C
Eating 40 percent less food could extend a person`s life by 20 years, according to scientists.
Researchers at the Institute of Health Ageing at University College London are developing a treatment that they hope will fight the `disease` of getting older.
They are looking into how genetics（遗传学） and lifestyle can affect ageing and add years, possibly decades, to a person`s life.
Age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and neuro degeneration can also be treated, it is claimed.
They want to find out how the life of a rat can be increased by up to 30 percent simply by reducing its food intake.
Researcher Dr. Piper told the Independent : `If you reduce the diet of a rat by 40 percent it will live for 20 or 30 percent longer. So we would be talking 20 years of human life. This has shown on all sorts of animals, even Labradors(a kind of dog).`The scientists are also studying fruit flies, which share 60 percent of human genes and age in a similar manner, and mice.
They have already made the healthy lifespan(寿命) longer in both flies and mice by using drug treatments and a balanced diet. It is hoped that this combination will also work to extend(延长) human life. Dr. Piper said: `If we discover the genes involved with ageing, we should be able to delay ageing itself. This is what we`ve found.`
He added that the field of research into extending life is only a decade old, so remains `in theory . It is their special approach to treating all age-related diseases caused by the `disease` of ageing itself that sets their research apart.The author writes this text in order to_____.
| A．encourage people to eat as little as possible |
| B．tell people how harmful food is to their health |
| C．introduce an on-going research on delaying ageing |
| D．show how similar mice and humans are to each other |
How can people live longer according to the text?
| A．Exercise regularly. |
| B．Reduce their diet properly. |
| C．Vary their lifestyles constantly. |
| D．Change their genes completely. |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggest?
| A．The research is effort-taking. |
| B．The result of the research is reliable. |
| C．The research has been done for a long time. |
| D．There’s a long way to go to put the theory into practice. |
Sam, a dog, was left behind in Colorado while his owners, Mr. And Mrs. Green moved to Southern California. They did not give the dog up. They found him a very nice home before they moved. They would have let Sam accompany them, but they were afraid the dog’s presence would make it difficult for them to rent a house when they reached their destination.
The Green family lived in Colorado for less than a year. Before that, they had lived in the same neighborhood in California to which they returned. So Sam had been there before, but only for a short time when he was young.
Several months after the Greens left Colorado, after they were comfortably settled back in California, they heard a scratch at the door. They couldn’t imagine who might be there. It never occurred to them that it might be Sam, because they were sure he was happily set up with his new family back in Colorado. When they opened the door, the Greens saw a dirty, tired dog with very hurting feet. The animal looked a little bit like Sam, but no one could believe that Sam could have walked 840 miles on his own. The tired dog spent the night under the family car. The next day, when he was more rested, he performed some of his old tricks. The Greens knew they had their own dog back.The story suggests that _______ .
| A．dog owners have trouble renting |
| B．many people treat their pets badly |
| C．keeping a dog is easy |
| D．dogs are too much trouble |
Which is the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. Sam walked to California.
b. The Greens moved to Colorado.
c. The Greens left Sam.
d. The Greens returned to California.
e. Sam spent the night under the family car.
| A．b, d, c, e, a | B．b, c, d, a, e |
| C．a, c, b, e, d | D．c, e, d, a, b |
The underlined word “destination” in the first paragraph means _________.
| A．the cost of living |
| B．the country of one’s birth |
| C．the damage to oneself |
| D．the place to which one is going |
The Greens knew the dog was Sam ________.
| A．because of his hurting feet |
| B．from the color and the markings |
| C．by the way he walked |
| D．after he did some tricks |
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his own language by remembering what he hears when he is a small child, and some children, like boys and girls who live abroad with their parents, seem to learn two languages almost as easily as one. In school it is not easy to learn a second language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
A man’s mind is rather like a camera, but it takes photos not only of what we see but of what we feel, hear, smell and taste. When we take a real photo with a camera, there is much to do before the photo is finished and ready to show to our friends. In the same way there is much work to be done before we can keep a picture forever in our mind.
Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.We usually begin to learn our own language by ________ it.
| A．speaking | B．hearing |
| C．saying | D．teaching |
If you have a good ________ , you’ll have less difficulty in learning something.
| A．teacher | B．camera |
| C．memory | D．family |
The children who live abroad with their parents can learn two languages more easily, because ______.
| A．they are very clever |
| B．they have good teachers |
| C．they have more chances to use these languages |
| D．they have a better life |
Memory is ________ that we write in our mind and carry about.
| A．the best diary | B．the best camera |
| C．a great help | D．a beautiful picture |
Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family’s only surviving relative lived. It was Sally’s relative — a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The bequest would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors (遗嘱执行人).
As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative’s home and subscribed for the local paper.
For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.
“Thirty thousand dollars!”
All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.
There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour — note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, “Ah, it’ll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we’ll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter.”
Aleck responded with decision and calmness.
“You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.
“Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?”
“No, there’s no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er…, I’ve turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat.”
“Why, Aleck, it’s splendid! What does it amount to?”
“I think — well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more.”
“My! Isn’t it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!”
Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.
