Imagine your body is like the house you live in. Every day, your family creates rubbish. The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection.
Now, say you put three bags of garbage out, but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected. You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week. The following week you put on another three bags, plus the leftover bag from last week. But again, only two bags are collected. Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks.
This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys (肾脏) don’t work efficiently. Your body is not thoroughly emptied of waste products. Other areas of the body such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins.
It’s not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before developing any symptoms. There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection (诊查) difficult.
Kidney’s main job is to remove toxins (毒素) and unwanted water from our blood. Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood. Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no apparent pain.
Research shows that more than 25% of the patients requiring dialysis (透析) do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so. Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage．Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades．Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential risk factors for the kidney disease.The author gives the example of the house we live in to indicate that _______.
| A．it’s safe and harmless for our body to keep some waste |
| B．it’s important for our body to empty the waste in time every day |
| C．our body will not produce any waste if our kidneys work efficiently |
| D．it doesn’t matter much if the waste in our body is not emptied in time |
The underlined word “insidious” in the third paragraph means _______.
| A．smooth and safe | B．obvious and fast |
| C．gradual and unnoticed | D．long and painful |
We can infer that when we find some symptoms related to our kidneys, _______.
| A．the kidney failure begins |
| B．the kidneys can still work properly |
| C．we have lost about 10% of kidney function |
| D．the kidneys may have been seriously damaged |
Which of the following helps prevent kidney damage most effectively?
| A．Go to see a kidney specialist shortly before dialysis starts. |
| B．Take enough exercise and make early detection of kidney disease. |
| C．Try to keep low blood pressure and a stable lifestyle. |
| D．Go to hospital whenever you find any warning signs. |
In 1945 there were 17 universities in Britain; by 1967 there were 45．A period of very rapid expansion took place in the middle sixties when ten new institutes were granted university status by Royal Charter．These modern universities do not in many ways resemble their older counterparts．Much more emphasis is placed on advanced studies in science and technology and the newer social science disciplines than on the arts and humanities．For the most part of the buildings the students live and work in are severely functional and there are the hum and bustle of continuous activities．The quiet gardens and enclosed quadrangles of Oxford and Cambridge belong to another world．This will certainly happen, for the universities like everything else must change and adapt themselves to meet the needs and demands of a new age．
In recent years there has been a very rapid increase in the number of young people (especially girls) seeking higher education．Between 1962 and 1975, the number of students in higher education more than doubled from 222,400 to 497,000．Part of this increase is accounted for by the creation of thirty “Polytechnics” which offer a wide range of courses leading to recognized qualifications．
For those who missed the opportunities for higher education at the age of eighteen or so, a major innovation in the academic world now provides a second chance．The Open University was found in 1971; it offers tuition to degree standards to anyone who chooses to entry．The courses are taught through radio, television programs, Internet and by correspondence with Open University tutors．By now there are over 100,000 students enrolled for Open University and there are several thousand people who are the proud holders of a B．A degree from the Open University．
1．The underlined word “counterparts” in the first paragraph has the closest meaning with “______．”
A．enemies B．leaders C．similarities D．strangers
2．Who can go to the Open Universities in Britain?
A．The British young people only．
B．Anyone who missed the chance to go to college．
C．Girls who missed the chance to enter a college．
D．Those who are interested in science and technology．
3．How can a student get taught in the Open University?
A．Study in the open air of Oxford and Cambridge Universities．
B．Through the modern communication methods．
C．By self-study with the help of polytechnics．
D．By attending to the top ten institutes in Britain．
4．Which of the following might serve as the best title of the above passage?
A．Life in the Open Universities． B．Free Degrees in Open Universities．
Dear Edward,
I have been very busy recently with some really exciting new developments．If you visit my main website you will see various new items there．
The first is a tab called Food for Thought．This is a short daily email which raises a question or makes a statement or provides something foryou to think about．Some regular readers may find these emails quite basic．However, you would agree with me that there are many people who reject anything spiritual simply because it means venturing(冒险进入) into the unknown．
There is also a tab called Please Help Me．I will be hosting tele-discussions soon-yes, and I am really excited about that!
