One day an old woman was traveling alone in the mountains. Suddenly she saw something shining in the stream. When she came close, she found it was a precious stone. She put the stone into her bag and went on with her trip.
The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, “The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?”
“Sure. Why not?” the woman said, and handed the stone to him.
The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag.”
The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, “I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!” The young man felt ashamed and left silently.
What does the underlined word “security” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Money. | B．Worry. | C．Health. | D．Trouble. |
Seven Health Facts about Coffee
When you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind:
1. Coffee Reduces Your Risk of Diabetes (糖尿病)
In a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day. And if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.
2. Coffee Fights Free Radicals (自由基)
We often forget that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.
3. Coffee Improves Memory and Cognition
Researchers reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. Coffee can also improve cognitive function as we age. One study found that combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.
4. Coffee Can Increase Osteoporosis (骨质疏松)
It’s true that coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. We don’t want the body to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. According to The Diet Channel, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per every six ounces of coffee consumed. But these calcium losses can be counter balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.
5. Coffee Causes Wrinkles
Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration (脱水) which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. Even better, add one tablespoon of chia seeds to your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. The chia seeds keep you even more hydrated than regular water.
6. Coffee Can Actually Cause Weight Gain
The blood sugar changes that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to a strong desire for it, according to iVillage. Coffee is also socially connected to food. For example, we pair coffee with dessert or that morning powdered doughnut. Additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.
7. Conventional Coffee Is Laden with Pesticides (杀虫剂)
The coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It’s coated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be swallowing. If you do drink coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.
If you switch to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine (咖啡因) is removed in a natural way without the use of chemicals to do it. Often times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals than regular. If you want to decrease the risk of diabetes by 35%, you need to take at least _____ cups of coffee every day.
| A．seven | B．six | C．five | D．four |
If you are a heavy drinker of coffee, a far better way to avoid wrinkling of your skin is to drink water _____.
| A．less than usual | B．regularly | C．with sugar | D．with chia seeds |
Which of the following statements is wrong?
| A．Adding two spoons of milk to a cup of coffee can prevent calcium losses. |
| B．Decaffeinated coffee has different effects from caffeinated coffee as to diabetes. |
| C．Many phytochemicals protect the cells from damage from free radicals. |
| D．The organic variety of coffee plant is free from assorted chemicals. |
The author has a/an _____ attitude towards drinking of coffee.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．objective | D．imaginative |
There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life. Some students do badly in a traditional classroom. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules. For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom.
But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules. These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education. Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem getting used to making so many choices. For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom. They worry about t
he rules even when there are no rules. Even a few rules will help this kind of students. The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education. Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their schools.
You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained. You may have your own opinion about open education. The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory. In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students, need some structure in their classes. They want and need to have rules. In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects. Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study those subjects if they did not have to.Open education allows the students to.
A．grow as the  educated |
B．be responsible for their future |
| C．develop their own interests | D．discover subjects outside class |
Open education may be a good idea for the students who.
| A．enjoy traditional learning | B．worry about grades |
| C．do well in a traditional classroom | D．are responsible for what they do |
Some students will do little in an open classroom because.
| A．there are too few rules | B．they hate activities |
| C．open education is meaningless | D．they worry about the rules |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Some traditional teachers do not like it. |
| B．Many teachers do not believe in open education. |
| C．Teachers may have problems in open classrooms. |
| D．Teachers’ feelings and attitudes are important to students. |
Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
| A．Open education is a really complex idea. |
| B．Open education is better than traditional education. |
| C．Traditional teachers don’t believe in open education. |
| D．The writer thinks open education is practical. |
With fifteen years Britain and other nations should be well on with the building of big industrial plants for the recycling of waste. The word rubbish could lose its meaning because everything which goes into the dustbin would be made into something useful. Even the most dangerous and unpleasant wastes would provide energy of nothing else.
The latest project is to take a city of around half a million citizens and discover exactly what raw (未经加工的) materials go into it and what go out. The aim is to find out how much of these raw materials could be provided if a plant for recycling waste were built just outside the city. This plant would recycle not only metal such as steel, lead and copper, but also paper and rubber as well.
Another new project is being set up to discover the best ways of sorting and separating the rubbish. When this project is complete, the rubbish will be treated like this: First, it will pass through sharp metal
bars which will tear open the plastic bags in which rubbish is usually packed; then it will pass through a powerful fan to separate the lightest elements (元素) from the heavy solids; after that rollers will break up everything that can be broken. Finally, the rubbish will pass under magnets (磁铁), which will remove the bits of iron and steel; the rubber and plastic will then be sorted out in the final step.
The first full-scale (全方位的) big recycling plants are perhaps fifteen years away. Indeed, with the growing cost of transporting rubbish to more distant dustbins, some big cities will be forced to build their own recycling plants before long.The underlined phrase “be well on with…” most probably means __.
| A．have completed what was started | B．get ready to start |
| C．have achieved a great deal in | D．put an end to |
What is NOT mentioned as a part of the recycling process (过程) described in
Paragraph 3?
| A．Breaking up whatever is breakable. |
| B．Sharpening metal bars. |
| C．Separating light elements from the heavy ones. |
| D．Sorting out small pieces of metal. |
What’s the main reason for big cities to build their own recycling plants?
| A．To deal with wastes more economically. |
| B．To protect the environment from pollution. |
| C．To get raw materials locally. |
| D．To get advantage from those plants. |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．a cheap way to get energy | B．the position of recycling plants |
| C．new ways of recycling wastes | D．the probability of city environment |
Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm. How surprised he must have been!
What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.
When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners (吸尘器), collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before vacuum dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.
Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as commo
n as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky. What is this passage about?
| A．A sad story. | B．Australia’s northern part. |
C．A rain of fish. |
D．The damage done by floods. |
Fish-falls occur in Australia __________.
| A．quite often | B．on large farms |
| C．only in winter | D．when the air is calm |
The underlined word “infinite” is closest in meaning to “__________”.
| A．easy | B．difficult | C．countless | D．dangerous |
A sign can be found in the front yard of a house in the US. The people living here want to let their dog play outside and ensure it won’t run into the street. So, they hire a company to set up an “invisible fence”, an electric wire buried in the ground around the yard. The dog wears a special collar and when it walks near to the “fence”, the wire will send out a small shock. The dog quickly learns to stay away from the edge of the yard. As it says at the bottom of the sign, the fence will keep your dog “safe” (away from the street) and “at home” (contained inside the yard).
The small word “BRAND” printed in blue means that “Invisible Fence” is registered as the company’s brand name. Similarly, the “TM” printed after “your dog safe at home” stands for “trade mark”, a slogan registered specifically to one company. The people set up an “invisible fence” _________.
| A．to let their dog play outside their house |
| B．to keep their dog away from the edge of the yard |
| C．to keep their dog inside their yard |
| D．to warn others not to enter their house |
Which is NOT true about the “invisible fence”?
| A．The fence does not exist at all. |
| B．The “Invisible Fence” is the name of a company. |
| C．Without the special collar, the fence won’t work on the dog. |
| D．Science and technology play an important part in it. |
