Let's face it．No one drinks diet soda for the taste．People drink diet soda in the hope that it will help them lose weight or at least keep them from gaining it．Yet it seems to have exactly the opposite effect, according to a new study．
Researchers from the University of Texas said those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had waist size increases that were six times greater than those who didn't drink diet soda．"What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drank, the more weight they were likely to gain," said Sharon Fowler．
The study was based on data from 474 participants in a large, ongoing research project, where the participants were followed for nearly l0 years．
While the findings are surprising, they also offer some explanations．
Nutrition expert, Melanie Rogers, who works with overweight patients in New York, has found that when patients are switched from regular to diet soda, they don't lose weight at all．"We weren't seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us," said Rogers．
So why would diet soda cause weight gain? No one knows for sure yet, but it could be that people think they can eat more if they drink diet soda, and so over-compensate for the missing calories．
A related study found some sweeteners （甜味剂） raised blood sugar levels in some mice．"Data from this and other potential studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may be risky," said Helen P．Hazuda, professor at the University of Texas's school of medicine．"They may be free of calories, but not of consequences．"People drink diet soda to _____．
| A．enjoy its taste | B．achieve weight loss |
| C．stay in fashion | D．gain more energy |
The new study suggests that drinking diet soda _____．
| A．causes people to become heavier | B．helps people to be healthier |
| C．makes people much thinner | D．offers people more calories |
We can learn from the passage that _____．
| A．regular soda makes people lose more weight |
| B．diet soda does help reduce calories |
| C．diet soda drinkers tend to eat more food |
| D．most blood diseases come from diet soda |
The underlined word "They" in the last paragraph probably refers to _____．
| A．sweeteners |
| B．diet soda drinkers and sweetener takers |
| C．sodas |
| D．diet sodas and artificial sweeteners |
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment (蚕食)?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive (认知的) skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters (培养) leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that cement (增强) love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.
1. The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that __________.
A. kids missing the sense of wonder outdoors
B. parks are in danger of being gradually encroached
C. Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods
D. children are expected to develop into protectors of nature
2. According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
A. keep a high sense of wonder
B. be over-protected by their parents
C. be less healthy both physically and mentally
D. change wild places and creatures for the better
3. According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is ___________.
A. the fault on the part of their parents
B. the natural experience in their growing up
C. the result of their own carelessness in play
D. the effect of their repetitive stress from computers
4. In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ________.
A. blame children for getting lost in computer games
B. encourage children to protect parks from encroachment
C. show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature
D. inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around
Many of the most damaging types of weather begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched．Such event as a tornado struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987．Total damages from the tornado went beyond $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm．
Traditional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the slight atmospheric changes that come before these storms．In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at places separated by hundreds of miles．With such limited data, traditional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than they do forecasting specific local events．
Until recently, the observation intensive method needed for exact, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcasts,” was not possible．The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties concerned in rapidly collecting and processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome．
Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems．Radar systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas at a lower cost．Communications satellites can send out data around the world cheaply and immediately, and modern computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather information．
Meteorologists（气象学者）and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment able to change weather data into words and graphic displays that forecasters can understand easily and quickly．As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality．
1．Why can’t traditional computer models predict short-lived local storms?
A．The weather data people collect are often wrong．
B．Detailed weather data in some small areas are not available．
C．The computers are not advanced enough to predict them．D．The computers are not used to forecast specific local events．
2．The word “Nowcast” in Paragraph 3 means ________．
A．a network to collect storm data
B．a way of collecting weather data
C．a more advanced system of weather observation
D．a forecast which can predict weather in the small area
3．What can make “Nowcasts” a reality according to the passage?
