Keeping a busy social life among lots of friends may keep people thinner than spending hours doing some exercises, according to scientists. They say that socializing and meeting with friends help increase levels of brown fat in the body which burns calories to produce heat.
Living in an exciting social environment was found to reduce fat in mice's belly by half over four weeks, even if they ate more. US researchers say that social excitement aids weight loss by turning white fat into brown. White fat stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to produce heat. Turning white fat into brown is extremely difficult, normally requiring long- term stay in cold conditions or exciting part of the body's nervous system.
However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown. The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice. Those, who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to excite themselves and then lost far more weight over the course of the study than their “couch potato" fellows.
Study author, Dr Matthew During, whose team's findings appear in the journal Cell Metabolism, said, "I'm still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs." Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socializing, he added, "It's not just a sedentary(久坐的) lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social activities." Co-author Dr Lei Cao said,"Loneliness is a potential factor for cancer and death; it's equal to cigarette smoking to a certain extent. Social activities are very vital. What information can we get from the first two paragraphs?
A.Brown fat stores calories and makes us fatter |
B.It doesn't take long to turn white fat into brown. |
C.Social excitement helps gain more weight |
D.Brown fat can burn energy to produce heat. |
Which of the following statement does the text support?
A.Levels of brown fat can be increased by socializing. |
B.The mice lacking social life lose more weight. |
C.The research findings haven't been published so far. |
D.Dr Matthew During wasn't convinced of the result. |
We can conclude from the text that _______.
A.the fat in mice's belly was reduced because of the relaxing environment |
B.a sedentary lifestyle and high calories foods influence people's social life |
C.surfing the Internet may influence people's face-to-face communication |
D.cancer and death are mainly caused for lack of social life |
What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Brown fat is beneficial to people's health. |
B.Socializing is unnecessarily important in people's daily life. |
C.White fat can be changed into brown fat. |
D.Socializing contributes to people's losing weight. |
Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments (才艺), and values. I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patienceand intelligence. There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity. I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our future. But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father.
As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be “Daddy’s little girl.” While growing up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbours without a father or father-like figure around. This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children’s lives. In my early life my father continuously pushes me to excel, so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people. Whenever I feel like giving up, or having a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice. From him I have also learned that sometimes you have to put others’ needs ahead of your own, but not to the point they will begin to take advantage of you. His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is. I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down. I have always admired his open mind, enthusiasm for work and people around, and sense of understanding. He is a very reserved man, but to everybody’s surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends.
Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father. He also professes how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in.What is the best title for the passage?
A.How my father loved me as “Daddy’s little girl”. |
B.My father – the person I admire most. |
C.I am the apple on my father’s palm. |
D.My father – the person who loved me most. |
Which of the following could NOT be used to describe the writer’s father?
A.Considerate and humourous. | B.Affectionate and open-minded. |
C.Energetic and helpful. | D.Knowledgeable and sociable. |
Which of the following can best explain the underlined word “excel” in Paragraph 2?
A.Be more powerful than others. | B.Be richer than others. |
C.Do better than others. | D.Be more charming than others. |
By saying “you have to put others’ needs ahead of your own, but not to the point they will begin to take advantage of you” in Paragraph 2, the father was telling the writer to ______.
A.think for others and help them, but not to be made use of in negative ways |
B.think for others and help them, so that you can make use of them to serve you |
C.try to make use of those who want to do so to you |
D.try to be good to those who are worth making friends with |
What can we infer about the writer?
A.She appreciated her father because he solved all the problems for her. |
B.She was outstanding in work because her father pushed her too hard. |
C.She considered her father silly and often laughed at him. |
D.She has a strong sense of sympathy towards other people. |
B
Sydney is Australia's most exciting city.The history of Australia begin here.In 1788,Captain Arthur Philips arrived in Sydney with 11 ships and 1 024 passengers from Britain(including 770 prisoners).Today there are 2.5 million people in Sydney.It is the biggest city in Australia,and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
There are over 20 fine beaches close to Sydney.Its warm summer climate and cool winter have made it a favorite city for immigrants(移民)from overseas.There are three things that made Sydney famous-its beautiful harbor(港口),the Sydney Harbor Bridge,and the Sydney Opera House.
But there are many more interesting things in Sydney:beautiful shops and restaurants,for example,rows of interesting old houses built in the 19th century,and everywhere,the sea.Summer or winter,day or night,Sydney is an outdoor city.
Some Americans think it is very British.Some British visitors think it is like America.There is some truth in both these opinions,because Sydney takes from both the Old World—Europe,and the New World—America,and makes it into something that is neither British nor American but truly Australian.
6.What is Sydney?
A.The capital of Australia.
B.The biggest city in Australia.
C.The oldest city in the world.
D.The biggest harbor in the world.
7.In 1788 Captain Arthur Phillips arrived in Sydney_________.
A.with some ships and more than one thousand passengers from Britain
B.with eleven ships and seven hundred prisoners
C.with one thousand and twenty-four passengers besides seven hundred prisoners
D.with more than ten ships and some sailors
8.What made Sydney famous?
A.There are many immigrants from different countries,the beautiful beaches and interesting old houses.
B.There are beautiful shops,the beautiful harbor and large ships.
C.There are the Sydney Opera House,modern restaurants and many overseas.
D.The beautiful Harbor,the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
9.The climate in Sydney is_________.
A.warm in summer and cold in winter
B.warm all the year round
C.neither too hot nor too cold
D.cool all through the year
10.The writer thinks Sydney is_________.
