Death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases --- clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived(复活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.
Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body’s metabolism(新陈代谢), cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.
To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey’s blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta’s heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous(自发的)breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seized the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.For a person who suffers from the clinical death, _________.
| A．his most important organs are damaged. |
| B．he still has the possibility of getting back to life. |
| C．he cannot avoid final death. |
| D．he is still very much alive |
Scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer in order to __________.
| A．slow down the body’s metabolism. |
| B．bring vital cells and tissues back to active life. |
| C．cool the organism. |
| D．delay the coming of biological death. |
How did the scientists put Keta into clinical death?
| A．By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood. |
| B．By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood. |
| C．By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating. |
| D．By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing. |
All of the following indicate that the monkey has almost restored to her original physical state except the fact that__________.
| A．her heart beat again. |
| B．she regained her normal breath. |
| C．she rejected a penicillin injection. |
| D．she acted as lively as a healthy monkey. |
Economists have studied how markets work for a long time．Generally，they work well．But markets do not always perform as expected．Jean Tirole of France won the Nobel Prize in Economics for studying why markets are imperfect，or inefficient，and what governments can do to regulate them．
The Nobel prize committee announced the $1．1 million prize in Stockholm to Jean Tirole．Itcalled Mr．Tirole“one of the most influential economists of our time”．The organization said he had done important research in a number of areas．But it said，“most of all he has clarified how to understand and regulate industries with only a few powerful firms．”
Mr．Tiro1e works at the Toulouse School of Economics in Toulouse，France．He is 61 years old．For about 30 years，Mr．Tirole has researched periods when markets failed，that is，when they did not provide good results in price and competition．He looked at how a small number of large companies，or even a single company，can strongly influence industries. Banking and telecommunications were among the industries he studied．
The Nobel committee said that unregulated markets often produce socially undesirable results. They can result in higher prices or companies that use their market position to block others· The committee said it chose Mr．Timle because he thought about how best to regulate markets．For example，Tore Ellingsen，Chairman of the committee that awards the economics prize，says Mr·Tirole showed the need to develop better rules for the banking industry．This became urgent after the world financial crisis of 2008—2009．
The economics Drize is called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alflred Nobel．Alfred Nobel did not establish the prize．It was first presented in 1969．The passage tells us that Jean Tirole______________.
| A．has studied the economics in Sweden |
| B．is the first to win the Nobel Prize in Economics |
| C．is highly praised by Chairman of the committee |
| D．has made regulations for large companies |
We can learn from the passage that___________________.
| A．Jean Tirole's research made the markets imperfect or inefficient |
| B．banking and telecommunications are strongly influential industries |
| C．the world financial crisis of 2008—2009 regulated the markets |
| D．Alfred Nobel was unwilling to establish economics prize |
The underlined word“undesirable”in Paragraph 4 can best be，replaced by_________.
| A．harmful | B．unbelievable |
| C．beneficial | D．convincing |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The 1ife of Jean Tirole． |
| B．The research of Jean Tirole． |
| C．The history of Nobel Prize in Economics． |
| D．Jean Tirole Wins Nobel Economics Prize． |
Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person．Feeling down? Consider these things to remember when you’re having a bad day．
No one promised life would be perfect．If you look for perfection，you’11 never be content．Don’t condition your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself．It is good to be ambitious，but you’11 never be perfect．If you expect otherwise，your life will be filled with disappointments．
Success doesn’t happen overnight．Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit．Don’t kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly．It isn’t easy to be patient，but anything worth doing requires time．If you get frustrated，remind yourself why your goal is important．
There is a lesson in every struggle．And once the storm is over，you won’t remember how you made it through or how you managed to survive．But one thing is certain．When you come out of the storm．you won’t be the same person who walked in．That’s what this storm’s all about．Don’t complain about how terrible your life is．If you search for the lesson in your present struggle，you’11 be able to make positive changes that would prevent similar situations in the future．
Without hard times，you wouldn’t appreciate the good ones．Strength does not come from winning．Your struggles develop your strengths．When you go through hardships and decide not to give in，that is strength．It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail，but how else would you improve yourself? If you look at failure as a part of your evolutionary process，you’11 stay positive and pursue your goals for as long as it takes．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．Every person has to go through hard times |
| B．We can learn a lot from our struggles |
| C．We should accept the fact that life is not perfect |
| D．Things to remember when you are having a bad day |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Success will come quickly． |
| B．Hard work leads to success． |
| C．Success calls for patience． |
| D．Confidence is the first step to success. |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that____________．
| A．1essons from struggles make us stronger |
| B．all things are difficult before they are easy |
| C．we should forget how we managed to survive |
| D．similar situations in the future will never appear |
What can we infer from Paragraph 5?
| A．Hard times make us lose heart and be short of courage. |
| B．Perseverance in time of hardships develops our strengths． |
| C．Smiles when you fail will not help to improve yourself． |
| D．We should try to avoid failures in the evolutionary process. |
Using a computer or smartphone at night can cause us to pile on the pounds，new research has revealed．
The study found a link between blue light exposure(blue light is produced by smartphones and computers)and increased hunger．It found that exposure to blue light increases hunger levels for several hours and even increases hunger levels after eating a meal．Blue light exposure has also already been shown to cause decreased sleepiness in the evening，increasing the risk of sleeplessness．
The leading researcher，Ivy Cheung，from Northwestern University in Chicago，said，“A single three-hour exposure to blue-enriched light in the evening greatly affected hunger and metabolism(新陈代谢)．These results are important because they suggest that controlling environmental light exposure for humans may represent a novel approach of influencing food intake patterns and metabolism．”
The study group consisted of 10 healthy adults with regular sleep and eating schedules. They completed a four-day trial under dim(昏暗的)light conditions，which involved exposure to less than 20 lux(勒克斯，照明单位)during 16 hours awake and less than 3 lux during eight hours of sleep．On the third day they were exposed to three hours of 260 lux，blue-enriched light starting10.5 hours after waking up．and the effects were compared with dim light exposure.
