We’ve all seen them: perfectly toned famous people on late-night television telling us that we too can develop rock-hard abdominal muscles(腹肌). It’s easy! Just pay $149.99 for the Torso Track or $149.75 for the Ad-Doer and watch those unwanted inches leave your waist. Americans spend tens of million of dollars on various products to firm up their fat around the waist.
And did they work? Not necessarily. Independent studies have concluded that most of these products-no matter who approved them or how expensive they are-shape your midsection no better than old-fashioned stomach crunches(仰卧起坐). Some can even cause injury-like the $518.99 Body Shaper-Q8SP, which left electrical burns on some researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Others, like the popular Ab-Doer, trpically burn less energy than a gentle walk, according to a study to be published in September by the American Council on Exercise.
The fact is that many Americans don’t have the biological makeup to develop an obvious abdominal muscles. They are either unable to get the necessary muscle mass or they can’t lose enough fat to make a difference. Even if the underlying muscles are well developed, and it takes to hide it is one-sixteenth of tan inch of fat. That’s enough to dismiss most healthy women as well as plenty of guys who do crunches every day.
So what works best? In its new study, the exercise experts researched on the results of the popular Ab-Doer. A lengthy TV advertisement promises that just 10 minutes a day performing such movements as “Body Boogies” and “Good Mornings” will “help form those muscles the fun and easy way without diets.” Steven Loy, professor at California State University, Northridge, tested the promise by measuring the electrical activity produced by the abdominal muscles during three Ab-Doer movements. He and his colleagues then compared the results with those produced during traditional exercises. They determined that the muscles were no more active, and in some cases less so, when exercisers were using the Ab-Doer.
Taking a broader approach, researchers at San Diego State University compared 13 abdominal exercises for their ability to develop the central abdominal muscles. They concluded, in a report published in May, that the most effective exercises kept turning the body and worked the muscles the entire time. Among the winners: the bicycle movements-so called because it looks as if you are riding a bike while lying flat on the floor-and exercises performed on the “Captain’s Chair”, a product typically found in gyms that helps hold the body in the air while you raise your legs up toward your chest. Researchers suggested that a varied routine of the different exercises could deliver the best results.Which of the following is the most effective in building abdominal muscles?
| A.Torso Track. | B.Ab-Doer. |
| C.Captain’s Chair. | D.Body Shaper-Q8SP. |
According to the author, it’s difficult for many Americans to get visible firm abdominal muscles mainly because .
| A.they do not put in enough efforts |
| B.injuries interrupt their exercise frequently |
| C.they change their exercise routine regularly |
| D.how big their muscles will be is determined by birth |
The author convinces the readers by .
| A.describing successful eases | B.offering professional connects |
| C.presenting findings of researches | D.comparing advertisements of products |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A.To research and develop in order to create the perfect stomach and exercise machine. |
| B.To promote proven exercise techniques and to advise against false advertisements. |
| C.To indicate that diet and exercises are necessary factors for a fit midsection. |
| D.To sponsor rich healthy lifestyle based on advanced product research. |
C
A car needs gas to run as your body needs food to work for you. Eating the right kinds of food is very important. A good eating habit can help your body grow strong if you take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all of these foods together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may be easier to eat fish and chips for your supper all the time. But you will find yourself tired and you will not be able to think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help keep your body healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having good eating habits with some exercise is the key to your health.
69. According to the passage, which of the following diets do you think is the best one?
A. Eggs, tomatoes and chicken. B. Milk, bread, cabbages and beef.
C. Corn, fish, ice cream and pork. D. Rice, beancurd, fish and chicken.
70. In this passage the writer mainly tells us that ______.
A. every person needs food to grow well
B. taking exercise can keep your body strong
C. the right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy
D. enough energy helps people think more quickly
B
Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia (南斯拉夫),on August 27,1910. She attended the government school near her home until she was eighteen. At that time, some doctors and nurses from Yugoslavia were working in India, and they often wrote to the school about their work. She decided to join them one day.
When she left school, she went first to Britain. Then a year later she went to India, where she began to train to be a teacher. After training, she was sent to Calcutta, where she taught geography at a school and soon after became headmistress (校长).
However, although she loved teaching, in 1946 Mother Teresa left the school and went to work in the poor parts of Calcutta. Later she trained to become a nurse in Patna, and then began her work helping the poor and comforting the dying in the streets of the city. Slowly, others came to help her, and her work spread to other parts of India.
Mother Teresa is now a well-known person. Many photos have been taken of her, as she travels the world to open new schools and hospitals in poor countries. In 1979, she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the lifetime of love and service she has given to the poor.
65. Where did Mother Teresa receive her education?
A. In Yugoslavia and India. B. In Yugoslavia and Britain.
C. In Britain and India. D. In Yugoslavia, Britain and India.
66. What first made Mother Teresa work in India?
A. Her visit to the poor parts of Calcutta.
B. Her visit to Britain after she finished school.
C. The medical workers’ letters to her school.
D. The work of the nurse in the city of Patna.
67. In which order did Mother Teresa do the following things?
a. Trained to be a nurse b. Went to India
c. Helped the dying d. Studied to be a teacher
e. Went to Britain f. Worked as a headmistress
A. b, a, c, e, d, f B. e, b, d, f, a, c
C. b, f, a, d, e, c D. e, a, b, c, d, f
68. Mother Teresa gave up teaching because she wanted _______.
A. to look after the poor B. to travel to poor countries
C. to build hospitals for the poor D. to train nurses to care for the poor
第四部分阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
A
In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The flattened(变平的) wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation(构造) like five dots (点). During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they appear in the fields of grain—usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but is never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it .Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September.
