Manyyoungpeoplewanttobepopstar-优题课

A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But researchers previously have noticed that the incidence (发生率) of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish.
At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.
The passage is mainly about _________.

A．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries

B．the changes in people’s diet

C．the effect of fish eating on people’s health

D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures

We can infer from the passage that there are fewer heart disease deaths ________.

A．in the countries with high consumption of fish

B．in highly-developed countries

C．in countries of the yellow-skin race

D．in the countries with good production of fish

The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between ______ and the incidence of heart disease.

A．the amount of fish eaten	B．regular fish-eating
C．the kind of fish eaten	D．people of different areas

“If you talk to the plants, they will grow faster and the effect is even better if you’re a woman.” Researchers at Royal Horticultural Society carried out an experiment to find that the voice of a woman gardener makes plants grow faster.
The experiment lasted a month and by the end of the study scientists managed to discover that tomato plants grew up two inches taller when women gardeners talked to them instead of male.
Sarah Darwin was the one making the plants registered the best growth. Her voice was the most “inspiring” for plants than those of nine other gardeners when reading a passage from The Origin of Species. The great-great-granddaughter of the famous botanist(植物学家) Charles Darwin found that her plant grew about two inches taller than the plant of the best male gardener.
Colin Crosbie, Garden Superintendent at RHS, said that the finding cannot yet be explained. He assumes that women have a greater range of pitch（音高） and tone（音调） which might have a certain effect on the sound waves that reach the plant. “Sound waves are an environmental effect just like rain or light ,”said Mr Grosbie.
The study began in April at RHS Garden Wisley in Survey. Scientists started with open auditions(听力) for the people who were asked to record passages from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream and Darwin's The Origin of Species.
Afterwards researchers selected a number of different voices and played them to 10 tomato plants during a period of a month. Each plant had headphones（耳机） connected to it. Through the headphones the sound waves could hit the plants. It was discovered that plants that “listened” to female voices on average grew taller by an inch in comparison to plants that heard male voices.
Miss Darwin said, “I think it is an honor to have a voice that can make tomatoes grow, and especially fitting because for a number of years I have been studying wild tomatoes from the Galapagos Island at the Natural History Museum in London.”
What does the passage talk about?

A．Plants enjoy men’s voices than women’s.

B．A botanical experiment in a museum.

C．Voice’s influence on plant growing.

D．Strange phenomenon（现象） at Royal Horticultural Society.

What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Plants need sound as well as rain and light.

B．Sound is basic for the plant to grow.

C．Sound has a good effect as rain or light does.

D．Plants can’t live without sound, rain or light.

Sarah Darwin is most likely a (an)_____.

A．botanist	B．gardener
C．astronomer	D．environmentalist

What can we learn from the passage?

A．The experiment ended in May.

B．Scientist can explain the findings clearly.

C．Plants enjoy listening to the passages from masterpieces.

D．The findings are of great importance to human beings.

Everyone knows that eating too much junk food is not good to our health. Yet, what is it about junk food that is so completely irresistible(无可抗拒的)? For one thing, it’s everywhere. From chips in fast food restaurants to candy in supermarkets, junk food always seems available. Thankfully, science is now providing new clues to help us reduce snacking.
Make friends with dainty(讲究的) eaters.
Studies have found that people tend to increase or reduce the amount of food they eat depending on what their companions are taking in.
See happy movies… and always get the smaller bag of popcorn(爆米花).
According to some experts, people eat up to 29% more popcorn if they are watching a sad or serious movie, compared to when they are watching a comedy. Viewers consumed almost 200 calories more when snacking from a large bucket, as opposed to when given a medium-sized container.
Eat breakfast.
Nutritionists have gone back and forth（来来回回）about the question of how much to eat in the morning, but new studies suggest that consuming a good breakfast is a must. Surveys on long-term weight-loss show that two key factors in keeping weight down are eating breakfast and exercising.
Divide your food and conquer overeating.
Any kind of dividing your food into portions slows down your eating. Any kind of marker makes you aware of what you’re eating and of portion size. Researchers advise reallocating（再分配）snack foods into small plastic bags. It sounds simplistic, but it works.
Why do people eat too much junk food though it is bad for our health?

A．Because it’s available here and there.

