December2Sharoncalledaboutfour-优题课

D
Older couples in a bad marriage -- particularly female spouses -- have a higher risk for heart
disease than those in a good marriage， finds the first nationally representative study of its kind．The findings suggest the need for marriage counseling（咨询） and programs aimed at promoting marital quality and well-being for couples into their 70s and 80s， said lead investigator Hui Liu， a Michigan State University sociologist．
"Marriage counseling is focused largely on younger couples，" said Liu． "But these results show that marital quality is just as important at older ages， even when the couple has been married 40 0r 50 years． "
The study， funded by the National Institute of Aging， an arm of the National Institutes of Health，is published online in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior．
Liu analyzed five years of data from about 1，200 married men and women who participated the National Social Life， Health and Aging Project． Respondents were aged 57-85 at the beginning of the study．
The project included survey questions about marital quality， lab tests and self-reported measures of cardiovascular health such as heart attacks， strokes， hypertension and high levels of C-reactive protein in the blood．
Liu set out to learn how marital quality is related to risk of heart disease over time， and whether this relationship varies by gender and/or age． Among her findings： Negative martial quality（eg．spouse criticizes， spouse is demanding） has a bigger effect on heart health than positive marital quality．In other words， a bad marriage is more harmful to your heart health than a good marriage．The effect of marital quality on cardiovascular risk becomes much stronger at older ages．Meanwhile，marital quality has a bigger effect on women's heart health than it does on men's， possibly because women tend to internalize（使藏在心底） negative feelings and thus are more likely to feel depressed and develop cardiovascular problems． Heart disease leads to a decline in marital quality for women， but not for men． It's common that wives are more likely to provide support and care to sick husbands， while husbands are less likely to take care of sick wives．"In this way， a wife's poor health may affect how she assesses her marital quality， but a husband's poor health doesn't hurt his
view of marriage，"Liu said．
The study suggests that ．

A．elderly couples are less likely to be affected by marital quality

B．the effect of marital quality on male and female is the same

C．bad martial quality affects heart health more greatly

D．marital quality has a positive effect on health

We can infer from the the last paragraph that Liu agrees that ．

A．marital quality has nothing to do with cardiovascular health

B．gender or age may affect one's marriage quality

C．marriage counseling is unnecessary for young couples

D．husbands will not take care of their sick wives

Why does marital quality have a bigger effect on women？

A．Because women are weak physically．

B．Because women have to take care of their sick husband．

C．Because women tend to keep their negative feelings to themselves．

D．Because women expect too much oftheir marriage．

According to the passage， who is most likefy to have a heart disease？

A．Marie， 40 years old，just got divorced．

B．Bill， 66 years old， lives with his wife and grandchildren．

C．Justin， 28 years old， got married recently．

D．Sophia， 59 years old， often quarrels with her husband．

C
lt's a dog's life for the nation's mutts - who are becoming anxious and aggressive through lack of play， experts fear．
A study of 4，000 dog owners has found a clear link between limited playtime and behaviour problems， such as being nervous when left alone， disobedience and snapping at other animals． And while researchers can't be sure that playing less is directly to blame， they say that games provide vital intellectual stimulation and exercise． The Bristol University study showed that only one in five owners play with their dogs six times a day． Half play two or three times a day and 10 per cent have just one play session．
Mark Evans， former chief vet for the RSPCA， said that dogs are one of the few animals to play into adulthood． He told the Sunday Times： 'There is a clear association in the results． Owners report more potential behaviour problems in dogs that play less．'
Emily Blackwell -- who conducted the research uncovered tonight on Channel 4's Dogs： Their Secret Lives - said dogs often enjoy playing so much that they slow down or change strategy to make the fun last longer． The lecturer in canine（犬科动物） welfare hopes that 10，000 people will eventually fill out the survey． This will enable her to firmly establish whether lack of play is affecting dogs' moods - or if their emotional problems put their owners off spending time with them． For instance，they may slow down when playing 'chase'， allowing their owner to catch up with them and the game to continue． Favourite games include wrestling， chase and tugging at toys， and perhaps unsurprisingly，'fetch' topped the list． Tennis balls were the favourite toys， followed by soft， squeaky toys， rubber balls and rope toys．
The research comes just days after an animal charity warned that millions of dogs are becoming fat． aggressive and destructive because their owners are clueless about basic animal care．The PDSA said that treats including beer， chips and leftover takeaways are making dogs fat and unwell – and wamed that almost a million are never taken for a walk．
If the dogs are not looked after carefully，．

A．they may become rebelling and damaging

B．they may get hurt and run away from home

C．they may become less active and dislike playing with the owners

D．they are more likely to fight with other animals

What is Emily Blackwell's opinion on dogs' behavior？

A．If the owners spend less time with their dogs， they may become aggressive．

B．Dogs know how to make their playing time last longer．

C．Only a few owners spend enough time playing with their dogs．

D．Some junk food or leftover may cause obesity on dogs．

The underlined word "this" in the fourth paragraph probably refers to ．

A．canine welfare

B．Channel 4's Dogs：Their Secret Lives

C．the survey

D．favourite games

What can we learn from the passage？

A．Researchers confirm that playing less is to blame for dogs' bad behaviours．

B．Most of the owners will play with their dogs many times in a day．

C．Chase and tennis balls are the favourites of dogs．

D．It's obvious that dogs' behaviour problems are related with their playing time．

