The human body is a machine that can raise lots of interesting questions．Why，for example，are yawns（呵欠）contagious（传染的）？What's up with ice﹣cream headaches？ Here are answers to these and other questions about our bodies．
Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too quickly？
Scientists aren' t exactly sure what causes the brain freeze when we eat ice cream or other super﹣cold foods too quickly，though some believe it's the result of changed blood flow in the nervous stem．Blood vessels in the head tighten to stop the loss of body heat and then relax to let blood flow rise；that sudden rush of blood is what causes the headache．You can improve an ice﹣cream headache by rapidly rubbing your tongue across the roof of your mouth to help warm up things．
What causes my stomach to make a low continuous noise when I'm hungry？
Actually，your stomach makes noise whether you're hungry or full；you just hear it more clearly when you're hungry．Think of your digestive tract（消化道）as a really long tube lined with smooth muscle tissue． These muscles move food，fluids and gas through your digestive tract． A ．It can make you feel embarrassed（尴尬的） but is nothing to worry about．
Why do I blush when I'm embarrassed？
When you're embarrassed，your brain releases a shot of adrenaline（肾上腺素），which makes your heart race and blood vessels become larger in size．All this happens to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery throughout the body in a fight﹣on﹣ flight reaction（对抗反应）．There are a lot of tiny blood vessels in your face，which turn noticeably redder from this sudden rush of blood．As for the actual function of blushing，researchers are still trying to find that one out．
Why are yawns contagious？
Have you ever yawned in front of someone，only to have them yawn right back？ It's a common thing but researchers don't have a good explanation for it．They do，however，know this happens only with humans and chimpanzees（ 黑猩猩）．A bigger question puzzling scientists is why we yawn at all It used to be thought that yawning showed that oxygen to the brain was not enough，but that's just a myth．A growing body of research now shows that yawning is nature's way of keeping our brains cool．
（1）What is the meaning of the underlined word tighten？ ．
A．变松
B．变紧
C．变短
D．变长
（2）Which of the following sentences can be filled in the blank？ ．
A．And that's what you're hearing when your stomach makes noise．
B And that's why you're so hungry when your stomach is empty．
C．And that's what makes you feel uncomfortable when you're full．
D．And that's how it makes a difference to your digestive tract．
（3）Which of the following statements is TRUE？ ．
A．There is no way for you to improve an ice﹣cream headache．
B．Researchers have found out the actual function of blushing．
C．Your stomach makes noise only when you are hungry．
D．Researchers don't have a good explanation for why yawns are contagious．
（4）What is the best title of the passage？ ．
A．Some Interesting Facts
B．Our Strange Body
C．Some Useful Discoveries
D．Our Amazing Feelings
A 2-year-od boy is being described as a hero after using Face Time to save his mother after she was badly hurt.
According to a report from KGUN, Laura was trying to stop a fight between two dogs when one of the dogs bit(咬) part of her middle finger almost completely off.
Laura tried to call 911 herself, but she said her hands were too badly hurt to make the call. “ I asked my daughters to call 911, and they’re four, and they were quite afraid to even touch the phone, because it was covered in my blood(血),” Laura told KGUN.
The mother continued to lose a lot of blood and thought she would go into a deep sleep—until her 2-year-old son Bentley came up with a dishcloth from the kitchen. After cleaning some of the bold off his mother’s iPhone, Bentley continued to use Face Time to call Laura’s friend Connie.
“All I could see was his little forehead. I said ‘Hi Bentley’ and it was quiet for a little bit. Then I heard Laura shouting,” Connie told KGUN.
Connie then called 911, and Bentley unlocked the door to let firefighters into the house.
Laura told KGUN she is very thankful for her little hero and has since taught all of her children how to call 911.Laura was badly hurt when she was _______.
| A．opening the door | B．cooking in the kitchen |
| C．making a phone call | D．trying to stop a dog fight |
Through Face Time _______ learned about the accident and called 911 at last.
| A．Laura’s son | B．Laura’s daughter |
| C．Laura’s friend | D．Laura’s husband |
The passage is probably taken from _______.
| A．a newspaper | B．a poster |
| C．a science magazine | D．a guidebook |
What should you take in with you when you take an exam? Pen, pencil, eraser, ruler…, and don’t forget a bottle of water!
According to a study at the British Psychological ( 心理学的) Society Annual Conference held in London, students who bring water into exams may improve their grades by up to 10 percent.
Scientists at the University of East London and the University of Westminster, UK, did a study on 447 students. The students were studying for different degrees (学历) at the University of East London. Only 25 percent of them entered the exam hall with something to drink.
Scientists then compared their exam results with their normal schoolwork grades. They found that all those who had brought drinks with them got better grades by between 2 and 10 percent.
It is unclear why drinking water improves exam results. But scientists say having enough water in our bodies and not feeling thirsty could have a helpful effect on our brains. Drinking water may also cut down on anxiety ( 焦虑), which has a bad effect on exam performances, according to Chris Pawson, PhD, of the University of East London.
“Whatever the explanation, it is clear that students should try hard to stay hydrated (含水的)with water during exams,” he said.
So next time, when you are going to have a big exam, try bringing a bottle of water with you.Who knows – it may help you pass the exam!How much may the students improve their grades most if they bring water into exams?
| A．By2%. | B．By8%. |
| C．By10%. | D．By25%. |
How many students in the study got better grades?
| A．About112 students who brought drinks or water into their exams. |
| B．All the447 students who come from the University of East London. |
| C．About300 students who took part in the study. |
| D．About10 percent of the students who studied different subjects. |
The underlined phrase “cut down on” probably means _______.
| A．increase | B．bring |
| C．reduce | D．change |
According to the passage, how does water help students in exams?
a. It is good for their brains.
b. It makes students smarter.
c. It helps students stay cool.
d. It helps students stay awake.
| A．a b | B．a c |
| C．b c | D．c d |
Where can you probably read the article?
| A．Fashion magazine. | B．Text book. |
| C．Travel guide. | D．Newspaper. |
Usually, students are not encouraged to run or jump around in the corridor (走廊). However,students in a British grammar school really enjoy running on the corridor tiles (瓷砖) and their teachers even encourage them to do that.
