As many as one in five US teenagers have some degree of hearing loss, according to researchers.
They say the problem is growing.
Teenagers really don’t pay attention to how much noise they are exposed (暴露) to, Josef Shargorodsky of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told Reuters. “Often people won’t notice it, but even slight hearing loss may affect language development,” said Shargorodsky, one of the researchers.
The study compared surveys from the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. Each included a few thousand teenagers. In the first survey, about 15 percent of teenagers had some degree of hearing loss. Some 15 years later, that number had risen by a third, to nearly 20 percent.
“This certainly is big news,” said Alison Grimes, an ear doctor. Hearing loss is very common in old people, Grimes said, but she added that it was worrying to see it happen in the younger age group.
In babies and young children, hearing problems are known to slow language development. The science is less clear for teenagers, but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could affect learning, said Grimes,.
The reasons for the rise are still unclear. When researchers asked teenagers about noise exposure – on the job, at school or from activities, for example – the teenagers didn’t report any change. But Shargorodsky said that might not be true. “We knew from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure – they underestimate (低估) it.” Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their MP3 player, for example. “There is a difference between what we think is loud and what is harmful to the ear,” said Grimes.
Although it’s not clear that the MP3 players cause teenagers’ hearing loss, Grimes said it was still a good idea to turn down the sound and take short breaks from listening. According to the researchers, in a US class of 40 students, about ____ students have some degree of hearing loss.
| A．one | B．five | C．six | D．eight |
Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
| A．Slight hearing loss does not influence learning. |
| B．Only a few old people have hearing problems. |
| C．Hearing problems can slow language development. |
| D．Noise exposure is clearly noticed by teenagers. |
About hearing loss, it can be inferred that ________.
| A．the reasons for the rise have been found | B．MP3 players are to blame |
C．listening to loud music may be a cause |
D．noise is the main reason |
The article was written to ______.
| A．warn teenagers that loud music might be harmful |
| B．explain what kinds of noises might affect studies |
| C．suggest that teenagers shouldn’t listen to loud music |
| D．show how important hearing can be for learning |
Very old people do raise moral problems for almost everyone who comes in contact with them. Their values—this can’t be repeated too often—are not necessarily our values. Physical comfort, cleanness and order are not necessarily the most important things. The social services from time to time find themselves faced with a flat with decaying food covered by small worms, and an old person lying alone in bed, taking no notice of the worms. But is it interfering(干涉) with personal freedom to insist that they go to live with some of their relatives so that they might be taken better care of? Some social workers, the ones who clear up the worms, think we are in danger of carrying this concept of personal freedom to the point where serious risks are being taken with the health and safety of the old.
Indeed, the old can be easily hurt or harmed. The body is like a car, it needs more mechanical maintenance(机械维修，保养) as it gets older. You can carry this comparison right through to the provision of spare parts. But never forget that such operations are painful experiences, however good the results will be. And at what point should you stop to treat the old body? Is it morally right to try to push off death by seeking the development of drugs to excite the forgetful old mind and to activate the old body, knowing that it is designed to die? You can’t ask doctors or scientists to decide, because so long as they can see the technical opportunities, they will feel bound to give them a try, on the principle that while there’s life, there’s hope.
When you talk to the old people, however, you are forced to the conclusion that whether age is happy or unpleasant depends less on money or on health than it does on your ability to have fun.
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. The values are different between the old and the young.
B. The moral problems raised by old people.
C. The personal freedom for the old.
D. Old people’s viewpoint on life.
2. We can know from the first paragraph that________.
A. Very old people would like to live alone to have more personal freedom.
B. Very old people are able to keep their room clean.
C. Very old people like to live with their children.
D. Social services have nothing to do with very old people.
3. According to the author, which of the following is right?
A. The older a person, the more care he needs.
B. Too much emphasis has been put on old people’s values.
C. The human body can’t be compared to a car.
D. It is easy to provide spare parts for old people.
4.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to “________”.
A. their money or their health
B. the conclusion you come to
C. your talk to the old people
D. whether age is happy or unpleasant
The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鸟羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(红尾鸲) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(显露) his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them.
1. How do the blue tits choose their nest?
A. They choose their nest together.
B. The male chooses their nest.
C. The house-hunter chooses their nest.
D. The female chooses their nest.
2. The writer was lucky to see ________.
A. how the male made his tricks
B. how an interested female played with the male happily
C. what the male displayed and won the female
D. that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female
3. You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.
A. at any time B. regularly C. in April D. occasionally
4. The writer is probably ________.
A. a bird expert B. a bird-hunter
C. a bird raiser D. a scientist
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
—Hello. Can I speak to Wu Ming please？
—____1____
—Hello， Wu Ming. This is Wang Hong. Sorry to ring you so late in the
evening， but I‘ve only just got home.
—____2____ What‘s the news？
—I‘d like to ask you about some stamps. Do you still have the cock year stamp？ You had it when I last saw you.
—I‘m afraid I don’t have it. I sold it last week.
—____3____
—I‘m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted it. ____4____
—Yes， please. Thank you. It‘s very kind of you.
—____5____
—Thank you very much.
—Bye-bye.
| A．Do you like collecting stamps so much？ |
| B．That‘s all right. |
| C．Sorry， Wu Ming is out. |
| D．Do you want me to find one for you？ |
E. Oh， what a pity！
F. Yes， speaking.
G. OK， I‘ll ring you if I have any news.
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
—Excuse me， can you tell me where the nearest restaurant is？
—____1____
—Where is the nearest restaurant， please？
—Oh， the restaurant？ The nearest one is the City Restaurant. ___2___
—I‘m ——er—— I’m afraid I don‘t quite ……you see， ____3____
—I see. Simply walk two blocks straight ahead， then turn left， and the City Restaurant is about 10 metres ahead. ____4____
—Can I take a bus？
—Of course you can. but ____5____ It‘s only a few minutes’ walk.
—Thank you very much.
—Not at all.
| A．What did you say？ |
| B．I‘m a total stranger here. |
| C．You can‘t miss it. |
| D．I beg your pardon？ |
E. It‘s just opposite the No. 5 Department Store.
F. I don‘t think it is necessary.
G. It‘s not very far.
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
—Mary， we are going to have a party on New Year‘s Eve. I’m sure we‘ll have a good time. ____1____
—I‘d like to. ____2____
—In our classroom. We are going to decorate（装饰） it and turn it into a splendid ballroom.
—____3____ I shall be very glad to spend my first New Year in China with you.
—But we are going to ask everyone at the party to give a performance. ____4___
—I will. My voice is not very pleasant to the ear，though.
—I heard you sing once. ____5____ I‘m sure you’ll be the star of our New Year party.
—Oh，thank you.
| A．Your voice was sweet and beautiful. |
| B．Where are you going to have it？ |
| C．Would you like to join us？ |
| D．Thank you for inviting me. |
E. Oh， it is great.
F. Let‘s go to the ball together.
G. Do sing us some English songs，please.