About half American teenagers do not get enough sleep on school nights.They get an average of sixty to ninety minutes less than experts say they need.
One reason for this is biology.Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups.Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.As a result，many students go to class feeling like sixteenyearold Danny.He is an active teen— except in the morning.“Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible.I’m just very out of it and tired.Through the first and second period I can hardly stay awake,” he said.
Michael Breus is a psychologist.Teens，he says，need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night.He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression(消沉) that could have big influence on their general well being.It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road.So what can schools do about sleepy students？The psychologist says one thing they can do is to start classes later in the morning.Studies show that students can improve by a full letter grade in their first and second period classes.
Eric Peterson is the head of St.George’s School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island.He wanted to see if a thirtyminute delay(推迟)would make a difference.It did.He says visits to the health center by tired students decreased by half.Late arrivals to the first period fell by a third.And students reported that they were less sleepy during the day.Eric Peterson knows that changing start times is easier at a small school like his.But he is hopeful that other schools will find a way.What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Later classes，fewer sleepy teens |
| B．Early birds have good food |
| C．Early to bed and early to rise |
| D．Fewer classes，more happiness |
The underlined word“this”in the second paragraph refers to________.
| A．teenagers’ staying up |
| B．teenagers’ getting up late |
| C．teenagers’ not getting enough sleep |
| D．teenagers’ not studying seriously |
Michael Breus thinks that________.
| A．teens should get up early |
| B．teens need enough sleep to be lively |
| C．depression is common in teens |
| D．the first period class should be cut off |
The last paragraph tells us________.
| A．Eric Peterson visits the health center every day |
| B．it’s not easy for Eric Peterson to change start times |
| C．students in St.George’s School can get up later than before |
| D．students in St.George’s School aren’t late for school any more |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Danny is a lazy boy and always late for school. |
| B．Teens should go to bed early and get up early, too. |
| C．The psychologist has no idea how to solve the problem. |
| D．Enough sleep makes a healthy and active student. |
This hotel in the trees is famous in the world. Peop1e who know very little about Kenya, know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded him as the queen of the country”. This hotel in the middle of the forest shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor(走廊), watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of the water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger.
The dining room at Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, a clever “railway service” has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table.
There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see:
---Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests.
---Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight.
---A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night. He hunts and eats anything he can overpower and is very destructive. He lives in the trees at Treetops .He comes for his food every evening. Do not get too near to him, as his teeth and claws（爪）can do you harm. These animals can be trained and become lovely pets.
---Some other animals who have a thick coating of fur to keep them warm in the cold forest nights.
---Many buffaloes（水牛）coming to the Treetops for water and salt during the day or night.“She succeeded him as the queen of the country” In this sentence, “succeeded” means_______.
| A．did what she was trying to do | B．gained her purpose |
| C．got a position on the death of the King | D．completed an easy task |
According to the passage, “railway service” actually refers to __________.
| A．the service provided at the railway station |
| B．the supply of food on the train |
| C．the service provided along the railway |
| D．the supply of food along a moving line |
Which of the following statements about “the cat-like animal”, described in the passage, is NOT true?
| A．It comes for food only at night. |
| B．It lives in the trees at Treetops. |
| C．Its teeth and claws can do people harm. |
| D．It can catch any other animal in the forest. |
According to the passage. Treetops is famous in the world because ________.
| A．it shows the pleasure of America |
| B．Princess Elizabeth got to the crown when coming down from there |
| C．it is built round several trees |
| D．there are many animals that can be trained and become lovely pets |
We can learn from the passage, that the guests＿＿＿＿．
| A．should not play games on the Treetops |
| B．could not sit on the corridor at night |
| C．could enjoy their dinner in the dining room |
| D．should keep off the cat-like animals |
Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens（过敏原）,prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children？
A study finds that, contrary to many parents' fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child's risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study's lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was "very surprised" by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even mor
e remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps" exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.
There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child's allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them. Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?
| A．Because the results are contrary to their expectation． |
| B．Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs． |
| C．Because parents are so much worried about their children． |
| D．Because children with animals may develop allergies easily． |
Compared with children who have pets，those who haven’t ______.
| A．will lose the chance to develop immune system |
| B．may suffer allergic diseases more often |
| C．will reduce the harm from bacteria |
| D．can keep doctors away |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
| A．pets are ill-treated by their owners |
| B．less families would like to own cats and dogs |
| C．keeping pets is a good way to keep children healthy |
| D．the results of the study can make families with pets feel at ease |
The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.
| A．the early life |
| B．an allergic disease |
| C．immune system |
| D．something important |
What may be the best title of the passage?
| A．How to protect your kids from allergies |
| B．Your pets may be helping your kids |
| C．Bacteria do good to your kids |
| D．Advantages of owning pets |
My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult.
