Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence(证据) is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
A happier heart
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart. Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow. These benefits are the result of cocoa’s chemicals, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation(炎症).
Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently
found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate
per day for two weeks their blood pressure drop quickly.
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout(锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.
Better for your skin. German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special cocoa every day. After three months, the women’s skin was moister(滑润的)and smoother. The research shows that chocolate helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
Brain gains
It sounds almost too good to be true, but research suggests that chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving by increasing blood flow to the brain. Which of the following is wrong?
| A．Coca’s chemicals can prevent both cell damage and inflammation. |
| B．Chocolate may help you lower your blood pressure. |
| C．People early know chocolate is good for their health. |
| D．Chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk. |
| B．Sports drinks can make people easy to be tired. |
| C．Drinking milk can keep you energetic at work. |
| D．We should drink chocolate milk between times when we work hard. |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Chocolate, a Healthy Food | B．More Chocolate, Less Health |
| C．Chocolate and Blood Pressure | D．Advice on Eating Chocolate |
What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues” in the first paragraph?
| A．Think of it. | B．Speak up. | C． Stop talking | D．Listen to it |
It seems that the Englishman just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humourist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it?
Taking all amateur（业余）and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or “association football”, it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century.
The next is rugby, which is called “football” in the United States. It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players rather than eleven. The rugby, in which an oval-shaped ball is used can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game.
In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British.
Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world.
Table-tennis or “ping-pong” surely is not played on a great scale as it is in China or in Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people.The main purpose of paragraph one is to tell us that the English_______.
| A．are all sports lovers | B．behave like children |
| C．like to kick a ball around | D．can remain young all their lives |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby?
| A．They differ in the shape of the ball |
| B．They are played by different numbers of players |
| C．They both can be handled |
| D．They both can be kicked |
From the second and the third paragraph, we know that_____.
| A．Americans love football most of all |
| B．British people love rugby most of all |
| C．Americans and British people may call the same thing differently |
| D．football originated in Britain in the 18th century |
How clean are the nation’s homes?
According to a survey by CIF, there’s room for improvement all over Britain.
Love or hate it — cleaning your home is one job you simply can’t ignore（忽视）. But that’s not to say everyone spends the same amount of time or effort on making their places spotless. A new survey by CIF— experts on making tough cleaning jobs easier—— shows that when it comes to washing windows or cleaning the oven（烤箱）,where you live in the UK it may show how much effort you put into the task.
BATHROOM
25% of men have never cleaned the toilet — but those in Wales are the worst. Nearly four in 10 Welsh men said they never cleaned anywhere in the house. Hate cleaning the shower head? You’re not alone — a quarter of a million Brits say the same. 20% of Scots regard window-cleaning as their most hated job.
KITCHEN
36% of people in the south-east say cleaning the cooker is their hated task. 68% of those in the north-east spend more than six hours a week cleaning their homes — especially the kitchen — in sharp contrast to the 49% of Welsh and West Country folk, who put their hands up to cleaning for under an hour.
BEDROOM
18% believe cleaning starts here: that’s the percentage of women who clean wearing their dressing gowns. 51% of women in the north-west may be staying in bed and giving their husband a cuddle（拥抱）—as a thank-you for helping them clean. In other places, there are far fewer helpful men.
LIVING ROOM
32% of women in the north-east turn up the stereo to help make the dusting more fun. Almost six in 10 women agree, however, that cleaning is seriously energetic exercise.
SHIFT THE DIRT WITH CIF
It’s no secret that the right cleaning products will cut cleaning time and effort in half— and no one knows that better than How Clean Is Your house? Presenters Aggie Mackenzie and Kim Woodburn. For solutions（解决办法）to all your cleaning needs, here are some of CIF’s top tips:
·Stop a lot of build-up on your shower head—give it a quick squirt（喷洒）with CIF bathroom spray once a week.
·Stainless steel（不锈钢）tools seem to need endless cleaning. The CIF Wild Qrchid Qxy-Gel-it lifts dirt easily and leaves the kitchen smelling fresh and clean.
·Cooking outside? CIF cream will get your barbecue（烤架）spotlessly clean, ready for those long, lazy summer evenings. Perfect!The main purpose of this passage is to ______.
| A．tell us the results of a certain survey |
| B．advertise a certain product |
| C．advise men to do more cleaning housework |
| D．tell us which is the hardest job at home |
It can be concluded from the survey that people in different parts of Britain______.
| A．have different views on house cleaning |
| B．spend different amounts of time and effort on house cleaning |
| C．like to do different kinds of housework |
| D．have different ways to do housework |
According to the survey,______ spend the most time cleaning their homes.
| A．the Welsh | B．people in the north-west |
| C．people in the south-east | D．people in the north-east |
CIF in the passage probably refers to ______.
| A．an organization doing research on housework |
| B．a group of experts who give advice on doing housework |
| C．a company providing advice and products on cleaning |
| D．a company providing cleaning services |
Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps?