A.mostly like America
B.is very British
C.is neither British nor American but truly Australia
D.taking from the Old World and New World
六、Reading comprehension(阅读理解)20分
A
For years,business people in Western Europe were worried.They knew they could not compete(竞争)against business from the U.S.The United States is much larger and had many more resources than any Western European country.
Some European people realized that the European nations need to join together to help each other.If they could forget their language differences and the differences in customs(风格),they might become strong competition against other countries.
In 1958,six of the European countries-Belgium;the Netherlands,Luxembourg,France,Germany and Italy got together and decided to cooperate(合作).They called their group the European Economic Community,or the Common Market.These countries agreed to join their resources together.Within a few years,the European Economic Community had worked so well that its members were more prosperous(繁荣)than many other European nations.
Soon,other nations began to realize the advantages(好处)of the Common Market.Today the Common Market includes most of the important countries in Western Europe.It is helping Western Europe to again take its place as a leader among the industrial nations of the world.
1.From the passage we know the U.S.is much richer than _________in resources.
A.any other Western Europe countries
B.any other country in Western Europe
C.any country in Western Europe
D.every country in Europe
2.The members of the European Economic Community have developed fast because they_________.
A.share their resources and produce more goods
B.can again take the place as a leader
C.forget the differences in their languages and customs
D.have become strong competition against the U.S.
3.Which statement is true?
A.The Common Market is only a political association(联盟).
B.The Common Market is an economic and political association.
C.The Common Market is only an economic association.
D.The Common Market is neither an economic association nor a political one.
4.In order to _________ the Western European countries decided to cooperate.
A.join together to found a united country
B.help each other to smooth away the differences in customs
C.work and act together for common purpose
D.fight against the U.S.
5.Today the Common Market has helped _________ again take the place as a leader among the industrial nations of the world.
A.Belgium,the Netherlands,Luxembourg,France,Germany and Italy
B.Belgium,the Netherlands,Luxembourg,France,Germany,Italy and other countries
C.Belgium,the Netherlands,Luxembourg,France,Germany,Italy and other European countries
D.Belgium,the Netherlands,Luxembourg,France,Germany,Italy and other Western European nations
Reading is thought to be a kind of conversation between the reader and the text.The reader puts questions,as they were.to the text and get answers.In the light of these he puts further questions,and so on.
For most of the time this“conversation”goes on below the level of consciousness.At times,however,we become aware of it.This is usually when we are running into difficulties,when mismatch is occurring between expectations and meaning.When successful matching is being experienced,our questioning of the text continues at the unconscious level.
Different people converse with the text differently.Some stay very close to the words on the page;others take off imaginatively from words,interpreting,criticizing,analyzing and examining.The former represents a kind of comprehension that is written in the text,while the latter represents higher levels of comprehension.The balance between these is important,especially for advanced readers.
There is another conversation that from our point of view is important,and that has not to do with what is read but with how it is read.We call this a“process”conversation as opposed to a“content”,conversation.It is concerned not with meaning but with the strategies we employ in reading.If we are skilled readers,our ability to hold a content conversation with a text is usually pretty well developed.Not so our ability to hold a process conversation.It is just this kind of conversation that is of importance when we are seeking to develop our reading to meet the new demands being placed upon us by studying at a higher level.
40.Reading as a kind of conversation between the reader and the text becomes conscious only when .
A.the reader’s expectations agree with what is said in the text
B.the reader asks questions and gets answers
C.the reader has trouble understanding what the author says
D.successful matching is occurring
41.At a lower level of comprehension,readers tend to .
A.read a text slowly
B.read without thinking hard
C.interpret a text in their own way.
D.concentrate on the meaning of words only
42.A“process”conversation has to do with .
A.the development of our ability to check the details
B.determining the main idea of a text
C.what reading material is read
D.the application of reading strategies
43.From the passage we know .
A.it’s important for readers to have conscious and unconscious levels of comprehension
B.readers should take a critical attitude towards the author’s ideas
C.readers should learn to use different approaches in reading different texts
D.readers should pay more attention to the content of a text
Tattoos and body piercings(穿孔)have moved up on the trend list in recent years.Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and“flesh ink”(纹身).As with all other subjects,the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children.To get a better view of what has happened in the West,1et’s sit down and hear what they say.
Tiara from Indiana:
I personally think body piercing is sickening.If there were supposed to be holes in your body,you would have been born with them.I do,however,think that ear piercing is not wrong.There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing.Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous.I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button.
Lee from Illinois:
Hi!I live in Illinois.I am 23.I have 12 tattoos and three piercings.I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector.You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs up on my art work.People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg.Most of them don’t know what it is.They just think the work itself is great.
Subotai from California:
I’m not prohibitive(禁止)of self-expression,but when I see high school students getting these piercings,I really wonder.In some cases,the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion.A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin.It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow’s.
Jackson from Ohio:
I don’t think it is wrong,but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything—I think that’s ridiculous.People who get the big“dragons that cover the whole body—I don’t think that’s necessary.”When I see naked chicks on guys,I think,“You have no respect for women.”
36.we infer according to the passage.
A.Tiara might have body piercings
B.Subotai can’t have body piercing
C.Lee thinks tattoos are art
D.Jackson likes tattoos and piercings
37.Who doesn’t think tattoos and piercings except ear piercing are beautiful?
A.Jackson B.Lee
C.Tiara D.Subotai
38.we can conclude that .
A.tattoos and piercings are a new kind of elegant art
B.all the teachers in the West are in favour of tattoos and piercings
C.everything is changeable as time goes on
D.it is necessary to live with different views of beauty
39.The best title for this passage is probably.
A.Body Art or Causing Damage
B.Doing Damage to the Young People’s Bodies
C.Young People’s Different Curiosities
D.The Latest Fad(时尚)