The vitamins necessary for a healthy body are normally supplied by a good mixed diet, including a variety of fruits and green vegetables. It is only when people try to live on a very restricted diet, say that when trying to lose weight, that it is necessary to make special provisions to supply the missing vitamins.
An example of the dangers of a restricted diet may be seen in the disease known as “beri-beri”, which used to make large numbers of Eastern people who lived mainly on rice suffer. In the early years of last century, a Dutch scientist named Eijkman was trying to discover the cause of beri-beri. At first he thought it was transmitted（传播）by a germ（病菌）. He was working in a Japanese hospital, where the patients were fed on polished rice which had had the outer coverings removed from the grain. It was thought this would be easier for weak and sick people to digest.
Eijkman thought his germ theory was proved when he noticed the chickens in the hospital yard, which were fed on remains from the patients’ plates, were also showing signs of the disease. He then tried to separate the germ, which he thought was causing the disease, but his experiments were interrupted by a hospital official, who ordered that the rice without coverings, even though left over by the patients, was too good for chickens. It should be recooked for the patients, and the chickens should be fed on cheap, rough rice with the outer coverings still on the grain.
Eijkman noticed that the chickens began to recover on the new diet. He began to consider the possibility that eating unmilled rice（糙米）somehow prevented or cured beri-beri — even that a lack of some ingredient（成分）in the coverings may be the cause of the disease. Indeed this was the case. The element needed to prevent beri-beri was shortly afterwards separated from rice coverings and is now known as vitamin B. The milled rice, though more expensive, was in fact causing the disease the hospital was trying to cure. Nowadays, this terrible disease is much less common thanks to our knowledge of vitamins.According to the passage, a good mixed diet ________.
| A．is suitable for losing weight | B．should be only fruits and vegetables |
| C．normally contains enough vitamins | D．is often difficult to arrange |
What do we know about the disease beri-beri?
| A．It killed large numbers of people. | B．It resulted from lack of vitamins. |
| C．It was transmitted by milled rice. | D．It was caused by diseased chickens. |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Good Mixed Diet | B．New Discovery |
| C．The Dangers of Beri-beri | D．The Importance of Vitamins |
My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.
One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.
Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”
My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.
When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____.
| A．waiter | B．actor | C．beggar | D．worker |
The manager of the restaurant looked frightened because _____.
| A．the man was not friendly |
| B．the man had stolen something from the restaurant |
| C．he had fired the man before |
| D．he was afraid the man wouldn’t afford to pay the food |
From the passage, we can infer the man _____.
| A．was thankful for their kind act |
| B．felt ashamed and slipped away |
| C．was hungry and ate a lot of food |
| D．was too proud to accept their offer |
The phrase “made my day” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
| A．wasted my money | B．made me very happy |
| C．made me feel sorry | D．moved me deeply |
As the father of a student, I have experienced first hand what a great teacher is. My son was in the 4th grade last year, and he had a teacher called Miss Green. I believe that when he is an adult he will surely look back on her as the best teacher he has ever had.
My son has attention deficit disorder(注意力缺损症) that makes it a little more difficult for him to learn. She was able to change her teaching methods for him so that he could keep up with the rest of the class. As a result, he got straight As on many subjects. She regarded her class as a family and they even had their own class song. She would often have them sing it to encourage them and develop a team spirit for them. When she saw that they were no longer listening carefully to what she was teaching, she would have them close their textbooks, stand up all around the room and throw around a small football. This helped them clear their minds and then focus on the lesson again. Besides, she was quick to reply to any phone calls or emails from us and got rid of our worries about children quickly.