Ivy Cheung said more research is needed to determine the functions involved in the relationship between light exposure，hunger and metabolism．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．How blue light exposure affects hunger． |
| B．Why blue light exposure influences sleepiness． |
| C．What is the link between blue light exposure，hunger and sleepiness． |
| D．Who has found the effects of blue light exposure on hunger and sleepiness． |
The underlined word“novel”in the third paragraph probably means“___________”.
| A．unusual | B．unforgettable |
| C．temporary | D．controversial |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Blue light exposure can make us lose weight at night． |
| B．Blue light exposure has no effect on sleeplessness． |
| C．The researchers drew their conclusion by comparison． |
| D．Ivy Cheung has found the relationship between light exposure and hunger． |
Where would you be most likely to find the passage?
| A．On a notice board． | B．In a health magazine． |
| C．On a business website． | D．In a college newspaper． |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself，and your other writing．It can unshroud your knowledge，and create an ongoing relationship with your readers．A good blog is more than just a marketing tool；it’s also an expression of your personality．
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more．Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak．If you write nonfiction(写实文学)，show people what they can achieve，and give them a few steps to get them started．
Give tips，information and advice about the subjects you cover．For example，something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this．Your writing tips can also be included，as well as interesting，strange or funny things you discovered during your research．Whenever you contact an expert，ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use．You may also give background information about your stories and locations
Give details of coming posts on your blog，so people can watch out for you，or come and meet you．Personal news will help people feel better connected to you．Include photos of objects and locations in your writing，famous people you meet，the views from your window， and your favorite things—with a note about where they come from and what they mean to you．Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better，know the subject better，or anything else you think they might find useful，inspiring or entertaining．
If you only occasionally post things on your blog，people have a tendency to forget you．As a writer you shouldn’t ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with——and your readers will love you for it．Which is the best title for the text?
| A．What to Blog about? | B．How to Start a Blog? |
| C．Why to Launch a Blog? | D．How to Make Website Attractive? |
The underlined word “unshroud” in the first paragraph means_________．
| A．put on | B．turn up |
| C．show off | D．write down |
Personal news on your blog_______________．
| A．can make people watch out for you |
| B．can make people easily get in touch with you |
| C．helps to leave your privacy known |
| D．helps you improve your writing |
What does the author suggest for keeping a blog?
| A．Posting things on your blog once in a while. |
| B．Adding new stories to it every day． |
| C．Filling it with attractive things frequently． |
| D．Loving it as your life． |
Matthew Henson-Arctic Explorer
In 1880，fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting 1ives at sea．The travel，the adventure，the danger，and the steady pay were all attracting young Henson．One day，he found a job as a cabin boy off a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds．For the next five years．Henson sailed around the world．With the help of the ship’s captain and other members of the crew．Henson learned mathematics，navigation，history，geography，and many other subjects．By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885，Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman．
Unable to find work anywhere else，Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington，D．C．One day in 1887，a man came in to buy a hat．The man，Robert Peary，asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea．Peary would soon travel to South America for the U．S．government．He needed experienced men to accompany him．The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean journeys，so he introduced Peary to Henson．
Using his map-reading and sailing skills，Henson proved himself to be a worthy and smart seaman．Peary soon made Henson his assistant，and they became close friends．One day Peary told Henson about his real dream：to be the first man to stand on“the top of the world"at the North Pole．He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true．Over the next five years，the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic．However，they were not able to reach the pole either time．The cold，wind，and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined．
In 1908，Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole．Both men were over forty years old．The years of hardship in the arctic cold had made them suffer a lot．This would be their last chance．With four Inuit guides，they made a mad rush straight across the ice toward the po1e．Peary’s feet were injured and he had to be pulled on a dogsled．In April 1909．Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole．Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow．
In later years，Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievements．Today，the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery．In paragraph 1，the author shows how Henson became________．
| A．a skilled seaman |
| B．a highly educated captain |
| C．employed in a restaurant |
| D．interested in helping others |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us__________．
| A．how Matthew Henson met Robert Peary |
| B．why Matthew Henson went to the hat shop |
| C．why Matthew Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds |
| D．how Robert Peary knew that Matthew Henson had sea experience |
On their trip to the North Pole，Henson and Peary could best be compared to___________.
| A．hunters running after wolves |
| B．generals seeking power over another country |
| C．soldiers going to war to fight for their freedom |
| D．fighters performing a task in an unknown land |
The information presented in this passage is mainly organized_________．
| A．by cause and effect |
| B．by comparing and contrasting |
| C．in the order that the events happened |
| D．with main ideas and supporting examples |