American researchers say drinking tea may help strengthen the body’s defense system against infection. Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, did the study. The team studied a chemical found in black, green, oolong and pekoe tea. This chemical is an amino acid called L-theanine. The scientists say it may increase the strength of gamma delta T cells. That’s the letter T, not the drink. Gamma delta T cells are part of the body’s defense.
First, the researchers mixed some of these cells with antigens found in the amino acid(氨基酸). Antigens help the body react to infection. Then the scientists added some bacteria. Within twenty-four hours, the cells produced a lot of interferon, a substance that fights infection. Cells not mixed with the antigens did not produce interferon.
In the second part of the study, eleven people drank five to six cups of black tea every day. Ten other people drank the same amount of instant coffee. That is dried coffee mixed with hot water.
Two weeks later, and again two weeks after that, the researchers tested the blood of all twenty-one people. They also looked at what happened when they added bacteria to the blood cells. They found that the tea drinkers produced five times more interferon after they started drinking tea. The coffee drinkers did not produce interferon.
Doctor Jack Bukowski led the study. He says the antigens added to the gamma delta T cells were responsible for the increased reaction to the bacteria. He says that the study also showed that the cells were able to remember the bacteria and fight them again the next time.
Earlier research already has found that tea can help prevent heart disease and cancer. Doctor Bukowski says the new study must be repeated by more people. “If the findings prove to be true,” he says, “then tea drinking might also help protect against bacterial infections.” He says the amino acid L-theanine could be removed from the tea and used as a drug to strengthen the body’s defenses.We may know from the text that ______ can be found in different kinds of tea.
| A．L-theanine | B．Gamma delta T cells |
| C．interferon | D．bacteria |
Tea may help strengthen the body’s defense system because it helps ______.
| A．to add some bacteria to the blood cells |
| B．the body to produce more gamma delta T cells |
| C．the body to produce more interferon |
| D．to mix antigens with some of the cells in the body |
According to Dr Bukowski, ______.
| A．the findings of the study have already proved to be true |
| B．further study is needed to prove the findings true |
| C．he has taken some amino acid L-theanine from tea and made a drug with it |
| D．he is not sure whether tea help prevent heart disease and cancer |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Tea Is Better than Coffee | B．Our Body Needs Tea |
| C．Tea Can Help Prevent Cancer | D．Tea May Help Fight Infection |
Most of us are expecting high-quality customer service in our daily life, but actually enjoying a happy purchase is easier said than done.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead they will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers—and anyone who will listen.
Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.
“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. “The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”
On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronic customers.
The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting (业余兼职的) local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.
Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.
“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly,” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help.”
Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?
| A．Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences. |
| B．Customers have no easy access to store managers. |
| C．Few customers believe the service will be improved. |
| D．Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them. |
What does Paula imply by saying “the shopper must also find a replacement” ?( Para. 4)
| A．New customers are bound to replace old ones. |
| B．Most stores provide the same kind of service. |
| C．Not complaining to manager causes the shopper some trouble too. |
| D．It is not likely the shopper can find the same products in other stores. |
Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers________.
| A．can stay longer browsing in the store |
| B．won’t have trouble parking their cars |
| C．won’t have any worrier about security |
| D．can find their cars easily after shopping |
What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?
| A．Design of store layout. |
| B．Hiring of efficient employees |
| C．Huge supply of goods for sale. |
| D．Manners of the salespeople. |
To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to ________.
| A．exert pressure on stores to improve their service |
| B．voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly |
| C．settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic |
| D．shop around and make comparisons between stores |
Thousands of hungry birds left the countryside of Britain in the bitter winter to find food and warmth in urban gardens. The move included species such as the redwing and the fieldfare, almost unknown outside rural areas
The hard situation of farmland birds has been revealed in the latest survey of bird populations from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds released today.
The redwing has an obvious stripe over the eye and a red flash on the flanks (侧翼), while the fieldfare has a grey head, a peach underbelly, and a distinctive dark band on the tail.
Graham Madge, the society's spokesman, says, “For many urban birdwatchers the sight of these striking species is a real treat. Many people have never imagined there being such an amazing chance.”
“Frozen ground prevented them from getting food in the countryside and they have been saved from starvation in towns，” he added.
He says the unusual sight this year somewhat tempered the frustration felt at the suffering of small garden birds such as robins and wrens. These birds are sensitive to cold and must eat almost continuously to stay alive. Data from people who took part in the society's Big Garden Birdwatch recorded sightings in 280，000 gardens during the last weekend of January, with the goldcrest down 75 percent, the longtailed tit down 27 percent, and the coal tit down 20 percent. The study highlighted the need for food to be left out for birds during winter.
The redwing and the fieldfare are relatively unknown outside the eastern part of the country. The research shows, however, that they moved to the other side of the country where the climate is generally mild in winter and that many for the first time have reached Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The number of redwing sightings was up 185 percent, those of the fieldfare 73, and of the yellowhammer 68.
Another surprise garden “guest” this year was the blackcap. This robinsized, silvergrey bird was rare in Britain 50 years ago, but increasing numbers now arrive each year from Germany and Austria.How did the urban birdwatchers probably feel when seeing the hungry birds?
| A．Excited. | B．Worried. |
| C．Annoyed. | D．Motivated. |
Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “tempered”？
| A．Prevented. | B．Relieved. |
| C．Explained. | D．Increased. |
According to the passage, Cornwall is perhaps ________．
| A．a village in eastern Britain |
| B．a city in western Britain |
| C．a village in western Britain |
| D．a city in eastern Britain |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The tough living conditions of some British birds. |
| B．The various species of Britain's garden birds. |
| C．The changes of some bird's population in Britain. |
| D．Unusual bird visitors in Britain's urban gardens. |
Perfectionists believe that not only is perfection achievable, but that it should be achieved whenever possible. They always try to make their work better, and often get pleasure from investing time and effort in their projects. They enjoy paying attention to detail and are often hard to please. After all, perfectionists almost always have nearlyimpossible standards for themselves, much higher than what outside parties would generally hope for.
