Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful(有害的) it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers(志愿者) were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin need to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levers of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a verve activity(神经活动), which cause coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.According to Professor Barnes, theobromine ______.
| A．cannot be as effective as codeine |
| B．can be harmful to people’s health |
| C．cannot be separated from chocolate |
| D．can be a more effective cure for coughs |
What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?
| A．Theobromine. | B．Codeine. | C．Capsaicin. | D．Placebo. |
We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment _____.
| A．were patients with bad coughs |
| B．were divided into the three groups |
| C．received standard treatments |
| D．suffered little side effects |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Codeine: A New Medicine | B．Chocolate May Cure Coughs |
| C．Cough Treatment: A Hard Case | D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs |
Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to find rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to be refused when you call a friend and ask for a ride. But with Twitter, you just tweet (贴子,留言) and look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, but many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends when asking on Twitter just like me, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
“I think the digital connection of young people is really key, because younger generations grew up sharing things online, sharing files, photos, music, etc, so they have been very used to sharing,” said Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College.
The sharing economy got big during the recession（经济衰退）, allowing people to access more goods and services using technology and even to share cost. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom.
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license compared to six in ten today. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license but an iPhone.
“Driving, for young people, does mean they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passenger side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus,” Schor continued.
To me, another plus is that ridesharing represents something, something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.The American teens like me, prefer to possess an iPhone as a birthday gift because ______.
| A．it is most fashionable and cool |
| B．they are bored with driving cars |
| C．they are fond of being connected |
| D．it is much cheaper than a car |
Professor Juliet would agree that _______.
| A．young people will sit waiting to be contacted by reading a passage |
| B．sharing economy is bound to be responsible for the recession |
| C．young people tend to share a car with strangers by means of Twitter |
| D．being connected via technology comes first for young people |
The best title for the passage is probably _______.
| A．Twitter, an Awesome Website |
| B．Cars or iPhone |
| C．Teens Use Twitter to Thumb Rides |
| D．Cool Teens on the Go |
An African-born British scientist received an environment research prize for showing how bees can be used to reduce conflict between people and elephants. Lucy King's work proved that beehive (蜂房）"fences" can keep elephants out of African farmers’ fields. The animals are scared of bees, which can bite them inside their long noses, and flee when they hear buzzing (蜂鸣声).
Dr King's work offers an intelligent solution to an age-old challenge, while providing further confirmation of the importance of bees to people and a really clever way of preserving the world's largest land animal for current and future generations. Working in Kenya, Dr King and her team showed that more than 90% of elephants will flee when they hear the sounds of buzzing bees. Afterwards, they also found that elephants produce a special sound to warn their fellows of the danger. They used the findings to construct barriers where beehives are woven into a fence, keeping the elephants away from places where people live and grow food.
A two-year project involving 34 farms showed that elephants trying to go through the fences would shake them, disturbing the bees. Later, the fences were adopted by farming communities in three Kenyan districts , who also made increased amounts of money from selling honey.
As Africa's population grows, competition for space between people and elephants is becoming more serious, and there are fatalities on both sides. The same is true in parts of Asia. Sri Lanka alone sees the deaths of an estimated 60 people and 200 elephants each year from conflict.
Lucy King now wants to see whether the Kenyan technique will work in other parts of Africa and perhaps, eventually, in Asia.Dr King's solution is described as “intelligent” because_____________.
| A．it successfully keeps elephants out of African farmers' fields |
| B．the fences were adopted by farming communities in three Kenyan districts |
| C．more than 90％ of elephants flee when they hear the sounds of buzzing bees |
| D．it protects crops, produces honey and preserves the elephant at the same time |
Which of the following orders of events correctly shows how Dr King’s project works?
①Beehive fences are built around a farm.
②Elephants hear the buzzing and run away.
③Bees are disturbed and fly out of the beehives.
