In the past decade the popularity of rock climbing has greatly increased, and so has the number of injuries. It has been estimated that rock climbing is now enjoyed by more than 9 million people in the US each year. Study findings revealed a 65% increase in the number of patients that were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991 and 2012.
The study, published in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that about 40,000 patients were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991 and 2012. The most common types of rock climbing –related injuries were fractures(骨折) and sprains （扭伤）。The ankle was the most common body part to be injured (40%). Climbers in the study ranged in age from 2 to 74, with an average age of 26. The study also found that women took up a quarter of the injuries.
Falls were the primary reason for injury with over three-quarters of the injuries occurring as the result of a fall. The severity of fall-related injuries had a lot to do with the height of the fall. Patients who were injured after falling from a height over 20 feet were 10 times more likely to be treated than patients who were injured falling from 20 feet or lower.
“We found that the climbers who fell from heights higher than 20 feet took up 70 percent of the patients treated for a rock climbing-related injury,” explained the study author Lara McKenzie, PhD, director at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Hospital. “This trend, combined with the fact that rock climbers have a higher hospitalization rate than other sports and recreational injuries, demonstrates the need to increase injury prevention efforts for climbers.”Which body part is most likely to get injured for a climber ?
| A．The arm | B．The knee |
| C．The ankle | D．The hand |
How many women climbers in American got injured while climbing a rock between 1991 and 2012 ？
| A．About 40,000 | B．About 30,000 |
| C．About 20,000 | D．About 10,000 |
The severity of climbers’ fall-related injures is mainly related to ______.
| A．the height of the fall. |
| B．the climber’s age. |
| C．the climber’s health condition |
| D．the climber’s climbing experience. |
The underlined word “demonstrates” in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.
| A．denies | B．proves |
| C．prevents | D．describes |
Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders.How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?
| A．It determined the exact amount of time needed. |
| B．It took longer to finish the research. |
| C．It involved more people. |
| D．It was led by just two researchers. |
What can we conclude from the findings of the study?
| A．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”. |
| B．Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health. |
| C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect. |
| D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill. |
According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
| A．stressed, inactive people |
| B．office worker |
| C．youth offenders |
| D．women and children |
What is the main problem discussed in this article?
| A．Physical well-being. | B．Mental illness. |
| C．Outdoor exercise. | D．Harmony with nature. |
WHAT do you do when you feel lonely? Hide yourself away and spend your time reading, watching TV or walking around?
You might think that feeling lonely is just like feeling happy, sad or scared – that it’s just one of your various moods (情绪). That is true. However, if you let yourself be lonely for too long without dealing with it, you could be making a serious mistake.
Doctors have known for some time that feeling lonely is bad for the mind. It can lead to mental（心理的）health problems such as depression（抑郁）,stress and reduced confidence. “Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, it’s not about being physically alone,” Lisa Jaremka, scientist from Ohio State University, US, told Live Science in January. But there’s growing evidence that not having friends is connected with physical illness as well.
In 2006, for example, scientists studied 2,800 women who had cancer. They found that those who had few friends or family were five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts. Also, even healthy people had a better chance of falling ill if they felt left out by others, according to the BBC.
The results have scientists thinking that loneliness might hurt the immune system（免疫系统）, which protects the body from diseases.
Hoping to prove this theory, Jaremka and her research team put volunteers through a stress test. During the test, volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech in front of a group of stony-faced people. The researchers found that volunteers who said they were lonely in their daily lives felt more stress during the test. And their blood samples showed that all the stress had managed to cause harmful changes to their immune system.
“Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor（慢性增压器）--- a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time,” explained Jaremka, who led the study.
The number of people suffering from loneliness is increasing all over the world. However, solving the problem is easier said than done. It won’t work to just “tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you”, said Jaremka. “ We need to create support networks.”If people feel lonely for a long time, .
| A．they won’t feel happy anymore |
| B．they are more likely to fall ill |
| C．they will find the feeling goes away by itself |
| D．they are more mentally harmed than physically |
What was the purpose of the stress test carried out by Jaremka’s team?
| A．To find out how people fight diseases. |
| B．To prove loneliness hurts people’s immune systems. |
| C．To see how people’s emotions change when they give unprepared speeches. |
| D．To find out the relationship between loneliness and stress. |
What makes scientists think loneliness makes the body worse at fighting diseases?
| A．Growing evidence of mental problems linked to loneliness. |
| B．Some research results about the relationship between cancer and loneliness. |
| C．Some studies showed that people who suffered from loneliness fell ill or died more easily than those who didn’t. |
| D．Different results after comparing healthy conditions of people who suffer from loneliness and those who don’t. |
We can conclude from the article that .
| A．loneliness has become the No 1 killer in the world. |
| B．loneliness is increasing due to advanced technologies. |
| C．lonely people lack the courage to make friends |
| D．much more work needs to be done to fight loneliness |
WHEN he was 11 years old, he loved fishing in the lake near his family’s house in New Hampshire.
