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. |
Most Americans would have a difficult time telling you, specifically, what the values are which Americans live by. They have never given the matter any thought.
Over the years I have introduced thousands of international visitors to life in the United States. This has caused me to try to look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors, I am confident that the values listed in this booklet describe most （but not all ）Americans, and that understanding these values can help you, the international visitor, understand Americans.
It is my belief that if foreign visitors really understand how deeply these 13 values are ingrained in Americans, they will then be able to understand 95% of American actions —actions which might otherwise appear “strange,”“ confusing,” or “unbelievable” when evaluated from the perspective （aspect） of the foreigner's own society and its values.
The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions and values of that particular group. When you encounter （meet） an action, or hear a statement in the United States which surprises you, try to see it as an expression of one or more of the values listed in this booklet. An ordinary American can't tell you his / her value system because______.
| A．this is something an American lives by |
| B．everyone will have his/her own system |
| C．he/she has never thought about it |
| D．values are something often in their thought |
The author lists 13 values in his booklet to_____.
| A．invite foreigners to visit America |
| B．look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors |
| C．describe the confusing actions of most Americans |
| D．help international visitors understand Americans |
The underlined word “ingrained” in Line 2, Paragraph 3 most probably means ______.
| A．rooted in the minds | B．found in the grains |
| C．planted for food | D．prepared with grain |
Visitors sometimes find Americans behave in a strange, confusing or unbelievable way, probably because___.
| A．Americans are hard to understand |
| B．Americans have values which are entirely different from their own |
| C．they view Americans according to the values in their own society |
| D．it is difficult to understand any people when you first encounter them |
There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring (拳击场). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her ---- just dad.
What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that.”
Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent supportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt,” she says.
Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (对手) during the 1970s.
That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier – Generation II”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.
Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.
The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect.”Laila took up boxing because of _____.
| A．her father’s great status | B．a Mike Tyson fight |
| C．her admiration for her father | D．her interest in boxing |
From the passage we can know _____.
| A．Laila’s husband is still a boxer now |
| B．Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing |
| C．Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport |
| D．when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．That fight proved that Laila was a person of physical power. |
| B．That fight made female boxing more popular. |
| C．That fight provided people with a good change to enjoy themselves. |
| D．Laila made her first public appearance in that fight. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A female boxer ---- Laila Ali | B．The best-known fight |
| C．Ali/Frazie ---- Generation II | D．Muhammad Ali and his daughter |
Q: My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master’s degree. Her performance in general is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has to get over. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
---- Deborah
A: First let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are “test optional” which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found at fairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also prove an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
---- Ms. KravisWhat do we know about Deborah’s daughter?
| A．She is applying for a master’s degree. |
| B．She is very active in her high school. |
| C．Her disability prevents her studying well. |
| D．She has difficulty getting over her learning disability. |
The underlined word “demonstrate” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.
| A．show | B．develop | C．gain | D．change |
What is Ms. Kravis’ attitude towards one’s declaring his/her learning disability?
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
According to the passage, Mr. Kravis is probably _____.
| A．an editor | B．a school leader |
| C．a psychological doctor | D．an educational expert |
We were on the way from Hutchinson to Chicago for a short spring break. For many years I had wanted to take my family on the train. We all had been to Chicago four years ago, and the kids loved it. Chicago is one of my favorite cities, too, so the thought struck me again last fall to ride the train to Chicago. Of course, flying would have been faster. But I don’t think flying is easier, especially these days, with all the security and waiting in lines at airports.
Though we were tired in the middle of the night, the kids got on the train with the exhilaration of this adventure. “We’re moving,” my son William shouted happily with big eyes as the train began to pull away from the Hutchinson station.
I removed my shoes and lay down to try to finish my night’s sleep. The sleeper car would have better enabled that, but the ordinary train seats were not too bad. An airline flight is a more miserable experience for me: not enough room, two hours of pain with my knees almost touching my chin, the hard seatback in front cracking my kneecaps (膝盖) with every move of the body planted in front of me. On the train I could almost outstretch all of my 6-foot-2-plus body in the generous legroom.
The journey didn’t feel at all as long as it was. We all found the train ride a joy. The car ride would have felt every minute of 13 hours. But on the train you are free to walk around, sit in the observation carriage for a while and enjoy the scenery out the windows, have a nice meal in the dining car, read a book, or play a board game.
In short, the train is all about enjoying the trip, which isn’t something I do so much when traveling by airline or by car, when the trip seems more of a mission (任务) to get there than an experience to enjoy along the way.
Chicago offers much to do for a family. This time, getting there was half the fun.We can learn from the first paragraph that _____.
| A．the kids love the train journey |
| B．Chicago is one of the kid’s favorite cities |
| C．the author didn’t enjoy the long train journey |
| D．it was the first time that the kids were taken on the train |
What does the underlined word “exhilaration” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Excitement. | B．Relaxation. | C．Tiredness. | D．Worry. |
In the third paragraph, an airline flight experience is mentioned to show _____.
| A．an airline flight is easier | B．a train ride is too long |
| C．an airline flight is miserable | D．a train ride is more comfortable |
Which of the following words best describes the whole family’s feeling about the train journey?
| A．Moved. | B．Delighted. | C．Disappointed. | D．Nervous. |
The summer of 2012 was full of reports of extreme weather: one of the warmest years on record in the US, the wettest summer in the UK, and the worst drought (旱灾) in East Africa. In short, extreme weather seems to be becoming the new normal. Weather extremes are not that extreme any more. Heatwaves, droughts and wildfires are the new reality of a warming world.
And this should not come as a surprise. Scientists have been warning for years that as the planet heats up, we will have to deal with more dreadful weather. Although not every extreme weather event is the result of climate change, scientists are now much more confident about connecting weather events with climate change. In 2011, the UK had a warm November. Researchers say that it was at least 60 times more likely to happen because of climate change than because of natural changes in the earth’s weather systems.
All the news shows that climate breakdown is occurring faster than most climate scientists had expected. But isn’t it too expensive to stop the climate from changing? Well, yes it costs. So everything is just as usual. It would be wrong to believe that to let things continue as they always do is the cheap choice. Instead, it is very expensive. Just one example: droughts in the US, Russia and the Ukraine sent food prices to a record high. According to the World Bank, the price for corn increased by 113% in some markets in Mozambique and in Sudan. This is the kind of cost that often gets ignored.
I believe intelligent climate action can help create new opportunities for jobs in Europe, for encouraging creativity and competitiveness, for spending less money on energy.According to the passage, in 2012 _____.
| A．the UK had a warm November | B．the US had many wildfires |
| C．the UK had a dry summer | D．East Africa had little rain |
The author mentions the increase of food prices in Paragraph 3 to _____.
| A．show a lot of people are hungry |
| B．prove food prices are very changeable |
| C．prove we’re paying for extreme weather |
| D．show it’s expensive to stop the climate from changing |
Which of the following statements does the author probably agree with?
| A．Proper climate action will be useful. |
| B．Europe is providing limited job opportunities. |
| C．It’s everyone’s duty to protect the environment. |
| D．Everyone needs time to get used to extreme weather. |