If teens could reduce the salt they take in every day by 3,000 milligrams (mg), they would cut their risk of heart disease and stroke(中风) greatly in adulthood, researchers say.
Based on the results of a computer modeling analysis, researchers found that a 3,000 mg reduction in sodium(钠) by teenagers could reduce hypertension by 30 percent to 43 percent when they become adults.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common condition that may have no symptoms for years, but can eventually cause serious health conditions, including heart attack and stroke.
Other benefits over time as teens hit 50 years of age include a 7-12 percent reduction in coronary heart disease(冠心病), an 8-14 percent reduction in heart attacks, and a 5-8 percent reduction in stroke.
Fast food typically contains too much sodium. One bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos has 310 milligrams. Pizza is one of the biggest problems for teens when it comes to sodium, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
“The additional benefit of lower salt intake early is that we can hopefully change the expectations of how food should taste, ideally to something slightly less salty,” says Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, the lead author of the study and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Most of the salt we eat is not from our salt shaker(盐瓶), but salt that is already added in food that we eat.” she added.Which is a benefit of a low sodium diet according to the text?
| A．No risk of heart disease. | B．Smaller chance of stroke. |
| C．Low blood pressure. | D．Slightly more heart attacks. |
According to the text, 3,000 mg less salt intake daily will reduce hypertension by ________ in adulthood.
| A．7%-12% | B．8%-14% | C．30%-43% | D．5%-8% |
What does Dr Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo mean in the last two paragraphs?
| A．A lower sodium diet can get teenagers used to less salty food. |
| B．A good eating habit can help teens have less junk food. |
| C．Teens should avoid pizzas and other salty foods. |
| D．We can add more salt from our salt shaker to the food. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Teens Cutting Salt for Healthier Adulthood |
| B．Diet and Health |
| C．Sodium Brings Health Concerns |
| D．A Cause of Hypertension |
It is six o’clock in the morning. You are asleep in my left arm and I am learning the art of one-handed typing. Your mother, more tired yet more happy than I’ve ever known her, is sound asleep in the room next door.
When you’re older we’ll tell you that you were born in Hong Kong in the lunar year of the pig. “It's a boy, so lucky,” our neighbours told us. They said you were the first baby to be born in the block this year. This, they told us, was good Feng Shui, in other words, a positive sign. Naturally your mother and I were only too happy to believe that.
Your coming has turned me upside down and inside out. I am pained by the memory of each suffering child I have come across on my journeys as a journalist. To tell you the truth, it’s nearly too much for me to even think of the children being hurt and abused and killed.
Last October, in Afghanistan, when you were growing inside your mother, I met Sharja, aged twelve, motherless, fatherless, guiding me through the grey ruins of her home. Everything was gone, she told me.
There is another memory of Rwanda, and the churchyard where I found a mother and her three young children huddled(蜷缩) together where they’d been beaten to death. The children had died holding on to their mother.
Daniel, these memories explain some of the protectiveness I feel for you, and the occasional moments of blind terror when I imagine anything bad happening to you. We can see that this text is written to ________.
| A．the author’s wife | B．the author’s neighbour |
| C．Daniel | D．a suffering child |
The author mentions some of his painful memories because ________.
| A．he wants his son to care for others |
| B．he feels more pain thinking about them as a father |
| C．he hopes to forget the tragedies he witnessed |
| D．his experience has affected his mental health |
The underlined word “blind” in the last paragraph means ________.
| A．unable to see | B．meaningful |
| C．not clear | D．not based on reason |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s feeling when typing this text?
| A．Relieved. | B．Regretful. | C．Loving. | D．Calm. |
Anger is good for you, as long as you control it, according to new psychology research. A new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative impacts of stress and help you become healthier.
“Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger,” said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. “The more people display anger, the lower their stress responses.”
Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry.
Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger and disgust.
Other researchers recorded the students’ blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone（荷尔蒙）called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during the experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes（糖尿病）, heart disease, depression and extra weight gain.
When people feel fear, negative impacts increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study.
“Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is a maddening（令人发狂的）situation,” Lerner said.
Lerner previously studied Americans’ emotional response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It’s a healthier response than fear. What is the story mainly about?
| A．The findings of new psychology research. |
| B．What you can do with anger in certain cases. |
| C．Different effects produced by anger and fear. |
| D．Healthier responses in maddening situations. |
Which statement will Jennifer Lerner agree with?
| A．It’s better to be angry than to be frightened. |
| B．Different reactions reflect different outlooks on life. |
| C．Don’t control your anger and it makes you powerful. |
| D．Pessimistic people are generally healthier than optimistic people. |
What does the underlined word “both” refer to according to the passage?
| A．Fear and anger. | B．Blood pressure and pulse. |
| C．Blood pressure and cortiso1. | |
| D．Higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. |
In what ways can anger be beneficial to people?
| A．By showing their optimistic side. | B．By reducing their stress. |
| C．By reducing high blood pressure. | D．By taking the place of fear. |
The researchers irritated（激怒）the students by __________.
| A．recording their performance secretly |
| B．asking them to count to 6, 200 again and again |
| C．disturbing them and making them start all over again |
| D．criticizing them when they made mistakes |
More and more scientific experiments prove that physical exercise can reduce the dangers of some illnesses in middle-aged persons．Exercise strengthens the heart muscle，reduces blood pressure and help to prevent muscles from changing into fat．Physical exercise is just as important for children．
Exercise and food affect growing speed in young lab animals．Baby mice start running as soon as they are big enough to use an exercise wheel in their cage．If they get extra food and run a lot，they will grow as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal．
The same differences in growing speed might be found between active and inactive children．Physical exercise helps active children grow faster than inactive children．One experiment shows that the brains of the mice that had enough exercise weighed about 3％more than those of the mice that did not exercise The mice that exercised are much quicker to learn doing new exercise than the mice that did not exercise．
The results of the experiments suppose the theory that exercise can help babies learn to talk and walk sooner than expected．
The good effects of physical exercise are not limited to children and middle-aged people．Exercise continues to be an important part of our lives after we grow old．For example，people over 50 years old begin to lose calcium(钙) from their bones，which get weaker and can break easily．Physical exercise，however，helps to strengthen the bones and to prevent them from losing calcium．Of course，old people can take medicines to prevent themselves from suffering from losing calcium．But the medicines they take increase the chance of developing some kind of cancer(癌)．So physical exercise is a much safer treatment(治疗)．From the passage we know that .
| A．mice need to eat more and exercise more |
| B．children need more exercise than other people |
| C．old people like to take medicine to treat their illnesses |
| D．middle-aged people are easy to get fat |
Active children than inactive children．
| A．enjoy walking more |
| B．are cleverer and healthier |
| C．are stronger but more foolish |
| D．are cleverer but weaker |
Why are the bones of old people easy to break according to the passage?
| A．Because they are easy to become ill． |
| B．Because they eat less than other people． |
| C．Because they have less exercise than other people． |
| D．there is less calcium in their bones than in those of other people． |
The passage tells people that .
| A．only middle-aged persons can benefit from physical exercise |
| B．physical exercise can do good to both the middle-aged and children |
| C．people of different ages can all benefit from physical exercise |
| D．physical exercise is the safest treatment for losing calcium |
In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing US minority．As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools，it became clear that a new kind of culture was coming out．Their achievements are made in the nation’s best universities，where mathematics，science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character.This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college．Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively(客观)．And the money spent on education is more immediately returned in something like engineering than with an arts degree．
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children should take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer.An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do，and it helps．Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture，such as family value，the importance of education and so on that lead to their success.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they could cause the native Americans’unhappiness．Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants(移民)were unequally treated because of social separation．Indeed，it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because .
| A．they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgement in these areas |
| B．there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures |
| C．they know little about American cultures and Western cultures |
| D．their English is not good enough |
Asian-Americans prefer something like engineering to an arts degree because________.
