Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.”What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
| C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? | B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones | D．An Important Study |
“ONE in every 50 Shanghai women has cancer, a total of more than 140,000 women currently living in the city, and cancer statistics are based on citizens with permanent residency(永久居住),” officials from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention said ahead of International Women's Day on Friday.
However, they said the city's rate of cancer in women was rising slowly along with its rising number of elderly people. Early screening for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers can help prevent 30 percent of cancer cases.
Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers are the five most common cancer forms among women, with breast cancer accounting for 16 percent of Shanghai's new cases each year and colorectal cancer 13 percent. Cervical cancer, although only the 12th leading cancer in women in Shanghai, is particularly common among women between 25 and 54 years old. Dr Zheng Ying, director of the center's tumor prevention and control department, said , "breast, colorectal and cervical cancers accounted for 32 percent of female cancers”. He added, " However, the three types of cancer can be detected and treated properly through early and regular screening. Our main target of women's cancer prevention education this year is breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer."The prevention and control of colorectal cancer will be a new public health project this year with the city government promoting a community-based screening program.
Experts say women over 20 should examine their breasts every month and have annual clinical checks after the age of 35. Women over 50 should have mammograms(乳房X线照片) every two years. For cervical cancer, women over 20 should be checked every three years. Women over 50 years old should have annual medical checks. Zheng said anyone with a family history of the three types of cancer should be aware of the need for more frequent examinations and early screening. What is the best title of the passage?
| A．the women with cancer in Shanghai |
| B．lots of women in Shanghai have cancer |
| C．the five most common cancer forms among women in Shanghai |
| D．The prevention and control of cancer |
According to the passage, how many Shanghai women have cancer now?
| A．about 2800 | B．about 2600 | C．about3000 | D．about2700 |
The five most common cancer forms among women in Shanghai are ________.
| A．Breast, colorectal, cervical, gastric and thyroid cancers |
| B．Breast, cervical, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers |
| C．Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers |
| D．Breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancers |
The center's main target of women's cancer prevention education this year is ________.
| A．breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer |
| B．breast cancer, cervical cancer and thyroid cancer |
| C．breast cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer |
| D．breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer |
What is the last paragraph about?
| A．Advice on the frequency of the different physical examinations for women. |
| B．Anyone should accept more frequent examinations. |
| C．Women over 20 should examine their breasts every month. |
| D．Women over 20 should be checked every three years. |
A good friend of mine lives about one hour away. I called her last week and found out that she wasn’t doing well at work, which would make the following year a little more difficult. After hanging up the phone, I decided to offer to help her, but I couldn’t think of what to do. However, opportunities come themselves when you’re not even looking for.
A few days later, some friends and I happened to be eating desserts at a restaurant in her city. As we were looking at the menu, I turned to my friends and asked them if they wanted to join in a game. After explaining the idea, they decided to take 15 minutes to make someone’s day. We ordered an extra dessert, wrote a note, added a smile card and were off. However, there was one problem: I had no idea where she was.
Therefore, it was time to rely on the network. I called up a friend and got him to call her to see what she was doing and found out that she was at work.
We drove to her work place and one of my friends became the delivery(投递)person.He went in to look for my friend, found her, didn’t really answer her questions and walked out, saying he’s simply a delivery person.
He ran out quickly and I bent down as we drove by to make sure she didn’t follow him out. Afterwards, all of us had this huge smile on our faces. We felt as if we had just planned a surprise party or something.
A simple opportunity turned into a moment that many of us can now share.Why is the following year a little more difficult for the author’s friend?
| A．Because she lives too far away from work. |
| B．Because she was out of work. |
| C．Because she didn’t do well at work. |
| D．Because she failed a test. |
In Paragraph 2, the underlined phrases “make someone’s day” probably means “make someone________”.
| A．satisfied | B．busy | C．sad | D．happy |
The author got to know where her friend was by________.
| A．asking her friend herself by phone |
| B．asking another friend to call her |
| C．asking what she was doing directly |
| D．asking her friend herself on the Internet |
When given the dessert, the author’s friend________.
| A．refused the offer | B．knew the entire thing |
| C．asked some questions | D．followed the delivery person out |
The author and her friends might feel________at last.
| A．joyful | B．thankful | C．pitiful | D．fearful |
As an English teacher, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I’ve seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I’ve attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I’ve noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.
It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?
For some people, gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I’m not sure I’d spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains,“ Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold.”
For other people, gold is an investment(投资). The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people, a family heirloom（传家宝）brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet（手镯）that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It’s quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I’ll pass it on to the younger generation.
Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen’s death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts.The main idea of the first paragraph is that______.
| A．the author has traveled to many countries |
| B．people celebrate almost everything |
| C．there are many ways to use gold |
| D．people all over the world love gold |
Datta Phuge bought a shirt made of gold because________.
| A．gold is a status symbol to him | B．he loves this kind of shirt |
| C．people there love gold so much | D．he is a successful businessman |
According to the passage, in Europe,gold could be________per ounce in 2010.
| A．$1,550 | B．$1,500 | C．$1,450 | D．$1,600 |
The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author’s family mainly because______.
| A．it’s worth a lot of money | B．it brings status and investment |
| C．it’s a beautiful object | D．it holds family memories |
In the author’s opinion, the real reason why people love gold is that________.
| A．it is a status symbol to some people |
| B．it can be made into beautiful objects |
| C．it can be passed on to the younger generation |
| D．it can bring people a lot of money |
In the past two years, his wife, Merlie, and their seven children have said “goodbye” to him four times, most recently last month. Each time it has been unnecessary.
Mr. Smart had a hip (髋关节) replacement in February at the Burnie hospital but was rushed back two months later with internal bleeding.
“The doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Mrs. Smart said. Medical staff told Mrs. Smart to contact her family, which includes children in Western Australia. “It took two days for them to get here. We had to hope he hung on .” he did.
“The doctors were there 24 hours a day and they stopped the bleeding. They brought him back,” Mrs. Smart said.
“I certainly believe in miracles because I’ve seen one happen, but it wouldn’t have happened if the doctors didn’t do what they did.”
It was the second time Mrs. Smart thought she was losing her husband of 54 years. Two years ago, Mr. Smart was admitted to the Launceston General Hospital after a heart attack and a few days later with intense pain caused by a hemorrhage (出血). Again, the family was called to say goodbye---twice.
“I was given a 50-50 chance of coming out of it, ” Mr. Smart said.
Going through the ordeal (苦难，折磨) then was trying on the family, who had prepared themselves for the worst.
But to face the same situation only two years later was hard. The Smarts said the support they received at the Burnie hospital helped them through.
And it seems the experience has also left an impression at the hospital. Mrs. Smart said when she rang recently and mentioned her husband’s name, the reply was “ah the miracle man”.The first time Mrs. Smart and the children said goodbye to Mr. Smart was when he had.
| A．a hip replacement | B．internal bleeding |
| C．a heart attack | D．intense pain caused by a hemorrhage |
When Mr. Smart was rushed back to the hospital with internal bleeding, .
| A．only his wife believed he could survive |
| B．no one believed that he could survive |
| C．he had given up hope of recovering |
| D．it didn’t take the doctors long to stop the bleeding |
The experience Mr. Smart had at the hospital could be that of.
| A．concern | B．puzzle | C．fear | D．wonder |
The underlined phrase “hung on ”in the third paragraph can be replaced by.
| A．beat the pain | B．came back to life |
| C．lived through | D．make his fortune |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Miracle Man. | B．The Kind Doctors and Nurses. |
| C．A Devoted Wife. | D．A Great Family. |
With the average home in the capital selling for 19,548 yuan a meter in November, a tiny mobile home built by a 24-year-old office worker is creating a stir(震动) online.
Dai Haifei built the 6-square-meter pad(住所) because he could not afford to buy or rent in the capital.
Dai’s new home costs him 6,400 yuan and he has been living in it for nearly two months in courtyard at Chengfu
Road, Haidian district.
Dai, who is one of the millions of migrants who moved to the capital from other parts of China seeking a better
life and better job, said he realized his financial burden had become too great.
The Hunan native said he simply could not make ends meet(收支相抵) when he became an intern at a
Beijing-based construction design company in 2009.
“I rented a home at the very beginning--a small room in an apartment that cost me about 900 yuan per month,”
said Dai in an interview with local media. “It was too expensive for me. ”
Dai’s father works on a construction site in his hometown and his mother is a cleaner.
Dai, who ended up becoming a formal employee of the company, figured out his own way to solve the
problem---with inspiration from a housing design project at his company’s exhibition early this year.
The project, named“An egg given birth to by the city”, included a series of egg-like movable houses, with a
karaoke house, chair house and trader’s house in it.
Dai, who borrowed 6,400 yuan from an older cousin and who got additional help from several friends, decided to
make one of his own. He spent nearly two months building his“egg house”in his hometown, a village in southeast
Hunan that is around 1,700 kilometers from Beijing.Where is this passage probably taken from?
| A．A story book. | B．A cartoon film. | C．A news report. | D．A research report. |
What is Dai Haifei?
| A．An official of government. | B．A journalist. |
| C．An office worker of a company. | D．A manager of a company. |
Why did he build the pad?
| A．Because he will sell it for money. |
| B．Because he has no house to get married in. |
| C．Because he doesn’t have enough money to buy or rent a house. |
| D．Because he wants to get help from the society. |
Which statement is not TRUE?
| A．He comes from a Hunan village. |
| B．He has lived in the egg home for two months. |
| C．He got the idea from a friend. |
| D．He once rented a room. |
What’s the writer’s attitude?
| A．Supporting. | B．Puzzled. | C．Criticizing. | D．Objective. |