Eating too much fatty food，exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately：the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure（暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can cause heart attack or stroke（中风） within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one report of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants（污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. Another study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency（EPA）considers to be of “moderate”(良好) quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health. The text mainly discusses the relationship between _________.
| A．heart problems and air quality | B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking | D．heart problems and fatty food |
The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _________ .
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
We can learn from the text that __________？
| A．eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
| B．the EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
| C．moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking. |
| D．stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _________ .
| A．inform | B．persuade |
| C．describe | D．entertain |
Dear Dean,
It is my understanding that this college has received a large donation to be used to improve the quality of life for students: expand the bookstore or add computers to the lab. I strongly argue in favor of the addition of more computers.
We have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for students. Do we want our college to be known as a place with a great bookstore where you can find CDs and gifts, or as a place where the students can research in their field using the best tools provided by technology?
As a learning institution, this college has the responsibility to offer its students the best technology to help them prepare for their future, since many students will be expected to be familiar with the latest software and other tools when they go on to work.
While they are in college, students find they are expected to use computers. They are asked to create PowerPoint presentations and research many topics on the Internet. Being able to do projects using the computer also gives students the opportunity to find information that without a computer would be much more difficult to find. Since students are competing for good grades, those who have limited access to computers are at a great disadvantage.
If there are more new and faster computers accessible, students will be able to complete their work more efficiently. No more will they have to wait in line, paper and disk in hand, while scanning the room for an empty chair and computer. No longer will they have to sit and wait while an outdated computer struggles to follow their commands.
The more computers are used in society, the more colleges will depend on them as a tool of teaching and learning. Making computers more accessible to students facilitates their learning process by making it much easier and more engaging(专注), and eventually improves their quality of life.The purpose of the author in writing the passage is________.
| A．to explain why students are in great need of computers |
| B．to tell us what benefits students can gain from computers |
| C．to persuade the Dean to purchase more advanced computers |
| D．to describe the problems caused by lack of computers |
The author mainly wants to tell us in paragraph four that ________.
| A．computers are beneficial to students’ academic success |
| B．computers are the only access to good grades for students |
| C．students find it convenient to do homework by computers |
| D．students wish to use more money to buy more computers |
The underlined word “facilitates” can be replaced by________.
| A．furthers | B．equips | C．predicts | D．troubles |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A.  |
B.  |
C. |
D.  |
CP: Central point P: Point SP: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
Imagine you are doing this reading in this text on the computer; what else are you doing? Maybe you’re eating a sandwich or drinking a cup of Starbucks. Should you eat while reading?
There aren’t many believable numbers, but we do know the number of people who eat while sitting in front of some type of screen is growing. A recent study found that 33 percent of families always have the TV on during meal times and another 27 percent people have it on at least half the time. Another 10 percent may be texting, emailing or talking on a cell phone while eating.
Any type of these behaviors is bad, considering the following evidence:
A Canadian study found that children who watch more than three hours of cartoons a day are 50 percent more likely to be fat than children who watch fewer than two hours. The researchers concluded that more than 60 percent of overweight incidents can be connected with screen watching too much.
A three-week study found that adults who usually play with smartphones less burned 119 more calories per day.
One Chicago researcher found that people eat more potato chips while reading online than when they have the laptop turned off.
There has been very little investigation(调查) into eating with your eyes staring at a screen or reading a book, but it is likely that his mindless eating is related to weight gain. Simply speaking, your brain has no idea what is going on with your mouth because it is occupied by other things. You don’t notice how full your stomach is, and you often don’t even notice the taste or the act of chewing and swallowing, as a result of which, developing an adapted dietary habit is a must.The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with ________.
| A．stories and explanations | B．examples and investigations |
| C．an argument and evidence | D．facts and descriptions |
Which of the following statement is true?
| A．Being focused while eating is a good way to have a good figure. |
| B．Adults’ weight is not affected by their eating habits. |
| C．There exist many investigations into eating while reading. |
| D．This text must be found on a website. |
What can be the best title of this passage?
| A．How Should You Lose Weight? |
| B．Should You Do Other Things While Eating? |
| C．Healthy and Unhealthy Eating Habits |
| D．TV and Eating |
What will the author probably continue to write?
| A．Express healthy eating ways. |
| B．Give more useful investigations into eating. |
| C．Describe the study about the old who watch less TV while eating. |
| D．Tell the proper ways to watch TV. |
When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship.
For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. “After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party,” she says. “I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal.”
When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. “I didn’t know how to deal with the issue. I didn’t sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly.” The decision caused a reaction among Thompson’s other friends. “The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend,” she says. “They don’t want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over.”
Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don’t have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice.
Don’t blame.
Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle.
Do talk about your needs.
Talk about why the friendship is not working for you—about how your needs aren’t being met.
Don’t gossip.
Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse.
Don’t be so accessible.