| A．people majoring in engineering are respected |
| B．people with an arts degree are looked down upon |
| C．they can’t find a job with an arts degree |
| D．they can earn more money after graduation |
While making great achievements at college，Asian-American students________.
| A．are afraid that their academic successes take on a strong Asian character |
| B．still worry about unfair treatment in society |
| C．generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents |
| D．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English |
According to the passage，the major factors determining the success of Asian-Americans are .
| A．Asian culture and the American educational system |
| B．Asian culture and a solid base in basic mathematics |
| C．hard work and parental help |
| D．hard work and a limited knowledge of English |
Not only did the students ask for changes in the list of required subjects，but they also demanded the right to choose their courses according to their own taste and future needs．No more fixed programs,no guidance from educators and professors．All they wanted was to get their degree as fast as possible and go to work．
Although the educators didn’t all agree；a majority recognized that time had indeed changed and that education should perhaps adapt itself to the realities of modern society．Colleges and universities revised their programs to include a large number of specialized courses in business，nursing，engineering，and other professional fields．In the 1960s they also added courses requested by the students because they considered them“relevant(相关的)”(Women Studies，Revolution，or Black History)or useful(glass blowing，infant care，slow running，or family life)．The students were granted the right to choose their courses as they wished．Many traditional subjects had to be dropped，including history and foreign languages；the liberal education courses that were still useful were often neglected(忽视)by the students，who didn’t feel like working hard to learn something that was not required for graduation．
Whether the revised programs have helped college graduates to find employment quickly is not clear．But after fifteen or twenty years of experimentation，they have raised a lot of criticism．Some of it comes from the graduates themselves,who discover that their practical knowledge is neither deep nor flexible(灵活的)．As soon as they progress to higher positions，they find that they need management training and more study in their own field．Besides，they feel disabled by their lack of general knowledge,for example，by their ignorance of the language and culture of the foreigners with whom they are doing business. Most of all they suffer from their inability to use English，their own language，easily and properly.The students also demanded ，besides a change of program.
| A．the right to choose their university |
| B．the right to choose their professors |
| C．the right to choose their degree |
| D．the right to choose their courses |
What was the reaction of the colleges towards the students’demand?
| A．All the educators agreed with them. |
| B．None of the educators agreed with them. |
| C．A few educators agreed with them. |
| D．A few educators disagreed with them. |
Who is it that criticized the new system of education?
| A．Graduates | B．Parents | C．Employers | D．Educators |
In the opinion of the critics，the main problems are .
| A．the general knowledge is too much |
| B．the practical knowledge is impractical |
| C．they learned too much useless knowledge |
| D．they are not able to use their knowledge effectively |
American parents usually think that their child should not have more pocket money than the children with whom he regularly connects, even if they are wealthier．But neither are children expected to compare with the richer if a large family, heavy responsibilities, or other conditions make it necessary to give a child less spending money than is customary （惯例的）in the neighborhood．
Whatever the pocket money is, its entire use is not controlled by the parents, because a child learns to use money correctly only through dealing with it himself．If a seven-year-old child gets a quarter as a week pocket money and is made to put it all in his piggy bank to save it up, he gets no idea what the real use for the money is．He gets the shiny coins and they soon disappear．
The idea of a bank account is too early for so small a child, although he can be made to understand and enjoy saving his coins—not all of them, only a part of what he receives—to buy something he especially wants．By the time he is eight he is old enough to take part in the opening of his own savings account, parents may take him to the bank, open a savings account for him and encourage him to put a certain quantity or any checks he receives as gifts into the bank and watch his bank savings grow as entry by entry（存入） is made．
He will be saving, earning, and spending suitable quantities all along in order to learn how to manage money and to keep him in a favorable position with his friend．The boy who can't join his fellows in a sweet shop once in a while, because he has to save every cent he gets or earns for some big unknown project his parents have chosen for him, is a sorry child．Choose the best exolaration for the underlined part in the second paragraph.