Why? It is because the corridor was built with special kinetic (动能的) tiles. When students jump on the tiles, electricity will be generated ( 产生). After one year, the electricity generated from the tiles can fully charge 853 mobile phones or power(供电) an electric car to drive seven miles. It’s amazing, isn’t it?
The corridor tiles are really a brilliant invention. Students can not only play on the corridor,but also help power the lights in their school corridors and other devices ( 设备) in their classrooms. Besides, this is a good way to teach students to be creative. They will be inspired to be scientists, inventors and engineers in the future to find clean energy for all humans.
The inventor of the magic corridor tiles is Laurence Kemball-Cook. He was once a student in this school. Now, he is CEO of his own company. The corridor tiles are not Laurence’s only invention. He has also invented a special dance floor, which can be used at music festivals. It allows dancers to charge their mobile phones while they are dancing on the dance floor.Why do the students in the passage enjoy running on the corridor tiles?
A. Because the corridor tiles are expensive.
B. Because the teachers ask them to do that.
C. Because the corridor was built with special tiles.After one year, the electricity generated from the tiles can provide enough energy for _______.
A. over 800 mobile phones
B. all the lights of the school
C. an electric car to drive70 milesThe underlined word “inspired” most probably means “ _________”.
A. encouraged
B. forced
C. trainedWhat else has Laurence invented besides the corridor tiles from the passage?
A. A mobile phone.
B. A music player.
C. A special dance floor.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Students are not allowed to walk in the corridor.
B. Laurence once studied in the British grammar school.
C. Laurence has more than one company of his own.
Monty Robert’s father was a horse trainer. As a child, Monty often went from one farm to another with his father. Sometimes they didn’t have enough money to pay for food, but Monty still kept hoping to own a horse farm.
When he was in school, his teacher asked him to write a paper about his dream. He wrote a seven-page paper. He wanted to have a horse farm one day. He even drew a picture of a horse farm in the paper.
The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later, he got his paper back. On the front page was a large red “F” with the words “See me after class”. So the boy did and asked his teacher:” Why did I get an F?” The teacher said: “This dream will not come true for a young boy like you. You need a lot of money to own a horse farm. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for a lot of things. There is no way you could ever do it.” Then the teacher added: “If you write this paper
again with a simpler dream, I will give you a good grade.”
After school he thought hard about it. At last, he decided to hand in the same paper, making no changes at all. He wrote: “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Many years later, Monty had his own large horse farm. His dream came true.
So don’t let anyone take away your dreams. Follow your dreams, no matter what they are.From Paragraph1, we learn that _______.
A. Monty’s family was poor
B. Monty’s father didn’t support him
C. Monty hoped to be a horse trainerWhat did his teacher ask him to do when he was in school?
A. To write a seven-page paper.
B. To draw a picture about his dream.
C. To write a paper about his dream.What was Monty’s attitude 态度 towards his paper?
A. Careless. B. Serious. C. Funny.Monty’s teacher gave him a red “F” because he thought ______.
A. Monty’s handwriting was too bad
B. Monty copied from another student
C. Monty’s dream was too hard for him to achieveWhat does the story want to tell us?
A. Follow a simple dream.
B. Never give up your dream.
C. Don’t take away others’ dreams.
By the time Rihanna was seventeen ,she had released (发行) her first album and had an international hit with her first single (单曲) Pon de Replay.
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael , Barbados in 1988 . She grew up there with her two younger brothers . As a child , she loved singing . She formed her first group with friends from secondary school when she was just fifteen . In 2004 friends introduced the group to American record producer Evan Rogers ,who was on holiday in Barbados . Rogers thought Rihanna could be a star in America,so she moved there aged sixteen to take up music after she finished school. Rihhanna lived with Rogers and his wife . Then she worked for Def Jam Recordings and started working on her first album , Music of the Sun .It came out at in 2005 and got into the top ten . Over 69,000 copies of the album were sold in the first week alone . It went on to sell over two million copies worldwide and Rihanna quickly became a big star . Her second album , A Girl Like Me ,came out a year later and included the song SOS , which was her first number one hit in America. In 2007 Rihanna brought out her third album , Good Girl Gone Bad ,which had more dance music than the first two albums.
Rihanna sold more than fifteen million album and forty - five million singles worldwide between 2005 and 2010 ,the most of any artist at the same time . However ,she manages to find time for her charity work ,too . She has performed in several concerts to raise money for charity and in 2006 she created her Believe Foundation to help sick children . She also took part in Gucci’s activities to raise money for children in Africa.What had Rihanna released before she was seventeen ?
| A．An album but no singles. |
| B．A single but not an album. |
| C．An album and at least one single. |
| D．Two album and a single Pon de Replay. |
Why did Rihanna move to America ?
| A．To try to become a famous singer. |
| B．To form her first music group. |
| C．To meet the record producer Evan Rogers. |
| D．To record her album ,A Girl Like Me ,with the help of Rogers. |
Which is true about Rihanna’s first album ?
| A．It included her first number one hit in the US. |
| B．It sold69,000 copies in total. |
| C．It made Rihanna a star. |
| D．It came out before she finished school. |
It can be learnt from the text that Rihanna ______.
| A．Wants to start a charity to help sick children |
| B．Has helped to raise money for African children |
| C．Has organized some concerts to raise money for charity |
| D．Is producing another album for her Believe Foundation |