In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal（封印）. The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it.
In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the “Post Office Reforms” in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the “Penny Black” was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the “Penny Black”. This is now the world’s most famous stamp. This new system spread fast. The best title for this passage should be______
| A．The First Stamp. | B．How Stamp Was First Made |
| C．Why the First Stamp Was Made | D．When Was Stamp First Made |
Before stamps were used,______ would pay for the letter.
| A．the sender | B．the receiver | C．the government | D．no one |
The first stamp was made______.
| A．more than 160 years ago | B．more than two centuries ago |
| C．less than 100 years ago | D．about 100 years ago |
Which of the following is true about the first stamp of China?
| A．It was made much earlier than the first stamp of the US |
| B．The stamp had a snake on it |
| C．The stamp couldn’t be found now |
| D．The stamp had a picture of a dragon on it |
My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it’s Christmas again. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. But Johnny and children can’t see this. What a pity it is that our neighbours have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy（糖果）while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer（下水道）. Why, is it only because they have money? There is more happiness than money in the world, isn’t there?
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things, she understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.This passage mainly suggests that the writer ______.
| A．is easy to get along with |
| B．is unhappy with the life they are living |
| C．is good at observing and understanding |
| D．is never pleased with her neighbours |
What do you think of the McGarity girl?
| A．She is proud and hungry | B．She is selfish and cruel |
| C．She is lonely and friendless | D．She is unhappy and misunderstood |
In this text, the writer tries to tell us that______.
| A．money is the key to everything |
| B．the more money you have, the less happy you’ll be |
| C．there is something more important than money |
| D．when talking to people we should look into their eyes |
Pick out the one that does NOT describe the writer’s view on money.
| A．Why, is it only because they have money? |
| B．There is more to happiness than money. |
| C．Miss Jackson isn’t rich, but she knows things |
| D．The money we have saved isn’t nearly enough |
Berlin---China’s endeavor(efforts) to enhance(step up) environmental protection, energy-saving and gas emission-cut(减排) and build a resource-conserving society is of great significance to the world, said Klaus Toepfer, former chief of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in a recent interview with Xinhua.
“Such a move is in the interest of the entire world, and meets the need of the global sustainable development（可持续性发展）,” he added.
ACHIEVEMENTS
“As a member of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), I have seen the strong determination of China’s leadership,” said Toepfer.
“The performance of the Chinese central and regional governments during the process of urbanization(城市化进程) also makes me believe that it has become the consensus（共识）of all the governments to protect the environment, save energy, cut greenhouse gas emission, and to build an resource-conserving society.”
The expert took Shanghai as an example. “The Shanghai government is fully aware of the importance of an energy-saving and resource-efficient structure.”
To make Shanghai an eco-friendly city, the municipal government（市政府）has taken measures such as building more sewage processing facilities（污水处理设备）, limiting the number of cars to help ease traffic jam and improve air conditions, he said, describing them as quite impressive.
He also noted many changes in the government’s policies concerning manufacturing and service industries（加工、服务业）, an indication of China’s new approach to environmental protection and energy conservation.
For instance, China has given higher priority（优先）to the proper handling of carbon dioxide emission. The country has also actively been engaged in the research and development of electricity-powered cars and cars that use alternative energy.
MORE TO BE DONE
However, despite the positive results, more needs to be done in China, the former UN environment chief said.
China still needs to make tremendous efforts to tackle tough challenges such as to protect water resources, reduce air pollution and enhance energy efficiency, he added.
Toepfer suggested that China introduce advanced new technologies on environmental protection and energy-saving from other countries, and actively participate in international cooperation projects on environmental protection and energy conservation as the country already has a strong scientific and economic capability.
On the negative impacts of the ongoing financial crisis on environmental protection and energy conservation, Toepfer said the impacts are obvious, but only of short duration. As governments’ measures to stabilize financial markets take effect, environmental protection and energy conservation will again become the world's major concern, he said.
67. The passage may probably be entitled ______.
A. China's environmental protection crucial (至关重要的)to the world
B. China’s achievements and tasks in environmental protection
C. China’s contributions to the sustainable development of the world
D. China’s determination in face of the ongoing financial crisis
68. In Toepfer’s opinion, the major concern at present is ______.
A. energy conservation B. environmental protection
C. carbon dioxide emission D. financial crisis
69. Toepfer’s attitude towards the ongoing financial crisis is ______.
A. contradictory B. negative C. optimistic D. pessimistic(悲观的)
70. Which of the following statements is true referring to the passage?
A. Regional governments’ work is not so efficient.
B. Efforts made by China have won the appreciation of the world.
C. The present financial crisis will last for several years at least.
D. At present China should introduce new technologies on production.