Babies are born yogis. Once we were all able to pull our toes up by our ears and laugh about it. Then we aged, got injured, and began carrying stress in our shoulders and back. In short, we lost our balance.
Yoga(瑜伽) is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. It brings us balance. I was seriously out of balance when I started practicing yoga in 1999. I had plantar facilities in both feet, and my doctor had warned me against all the things I loved to do: walking, hiking, and playing tennis. I was desperate for exercise. Yoga became my salvation and even enhanced my other fitness activities. I practice yoga at least twice a week, but I consider yoga to be part of my daily life because after a while you no longer just practice yoga—you love it.
Yoga becomes part of your physical life. Your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as you move from one pose to the other. I spent a week in Mexico at a yoga retreat, and it was the first vacation on which I lost weight. “Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone,” says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K.I.S.S. Guide to Yoga. “Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism (新陈代谢), it also helps to regulate weight. Additionally, yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be removed around the cells.” I do yoga poses throughout the day. After hours at my computer, I stretch my stiff shoulders and arms. When I need a boost of energy, I do energizing poses. When I am feeling exhausted at the end of the day, I do restorative poses.
Yoga becomes part of your mental life. Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses. This attention to breath is calming; it dissolves stress and anxiety. I use yogic breathing on the tennis courts, in the dentist’s chair, and in traffic jams. You should always leave a yoga practice feeling energized, not tired. If you feel tired after yoga, it means you spent the time “fighting” yourself, trying to force yourself into poses. In yoga, you “surrender” to the pose by letting go of the tension.
Yoga becomes part of your spiritual life. Yoga is practiced by people from all religions; it is not restricted to any religious group. Yoga teaches “right” living in how we deal with ourselves and others. As I work on a difficult pose, I learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. Yoga advocates proper eating, but you don’t have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.What’s Yoga? | B.How I Do Yoga Poses |
C.The Benefits of Yoga | D.The Varieties of Yoga |
According to the third paragraph, yoga can help people __________.
A.grow taller | B.lose weight |
C.become flexible in thinking | D.make more friends |
People feel tired after yoga because __________.
A.they consume energy in practicing yoga |
B.they respond well to yoga poses |
C.they spend too much time on yoga |
D.they force themselves into yoga poses |
If this passage continues, what will the writer most probably write about in the next paragraph?
A.Yoga as a means to keep fit. | B.Who may like yoga |
C.Popularity of yoga all over the world. | D.Encouraging people to do yoga. |
Turning on the TV, a wonderful scene comes to your eyes — a group of men, tall, strong and handsome, and women, young, beautiful and attractive, too. Together they eat in the finest restaurants, traveling everywhere around the world by luxurious planes and pleasure ships. They are models.
Do you envy them? What sort of life are models leading? Is it a wonderful life for a young lady or a young man?
A few models are well-known actors or actresses who can make a lot of money only by showing themselves off in commercials. But the majority of them are just curious to see what it is like. They’d like to be models just because they are attracted by what they imagine — models earn a lot of money and lead a glorious life. This is true for those who are very successful. However, most models find it difficult to get work. Very few can earn enough to live on, and for all models their expenses are high. Their agents claim about 20% of the earnings, and no model will get very far without a clever agent. Besides, they have to buy good clothing. They also have to pay to travel to interviews and reach the places where the work is to be done.
Interviews for a model job are known as cattle-markets in the modeling world, and not without a good reason. A top model can choose his or her work, demand and receive high fees and has his or her expenses paid. But for most models, the situation is quite different. And agent or employer inspects each model much as a farmer inspects cattle at a market. Intelligence, qualifications and personal characteristics count for little against good looks and tight figures. For all except the very few lucky ones, the life of a model is a continual search for work, trying to sell himself or herself in the face of fierce competition and, sometimes, not particularly moral standards on the part of some employers.
Immigration officials at airport look suspiciously at a girl whose passport shows her occupation as “Model”, and these are men and women of considerable experience of the world. It comes no surprise to find that some models prefer to put “Secretary” or “Businessman” as their jobs in their passports.
Modeling is a changeable world with great rewards for a tiny minority but not for the majority.
46. For models, their good looks and tight figures are _____________, compared with their intelligence and qualifications.
A. more important B. less needed
C. less essentialD. more looked down upon
47. Which of the following can lead you to believe according to the passage?
A. A model’s traveling expenses are usually paid by his employer.
B. To be a model, good looks are the most important qualification.
C. Most models have a fairly easy way of life with high pay.
D. A model can hardly be successful without a good agent.
48. Models often put “Secretary” or “Businessman” instead of “Model” in their passports because __________________.
A. they want to avoid being stopped to sign their names by fans
B. a person with the occupation of a model is easily attacked by black societies
C. models are sometimes looked down upon
D. secretaries and businessmen are free of custom duty
49. What may be the author’s attitude towards modeling?
A. It is a worthwhile life for a young lady or a young man.
B. He is in favor of young people to try modeling.
C. Before being crazy about a model job, young people should be aware of the difficulties.
D. It is a field in which everyone has a great chance to succeed.
50. The underlined word “suspiciously” can most probably be replaced by _________________.
A. doubtfully B. excitedly C. proudly D. sadly
III阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节 阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从41~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
People do not analyze every problem they meet. Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a similar problem. They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people. Other times they begin to act without thinking. They try to find a solution by trial and error. However, when all these methods fail, the person with a problem has to start analyzing. There are six stages in analyzing a problem.
