Many countries follow special customs when a child’s baby teeth fall out. Many of these customs tell stories about animals taking the teeth.
For example, Koreans have the custom of throwing the fallen tooth onto the roof of a house so that a magpie (喜鹊) can take the tooth away and bring a new tooth for the child. This custom is also followed by some other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam.
Other countries, though, have tooth customs about other animals. In Mexico and Spain, for example, it is thought that a mouse takes a fallen tooth away and leaves some money. But in Mongolia, it is dogs that take children’s teeth away. Dogs are highly respected in Mongolian culture. It is believed that the new tooth will grow strong if the baby tooth is fed to a dog, so parents in Mongolia will put their children’s fallen teeth in a piece of meat and feed it to a dog.
In France and the USA, a child will put a fallen tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. It is thought that in the early morning, when the child is still sleeping, the Tooth Fairy will take the tooth away and leave something else under the pillow. What she will leave is hard to know. It is said that in France the Tooth Fairy may leave some candies; however, in the United States, she may leave money.
Koreans throw a tooth onto the roof of a house in order to __________.
| A．get money | B．feed magpies |
| C．get candies | D．get a new tooth |
In Vietnam, if a child’s tooth falls out, he or she will __________.
| A．throw it onto the roof of a house |
| B．feed it to a mouse |
| C．put it in a piece of meat and feed the meat to a dog |
| D．leave it to the Tooth Fairy |
From the last paragraph, we can know that in France and the USA _________.
| A．a child will put his or her fallen tooth beside the pillow |
| B．the Tooth Fairy takes the fallen teeth away at midnight |
| C．the Tooth Fairy will leave some candies to the children after taking the fallen teeth away |
| D．no one knows for sure what the Tooth Fairy will leave to the children after taking the fallen teeth away |
The passage is mainly about ___________.
| A．customs about fallen teeth in western countries |
| B．customs about fallen teeth in different countries |
| C．stories about human teeth |
| D．stories about some animals |
Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they’re a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?
| A．To think about happy times. |
| B．To make many decisions at a time. |
| C．To stop feeling regretful about the past. |
| D．To learn about the process of decision-making. |
Damasio’s study suggests that ______.
| A．emotions are the enemy of decision making |
| B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making |
| C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds |
| D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions |
Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?
| A．They often forget their past choices. |
| B．They make decisions without much thinking. |
| C．They tend to save time when shopping. |
| D．They are too angry to bargain. |
What do we learn from the text?
| A．Emotions are a part of decision making. |
| B．Sad people always make the worst choices. |
| C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices. |
| D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation. |
I was appreciating my family photos on my computer, admiring my two beautiful babies, when I found a disturbing trend: my laptop was in almost all the pictures. There was my daughter, 8 months old, playing at my feet while I was typing away on the couch. There was me and my son, with the laptop at my side as I held him in my arms.
I’d heard about the Internet addiction before, but always assumed I was something limited to socially challenged guys who played too much World of Warcraft (a computer game). Now it seemed my Internet “habit” is slowly but surely crossing the line. Sometimes I find myself up at midnight, surfing the Web while my family are sleeping. I read news, keep up with friends and write my blog … just for something to do.
It turns out that I’m not the only mama who is addicted to the computer. These moms are contributing to a growing global addiction. There’s a movement among psychiatrists (doctors who specialize in mental diseases) to recognize the Internet addiction as an official mental disorder. And a recent Stanford University national survey found that 14 percent of Internet users find it hard to stay away from it for several days at a time; 9 percent try to hide their “unnecessary Internet use” from their loved ones; 8 percent admit they use the Web as a way to escape problems.
You’re likely not the kind of addict who doesn’t bathe and abuses drugs to help her stay “up” for more online time. You may have noticed, though, that going online has become a necessary part of your life, which, at least, means a load of clothes go unwashed.
It may also mean you’re missing much time with you baby – something you probably do care about.From Paragraph 1, we can conclude that _______.
| A．the author was busy taking care of her babies |
| B．the author’s job had something to do with computers |
| C．the author was not good at taking photos of her babies |
| D．the author looked after her babies while using the computer. |
The author used to think that the Internet addiction is ________.
| A．using the web at midnight | B．keeping up with friends online |
| C．spending too much time online | D．being addicted to computer games |
In medical terms, the Internet addiction is ________.
| A．a personal life habit | B．a way to escape problems |
| C．an official mental disorder | D．the unnecessary use of the Internet |
What does the author want to express in the last but one paragraph?
| A．Many women still can control their online time. |
| B．The Internet addiction influences housewives’ lives a lot. |
| C．Going online has become a necessary part of women’s lives. |
| D．Many people don’t realize that they are addicted to the Internet. |
Anyone for kimchi(韩国泡菜)？ Around 2,000 women made the traditional dish last week in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea(ROK).
