Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens（过敏原）, prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children？
A study finds that, contrary to many parents’ fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child’s risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study’s lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was “very surprised” by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps "exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.
There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune(免疫) system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child’s allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them.
Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?
| A．Because the results are contrary to their expectation． |
| B．Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs． |
| C．Because parents are so much worried about their children． |
| D．Because children with animals may develop allergies easily． |
Compared with children who have pets，those who haven’t ______.
| A．will lose the chance to develop immune system |
| B．will reduce the harm from bacteria |
| C．may suffer allergic diseases more often |
| D．can keep doctors away |
The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.
| A．the early life | B．an allergic disease |
| C．something important | D．immune system |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to protect your kids from allergies |
| B．Bacteria do good to your kids |
| C．Your pets may be helping your kids |
| D．Advantages of owning pets |
Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs（爬楼梯）. She was soon out of breath.（气喘吁吁）
“I think I had better go to the doctor, ” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not at all surprised, ”he said. “It’s obvious （明显的）what your problem is.”
He examined her and then gave her some advice.“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs. Parker,” he said. “You will have a heart attack（心脏病）. It could kill you.”
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher’s shop（肉店）.
“I’d like ten pounds of steak (大块肉片), please,” she said.
“Certainly, madam,” the butcher(屠夫) answered and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale(秤).
“That’s just ten pounds,” he said.
“That’s big enough,” Mrs. Parker said.
The butcher worked out(计算) the price.
“At $ 4.99 a pound that will be $ 49.90, please. Would you like me to cut it into small pieces for you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat,” Mrs. Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher said angrily, “Why did you ask me to get it for you?”
“My doctor told me that I am overweight (超重的)and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of flesh looked liked.”. Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?
| A．She had a heart attack. | B．She had a problem with her health. |
| C．She was unhappy about her weight. | D．She could not sleep well. |
. Why did she ask for ten pounds of steak?
| A．she wanted to buy some for dinner. | B．She wanted to lose weight |
| C．Her doctor had told her to eat steak. | |
| D．She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like. |
.. What was her real problem?
| A．She ate too much steak. | B．She weighed too much. |
| C．The doctor didn’t know. | D．She could not walk very quickly. |
. What did the doctor think might happen to Ellen?
| A．she might put more on weight. | B．She might stop eating too much. |
| C．She might have a heart attack. | D．She might go to another doctor. |
Mr. King lived with six hundred wild（野生）animals on the Greek Island of Kyklos. Ever since he left school, he had traveled all over the word collecting animals for his own zoo. He hoped to collect（收集） two examples of every kind of animal on his island（岛屿）. But he was afraid that people would find him someday.
He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate.
One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil（石油）. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life’s work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn’t mix.. . Mr. King traveled all over the world for collecting ______.
| A．oil | B．water | C．animals | D．money |
. . Mr. King was afraid that people would find him someday because ________.
| A．he hadn’t got enough money for them | B．that would be the end of his zoo |
| C．he hadn’t got enough water and oil | D．they would buy his animals |
. . Mr. King wrote books to _______.
| A．tell people about his story | B．tell people how to find oil |
| C．get enough money for his animals | D．make money for his travels |
. . In the passage, “oil and water couldn’t mix” means that “_________”.
| A．Mr. King needed not only water but also oil |
| B．oil and water were rather difficult to be mixed together |
| C．Mr. King’s animals only needed water, not oil |
| D．if he told the others he found oil, his life’s work would be stopped |
On a small farm in Mexico, there are no schools. A bus is the school! The driver of the bus is the teacher! It is a school bus, but it doesn't take children to school. It just goes round from place to place, and sometimes it comes to this farm. The bus will stay here for three months. The farmers call it a school on wheels (车轮).
Every time the bus comes, the farmers come running to it, shouting and laughing. They warmly welcome the school bus!
When the bus is on the farm, in the morning, the teacher teaches the small children. In the afternoon, the bigger children come to have their lessons because they must work in the morning. At night, the fathers and mothers come to school. They want to learn, too. How the farmers hope that some day they can have a real(真正的) school on their farm! . . The driver of the bus is ________.
| A．the teacher | B．the student | C．the farmer | D．the school |
.The bus school will ________.
| A．take children to school | B．stay there for lunch |
| C．take the fathers and mothers to school | D．go round from place to place |
. . When the school bus comes, the farmers are ________.
| A．sad | B．angry | C．be happy | D．disappointed(失望) |
. . Which one of the following is true?
| A．A school bus is a real school for farmers' children. |
| B．The bus school has no teacher at all. |
| C．The bus school has no students. |
| D．The children and their parents on the farm all come to the bus school to learn. |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris bus. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in line(排队), others were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe(咖啡馆). he looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, Mike, one of Tom’s workmates came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked Mike.
“There’s plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Well, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said Mike.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. “Oh! It’s going backward(倒行)!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You’re looking at the clock in the mirror.” said Mike. Tom was so sad(难过). The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.、Tom went into the station cafe because.
| A．Mike asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．it was quite early and he could find a seat there |
| C．he didn’t like to stay with the schoolgirls |
| D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there |
、What time was it in fact when Tom looked at the clock in the mirror?
| A．Half past twelve | B．Twenty to twelve |
| C．Half past eleven | D．Half past one |
、From the story we know that when we look at a clock in a mirror, we will find
.
| A．the time is right | B．it’s going slower |
| C．it’s going backward | D．it’s going faster |
、Which of the following is true?
| A．Tom arrived in Paris on time |
| B．The next bus would leave in half an hour |
| C．After that Tom didn’t like clocks any longer |
| D．Tom looked at the clock in the mirror only once |
、Which of the following is the title(题目) of the story?
| A．The Mirror of the Station |
| B．Not A Careful Man |
| C．Missing A Bus |
| D．The Clock In The Mirror |
We each have a memory（记忆力）. That’s why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things by heart, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises.、Some people can easily learn many things by heart because .
| A．they always sleep very well | B．they often eat good food |
| C．they read a lot of books | D．they have very good memories |
.、Everybody learns his mother language .
| A．at the age of six | B．when he is a small child |
| C．after he goes to school | D．when he can read and write |
.、Before a child can speak, he must .
| A．read and write | B．make sentences |
| C．hear and remember the sounds | D．think hard |
.、In school the pupils can’t learn a foreign language well because .
| A．they have no good memories | B．they have no recorders |
| C．they have too much time for it | D．they are busy with other subjects |
.、Your memory will become better and better .
| A．if you have plenty of good food |
| B．if you do more and more exercises |
| C．if you do morning exercises every day |
| D．if you get up early |