Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful (有害的），it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem，” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers (志愿者） were given the-obromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin need to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity (神经活动），which caused coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness. According to Professor Barnes, theobromine __________
| A．cannot be as effective as codeine |
| B．can be harmful to people's health |
| C．cannot be separated from chocolate |
| D．can be a more effective cure for coughs |
What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?
| A．Theobromine. | B．Codeine. | C．Capsaicin. | D．Placebo. |
We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment __________.
| A．were patients with bad coughs |
| B．were divided into three groups |
| C．received standard treatments |
| D．suffered little side effects |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Codeine： a new medicine |
| B．Chocolate may cure coughs |
| C．Cough treatment： a hard case |
| D．Theobromine can cause coughs |
I'm writing this letter slowly because I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happened within 20 miles from our home, so we moved.
I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so that they wouldn't have to change their address. This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure it works so well though: last week I put a load in and pulled the chain (拉链) and haven't seen them since. The weather isn't bad here. It only rained twice last week; the first time for three days and the second time for four days. About that coat you wanted me to send you, your uncle Stanley said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.
John locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out. Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven't found out what it is yet. The baby looks just like your brother.
Uncle Ted fell in a whiskey vat（桶）last week. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off playfully and drowned. We had him cremated（焚化）and he burned for three days.
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up trunk. Ralph was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. You other two friends were in back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tail gate down.
There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened.
Love,
Mom
P.S. I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already sealed.From the passage, we can infer that _____.
| A．here is the letter by a son for his father |
| B．here is the letter by a mother for her son |
| C．the family moved to a new and nice place because it is really good there |
| D．the writer's daughter has got a male baby |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The number of the family is four, including the new-born baby. |
| B．The son can't send his parents a letter because the address was taken by the other family. |
| C．The son will receive a coat with the buttons detached (拆下). |
| D．None is true. |
The underlined word "it"(Para.3) refers to _____.
| A．the thing that the baby was born | B．the baby |
| C．the son's father | D．the son's mother |
What is the reason why the family moved to a new place?
| A．The son asked them to do so . |
| B．The place is really nice and the climate there is not bad, too. |
| C．His dad read in the newspaper most accidents happened within 20 miles from their home. |
| D．His sister had a baby, so they wanted to find a fine place. |
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| Teacher Wanted We want to find a teacher with following qualities： 1．Native English speaker who comes from USA, UK, CAN or AUS； 2．Rich Experience in teaching English； 3．Good computer skills If you are interested in the position，please contact Sabrina immediately：13661641372 |
Babel International Communication Club Now we are looking for a program coordinator． Location：Shanghai(People Square) Requirements： 1．Be good at communication，fun-loving and most importantly organizing． 2．Native English Speaker or English fluently If you meet the above requirements，please send your resume to babelchina@126．com Tel：86(021)63222995 |
If you are a native English speaker from New Zealand and want a teaching job，
you may contact_______．
| A．hyhysh@hotmail．com |
| B．babelchina@126．com |
| C．hr@brightshadowfilms．com |
| D．americanenglishacademy@gmail．com |
Which of the following jobs pays most attention to organizing?
| A．An English teacher． | B．A program coordinator． |
| C．A production assistant． | D．A branch director． |
If you are a non-native English speaker with great skills in computer，which of the following telephones may interest you?
| A．86(021)63222995． | B．13661641372． | C．88822357． | D．88867356． |
If you know nothing about computer, you can telephone which number?
| A．88867356 | B．88822357 | C．13661641372 | D．All above. |
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.
| A．learned a lot at school |
| B．he often went swimming with other boys |
| C．his mother often worried about his safety |
| D．he often played games with other boys |
Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?
a. He became a miner. b. He worked as a printer.
c. He got into debts. d. His father died.
e. He became a full-time writer. F. He joined the army.
| A．a—d—b—c—e—f | B．d—b—f—a—e—c |
| C．d—a—f—e—b—c | D．c—b—d—f—e—a |
In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.
