A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and loved the boy very much. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous（有毒的）medicine meant for adults in small dosages（剂量）. When the child fell down, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was shocked. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. The husband just said ‘I am with you, Darling’. The husband's totally unexpected reaction is active behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was comfort and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
If everyone can look at life with this kind of viewpoint, there would be much fewer problems in the world. Take off all your envies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.The uncapped medical bottle was not put back into the cupboard because .
| A．the husband was careless | B．the wife ignored the matter |
| C．the husband was busy | D．the wife wasn’t informed of the matter |
What do we know about the bottle? .
| A．It contained poison only for adults | B．It was kept in the kitchen |
| C．It was broken by the child | D．It appeared like a nice drink |
The husband’s attitude towards his wife can be described as .
| A．optimistic | B．confident | C．considerate | D．generous |
What did the writer intend to tell us about life? .
| A．Think of nothing and life will be easy |
| B．It is always useless finding who is responsible |
| C．Let go the negative side and we can enjoy life. |
| D．Life should give way to responsibility |
Ⅳ、阅读理解（每小题2分，共30分）
Buster Brown was a thief—and a good one, too, he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances. He was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently, he stood outside the house of his intended victim（受害者）and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don’t worry about the dog—be aware of the owner!” it said. Buster smiled and found his way in.
The house looked quite normal outside, but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag, a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster, then wagged its tail madly and went over to him. Licking his outstretched hand. “Good boy,” Buster whispered. “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.”
Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog, Buster began to wander round the house, choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques（古董）：a pair of silver candleholders, a silver tea-and-coffee service, etc.. His new friend, the dog, sat and watched, as if wondering what was happening.
“Well, boy,” Buster whispered finally. “That might do. Any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.
“You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before.
“You should have taken more notice of the sign outside,” the man resped. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune-teller!”
1.Why was Buster so confident?
A.He was not afraid of dogs.
B.He knew the owner of the house lived alone.
C.He had never been caught by the police.
D.The house had no security alarm.
2.How did Buster decide which objects to take?
A.He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.
B.He took only the best antiques.
C.He took those that he knew he could sell easily.
D.He looked for silver objects.
3.What punishment waits for Buster Brown?
A.A prison sentence with hard labour.
B.A long prison sentence.
C.A heavy fine.
D.Community service for 20 years.
To get an extra 14 years of life, don’t smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in a proper amount．That is according to a study published this Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine Journal．
After tracking more than 20,000 people aged 45-79 years in the United Kingdom from about 1993-2007, Kay-Tee, Khaw of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues found that people who adopted these four healthy habits lived an average of 14 years longer than those who didn’t．
“We’ve known for a long time that these behaviors are good things to do, but we’ve not seen this benefit before, ” said Susan Jebb, head of Nutrition and Health at Britain’s Medical Research Council．“The benefit was also seen regardless of whether or not people were fat and what social class they came from．”
Study participants(参与者) scored a point each for not smoking, regular physical activity, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and moderate alcohol intake．
Public health experts said they hoped the study would inspire governments to introduce policies helping people to adopt these changes．But because the study only observed people rather than testing specific changes, it would be impossible to conclude that people who suddenly adopted these healthy behaviours would surely gain 14 years．
“We can’t say that any person could gain 14 years by doing these things,” said Doctor Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization．”The 14 years is an average across the population of what’s theoretically(理论上) possible．”
“Most people know that things like a good diet matter and that smoking is not good for them”, Susan Jebb said, ”We need to work on providing people with much more practical support to help them change．”
1．Which of the following doesn’t belong to the four healthy habits?
A．Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day．
B．Doing proper exercise in the morning every day．
C．Having a cigarette before going to bed every day．
D．Drinking alcohol in the proper amount every day．
2．We can learn from the passage that_____．
A．the study observed people as well as tested specific changes
B．Susan Jebb did not take part in the study
C．there is no need for people under 45 adopt these good habits
D．only those from first class can benefit from these healthy behaviours
3．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Governments should take measures to help people change their bad habits．
B．People aged 45-79 have bad habits in the United Kingdom．
C．All the people are well aware of the harm of their bad habits．
D．People have adopted the four healthy habits after knowing they’re good．
4．What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Smoking and Drinking Cuts You 14 Years
B．Healthy Habits Could Gain You Extra 14 years
C．A New Way of Keeping Healthy
D．Smoking and Drinking Harms Your Health
TOKYO —Imagine a bicycle seat connected by mechanical frames(机械支架) to a pair of shoes for an idea of how the new wearable assisted-walking machine from Honda works．
The experimental machine, showed on Friday, is designed to support bodyweight, reduce stress on the knees and help people organize steps and stay in crouching（蹲坐） positions．Honda showed a video of its employees wearing the machine.