B．It’s delicious from chips to candy.

C．It’s easily taken everywhere.

D．It’s easily bought in fast food restaurants.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．If people are watching a tragedy, they eat up to 29% more popcorn.

B．People are likely to eat more food when staying with friends.

C．Nutritionists have the same opinion about how much to eat in the morning.

D．People prefer to snake from a large bucket.

What will he or she do if he or she wants to lose weight?

A．To eat nothing in the morning.

B．To get up early and to go to bed late.

C．To eat breakfast and exercise.

D．To snack from a medium-size bucket.

What is the text mainly about the rule(s)?

A．how to make friends with dainty eaters.

B．how much to eat in the morning.

C．how to control overeating.

D．how to eat properly and healthily.

One of the major problems in our economy（经济）is inflation（通货膨胀）, a situation in which prices are going up faster than salary（工资）. Thus, a person has to work more hours to pay for the same thing.
For example, let’s say that this year a loaf of bread costs $1.00 and average salary in the United Sates is $10.00 per hour. That means a person could earn enough money to buy a loaf of bread in one-tenth of an hour, or six minutes. Then, halfway through the year, the price of the bread goes up to $1.25, while salary stay the same. That means that a person now has to work one-eighth of an hour—seven and a half minutes to buy the same loaf of bread.
Now let’s say that at the end of the year, salary go up to $11.00 per hour, but the price of bread goes up to $1.50. Now a person has to work more than one-seventh of an hour—over eight minutes—to buy loaves of bread, employees will have less money left over to buy other things, Inflation means that the same money buys fewer things and everybody’s standard of living goes down, even if salaries are going up.
Some kinds of inflation are worse than others. Moderate inflation does not distort (祖曲)relative prices or incomes seriously. Galloping inflation happens rapidly, say at a rate of 100percent or more within a year. And then there’s hyperinflation—inflation so serious that people try to get rid of their currency（货币）before prices rise further and make the money worthless. Times of hyperinflation are usually characterized by social and political disorder.
The passage mainly wants to.

A．list major economic

B．discuss something about inflation

C．explain why bread prices increase

D．state the types of inflation

Why is “ a loaf of bread” repeatedly mentioned?

A．To express dissatisfaction with the price of bread

B．To show the effect of price changes

C．To compare bread with other foods

D．To explain social and political disorder

What happens when prices go up but salaries remain the same?

A．The government will do more about the economy

B．Workers might lose their jobs if they show dissatisfaction

C．People will save money rather than spend it.

D．People must work longer to buy the same things

Which of the following belongs to the type of moderate inflation?