When my son went to the 5th grade this year, we happened to pass her classroom. When she saw my son, she smiled, and she came out and hugged him. She generally loves all of the children in her classroom and that love really shows. I can only pray that my son will continue to get teachers just like her for the rest of his school years.With the teacher’s help, the writer’s son ______.
| A．became the best student in his class |
| B．was interested in singing songs |
| C．quickly finished his 4th grade lessons |
| D．improved his grades greatly |
Which of the following is NOT true about Miss Green?
| A．She regarded the students as members of a family. |
| B．She had special ways to help students study. |
| C．She was good at teaching football and music. |
| D．She usually made a quick reply to parents’ emails. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．Miss Green didn’t teach the writer’s son in the 5th grade |
| B．Miss Green was the best teacher at the school |
| C．all the students in the school liked Miss Green |
| D．the writer’s son had many teachers like Miss Green |
In the passage, the writer mainly tells us ______.
| A．what his son studied at school |
| B．his son once had a good teacher |
| C．how to be a good and popular teacher |
| D．a teacher who liked playing with students |
We all like watching online videos of dogs and cats doing funny things. But if you had to decide, which of the two animals would you say you might like better? Your answer may say something about your personality.
According to a 2010 study led by Sam Gosling, a scientist at the University of Texas, US, dog people are about 15 percent more outgoing and 13 percent more pleasant to be friends with than cat people.
This is not hard to understand, since cats and dogs behave differently themselves. “Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes, they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time,” said Modern Dog Magazine.
Although cat people are less social, Gosling’s study showed that they are 11 percent more open-minded than dog people. They usually like art, adventures and unusual ideas. They also have more imagination and curiosity. But dog people are more likely to stick to old beliefs and traditional interests.
However, their love of a free lifestyle also means that cat people dislike making plans. They just follow whatever ideas pop into their heads without planning ahead. But dog people are different. They usually have strong self-control and like to carry out their plans.
Despite these big differences between dog people and cat people, there are some things that they have in common, “Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing, and are generally optimists,” noted Mother Nature Network.
But can personality change? Can a cat person become a dog person, or the other way around? In a study done by Stanley Coren, a scientist based in Canada, he asked cat owners: “If you had enough living space and there were no objections form other people in your life, and someone gave you a puppy as a gift, would you keep it?”
About 68 percent of them said they would not accept a dog as a pet. But when dog owners were asked the same question about a kitten, almost 70 percent said they would allow a cat into their lives.According to the article, dog people _____________ cat people.
| A．perform better in school than | B．are more open-minded than |
| C．have closer friends than | D．are more traditional than |
The underlined phrase “engage in” in Paragraph 3 probably means_____________.
| A．take little interest in | B．take part in | C．benefit from | D．suffer from |
What do cat people and dog people have in common?
| A．Both of them like planning ahead |
| B．Both of them love travelling and adventures |
| C．Both of them are imaginative and curious |
| D．Both of them care about nature. |
What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Cat people are more likely to become dog people. |
| B．Dog people are more likely to accept cats into their homes than cat people are to accept dogs. |
| C．Neither dog nor cat people like to accept a new pet. |
| D．It is difficult to find out whether dog people or cat people will make a change. |
The art of reading fiction is largely a matter of inferring meanings. To infer means to understand facts which are not directly stated---only suggested. Inference is one of the commonest ways of knowing things: a child holds his knee and cries; this action implies his feeling; an observer infers that the child is hurt. To infer accurately in everyday life requires caution in observing; to infer skillfully in fiction requires caution in reading; both require disciplined imagination.
The short-story reader can expect to find certain basic elements in any story. For example, all stories involve a person or persons, in a particular setting, faced with a demand for a response. The response called for may be a physical action, such as defeating an adversary(对手) or escaping from a danger; or it may be a mental action, such as adjusting to others or within oneself. In either case, the short story is a description in two ways: first, it shows the motives for a given human action; second, it makes a point about the general human situation. Such descriptions, however, rather than being stated directly, usually are implied by the elements of the story.
When the reader of a story understands all the facts and their interrelationships, he is ready to infer the significance of the story as a whole---its comment on the human situation. This comment, or theme, is the seed from which the story grew. It is also the idea by which all the separate elements of the story are governed, while these in turn further shape and modify the theme. In addition to action, character, and setting, these elements include structure, mood, tone, and point of view.
