Spending two or three hours playing outdoors each day can reduce the chance of becoming short-sighted(近视), a research shows. It challenges the belief(信念) that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, watching TV or reading in weak light.
The Australian government researchers believe that the sunlight is good for people’s eyes. They studied the vision(视力) and habits of 100 seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia. In all, 30% of the Singaporean children were short-sighted—this rate(比率) was ten times higher than Australian children.
Both groups spend a similar amount(数量) of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. However the Singaporean children spent an average (平均) of only half an hour a day outdoors—90 minutes less than the Australian children.
Professor Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council’s vision Centre, said, “Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger. We’re also seeing more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world and the main reason may be that city children spend less time outdoors.
Daylight can be hundreds of times brighter than indoor light. But why does playing outside prevent us from becoming short-sighted ? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical(化学物质) which stops the eyeball from growing out of shape and prevents people from becoming short-sighted.
So be outdoors. It doesn’t matter if that time is spent having a picnic or having sports.How much time did the Australian children spend outdoors on average according to the research?
| A．30 minutes. | B．60 minutes. |
| C．90 minutes | D．120 minutes. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．If people spend less time outdoors, they will certainly become short-sighted. |
| B．There are fewer short-sighted Singaporean Children than Australian children because they have more knowledge of protecting their eyesight. |
| C．There will be fewer risks of getting short-sighted if people spend two or three hours a day playing outside. |
| D．When people begin to go to school, they will become long-sighted. |
What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?
| A．Why natural daylight has a special chemical. |
| B．Why daylight prevents people from becoming short-sighted. |
| C．Why daylight is much brighter than indoor light. |
| D．What the special chemical which can stop eyeballs from growing out of shape is. |
I am a professor of sports and exercise so I often deal with nervousness in my research with sports people. Actually, most people experience nervousness at some time or another.
If you are feeling anxious, my advice is to first find the cause or causes. Make s list of those things that are making you nervous and work out which ones you can do something about. Focus all of your efforts on managing the causes that you can control.
Most people cannot tell the difference between controllable(可控制的) and uncontrollable causes, so things they can’s control become a big reason for nervousness. Dealing with this is very important if people want to keep a healthy mind.
Simply try to accept the uncontrollable causes of nervousness. You might be worried about the weather on a big day, an accident or an attack on the train, or perhaps just things that other people are doing at work. The results may be very important but there is still no use worrying because you can’t control any of these things. Accept that you can’t control everything. Once you understand this, it becomes easier not to worry.
If a situation, such as swimming, is causing you to be anxious, try to face it as often as possible so that you can get used to it.
It can often help to think about yourself doing the thing that makes you nervous—then close your eyes and imagine it going well. Imagine how the flight or job interview is going to happen so that you can get used to it. This will help you understand that the thing you fear most is probably not going to happen.Who wrote this passage?
| A．A reporter. | B．A sportsman. | C．A patient. | D．A professor. |
The writer thinks there is no use worrying about some causes of nervousness because____.
| A．most are not very important |
| B．they are not the real causes of the problem |
| C．they cannot be controlled by people |
| D．it’s better to deal with one cause at a time |
If swimming makes you nervous, what should you do according to the writer?
| A．Go swimming often to get used to it. |
| B．Avoid going to the swimming pool. |
| C．Find a swimming teacher. |
| D．Imagine watching others swim. |
What is true about nervousness according to the passage?
| A．It usually has only one cause. |
| B．It is usually caused by people. |
| C．People can easily manage it. |
| D．Most people suffer from it. |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce the writer’s sports experience. |
| B．To advise on how to deal with nervousness. |
| C．To help people remember their fears. |
| D．To explain the dangers of nervousness. |
Frankenstein is one of the world’s most famous horror stories. It’s about a doctor who creates a new man from the body parts of dead people and brings it to life. But the experiment goes wrong and the monster(怪兽) kills the doctor and many others. The story has been read by millions since it was first published and in the last hundred years it has been made into dozens of movies. Many people are surprised to learn its writer was a 19-year-old woman, called Mary Shelley.
Mary was born into a rich London family in August 1797. She was educated by her parents and when she was 13 decided to become a writer. In 1812, she met the famous writer Percy Shelley and they soon got married. Sadly for Mary, their first child died soon after birth in Italy. In her diary, Mary wrote about a dream: “I dreamt that my little baby came to life again—that it had only been cold and that we rubbed it before the fire and it lived.”
In 1816, Percy Shelley and 19-year-odl May visited the poet Lord Byron at his home in Switzerland. Because of the bad weather they stayed indoors reading horror stories. One night, Byron asked everyone to write their own story. Mary thought of her dream and wrote the story Frankenstein.
Frankenstein was published when Mary was 21, and became a huge success. Many people didn’t think a 19-year-old woman could write so well and believed her husband was the real writer.