| A．first worked as a printer | B．did many kinds of work |
| C．wrote stories in the beginning | D．joined the army after he worked in a mine |
From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.
| A．had a happy childhood |
| B．was a good boy and always did what he was asked |
| C．was very naughty when he was young |
| D．lived a pleasant life |
Before his death, Mark Twain _______.
| A．became a white man | B．was in low spirits |
| C．liked to buy all kinds of clothes | D．had nothing on |
Driving In America
Keep Right
The traffic follows the “keep right rule”. While driving, drive on the right side of the road. On one-way, multiple lanes(车道) road, the right-most lane would be slowest and left-most lane is fastest.
Hand Signals
Though indicators(车的指示灯) are used for the purpose of showing which direction you are going, knowing some hand signals is very important and are usually always asked in a driving test. When you want to turn right, you can put your left hand out of the window and point upward. When you want to make a left turn, you can reach your left arm out of the window and point to the left. If you want to slow down or stop, you can just point downward.
School Buses
Yellow school buses have flashing red lights and stop signs that reach out from the driver’s side. The drivers use these warning signals when letting pupils on and off. No matter which side of the road you are traveling on, if you come upon a school bus with its lights flashing and a stop sign used, you must stop. It’s the law. Remain stopped until the lights stop flashing or the stop sign is removed.
Using the Horn
Using horns is not common in America. Actually they are very rarely used. You may use your horn to warn walkers or other drivers of possible trouble or to avoid accidents. Do not use your horn to express anger or complain about other drivers’ mistakes or to try to get a slow driver to move faster.If Freddy is asked to go to Florida in the shortest time from Missouri, on which lane in the picture below should he drive his car according to Paragraph 1?
| A．Lane ①. | B．Lane ②. | C．Lane ③. | D．Lane ④. |
What could a driver do in America when turning left?
| A．Place left hand out of the window pointing upward. |
| B．Put left hand out of the window pointing downward. |
| C．Reach left arm out of the window pointing to the left. |
| D．Place left hand out of the window pointing backward. |
According to the passage, which of the following is possibly accepted in America?
| A．Use horns sometimes to warn passers-by of danger. |
| B．Drive on before the stop sign on a school bus is removed. |
| C．Use hand signals instead of indicators to show which direction you are going. |
| D．Do not use warning signals in the school bus until all the pupils get on the bus. |
Who is the passage most probably written for?
| A．Passers-by. | B．Pupils. | C．Policemen. | D．Drivers. |
Sometimes teens (十几岁的少年) need to have some time away from their families. They may want to move out of the family or home for a while.
Many parents will say no to this demand. But experts say it might be a good idea to let your teens live with a friend or a relative. “It was the break I needed at the time,” said Richard Lerne. He is talking about the time he spent living with his grandmother when he was 15. “It allowed me to be a more different person than I was with my parents.” Lerne said. He now heads the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.
Experts say teens living away from their families can test new ways of thinking and getting along with people. They may see new ways to problems. Some teens who want some time away from family attend a structured summer program. Others live for a while with a relative or with the family of a friend.
If there is conflict (冲突) at home, having a teen live elsewhere can benefit other family members. It gives everyone space to develop better relationships.
Joseph Kett teaches history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He says living at home until the late ten years has become the norm (准则) only in recent times. “In the 17th century, children were often sent to live in other people’s home when they were about 10 or 11”, he said.
Peter Sheras teaches education at the University of Virginia. He says parents should listen when a child wants to move out. They should try to find out why the child wants some time away. According to this passage, many parents may think it _____ for their children to live away from them.
| A．right | B．happy | C．unsafe | D．reasonable |
When children seriously disagree with their parents, experts suggest that parents should ______.
| A．punish them |
| B．let them live away from their family |
| C．send for a teacher |
| D．keep them in the house |
In the third paragraph the word “structured” means ______.
| A．built | B．stuck | C．organized | D．drunk |
In history, ______.
| A．teens never left their families |
| B．teens often left their parents |
| C．teens never went to school |
| D．teens never make friends with each other |