Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food．What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because________.
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can' t choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.
| A．forcing | B．guiding |
| C．driving | D．moving |
The main purpose of the text is to _________.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
The deep sea is one of the most mysterious places on earth. Scientists rarely go there. Those few do discover new species all of the time. Many places of the deepest parts of the ocean, where it's forever dark, can light up. Now, a teen's research has shown new light on how one of these swimming animals behaves in darkness.
The giant flashlight fish lives in the Indian Ocean as well as in tropical parts of the central and western Pacific. It lives at depths of up to 400 meters, (about 1,300 feet). But not always. Sometimes it lives in coral reefs in shallow waters. In those shallow waters, the blackish-blue fish comes out only at night. Reef-dwelling members of this species tend to be smaller than those living in deeper waters. Those biggies can grow to lengths of 35meters (14inches). That may not sound like a giant, but they are the largest of their type of fish.
The giant flashlight fish gets its name from a small glow-in-the-dark patch found in a packet of tissue under each eye, explains Caroline Edmonds. She is a 13- year-old student from Fountain Valley, Calif. There, she attends Talbert Middle School. She said that the eye pockets in these fish contain light-producing bacteria.
These bacteria and their host fish have built a relationship that helps both. The fish use the bacteria as a way to communicate with creatures around them. The bacteria gain nutrients from the fish and a safe place to live. When a fish wants to “ flash” its light, it turns the bacteria-filled pocket toward the outside of its body, Caroline explains. When a fish wants to hide its light, it turns the pocket back toward the inside. According to her data, the fish flash most often when they are being fed. They flash least often late at night, when they are resting.The deep sea is dark and mysterious, but _________
| A．a teen's research is going to light it up. |
| B．in the deepest part, lives a swimming animal. |
| C．scientists are looking for a new species to light up. |
| D．a kind of glowing fish has been found there. |
What do we know about the giant flashlight fish?
| A．It doesn't like living in warm places. |
| B．It can be found in coral reefs at times. |
| C．It doesn't like moving around at night. |
| D．It always lives at depths of up to 400 meters. |
From where does the giant flashlight fish produce light?
| A．Between its wings. |
| B．Inside its body. |
| C．Inside its back. |
| D．Near its eyes. |
We can infer from the passage that Caroline Edmonds _________
| A．is probably on a research team. |
| B．has learned about the fish in the library. |
| C．has always focused on her studies at school. |
| D．is one of the most famous American scientists. |
What is implied in the last paragraph?
| A．The light is usually on when the fish is excited. |
| B．The fish is sometimes troubled by the light. |
| C．The fish can decide when to “flash” its light. |
| D．The light is usually on when the fish is resting. |
As a volunteer, you will discover the unique opportunity of visiting the real world beyond the tourist window and became immersed（沉浸）in the culture you visit. For most travelers, this time spent working on meaningful projects, and getting to know the local area and its people, is often cited as their most memorable, enjoyable and fulfilling life experience.
Who can volunteer？
Kaya Volunteers are 18-80 years old people with an adventurous spirit. Whether you have time for a 2-week trip or a 6-month break, travelling on your own, with a group or with your family, or you are a student, taking a break from your job, or have even retired, they will find a project that can use your help.
Countries where you can volunteer:
Asia-Pacific (Australia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam.)
Africa (Botswana,Ghana,Kenya,Mozambique,South Africa,Zambia,Zimbabwe)
Latin America (Belize,Bolivia,Brazil,Costa Rica,Ecuador,Peru)
What type of projects can you do?
Kaya's Project advisors work with you to decide which project is best for you and what type of work you would like to do. you can work in the following fields:
Environmental preservation- From the Ecuadorian rain forest to the jungles of Thailand, repair the damage done to some of the most beautiful and diverse places on earth.
Work with children- They have over 40 projects working with children across the world in orphanages, schools and shelters for the abused, disabled and disadvantaged.
Sports - Through sports, their projects that can provide opportunities for health education and the development of life skills, such as teamwork, communication, discipline and self- confidence.
Education - From English teaching to education programs for special needs and minority groups, give greater opportunity to the disadvantaged through education.
