For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers (慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. "Come on!" My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. "You'll feel great."
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet have a real pounding (追击) ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, "I love being out there with just my thoughts" Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood _____.
| A．people jogged only during the daytime |
| B．jogging became very popular |
| C．Alex organized an army of joggers |
| D．jogging provided a chance to get together |
What was the writer's attitude towards jogging in the beginning?
| A．He felt it was worth a try. |
| B．He was very fond of it. |
| C．He was strongly against it. |
| D．He thought it must be painful. |
Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?
| A．He found it neither healthy nor interesting. |
| B．He disliked doing ecercise outside. |
| C．He was afraid of having a heart attack. |
| D．He was worried about being left alone. |
From the writer's experience, we can conclude that _____.
| A．not everyone enjoys jogging |
| B．he is the only person who hates jogging |
| C．nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit |
| D．jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport. |
Nowadays, with the busy working hours, parents have no time left to spend with their children. However, spending time with children is of extreme importance. Giving some time for children will play an important role in their development. Therefore, it is a must for parents to spend time with children. Here are some tips for parents which will help them spend time with their little wonder.
Having Dinner with Children
Even if you are not there at home for a whole day, you should make sure that you have dinner with your children. Moreover, you should make it a point that you are having dinner with your entire family. Also, you should avoid watching TV when you are having dinner with your family.
Helping Child Comlete Homework
Helping your child complete homework will help you know how he/she is at studies. It is not that you have to spend hours regularly helping your child with homework. But, sometimes you can help your child solve some questions. In this way, you will get to spend time with your child as well as get to know about his or her studies.
Fun Activities
During weekends you can indulge your child in fun activities like gardening, painting etc. However, do not force your child to do so. You can also spend some time in teaching your child finger painting, vegetable painting and craft work. You may even help your child complete his or her art and craft assignments. These activities will help you improve creativity of your child as well as the interaction between you and your child.The passage is mainly about_______.
| A．the importance of spending time with children |
| B．the ways to spend time with children |
| C．the reasons to spend time with children |
| D．the activities children like to take part in |
In the second paragraph, the author suggests that parents should________.
| A．watch TV with their children |
| B．stay at home a whole day |
| C．spend time with the whole family |
| D．avoid listening to some music |
The underlined word “indulge” in the last paragraph means_______.
| A．push | B．put | C．ask | D．allow |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Helping children with homework will help improve their creativity. |
| B．Parents should spend time regularly with children`s homework |
| C．Spending time with children for parents is a must |
| D．Parents should pick up their children regularly. |
When we talked about the upcoming start of school, Seth hadn`t expressed anything but excitement. So when the sunny and promising “big day” arrived, he was ready. He was armed with a cool haircut, wearing his prized shoes, and was ready for the action.
Ten minutes before the bus was to arrive, he asked me to take him in my car. I complained about it being at the last minute. I said “no” at first. He begged me again and I finally agreed.
In the car , I secretly had a look at him through the rearivew mirror(后视镜). He looked sad. “What is the matter, honey?” “I am nervous. I don`t know if I will be able to learn everything in the first grade. What if I can`t pay attention in class?”
My heart melted. I remembered being nervous on the first day of school and I thought I was the only student who felt that way. I was a nervous kid full of self-doubt. Seth behaved much better than I did.
We walked into his school together. He remembered where his new classroom was and recognized his teacher from the ice cream social party they had the day before. He sat down at his desk and chatted with a few of his classmates. He took a few photos of them (with a camera phone because I didn`t allow him to bring the real camera) and then he said in a very serious manner, “Mom, you can go home now. I`ll be OK.” And so he was.Seth asked his mother to take him to school probably because_________.
| A．he was afraid to be late for class. |
| B．he wanted to share his joy with his mother |
| C．he felt worried about his school life |
| D．he was frightened of his new teacher |
What did the writer mean by saying “My heart melted” in Paragraph 4?
| A．She was very angry with her son |
| B．She felt sad because of her son`s words. |
| C．She was too weak in the mind to face it. |
| D．She became more understanding of her son. |
From the last paragraph we learn that_________.
| A．Seth had never seen his new classroom |
| B．the ice cream social party was to be held soon |
| C．Seth got along well with his classmates |
| D．Seth took some photos using a real camera |
It can be inferred that in the end Seth felt_________.
| A． relaxed | B．frightened |
| C．serious | D．worried |
Without most people realizing it, there has been revolution in office work over the last ten years. Before that time, large computers were only used by large rich companies that could afford the investment. With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them.
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processor system, or WPS as they are often called. 40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast.
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager. The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as retyping letters and storing papers. He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss. From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours.
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed. Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器). The unease of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly. It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed. Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them.
Whatever the arguments for and against word processors, they are a key feature of this revolution in office practice.Ten years ago, large computers were only used by large companies because _________.
| A．small companies did not have enough money to buy such expensive computers |
| B．large computers could not do the work that small companies can do today |
| C．large computers did not come onto the market |
| D．small companies did not need to use this new technology |
According to the writer, the main progress made in office work over the last ten years is ________.
| A．the saving of time and money |
| B．the use of computers in big companies |
| C．the wide use of word processors |
| D．the decreasing number of secretaries |
We can infer from the passage that with the use of word processors, _________.
| A．some secretaries will lose their jobs |
| B．all jobs can be done automatically outside office hours |
| C．medical problems related to work with a VDU must have increased |
| D．the British companies will make less money |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor. |
| B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors. |
| C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years. |
| D．Using word processors, secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses. |
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt-water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.In which section of a newspaper can we read this passage?
| A．Ads | B．Movies |
| C．Briefs | D．Health and Diet |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries |
| B．the changes in people’s diet |
| C．the effect of fish eating on people’s health |
| D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures |
The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between ____ and the level of heart disease.
| A．the amount of fish eaten | B．regular fish-eating |
| C．the kind of fish eaten | D．people of different areas |
From the passage we know the author is most probably ___________.
| A．a heart doctor | B．a science researcher |
| C．a supporter of healthy eating | D．a university student |
Last week I was riding my special motorbike and then stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. “Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?” I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, “OK, as long as I can follow you.”
He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas.
As we came back to the convenience store, she said, “This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn’t know I could do this.” I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, “Oh Daddy, I’m going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too.” Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, “I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today.” I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer.How did the father feel at first when the author invited his daughter for a ride?
| A．He was happy because his daughter could gain excitement. |
| B．He felt surprised because he didn’t know the author. |
| C．He was moved because the author offered to help his daughter. |
| D．He felt nervous because he was worried about his daughter’s safety. |
What can we know about the author?
| A．He was a disabled man. |
| B．He worked in a convenience store. |
| C．He often helped people who were in trouble. |
| D．He usually drove too fast. |
According to the passage, the girl ____________.
| A．used to be a completely healthy person |
| B．was not allowed to do some fierce sports |
| C．usually felt sad about life due to her disability |
| D．was unwilling to communicate with a stranger |
What did the author’s gift refer to according to the girl’s father?
| A．The motorbike. | B．The wheelchair. |
| C．The blessing. | D．The ride. |