| A．It is a kind of bank run by children． |
| B．It is a contralre in the shape of a pig for saving coins. |
| C．It is a certain place in which pigs are raise． |
| D．It is a bank whose building looks like a pig |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Most of the rich people in America give children much pocket money． |
| B．American children usually have their bank accounts until they are eight． |
| C．American parents seldom care for their children's spending money． |
| D．American children begin to learn how to manage money when very young． |
Suppose an 8-year-old child receives 10 dollars as his birthday gift, he may probably ____．
| A．spend the money on the things he wants |
| B．compare the gift with that of his friend |
| C．have most of it saved in the bank |
| D．put all the money in his piggy bank |
Why does the writer think the boy is a sorry one if he saves every cent he gets or earns?
| A．Because he can not manage his money and is kept himself in an unfavorable position |
| B．Because he can not join the fellows in a sweet shop once in a while |
| C．Because he can not learn the use of money through spending it himself |
| D．Because he can not have any other choice but save, earn of spend money |
When you close your eyes and try to think of the shape of your own body, what you imagine (or rather, what you feel) is quite different from what you see when you open your eyes and look in the mirror. The image you feel is much vaguer（模糊的） than the one you see. And if you lie still, it is quite hard to imagine yourself as having any particular size or shape.
When you move, when you feel the weight of your arms and legs and the natural resistance of the objects around you, the “felt” image of yourself starts to become clearer. It is almost as if it were created by your own actions and the feelings they cause.
The image you create for yourself has rather strange proportions（部分）; certain parts feel much larger than they look. If you get a hole in one of your teeth, it feels enormous; you are often surprised by how small it looks when you inspect it in the mirror.
Although the “felt” image may not have the shape you see in the mirror, it is much more important. It is the image through which you recognize your physical existence in the world. In spite of its strange proportions, it is all one piece, and since it has a consistent(前后一致的) right and left and atop and bottom, it allows you to locate new feelings when they occur. It allows you to find your nose in the dark and point to a pain.
If the felt image is damaged for any reason—if it is cut in half or lost as it often is after certain strokes （中风）which wipe out recognition of one entire side –these tasks become almost impossible. What is more, it becomes hard to make sense of one’s own visual appearance. If one half of the “felt” image is wiped out or injured, the patient stops recognizing the affected part of his body. It is hard for him to find the location of feelings on that side, and, although he feels the doctor’s touch, he locates it as being on the undamaged side.According to the passage the “felt” image the mirror image.
| A．is precisely the same as | B．is as clear as |
| C．often differens from | D．is always much smaller than |
Which the following staterants is NOT true?
| A．The felt Image is much more important because it helps you locate new feelings. |
| B．When you are in bed with your eyes closed, it is not easy to imagine your image. |
| C．When you move, the “felt” image of yourself starts to become clearer. |
| D．The “felt” image is not so important as the mirror image. |
If a man loses the ability to recognize his right side, .
| A．he can’t locate the doctor’s touch on his left side |
| B．he can’t locate the doctor’s touch on his right side |
| C．he loses his sense of touch on the left side |
| D．he loses feeling on both sides |
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．Stroke victims’“felt” images | B．Stroke victims’ mirror images. |
| C．The importance of “felt” images | D．The importance of mirror images. |
An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed
by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York ,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Eventually，as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or h
ave enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?
A．To invite authors to guide readers. |
B．To encourage people to read and share. |
| C．To involve people in community service. | D．To promote the friendship between cities. |
Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?
| A．They had little interest in reading. | B．They were too busy to read a book. |
| C．They came from many different backgrounds | D．They lacked support from the local government |
According to the passage, where would the project be more e
asily carried out?
| A．In large communities with little sense of unity | B．In large cities where librar ies are far from home |
| C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population | |
| D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached |
The underlined words “shared a word
” in Paragraph 5 probably mean .
| A．exchanged ideas with each other | B．discussed the meaning of a word |
| C．gamed life experience | D．used the same language |
According to Nancy, the degree of success of the project is judged by .
