Nobody likes home economics (家政学). But restoring the program could help us in the fight against obesity and chronic (慢性的) diseases today.
The home economics movement was founded on the belief that housework and food preparation were important subjects that should be studied scientifically. The first classes occurred in the agricultural and technical colleges that were built in the 1860s. When most departments of universities rejected women, home economics was a back door into higher education.
Indeed, in the early 20th century, home economics was a serious subject When few people understood germ (微生物) theory and almost no one had heard of vitamins, home economics classes offered vital information about washing hands regularly, eating fruits and vegetables and not feeding coffee to babies.
However, today we remember only the fixed ideas about home economics, forgetting the movement’s most important lessons on healthy eating and cooking. Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook. Our diets, consisting of highly processed foods made cheaply outside the home, have contributed to many serious health problems. In the last decade, many cities and states have tried to tax junk food heavily or to ban the use of food stamps (食品券) to buy soda. Clearly, many people are doubtful about any governmental steps to promote healthy eating. But what if the government put the tools of obesity prevention in the hands of children themselves by teaching them how to cook?
My first experience with home economics happened two decades ago when I was a seventh grader in a North Carolina public school. A year later, my father’s job took our family to Wales, where I attended a large school for a few months. It was the first time I had ever really cooked anything. I remember that it was fun, and with an instructor standing by, it wasn’t hard. Those lessons stuck with me when I first started cooking for my husband and myself after college and they still do. Teaching cooking in public schools can help solve some problems facing Americans t day. The history of home economics shows it’s possible.Home economics______.
| A．is a subject becoming more and more popular with Americans |
| B．is often used to help fight against obesity and chronic diseases |
| C．once offered women a. special approach to university education |
| D．was first taught in the agricultural and technical colleges in the early 1900s |
The third paragraph mainly tells us______ .
| A．the importance of regular hand washing |
| B．the health benefits of fruits and vegetables |
| C．the contents of home economics classes in the early 20th century |
| D．the significance of teaching home economics in the early 20th century |
In the opinion of the author, how should we fight against childhood obesity?
| A．Children should be taught how to cook. |
| B．A heavy tax should be put on junk food |
| C．Healthy eating should be promoted at school |
| D．Using food stamps to buy soda should be banned |
What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. Her family moved frequently in her childhood.
R Cooking classes have a far-reaching influence on her later life.
C. To receive a better education, she went to a large school in Wales.
D. Teaching cooking is the key to solving Americans’ health problems.
As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental attention are not what they used to be. We suddenly can't remember where we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old friend's name, or the name of an old band we used to love. It happens to most of us, but is it unavoidable?
Scientists are increasingly showing that there's actually a lot that can be done. It turns that the brain needs exercise in much the same way as our muscles do, and the right mental workouts can improve our basic cognitive(认知) functions.
Now, a new San Francisco Web-based company has taken it a step further and developed the first "brain training program" designed to actually help people improve and regain their mental sharpness. Called Lumosity, it was designed by some of the leading experts from Stanford University. Lumosity is far more than an online place to exercise your mental skills. That's because they have combined these exercises with a Web-based program that allows you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills.
Apparently it works. One study showed students improved their scores on math tests by 34 percent after using Lumosity for six weeks, greater gains than those made by other students in the same class, who were not training with the Lumosity program. The company says its users have reported clearer and quicker thinking, improved memory for names, numbers, directions, increased alertness(警觉) and awareness, high mood, and better concentration at work or while driving.What is the purpose of Lumosity?
| A．To exercise the brain and muscles. |
| B．To combine exercises with a web-based program. |
| C．To improve basic cognitive functions. |
| D．To improve students’ scores on test. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Memory losing is unavoidable. |
| B．Lumosity is unreasonable. |
| C．Muscles don’t need exercise. |
| D．Brains need exercise. |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Lumosity is an effective program. |
| B．Users have improved their thinking. |
| C．A company made a Lumosity trial. |
| D．Lumosity was carried out in tests. |
The author explains the training results by________
| A．making a comparison. |
| B．presenting training findings. |
| C．analyzing facts. |
| D．setting down rules. |
Four most Extreme Travel Destinations in the World
Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth: Oymyakon, Russia
As the coldest inhabited place on earth, the small Russian town of Oymyakon was once only used as a location for political prisoners. Winter temperature average at about -58 degrees F, the ground is frozen all year long. Popular sports include skiing, ice hockey and ice fishing.
Closest Place to Outer Space: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador
Mount Chimborazo stands at over 20,000 feet high. Standing on it will put you closest to outer space that man can ever reach on foot. Its peak is completely covered by glaciers, but this mountain has several routes for climbers.