A．Scientific and technological advances． B．Advanced computer programs．
C．Computer scientists． D．Meteorologists．
4．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The advantages of “Nowcasts”． B．A tornado in Edmonton, Alberta．
C．The difficulty in predicting tornado． D．A great development in weather forecast．
Nothing says love like a dozen long – stemmed roses on Valentine’s Day．More than a million roses will be sold during this festival for lovers, the biggest day of the year for the nation’s rose industry．It’s going to remain the most popular flower because love never goes out of style．
Yes, a rose is a rose．But selling them is no longer a beautiful experience for traditional flower shops．Supermarkets now offer convenience to the busy and discount rose shops help those hopelessly in love save money．Roses only is a good example of a discount rose retailer that was transformed from a traditional shop to answer the challenge in the’ 90s．
Inside this store on Sixth Avenue near 40 th Street, contemporary white furniture and wall – to – wall mirrors give it an expensive look．Customers move about freely among the counters, looking eagerly at the roses in more than 50 colors from shelf to shelf．Some customers say it’s the high quality of the roses that attracts them there．“I spent $ 20 but the flowers looked like I paid 60 or 70 dollars,” says one customer．
Studies show more people are buying roses in ones, two and threes these days．In fact, more than half of all roses are sold in bunches of fewer than a dozen．But Roses Only's low prices encourage people to spend．Even on Valentine's Day, when the price of a dozen roses and delivery can soar as high as $150, 12 of Roses Only's most expensive flowers sell for just $35．The company's key to success is to hold prices down by controlling every link in the rose chain．It grows its own roses in the sunshine of the Andes Mountains．In addition, the company also sells other items such as ballons and stuffed animals．
While discount rose retailers are witnessing their business bloom, U．S．rose growers aren’t able to compete with the fierce foreign competition．More than 57% of roses sold in the USA are grown in other countries．The biggest foreign producers are Colombia and Ecuador, which accounted for almost 90% of the total imported last year．The trend has hurt domestic rose growers such as Johnson Flowers of California, considered to be this country's leading producer．
Now, instead of fighting overseas rivals, the Johnsons are trying to work with them．"We have a few big fighting overseas rivals, the Johnsons are trying to work with them．“We may also widen our business to include the service area and be a representative for overseas flower producers．”
As a result of severe competition, those in the rose business long for the good old days, whereas ordinary people benefit from the low price．
1．What is the central theme of this text?
A．The US rose business is going from bad to worse in spite of the efforts made．
B．The rose will remain the most popular flower as love never goes out of date．
C．The rose business is trying to meet the challenges in the market to succeed．
D．The rose industry plays an important role in American economy．
2．How does Roses Only obtain success in the discount rose retailing field?
A．By setting up more chain stores across the country．
B．By selling roses in supermarkets．
C．By selling high quality roses at a low price．
D．By selling roses by the dozen．
3．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage? （①to ⑦ represent paragraphs 1 to 7）
4．After reading the passage, we learn all of the following EXCEPT __________．
A．Selling roses is no longer as easy for traditional flower shops as it was．
B．Almost 90% of roses sold in US are imported from Colombia and Ecuador．
C．US rose growers are faced with intense foreign competition．
D．the Johnsons are trying to co-operate with foreign competitors instead of fighting them．
A team from Krakow, in Poland, used functional magnetic resonance imaging （机能性核共振成像）（FMRI）to assess brain activity when 40 volunteers were shown various images．Men showed activity in areas which dealt with what action they should take in order to avoid or face up to danger．But the study found more activity in the emotional centers of women's brains．The researchers, from another university, carried out scans on 21 men and 19 women．Brain activity was monitored while the volunteers were shown images of objects and images from ordinary life designed to remind different emotional states．
The images were displayed in two runs．For the first run, only negative pictures were shown．For the second run, only positive pictures were shown．
While viewing the negative images, women showed stronger and broader activity in the left thalamus（神经床）．This is an area which passes sense information to the pain and pleasure centres of the brain．Men showed more activity in an area of the brain called the left insula（脑岛）, which plays a key role in controlling natural functions, including breath, heart rate and digestion．Generally, activity in this area tells the body to either run away from danger, or meet it head on - the so-called "fight or flight response"．