On the day before bass (鲈鱼) season began, he and his father went fishing in the evening. He tied a small silver lure (诱饵) on his fishing rod (鱼竿) and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused ripples (波纹) in the black water.
When his rod bent over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully pulled the fish in. Finally, he lifted it from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10pm —two hours before bass season began. The father looked at the fish, then at the boy.
“You’ll have to put it back, son.” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy.
“There will be other fish,” said his father.
“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around. He looked again at his father’s stern（坚决的）face. Even though no one had seen them, the boy knew that the decision was not negotiable（可商量的）.He slowly lowered the fish back into the water.
The creature swam away. The boy thought that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect（建筑师）in New York City. His father’s house is still there by the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing there.
He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish again and again---every time he faces a question of right and wrong. His father taught him it is the practice of doing right that is difficult.
Do we do right when no one is looking?Why did the father ask the boy to put the bass back in the water?
| A．He wanted to teach him to love animals. |
| B．He didn’t want to fish bass at all. |
| C．It wasn’t bass season yet. |
| D．It was the custom to free a fish after catching it. |
We can infer that the son was _____ when his father made the decision.
| A．disappointed | B．confused |
| C．worried | D．determined |
What does the fish in the article stand for?
| A．Rewards. | B．Good lessons. |
| C．Family conflicts (冲突). | D．Right choices. |
The story mainly conveys the idea that ______.
| A．history repeats itself |
| B．opportunity seldom knocks twice |
| C．we might face difficult situations in every stage of life |
| D．whether or not anyone is watching, we should do the right thing |
Hurricane(飓风) Babette reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains, together with the force of the Atlantic Ocean, created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high. The damage to homes, business and crops will run into billions of dollars. Now that the storm is over, the long, slow rebuilding will begin.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement (地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. If your building does not have a basement, stay on the ground floor but lie flat under a bed or table. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to lie down in.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives, and property (财产).What are the three short passages about?
| A．Newspaper articles about the weather. |
| B．Bad weather forecasts in newspapers. |
| C．Introduction to climate in different places. |
| D．Popular science on climate. |
We can learn from the passages that ________.
| A．Hurricane Babette damaged the northwestern coast of US |
| B．when there’s flooding, sandbags can be made and used to build wall |
| C．the National Weather Service often takes measures to protect the local people |
| D．people are often reminded of how to protect themselves from snowstorm |
What does the word “tornado ”mean?
| A．台风 | B．龙卷风 | C．洪水 | D．冰雹 |
According to the passages, a person who sees a tornado in his area, had better Not _______.
| A．stay on the ground floor but lie down under a bed |
| B．go to the basement and wait under a table |
| C．find a deep narrow place to lie down in |
| D．drive his car away as fast as possible |
The majority of astronauts from America have been men. At the start of the space program there was strong resistance from some people against having women in space. However, some women were very keen to become astronauts and in the end they were successful. In 1978, NASA began the first training program for women astronauts.
Judy Resnick and Christa McAuliffe were both astronauts and they were both women, but in many other ways they were very different. Both of them were on Flight STS-5L-L. Judy Resnick was born in 1949 and studied engineering at university and went on to obtain a PhD in 1977. She was a member of the first group of women selected for astronaut training in 1978, and in 1984, she became the second woman in space. During that flight, she helped to launch three new satellites and she carried out a program of research. She was, in many ways, a professional astronaut whose whole life was devoted to space travel.
Christa McAuliffe was born in 1948 and she was an astronaut almost by accident. In 1984, NASA decided to find a teacher who could accompany astronauts into space. They hoped that she would be able to communicate with students from space and encourage every one of them to be interested in space travel. Christa was a secondary teacher in history and social studies. She was a gifted teacher and she was selected from over 11,000 applicants to go on flight STS-51-L. She was also a very good communicator and she immediately established a very good relationship with the news media(radio, television and newspapers）. It was partly because of this that there was a great deal of interest and excitement about the flight. Thousands of students in schools and universities all around the country were looking forward to communicating with Christa in space. Millions of people were watching her flight with great interest. It is partly because of the excitement over McAuliffe's place in the flight that the disaster in 1986 had such an effect on people.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ___________.
| A．Judy was against the idea of having women in space at first |
| B．Judy was the first woman selected for astronaut training |
| C．Judy helped to launch three new satellites at the age of 35 |
| D．Judy carried out a program during her second space travel |
Christa McAuliffe was chosen for training because _______.
| A．she was popular with the news media |
| B．she expected to give history lessons in space |
| C．she was an excellent teacher and communicator |
| D．she made the students in space very excited |
The reason why there was great interest in Flight STS-51-L is that ________.
| A．both Christa and Judy got PhD degrees in the same year |
| B．a young secondary school teacher was on the flight |
| C．students were going to learn more about space travel |
| D．it was the first time for women to travel in space |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Two Astronauts | B．Flight STS-51-L |
| C．Travelling in Space | D．The Training Program |