Hottest Place on Earth: Lut Desert, Iran
Here, temperatures reach as high as 158 degrees F. Though tourists visit this desert land, it’s a destination only for those willing to take on the challenge of surviving the heat and the dry climates.
Most Isolated Place on Earth: Tristan da Cunha, United Kingdom
Looking for a getaway from the everyday? This is about as far away from it as you can get. The island is home to fewer than 300 inhabitants and has no airport, Tristan da Cunha is accessible only by sea.Oymyakon was once used as a location for political prisoners probably because it ________.
| A．is isolated and cold |
| B．was covered by glaciers |
| C．is hot and deserted |
| D．is a getaway for people |
How can we get to Tristan da Cunha?
| A．By air. |
| B．By car. |
| C．By ship. |
| D．By train. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A science fiction. |
| B．A tourist guide book. |
| C．A sports magazine. |
| D．An economic handbook. |
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual event, and a highlight of the evening is the President’s comedy routine. This year, President Obama decided to make a good-natured hit at Michelle’s expense. You might remember the “bangs”(刘海) that the First Lady introduced to the world several months ago! Oh yes he did! Obama bangs joke shows how, with professional helps, presidents are now just as funny as the comedian hosts.
For his second term, President Obama will be making big changes! He kicked off his White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, Apr. 27 by joking, “Second term, baby!” “I recognize that this job can take an attack on you. I understand that second term you need a burst of new energy and try some new things,” Obama, 51, said. “My team and I talked about it and we’re willing to try anything, so we borrowed one of Michelle’s tricks.” He then presented a slideshow of funny photoshopped images of himself sporting his wife’s famous new bangs, a photo of himself and the first lady side by side, both with bangs. “I think this looked pretty good.”
After Obama’s speech, Conan O’Brien took the stage and kept the jokes coming. The late night host made a joke about the President’s focus on job creation. “Since he was reelected,” he said, “ the number of popes(教皇) has doubled and the number of Tonight Show hosts had three times.”President Obama made a good-natured hit at Michelle’s expense to ________.
| A．laugh at Michelle |
| B．show his humor |
| C．remember the “bangs” |
| D．make big changes |
What is the closest meaning of the phrase “kicked off” in the second paragraph ________.
| A．enjoyed |
| B．expressed |
| C．started |
| D．cancelled |
One of Michelle’s tricks that Obama borrowed is her ________.
| A．bangs |
| B．slideshow |
| C．photoshopped images |
| D．speech |
We may learn from the last paragraph that ________
| A．President wants to be as funny as a comedian hosts. |
| B．the first lady made bangs jokes with professional help. |
| C．Michelle is sure to be angry with president. |
| D．President will focus on job creation in his second term. |
（共15小题; 每小题2分，满分30分）
A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty jar and started to fill it with rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, and give a dinner party. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities(优先). The rest is just sand.”The professor filled an empty jar with rocks to ________.
| A．teach a life lesson |
| B．make an experiment |
| C．show the large jar |
| D．recognize the jar |
What did the professor think were the most important things in his life?
| A．Rocks, pebbles and sand. |
| B．House, job and car. |
| C．Family, health and children. |
| D．Work, house and party. |
The underlined word “pebbles” in the first paragraph probably refers to ________.
| A．tasty cokes |
| B．round stones |
| C．glass balls |
| D．sweet potatoes |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Take Care of the Rocks |
| B．An Important Lesson |
| C．A Jar Full of Happiness |
| D．The Important Things In Life |
Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents. Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs’ fossils (恐龙化石) because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
It’s very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck (陷入) all at once, or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone.
Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups. “That’s pretty much settled at this point,” says Paul Sereno. A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together.
As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs-birds and crocodiles-for possible models. Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same.
There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists, will have to find more proof to reach an agreement.Dinosaur scientists can get information directly by.
| A．studying dinosaur fossils |
| B．examining modern animals |
| C．watching dinosaurs |
| D．using telescopes |
What is pretty much settled according to Paul Sereno?
| A．Half of the dinosaurs lived alone. |
| B．Most dinosaurs moved long distances. |
| C．Many dinosaurs settled in the north. |
| D．Some dinosaurs lived in big groups. |
Dinosaur scientists can probably know whether dinosaurs were good parents by .
| A．watching many kinds of animals |
| B．studying dinosaurs’ living relatives |
| C．following the tracks left behind |
| D．working on dug-out dinosaur eggs |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the 4th paragraph?
| A．Birds hardly pay attention to their young. |
| B．Baby crocodiles can look after themselves well. |
| C．Some dinosaurs took care of their young. |
| D．Birds and crocodiles take good care of their young. |