While viewing positive images, women showed stronger activity in an area of the brain associated with memory．With men, the stronger activity was recorded in an area associated with visual processing．Dr Urbanik believes these differences suggest women may analyze positive stimuli（刺激）in a broader social context and associate positive images with a particular memory．
For instance, viewing a picture of a smiling child might remind memories of a woman's own child at this age．On the contrary, male responses tend to be less emotional．
1．The research shows that men response differently to__________compared with women．
A．different images B．ordinary life
C．different activities D．medical scan
2．According to the passage, when faced with danger, ____________．
A．women react more slowly than men B．women usually try to avoid it
C．men usually have no reaction D．men react to it more directly
3．What is discussed in the 4 th paragraph?．
A．Men and women’s different memories B．The different responses to the children
C．Different reactions to positive stimuli D．Negative results of the visual processing
3．The passage mainly develops______．
A．by inferring B．by comparing
C．by listing examples D．by giving explanations
Open adj．, verb, nounadj．NOT CLOSED1 allowing things or people to go through: A wasp flew in the open window． She had left the door wide open．
2 （of sb’s eyes, mouth, etc．） with eyelids or lips apart: She had difficulty keeping her eyes open （=" because" she was very tired）．He was breathing through his open mouth．3 spread out; with the edges apart: The flowers are all open now．
4 not blocked by anything: The pass is kept open all the year．NOT FASTENED5 not fastened or covered, so that things can easily come out or be put in: The bag burst open and everything fell out．
verbDOOR / WINDOW / LID1 [vn] to move a door, window, lid, etc．so that it is no longer closed: Mr Chen opened the car door for his wife． close2 [v] to move or be moved so that it is no longer closed: The door opened and Alan walked in． The doors of the bus open automatically．closeCONTAINER / PACKAGE3 [vn] to remove the lid, undo the fastening, etc．of a container, etc．in order to see or get what is inside: Shall I open another bottle? She opened her bag and took out her passport．EYES4 [vn, v] if you open your eyes or your eyes open, you move your eyelids upwards so that you can see closeCOMPUTING5 [vn, v] to start a computer program or file so that you can use it on the screenopen doors for sb to provide opportunities for sb to do sth and be successful open your / sb’s eyes （to sth） to realize or make sb realize the truth about sth: Travelling really opens your eyes to other cultures．open your / sb’s mind to sth to become or make sb aware of new ideas or experiences．
open the way for sb/sth （to do sth） to make it possible for sb to do sth or for sth to happen: The agreement could open the way for the country to pay off its debts．—more at heart, heaven open into / onto sth to lead to another room, area or place: This door opens onto the yard． The two rooms open into each other．open out to become bigger or wider: The street opened out into a small square．open out （to sb） to become less shy and more willing to communicate open up1 to talk about what you feel and think: It helps to discuss your problems but I find it hard to open up．2 to begin shooting: Anti-aircraft guns opened up．3 （often used in orders） to open a door, container, etc．: Open up or we’ll break the door down! open up1 to become or make sth possible, available or able to be reached: The new catalogue will open up the market for our products． The railway opened up the east of the country．
2 to begin business for the day; to start a new business: I open up the store for the day at around 8．30． close up3 to start a new business: There’s a new Thai restaurant opening up in town． close down
noun the open [sing．] OUTDOORS1 outdoors; the countryside: Children need to play out in the open．NOT HIDDEN2 not hidden or secret: Government officials do not want these comments in the open．
1．Which of the following “open” is closest in the meaning with the “open” in the sentence “The book lay open on the table．”
A．She had left the door wide open．
B．The bag burst open and everything fell out．
C．The flowers are all open now．
D．He opened the letter and read it．
2．Fill in the blank in the sentence “He’s eager to __________different kinds of music．”
A．open the minds of his audience to
B．open the eyes of his audience to
C．open the way for his audience to listen to
D．open doors for his audience to listen to
3．What does the phrase “ the open” mean in “ When you feel tired after a day’s hard work, you’d better invite some friends to the open to relax yourself．”
A．the gym B．the cinema C．the countryside D．the music room
4．Choose one of the following to complete the sentence, “Exciting possibilities__________for her in the new job”．
A．were opening out B．were opening into
C．were opening onto D．were opening up