For instance, Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who took th
e time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to confess（承认）to her. After all, I should have been playing in the park down Fifth Street and not in the path between buildings. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball. I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred（神圣的） thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else in spite of the fact that it had little value. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog that my father carved from a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. Davids, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind. When I was twelve, I killed an old brown sparrow in the yard with a BB gun. Excited with my accuracy, I screamed to Steve to come from the house to take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is if it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long time.” I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me. What is the main subject of the passage?
| A．The relationship between Mark and Steve. |
| B．The important lesson Mark learned in school |
| C．Steve’s important role in mark’s growing process. |
| D．Mark and Steve’s respect for living things. |
It can be inferred from the passage that when Mark confessed to Mrs. Holt, __________.
A．he felt surprised |
B．he was light-hearted |
| C．he felt frightened | D．he knelt before her |
In the story about the pen, which of the following lessons did Steve teach his brother?
| A．Respect for personal property. | B．Respect for life. |
| C．Sympathy for people with problems. | D．The value of honesty. |
According to the writer, which was the most important lesson Steve taught his young brother?
| A．Respect for living things. | B．Responsibility for one’s actions. |
| C．The value of the honesty. | D．Care for the property of others. |
Which of the follow is true according to the passage?
| A．Mark was still a boy when he wrote this passage. |
| B．Mark lost the small dog his father carved somewhere. |
| C．When a living thing hurts you, you should kill it. |
| D．Even if a living thing hurts you, you should not kill it without hesitation. |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
We all know that money can’t buy happiness. No matter how much we earn, or how nice our clothing or cars or toys are, none of it will make us happier. _______ and the sad thing is that it could take us decades of pursuing wealth and luxury(奢侈) items before we realize this.
So what will bring us happiness? _____ these three things have been proven by surveys of hundreds of thousands of people about what they have, what their lives are like, and how happy they are.
__________ We have a human need to be close to other human beings. Having good, supportive friendships, a strong marriage or close and loving relationships with our family members will make us much more likely to be happy. So take time to stay with your loved ones, to tell them what they mean to you, to listen to them.
Positive thinking can lead to happiness too. In fact, optimism and self-confidence are some of the indicators(迹象)of people who lead happy lives. So remember to get into the habit of squashing(排除)all negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones._______
The state we enter when we are completely focused on the work or task before us will almost undoubtedly lead to happiness. People find greatest enjoyment not when they are doing mindless work, but when they are absorbed in a mindful challenge._________ turn off the TV, get outside and do something that truly attract you.
You’ve been given the Three Secrets to Happiness. Don’t waste them.
| A．Instead of “I can’t” think “I can”. |
| B．You will have good relationships with peoples around you. |
| C．But many times we act as if we’d be happier with a bit more money. |
| D．Luckily, it’s three things that don’t cost a thing. |
E.Find work and hobbies that you’re passionate about seriously.
F.The first thing is good relationships.
Most people value their personal happiness above money.
You either have it, or you don’t---a sense of direction, that is. But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, while others can lose themselves in the next street?
Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works. One theory is that people with a sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it. Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it.
“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,” says Jim Martland, Research Chief of the project.“However, if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car, they never develop the skills.”
Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:
lIf you are using a map, turn it so it relates to the way you are facing.
lIf you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree. Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bile. When you return, go back along the same route.
lSimplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, streams, or walls in the countryside to guide you. Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to find out where you are.
Now you need never get lost again!Scientists believe that _________.
| A．some babies are born with a sense of direction |
| B．people learn a sense of direction as they grow older |
| C．people never lose their sense of direction |
| D．Everybody possesses a sense of direction from birth |
What is true of seven-year-old children according to the passage?
| A．They never have a sense of direction without maps. |
| B．They should never be allowed out alone if they lack a sense of direction. |
| C．They have a sense of direction and can find their way around. |
| D．They can develop a good sense of direction if they are driven around in a car. |
If you leave your bike in a strange place, you should _________.
| A．tie it to a tree so as to prevent it from being stolen |
| B．draw a map of the route to help remember where it is |
| C．avoid taking the same rout when you come back to it |
| D．remember something easily recognizable on the route |
According to the passage the best way to find your way around is to _________.
| A．ask policemen for directions |
| B．use walls, streams, and streets to guide yourself |
| C．remember your route by looking out for steps and stairs |
| D．count the number of landmarks that you see |
Which of the following statements is right?
| A．Our sense of direction needs to be strengthened, otherwise we will lose it. |
| B．We need not worry about losing our sense of direction, for we were born with it. |
| C．If we have a map, we will never get lost. |
| D．All of the above. |