Most perfectionists are also highlyorganized. They've perfected their work process along with everything else in their life. They have processes and patterns for handling almost anything that comes their way, from email to new projects and clients to bookkeeping. It can definitely add up to a more effective workday with less wasted time and effort.
Perfectionists can be thought of as overbearing(霸道的) by those who don't share their attitude. It can also be upsetting to clients who aren't interested in “perfect” and simply want their project done yesterday. When you strive for perfection, everything takes just a bit longer to get right. Even if you have a more efficient design and development process than many other designers, it is likely that you spend more time on each step than a lot of others do.
While most people who call themselves “perfectionists” do so in a lighthearted or positive manner, there are those out there to whom perfection becomes an obsession(痴迷). They consider anything less than perfect completely unacceptable. This can lead to obsessive behavior and can have damaging effects on their overall quality of life. Just feeling good about a job done to the best of your ability is entirely normal for a perfectionists and isn't something to worry about. But it becomes particularly dangerous when perfectionists feel they are never quite able to attain perfection, and so drive themselves crazy trying to always reach this unattainable goal.
These perfectionists often place their entire selfworth on their accomplishments and ability to reach perfection, and since they're never able to reach it, it creates a very negative selfimage and low selfesteem or depression. The good news is that there are trained psychologists who can help those who are nervously obsessed with perfection to overcome their obsession.Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of perfectionists?
| A．They enjoy investing time and efforts. |
| B．They are not easy to satisfy. |
| C．They have special ways of handling emails. |
| D．They set high requirements for others. |
Clients who are not satisfied with perfectionists think they need ________．
| A．better coworkers | B．bigger achievements |
| C．higher efficiency | D．less organization skills |
To perfectionists, their obsession with perfection is an act of ________．
| A．showing psychological sickness |
| B．realizing their own value |
| C．wasting time and energy |
| D．improving their selfimage |
Which of the following will the author probably agree?
| A．It's very normal to always do one's best in life. |
| B．Perfectionists should seek help as soon as possible. |
| C．Perfectionists should not be too proud of themselves. |
| D．People should not pursue perfection too much. |
My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in the Cub Scouts (童子军团) only a short time. Once he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give them all to his father. That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. The piece of paper was a set of instructions about how to build a wooden racing car. Gilbert's father laughed when he read the instructions. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed.
Finally, I stepped in to see if I could figure it all out. Having no skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the instructions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. Within days, his block of wood was turning into a pinewood racing car.
Then the big night came. With his pinewood racing car in his hand and pride in his heart we headed to the big race. As the race was done in elimination fashion (淘汰赛形式), you could keep racing as long as you were the winner.
Finally, it was between Gilbert and the fastestlooking car there. As the race was about to begin, Gilbert asked if they could stop for a minute, because he wanted to pray. Then the race stopped.
Gilbert prayed in earnest for a very long minute. The Master came up to Gilbert and asked the obvious question, “So you prayed to win, Gilbert？”
My young son answered, “Oh, no Sir. It wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked him to make it so I don't cry when I lose.”
Children seem to have wisdom far beyond us. Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to control the race, make us the champion, or remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get through what lies in our way.Gilbert's father thought the task given by the Cub Scouts could________．
| A．be no trouble at all |
| B．be too easy for Gilbert |
| C．be beyond Gilbert's ability |
| D．require no skills |
Who finally made the pinewood racing car?
| A．Gilbert. | B．Gilbert's father. |
| C．Gilbert's mother. | D．The whole family. |
What can we learn about Gilbert?
| A．He made it in the final race. |
| B．His performance inspired his mom. |
| C．He thought the Master unfair. |
| D．He was very afraid of losing the race. |
The author writes this passage to tell us that ________．
| A．adults should communicate more with children |
| B．we should have faith in our ability to win |
| C．victory is the power to overcome difficulties |
| D．friendship is more important than winning |
One Test for Graduate and Business School.
Getting an advanced degree can create many opportunities. The GRE revised General Test—the most widely accepted graduate admission test worldwide—can bring you one step closer to achieving your career goals.
There has never been a better time to take the test that gives you more opportunities for your future. The GRE revised General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in graduate or business school.
Who Takes It?
Prospective graduate and business school applicants from all around the world who are interested in pursuing a master's , MBA, specialized master's in business or doctoral degree take the GRE revised General Test. Applicants come from varying educational and cultural backgrounds and the GRE revised General Test provides a common measure for comparing candidates' qualifications.
GRE scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement(补充) your undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduatelevel study.
When and Where Do People Take It?
The GRE revised General Test is available at more than 700 test centers in more than 160 countries. In most regions of the world, the computerdelivered test is available on a continuous basis throughout the year. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, the computerdelivered test is available one to two times per month. In areas of the world where computerdelivered testing is not available, the paperdelivered test is available up to three times a year in October, November and February.
Who Accepts It?
The GRE revised General Test is accepted at thousands of graduate and business schools as well as departments and divisions within these schools.If you want to study for a master's degree in the USA, you'd better________．
| A．achieve your career goals |
| B．earn as much money as possible |
| C．take the GRE revised General Test |
| D．vary educational and cultural background |
In a lessdeveloped area with very few computers, testtakers probably can't take the GRE revised General Test in ________．
| A．August | B．October | C．November | D．February |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To sell test papers. |
| B．To introduce a kind of test. |
| C．To get new students for schools. |
| D．To compare two kinds of tests. |