Engineer Jun Ashihara also said the machine is useful for people standing in long lines and to people who run around to make deliveries．
"This should be as easy to use as a bicycle," Ashihara said．"It reduces stress, and you should feel less tired．"
To wear it, you put the seat between your legs, put on the shoes and push the “on” button．Then just start walking around．
In a test run for media, this reporter found it does take some time to get used to the machine. “I could sense how it supported my moves, pushing up on my bottom when I crouched and pushing at my soles(脚底) to help lift my legs when I walked,” he said.
The system has a computer, a motor, gears（齿轮）, batteries and sensors in it, so it responds to a person's movements, according to Honda Motor Co．
Pricing and commercial product plans are still undecided．Japan's No．2 automaker will begin testing a prototype（模型） later this month．
The need for such mechanical help is expected to grow in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world．
Other companies are also eyeing the potentially attractive market of helping the weak and the old get around．Japan is among the world's leading nations in robotics technology, not only for industrial use but also for entertainment and companionship．
1．Honda's new wearable assisted-walking machine is mainly to .
A．show Honda's power in technology B．protect the environment
C．meet the social needs in the future D．improve social progress
2．According to the passage, the power of the new wearable assisted-walking machine is from_________.
A．manpower B．batteries
C．a computerD．the machine movement
3．It can be learned from the passage that .
A．the new machine has been produced m large numbers
B．Honda will control the future market for the new machine
C．the price of Honda's new machine will be very low
D．the future market for the new machine will be promising
4．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Wearable machine that helps walk
B．Hondo's new bicycle for the old
C．Wearable machine helps go to work
D．New development of the bicycle
British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1．British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A．to advertise their production
B．to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C．to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D．to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2．The farmers think that_________.
A．potatoes have had a bad imagine
B．potatoes are good for people by nature
C．potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D．it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3．John Simpson thinks that _________.
A．the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B．dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C．little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D．it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4．What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A．It is connected with unfavorable meaning．
B．Potato should be used in the expression．
C．It is borrowed from American English．
D．It refers to a kind of person．
Positive thinkers admit when they feel frustrated（受挫折的） or depressed, they don't ignore it．But they don't blame themselves either．Instead, they try to understand the negative thoughts and feelings and counter（反击） them with more positive ones．
So how do you stay positive, maintain motivated and sustain(保持) healthy behaviors? Here are some tips:
Look for a good role model．There is always someone who seems to be doing just what you want to be doing．Maybe they've scheduled exercise into their workday and switched from coffee to green tea．Learn from a successful friend, family member or colleague．Ask them how they keep healthy and follow in their footsteps．
Try some positive self-talk and avoid negative-talk．Take a minute to give yourself an ego boost．Repeat some motivational words out loud to yourself．Negative talk such as "I can't do it," "I'm fat," is dangerous for your well-being and healthy goals．Try to avoid the negative self-talk before it harms you．Remind yourself that you deserve happiness and can make positive changes．
Get support．Tell your friends and family about your healthy habits．It helps to have an encouraging network．
Reward yourself．Treat yourself to something for your healthy efforts．Take a nice bath, get a massage, and enjoy a new DVD or CD．
Have a plan．Making a plan to exercise or eat healthy lunches with a friend can mean the difference of sticking with your goals or falling off track．If you've planned for an activity, you'll likely stick with it．You may even find that writing down your goals and steps to achieve them can help you stay on track．Take it day by day or week by week．The process of writing down your personal action plan is a good way to keep you honest and watch your progress or failures．
1．By writing the text the author intends to _______．
A．offer some advice on how to stay positive
B．persuade readers to learn from a role model
C．provide some solutions to personal problems
D．inform readers of some tips on physical health
2．What does the phrase “to give yourself an ego boost” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．to get lost in deep thought． B．to think about the hardships．
C．to check what mistake you made． D．to make you feel better about yourself．
3．Which of the following would the author Not agree to?
A．Saying some positive words to yourself helps you to feel good．
B．By staying with your companion you can avoid the negative-talk．
C．A successful friend, relative or colleague can be your role model．
D．Creating a helpful network is a good way to keep you motivated．
4．To make sure that you always stay on track, what should you do?
A．Eat out with your best friends． B．Relax yourself after a hard day．
C．Write down what you want to achieve D．Modify your plans as often as you can．