Fiction reading requires an awareness of all the ways in which a story communicates. It also requires attention to detail. What the author provides is a network of points which serve as clues to his meaning. He invites the reader to develop the meaning by inference, actually to create much of the story himself and so make it part of his own experience.Accordingtotheauthor,"infer"means ________.
| A．knowingfactsbeyondthestatement |
| B．lookingformoreevidencesforthestatement |
| C．findingoutadifferentmeaningfromthestatement |
| D．addingsomefactstothestatement |
Whatisinferringinfictionbasedon?
| A．Readers’guessing. |
| B．Thebasicelementsofthestory. |
| C．Thesettingofthestory. |
| D．Theinterrelationshipsbetweenpeopleinthestory. |
Whatistheimpliedmeaningofthelastsentence?
| A．Inferringcanreallyhelpthereaderdevelopimaginationandenrichhimself. |
| B．Inferringcanhelpthereaderwriteastoryofhisown. |
| C．Thereadershouldlookforanexperiencedescribedinthestoryhereads. |
| D．Theexperiencedescribedinthestorywillleaveagreatimpactonitsreader. |
Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?
| A．Inferringisanartofwriting. |
| B．Inferringisaneedinfictionwriting. |
| C．Inferringisthebasicskillinreadingfiction. |
| D．Inferringiscommoninreading. |
Motorists over the age of 75 face compulsory tests of their eyesight and ability to drive under proposals being considered by ministers.
The biggest overhaul of motoring law in a generation could also lead to all drivers having to give assurances of their fitness to get behind the wheel every 10 years.
Other changes under consideration include issuing daylight driving licenses for motorists with night blindness, together with stricter checks on all drivers whose medical condition brought a threat to other road users.
It is understood that the proposals will be part of a review of the law governing the medical fitness of drivers that will be announced publicly by the summer.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is dealing with a rising number of motorists who are concerned that they have conditions---from failing eyesight to epilepsy---that could affect their driving.
In 2006, the DVLA dealt with 600,000 motorists whose physical ability to drive needed to be recertified（重新认证）, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year. With an ageing population, the biggest challenge is dealing with the rising number of elderly motorists. By 2021, there will be an estimated three million drivers over the age of 70 on Britain’s roads.
Drivers must renew their licenses at the age of 70 and every three years thereafter. The applicant is legally required to tell the DVLA of any conditions that could weaken their ability behind the wheel.
Ministers have ruled out a compulsory maximum age for driving but will instead rely on tightening up the checks on motorists over the age of 75. The most likely option would be tests to ensure motorists were fit to drive. They would include an eyesight test and a cognitive（认知） test that would prove a driver's ability to react to road signs, driving conditions, pedestrians and vehicles.
However, checks are likely to be tightened at all ages. The strictest controls are expected to be imposed（强制）on motorists of any age who have had a heart attack or stroke. They could have to produce a doctor's approval to resume（重新得到）driving. Anyone making a false declaration would be guilty of a criminal offence.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The new motoring law will come into effect by the summer． |
| B．Drivers over the age of 75 must renew their licenses every three years． |
| C．Doctors will decide whether one can get their driving licenses． |
| D．Drivers at all ages will be expected to provide their medical condition． |
What is the biggest challenge to the traffic safety in Britain according to the writer?
| A．Ageing population． | B．Increasing number of cars． |
| C．Increasing number of elderly motorists． | D．Driving conditions． |
The underlined word “overhaul” in Paragraph 2 means _______．
| A．change | B．consideration | C．concern | D．challenge |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．There will be more and more aged drivers in Britain． |
| B．Anyone can get a driving license as long as he/she is in good health． |
| C．Health tends to decline as one gets old． |
| D．It will be guilty to make a false declaration． |