All projects include airport pick-ups and drop-offs, accommodation, orientation and 24-hour support. Many of their placements also include all meals and some language classes so that you can get even more involved.The author wrote the passage for the purpose of __________.
| A．explaining different projects for volunteers |
| B．calling in volunteers for sightseeing projects |
| C．showing us the advantages of volunteers |
| D．encouraging us to do some voluntary work. |
While doing the advertised voluntary work, a volunteer can __________.
| A．pay a visit to his or her placement |
| B．receive some extra pay for his work |
| C．be free of charge while visiting around |
| D．get in touch with the local people |
What can we infer from the second part of this passage?
| A．Only experienced people are needed. |
| B．Only grown-up people are welcome. |
| C．There isn't any restriction set on volunteers. |
| D．Few people are willing to do the voluntary work. |
Some voluntary placements offer free meals and language classes to __________.
| A．attract more people to do voluntary work. |
| B．encourage voluntary as to work harder. |
| C．save more money for the volunteers. |
| D．help volunteer get more involved. |
According to the article, volunteers can get the following except __________.
| A．air tickets. |
| B．accommodation. |
| C．24-hour support. |
| D．pre-job training |
Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost ￡169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost ￡118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you're looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was ￡95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was ￡75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just ￡62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self－catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, available for ￡420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE London's “Boris bikes” have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around ￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or ￡5 per day)．The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may ________．
| A．help travelers pass time |
| B．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation |
| C．allow travelers to make flexible plans |
| D．attract lots of travelers to the UK |
“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably ________．
| A．an ideal holiday destination |
| B．the tube line to Covent Garden |
| C．a hotel far away from the train station |
| D．the name of a travel agency |
The passage shows that the O'Neill Flat ________．
| A．provides cooking facilities for tourists |
| B．is located in central London |
| C．lies on the ground floor |
| D．costs over ￡100 on average per day in late September |
Cardiff's program allows a free bike for a maximum period of ________．
| A．two hours |
| B．one hour |
| C．one hour and a half |
| D．half an hour |
The main purpose of the passage is ________．
| A．to tell visitors how to book in advance |
| B．to offer visitors some money－saving tips |
| C．to show visitors the importance of self－help |
| D．to supply visitors with hotel information |
The temperature of the sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The sun is so much hotter than the earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core. In the core of the sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the sun can never be directly observed.
Solar astronomers do know that the sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone and finally the core. The first three zones are regarded as the sun’s atmosphere ends and the main body of the sun begins.
The sun’s outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and goes outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the sun that can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the sun’s rays.
The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light, about as bright as the full moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike (一束束穗状) rays near the sun’s north and south poles. The corona is thickest at the sun’s equator.
The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the sun’s corona rays reach the earth, they are weak and invisible.Matter on the sun can exist only in the form of gas because of the sun’s ______.
| A．size | B．age | C．location | D．temperature |
With what topic is the second paragraph mainly concerned?
| A．How the sun evolved. |
| B．The structure of the sun. |
| C．Why scientists study the sun. |
| D．The distance of the sun from the planets. |
All of the following are parts of the sun’s atmosphere EXCEPT the _______.
| A．corona | B．chromospheres |
| C．photosphere | D．core |
According to the passage, as the corona rays reach the planets, they become _______.
| A．hotter | B．clearer |
| C．thinner | D．stronger |
The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses which of the following?
| A．The remaining layers of the sun. |
| B．The evolution of the sun to its present form. |
| C．The eclipse of February 1979. |
| D．Scientists will cost more money on researching the corona. |
Barditch High School decided to have an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hands to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans (嘟嚷声) when Ms. Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth of your children, in my imagination. ”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued：
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in your chosen path. ”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar. Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.What activity was organized for the school reunion?
| A．Sightseeing in the park. |
| B．A picnic on the school playground. |
| C．Telling stories about past events. |
| D．Graduates’ report in the old building. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?
| A．Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech. |
| B．Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching. |
| C．Some people got tired from the reunion activities. |
| D．Most people had little interest in the reunion. |
We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she .
| A．keep track of her students’ progress |
| B．gave her students advice on their careers |
| C．attended her students’ college graduations |
| D．went to her students’ wedding ceremonies |
What was Ms. Yates’ belief in teaching teenagers?
| A．Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’ achievement. |
| B．Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced. |
| C．Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed. |
| D．Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers. |
Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates?
| A．Reliable and devoted. | B．Tough and generous. |
| C．Proud but patient. | D．Strict but caring. |