A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold.Why would Tilbury like to give all his money to Sally?
| A．Because Sally was Tilbury’s only relative alive. |
| B．Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply. |
| C．Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function. |
| D．Because Sally and his wife are good at investing. |
The underlined word “bequest” in Paragraph 1 probably means ___________.
| A．a gift of personal property |
| B．a proof of a person’s identity |
| C．a method of getting money |
| D．a reason for giving money |
What do we know about Sally and his wife after receiving the letter?
| A．They were in deep sorrow and stayed up all night. |
| B．They cared little about the bequest and lived their life as usual. |
| C．They paid a visit to Tilbury to confirm the truth of the letter. |
| D．They had a big ambition to invest the money and make huge profits. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Thrilling News | B．Sally’s Distant Relative |
| C．The $30,000 Bequest | D．A Smart Investment |
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are free, but without tutoring, and are open to anyone, anywhere in the world. The courses are flexible – normally three to five hours of study a week – done at any time, short (5 to 10 weeks) and video-rich. They are also heavily dependent on crowd sourcing: you can discuss a course with fellow students through online forums, discussion boards and peer review. Students don't have to finish the courses, pass assessments or do assignments, but, if they do, they get a certification of participation.
The Open University launched FutureLearn, the UK's answer to US platforms such as Coursera, EdX and Udacity, which have been offering MOOCs from top US universities for the past two years. The response has been incredible, with more than three million people registering worldwide. Meanwhile, in 2012, Edinburgh University became the first non-US institution to join Coursera's partnership, comprising 13 universities. “We already run 50 online master's degrees, so this was a logical expansion,” says Professor Jeff Haywood, Edinburgh's vice-principal. “It's an investment in teaching methods research. How am I going to teach introductory philosophy to 100,000 people? That's what I call educational R&D.” He adds “If you look ahead 10 years, you'd expect all students graduating to have taken some online courses, so you've got to research that. Our MOOCs are no more in competition with our degrees than a lifelong learning course because they don't carry credits.”
Cooperation is key, Haywood stresses. It is far better to offer 20-30 courses in your own areas of expertise (专门技能) and let other institutions do likewise. Professor Mike Sharples, FutureLearn's academic lead, goes further: “We've tied the elements available before into a package of courses offered by leading universities worldwide on a new software platform, with a new way of promoting it and also a new social-learning teaching method. You won't just receive an exam, but be able to discuss and mark each other's assignments.”
Bath University, one of more than 20 universities working with FutureLearn, launches its first course, Inside Cancer, next January, and regards MOOCs as a way of breaking down age barriers. "There's no reason why someone doing GCSEs should not look at our MOOCs and get quite a way through them, or someone at PhD level and beyond," says Professor Bernie Morley, expert for learning and teaching.
MOOCs have these features EXCEPT that ___________.
| A．MOOCs are free of charge for anyone |
| B．MOOCs can be adjusted according to people’s learning pace |
| C．MOOCs provide teachers’ instructions if you have some difficulty |
| D．MOOCs have a platform for learners to share their learning experience |
The response to FutureLearn has been thought to be unbelievable mainly because ___________.
| A．all the courses on the platform are available to anyone in the world |
| B．Edinburgh University became the first non-US institution to join it |
| C．the number of people registering in the platform is beyond expectation |
| D．students can get a certification of participation without passing assessments |
What can be inferred from Professor Bernie Morley in the last paragraph?
| A．People with various learning levels will probably show interest in MOOCs. |
| B．People at PhD level have already known everything about MOOCs. |
| C．Inside Cancer will be the most popular course for someone doing GCSEs. |
| D．MOOCs are not so competitive as lifelong learning courses due to the problems of credits. |
The passage mainly deals with ___________.
| A．the various opinions on FutureLearn |
| B．the advantages of online teaching methods |
| C．the popularity of no-credit courses |
| D．the appearance of a new learning platform |
One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for badly-treated women located in a deserted section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy. One little girl in particular moved like a wisp (纤弱的小东西) in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn't want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood.
Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and put Soapy on the blanket. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat rigidly at the edge of the blanket, legs held stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn't reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat tensely, just staring.
Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit.
The child did not reach out to touch Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained motionless.
I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed to have stopped.
The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held Soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended (悬挂) from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child's shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a faint smile.
The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child — something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy's innocence and trust appeared to arouse those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all.The little girl didn't speak any word because ___________.
| A．she liked staying silent and still |
| B．she had no friends to talk with |
| C．she had too much hard experience |
| D．the people in the shelter all kept silent |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a. The little girl gave a faint smile.
b. Soapy reached out and laid his chin on her knee.
c. The little girl carefully reached out and circled him with her arms.
d. Soapy's breathing slowed and he closed his eyes.
e. The little girl began to whisper to Soapy.
| A．c; b; e; d; a | B．b; c; d; e; a |
| C．b; c; e; d; a | D．c; b; d; e; a |
The author's purpose of writing the passage is to tell us ___________.
| A．a moving story about a lonely girl who hasn't talked for years |
| B．to pay more attention to those children who have been deserted by their parents |
| C．a lot of kind people around us are offering help to those in need |
| D．the heart-to-heart communication between animal and human is powerful |
The best title for this passage may be ___________.
| A．Soapy Smith and A Little Girl |
| B．A Great Surprise |
| C．The Language of The Heart |
| D．Human Beings and Animals |