| A．the careful selection of a proper book | B．the growing popularity of the writers |
| C．the number of people who benefit from reading | D．the number of books that each person reads |
Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path．I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud．As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack．It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected．I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times．I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me．Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing．And I was laughing．After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped, laughing, I took a step forward．My attacker rushed me again．He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain．For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused．I wasn't sure what to do．After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly．I stepped back to look the situation over．My attacker moved back to land on the ground．That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier．He had a mate and she was dying．
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her．I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate．He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate's sake （缘故）, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large．He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her．His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety seemed admirable．I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool．He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed．
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge barriers facing me.Why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?
| A．To get close to a butterfly. | B．To look over the bad situation. |
| C．To escape a sudden attack. | D．To avoid getting his shoes dirty. |
What made the man feel funny?
| A．Making the attacker pause. | B．Being attacked by a butterfly. |
| C．Being stepped on by his mate. | D．Discovering the energetic butterfly. |
From this experience the man learned .
| A．what he should do when faced with trouble | B．people should show sympathy to the weak |
| C．how he should deal with attacks | D．people should protect butterflies |
Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?
| A．Careless． | B．Amusing． | C．Courageous． | D．Aggressive. |
Geniuses amaze us，impress us and make us all a little jealous. How do they differ from the average person？Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old，he began to play the piano. After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven. Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight. He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears. He seems to be specially designed for music. In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies （神童） to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh. His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain. After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and picture. So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art. Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine. Suffers of brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease. Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no sign of extraordinary intelligence. Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately. As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards. Make Me a Genius examines what is takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be done. Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky. Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain. In paragraph 2, Marc Yu’s story tells us_________________.
| A．a child prodigy can work easier than others. |
| B．a child prodigy is trained by family. |
| C．a child prodigy has an unbelievable listening skill. |
| D．a child prodigy always practise his skills. |
In paragraph 3, the sentence “Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.” means that ______________.
| A．Tommy McHugh could not be called a genius. |
| B．Tommy McHugh became a genius when he was young. |
| C．Tommy McHugh was a robot but not a real human being. |
| D．Tommy McHugh became a genius after a sudden accident. |
The writer provides different examples to _____________.
| A．show how people can be geniuses. | B．show becoming a genius is easy. |
| C．show geniuses are common. | D．show people know how to explain geniuses. |
The passage may come from_________.
| A．a report | B．a novel | C．a TV program | D．a newspaper |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask．But，as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history，I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history．Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history．
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past．I believe that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures．However，as the unfortunately(不幸地)true statement goes ‘‘the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to
learn from history”，perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this．
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current(目前的)political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context(背景)．We can not
even understand why we are and where we are without history，much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be．
I teach my children history，for one more reason．I bought a set of historical audio tapes for our children．My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over．It was my hope that he would
become inspired by the accomplishments(成就)of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself．I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. By doing so，young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he didn’t accomplish．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler，people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for．What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past． |
| B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes． |
| C．Many people feel it hard to understand history． |
| D．Many people have no interest in studying history． |
In Paragraph 3，the author shows that history is useful because
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show____．
| A．people can be inspired to do good and also learn to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively． |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history． |
| C．How to get more people to study history． |
| D．Some bad historical figures． |
BC Social Report, August 14, 2010
Scandinavians may spend a lot of the winter in darkness but they are the happiest people in Europe, according to a study showed this month. Countries like Denmark and Finland scored highest on the study of happiness in Europe carried out by Cambridge University, which also found that the sunny southern countries of Italy, Portugal and Greece got the least joy out of life.
The survey entitled: "No Man is an Island" showed that countries where people enjoy time with friends and family, have trust in government and national institutions were more likely to be happy than those living in a sunny climate. The study rated respondent on their overall sense of happiness and life satisfaction on a scale of one to 10.
Danes (丹麦人)--who expressed a high level of trust in their politicians and public institutions--came top of the field at 8.3. Italians--who reported lower levels of satisfaction with their national quality of government--came last at 6.49.' "Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany and France report the lowest levels of happiness while the Scandinavian Countries, Netherlands and Luxembourg report the highest," the study said.