At first, people thought that the circles were a hoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke ,or farmers were making them to attract tourists .To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmers had found. They couldn’t do it .They couldn’t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the grain without breaking it.
Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circles to communicate(交流)with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles—the same downward rush of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash(坠毁).Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those.
61. In the summer of 1978 , an English farmer discovered in his field that______.
A.some of his wheat had been damaged
B.his grain was growing up in circles
C.his grain was moved into several circles
D.some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground
62. According to the text, the underlined part “hoax” (line 1, para.3 ) probably means .
A.an action made to fool people
B.a special way to plant crops
C.a research on the force of winds
D.an experiment for the protection of crops
63. Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man?
A.The farmers couldn’t step out of the field.
B.The farmers couldn’t make the circles round.
C.The farmers couldn’t leave without footprints.
D.The farmers couldn’t keep the wheat straight up.
64. That the crop circles are made by is probably true.
A.air movement B.airplane crashes
C.new farming techniques D.unknown flying objects
D
The following is a timetable in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
| Airline |
Flight Number |
Destination |
Departure |
Gate |
| Air Canada |
137 |
Beijing |
10:12 a.m. |
24 |
| Japanese Airlines |
320 |
Tokyo |
10:30 a.m. |
18 |
| British Airways |
405 |
Paris |
11:00 a.m. |
20 |
| Pan American |
226 |
London |
11:20 a.m. |
12 |
| Pan American |
12 |
Beijing |
11:43 a.m. |
15 |
| Air Canada |
178 |
Tokyo |
12:32 a.m. |
21 |
| CAAC |
289 |
Hong Kong |
12:32 a.m. |
14 |
| CAAC |
314 |
Moscow |
12:45 a.m. |
18 |
| British Airways |
230 |
New York |
12:55 a.m. |
23 |
71. A man wants to take Flight 178 to Tokyo. Which gate should he go to?
A. 14 B. 28 C. 21 D. 18
72. Lisa is at gate 23. Where is she going?
A. Paris B. Beijing C. Tokyo D. New York
73. Now it’s 10:40. Mary is at gate 20. Which airline’s plane will she take?
A. British Airways B. Japanese Airlines
C. Pan American D. Air Canada
74. Gate _______ is the busiest among all these gates.
A. 23 B. 18 C. 24 D. 15
75. Which airline’s flights cover the longest route(行程)?
A. CAAC B. Pan American
C. British Airways D. Air Canada
E
Every year farmers in areas which often suffer flood in Southeast Asia lose millions of tons of rice to high water that kills their crops. That large amount of waste may soon be a thing of the past: SUBIA, a gene discovered by researchers which the International Rice Research Insitule (IRRI) and the University of California, allows rice palnts carrying the gene to live completely under water for two weeks.
Flood – resistant(抗水浸) rice turned up among the 110,000 types of seed stored at the institute. It produced disappointingly low yields(产量) , but scientistis were able to transfer the gene into more bountiful varieties. These have shown promising results in tests by growers in India and Bangladesh over the past two years.
This rice success story would not have been possible without the treasure of genetic diversity hidden in the IRRI’s vault (underground room). As the world faces new agricultural challenge – charging climate, bugs and diseases that have developed resistance(抵抗力) to old defenses – such genetic resources are likely to become increasingly valuable. Fortunately, the IRRI is one of more than 1,000 organizations around the world working to protect crop genes. Most plant species grown for food have an associated bank that stores thousands of samples; seeds of landraces, wild relatives, and varieties that are rare, old, or adapted to very specific envionments. The banks ensure that it will be possible to develop new varieties in the future.
The need for these botanical libraries has its roots in modern agricultural practices. According to the U. N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of plant diversity has been lost over the last century. Of more than 30,000 eatable species, humans grow just 200 for food; 60 percent of plant calories in our diet comes from wheat, rice, and corn.
72.Accordint to the second paragraph, what can we learn about the flood – resistant rice?
A.It produces a small amount of rice.
B.Scientists have developed many more varieties of it.
C.Sientists have managed to improve its output.
D.It can produce more rice than the other 110,000 types at the institute.
73.From the passage we can infer that .
A.the newly – discovered gene will bring hope to the farmers in the areas often suffering flood
B.scientists will not be able to change the fact that rice plants carrying the gene produce low yields
C.the tests by growers in India and Bangladesh were hopeless
D.110,000 types of seed stored at the Institute are flood - resistant
74.What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?
A.The world faces new agricultural challenges.
B.Such genetic resources are likely to become valuable.
C.Scientists set up banks to store thousands of seed samples.
D.We should owe the rice success story to the seed banks.
75.As to the botanical libraries, the writer thinks they are .
A.useless B.unnecessary C.needful D.needless