Every people has their own way of saying things, their own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery (炽热的,暴躁的) taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song—Mood Indigo—about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: "You aren't blue till you've had that Mood Indigo." Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations. If you had your wallet stolen while doing some shopping, you may call it __________.
A.a white day |
B.a black day |
C.a red day |
D.a green day |
Suppose Mr. Brown says he is very happy because his three children are all in the pink, this means all his children are __________.
A.lucky and wealthy |
B.gentle and modest |
C.fit and healthy |
D.creative and energetic |
When she got home and found nothing had been done by her husband, Jane was really __________.
A.red hot |
B.green |
C.blue |
D.black |
In the following paragraph, the writer might tell the reader something about __________.
A.unpopular organizations in the world |
B.people's response towards a black day |
C.the influence of the traditional blues |
D.more words about a color, such as brown |
8:30 PM
Outlook
Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up to date with all that’s new in the world of entertainment. Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen. There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past. The director with his new film, the designer with the latest fashion, and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook. The program is introduced by Fran Levine.
9:00 PM
Discovery
When a 10 -year –old boy gets a first class degree in mathematics or an 8-year- old plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses. Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes or can any child be turned into a genius? And if parents do have a child who might become a genius in the future, what should they do ? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson, the professor at School of Medicine, New York University will help you discover the answer.
10:00 PM
Science/Health
Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers. After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure, they found that after 6 months, those devoted to weight-loss exercise and eating a low-salt, low-fat food lost about 13 pounds and became fitter. Plus, 35% of them dropped into the “normal” category. This week, Dr. Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what’s achieved with Hypertension drugs. From Outlook, you can get a great deal of information about _____________.
A.famous stars | B.story tellers |
C.film companies | D.music fans |
Who will be most probably interested in Discovery?
A.Parents who want to send their children to a school of medicine. |
B.Children who are good at mathematics. |
C.Parents who want their child to become another Albert Einstein. |
D.Children who are interested in playing chess. |
According to the third text, which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drug?
A.Low-salt and low –fat food. |
B.Loss of thirteen pounds in weight |
C.Six months of exercise without drugs. |
D.Exercise plus a healthy diet. |
How to stick to your own opinion in socializing ?
When it comes to your life , the opinion of others should matter very little . I am not talking about your friends and family , but others who have no importance in your reality – like your social peers and others like them . They are unimportant to your life , and yet you secretly struggle for approval at the cost of your own . Remember , your opinion is king .
Start by being your true self . Allowing your true self to appear and connect with people on a more real level helps them in turn do the same with you . There is openness and honesty in the interaction . At the end of the day this is what we all want – the joy of true and meaningful connections .
Next , evaluate your decisions . Are they representing who you are or are they the result of other people’s opinion ? Practice your ability not to be affected by pressure and learn to take nothing personally . When we are bothered by outer criticisms , it influences and changes our behavior . Don’t look to others for guidance on how to behave . Don’t look for approval . If you don’t need approval , you won’t have a reason to try to impress people or be impressed by them .
And finally , be real in EVERY situation . As you express your real self , others will think highly of you and the few who don’t – don’t matter anyway . Be willing to be judged , and then not take it to heart . If all this is a bit scary , then start small . Rather than not caring at all what others think , start by just caring a little less . No one outside your inner circle should get a vote or pass judgment or have influence on how you live your life .The text is especially helpful for those who want to __________ .
A.enlarge friend circle |
B.speak highly of others |
C.remain unaffected by others’ opinions |
D.develop the ability to make wise decisions |
Being real can help people __________ .
A.get honest relations | B.gain courage |
C.take nothing too personal | D.avoid criticisms |
What are people advised to do in order to stick to their opinions in socializing ?
A.Care about no one’s opinion . |
B.Look for guidance on behaviors . |
C.Impress people by making changes . |
D.Start by taking others’ judgment less seriously . |
There seems to be a general assumption that brilliant people cannot stand routine ; that they need a varied , exciting life in order to do their best . It is also assumed that dull people are particularly suited for dull work . We are told that the reason the present-day young complain so loudly about the dullness of jobs is that they are better educated and brighter than the young of the past .
Actually , there is no evidence that people who achieve a lot desire , let alone live , colorful lives . The opposite is nearer the truth . Einstein worked out his theory of relativity while serving as a clerk in a Swiss patent office . Immanuel Kant’s(康德)daily life was a dull routine . The housewives of Konigsberg set their clocks when they saw him pass , on his way to the university . He took the same walk each morning , rain or shine . The greatest distance Kant ever traveled was sixty miles from Konigsberg .
It may be true that work on the assembly line(流水线)dulls the abilities and empties the mind , and the cure is only fewer hours of work at higher pay . But during fifty years as a workingman , I have found dull routine coexisting with an active mind . While doing dull , repetitive work by the water , I could talk with my partners and compose sentences in my mind , all at the same time . Chances are that had my work been too interesting I could not have done any thinking and composing at work or even on my own time after returning from work .
