisis.Low levels of blood cholesterol are also good for the heart and take away the risk of blood vessels which may harden for too much cholesterol in them.
Lastly，do you know the feeling of being overjoyed after jogging？This feeling is like extreme happiness.Dark chocolates will give you the feeling of pleasure and happiness.If you are feeling that the world has turned against you，then a chocolate can be a mood lifter.It is an antidepressant.Usually when we feel so bad，we would crave to eat more food.If you are looking for something to eat during your bad moments try to take a bite from a dark chocolate and feel good somehow after it.
These are commonly the effects of chocolates to health.It can benefit you especially if taken in moderate amounts.Approximately,100 grams of chocolate or less a day is already enough according to studies.If you have taken too much，try to lessen on your other meals for the day.It is all about nutrition and taking the right amount of food in order to get the health benefits that it can provide to you.According to the text，________.
| A．many people like the dark chocolate for its taste |
| B．the dark chocolate is the best choice for most people |
| C．nobody could resist the tempting smell of the dark chocolate |
| D．only a bite of the dark chocolate will make you addicted to it |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 suggests that dark chocolates ________.
| A．are the best choices for the aged |
| B．are usually used as an antioxidant |
| C．can keep you stay young forever |
| D．can make you look younger than your real age |
What can we learn from Paragraph 5?
| A．If you are depressed dark chocolates will make you delighted. |
| B．If you are feeling bad you will crave to eat dark chocolates. |
| C．If you eat some dark chocolates you will get overjoyed. |
| D．If you are hungry the best food is dark chocolates. |
What is the purpose of the author writing this text?
| A．To introduce the black chocolate to patients with high blood level. |
| B．To encourage us to eat as many chocolates as we can. |
| C．To introduce the black chocolate and its health effects. |
| D．To increase the sale of the black chocolate. |
Did you get a flu shot this year？For the first time，the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US is recommending that all children aged from 6 months to 18 years receive the flu vaccine.
Vaccines battle diseases caused by bacteria and viruses.A weakened form of the germ (病菌) is introduced into the body.The body makes special substances called antibodies (抗体) to fight the germs.If the actual germs were to attack，the antibodies would fight.Because there are many kinds of flu viruses，scientists must create a new vaccine formula (处方) each year.Researchers must make a prediction.
It is like forecasting the weather.Sometimes they are right on，and sometimes they are off.But even when the vaccine does not closely match circulating flu types，it can make the illness less serious.
“The flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio (小儿麻痹症) vaccine or the measles vaccine，” says Dr.William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.“It’s not a great vaccine，but it is in fact quite a good vaccine.”
But a flu vaccine doesn’t work for everyone.There are certain people who should be careful about taking it，because the vaccine is produced in eggs.Those who are allergic (过敏的) to eggs should not take it.If you have a fever，you should wait until you recover.
Some people are afraid that they might get the flu from the flu shot.Scientists say that it is not possible，because the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated.But some minor side effects such as lowgrade fever and body ache could occur.If they do，they begin soon after the shot and usually last only one to two days.
Did you know？Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by putting a virus into a healthy person.In 1796，English scientist Edward Jenner placed some infected material under a boy’s skin.The underlined word “vaccine” (in Para.1) refers to________.
| A．virus used for fighting against disease |
| B．antibody to fight the germs |
| C．formula to fight against disease |
| D．germ to be injected into the body |
By saying “It’s not a great vaccine，but it is in fact quite a good vaccine.” (in Para.4)，William Schaffner means the flu vaccine________.
| A．is as effective as the polio and the measles vaccines |
| B．is worse，compared with the polio and the measles vaccines |
| C．does help to make illness less serious |
| D．is quite good because it works for everyone |
We can infer from the passage that________.
| A．those who are not allergic to eggs can take the flu vaccine |
| B．not all the flu vaccines are effective for everyone |
| C．you should go to a doctor if you have a fever after taking the flu vaccine |
| D．it is possible that some people might get the flu from the flu shot |
When people take the flu vaccine，________.
| A．they’ll be allergic to eggs |
| B．their bodies will ache for 5 days |
| C．they probably have a low fever |
| D．they won’t catch a flu ever after |
As you can see，water works hard in your body every day.That’s why it’s important to give your body the water it needs to carry out all its different jobs.On a regular day，your body loses 2 to 3 quarts of water—enough to fill a 2liter soda bottle.You probably guess that water is lost when you sweat—especially on a hot day.
But your body also loses water in an almost invisible way—evaporation (蒸发)．Water escapes from your body through your skin and in your breath.How？Your breath contains droplets (小滴) of water that are usually too tiny to see.They become visible for a quick second in the cold when you can “see your breath”．But water evaporates this way all year round.Your skin also contains water，which escapes in tiny droplets that go into the air.The water in your skin evaporates into the air，but fortunately，your body can replace the water it loses so your skin doesn’t dry out.
Eating and drinking is one way to replace the water your body loses.Most foods have a lot of water in them，especially fruits and vegetables.Grapes，watermelons，oranges，and cantaloupes are delicious and full of water.
