Did you know that reading can keep your mind active and engaged well into old age?
Several years ago when I was working as a newspaper reporter, I interviewed a woman who was a resident at a local nursing home. She was 100 years old. She read at least one book per week, mostly novels. She was bright, intelligent and fun to talk with.
“I love to read. It helps me keep up with what’s going on in the world,” she said. “A friend of mine brings me a new book every week. I look forward to her visits and I look forward to the books.”
“I can’t get around much any more,” said the 100-year-old woman, “but when I read, I can go anywhere, anytime I want. And no one has to help me!”
Reading also sets a good example for younger generations. I have observed that the best readers are those students who see their parents reading. And I’m not talking about only reading novels. Newspapers and magazines are important too. Your actions will communicate a great deal to your children and grandchildren about what you value.
But why is reading so important? In this day and age, with television to give us news, and movies and videos to keep us entertained, who needs to read?
The answer is everyone.
Developing good reading skills does not only mean that you can read a novel or a magazine, it also means being able to read and understand things like a credit card contract or an insurance policy, or the instructions for how to put a new printer to use with your computer. In addition, developing good reading skills means that you can think for yourself. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of anything from homeschooling to taking a vacation to Ireland. And then you can make up your own mind about what’s best for you and your family.The example of the 100-year-old woman is used to _______.
| A．inform us of a woman who loved reading |
| B．show a new way of gaining information |
| C．find differences between books and travels |
| D．introduce the benefits of reading books |
The 100-year-old woman loved reading because _______.
| A．reading helped her meet her friends |
| B．reading could broaden her horizons |
| C．she wanted to escape from the real world |
| D．she taught her grandchildren to read |
Who are most likely to be book lovers according to the author?
| A．The kids taught by intelligent teachers. |
| B．The kids forced to read by their serious parents. |
| C．The kids influenced by book lovers around them. |
| D．The kids curious about the outside world. |
We can infer form the passage that _______.
| A．other media are less important than books |
| B．the old woman’s friend was a bookseller |
| C．understanding is important in reading |
| D．the author once worked in a nursing home |
In which part of a newspaper would the passage be most likely to appear?
| A．Business | B．Lifestyle | C．Travel | D．History |
Hello, Listeners. Welcome to Henton Hospital Radio. Before our music programme at four, I’m going to repeat some of our hospital rules.
The hospital can sleep 800 patients. There’re 8 beds in each ward (病房). The visiting hours are in the afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 and in the evening from 7:00 to 8:00. But remember only two people can see you at the same time. Sorry about that, but you can see what would happen if we didn’t have these rules.
The other rules are about our hours. We start quite early---you might not be used to that. We wake you at 6 o’clock, and breakfast is at 8 o’clock, lunch is at noon.
There’s tea at 3:30 and supper is at 6 o’clock.
You can see the non-smoking sign---we don’t allow smoking in the wards. I’m sure you understand why. However, if you do need to smoke, there are some smoking rooms where it is allowed.
You will find the radio switch on the wall near your bed, with your own headphones, if you want to listen. It’s our own hospital radio wishing you a quick recovery.Who do you think the listeners might be?
| A．Patients. | B．Visitors. |
| C．Doctors | D．Nurses |
Which is Not allowed in the hospital?
| A．Listening to the hospital radio. |
| B．Visiting patients in the morning. |
| C．Smoking in smoking-rooms. |
| D．Getting up early in the morning. |
What programme will follow this radio talk?
| A．Hospital rules. | B．A weather report. |
| C．A free talk. | D．A music programme. |
A MILLION people on Mars within 100 years. This is the brave vision (展望) of Elon Musk, the founder of the space technology company SpaceX.
“We need to be laser-focused (全神贯注的) on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That’s the next step,” he said in a recent interview with Aeon magazine. Musk expects to see about 80,000 people living on Mars by 2040.
It’s all about protecting the human race from extinction, according to Musk.
The Earth has always been a ticking (滴答作响的) time bomb. As the sun begins to die, it will grow bigger, becoming what is known as a Red Giant. In 500 million years, the sun will have become large enough to kill off any plant and animal life on Earth, according to US scientist Edward Guinan. In a billion years, the Earth will have become a hot planet with little or no water.
The brave dream of getting the human race to Mars is not only Musk’s; others have made plans, too.
