A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers
information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a so
cial connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They
can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.What is TRUE about the Framingham Study?
| A．It was only conducted in 1948. |
| B．It involves more than 12,000 participants. |
| C．It was led by John Cacioppo. |
| D．It showed that any behavior could spread. |
Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?
| A．The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
| B．No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
| C．Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
| D．Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Actions should be taken to help lonely people. |
| B．People feel lonely for many reasons. |
| C．Ways to fight against loneliness. |
| D．Lonely people can affect others. |
Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower risk of cancer, saying studies showed a clear link. “Our suggestion is for people to increase their intake (吸入，摄入), through diet or a vitamin supplement,” Dr. Cedric Garland said in a telephone interview.
Garland's research team reviewed 63 studies, including several large long-term ones, on the relationship between vitamin D and certain types of cancer worldwide between 1966 and 2004. “There's nothing that has this ability to prevent cancer,” he said, urging governments and public health officials to do more to fortify (增强) foods with vitamin D. Garland is part of a University of California at San Diego Moores Cancer Center team that published its findings this week online in the American Journal of Public Health. Vitamin D is found in milk, as well as in some fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses, usually at around 100 international units（IU）a serving. “People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 IUs per day” Garland said， adding that it was well within the safety guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences.
The authors said that taking more vitamin D could be especially important for people living in northern areas, which receive less vitamin D from sunshine.
“African Americans, who don't produce as much of the vitamin because of their skin colour, could also benefit significantly from a higher intake,” the authors said.
61. According to the passage, people are advised to take more Vitamin D, because__.
A. it is nutritious B. it can‘t harm people’s health
C. it can lower cancer risk D. it is not taken enough every day
62. Which of the following can not help people get more Vitamin D?
A. Have some sunshine B. Have more meat
C. Have more fortified cheese D. Have a vitamin supplement
63.Who can Garland probably be?
A. A health researcherB. A doctor
C. A scientistD. A public health official
64.Which of the following food can lower people‘s chance of getting cancer?
A. MilkB. Fortified orange juice
C. Fortified yogurtD. All of the above
65.People from which area should take more Vitamin D according to the passage?
A. Asian peopleB. African people
C. American peopleD. European people
The most important holiday in spring, especially for Christians, is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year，but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter, many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection（复活）from the dead. Most people color Ester eggs. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs，they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world. People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium, children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny (兔子).But in Belgium, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria (保加利亚), red Easter eggs are lucky in churches. Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria，for example，children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.
56. Easter comes _______.
A. on the same date every year B. on Sunday on March 22
C. on Sunday on April 25 D. on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25
57. To celebrate Easter, people ___________.
A. go shopping, hide colored eggs and children hunt for them
B. give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another
C. buy new clothes, hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house
D. both B and C
58. For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
A. going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection
B. buying new clothes
C. eating delicious food and paint color eggs
D. exchange beautiful gifts each other
59. People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg _________.
A. In both American and Belgium, children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes
B. In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells
C. In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny
D. In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells
60. In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
A. blesses B. Easter eggs C. candy and goodies D. Easter bunny
As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to turn around as the memory of that morning’s newspaper headline made her afraid of what she would see: “City Killer Claims Fourth Victim.”
“Why did I stop for a few drinks in the bar after work?” she thought to herself. Now it was dark and the streets deserted. She was alone and a sitting duck.
She felt as if she was walking in the rain. Her clothes were damp from nervous sweat and as each short hot breath hit the night air, it turned to steam, coating her glasses in a thin film so all she saw seemed covered in fog.
The footsteps were closer now. She needed to get off this street. Her eyes began a useless search for an open store or lighted window. Passing a small lane she looked through, for a possible escape route. But the lane was a dead - end and she laughed to herself at the irony ( 具有讽刺意味的事 ).
The sound of a car behind her turning onto the street interrupted her self – pity. Escape was at hand. But as she was about to throw herself onto the road and shout for the car to stop, the car’s headlights cast a shadow that paralyzed ( 使瘫痪 ) her with terror.
It was the footsteps’ owner. The figure was huge and in its raised arm it held what looked like a lead-pipe, no doubt the one that was about to claim victim number five.
The shadow dissolved as the car passed by and disappeared into the distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was all happening as if in slow – motion. She was waiting for her life to flash before her eyes like all those novels said it would – but it didn’t. The only thing she thought of was her dear husband. She recalled phoning him from work that very afternoon and joking about, of all things, the city killer. It was a night full of ironies.
There was a voice talking to her now but she was lost in thoughts of her fate and didn’t respond. The hand then began turning her around. It was surprisingly gentle given what was about to come. She allowed it to guide her without resistance ( 抗拒 ).
She looked up. She recognized the face, but she didn’t know from where. Its mouth was still talking to her but she couldn’t understand. Then she remembered. The face belonged to the foreign looking man who had served her at the bar. She looked down to his hand and saw in it not a lead – pipe but a rolled up copy of a work report she had been correcting in the bar as she drank.
His words suddenly started to register in her brain and she could hear him. “Miss, Miss. Are you OK? You left this in the bar and it looked important so I thought I’d better give it to you.”
71. The woman was feeling nervous because .
A. she had left her report in the bar
B. there was a killer in the city
C. she was being followed by someone
D. the streets were dark and empty
72. The underlined expression “a sitting duck” (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. an easy target B. a frightened person
C. a foolish animal D. a still position
73. What is the correct order of events that happened to the woman on the day of the story?
a. She went for a drink in a bar. b. She corrected the report.
c. She heard loud footsteps. d. She read the newspaper.
e. She called her husband. f. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
A. d,c,a,e,b,f B. c,d,a,e,f,b C. d,a,b,e,c,f D. d,e,a,b,c,f
74. Why did the woman laugh when she looked into the lane?
A. She was excited because she thought it may be a way to escape.
B. She felt bitter because she had no chance to escape.
C. She was becoming more and more nervous.
D. She realized that she was behaving foolishly.
75. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. It was raining when she left the bar.
B. The woman had felt nervous about the city killer for days.
C. The temperature was very low that evening.
D. The woman was behaving unreasonably.
1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne ( 王位 ). When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival ( 对手 )opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
66. How did Handel begin to learn to compose?
A. His father was sure of his future success.
B. His performance impressed a duke.
C. He begged his father to send him to Italy.
D. He practiced hard and taught himself music.
67. What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?
A. bought secretly B. took secretly
C. carried in advanceD. possessed personally
68.Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?
A. Because he could find better jobs in London.
B. Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.
C. Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.
D. Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.
69. Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as
shown in the passage?
A. bad-temperedB. talented C. enthusiasticD. optimistic
70. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?
A. Handel was born in the same year with Bach.
B. Many people worked both as a barber and surgeon.
C. Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.
D. Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times. ”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
61. How did the author get to know America?
A. From her relatives B. From her mother
C. From books and pictures D. From radio programs
62. Upon leaving for America the author felt .
A. confused B. excited C. worried D. amazed
63. For the first two years in New York, the author .
A. often lost her way
B. did not think about her future
C. studied in three different schools
D. got on well with her stepfather
64. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A. She worked as a translator.
B. She attended a lot of job interviews.
C. She paid telephone bills for her family.
D. She helped her family with her English.
65. The author believes that .
A. her future will be free from troubles
B. it is difficult to learn to become patient
C. there are more good things than bad things
D. good things will happen if one keeps trying