First the person must recognize that there is a problem. For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot read it to class as he usually does. Sam must see that there is a problem with his bicycle.
Next the thinker must define the problem. Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must find out the reason why it does not work. For instance, he must determine if the problem is with the gears, the brakes, or the frame. He must make his problem more specific.
Now the person must look for information that will make the problem clearer and lead to possible solutions. For instance, suppose Sam decided that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the gear wheels. At this time, he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about gears. He can talk to his friends at the bike shop. He can look at his gears carefully.
After studying the problem, the person should have several suggestions for a possible solution. Take Sam as an illustration. His suggestions might be: put oil on the gear wheels; buy new gear wheels and replace the old ones; tighten or loosen the gear wheels.
Eventually one suggestion seems to be the solution to the problem. Sometimes the final idea comes very suddenly because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a new way. Sam, for example, suddenly sees that there is a piece of chewing gum between the gear wheels. He immediately realizes the solution to his problem: he must clean the gear wheels.
Finally the solution is tested. Sam cleans the gear wheels and finds that afterwards his bicycle works perfectly. In short , he has solved the problem.
41. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Six Stages for Repairing Sam’s Bicycle
B. Possible Ways to Problem-solving
C. Necessities of Problem Analysis
D. Suggestions for Analyzing a Problem
42. In analyzing a problem we should do all the following except .
A. recognize and define the problem
B. look for information to make the problem clearer
C. have suggestions for a possible solution
D. find a solution by trial or mistake
43. By referring to Sam’s broken bicycle, the author intends to _________.
A. illustrate the ways to repair his bicycle
B. discuss the problems of his bicycle
C. tell us how to solve a problem
D. show us how to analyze a problem
44. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. People do not analyze the problem they meet.
B. People often accept the opinions or ideas of other people.
C. People may learn from their past experience.
D. People can not solve some problems they meet.
45. As used in the last sentence, the phrase “in short” means _________.
A. in the long run B. in detail C. in a word D. in the end
III 阅读(共两节,满分50分)
第一节阅读理解(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A、B、C和D项中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I sitatmykitchentable, while mydaughter,Anna,sitsnexttomymother. On the wall hangsa photo of my father.
“WhenisRickgoingtobehere?” Mymotherasks,referringtomyhusband.
“Idon’tknow,Mom,”Ianswerpatiently.“He’llbeherefordinner.”
Isighandgetupfromthetable.Thisisatleastthetenthtimeshehasaskedthatquestion.
Whilemymotheranddaughterplay,Ibusymyselfmakingasalad.
“Don'tputinanyonions,”Momsays.“YouknowhowDaddyhatesonion.”
“Yes,Mom,”Ianswer.
Iscrub(洗擦)offacarrotandchopitintobite-sizepieces.
“Don'tputanyonionsinthesalad,”sheremindsme.“YouknowhowDaddyhatesonion.”
ThistimeIcan’tanswer.
Mymotherhadbeenbeautiful.Shestillis.Infact,mymotherisstilleverythingshehas
been,justabitforgetful.
Icutofftheendofthecucumberandrubittotakeawaythebitterness. Cutandrub.This isatrickIhavelearnedfrommymother,alongwithatrillionotherthings: cooking,sewing,
dating,laughing,thinking.Ilearnedhowtogrowup.
AndIlearnedthatwhenmymotherwasaround,Ineverhadtobeafraid. SowhyamIafraidnow?
Istudymymother'shands.Hernailsarenolongerabrightred,butpaintedalightpink.。Almost nocoloratall.AndasIstareatthem,IrealizeIam feelingthemastheyshapedmy
youth.Handsthatpackedathousandlunchesandwipeda milliontearsoffmycheeks.
Now myhandshavegrownintothoseofmymother's.Handsthathavecookeduneaten
meals,heldmyowndaughter'sfrightenedfingersonthe firstdayofschoolanddriedtears
offherface.
Igrowlighthearted.Icanfeelmymotherkissmegoodnight,checktoseeifthewindowis
locked,thenblowanotherkissfromthedoorway.ThenIammymother,blowingthatsame
kisstoAnna.
Outsideeverythingisstill.Shadowsfallamongthetrees,shapedlikepiecesofapuzzle.
Somedaymydaughterwillbestandinginmyplace,andIwillrestwheremymothernowsits.