If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship, then you can remove it.How did Angela Thompson deal with her friendship when it went wrong?
| A．She ended it face to face. |
| B．She left it as it was. |
| C．She turned to her friends for advice. |
| D．She made a direct challenge. |
According to the third paragraph, we learn the other friends________.
| A．will help you to fix a broken friendship |
| B．will choose either of the sides who broke up |
| C．will ask you to forgive each other |
| D．will be the worst people to break up with you at the same time |
Which is NOT mentioned by Psychologist Serena Cauchy?
| A．End the friendship if it can’t be renewed. |
| B．Don’t complain behind one’s back. |
| C．Express what you want and expect. |
| D．Sincerely talk about friends’ shortcomings. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A True Friendship | B．When Friendships disappear |
| C．How Friendships Last | D．Ways to Fix Friendships |
On August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley saved me.
The previous afternoon, I played with my six-year-old peers in Heather Peters’ backyard. I was enjoying my cake, when Heather asked me where my sleeping bag was. Only then did I know this party was a sleepover. The word “sleep-over” to a six-year-old bed-wetter is like what “cancer” means to an adult. But what if I told them I was a bed-wetter? At least with cancer, people gather at your bedside instead of running from it.
I thought of a way to escape. I would explain that I needed my mother’s permission to spend the nights. But as I called my Mom, Heather stood beside me to listen. She granted permission! Then I would be sleeping in the same living room as the other girls. I didn't bring my own nightdress, so Mrs. Peters offered me Heather's nightdress.
As the other girls drifted into their sweet dreams, I tried to stay awake. “Do I need to go again? I’ll stay up to go one more time...”. Of course, I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I was the first to wake up. I was warm! I lay in panic for what seemed like hours before the other girls started to wake up. I did the only thing I could do—I pretended that the bed-wetting didn't happen. I got up, took off Heather's nightdress and changed into my clothes like the other girls.
Mrs. Peters walked into the room, and before she could say anything, she stepped right onto the pile of my wet nightdress. My heart stopped as I watched her face burn red. “WHO DID THIS?” She screamed, with a look so scary. Should I answer? And that was when it happened—Mr. Peters came in and grabbed his wife, “Elvis Presley died!”
The news of the King’s death overtook Mrs. Peters, and I was narrowly excused. Then, we left Peters’ together but without the other girls knowing what had happened.The author had to spend the night at Peters’ because ________.
| A．they had fun together and played too late |
| B．she was offered the nightdress |
| C．the famous singer Elvis Presley died that night |
| D．she and her friends were having a sleepover party |
Mrs. Peters got angry because ________.
| A．she found the nightdress wet |
| B．Elvis Presley died that morning |
| C．her husband grabbed her |
| D．not all the girls behaved themselves |
From the story, we know Mrs. Peters was ________.
| A．a crazy and strict woman |
| B．a devoted fan of Elvis Presley |
| C．a woman for perfection |
| D．a woman with a strong fear of getting dirty |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How I escaped Mrs. Peters’ punishment. |
| B．How Elvis Presley saved my life. |
| C．An embarrassing escape in my life. |
| D．An unforgettable party in my memory. |
Have you ever made contact with the creative spirit, that certain something hard to describe, but full of good—and sometimes great—ideas? It is more than an occasional great thought. When we feel the moving of the creative spirit, it brings to life a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to invent, to explore new ways of doing things, and to turn dreams into reality.
That flash of inspiration is the final moment of a process marked by unique stages—the basic steps in creative problem-solving. The first stage is preparation, when you look for any information that might be important. It's when you let your imagination run free.
But one barrier(障碍) is the inside voice of judgment that locks up our creative spirit within the limits of what we think acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, "They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice of judgment and have the courage to discount its unhelpful advice.
Once you have thought about all the relevant(相关的) pieces and pushed your mind to the limits, you can let the problem remain and take in all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it."
We are more open to creative thoughts from the unknowing mind when we are not really thinking of anything. That is why daydreams are so useful in the search for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk, etc.
With luck, daydreaming will lead to a light turning on above your head, when all of a sudden the answer will come to you as if from nowhere. This is the popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "This is it!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act. The final stage is translation, when you take your creative thought and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.In Paragraph 1, “the moving of the creative spirit” probably means ________.
| A．preparation | B．exploration | C．problem-solving | D．inspiration |
According to the article, what keeps us from creativity?
| A．Having less information to form a good idea. |
| B．Relying on others during the creative process. |
| C．Caring about other people’s opinions about us. |
| D．Thinking about too many ideas at the same time. |
What can we learn from the fifth paragraph?
| A．The unknowing mind is very difficult for us to understand. |
| B．Creativity arrives when we aren’t focused on any one thing. |
| C．Daydreaming is useless and has nothing to do with creativity. |
| D．Showers, long drives and quiet walk are good for our bodies. |
When does creativity become useful to us and others?
| A．When thought is turned into action. |
| B．When people understand our ideas. |
| C．When the popular stage is reached. |
| D．When we think “This is it!”. |
Which of the following would the author probably support?
| A．The creative spirit means an occasional great thought. |
| B．Others’ voice of judgment allows us to ignore barriers. |
| C．Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination. |
| D．Daydreaming is sure to bring a sudden answer to a problem. |