B
On behalf of the Obama family，I want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving．
Like many of you． we'll spend the day with family and friends，catching up，eating some good food and watching a little football．Before we lift a fork，we lend a hand by going out in the community to serve some of our neighbors in need．And we give thanks for each other， and for all of God's blessings．We all share this day，united by the gratitude for the bounty（慷慨） of this nation．
And we welcome the contributions of all people-no matter their origin or color or beliefs-who call America home， and who enrich the life of our nation． It is a belief as old as our founding：“Epluribus unum” -- that out of many，we are one． We are reminded that this creed， and America itself was never an inevitability， but the result of ordinary people in every generation doing their part to uphold our founding ideals-by taking the blessings of freedom， and multiplying them for those who would follow．
As President Kennedy once wrote， even as we give thanks for all that we've inherited from those who came before us-“the decency（庄重，正派） of purpose， steadfastness（坚定）of resolve and strength of will， for the courage and the humility， which they possessed．” we must also remember that “the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them．”
Today，we are grateful to all Americans who do their part to live by those ideals， including our brave men and women in uniform overseas and their families， who sacrifice so much to keep America safe．We are grateful to the countless Americans who serve their communities in soup kitchens and shelters，looking out for those who are less fortunate，and lifting up those who have fallen on hard times．
This generosity， this compassion， this belief that we are each other's keepers， is essential to who we are， not just on this day，but every day．It's easy to focus on what separates us．But as we gather with loved ones on this Thanksgiving， let's remember and be grateful for what ties us together．
Our love of country．Our commitment to justice and equality．Our belief that America's best days are ahead，and that her destiny is ours to shape-and that our inherited ideals must be the birthright of all of our children．
That's what today is all about：that out of many，we are one．Thank you， God bless you．
What makes America as it is today？

A．The blessings of God．

B．The persistent efforts of all Americans．

C．The contributions of people from different origin．

D．The bonus of World War II．

As is mentioned several times in the passage， the sentence “out of many， we are one” implies

A．although we come from different places， now we share the same culture．

B．onjy if we unite as one can we make a better world．

C．we are unique ones picked out by God．

D．among the many countries in the world， America is the best one to live in．

What's the purpose by referring to President Kennedy's saying？

A．To testify what we have today is inherited from our ancestors．

B．To emphasis the importance of giving thanks to our forefathers and fellows．

C．To remind people to share happiness with others．

D．To encourage every American to do their own part in building the country．

President Obama's speech is made to．
①call on Americans to unite together and help each other
② raise money to help the people in need
③clarify how the Thanksgiving comes into being
④express thanks to those who serve people at home or abroad

A．①②

B．③④

C．②③

D．①④

A
My father wasn't a king， he was a taxi driver， but I am a prince-Prince Renato II， of the country Pontinha， an island fort on Funchal harbour． It's in Madeira，Portugal， where I grew up． It was discovered in 1419．
In 1903， the king of Portugal sold the land to a wealthy British family， the Blandys， who make Madeira wine． Fourteen years ago the family decided to sell it forjust €25，000， but nobody wanted to buy it either． I met Blandy at a party． and he asked if I'd like to buy the island． Of course I said yes，but I had no money-I was just an art teacher．I tried to find some business partners， who all thought I was crazy．So I sold some of my possessions，put my savings together and bought it．Of course， my family． my friends-all thought I was mad．
When the King originally sold the island，he signed a document， selling all the “possessions and the dominions”of the island．It means I can do what I want with it-I could start a restaurant， or a cinema but nobody thought someone would start a country．So that's what I did：I decided it would be my island， about the size of a one-bedroom house．
I have both a Portuguese passport and one for Pontinha （where my passport number is 0001）．There are four citizens： me， my wife， my son and my daughter．I am the police， the gardener，everything．I am whatever I want to be-that's the dream，isn't it？If l want to have a national flag，it could be blue today，red tomorrow．I can change it any time．Of course，my power is only absolute here， where I am the true sovereign．
I don't live in my country full time， but I am often there．My family sometimes drops by， and other people come every day because the country is free for tourists to visit； I never close for bad weather．Sometimes I come here when I'm feeling lively，after a few drinks．
Madeira is surrounded by water，but for some reason we all have to pay to swim in the ocean now，at the swimming spots．However．I have my island，which means I can come swimming whenever I want-it's as if someone has given me the key to the waters．
Our lives are gone in a flash．All change in the world begins with something very small， and this is my country-just a small island．
How did the author get the island？

A．It was a present from Blandy．

B．The king sold it to him．

C．He inherited from his father．

D．He bought it from Blandy．

It can be learned from the passage that____．

A．the author made his living by driving

B．the author's wife supported to buy the island

C．blue and red are the main colors of his national flag

D．people can travel around the island free of charge

What did the author do with his island？

A．He set up a restaurant．

B．He started a cinema．

C．He founded his own country．

D．He opened a swimming pool．

From his own experience， the author wanted to tell the readers that____．

A．you can change your life through small things

B．you should buy your own country and become a king

C．becoming a real ruler is of much fun

D．life is too short， so enjoy it to the fullest

E
Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.
I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.
“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”
I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.
Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems me that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its and slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.
The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.
For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).
The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.
Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production.
In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.

A．his approach to planning a voyage

B．his emphasis on using a dictionary

C．his definition of the word “geography”

D．his altitude to the earth's physical features

Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?

A．Exploring a mountain.

B．Climbing a mountain.

C．Planting on slopes and valleys.

D．Becoming hungry.

Which of the following is implied about the Atlantic Ocean?

A．It is wide, deep, wet and salty.

B．Human touch makes it important.

C．There is a bridge over it.

D．The highway is busy there.

The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.

A．they both feed a lot of people

B．they enjoy very good natural conditions

C．different people may make the same place different

D．their natural conditions haven't changed for many years