Science can’t explain the power of pets，but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure(血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack，reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer．
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings．For some．an animal provides more comfort than a husband／wife．A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress(紧张)1evels and blood pressure in people－half of them pet owners－while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic(算术)or held a hand in ice water．Subjects completed the tasks alone，with a husband／wife，a close friend or with a pet．People with pets did it best．Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates．With pets in the room，people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions．It seems people feel more relaxed(放松)around pets，says Allen，who thinks it may be because pets don’t judge．
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits．Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs；a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program．On average，people lost about 11 pounds，or 5％ of their body weight．Their dogs did even better，losing an average of 12 pounds，more than 15％of their body weight．Dog owners didn’t lose any more weight than those without dogs but，say researchers，got more exercise overall－mostly with their dogs--and found it worth doing．What does the text mainly discuss?
| A．What pets bring to their owners． |
| B．How pets help people calm down． |
| C．People’s opinions of keeping pets． |
| D．Pet’s value in medical research． |
We 1earn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if ．
| A．he has a pet companion |
| B．he has less stress of work |
| C．he often does mental arithmetic |
| D．he is taken care of by his family |
According to Allen，why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?
| A．They have lower blood pressure． |
| B．They become more patient． |
| C．They are less nervous． |
| D．They are in higher spirits． |
The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that ．
| A．people with dogs did more exercise |
| B．dogs lost the same weight as people did |
| C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did |
| D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful |
Nicholas Winton，a British saved 669 children from the Nazis，was awarded the highest civilian honour in the Czech Republic on Tuesday．
Winton，now 105，was presented with the Order of the White Lion by the Czech president in a special ceremony at Prague Castle．
Winton，who has often been nicknamed “the British Schindler”，organised the transportation and settlement of 669 children over nine months before the Second World War broke out in September 1939．Most of those he saved were Jewish children living in then-German occupied Czechoslovakia whose families were later imprisoned or murdered in concentration camps．
Winton gave a speech during the ceremony．He said，“I want to thank you all for this enormous expression of thanks for something which happened to me a long time ago．I am delighted that so many of the children are still about and are here to thank me．England was the only country at that time willing to accept unaccompanied minors．I thank the British people for making room to accept them，and of course the enormous help given by so many of the Czechs who were at that time doing what they could to fight the Germans and to try to get the children out．’’
In the same ceremony，the Order of the White Lion was also presented to his grandson Nicholas Soames in honor of Sir Winston Churchill．They are the only British citizens to receive the award，after Margaret Thatcher and the Queen．Presenting the award，the Czech President，Milos Zeman said．“It is a great pleasure to present this award to two great personalities of the UK．I am only ashamed it has been awarded so late—but better late than never．”Why has Winton been called“ the British Schindler”?
| A．Because he rescued 669 children before the Second World War． |
| B．Because he joined the army in the Second World War． |
| C．Because he made great contributions after the Second World War． |
| D．Because he saved 669 Jewish children before the Second World War． |
According to Winton，we can infer_______．
| A．all the children once he saved attended the ceremony |
| B．the Czechs also played an important role in helping the children |
| C．England was the only country to fight the Germans at that time |
| D．England was the only country to help the Czechs |
The underlined word“minors”in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.
| A．Englishmen | B．Germans |
| C．children | D．Winton’s family members |
The passage mainly wants to tell us_________．
| A．Winton was awarded |
| B．Winton saved 669 children |
| C．what the Order of the White Lion is |
| D．Winton felt thankful at the ceremony |
Handball(手球)is a hugely popular sport in Europe and Asia, and it is one of the fastest and most exciting sports in the world．It combines basketball and soccer with the attracting saves of water polo．
Handball is played on an indoor court(the size of two basketball courts)and there are goals at each end．There are twelve players on each team，two goal keepers and ten field players，but there is a maximum of one goalkeeper and six field players from each team allowed on the court at any one time．The idea is simple：score more goals than the other team．
The ball is made of leather or synthetic material and it must be round．The surface must not be shiny or slippery．The size and weight of the ball varies for male and female teams，and adult and junior teams．
Handball has the same free-ranging play as basketball，with all players except the goalkeeper constantly moving from attack to defence．The goalkeeper uses hands, feet，head and body to keep out the other team’s shots．The origins of handball are unclear．Many people believe that it developed as a training game for soccer，to be played in the off season，or when it snowing．Now，in countries where handball is popular，players can earn large sums of money，and indoor stadiums seating over ten thousand people sell out regularly．Handball has been played at the Olympics since 1972．The passage states that handball was most probably developed__________．
| A．as a replacement for basketball |
| B．by supporters of water polo |
| C．as a training game |
| D．for the 1972 Olympics |
The statement，“The idea is simple”，emphasizes that in handball the _____ ．
| A．game has only one purpose |
| B．court is clearly marked |
| C．players can change positions |
| D．goalkeeper is the last defense |
It is clear that the writer believes the sport of handball __________.
| A．is more popular for men than for women |
| B．is great fun for the audience |
| C．requires an unusually shaped ball |
| D．should only be played in winter |
In which order does the information appear in the passage?
a．type of ballb．court size
c．beginning of the sport d．team members
| A． c—a—b—d | B．b—a—d—c |
| C．c—d—a—b | D．b—d—a—c |
Helen Thayer，one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century，loves challenges. She says，"I like to see what's on the other side of the hill." She has gone almost everywhere to do that.
