请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Health researchers have noticed that some groups of people are more consistently healthy than others, and wondered… Is it race? Income? Where you live? In the United States, these disagreements in health outcomes have been the focus of intense research for the past several decades.
Harvard University health policy researcher Ellen Meara says scholars have found some clues as to why some groups of people have more or less disease than others. She says one important factor in people’s health is the amount of education they have.
In her most recent paper, Meara looked at data from the United states census. These counts of people occur every 10 years. Meara and her colleagues examined data from several decades.
“We looked at life expectancy(预测寿命) at age 25,” Meara says.
“How many additional years can you expect to live if you arrive at age 25 and your education has stopped at high school, or sooner? Versus how many years, can you expect to live if you’ve reached aged 25 and you’ve gone on to at least some college…”
Meara says they found that in 1990, a 25-year-old who only had some secondary school could expect to live for a total of 75 years. In 2000, a 25-year-old with some secondary education could also expect to live to the age of 75.
In contrast, for a better educated 25-year-old, they could expect to live to the age of 80 in 1990. Someone with a similar education level in the year 2000, could expect to live to be more than 81 years, 81.6 years to be exact.
Meara says, not only do better-educated people live longer to begin with, but in the past ten years, more educated people have made gains in the length of their lives. Meanwhile, the life expectancy hasn’t changed for less educated people.
Some of these gains can be explained. Meara says researchers know that people who are more educated are more likely to quit smoking cigarettes, or not start at all, compared to people with less education.
“I think it’s a reminder not to be satisfactory,” Meara says. “Just because a population overall appears to be getting healthier, it doesn’t always mean that those advantages and successes that many people have enjoyed really extend into all parts of the population. And I think that’s something to really pay attention to regardless of whether you live in the US or elsewhere.”
Meara points out that education can often determine income---people with more education frequently make more money. This makes them aware of health care, and purchase other resources and services that can keep them healthier. But the data on income do NOT show that people who make more money are automatically healthier.
Meara says education is key. People need to be educated in order to take advantage of opportunities for better health.
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The Amount of |
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The less educated people |
The |
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Comparisons |
In 1990 |
They could live for 75 years |
They could live to the age of 80 |
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In 2000 |
Their life expectancy was the same as in 1990. |
They could live to the age of 81.6 |
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In the past ten years |
Their life expectancy remained |
They’ve made gains in the length of their lives, partly due to their |
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People are getting healthier, but it doesn’t mean that the advantages and successes extend into all parts of the |
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Education |
People with more education make more money |
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Getting more money helps to increase their |
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Education is the key to better health. |
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10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking
By The Princeton Language Institute, Lenny Laskowski
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Warner Books
ISBN: 0446676683
This book is a course on giving public talks. It’s written by an expert in the field and has the tools to make you a relaxed, effective, and commanding public speaker. You can find clear, brief, step-by-step to help you: Overcome nervousness and discover your own natural style. Set up an immediate connection with your audience.
Practise new techniques daily in conversations with friends. Write a speech that builds to an unforgettable conclusion. Mix together humour and anecdotes into your talk. Use special techniques to memorize your speech.
In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing
By Janet E. Esposito
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Strong Books
ISBN: 1928782078
In the Spotlight is a gift for people experiencing any degree of fear or discomfort in speaking or performing in front of others, either in formal settings. The book has many different methods to help you get beyond stage fright and learn to speak or perform with ease and confidence.
The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One and How to Deliver It
By Richard Dowis
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: American Management Association
ISBN: 0814470548
Here’s expert guidance on how to write a forceful speech. Attractive slides, confident body language, and a lot of eye contacts are fine. Now everyone can learn to give a powerful, direct speeches that catch an audience’s attention. The key is not just in the delivery, but in using the power of language. It requires interesting ideas, presented in a clear and memorable way.
It’s speech-writing guide made by an award-winning writer. It has everything from researching and writing the speech to preparing the text to delivering the speech to handling questions from the audience.
Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History
By William Bathe
Paperback: 1,055 pages
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393040054
This is a collection of more than 100 speeches that seeks to show the enduring power of human eloquence (雄辩) to inspire and uplift (振奋). These speeches are said to have moved millions and changed history. There is an introduction to each speech, and an essay on the art of public speaking.
This collection is edited by a former presidential speechwriter-William Satire. He knows firsthand, the importance of putting together the right words for the right movement.
These speeches prove that, even in the digital age, the most forceful medium of communication is still the human voice speaking directly to the mind, heart, and soul.
49. The purpose of the above books is to _______.
A. give you encouragement in making a speech
B. tell you how to make a forceful speech
C. show you the skills of making a good speech
D. tell you how to catch an audience’s attention while making a speech
50. If you want to improve your speaking skills by reading some great speeches by famous people, you will read ______.
A. Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History
B. The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One and How to Deliver It
C. In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing
D. 10 Days to More Confident Public speaking
51. Which of the following people used to write speeches for presidents?
A. Rechard Dowis. B. Janet E. Esposito.
C. Lenny Laskowski. D. William Satire.
第二部分阅读理解(共两节,满分 40分)
第一节(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列四篇短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ------ paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.
A “paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.
Students don’t do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.
Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying from math to social science.
High school teacher Judy Harrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan (阿富汗) before.
“We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps (难民营)”, she said. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”
And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.