Here I ask you to propose topics for tele-discussions．If you are concerned about missing out, don’t worry．The proceeds will be recorded and made available as MP3 recordings．Please let me know what burning issues you have or what you are curious about．
I am providing a free mystery gift to the value of £9.95 for each successful suggestion．And please don’t think your issue is meaningless-there may be a number of other people who may have the same issue．
You may not be aware that I have also published a number of guided meditations(思考) on-line．Please have a look at this website for a free guided meditation as well as an explanation of what meditation is about．
And watch this space for more exciting things to come in the next month．I am now in a space where my hobby has become my work-how lucky can a girl be!
I also want to thank you for your support and interest over the past years-you have helped me immensely on my own journey．
Love and Light,
Elsabe
1．What does the item “Food for Thought” mainly focus on?
A．How to eat reasonably． B．Ideas for people to think about．
C．Where to have enough food． D．Ways to enjoy adventurous journeys．
2．How can one get a free mysterious gift from Elsabe?
A．By offering acceptable advice． B．By sending as much email as possible．
C．By sending him £9.95． D．By telling him what you are interested in．
3．What does Elsabe ask Edward to do?
A．Offer topics for the tele-discussion．
B．Record the content of the website．
C．Concern and participate about the issues on the website．
D．Help him find more people to help him．
4．What can we infer from the whole passage?
A．Edward doesn’t know Elsabe at all． B．Many people join in Elsabe’s program．
C．People are afraid to surf Elsabe’s website． D．Everything on Elsabe’s website is free．
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race is a sled dog race run every February
between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon．Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, it is considered the “toughest race in the world”．
In the competition, first run in 1984, a dog team leader and a team of 6 to 14dogs race for 10 to 20days．The course follows the route of the historic 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, mail delivery, and transportation routes between Fairbanks, Dawson City, and Whitehorse．Players pack up to 250pounds of equipment and provisions for themselves and their dogs to survive between checkpoints．They are permitted to leave dogs at checkpoints and dog drops, but not to replace them．Sleds may not be replaced and players cannot accept help from non-racers except at Dawson City, the halfway mark．Ten checkpoints and four dog drops, some more than 200miles apart, lie along the trail．Dcotors are present at each to ensure the health and welfare of the dogs, give advice, and provide veterinary (兽医)care for dropped dogs．
The route runs on frozen rivers, over four mountain ranges, and through isolated northern villages．Racers cover 1,016miles or more．Temperatures commonly drop as low as −60°F, and winds can reach 50miles per hour at higher elevations．Sonny Lindner won the first race in 1984 from a field of 26teams．The fastest run took place in 2009, when Sebastian Sch nuelle finished after 9days, 23hours, and 20minutes．The 2009 competition also had the closest one-two finish, as Sch nuelle beat second-place Hugh Neff by just four minutes．The longest race time was in 1988, when Ty Halvorson took 20days, 8hours, and 29minutes to finish．To allow participation in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, the 2010 Yukon Quest will begin in Fairbanks one week earlier than usual–on February 6．
1．What is the Yukon Quest particular in?
A．The difficulty the competition has to face．
B．The special team and the special weather．
C．The limitation of time and support in the run．
D．The way the competition is valued．
2．The competitors can do the following except ______．
A．pack less then 250 pounds of equipments and provisions
B．drop any dogs at the checkpoints
C．replace dogs which are worn out
D．get medical care for dogs in any checkpoint
3．Who keeps a new record in the Yukon Quest in terms of speed?
