A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have disclosed.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women a
ged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA．As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they are easy to have illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said: "These results are exciting because they prove for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D．
"This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."
He said further studies are required to confirm the findings.
Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added: "Although it might sound absurd(荒谬的), it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process."
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals.
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Sunshine helps to keep you young. |
| B．Vitamin D has a protective effect on many diseases. |
| C．Telomeres - a biological marker of ageing. |
| D．People have found the secret to having a long life. |
How can people get Vitamin D?
A.through water. B. through sunshine.
C.through food. D.both B and C.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．women with high levels of vitamin D shows a sign of being biologically younger and healthier. |
| B．vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases. |
| C．too much sunshine may increase our risk of skin cancer. |
| D．It has been proved that sunshine helps to keep you young. |
第二部分阅读理解 (满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项。 (每小题2分)
Wang Hao and Wang Liqin, two of China’s top tennis players, both saw the World Table Tennis Championships as a chance to prove themselves. But there was only one champion and Wang Hao, 25, won it last Tuesday in Yokohama, Japan.
Wang Hao, who won the men’s doubles title with Chen Qi last Monday, played with spirit to best Wang Liqin 11-9, 13-11,11-5,11-9.
Wang Hao said it was his mental toughness (心里稳定) that made the difference. “I was disappointed by my performances in past championships and the last two Olympic Games. But I have tried to pull myself together and prepared well. This is the result.”
Wang Hao said he always understood the importance of physical training and technical skills. Now he knows the need for mental preparation as well. Having two Olympic silvers had left him feeling bitter (痛苦的). The bitterness perhaps explains why he has not always played at his best in the past.
“I’ve come to understand that you can learn important lessons (教训) from failure,” he said. “Losing can build your character and make you a stronger player.” His next goal, or dream, is to win the medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Liu Guoliang, head coach of China’s table tennis team, sang the praises of Wang Hao’s victory. “This is just the beginning of his rise,” said Liu. “It’s the confidence-booster he needs to make further progress.”
1 According to the passage, Wang Hao won ____ gold medals in the World Table Tennis Championships in Yokohama, Japan.
A. only one B. two C. three D. four
2From Wang Hao, we can know the main reason for his beating Wang Liqin is his ____ .
A. technical skills B. physical training C. mental toughness D. past experience
3What is the next goal of Wang Hao?
A. To win the title of the champion at the 2012 Olympics.
B. To beat Wang Liqin again.
C. To prove himself in the future competitions.
D. To win more goals in future.
4 What can we learn from Wang Hao?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Never give until you succeed.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. A good beginning makes a good ending.
5 The passage is mainly about how to ____ .
A. get gold medals B. beat Wang Liqin C. play table tennis D. beat Chen Qi
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, which sent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
1 After 2002, the number of foreign students in the USA fell mainly because ____ .
A. Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them
B. few American universities welcomed students from abroad
C. their own countries could offer them a better education
D. it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA
2 Which of the following Asian countries has the largest number of students studying in the USA?
A. China. B. Japan. C. South Korea. D. India.
3 Which subject is the most attractive to foreign students in the USA?
A. Business and management. B. History.
C. Engineering. D. Language.
4We can learn from the passage that ____ .
A. Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA
B. now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA
C. the number of students studying in America always increases
D. the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future
5 In which section of a newspaper could you most probably read this passage?
A. Culture. B. Science. C. Education. D. Business.
If you want to keep healthy, you should have good habits. What is a habit? It is something we do very often. We don’t even think when we do it. It has become a part of our lives.
“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” This is an old English saying. Do you know what it means? It means that we must go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy, rich and clever.
Is this true? Perhaps it is. We know the body must have enough sleep. Boys and girls need eight or nine hours’ sleep every day.
Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is a very bad habit. Then you will not think or do your work well. Of course, you can’t be healthy, wealthy or wise.
When we get up early in the morning, we can go out and do morning exercises. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running jumping, swimming, and playing ball games are all exercise. If we don’t exercise, our body will become weak.
Exercise helps the blood (血液) to move around inside our body. Blood takes food to all parts of our body.
Our body also needs air to breathe. Without air, we will die. We must have lots of clean fresh air if we want to be healthy. That is why many people like to go out to do morning exercise.
1 From the passage we know that it is good for our health to ____ .
A. eat a lot B. go to bed early C. get up late D. go to bed late
2 How long should young boys and girls need to sleep a day?
A. More than ten hours B. Over eleven hours.
C. Less than seven hours. D. Eight hours or so.
3 If we want to keep healthy, we must ____ .
A. eat more food B. sleep more C. get up late D. take enough exercise
4 Which of the following habits is NOT GOOD?
A. Don’t go to bed until twelve o’clock..
B. Take a walk after supper.
C. Run in the open air early in the morning.
D. Climb hills for half an hour early in the morning.
5 Which sport is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Jumping. B. Swimming. C. Riding. D. Running.
第二部分阅读理解 (满分35分)
第一节 阅读理解下面的短文，然后根据短文内容，指出能完成所给句子或回答所提问题的最佳答案。(每小题2分)
What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious (和谐的) and closer with one another than with those in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that’s so magnetic that it’s difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.
I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don’t need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don’t talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don’t live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?
Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people.
1 Which of the following may serve as the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a house a home? B. What makes a house a home?
C. Who are truly homeless? D. What is a home for?
2 The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell us ____ .
A. that where there is home there is love B. how to have a happy home
C. what people think a home is D. the author’s concept of home
3 The underlined word “those” refers to ____ .
A. people who build multi-million-dollar houses
B. people who don’t spend time with the family
C. people who have lost their family members
D. homeless families living on the street in America
4Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A. Computers and the Internet are important for a happy home.
B. A home is a place where you are willing to stay.
C. Sometimes it’s the rich that should be pitied.
D. Even the poorest people can have a happy home.
5 According to the passage, which is NOT mentioned as an element (要素) of a home?
A. Communication.B. Appreciation. C. Kindness. D. Companionship.
How to apply (申请) for a free mailbox (邮箱)? First you have to connect to the Internet and go to the homepage of the ICP providing free mailboxes. Then you will find an icon (图标), an agreement about the rules for using the free mailbox will appear. If you want to go, click the icon “I agree”. Then you have to fill in a form about your basic personal data, and the name and PIN (密码) of the mailbox. The PIN is the key to the mailbox. After finishing these, you will get a mailbox like this：your name @ mail server (for example：tvguide@mail.cctv.com.cn. “tvguide” is the name of the mailbox, and “mail.cctv.com.cn” is the name of the mail server.). The mailbox is separated (分隔) into two parts by a separator “@”, which is read as “at”. The former part is the name of the mailbox. The latter is the domain name (域名) of the mail server. All mails to you will be received by the server and put into your mailbox. You can read these mails on any computer on the Internet in the world, if you have the name and PIN of the mailbox.
1 If you want to send or receive an e-mail, you should first ____ .
A. apply for a mailbox B. buy a computer
C. go to the post office D. fill in a form
2 When you get a FREE mailbox, you can send an e-mail ____ .
A. by paying some money B. to anyone
C. without paying money D. anywhere
3 The mailbox’s name in the e-mail address “editor@ew.com.cn.” is ____ .
A. ew B. ew.com.cn C. com.cn D. editor
4 The writer mainly wants to tell us how to ____ in this passage.
A. send a letter by e-mailB. read the e-mail on computers in the world
C. get a free mailbox D. find out one’s e-mail address
5 We can find the similar information in the book “____”.
A. Who Moved My Cheese B. Surfing on the Internet
C. Bill Gates’ Story D. Harry Potter