The World Health Organization recently reported that the number of cases of tuberculosis(TB) has been abating since 2006 . Also, fewer people are dying from TB. But a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, says smoking could threaten this progress.
Nearly twenty percent of all people use tobacco, and millions of non-smokers get sick from breathing the smoke. The new study predicts that smoking will produce an additional thirty-four million TB deaths by 2024.
Efforts to control the spread of TB have mainly focused on finding and treating infections. Fewer efforts have been made to understand the causes. Dr Anthony Fauci is the director of the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases. He said, “Despite our control efforts, we still have more than a million people each year dying from TB and millions of people getting infected; we realize it’s still a very important problem. So we have to do the practical thing and we have to do the fundamental research things at the same time. ”
Smoking does not cause TB; bacteria cause the infection. But the study says smoking affects the nervous system in a way that makes an inactive case of TB more likely to develop into an active one. Stanton Glantz is the director of the University of California’s Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education and an author of the new study. He says it shows that TB cannot be controlled unless tobacco use is controlled. He said, “It increases the number of people who will get TB by about seven percent.”
The study is described as the first to identify a direct link between tobacco use and rates of TB infection and death. Professor Glantz says the results should guide those creating health policies and TB control efforts. He said, “If you want to control the infectious disease of TB, you have to control the tobacco industry and the tobacco industry’s efforts to increase tobacco use, particularly in developing countries where TB is a big problem.” What would be the beat title for this passage?
| A．Scientists try to find the causes of TB deaths. |
| B．Study shows smoking is harmful to our health. |
| C．Study links smoking to millions of TB deaths. |
| D．Scientists pay more attention to TB deaths than before. |
What does the underlined word “abating” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Responding | B．Surviving. | C．Rising. | D．Falling. |
What would Dr Anthony Fauci probably agree with?
| A．More efforts are needed to find the causes of TB infections. |
| B．TB infections are no longer a serious problem. |
| C．Few efforts have been put into the work of treating TB infections. |
| D．The practical and the fundamental research cannot be done together at present. |
It is implied in the passage that ____________.
| A．it is not very hard to control TB |
| B．smoking indirectly leads to TB |
| C．an inactive case of TB is deadly |
| D．people cannot blame smoking for TB |
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
| A．There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City. |
| B．Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York. |
| C．Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City. |
| D．It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York. |
According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?
| A．Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars. |
| B．The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents. |
| C．We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before. |
| D．The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported by the majority of New Yorkers. |
“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from _______.
| A．the authority | B．the public | C．the supporters | D．the government |
What of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day |
| B．A New Bike Lane Appears in New York |
| C．A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers |
| D．Who Wins an Election |
ASK LASKAS
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS. SHE'S GOT ANSWERS
Q: My problem is computer gaming. I do it day and night, averaging four hours of sleep. I can't control of this, and I don't know where to go for help. Do you? —Player
A: Dear Player,
You have an addiction. For some people playing video games releases dopamine, a powerful brain chemical that makes you feel good. You'd toss your cigarettes if you were ready to quit, right? To kick the habit, get help from a health professional. And don't look for help on line; that would be like an alcoholic going to the bar for advice.
Q: My brother's wife just had triplets(三胞胎). This is such a joy! Yet every time I share the news with co-workers, they ask me if she was on fertility pills. I think this is rude—or has society just become so talk-show numbed (麻木的)that you can ask anyone anything? —No Show Host
A: Dear Host,
Yes. Our society has become increasingly disrespectful of privacy. But don't blame it all on the talk-shows. Continue to celebrate and greet impolite questions with stony silence. Their fertility history is nobody's business but their own.
Q: I work at an amusement park, and my manager steals supplies. She has a catering business on the side, and we've seen her load up her van at the back gates. The big bosses think she is the best thing since buttered bread, and we're all afraid that if we say anything, we'll lose our jobs. What can we do? —Righteous
A: Dear Righteous,
Be sure you're right. You must have evidence about what and why things are going out the back gates. Once you know for certain, it's time to go to the bosses and report what you have seen.
Q: My stepson's wife sometimes leaves their eight-year-old home alone for "a short run to the store." That may be an hour or so. I believe by law we should report it. What do you think?
—The In-laws
A: Dear Laws,
I don't know what the child-protection laws in your state are, but I do know that children need care and attention. This child may be able and unafraid, but kids aren't always careful. It also sounds like there is stress in your family relationship. One thing you can do to help this situation is offer to baby-sit when Mom needs to step out.Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical good to our health. |
| B．Looking for help on line is like getting help from a health professional. |
| C．Player is a video game addict who smokes and sleeps few hours. |
| D．Player is advised to stay clear of the screen. |
According to the Q&A, .
| A．Host's colleagues are insensitive |
| B．The talk-show is to blame |
| C．Somebody's business is everybody's |
| D．Host's sister-in-law was on fertility pills |
What we can infer from the Q&A is.
| A．The Mom is not to blame because she needs a short run to the store |
| B．Children need care and attention, though not for all of them |
| C．Laws, the old lady, wants to report what she sees to the child's father |
| D．Laskas doesn't seem to approve of Laws' trying to report what she sees |
Which Q&A mentioned transport?
| A．The first | B．The second. | C．The third. | D．None. |
Rachel Carson, born in rural Pennsylvania in 1907, had a great impact on the environment. Carson earned a master’s degree in zoology in 1932. It was as a writer and not as a research scientist, however, that she made her mark, sharing her view that human beings are just one element in a larger natural order.