A．People try to get rid of their currency

B．Inflation occurs at a rate of 100percent in a year

C．Incomes and relative prices rise slightly

D．There is social and political disorder

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a longhandled brush. He stopped by the fence in front of the house where he lived with his aunt Polly. He looked at it, and all joy left him. The fence was long and high. He put the brush into the whitewash and moved it along the top of the fence. He repeated the operation. He felt he could not continue and sat down.
He knew that his friends would arrive soon with all kinds of interesting plans for the day. They would walk past him and laugh. They would make jokes about his having to work on a beautiful summer Saturday. The thought burned him like fire.
He put his hand into his pockets and took out all that he owned. Perhaps he could find some way to pay someone to do the whitewashing for him. But there was nothing of value in his pockets—nothing that could buy even half an hour of freedom. So he put the bits of toys back into his pockets and gave up the idea.
At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea came to him. It filled his mind with a great, bright light. Calmly he picked up the brush and started again to whitewash.
While Tom was working, Ben Rogers appeared. Ben was eating an apple as he walked along the street. As he walked along it, he was making noises like the sound of a riverboat. First he shouted loudly, like a boat captain. Then he said “Ding---Dong---Dong”， “Ding---Dong---Dong” again and again, like the bell of a riverboat. And he made other strange noises. When he came close to Tom, he stopped.
Tom went on whitewashing. He did not look at Ben. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hello! I'm going swimming, but you can't go, can you？”
No answer. Tom moved his brush carefully along the fence and looked at the result with the eye of an artist. Ben came nearer. Tom's mouth watered for the apple, but he kept on working.
Ben said, “Hello, old fellow, you've got to work, hey？”
Tom turned suddenly and said, “Why, it's you, Ben! I wasn't noticing.”
“Say --- I'm going swimming. Don't you wish you could? But of course you'd rather work --- wouldn't you? Of course you would.”
Tom looked at the boy a bit, and said “What do you call work？”
“Why, isn't that work？”
Tom went back to his whitewashing, and answered carelessly.
“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Oh come, now, you don't mean to say that you like it？”
The brush continued to move.
“Like it? Well, I don't see why I shouldn't like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day？”
Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth, stepped back to look at the result, added a touch here and there, and stepped back again. Ben watched every move and got more and more interested. Soon he said，“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom thought for a moment, and was about to agree, but he changed his mind.
“No---no---it won't do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. It has got to be done very carefully. I don't think there is one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it well enough.”
“No---is that so? Oh come, now —let me just try. Only just a little.”
“Ben, I'd like to, but if it isn't done right, I'm afraid Aunt Polly … ”
“Oh, I'll be careful. Now let me try. Say —I'll give you the core of my apple.”
“Well, here --- No, Ben, now don't. I'm afraid …”
“I'll give you all of it.”
Tom gave up the brush with unwillingness on his face, but joy in his heart. And while Ben worked at the fence in the hot sun, Tom sat under a tree, eating the apple, and planning how to get more help. There were enough boys. Each one came to laugh, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was tired, Tom sold the next chance to Billy for a kite; and when Billy was tired, Johnny bought it for a dead rat —and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, Tom had won many treasures.
And he had not worked. He had had a nice idle time all the time, with plenty of company, and the fence had been whitewashed three times. If he hadn't run out of whitewash, Tom would have owned everything belonging to his friends.
He had discovered a great law of human action, namely, that in order to make a man or a boy want a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to get.
How many characters are mentioned in this story?

A．4.	B．5.
C．6.	D．7

Why did Tom take all his bits of toys out of his pockets?

A．Because he was tired and wanted to play with his toys.

B．Because he wanted to throw his toys away.

C．Because he wanted to give his toys to his friends.

D．Because he wanted to know if he could buy help with his toys.

Tom was about to agree to let Ben whitewash when he changed his mind because ________.

A．Tom wanted to do the whitewashing by himself

B．Tom planned to make Ben give up his apple first

C．Tom was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing

D．Tom was afraid Ben would do the whitewashing better

We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Tom was interested in whitewashing the fence

B．Tom had a lot of friends who are ready to help others

C．Tom was unwilling to whitewash the fence, but he managed to let other boys do it for him

D．Tom was good at whitewashing the fence, so he looked at the result of his work with the eye of an artist

What made Ben Rogers eagerly give up his apple and offer to brush the fence for Tom?

A．His warm heart and kindness to friends.

B．Tom's threat.

C．His curiosity about Tom's brushing job.

D．Aunt Polly's idea.

Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Happy Whitewasher

B．Tom And His Fellows

C．Whitewashing A Fence

D．Make The Things Difficult To Get

Feb. 10, 2007
5:00	Woke up and had breakfast in the hotel, packed bags. Took taxi to airport.
7:30	Plane took off half an hour later than usual for the bad weather.
8:30	Plane landed. Waited for luggage for half an hour. Signed for fans at the airport.
9:45	Arrived at the hotel and had a short rest.
10:00	Started out to attend the meeting with fans and gave an interview to the local reporters.
11:00	Went to radio station to attend the live show.
12:00	Had lunch with local producer.
13:00	Went to theatre and prepared for the night’s show. The lighting of the theatre was good, but the band did poorly.
17:00	Back to hotel. Tried to have a rest. Still worried about the band.
18:00	Had supper, but ate little.
18:30	Went to theatre again and got ready for show.
19:00	Sang very well, and audience gave a warm welcome. The band improved a little.
22:00	Show was over. Very tired from it.
23:00	Back to hotel. Took a bath. Too excited to sleep, so watched TV
0:00	Fell asleep, with TV on.

A．showed fans how to become famous	B．gave a performance on the air
C．met fans and signed for them	D．told people how he lived his life

A．not all people like pop stars	B．pop stars have their own bands
C．fans are troublesome for pop stars	D．to be a pop star is not all fun