Although famous, Shelley’s life was full of sadness. Only one of her four children lived and in 1822 her husband died in a swimming accident. Mary was broken-hearted and decided not to marry again. She devoted herself to her child and continued to write until her death in 1851. What do we know about he story Frankenstein?
| A．It was really written by Mary Shelley’s husband. |
| B．It was been read by millions of people. |
| C．It was written to remember Shelley’s husband. |
| D．It is the most famous story in the world. |
Where was Mary Shelley when she wrote the story Frankenstein?
| A．In England. | B．In Italy. | C．In Switzerland. | D．In France. |
In which order to the following take place?
a. Bad weather made everyone stay indoors reading horror stories.
b. The story Frankenstein was first published.
c. Mary wrote about a dream in her diary.
d. Mary met the famous writer Percy Shelley.
e. Movies based on the story of Frankenstein were made.
| A．a, c, b, e, d | B．d, c, a, b, e | C．c, a, b, d, e | D．b, a, d, c, e |
How old was Mary Shelley when she died?
| A．43 | B．48 | C．51 | D．54 |
What can we learn about Mary Shelley from this passage?
| A．She experienced a lot of sadness in her life. |
| B．She wasn’t considered a good writer during her life. |
| C．She was educated at her local school. |
| D．She became very rich because of the story Frankenstein. |
One day a man saw an old lady standing by her expensive car, clearly in need of help. So he stopped his old truck and got out. Although he was smiling, the old lady was worried. Was he gong to hurt her? He didn’t look safe.
The man could see that she was frightened, so in his friendliest voice he said, “I’m here to help you, madam. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.” Bryan quickly fixed the car and the lady thanked him. Then she asked how much she should pay him.
But Bryan wanted no money. He was just giving a hand to someone in trouble. This was normal for him. He said, “If you really want to repay me, next time you see someone in need, help them and think of me.”
After saying goodbye, the lady continued down the road until she reached a small café where she decided to stop for something to eat. As the pretty waitress took her order, the lady noticed she was nearly eight months pregnant(怀孕). Although the waitress looked tired she was very kind. As the lady was going to pay the $10 bill she remembered Bryan’s words.
She paid with a hundred-dollar bill. But when the waitress returned with the change the lady was gone. On the table she saw a small note. There ware tears in her eyes when she read it: “Somebody once helped me the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, continue being kind to others.” Under the note were nine more $100 bills.
Was the old lady an angel? The waitress was so excited that she called her husband to tell him the news. “Bryan Anderson my dear…you’re not going to believe what just happened…”When the lady saw Bryan, she was worried because she thought_____ .
| A．he may hurt her | B．he wasn’t going to stop |
| C．he couldn’t help her | D．she didn’t have enough money |
答案: A
DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV proprammes show people how to DIY.
English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK –“An Englishman’s home is his castle”. Huge numbers of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their houses, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experiences with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economic downturn at present, many people can not afford to buy a bigger house. They are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.
DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture which people need to put together themselves with a few basic tools. However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can’t understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best intentions, many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don’t care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230,000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41,000 who fell off ladders.
Therefore, DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY.How do many English people spend their holidays according to the passage?
| A．Making their homes beautiful. | B．Visiting their friends. |
| C．Travelling all over the world. | D．Making a lot of money. |
Why do English people like DIY?
| A．Many stores sell DIY things. | B．DIY can bring them fun. |
| C．TV programmes teach them to DIY | D．All DIY projects are easy. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．DIY is a waste of money. | B．It is always difficult to DIY. |
| C．We should be careful while doing DIY. | D．It’s very safe for us to DIY |
In the passage, “we bite off more than we can chew” probably means ___________.
| A．we can eat everything we like | B．we should do something difficult |
| C．we do something that is too difficult | D．we eat too much food that is not safe |
Jack Johnson is one of the most popular singer-song writers in the world.
Jack was born on May 18, 1975 in Hawaii. Being the son of a famous surfer, Jack naturally has an interest in surfing. Most of his life lesson were learned in the water. At the age of 17, Jack entered the finals of the Pineline Masters – the world’s most famous surfing competition. Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfing like his father. Unluckily, one month later, he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.
Life is like a revolving door. When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practice playing the guitar and write songs when he was staying in hospital. At first, his father thought Jack only did it for fun, but soon he was surprised at the great progress his son had made.
When studying in the university, Jack didn’t stop practicing his guitar skills. He played the guitar for school parties. He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends. They liked his songs. His first music album Brushfire Fairytales came out in 2001. It was a great success. His second album, On and On, was much like his first. They were filled with sweet, easy-going songs that everybody liked listening to. Later Jack had lots of concerts in and out of America. He became popular all over the world.
Jack had five albums by 2010 and more than 15 million copies of them were sold. His music doesn’t fall into any of the popular music styles like pop, R&B or hip-hop. It is more like folk music, played with a guitar and beautiful voice. When listening to his songs, you feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunshine.
Jack is a talent, though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success: Whatever happen in our lives, we have to accept it and do the best we can.At the age of 17, Jack __________.
| A．had his first music album | B．took part in a surfing competition |
| C．had his first concert | D．became popular all over the world |
Jack started to write songs ___________.
| A．while he was staying in hospital | B．when he had concerts out of America |
| C．after his second album came out | D．after he played the guitar at the school party |
What is the secret of Jack’s success?
He was born in Hawaii.
His father was very famous
He wrote many songs for his teachers and friends.
He always faced difficulties bravely and tried his best. What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．A Famous Writer | B．Surfing in the Sea |
| C．A Guitar Player | D．Surfing in the Music |