In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The flattened wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation like five dots. During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they appear in the fields of grain ― usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but is never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September.
At first, people thought that the circles were a hoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke, or farmers were making them to attract tourists. To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the grain without breaking it.
Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circles to communicate with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles — the same downward lash of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash. Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those.In the summer of 1978, an English farmer discovered in his field that ______.
| A．some of his wheat had been damaged |
| B．some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground |
| C．his grain was growing up in circles |
| D．his grain was moved into several circles |
The underlined word "hoax" in Paragraph 3 is probably ______.
| A．an attempt made to fool people |
| B．a special way to plant crops |
| C．an experiment for the protection of crops |
| D．a research on the force of winds |
Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man?
| A．The farmers couldn’t step out of the field. |
| B．The farmers couldn’t make the circles round. |
| C．The farmers couldn’t leave without footprints. |
| D．The farmers couldn’t keep the wheat straight up. |
One explanation given by scientists for the crop circles is that they are made by _____.
| A．airplane crashes | B．air movement |
| C．unknown flying objects | D．new farming techniques |
The Healthy Habits Survey (调查) shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding: A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2. How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30%wash their hands only 4 times a day-half of the number doctors recommend.
Step: We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs (病菌) to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step: Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge (海绵) that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.What is found out about American seniors?
| A．Most of them have good habits. |
| B．Nearly 30%of them bathe three days a week. |
| C．All of them are fighting germs better than expected. |
| D．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands.
| A．twice a day | B．three times a day |
| C．four times a day | D．eight times a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces. |
| B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle. |
The text probably comes from .
| A．a guide book | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a book review | D．an official document |
In all one’s lifetime, it is 28 that one spends the most time being with or dealing with, but it is precisely oneself that one has the least 29 of. When you are going upwards in life, you tend to overestimate yourself; when you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself. It's 30 that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and stay away from worldly trouble wearing a mask of cowardice, behind 31 the flow of sap in your life will be retarded (妨碍).
To get a thorough understanding of oneself 32 doing oneself a favor when it's needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving vent (发泄) to it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by its flames; in time of 33 , do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a gloomy mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep or taking some tonic. Show yourself loving 34 about your health and daily life. Unless you know perfectly well when and how to do yourself a favor, you won't be confident and ready enough to resist the attack of illness.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control of ones life. Then one will 35 one's life full of color and flavor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Every hour spent in watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces lifespan by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years.
The research shows that a sedentary（久坐的） lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers caused by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offers for unhealthy eating.
The researchers set out to calculate the overall risk to lifespan from watching television. Their research involved more than 11,000 people over the age of 25.
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they concluded. "TV viewing time may be connected with a loss of life, which is similar to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity."
The researchers, from the University of Queensland, used information from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, together with population and death rate data.
But they said: "Although we used Australian data, the effects in other industrialized and developing countries are likely to be similar, considering the large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns." In the United Kingdom, the average amount of time spent watching TV is four hours a day, compared with five hours in the United States.
Earlier this year, a separate study suggested the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, or dying early, rises by as much as 20 percent after just two hours a day in front of the box.
England's Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies, said: "Physical activity offers huge benefits and these studies back what we already know - that a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks. We hope these studies will help more people realize that there are many ways to get exercise."We can learn from the passage that .
| A．whether you watch TV or not has nothing to do with how long you will live |
| B．if an adult watches TV for six hours every day, he will probably die five years earlier |
| C．physical inactivity and obesity won't shorten your life |
| D．a sedentary lifestyle offers huge benefits. |
The passage implies that _______.
| A．The longer one watches TV every day, the shorter he lives. |
| B．The conclusion of the study is unbelievable because it's based on Australian data. |
| C．Watching TV does greater harm to health than smoking and obesity |
| D．Watching TV harms children as much as adults. |
What do we know from the last three paragraphs?
| A．People in the United Kingdom watch TV longer than those in the United States. |
| B．That a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks isn't supported by other studies. |
| C．Watching TV for two hours a day will increase the risk of illnesses or dying early by 20%. |
| D．Australian data is much different from that of other countries. |
The passage is intended to _______.
| A．inform the readers of a research on watching TV |
| B．tell the readers large amounts of people often watch TV |
| C．tell the readers watching TV is also a good way to relax |
| D．warn the readers of the harm of watching TV and hope that they do sports |
Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 BC to about 1300 AD, when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway.
However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft (嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit.
They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy, and religion. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed ______.
| A．to deal with a lot of difficulties | B．to know the making of products |
| C．to receive certain special training | D．to remember the entire trade route |
The Silk Road became less important because ______.
| A．it was made up of different routes | B．silk trading became less popular |
| C．people needed fewer foreign goods | D．sea travel provided easier routes |
New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people ______.
| A．shared each other’s beliefs | B．learned from one another |
| C．traded goods along the route | D．earned their living by traveling |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Silk Road: Past and Present | B．The Silk Road: East Meets West |
| C．The Silk Road: Routes Full of Dangers | D．The Silk Road: Pathways for Learning |
If you plan on visiting to Fiji, you are probably looking for some fun things to do. Below are four unusual places.
The Poseidon Resort
The Poseidon resort is an underwater resort that gives visitors a beautiful view of sea life. This resort covers 255 acres. It’s covered and surrounded by a lagoon (咸水湖) that covers 5,000 acres and is about 90 feet under water, giving you a beautiful view of sea life right before your eyes. This resort even has a hotel for those who would prefer to have the unusual experience of sleeping and waking up to the beautiful scenery all around them.
The Sabeto Mud Pool
If you’re looking for something unusual to do, you can’t pass up the mud pool at Sabeto. It is located in a mountain range with a huge group of Geothermal pools full of nice, warm mud. Getting down and into the mud in the pool is believed to have benefits for healthy skin. This is unusual, but adults and especially kids will love it.
Fire Walking
Fire walking in Fiji is believed to have originated on the island of Beau. Fire walking is when you walk on white-hot stones barefoot. To do this, you have to be mentally prepared for it. Trust me; there is a lot of preparation and strict rules that travelers follow in order to do this safely.
The Fiji Museum
The Fiji museum is unusual due to all the amazing artifacts you’ll see dating back 3,000-4,000 years. This museum has a certain attraction that makes it funny—a shoe. It’s been said that a man named Thomas Baker was eaten by the locals several centuries ago and the only thing left was his shoe. This museum is a great idea if you bring the whole family to Fiji.Visitors who have the unusual experience of sleeping at the Poseidon resort can _________.
| A．enjoy the excellent service in the hotel |
| B．open windows to see sea life swimming |
| C．see sea life around them in the room |
| D．only watch videos about sea life |
Which of the following things needs more courage and stricter rules?
| A．Trying fire walking |
| B．Visiting the Poseidon resort |
| C．Getting into the Sabeto Mud Pool |
| D．Visiting the Fiji museum |
The underlined word “artifacts” in Paragraph 5 means__________.
| A．historic things made by man |
| B．things invented not long ago |
| C．things that look very strange |
| D．useful things in people’s daily life |