In 1988，at the age of 50，she became the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. She pulled her own sled (雪橇) piled with 160 pounds of supplies，and during her trip no one brought her fresh supplies. Accompanied (陪伴) only by her dog Charlie，she survived cold weather and meetings with polar bears. In fact，Charlie saved her life when one of them attacked her. Near the end of her trip，a forceful wind blew away the majority of her supplies. The last week of the trip，she survived on a handful of nuts and a little water each day.
Helen goes to challenging places not only for adventure，but also for education. Before her Arctic journey，she started a website called Adventure Classroom. On the site，she shares her adventures in order to motivate (激发) students. She explains，"Although kids often see the world in a negative way，without hope for their future，we work to inspire them to set goals，plan for success and never give up..."
Helen grew up in New Zealand. Her parents were athletes and mountain climbers. Following her parents' example，she climbed her first mountain at 9. Later，she climbed the highest mountains in North and South America，the former USSR and New Zealand.
In 1996，she took on another challenge--the Sahara Desert. She and her husband，Bill，walked 2,400 miles across it！In 2001，she and Bill traveled on foot from west to east through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They hope to travel in mainland China into Sichuan and Tibet to study pandas this year.
Helen plans to continue taking trips. She'll use her explorations，writing，photography and environmental work to create programs for her Adventure Classroom website. She wants to inspire her students never to stop facing challenges!We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.
| A．Helen Thayer is the first person to reach the North Pole |
| B．Helen Thayer ate nothing during the last week of her trip |
| C．Charlie prevented Helen being attacked by polar bears |
| D．Helen Thayer traveled to the North Pole together with her husband |
Why does Helen travel to different places worldwide?
| A．For education. | B．For fun. |
| C．For money. | D．For fame. |
Which is the best title for the text?
| A．The Woman Who Loves Adventure | B．A Famous Woman |
| C．A Woman Mountain Climber | D．The Owner of Adventure Classroom |
Which of the following places has Helen not visited yet?
| A．The North Pole | B．The Sahara Desert |
| C．The Gobi Desert | D．Sichuan and Tibet |
Opposition is growing to the Berlin Zoo’s plans to find a new home for Knut, the moneymaking celebrity polar bear whose popularity has been exploited by environmentalists and even Canadian tourism promoters.
No longer cute, and just days before his second birthday, Knut will be given a new home that is expected to include a potential mating partner.
The Berlin Zoo, facing the global economic crisis, can’t afford the estimated $ 13 million it would take to acquire a female and a new home for them to share. “It’s time for him to go—the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes.
But some Berliners are beginning a campaign, collecting petition (情愿书) signatures and arguing that he’s a tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate. “He means a lot to many people. When you’re with him you forget your problems,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the campaign, told Spiegel Online.
Knut became an international celebrity in 2007, drawing huge crowds to his cage and triggering sales of thousands of Knut toys and Knut-shaped candies.
The Vancouver-based Canadian Tourism Commission made Knut a major part of its “Canada—Keep Exploring” campaign to draw tourists to the country— and especially to polar bear country in northern Manitoba to see them in their natural habitat. Environmentalists also used the bear to promote the fight against global warming.
But Knut’s popularity diminished as his size increased to 210 kilograms, He was photographed at one point snapping (咬) at a child near his cage. In September his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died of a heart attack. Doerflein, who became a celebrity himself after nursing the tiny ball of white fur when Knut’s mother rejected him, had been re-assigned shortly after Knut’s first birthday. Some animal rights critics said Knut has been showing unusually aggressive behavior because of his unnatural upbringing.The Berlin Zoo intends to find a new home for Knut mainly because of .
| A．the mother bear deserting him |
| B．Knut’s aggressive behavior |
| C．lacking a skillful bear keeper |
| D．its financial problem |
A campaign is being launched in Berlin .
| A．in order to keep Knut in the zoo |
| B．by selling Knut-shaped candies |
| C．to draw tourists to northern Manitoba |
| D．to warn people of global warming |
The underlined word “triggering” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “”.
| A．decreasing | B．preventing |
| C．promoting | D．conducting |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Doerflein, a celebrity of Germany |
| B．Zoo says Knut must go |
| C．The polar bear capital of the world |
| D．Polar bears in Canada |
The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．future travel | B．big ideas and dreams |
| C．advanced technology | D．the influence of travel |
We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
| A．will operate only in the sky |
| B．will be more expensive than common cars |
| C．will have few bad effects on the environment |
| D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have |
With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．attend a party | B．clean high windows |
| C．go shopping | D．have a long journey |
As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.
| A．we can go wherever we want in them |
| B．they will be both convenient and safe |
| C．it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars |
| D．they will be operated by computers as well as by people |