Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived(剥夺). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (多动症). Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood. One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.
| A．jogging on the street |
| B．sitting in the garden |
| C．shopping in the supermarket |
| D．running in the gym |
| A．adults deprive the children of their rights to approach nature |
| B．climbing trees will certainly do good to the children |
| C．children probably spend less time in nature nowadays |
| D．children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction |
| A．Children with ADHD can be cured. |
| B．A garden nearby improves the quality of old people’s life. |
| C．Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved. |
| D．Children’s performance at school is greatly improved. |
A. Access to nature improves our life.
B. Nature treats children with ADHD.
C. Getting close to nature reduces crime.
D. Man can’t live without natural areas.
B
If a sitcom(情景喜剧)that lasts for l0 years is considered popular，then surely one that still arouses emotions after 20 must be considered a classic．Friends first aired in the US in 1994，featuring a cast of six young men and women in New York．In the time since，it’s become one of the most famous titles in the sitcom style，aired in over 100 countries and regions in the world．
The show is typical among those who grew up in the 1990s because it explores basic yet important themes like friendship，struggling to survive in a big city，and finding independence and identity，all of which are still relevant to young audiences today．
Against the background of the Internet age，IT staff who were once marginalized(排斥)and laughed at have experienced a revival due to the popularity of hit show The Big Bang Theory，in which four talents lacking normal social skills make an attempt at living on a college campus．
At the same time，Gossip Girl，describing a young cast of New Yorkers born with silver spoons in their mouths，demonstrates the difficulties upper-class adolescents experience．The show’s fashion and mature subject matter allowed it to capture the interest of both teenagers and adults．
Although these typical TV shows span a wide timeline and feature a variety of themes，they all have a universal topic．Love，money，friendship，career aspirations and identity are things all young people struggle to understand．Why are they still fascinating? It remains to be found out．Why is the sitcom Friends typical among young people in the 1990s?
| A．Because it is a breakthrough in the producing style． |
| B．Because it is the most influential sitcom of all time． |
| C．Because it addresses the subjects faced by the youth． |
| D．Because it predicts the future of the young at that time． |
What can we learn about The Big Bang Theory?
| A．It arouses people’s enthusiasm for computers． |
| B．There are four talents who are good at everything． |
| C．It is set in the time before the Internet came into being． |
| D．It improves the conditions of the people in technological industry． |
According to the passage，Gossip Girl ．
| A．attracts people of all ages |
| B．shows eye-catching style and adult subject |
| C．describes the life of ordinary girl |
| D．describes the hardships of upper-class people |
What will the author most probably talk about next?
| A．The introduction to other hit sitcoms． |
| B．The further information about the plot． |
| C．The emotional response among audience． |
| D．The analysis of the reasons for the appeal． |
A
The old lady got up early to be ready for the post．Although she seldom received letters or parcels，today she was sure there would be something．Myra wouldn’t forget her mother’s birthday, even if she seldom wrote at other times．Of course Myra was busy．Her husband had been made Mayor, and Myra herself had got a medal for her work for the aged．
The old lady was eighty today．She had put on her best dress．Perhaps Myra might come．The old lady was sure of that．Two spots of color brightened her cheeks．She was excited--like a child．She would enjoy her day．
Mrs. Morrison，a social worker，had brought a card and a bunch of flowers when she came to do the breakfast．Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake．The little boy from the ground floor，Johnnie，had been up with a packet of candies，and offered to help her fetch the post．
“I guess you’ll get lots and lots of presents，“he said，I did last week when l was six．”
What would she like ? A pair of slippers，a table lamp，a book or a little clock．So many lovely things．
She stood by the window，watching．The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle．Her heart beat fast．Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate．And then he gave her four envelopes．Three were unsealed cards from old friends．The fourth was sealed，in Myra’s writing．
“No parcel，Johnnie?”
“No，granny．”
Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post．That was it．It would come later by parcel post．She must be patient．
But disappointment flooded her．She tore the envelope open unwillingly．A cheque fell to the floor like a bird with a broken、wing．Slowly the old lady bent to pick it up．With trembling fingers she tore it into little bits．What kind of work did Myra probably take?
| A．charity | B．paperwork |
| C．accounting | D．education |
What does the underlined word “it” mean?
| A．The reunion time she looked forward to． |
| B．The reason why there was no parcel． |
| C．The birthday gift she wanted most． |
| D．The slowest way to send a gift． |
How is the passage organized?
| A．In order of time． |
| B．In order of space． |
| C．In order of frequency． |
| D．In order of importance． |
The author seems to tell us that ．
| A．there is no love like that of the parent for the child |
| B．to accompany our parents should be the first law of nature |
| C．a mother’s voice is the most beautiful sound in the world |
| D．we never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents |
E
As a society we might want to rethink the time and money spent on education，so that these resources can benefit a greater percentage of the population．Ideally，both high schools and colleges can prepare individuals for the ever-changing roles．
High school degrees offer far less in the way of preparation for work than they might，or than many other nations currently offer，creating a growing skills gap in our economy．We encourage students to go on to college whether they are prepared or not，or have a clear sense of purpose or interest，and now have the highest college dropout rate in the world．
We might look to other countries for models of how high schools can offer better training，as well as the development of a work ethic(美德)and the intellectual skills needed for continued learning and development．
Meanwhile，the liberal arts(人文学科)become more important than ever．In a knowledge economy where professional roles change rapidly and many college students are preparing for positions that may not even exist yet，the skillneeded is one that prepares them for change and continued learning．
Learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech，knowing how to find information，and knowing how to do research are all solid background skills for a wide variety of roles，and such training is more important than any particular major in a liberal arts college．We need to continue to value broad preparation in thinking skills that will serve for a lifetime．
Students also need to learn to work independently and to make responsible decisions．The lengthening path to adulthood appears exacerbated(恶化)by parental involvement in the college years．Given the rising investment in college education，parental concern is not surprising，but learning where and when to intervene willhelp students take more ownership of the outcomes of these increasingly costly educations．What kind of education does the author think is ideal?
