We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.
Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?
We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.
It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?
| A．Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world. |
| B．WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety. |
| C．The good life is a greater risk than the bad life. |
| D．Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts. |
Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?
| A．They have been made fully aware of its dangers. |
| B．A lot of effective diet pills are available. |
| C．Body image has nothing to do with good food. |
| D．There are too many overweight people in the world. |
The example of Finland is used to illustrate (说明)_________.
| A．the cause of heart disease |
| B．the effectiveness of a campaign |
| C．the fashion of body shaping |
| D．the history of a body-conscious country |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Overweight or Underweight? | B．WHO in a Dilemma |
| C．No Longer Dying of Hunger | D．Actions or Excuses? |
Christian Eijkman, a Dutch doctor, left the Netherlands for the island of Java. Many people on the island had a disease（疾病） called beri-beri. He was going there to try and find a cure.
At first, Eijkman thought some kind of germ (细菌) caused beri-beri. He raised some chickens. He didn’t eat them, but made experiments on them. The local people were quite surprised at that. One day he noticed that his chickens became sick when they were fed the food most Javanese ate — refined white rice (精炼米). When he fed them with unrefined rice, also known as brown rice, they recovered. Eijkman realized that he had made an important discovery — that some things in food could prevent disease. These things were named vitamins (维生素). The Javanese were not getting enough vitamins because they had actually removed the part that contains vitamins. Later, other diseases were also found to be caused by the lack of vitamins in a person’s food.
Today many people know the importance of vitamins and they make sure they have enough vitamins from the food they eat. If they don’t, they can also take vitamin pills.The underlined word “cure” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.
| A．a kind of rice | B．a kind of vitamin |
| C．a kind of germ | D．a medical treatment |
Christian Eijkman went to the island of Java to ______.
| A．help the Javanese with their illness |
| B．find ways to grow better crops |
| C．do some research about the island |
| D．spend his holiday |
Why did Christian Eijkman raise some chickens?
| A．To eat them. |
| B．To give the Javanese a surprise. |
| C．To carry out his experiments. |
| D．To make money by selling them. |
If a person doesn’t get enough vitamins in his diet, he’d better ______.
| A．eat vitamin pills | B．eat more meat |
| C．eat some chicken | D．eat more rice |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．beri-beri was caused by chickens |
| B．Christian Eijkman’s experiment was successful |
| C．the Javanese didn’t like vitamins |
| D．the Javanese’s disease was caused by a kind of germ |
When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported (出口) to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate (单独的) schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．How Columbus found Costa Rica. |
| B．What the Costa Ricans wore |
| C．How Costa Rica got its name. |
| D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke. |
The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
| A．pink and red | B．blue and green |
| C．grey and black | D．yellow and orange |
In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.
| A．can choose to stop schooling at any time |
| B．study in the same school |
| C．do not have to go to school at all |
| D．must go to school |
From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
| A．have lessons every day |
| B．help their parents pick coffee beans |
| C．have their examinations |
| D．help their parents decorate their houses |
This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．Christopher Columbus | B．some products from Costa Rica |
| C．Costa Rica | D．the education of Costa Rica |
You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.
The designer says he come up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞蓬)built into a street lamp.” he said.
The lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.
In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360°motion sensor on the biberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone’s using the lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer, the lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.
While there are no plans to take lampbrella into production, Belyacv says he recently introduced his creation one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on many streets where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter. For what purpose did Belyacv create the lampbrella?
| A．To predict a heavy rain |
| B．To check the weather forecast |
| C．To protect people from the rain |
| D．To remind people to take an umbrella |
Which of the following show how the lampbrella works?
| A．motor→canopy→sensors |
| B．sensors→motor→canopy |
| C．motor→sensors→canopy |
| D．canopy→motor→sensors |
What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the lampbrella?
| A．Its moving speed | B．Its appearance |
| C．Its installation | D．Its safety |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The designer will open a company to promote his product. |
| B．The lampbrella could be put into immediate production. |
| C．The designer is confident that his creation is practical. |
| D．The lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow. |
Aquatic Adventures!
Help Us Get Ready for Showtime!
Trainer Program
What does it take to work with seals or sea lions? Find out with Atlantis Marine World’s Trainer Program and go behind the scenes with our Marine Mammal staff and:
﹒Learn how we train our animals and help train our sea lions to learn how to paint
﹒Go into the seal exhibit with trainers
﹒Join in a seal training period - and get to pet and feed one of our harbor seals
﹒Help prepare food for seals
﹒Attend our Sea Lion Show
﹒Get a kiss from sea lion, Java – and take home a photo
Summer Adventure Days – Camp! Atlantis Style!
Our camp program adds interactive excitement to your child’s summer vacation. Children ages 3 to 14 discover the wonders of the sea environment through age – appropriate activities.
Pirate Snorkel Adventure
Yo-ho-ho, this is a whole lot of fun! Join us this summer for our interactive Pirate Snorkel Adventure and help Captain Poseidon locate missing treasure. While searching our lake, don’t miss tropical fish from all around the world. When you’re done, you’ll walk away with some booty （战利品） of your own – a ＄2.00 game card and a pirate eye patch (海盗眼罩) featuring our very own Jolly Poseidon!
Smooth Sailing: Taste Long Island Wine Cruise Now Accepting Reservations!
Experience the magic of Taste Long Island, a Saturday evening wine and cheese cruise aboard the Atlantis Explorer Tour Boat. Featuring local wines, this adventure along the Peconic River is a relaxing way to enjoy both beautiful scenery and fine wines. Guests 21 and older only. Members and Green Key Cardholders enjoy 25％off.The activities in Summer Adventure Days are divided according to _______.
| A．children’s hobby |
| B．children’s age |
| C．the price |
| D．the type of sea animals |
In which activity will you get something as a reward?
| A．Atlantis Marine World’s Trainer Program. |
| B．Summer Adventure Days. |
| C．Pirate Snorkel Adventure. |
| D．Smooth Sailing. |
What is special about Smooth Sailing?
| A．Guests under 21 cannot be accepted. |
| B．It provides famous wines from all over the world. |
| C．Guests usually get a discount. |
| D．It doesn’t accept bookings. |
Anthony was sad. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Anthony was sent away to a boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded with（恳求）his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was it would be good for me,” he recalled.
It was not. Anthony did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel. The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was the desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at 55, Anthony is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, has come out.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.
Anthony says he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling that it has something to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
The style has also made Anthony a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Anthony couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”Which of the following is true of Anthony?
| A．He was the beloved child of his family. |
| B．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy. |
| C．He places more emphasis on the characters’ behavior in his stories. |
| D．Studying in a boarding school proved a good choice for him. |
At boarding school, Anthony’s teachers_____________.
| A．often criticized him |
| B．showed great concern for him |
| C．encouraged him to be a writer |
| D．thought little of his ability |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Anthony’s popular books—Alex Rider series |
| B．Alex Rider, a popular character |
| C．Anthony, a successful children’s book author |
| D．Special writing style |
What advice does Anthony give to readers?
| A．Confidence is the key to success. |
| B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons. |
| C．Internet is the best teacher. |
| D．Failure is the mother of success. |