People who find dull jobs unbearable are often dull people who do not know what to do with themselves at leisure . Children and mature people will get used to dull routine , while the adolescent , who has lost the child’s ability for concentration and is without the inner resources of the mature , needs excitement and novelty to get rid of boredom . It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that __________ .
A.great minds hate to live colorful lives |
B.Einstein worked out his theory in a university |
C.Kant only took the same walk on rainy and sunny days |
D.Kant might pass Konigsberg every day at the same time |
How does the author feel about his repetitive work by the water ?
A.It made his mind empty . |
B.It was well-paid but too demanding . |
C.It worked well with his active mind . |
D.It was too interesting to think of anything else . |
The reasons why youngsters dislike dull work include the following EXCEPT that they __________ .
A.are not mature enough |
B.think themselves smart |
C.often complain about others |
D.don’t know how to spend spare time |
What is the purpose of the passage ?
A.To argue for the benefits of dull work . |
B.To present some facts about dull work . |
C.To share his own dull working experience . |
D.To persuade young people to live a dull life . |
Ever wonder why sometimes a hug is all you need ? You can’t explain it , but there’s just something comforting about being in your wife’s arms after a rough day or giving mom a hug after a long time apart .
A new study says the warm feeling in a hug is more than just skin deep . Researchers from the University of California , Berkeley believe that this loving feeling could have anti-aging benefits .
Oxytocin , sometimes referred to as the “ love hormone(荷尔蒙)” or the “ trust hormone , ” is responsible for those indescribable feelings we get when we’re bonding with a lover or a loved one .
Levels of the hormone drop as we age , and evidence suggests that could be a contributing factor to the deterioration of our bodies as we age . Muscle loss in particular is one of the major side effects of aging , with our bodies losing up to 5 percent of our muscle mass each decade past our 30s .
In the study , published in the journal Nature Communications , researchers injected oxytocin into older mice with muscle damage . The older mice had lower levels of the homeone than younger mice initially . But after nine days , the older mice who were given the hormone healed better than those who did not . In fact , their ability to repair muscle damage was up to 80 percent that of the younger mice .
The results were not only fast-acting , but provide hope for future uses of the hormone in a variety of anti-aging capacities . “ This is good because it demonstrates that extra oxytocin improves aged tissue stem cells(组织干细胞)without making muscle stem cells divide uncontrollably , ” study co-author Wendy Cousins said in a statement .
Previous uses of anti-aging molecules have also been associated with higher cancer risk , but researchers are hopeful that oxytocin can be useful in humans without this risk . In the future , researchers of Berkeley say oxytocin could be used to fight other age-related health issues by improving bone health and even being used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy .
Now go out and give someone a hug .According to the passage , oxytocin __________ .
A.decreases when people get older |
B.creates loving feeling on the skin |
C.leads to the great loss of muscles |
D.can be used in humans without any risk |
The underlined word “ deterioration ” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to the state of __________ .
A.getting fatter | B.becoming worse or less |
C.growing stronger | D.dividing uncontrollably |
What can be learned from the research ?
A.All the older mice healed faster in the research . |
B.Older mice healed better than younger ones after 9 days . |
C.Extra oxytocin in older mice controlled muscle cell division . |
D.Mice with oxytocin injection improved the ability to repair muscle damage . |
What can be a suitable title for the passage ?
A.When Do We Need A Hug ? |
B.A New Anti-aging Product |
C.Hugs Having Healing Power |
D.How Can We Grow Muscles ? |
Lying in the sun on a rock , the cougar(美洲豹)saw Jeb and his son Tom before they saw it . Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands , making himself look big to the cougar . It worked . The cougar hesitated , ready to attack Jeb , but ready to forget the whole thing , too .
Jeb let go of his jacket , grasped Tom and held him across his body , making a cross . Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger , and it rose up , ready to move away , but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb .
“ Tom , no ! ” shouted his father .
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar . The second Tom broke free , Jeb threw himself on the cougar , just as it jumped from the rock . They hit each other in mid-air and both fell . The cougar was on Jeb in a flash , leaving Tom alone , which was what Jeb wanted .
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance , even with just his fists . As the cougar’s claws(爪子)got into his left shoulder , Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard . The animal howled(吼叫)and put its head back . Jeb followed up with his other fist . Then out of the corner of his eye , Jeb saw Tom . The boy was running back to help his father .
“ knife , Tom , ” shouted Jeb .
The boy ran to his father’s bag , while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting , to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom . Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb . The cougar was moving its head in and out , trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms . Tom swung with the knife , into the cougar’s back . It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains .
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds .Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar ?
A.To get ready to fight . | B.To protect his son . |
C.To calm himself down . | D.To frighten it away . |
What can we learn from the passage about cougars ?
A.They always forget things . |
B.They dislike loud noises . |
C.They like to attack running people . |
D.They hesitate before attack . |
Jeb tried to hold the cougar’s attention by __________ .
A.making a wall with his arms |
B.keeping shouting and hitting |
C.throwing himself on the cougar |
D.swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Jeb ?
A.Smart but bad-tempered . | B.Loving and determined . |
C.Tough and warm-hearted . | D.Determined but hesitant . |