The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is a serious infection that man receives.
The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by touching directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in separate Arctic (北极的)areas, explorers have reported being free from colds until touching again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War, soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches, cold and wet, seldom caught colds.
In the Second World War, prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp, bare and starved, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for a long time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in a room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in winter? Despite the most hard research, no one has yet found out the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and that makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killers such as aspirin, but all that they do is to reduce the symptoms.The writer thinks the cause of catching cold is due to_______.
| A．touching anyone directly |
| B．touching anyone indirectly |
| C．cold weather |
| D．getting viruses from person to person |
Arctic explorers may catch colds when___.
| A．they are working in the separate Arctic areas |
| B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather |
| C．they are free from work in the isolated Arctic regions |
| D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world |
Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit___.
| A．suffered a lot | B．never caught colds |
| C．often caught colds | D．became very strong |
The passage mainly discusses___.
| A．the experiments on the common cold |
| B．the mistake about the common cold |
| C．the reason and the way people catch colds |
| D．the continued spread of common colds |
Goldie’s Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We’re moving house.’; "No space for her any more with the baby coming." "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present." People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner’s. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That’s why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn’t hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn’t know what had happened to her," said the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared." "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her.
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I’ve got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I’ve learnt a good lesson: not to judge people.How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?
| A．Shocked. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Annoyed. | D．Upset. |
In her first few days at the author’s house, Goldie ______.
| A．felt worried | B．was angry | C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she ______.
| A．saw her puppies | B．heard familiar barking |
| C．wanted to leave the author | D．found her way to her old home |
The passage is organized in order of ______.
| A．time | B．effectiveness | C．importance | D．complexity |
With a £4 million ITV contract（合同） in her pocket and an engagement （婚约） to her England footballer boyfriend, it's been a good year for Christine Bleakley．Perhaps it's no wonder, as the TV presenter is 31, the age at which women are the most attractive, according to a survey．
While the average British woman of 31 may be married with a child, the survey noted they are at a wonderful age because they have not only youthful beauty but also more confidence and a better sense of style than flesh-faced teenagers．
Some 70 percent of more than 2,000 men and women surveyed considered confidence as a key factor in making a woman attractive, ahead of the 67 percent who included physical beauty and 47 percent who looked for a sense of style．Almost two thirds of the women agreed with the opinion "With age, comes beauty", and over half said that as they age they do away with their insecurities and feel more beautiful, while 55 percent felt they knew the best make-up to wear．
Self-confidence varied widely across the country in the survey: London women emerged as the most confident about their looks, with 37 percent describing themselves as beautiful, compared with just 28 percent of Welsh women．Meanwhile, East Midlands women spend the most on beauty programs —£129．69 monthly—compared with a national average of £105．50．
The research was carried on for TV shopping channel QVC to mark the launch of its "Beauty Month"．QVC marketing director Sue Leeson said: "This research shows what many have always suspected — real beauty is about more than just good looks but a combination of confidence, style and personality, too．”Which of the following doesn't have much to do with a woman's beauty?
| A．Being famous and independent． | B．Having self-confidence． |
| C．Looking young and stylish． | D．Wearing proper make-up． |
In the survey_______________ think attractive women should possess a sense of style．
| A．nearly 1,000 women | B．more than 1,000 women |
| C．nearly half the participants | D．55 percent of the women |
Which fact shows that a woman is confident?
| A．Paying little attention to style． |
| B．Wearing expensive make-up． |
| C．Considering herself as beautiful． |
| D．Spending much on beauty programs． |
For years my husband, John, and I had dreamed of taking our three kids to Disney World．We'd planned our trip down to the last detail and dollar．But in Georgia, halfway there, our car broke down．
At a garage, the mechanic promised our Mercury Sable would be repaired by the next week．Meanwhile, John tried to find us a rental car．After many phone calls, John finally found a car．Luckily, our auto club would pick up the tab．We ended up arriving there three hours behind schedule．We tried every ride and met Mickey．
At the end of the long weekend we called the garage to check on our car．It turned out that the mechanic hadn't even looked at it yet! John got on the phone again．He found it would cost more than $ l, 100 to rent a car to drive home．That plus a plane ticket for him to go pick up our own car and we'd be out over $2,000!
I wailed（痛哭） and asked John, "What are we going to do?" He said, "It'll work out．" John encouraged me not to lose heart and he insisted on trying to find a way out．Amazingly, John found a car transport company that had a car we could drive home, paying only for gas! But all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about the money we'd still need for John's trip back to the garage and another long driving home．
When we got home, the high school student who had fed our cats asked how our trip was．I gave him the rundown, "Things worked out okay except that our car's still stuck in Georgia．" "No problem," he said．"I'm heading to Florida for a spring break with my parents．We'll be glad to stop in Georgia on the way back and pick up your car．"
We ended up spending only $50 more than we'd budgeted．The next week, our car was back, and I had a new understanding of dealing with trouble．Whatever happens, if you never give up, a good solution will come out at last．From the passage we can learn that．
| A．Disney World is located in Georgia |
| B．Mercury Sable is the name of the mechanic |
| C．the couple budgeted for their trip carefully |
| D．repairing their car needed a lot of money |
The underlined phrase "pick up the tab" probably means “___________”．
| A．pay the expense of renting a car |
| B．find a taxi for the club members |
| C．give somebody a lift on the way |
| D．take someone home free of charge |
Why was the author unhappy at the end of the weekend?
| A．They didn't have enough money to rent a car to go home． |
| B．They spent $2,000 more than they had budgeted． |
| C．They didn't enjoy themselves in Disney World． |
| D．They found their car hadn't been repaired at all． |
We can infer from the passage that _______________________．
| A．the car transport company usually had its cars rented |
| B．the couple had to drive the company's car to an appointed place |
| C．the car transport company charged the couple some money |
| D．a student helped the couple return the car to the company ． |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice．However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner．
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters．Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers．She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris．
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics．When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities（设备）to help save the lives of wounded soldiers．Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium．Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government．
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute．In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work．They soon fell in love and were married in 1926．Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later．
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career．Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935．Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity（辐射能）．Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956．Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics． |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded． |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic． |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother． |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute． | B．At the university of Paris． |
| C．At a military hospital． | D．At the College of Sevigne． |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
| A．In 1932． | B．In 1927． | C．In 1897． | D．In 1926． |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity． | B．Irene combined family and career． |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once | D．Irene died from leukemia |
Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best．For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces．One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings．But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt （柏油） roads?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer．He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up．The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside．
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes．Most of them run from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road．Some, however, dive deep into the ground．
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes．At a depth of 100 meters lies a natural aquifer （蓄水层） into which several heat exchangers （交换器） have been built．The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe．The aquifer is thus used as a heat store．
In winter, the working system is changed slightly．Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer．This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up．After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice．Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss． |
| B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities． |
| C．The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used． |
| D．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads． |
For what purpose are the diving pipes used?
| A．To absorb heat from the sun． | B．To store heat for future use． |
| C．To turn solar energy into heat energy． | D．To carry heat down below the surface． |
From the last paragraph we can learn that ________．
| A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter |
| B．the system can do more than warming up the building |
| C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface |
| D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong． |
| B．What we shall do if there are no asphalt roads． |
| C．How the system cools the building in summer． |
| D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn． |