Although Europeans are generally four times wealthier than their fathers and grandfathers, their levels of happiness are either equal to or lower than 40 years ago. The study also looked at factors contributing to happiness within countries and surprisingly found that an interest in politics actually increased happiness.
Lead researcher Luisa Corrado said tax cuts and throwing money at social problems appeared to have no effect on the happiness of citizens when compared with government policies which strengthened and supported wider social networks. "People are less naive ( 质朴的) than one would expect, politicians need to adapted their policies and target specific problems in specific areas," she said. According to the passage, we can know .
| A．Scandinavians are the happiest people in the world |
| B．the research is carried out by Oxford University |
| C．the people of the northern countries are much happier |
| D．Italians expressed their trust in politics and institutions |
Which of the following factors increases happiness?
| A．Interest in polities | B．Wealth | C．Health | D．Websites. |
The underlined word "scale" in the second paragraph means
| A．sense | B．life | C．report | D．range |
What's the writer's attitude to the study?
A. Subjunctive. B. Objective. C. Pessimistic. D: Optimistic.In what column may readers probably read the passage?
| A．Lifestyle. | B．Amusement. | C．Politics. | D．Health and Happiness. |
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states—at least in getting people off welfare．It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994．
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half．But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour．T'he result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent—twice the national average,
For advocates（代言人） for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done．
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington．
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down．
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory．
"Welfare was a poison．It was a toxin（毒素） that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst．"The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities．It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic, which is much more important．"
Mr．Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards．Why don't people enjoy their better lives when they get jobs?
| A．Because they are used to relying on welfare to make livings． |
| B．Because the cost of living is higher than before． |
| C．Because many families are below average income． |
| D．Because their wages are very low． |
From the passage we know that the reconstruction of___ is the core of the reform．
| A．government aids |
| B．work ethic |
| C．welfare funds |
| D．moral awareness |
From the example of the Athens County, we know great efforts should be done for the poor to ___.
| A．improve their living standards |
| B．to help them be employed |
| C．to get them off welfare |
| D．to increase their wage |
From the passage, it can be inferred that the author ___．
| A．is completely certain about the success of welfare reform |
| B．thinks that welfare reform has done little good for the poor |
| C．insists welfare reform has increased the government's burden |
| D．considers welfare reform fundamentally successful |
At the moment when looking round the world, all kinds of dance performances are being offered. There are competitions that claim to be a World Cup or World Championship, and the young dancer or the dance teacher who wants to enter his students might be quite confused. Which is which? Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished between the different styles of dance and the purpose of such competitions. When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher. Such a teacher might even have been world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be qualified in teaching proper classical ballet.
People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the audiences going to watch modern dance companies are also larger. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.
The Ballet Rambert is Britains’ oldest established dance company which began in 1926. In the 60 s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions. The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards. A chan
ge of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a ‘new look” in 1966. The aim was to provide a chance for new talent – for musicians and designers as well as dancers – and to show dance as a contemporary art form. And although some of the company’s previous fans dislike the change, new audiences came to see the productions.
The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In the 21 st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in L
ondon’s West End. The company becam
e a focus for new, progressive talent in the art.
Then, the Ballet Ramvert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success.
The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original and often avant – garde (标新立异) productions. It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!If a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she will go to .
| A．the Ballet Rambert | B．a ballroom teacher |
| C．a world champion | D．a qualified school |
The underlined phrase “new talent” in Para. 3 probably means .
| A．new programs | B．new audiences |
| C．avant – garde productions | D．skilled young dancers |
From the passage we know that the Ballet Rambert .
| A．has succeeded in making modern dance popular |
| B．wanted to become the oldest dance company |
| C．was once a popular dance company |
| D．changed old dance into new ones |
This passage is mainly about .
| A．the popularity of modern dance |
| B．the introduction to new modern dancers |
| C．the development of the Ballet Rambert |
| D．the high standard of dance performances |
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