But you can’t rely_on food alone to get that water back，and that’s why it’s also a good idea to drink water every day.You might have heard someone say that people need to drink 6 to 8 cups (1.4 to 1.9 liters) of water each day.Depending on how much water you’re getting from foods and other liquids,6 to 8 cups might not be necessary.If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables，or you like to eat soup every day，you’ll get some of the water your body needs.You should drink enough water every day because________.
| A．your body needs too much water |
| B．water does all kinds of jobs in your body |
| C．your body loses a lot of water every day |
| D．the more water you drink the better you feel |
Water in your body loses by the following ways EXCEPT________.
| A．breathing | B．evaporating |
| C．sweating | D．eating |
Your body has to give enough water to your skin in order to________.
| A．keep the water in your skin clean |
| B．stop your skin from drying out |
| C．stop the water from losing |
| D．keep your skin clean all the time |
What does the underlined phrase “rely on” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．Eat up. | B．Receive. |
| C．Depend upon. | D．Digest. |
Several parents and children escaped the summer heat and enjoyed a refreshing “Leap Into a Good Book”．About 30 children and parents gathered as volunteers for both agencies.
After the readings，refreshments (点心) were offered and children and parents were given books，a gift bag and a bookmark with information on adult literacy (读写能力) programs.
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida Inc.and Even Start coordinated the event with hopes that combining their programs will help target functionally illiterate adults and their families.A functionally illiterate adult is one who has reading skills below a seventhgrade level.That often means they have difficulty filling out job applications，understanding a lease，reading medication labels or to their children.
Merelin Hernandez,9，a fourthgrader at Warrington Elementary School，understands the importance of reading.She also says it makes her happy when she is bored.“Reading helps me go to another grade，”she says.“I feel proud when I get a B because then I know I am reading well.”Monae Walker,7，a student at Oakcrest Elementary School，says reading teaches her and makes her happy.
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida Inc.provides oneonone tutoring for basic reading and writing skills to adults 16 and older who are not in school.Tutors go through a 12hour workshop and tutor their students 3 hours per week.The program currently has 150 active tutors.
Even Start is a family education program at McMillan Learning Center，which offers adult education classes and infant，toddler and prekindergarten services at no cost to families.Linda Harris，a teacher in charge of the Escambia Even Start program，says the program equips parents so they can help their children.The event “Leap Into a Good Book”________．
| A．was mainly held by Learn to Read |
| B．targeted functionally literate parents |
| C．was attended by about 30 volunteers |
| D．was held to enjoy reading in summer |
According to the passage，a functionally illiterate adult________.
| A．has skills below a seventhgrade level |
| B．has never got school education |
| C．has no ability to recognize English words |
| D．can’t fill out a job application |
According to the passage，Monae Walker________.
| A．was attending the oneonone tutoring |
| B．was a schoolleaver |
| C．was having a good time there |
| D．read books with her parents |
According to the passage，Even Start can________.
| A．make parents able to help their children |
| B．educate children how to use words |
| C．offer some services for families in life |
| D．offer a good place for children |
William Henry Bragg was born at Westward，Cumberland，on July 2,1862.He was educated at Market Harboroagh Grammar School and afterwards at King William’s College，Isle of Man.Elected as a minor scholar of Trinity College，Cambridge，in 1881，he studied mathematics under the wellknown teacher，Dr E．J.Routh.He studied physics in the Cavendish Laboratory during a part of 1885，and at the end of that year he was elected to the Professorship of Mathematics and Physics in the University of Adelaide，South Australia.
His research interests dealt with a great many fields and he was skilled at picking up a subject，almost casually，making an important contribution，and then dropping it again.However，the work of Bragg and his son Lawrence in 1913～1914 founded a new branch of science of the greatest importance and significance，the analysis of the crystal structure by means of Xrays.It is true that the use of Xrays as an instrument for the systematic revelation of the way in which crystals are built was entirely due to the Braggs.This was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize jointly to father and son in 1915.
He was an honorary Doctor of some sixteen universities，and a member of the leading foreign societies.Many other medals and awards were bestowed upon him among which may be mentioned the Rumford Medal in 1916 and the Copley Medal (its premier award) in 1930.
He was the author of many books，including Studies in Radioactivity，XRays and Crystal Structure，The World of Sound，Concerning the Nature of Things，Old Trades and New Knowledge，An Introduction to Crystal Analysis，and The Universe of Light.His favorite hobby was golf.After a life of astonishing productiveness，Sir William Bragg died on March 10,1942.William Henry Bragg was awarded the Nobel Prize because________.
| A．he succeeded in using Xrays to find out the crystal structure |
| B．he was the first to use Xrays to help to do his experiment |
| C．he determined to learn everything well and then gave them up |
| D．he was successful in his research work with the help of his son |
According to this passage，William Henry Bragg was interested in all the subjects EXCEPT________.
| A．mathematics | B．physics |
| C．medicine | D．sports |
Which one of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．Bragg became a professor in the University of Adelaide in 1885. |
| B．Bragg won the Rumford Medal and the Copley Medal in the same year. |
| C．Bragg gained great achievements in many fields，including society. |
| D．Bragg and Lawrence wrote the book XRays and Crystal Structure. |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．William Henry Bragg’s Productive Life |
| B．William Henry Bragg：A Famous Author |
| C．Bragg and His Son—Two Great Scientists |
| D．Xrays and the Crystal Structure |