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 |
When Russell Lyons volunteered for the first time, he read Goodnight Moon to a class of San Diego preschoolers. And it wasn’t reading－he’d memorized the book and was reciting it out loud. He was 4. Still, he said it felt good up there, in front of the other kids, lending a hand. He wanted more of that feeling.
Thirteen years later, he’s getting a lot of it. He’s on a five-month road trip across America－not sightseeing, but volunteering.
The University City resident has spent time at an animal reserve in Utah, a women’s shelter in St. Louis, a soup kitchen in New York, a retirement home in Tucson. This week he’s in Los Angeles, at a program that supports disabled youth.
“I just like helping people and feeling that something I do is making a difference,” he said. He resists the idea that his “Do Good Adventure” is all that unusual. It bothers him that the media often describes young people as lazy, self-centered and materialistic. So he sees his trip as a chance to make a statement, too. “About 55 percent of teens do volunteer work, higher than the rate of adults,” he said, according to a 2002 study. “Not everybody knows that.”
Of course, some teens do volunteer work because it looks impressive on their college applications. Lyons said he mentioned his trip on his submissions. But charity work is a habit with him. Even before the cross country trip, he was volunteering abut 200 hours a year at various places. He’s made sandwiches for homeless families in Washington D.C.. He’s taught math to fifth-graders in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
He gets some of that drive from his mother, Leslye Lyons, who has been involved in nonprofits for much of her life. She was there when her son “read” to the preschoolers－a memory of hers “that will never go away.” What did Russell Lyons think of his first volunteering?
| A．Creative. | B．Impressive. | C．Persuasive. | D．Imaginative. |
The third paragraph is meant to ______.
| A．indicate Russell Lyons is working as a volunteer |
| B．introduce some tourist attractions across America |
| C．appeal to volunteers to offer help to those in need |
| D．show volunteers are needed in all parts of America |
According to Paragraph 4, Russell Lyons is against the idea that ______.
| A．what he has done is common |
| B．most teens do volunteer work |
| C．young people don’t work hard |
| D．adults prefer to be volunteers |
Russell Lyons has been doing volunteer work because ______.
| A．it is necessary for college applications |
| B．he ought to keep his promise to Momit |
| C．he likes the feeling of being praised |
| D．has become a natural part of his life |
Kelly Reeves was getting ready for a trip when her phone slipped into a sink full of water. Panic moment! She quickly picked up the wet phone and tried to turn it on, but nothing worked. Her first reaction? She got dressed, drove to the nearest store, and bought a new mobile at full price.
A new study finds that fear of losing your phone is a common illness. About 66 percent of those surveyed suffer from nomophobia or “no mobile phone phobia”. Interestingly, more women worry about losing their phone than men.
Fortunately, there’s a solution.
The first step is to figure out if you have nomophobia. Checking your phone too often is one thing, but the true sign of a problem is that you can’t conduct business or go about your routine when the fear becomes so severe.
Do you go to unusual lengths to make sure you have your phone? That’s another sign of a problem. If you find you check your phone plenty of times per hour, or a total of an hour per day, there may be a problem.
Some of the treatments are similar to those for treating anxiety attacks: leaving the phone behind and not checking e-mail or text messages, and then learning to tolerate the after anxiety. Even if this leads to a high level of worry and stress, the solution is to push through the fear and learn to deal with not having your phone.
Of course, there are also technological alternatives. Luis Levy, a co-founder at Novy PR, says he uses an application called Cerberus that can automatically track the location of his phone. To find it, he can just go to a website and see the phone’s location.
He also insures his phone through a service called Asurion. The company’s description of its product reads like a prescription for anxiety：“60 million phones are lost, stolen or damaged each year. You’ll have complete peace of mind knowing that your phone is protected and you can quickly reconnect with family, friends and work, as soon as the very next day!”Why does the author mention Kelly’s experience in the first paragraph?
| A．To introduce the topic for discussion. |
| B．To inform us that mobile phones are useful. |
| C．To warn us that we should be careful. |
| D．To tell us we should get phones ready for a trip. |
The underlined word “nomophobia” in Paragraph 2 means “ ” .
| A．habits of using mobile phones |
| B．fear of losing mobile phones |
| C．eagerness for new mobile phones |
| D．independence of mobile phones |
Which of the following is a way to treat nomophobia?
| A．Avoiding using a phone for some time |
| B．Learning more about modern technology |
| C．Protecting one’s phone against any damage |
| D．Not using a mobile phone in one’s daily work |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Attitude toward mobile phones |
| B．New mobile phone technology |
| C．Disadvantages of mobile phones |
| D．Solutions to nomophobia |
Do you have any skiing equipment you no longer need? A ski school in the far north of India could put it to good use.