A．Sonny Lindner． B．Sebastian Schnuelle．C．Hugh Neff． D．Ty Halvorson．
4．The underlined word “harsh” in the first paragraph might most probably mean “______”．
A．happy B．important C．difficult D．unforgettable
三．阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
When the research on the effect of electric fields on E．coli was begun in 1962, it was essential that a biologist–specifically, a microbiologist–contributed to the project．She does not want her name used because she did not become a scientific researcher for fame, but rather for the challenge of putting pieces of a scientific puzzle together．
As a girl, she was inspired by the work of great scientists: she read the story of the cure of malaria in the Panama Canal; she also read a biography of Madame Curie．These accounts inspired her to pursue a career in scientific research．After high school, she worked for the Michigan Department of Health, where she did research in biology and microbiology．There, her colleagues saw 
her talent and encouraged her to pursue science as a career．She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1948 in medical technology．
When she began working at Michigan State in the early 1960s,
she was balancing the demands of scientific research with the needs
of her family．At that time both of her children were in school．She would work in the lab in the morning while they were at school, go home to see them at lunch, return to the lab for the afternoon, go home for dinner, and return to the lab in the evening, if necessary．At that time, there were fewer women scientists working than there are today, but she encountered several in her career．At the Michigan Department of Health, many of her colleagues were women and, consequently, she did not feel isolated because of her gender–nor did she feel that she was treated differently because she was a woman．
While working at Michigan State, she also felt that she was treated with respect by her peers．Her colleagues, among them doctors and Ph．D．chemists, all treated her as an equal．On the whole, she believes that there is not a great deal of difference between men and women in science．
1．Why does the woman scientist refuse to let out her name?
A．Because she is a shy lady．
B．Because she doesn’t mind her fame．
C．Because she never takes pride in her research．
D．Because she never works for her fame．
3．What is the noble lady scientist really interested in?
A．The life stories of other women scientists．
B．Biology and microbiology．
C．The secret of the success of the other scientists．
D．The difference between men and women scientists．
3．Who helped and encouraged her to carry on her scientific research?
A．Her family and friends． B．Madame Curie．
C．Her colleagues and other scientists． D．Some of the officials．
4．What is the whole passage mainly about?
A．The life story of a famous woman scientist with great success．
B．A brief introduction about an unknown great woman scientist．
C．The new development of a special woman scientist．
D．The secret of an infamous woman scientist．
HONG KONG, Feb 2 (Reuters Life!) – They’ll huff, they’ll puff – and Hong Kong Disney hopes. The Three Little Pigs will bring the house down this Chinese New Year.
The pigs, who last the Big Bad Wolf in Disney’s 1933 hit cartoon, will parade around the park in a bid to attract visitors during the lunar new year holiday, which this year falls on Feb 18. This year has been dubbed the “Year of the Pig.”
With funny caps and oversized bow ties the porky trio will make their first appearance before Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Millions of mainland Chinese visitors are expected to visit Hong Kong during the extended break.
Hong Kong Disney will be decked out in splendid golds and reds in the run up to this important holiday. The park will also have firecrackers and peach blossoms to ward off bad luck.
Mickey, Goofy, Donald and the gang will wear traditional Chinese clothing during the festivities which run from February 2 to March 4 th.
The pigs are part of a marketing campaign aimed at restoring the park’s reputation which was ruined last Chinese New Year when overcrowding made officials lock the doors, barring scores of mainland tourists with valid tickets from entering.
1．The underlined phrase “bring the house down” in the first paragraph probably has the same meaning as .
A．pull down the house B．be warmly welcomed
C．be on stage D．be brought in to Hong Kong
2．We can infer from the passage that the three little pigs are .
A．special pigs to be raised in Hong Kong B．imported from Europe
C．lovely cartoon characters D．specially prepared for the festival dinner
3．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．There were too many people from Hong Kong to visit the park last year.
B．Many people from mainland China could not enter the park although they had the right ticket.
C．Many people from mainland China could not enter the park because they did not have the right ticket.
D．The officials looked the doors in order not to ruin the reputation of the park.