More than 270 tons of kimchi were produced and handed out to needy neighbours.
In the ROK, kimchi is more than a dish to be eaten with every meal, even though Koreans are said to eat about 40 pounds(around 18kg) of kimchi per person each year.
According to Korean.net, the country’s official multilingual website, kimchi represents
“the spirit” of the Koreans.
Kimchi traditionally has a rosy color. Korea.net says: “The color red wards off (避开) evil spirits. The color represents the spirit of the Korean people and kimchi is more than just a food. It’s a culture.”
A meal without kimchi is unthinkable. So what is kimchi?
Joan Raymond, food writer for US website health.com, writes: “It’s a reddish, fermented (发酵的) cabbage dish , made with a mix of garlic salt, vinegar, chili peppers and other spices.
It is served at every meal, either along with or mixed with rice and noodles. It is part of a high-fiber, low fat diet, which has kept obesity(肥胖) at bay.”
Kimchi is used in everything from soups to pancakes and as a topping (配料) on pizza and burgers.
Health.com named kimchi in its list of the world’s top five healthiest foods as it is rich in vitamins, aids digestion and may even reduce the risk of cancer.
A study conducted by Seoul National University claimed that chickens infected with the H5N1 virus (bird flu) recovered after eating food containing the same bacteria found in kimchi.
When Koreans pose for photos, they say “kimchi”, instead of “cheese”.According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Kimchi contains something that can kill the H5N1 virus. |
| B．Kimchi is rated as the healthiest food in the world. |
| C．Kimchi is a cultural treasure for Koreans. |
| D．Each person eats 40 pounds of kimchi per month. |
What does the underlined phrase “keep... at bay” mean?
| A．predict | B．prevent | C．overcome | D．develop |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．The nutritional value of kimchi. |
| B．Ways of making kimchi. |
| C．The origin of kimchi. |
| D．Kimchi and what it means to Koreans. |
If you're like a lot of married guys, you don't need to be reminded about men being from Mars or women from Venus. Chances are that you're all too familiar with the feeling that you and your wife are from different worlds. The way to have a successful marriage is through communication, common ground and understanding. Here are some pointers to guide you in the right direction.
Pointer 1. Realize nobody can wave a magic wand to make you and your wife completely understand each other all the time. Accept the difference.
Pointer 2. Rather than ending up in an endless back and forth, forget about the issue for a minute. Instead, think about how you feel she's acting toward you and ask her if that's how she feels about you. Switching the focus to that shared feeling can help your wife see things from your point of view.
Pointer 3. Rather than feel offended if you find out she's not as into your favorite hobby as you thought, appreciate the effort she put into making you happy. Swallow your pride and try to take part in some of her hobbies, too, even if you might be a little put off at first. While you're not going to be trying on makeup with her, you could try baking a recipe together.
Pointer 4. If either of you is always giving everything and getting nothing in return, there's going to be bitterness. The best marriages are built on compromise. You knew you were going to have to give and take for your marriage to work; now it's time to make it happen.The best subtitle of Pointer 3 is ________.
| A．Find out her hobbies |
| B．Swallow your pride (at least sometimes) |
| C．Don’t get offended |
| D．Try to make up |
According to the last paragraph, it’s important for the husband and wife to__________.
| A．give and take |
| B．get everything and return nothing |
| C．live and let live |
| D．forgive and forget |
Which of the following is NOT good for keeping a successful marriage?
| A．Try to understand each other all the way. |
| B．Don't play the blame game. |
| C．Focus on the feeling to get past the disagreement. |
| D．She won't always understand you (but that's OK). |
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The researchers considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.What is the best title of the passage?
| A．The older a person is, the more stressed he feels. |
| B．The more lighthearted a person is, the happier he is. |
| C．The older a person is, the more clever he grows. |
| D．The older a person is, the happier he grows. |
We can learn from the research that _________.
| A．only when people get older, will they feel happier |
| B．older people usually have no worries in their life |
| C．stress levels among the youngest are the highest of all |
| D．older people are more likely to be thankful in life |
According to the researchers, what is probably the reason why people grow happier when they get older?
| A．When people get older, they can’t remember bad experiences. |
| B．When people get older, they have no young children to care about. |
| C．When people get older, they learn to adjust their feelings. |
| D．When people get older, they don’t care about their feelings. |
What do you think the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is?
| A．A Gallup organization. |
| B．A popular science magazine. |
| C．A university in New York. |
| D．A research institution |
What would the writer probably deal with in next paragraph?
| A．Advice to the young people on how to keep happy. |
| B．Advice to the old people on how to live longer. |
| C．Why women at all ages are more sad, stressed and worried. |
| D．Why people will grow happier with their ages. |