In March we published a photo story about the extraordinary Zsnskar region in northern India，which is cut off from the outside world for more than seven months of the year，and only accessible (可通行的)via a frozen river．We also included information about the limited use of skiing in the region and the recent creation of the Zanskar Ski School:
“Despite the difficulties of travelling through the region when the snow comes，skiing hasn’t traditionally been used as a means of transport by the locals，largely because trees don't grow here, so there is little in the way of raw materials from which to make skis．In 1995, a group of British scientists in the region noticed the lack of skis and one of them returned to set up the Zanskar Ski School in Padam．The school provides lessons for a small fee and rents skis to the local people. Among the benefits that the school hopes to bring are improved education—children often find it difficult to get to school through the deep snow—and the possibility of offering ski tours to tourists in the future．So far，more than 300 local people have received training，and local doctors and policemen regularly borrow skis.”
But what we weren't able to include in the article is that the ski school is always on the look out for old skiing equipment—particularly of a size suitable for children—and, I thought. Now the European ski season is drawing to a close，there might be a few of you out there who have some old equipment you'd like to see go to a good home．If that's the ease you can get in touch with the school via their website www.zanskarski school.org.What's the purpose in writing the text?
| A．To raise money to develop this area |
| B．To attract more tourists to the area |
| C．To appeal to more locals to attend the school |
| D．To ask people to give away their skis to the school |
The local people don't use skiing to go about because .
| A．it is against the local custom |
| B．they don't have the wood to make skis |
| C．trees are in the way of the skiing route |
| D．it is dangerous to go skiing in this region |
Who would be the most helpful to the school now?
| A．People having old skiing equipment． |
| B．Students in the Zanskar Ski School． |
| C．Locals in Zanskar region． |
| D．Tavellers enjoying skiing． |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．An extraordinary region in India | B．A home for old skis |
| C．A good means of transport | D．A popular sport—skiing |
We are looking for energetic volunteers who might be willing to volunteer their time. It’s a great way to build your volunteer experience, get involved in your community, meet new people and show your pride.
Computer Teacher
The computer teacher will be responsible for teaching older adults computer skills, including basic skills such as turning on computer or more media skills such as setting up email. This position requires patience, dedication and long hours on your feet. Computer skills needed. Ask Mandy, 01313377227.
Meals on Wheels
Do you have time in your schedule to make a difference in the lives of seniors in your community? Meals on Wheels drivers deliver nutritious lunchtime meals to homebound seniors on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our aim is to help seniors who are unable to go out themselves due to age or disability. A valid driver’s license and personal vehicle is required. Call Lucy,（781）2727177.
Tree Nursery Volunteer
Tasks are different according to season, but may include: collecting tree seeds from ancient woodland, preparing seeds for sowing, planting trees and tree aftercare. Some of the work is physical and outdoors, others such as seed preparation can be done indoors. No experience is necessary, but a knowledge or interest in botany would certainly be helpful. Ask Amrita, 07748623073.
Photography Volunteer
If you have a talent for photography, this may be the role for you. We need someone who can take great photos for posters and websites. We especially need photos of our events and volunteers. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience. You’ll also gain the satisfaction of seeing your work being displayed on the National Trust website and in literature. Ask Sarah, 01248600954. If you are interested in teaching, you can get in touch with ________.
| A．Mandy | B．Lucy | C．Amrita | D．Sarah |
What do Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver for the seniors?
| A．Breakfast. | B．Lunch. | C．Supper. | D．Snack. |
Which kind of voluntary work doesn’t require special experience or skills?
| A．Computer Teacher. | B．Meals on Wheels. |
| C．Tree Nursery Volunteer. | D．Photography Volunteer. |
My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It had beautiful tailoring and an unbelievable price: $28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.
John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a big grin. “Did the kids like your coat?” I asked. “They loved it,” he said.
Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoughtful, and on the whole much happier. “Good dinner, mom,” he would say every evening. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said: “You’re right. I guess I will.” When I mentioned this incident to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.
John and I both know we should never mistake a person’s clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside.What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?
| A．The coat looked like a magical coat. |
| B．They were good at shopping. |
| C．The coat was a real bargain. |
| D．They had the same taste in clothes. |
What does the underlined word “grin” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．A wide smile. | B．A worried look. |
| C．A jealous spirit. | D．A joking tone. |
After John wore the new coat, the author found he _______.
a. was happier and better-behaved
b. received more praise from his teachers
c. was willing to follow suggestions
d. made rapid progress in study
e. would say sweet words to please her
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, e | C．b, d, e | D．c, d, e |
What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?
| A．We should not judge people by their appearance. |
| B．Life is full of possibilities when we are young. |
| C．It’s beneficial to try different things in our lives. |
| D．What we wear could help shape who we are inside. |