A single 10-second kiss can transfer as many as 80 million bacteria, according to Dutch scientists.
They monitored the kissing behavior of 21 couples and found those who kissed nine times a day were most likely to share salivary bugs (唾液细菌).
Studies suggest the mouth is home to more than 700 different types of bacteria – but the report reveals some are exchanged more easily than others.
The research is published in the journal Microbiome (微生物组). A team from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) asked the couples a series of quest
ions to assess their kissing habits, including how frequently they had kissed in the last year and when they last locked lips.
Scientists took bacterial samples from the volunteers tongues and saliva before and after a strictly timed 10-second kiss. One member of the couples then drank a probiotic (益生菌) drink, containing an easily identifiable mixture of bugs. On the couple’s second kiss, scientists were able to detect the volume of bacteria transferred to the other partner – on average 80 million bacteria in a single 10-second kiss. But while bacteria in the saliva seemed to change quickly in response to a kiss, bug populations on the tongue remained more stable.
Prof Remco Kort, who led the research, said: “French kissing is a great example of exposure to a gigantic（巨大的）number of bacteria in a short time.
These types of investigations may help us design future bacterial therapies and help people with troublesome bacterial problems.
A growing number or researchers are looking at the microbiome an ecosystem of some 100 trillion micro-organisms that live in and on our bodies. Scientists say these populations may be essential for health and the prevention of disease.According to the passage, bacteia can be exchanged during a kiss through .
| A．saliva | B．tongues | C．lips | D．breath |
Why did the scientists have one of the couples drink a probiotic drink?
| A．Because they want to observe the response of their bodies. |
| B．Because they intend to protect the bacteria in the couples’ mouths, |
| C．Because they want to detect the volume of the transferred bacteria. |
| D．Because they want to keep a balanced environment in the couples’ bodies. |
What’s the purpose of the research?
| A．To guide healthy kiss. |
| B．To limit the times of kissing. |
| C．To avoid kissing different people. |
| D．To help design future bacteria therapies. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．French kissing should be advocated |
| B．we need to lock lips when kissing if we love her / him |
| C．the exchanged bacteria through kissing do great harm to the other |
| D．some of the microbiome may be essential for health though exchanged during a kiss |
Wherever she goes, Molly leaves her mark. Without saying a word, she speaks to people with her kind eyes. Even when she walks away, she leaves an impression．Molly’s mark is a smile, stamped into the ground by the horseshoe at the bottom of her false leg．
A few years ago, Molly was badly attacked by a dog．The dog bit all four of Molly’s legs and left large cuts in her face. Molly’s owner, Kate Harris, took her to an animal hospital．Doctors there were able to save Molly’s life, but soon one of her legs became very infected(感染).
At first, doctors thought Molly would have to be put to sleep．But Molly changed their minds. This pony, doctors noticed, shifted her weight, and rested her good leg from time to time. Doctors knew that Molly had amazing intelligence, and that she wanted to live.
Several doctors operated on Molly, and removed her infected leg. A false leg was made for her. The leg was a hollow cast with a pole at the bottom for balance. Doctors gave Molly a special horseshoe at the bottom of the leg. This horseshoe she had had a stamp of a smile face in it!
After the operation, Molly walked around on all four legs, as if nothing had ever happened to her! Now, with every step she takes, she stamps a smile in the dirt．But she leaves her m ark in other ways, too.
Kaye Harris took Molly to the false leg center. There were children there who, like Molly, had artificial arms or legs. They were amazed to see a pony with a false leg. Molly made them smile and gave them hope. Soon, Molly began to visit schools, nursing homes, army bases and hospitals. A book was even written about Molly!Molly is the name of a . .
| A．dog | B．horse | C．parent | D．child |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Molly can speak to people in kind words. |
| B．Kay Harris took Molly to a children’s hospital after the attack. |
| C．In the beginning, doctors had planned to end Molly’s life. |
| D．Molly sometimes leaves smiling marks on people’s faces. |
What is unique about Molly?
| A．Molly has a false leg with a horseshoe shaped like a smiling face. |
| B．Molly ran a race and won the first prize. |
| C．Molly often visits places such as schools and parks. |
| D．Molly has become a symbol of hope for people of all ages. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Book on Molly | B．A False Leg |
| C．A successful Operation | D．Leaving her Mark |
Children like to imagine they are someone else in a game. As a parent you might never guess how it can benefit your child. It helps your child：
Develop Social Skills
As children play pretend games，they explore relationships between family members，friends and coworkers and learn more about how people interact.Playing doctors，they imagine how physicians care for their patients.Imaginative play helps develop empathy(移情) with others.If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet，they are better able to help those in need.They become more willing to play fair，to share，and to cooperate.