In the articles on natural history Carson wrote for various publications, she expressed dry facts in poetic and persuasive language. She wrote five books. Two of them, The Sea Around Us and The Edge of the Sea, have been called “biographies of the ocean.”
Carson also made the world aware of how scientific discoveries can harm as well as help living things. In her best-selling book Silent Spring, Carson challenged the profligate use of chemical pesticides by large agricultural and government organizations. She was the first to detail how the pesticide DDT had entered the food chain and damaged populations of bald eagles, falcons, and brown pelicans by causing the shells of their eggs to become so thin that they could not withstand the weight of the parent bird.
Carson died of cancer in 1964. Today, the Rachel Carson Council collects and disseminates (散播) information on pesticide-related issues. In 1970, the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, a large area of salt marsh and freshwater habitat in Maine, was dedicated to her memory.Which of the following words is closest to the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 3 ?
| A．excessive | B．inadequate | C．authoritative | D．efficient |
Which of the following inferences is correct ?
| A．Carson wrote books that the average person could understand. |
| B．Dangerous properties of new chemical products may be immediately apparent. |
| C．If not for Carson, no one would have learned about the dangers of DDT. |
| D．In 1970, large quantities of salt and freshwater were dedicated to Carson’s memory by the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge |
Which of the statements below expresses the main idea of the passage ?
| A．Writers have played an important role in the battle against pollution. |
| B．The scientist Rachel Carson taught people about environmental issues through her writing. |
| C．Carson’s book Silent Spring changed the way some pesticides were used. |
| D．Many of Carson’s books were about pesticide-related issues. |
Tree House
The Tree House program is for students with an English or bilingual preschool background. Foreign teachers further develop students’ natural English speaking skills from 1st through 6th grades in a total immersion environment. The program is theme-based with different units or themes per semester. Each unit includes a theme-related storybook, song, dialogue, writing and phonic exercises, grammar component, poem, and integrated activities.
Step Ahead
Step Ahead is a standalone course that takes children in 3rd grade with no prior English knowledge and by 6th grade, transforms them into confident, near-fluent English communicators. Our program has a strategic balance of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Regular lessons are broken into phonics, reading, grammar patterns, conversation, songs, and homework preview
Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club
Our Jump Into English, Kids World, and Kids Club courses are a great way to develop good English habits at younger ages. Jump Into English is for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds and is a cost-effective alternative to English preschool. Kids Club and Kids World are for students in 1st and 2nd grades and are full of singing, dancing, games, and fun activities to help young children learn English more easily.
Theme-based and Honors Courses
We have theme-based courses to help learners prepare for specific areas of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and to develop the performance skills they will need in some of our exciting activities. When learners graduate from our Tree House and Step Ahead programs, they can continue to excel in English through our Honors programs.A child who hasn’t learned English before can choose _____ to develop confidence and fluency in English communication.
| A．Tree House |
| B．Theme-based and Honors Courses |
| C．Step Ahead |
| D．Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club |
One of the advantages of Jump Into English is _____.
| A．saving money compared to English preschool |
| B．helping learners to get prepared for English tests |
| C．helping young children to learn English easily |
| D．that it covers different language skills |
The purpose of the passage is _____.
| A．to introduce an English language school for children |
| B．to persuade more children to learn English in a fun way |
| C．to emphasize the importance of after-class activities |
| D．to introduce English classes of varying degrees for kids |
In the United States and several other countries, 2.5 million children play baseball in an organization called Little League. They play on teams in their hometowns. Their parents and other adults in the community coach or instruct them and serve as umpires to make sure that everyone follows the rules. Local businesses give money for the ball fields and the uniforms. Local teams compete against each other and the winners get to play teams that are more distant. Eventually, the top teams go to the Little League World Series.
One hundred years after Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, Little League got started in Pennsylvania. Three men started the game for neighborhood boys with a smaller playing field and fewer innings than adult baseball. Little League became popular after World War II when the game spread across the United States. By 1955 it was played throughout North America and within five years it had spread to Europe. Children’s baseball really caught on in Japan and Taiwan of China and teams from those areas won the World Series seven out of eight years. After this, the organization tried banning foreign teams from the World Series, but the ban came to an end after one year.
At first, Little League was only for boys aged nine to twelve. However, in 1974, the parents of girl baseball players brought a law suit. The courts ruled that Little League had to include both boys and girls. Later Little League added on softball and other games for teenagers up to age eighteen. Occasionally a Little Leaguer becomes a professional player. For example, Gary Carter went from Little League to play nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, ten of them as an All-Star player. But, by and large, youngsters play baseball for fun and because their parents are proud of them.The mothers and fathers of Little League players ______.
| A．help run the games | B．travel in coaches |
| C．give the teams money | D．play in the World Series |
In what year was Little League established?
| A．1839 | B．1939 | C．1955 | D．1960 |
Why do most players take part in Little League?
| A．To play in the Major League. |
| B．To have fun and please their parents. |
| C．They expect a profit from All-Star games |
| D．They want to learn how to serve as umpires. |
What is true about players today?
| A．Little League is only for neighbourhood boys. |
| B．Girl players have to buy their suits. |
| C．Girls and boys can participate to age eighteen. |
| D．Children can only play until age twelve. |