A Dutch entrepreneur set up the Mars One foundation in 2011, hoping to be the first project to put humans on Mars. It received over 200,000 applications to become part of the first group of astronauts to go there.
According to Mars One, “human settlement on Mars is possible with existing technologies.”
Water, food, energy, and oxygen are needed for life anywhere. According to Mars One, water that was still in the Martian soil would be boiled and taken out.
By using a process called “electrolysis”, astronauts could split (分离) water into hydrogen (氢气) and oxygen for breathing. Astronauts on the International Space Station have already done similar things.
Food can also be grown in space. Certain plants such as lettuce and onions can be grown using LED light for different color spectrums (光谱) and much less heat. NASA has been researching this to prepare for visiting Mars.
But how will people get there? The Mars One project plans to use SpaceX’s Dragon capsule as part of its mission. But it is rumored (传闻) that Musk already has a design in mind for a giant spaceship. He calls it the Mars Colonial Transporter.According to Elon Musk, the trip to Mars is significant because ______.
| A．Earth is not the only planet that is suitable for human beings |
| B．settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction |
| C．the environment on Earth will be too harsh for human beings in a few hundred years |
| D．a large amount of water has just been discovered on Mars |
Mars One is a program that focuses on ______.
| A．finding the source of water on Mars |
| B．setting up the first human settlement on Mars |
| C．developing spaceships to send people to Mars |
| D．growing plants for food in space |
According to the article, “electrolysis” is a key technology that ______.
| A．collects and analyzes the soil of Mars |
| B．uses LED lights to help plants grow |
| C．breaks down water into life-supporting elements |
| D．protects life on Earth from the heat of the sun |
We can infer from the article that the author is ______ human settlements on Mars.
| A．doubtful of | B．strongly against |
| C．optimistic about | D．uninterested in |
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is two fold(方面): First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. Second, I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June, but they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.What are the requirements for the healthy growth of roses?
| A．Frequent pruning and fertilizing. |
| B．Tomato plants grown alongside. |
| C．Cages placed around the roots. |
| D．A lot of care and the right soil. |
The writer planted the tomato because ____.
| A．there was room for it in the garden |
| B．it cost only $1. 25 |
| C．the soil was just right for i |
| D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered |
This year the writer’s roses were ____.
| A．removed from the rose bed |
| B．picked along with the tomatoes |
| C．largely hidden under the tomato plant |
| D．mostly damaged by too much sunlight |
By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ____.
| A．show the hardship of growing the roses |
| B．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes |
| C．express her liking for the roses |
| D．express her care for the tomatoes |
Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.
● Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)
Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery (手术).
Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.
Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein (血管). He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.
● Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)
Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid (胃酸). But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria (细菌) called Helicobacter pylori. So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting (呕吐) each morning – he indeed had gastritis.
● Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)
This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell (免疫细胞) called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.
Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.
With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines (疫苗) based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies (疗法). Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.The main purpose of the article is to ______.
| A．list some famous Nobel prize winners. |
| B．introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves. |
| C．describe some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize-winners did on themselves. |
| D．list some difficulties that scientists go through to make important discoveries in biology . |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure. |
| B．Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart. |
| C．Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori. |
| D．Barry Marshall was given full responsibility for the study on gastritis at first. |
The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.
| A．a kind of stomach disease | B．a kind of immune cell |
| C．a new type of therapy | D．a type of leg cancer |
From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.
| A．had his request to experiment on patients denied |
| B．believed that cancer comes from stress and spicy food |
| C．discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell |
| D．tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself |
Someday a stranger will read your email without your permission or scan the websites you've visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a policeman or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen—the 21st century equal to being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, though it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. Actually few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a majority of people are pessimistic about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”．
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZPass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will submit personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50centsoff coupon(优惠券).
But privacy does matter at least sometimes. It's like health: when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.From Paragraph 2, we can infer________.
| A．criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology |
| B．people tend to be more frank with each other in the information age |
| C．in the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets |
| D．people's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge |
What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| B．There should be fewer quarrels between friends. |
| C．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| D．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
According to the passage, privacy is like health in that________.
| A．its importance is rarely understood |
| B．it is something that can easily be lost |
| C．people will make every effort to keep it |
| D．people don't treasure it until they lose it |