A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.
“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computer,” she said.
But, with all this technology, there’s always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.
46. What does “run out of ink at the critical moment” in the first paragraph mean?
A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.
B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.
C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.
D. Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.
47. The high school teacher, Judy Harrell, used the example of her class to show that ______.
A. the Web could take them everywhere
B. the Web taught them a lot
C. the Web is a good tool for information
D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的)information
48. The paperless classrooms will benefit ______ most.
A. students B. teachers C. trees D. computers
Michael Lewis writes about the inner strategies of sports to fans’ delight, and yet describes the personalities and worlds of his real-life characters withsuch depth that nonfanswill enjoy his writing just as much. He looked successfully at baseball management with Moneyball. Now The Blind Side examines the increasing value placed on the left tackle(左后卫)position in football, the high pressure world of college football recruiting(招收队员), and in particular, the life of one promising young left tackle, Mike Oher.
Oher’s story’s attractive. The big boy was silent to the point that many people thought he was mentally disabled. Then, in a lucky break, Oher and a friend are admitted to a very white, private high school, far across town from their own poor African-American neighborhood.Oher is unbelievably far behind academically, but he’s taken under the wing of Sean Tuohy, one of the school’s coaches, a wealthy man whose family Oher eventually joins. Before long, thoughOher almost completely lacks football experience, he leads him to new athletic heights and brings on a fierce competition from eager college coaches.
Lewis’s book brings on many interesting questions: How did a kid like Oher get so lost in the college recruiting system at first? How far should the system bend to meet the needs of a few student athletes?Are the Tuohys the most selfless, or are they using Oher themselves? If so, does it matter, if it benefits him? And what should we think of the college recruiting system that comes after him? These are just a few subjects raised by this highly readable book.
No fan of football should pass on this good one, but even if your interest in sports is only mild, consider tracking down the works of Michael Lewis.
72.Michael Lewis is ________.
A. a football player B. a high school student C. a book writer D. a football coach
73.People thought Oher was mentally disabled because ________.
A. he was too tall and heavy B. he seldom spoke with others
C. he was too academically poor D. he was an African-American
74.The third paragraph is intended to ________.
A. explore deep meanings of the book B. tell how hard it is to understand the story
C. question the poor quality of the book D. show what a hot topic the book becomes
75.Which of the following would be the best title?
A. The Blind Side: Progress of a Game B. Michael Lewis: Thinker of Real Life
C. Where Is College Recruiting System Going? D. Where Are the African-Americans Going?
Summer is a busy time for travel. For years, people have wondered whether they are safe from viruses when they travel in small, enclosed areas. They worry about close contact with others who may be sick.
The current spread of a swine flu(猪流感) virus has added to these concerns. Recently, the World Health Organization raised its warning about the new H1N1 virus to its highest level. W.H.O. Director-General Margaret Chan declared the sickness a pandemic–a disease that has spread to many nations. Given this information, many people want to know how safe it is to travel?
The answers people are getting may seem conflicting. For example, a W.H.O. statement urged nations not to close their borders or limit trade and travel. Director-General Chan said cases are generally not that serious for most people. Still, W.H.O. officials continue to report new cases across the world.
In the past, the W.H.O. and experts noted guidance for disease spread on airplanes. The experts said you could get infected only if you sit within two rows of someone who is sick. That would be a distance of up to three meters from the sick person. And this was true only if you sat there for more than eight hours.
But a travel-health expert says this guidance may not be helpful for swine flu. He suggests steps that could help prevent getting swine flu on an airplane. His advice includes keeping the airflow over your seat on the “low” position. The doctor says you should point the equipment so the flow of air is just in front of your face.
Doctors say anyone with pain, swelling(肿胀) or red skin on a leg during or after a long trip may have a blood clot(凝块). Anyone with such signs should see a doctor as soon as possible. The condition many times can be treated with drugs that thin the blood and stop the clot from moving through the body.
68.The underlined word “conflicting” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. in disagreement B. not true C. the same D. unbelievable
69.According to Director-General Chan, the swine flu is ________.
A. a disease spread on airplanes B. a very dangerous disease
C. a disease requiring limit travel D. a widely spread disease
70.Which of the following is the travel-health expert’s opinion on traveling in an airplane?
A. It’s safe to sit within two rows of a sick person.
B. It’s helpful to keep air flowing right before your face.
C. It’s important for a passenger to stay in a plane within 8 hours.
D. It’s certain that a passenger will have a blood clot after a long flight.
71.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Stop Traveling in Case of Swine Flu B. Experts’ Arguments Over Swine Flu
C. Prevention of Swine Flu on the Trip D. No News Is the Best News
In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.
And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.
Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.
As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.
“Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”
A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.
The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies(喜剧).
64.Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?
A. A growing number of people are going to the cinema.
B. People are richer with the development of economy.
C. More comedies are made than serious films.
D. People have to pay more to watch a movie.
65.Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.
A. she tried to escape reality B. she was a crazy movie fan
C. she was fond of Disneyland D. she wanted to please her kids
66.According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?
A.17.5% B. $1.7 billion C. $60 D. $25 million
67.The passage is developed mainly by ________.
A. presenting the effect and analyzing the causes
B. following the order of time
C. describing problems and drawing a conclusion
D. making comparison of ideas