| A．It benefits the great majority of the general population． |
| B．It prepares students to meet the future needs of society． |
| C．It encourages students to learn throughout their lives． |
| D．It ensures that students’expectations are successfully fulfilled． |
What is the feature of a knowledge economy?
| A．People have to receive higher education to qualify for a professional position． |
| B．Students majoring in liberal arts usually have difficulty seeking a job． |
| C．New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning． |
| D．Colleges find it hard to teach students how to cope with the changing economy． |
According to the author，a liberal arts college should focus on ?
| A．solid background knowledge in a particular field |
| B．practical skills urgently needed in current society |
| C．basic skills needed for change and lifelong learning |
| D．useful thinking skills for advanced academic research |
What suggestion does the author offer to parents?
| A．Rethinking the value of higher education． |
| B．Investing wisely in their children’s education． |
| C．Helping their children to bring their talent into full play． |
| D．Avoiding too much intervention in their children’s education． |
D
Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid accumulation in your body． Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods．
When we cook foods，we destroy the natural enzymes(酶)that are part of the food in its raw form．These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food．When we consume food without these natural enzymes，our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream．In both instances，the result is obesity．When too many nutrients are absorbed at once，the body grows fat．
Processed foods contain chemical elements，which might confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat；as a result，people often overeat．Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle．The body will either identify these foods as allergens(过敏原)and then store them safely away from the organs as fat，or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste，which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body's cells．The body's metabolism(新陈代谢)becomes inactive，and the result is weight gain and obesity．
To stop thisviciouscircle in its tracks，people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize the acid already accumulated in body．Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help．It’s also important to restore your enzyme balance．You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production．If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself，you need to take an active approach．It can be inferred from Para．2 that ．
| A．foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit |
| B．we’d better be cautious about raw and whole foods |
| C．it is essential for people to protect their vital organs |
| D．giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle |
Processed foods are unhealthy because they ．
| A．destroy body's cells |
| B．may lead to obesity |
| C．are difficult to digest |
| D．stop body's metabolism |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To warn people of the problem of obesity． |
| B．To advocate eating more raw and whole foods． |
| C．To inform people of the harm of processed foods． |
| D．To tell the differences between raw and processed foods． |
The underlined word “vicious” in the last paragraph probably means ．
| A．violent | B．progressive |
| C．harmful | D．positive |
C
Dear David，
I’m glad you would like to share your feelings with me．It’s hardly surprising that yourfeelings of not being “grown up” have come on strongly at this point in your life，just before you’re about to become a father．You are asking：will I make a good father？How will I cope?
Should I have brought anotherlittle person into the world? Can l provide for it?Help!I thinknearly every sensitive about-to-be-parent must have these occasional feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy(不适)before the birth and it would be most unusual if you didn't share them．It's difficult，honestly，to feel grown-up unless you have something less grown-up to relate to．
The boss with a hen-pecking wife may feel like a seven-year-old when he’s at home．But as he walks through the office door，and knows he’s going to be surrounded by staff looking to him forAdvice，he grows into a fully mature man．And I think it’s a mistake to imagine that we all feel，aswe age，a kind of progression of states，from the baby to the adult．Most people feel，on Tuesday，about three years old，and on a Wednesday，around 80．
There's a common remark that “all men are little boys”，but it's not true．It's more true that men often behave like little boys．But nearly all people，at some moments in their lives，arecapable of groat maturity．
Once your baby arrives，you’ll soon feel less childlike，or rather，less often．When your childtries to put its fingers into the electric plug，the adult in you will rise up to prevent it．You’ll see
you have very little in common with a needy child，particularly if it's looking to you for comfort and support．
Comfort yourself，David，with two truths．One is that your friends laugh when they talk about this subject because they，like you，feel frightened．And remember that people who haven't grown
up don’t go around talking about the fact that they don’t feel grown-up．
Hope my advice will be helpful and good luck to you and your little one．
Yours sincerely，
Miss AdviceAccording to the passage，Miss Advice thinks David's self-doubt is ．
| A．valuable | B．natural |
| C．unusual | D．bearable |
From Paragraph 2，we can learn that people's sense of maturity ．
| A．will increase with age |
| B．is obviously seen at home |
| C．changes with different situations |
| D．becomes stronger with familiar people |
Miss Advice holds that ．
| A．all men behave like little boys |
| B．people tend to laugh at the subject |
| C．men with a baby feel more grown-up |
| D．people enjoy talking about their immaturity |
Miss Advice wrote the letter to -
| A．offer suggestions to a future father |
| B．teach people how to grow up |
| C．encourage people to be responsible |
| D．solve problems of the less grown-up |