WillIrememberthenhowitfelttobebothmotheranddaughter?WillIaskthesame
questiontoomanytimes?
Iwalkoverandsitdownbetweenmymotherandhergranddaughter.
“WhereisRick?”mymotherasks,restingherhandonthetablenexttomine. Andinthat
instantIknowsheremembers.Shemayrepeatherselfalittletoomuch.Butsheremembers.
“He’llbehere,”Ianswerwithasmile.
46. What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?
A. She is very old. B. She suffers forgetfulness.
C. She is absent-minded. D. She is eager to see Rick.
47. What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?
A. He might have passed away for years.
B. He goes out for a walk by himself.
C. He is out doing something with Rick.
D. He loves the writer’s mother deeply.
48. The underlined sentence “IrealizeIam feelingthemastheyshapedmyyouth” probably means that ______.
A. Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth
B. Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth
C. I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young
D. I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth
49. Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?
A. Content. B. Disappointed. C. Loving. D. Considerate.
50. The best title for the passage would be ______.
A. Mother’s beautyB. My father hates onion
C. Hard-working mother D. Mother’s hands
We all have ideas about what kinds of foods are good to eat. We also have ideas about what kinds of foods are bad to eat. As a result, people from one culture often think the foods that people from another culture eat are nauseating(令人作呕的). When the famous boxer Muhammad Ali visited Africa, for example, one member of his group became quite sick when he saw someone pick up a butterfly and eat it. Many people would find it disgusting to eat rats, but there are forty-two different cultures whose people regard rats as appropriate food.
Food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.
But dislike is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo. Some foods are taboo in certain religions, but there are also other food taboos that are not connected to a religion. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture. We may not even know why they are taboo. Anthropologists(人类学家) try to discover the hidden reasons for taboos.
Anthropologists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. Some people live in areas where there are both large animals and many insects. It is difficult for these people to kill large animals, and it requires a lot of energy. It is easier for them to use insects for food because it is not difficult to catch insects and it does not require a lot of energy. Nomadic(游牧的) people who move around will not want to keep pigs for food. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans eat a lot of beef because there is plenty of land for raising cattle and the meat can be shipped cheaply for long distances by railroads.
61. What’s the main topic of this passage?
A. Food and religion. B. Food and culture.
C. Nutrition of different foods. D. Different ways of life.
62. Which of the following statements is TRUE about food likes and dislikes?
A. They are seldom related to nutrition.
B. They are mostly associated with people’s taste.
C. They are mostly connected with people’s life styles.
D. They are usually related to cultures or religions.
63. The underlined word “taboo” (Line 3, Para. 3) refers to _____.
A. something undiscovered B. certain religions
C. something forbidden D. certain foods
64. What can we infer from the passage?
A. It is believed that brcoccoli is more nutritious than tomatoes.
B. Americans prefer tomatoes to beef.
C. People in Inner Mongolia would probably like to keep pigs for food.
D. The famous boxer Muhamm Ali would like to eat rat rather than butterfly.
65. Why do Americans prefer to eat beef?
A. Because beef provides a lot of energy people require.
B. Because beef is on the list of the most nutritious foods.
C. Because they have the ideal condition to keep and ship cattle.
D. Because cattle are large animals.
PALO AITO, California—“Switching off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter—even if they do not change their diet or increase the amount they exercise,” US researchers said last week.
A study of 192 third and fourth grades, generally aged eight and nine, found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television gained nearly two pounds(0.91 kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.
“The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity,” said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician(儿科专家) at Stanford University.
“American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing games, and rates of childhood being very fat have doubled over the past 20 years,” Robinson said.
In the study, presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third.
Children watching fewer hours of television showed a significantly smaller increase in waist size and had less body fat than other students who continue their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet nor took part in any extra exercise.
“One explanation for the weight loss could be the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around and burning off calories,” Robinson said.
“Another reason might be due to eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more,” Robinson added.
56. The purpose of the first two paragraphs is ______.
A. to report the time children spend watching TV
B. to show that more TV time leads to getting fatter
C. to tell us the best way to reduce weight
D. to introduce the background of the research
57. According to the passage, the time American children usually spend on watching TV ____.
A. is more than four hours a day B. is less than four hours a day
C. doubled in the last twenty yearsD. is more than on any other activities
58. The time the 100 children spend on TV every day is about _______ in the study.
A. a quarter of an hour B. four hours C. three hours D. one hour
59. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?
A. Weight increase owes to the result of a reduction in TV viewing.
B. The percentage of children getting fatter has doubled in the last 20 years.
C. Children usually eat less while watching TV.
D. Children usually eat nothing while watching TV.
60. The main idea of the passage would be ______.
A. less TV time helps reduce children’s weight
B. fewer meals is a must in reducing children’s weight
C. the less you eat, the thinner you will be
D. more exercise is of great benefit to reduce weight