Build Selfconfidence
Young children have very little control over their lives.Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers or a super hero defending the planet is inspiring to children.It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Promote Intellectual Growth
Using imagination is the beginning of abstract thought.Children who can see a king's castle in a mound of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically.This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numbers symbolize groups of objects，letters symbolize sounds，and so on.
Practice Language Skills
Kids who pretend with their friends do a lot of talking.This helps increase their vocabulary，improve sentence structure and develop communication skills.
Get Rid of Fears
Pretending can help children get rid of their fears and worries.When children roleplay the big，bad monster under the bed，they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn't seem quite so big or so bad.Which of the following can help children develop social skills in a game?
| A．Pretending to be a super hero. |
| B．Preparing a delicious dinner with mud. |
| C．Helping a doctor to attend patients. |
| D．Pretending to be a doctor. |
Why can imagination build children's selfconfidence?
| A．It makes them feel as if they were much more powerful than they really are. |
| B．It helps them protect people and make much greater progress. |
| C．It helps them gain control over themselves. |
| D．It makes them more willing to play fair. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．While playing pretend games，children learn to get along with others. |
| B．Playing pretend games helps children to do well while they are in school. |
| C．Playing pretend games only helps children psychologically. |
| D．Playing pretend games is good for children's development. |
The best title for this passage probably is________.
| A．Benefits of Playing Pretend Games |
| B．Tips on How to Improve Your Children's Imagination |
| C．Advantages of Playing Outdoors |
| D．Skills in Playing Pretend Games |
There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Laughter is good for health. |
| B．Laughter can make you become old quickly. |
| C．Laughter helps to reduce pain. |
| D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body. |
The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “”.
| A．delays | B．prevents | C．increases | D．reduces |
Why do doctors hold laughter clinics?
| A．Because they want to earn more money. |
| B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. |
| C．Because they want to improve their patients’ health. |
| D．Because they want their patients to laugh more. |
According to the author, we should __________ in our life.
| A．laugh as much as possible |
| B．watch more funny films |
| C．smile all the time |
| D．spend time in the laughter clinics |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health. |
| B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition. |
| C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain. |
| D．Laughter is the best medicine. |
Most of the flowers in nature are red, orange and yellow. If we have seen a black flower, it’s a chance in million. People have made a census ( 普查 ) to colors of more than four thousand kinds of flowers and discovered that only eight of them are black. As we know, sunlight is formed by seven different colored lights. The wave length of each light is different, so the quantity of heat in each light is also different. Flowers, especially their petals ( 花瓣 ) , are easy to be harmed by high temperature. Black flowers can take in all the light waves which cause the flowers to dry up in a high temperature. So black flowers can rarely survive sunlight. But red flowers, orange flowers and yellow flowers can protect themselves from sunlight by reflecting the red light, orange light and yellow light, each of which has a large quantity of heat.It is _________ to see a black flower.
| A．impossible | B．seldom | C．common | D．no chance |
The passage tells us that ________________.
| A．black flowers are so weak that it is difficult for them to grow up. |
| B．there is only eight black flowers in nature. |
| C．sunlight is formed by seven different colored lights, so the wave length of each light is different. |
| D．black flowers can take in the light of all the wave lengths which make them dry up because of high temperature. |
Which of the following ideas is NOT true?
| A．People have found that only a few kinds of flowers are black. |
| B．Flowers are easy to be harmed by very high temperature. |
| C．Red, orange and yellow flowers can also absorb the light of all wave lengths. |
| D．The black flowers cannot protect themselves from sunlight. |
Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small house or inns(客栈)instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private(私人的)homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms; others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.
Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.Americans take a holiday trip _________.
| A．all the year round | B．for years | C．every year | D．every other year |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Some Americans like to stay at bed-and-breakfast homes instead of at hotels. |
| B．The bed-and-breakfast inns are private homes open to vacationers. |
| C．The bed-and-breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night. |
| D．The bed-and-breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time. |
Staying at the bed-and-breakfast inns, _________.
| A．the travelers needn’t pay anything |
| B．the travelers don’t have to pay for the telephone or television |
| C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people |
| D．the owners will show the travelers around the area |