④Elephants trying to enter the farm shake the fences.
| A．①→②→③→④ | B．①→④→③→② |
| C．④→③→②→① | D．①→②→④→③ |
The underlined word “fatalities” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to__________.
| A．deaths | B．communities |
| C．population | D．fences |
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton（骨骼）in the closet（衣橱）?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank in a faint（晕倒）, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means ______.
| A．a family honor | B．a family story |
| C．a family secret | D．a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors from Paragraph 2?
| A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners. |
| B．They were the earliest people living in Australia. |
| C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia. |
| D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.
| A．they were crazy |
| B．they were over excited |
| C．they realized their misunderstanding |
| D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
It’s illegal for the police to attach a GPS unit to your car without your permission, as the U.S. Supreme Court settled in 2012．But if the police are in hot pursuit of a bank robber or other escaping criminals that threaten public safety, a GPS tracker is acceptable. But exactly how can the police GPS track a car that is moving fast?
The answer to that question comes from StarChase，a new police technology being used by a small but growing number of law enforcement agencies．It allows the police to fire 4．5-inch glue-covered GPS bullet-like projectiles(发射体)from an air gun fixed in their police cars．If the GPS tracker makes contact with the escaping robber’s car， it’ll stick no matter how fast the vehicle is going．That way, the police will have a constant read on the car’s location and heading．Aside from simply apprehending(逮捕)criminals，it's believed this new technology could help save lives．If the police successfully fire a GPS unit at a speeding criminal，they can pull back from a high-risk chase．Chases can be incredibly dangerous to all involved，including innocent bystanders and other drivers．Once the GPS bullet connects，there's no need for the chase any longer．
Now，predictably,a GPS-loaded gun isn’t cheap. Police departments need to pay about $5．000 per vehicle for the technology,and individual GPS bullets cost as much as $250 each．That may sound expensive，but remember：The alternative is often thousands of dollars in property damage，and great human cost in injury and lost life．According to Star Chase，their GPS bullet system has an apprehension rate of 80％without any report of inury or property damage．If you’d like to learn more about the StarChase system，Popular Mechanics has just published a good article about it．There’s also plenty more information available at the company’s website．When the GPS bullet sticks to the escaping robber’s car，the police can________
| A．know the car’s condition |
| B．ensure the robber’s safety |
| C．play a fair game with the robber |
| D．know the car’s position and direction |
The GPS bullets could help save lives mainly because________．
| A．the bullets won’t hurt people |
| B．they can make the robber’s car stop |
| C．the police can stop the dangerous chasing |
| D．they have more advantages than normal bullets |
From the text we can learn that GPS bullets__________．
| A．are useful for the police |
| B．are widely used in America |
| C．can control the rising crime rate |
| D．can replace the police in the future |
In which part of a newspaper can we read the text?
| A．Life | B．Nature | C．Fashion | D．Technology |
Recently,CCTV journalists have approached pedestrians with their cameras，held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question :“Are you happy?”
The question has caught many interviewees off guard．Even Mo Yan who recently won a Nobel Prize，responded by saying：“I don’t know”．
While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions，we ask：What exactly is happiness ?And how do you measure it?
In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence，Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people’s unalienable right to“Life，Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”．Last year，235 years on，China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation：“Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily．”At last year’s National People’s Congress，officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12th five-year plan．
US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness：Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth describes happiness as “a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions”，according to US broadcasting network PBS．This may sound straight forward enough，but it still doesn’t explain what determines people’s happiness．
Many argue that happiness is elusive and that there is no single source．It also means different things to different people．For some，happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.
Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types：daily experiences of hedonic(享乐的)well-being；and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole．The former refers to the quality of living，whereas the latter is about overall happiness，including life gods and achievement．Happiness can cross both dimensions.
Li Jun，a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic，says：“Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It’ s a simple yet profound topic .”
Chen Shangyuan，21，a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics，said his idea of happiness always evolves．“At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,”he said．“It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate．”
Then there is the question of measuring happiness．Does it depend on how many friends we have，or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?
Economists are trying to measure happiness in people’s lives．Since 1972，Bhutan’s GDP measurement has been,replaced by a Gross National Happiness index．It is calculated according to the peoples’sense of being well-governed，their relationship with the environment，their satisfaction with economic development,and their sense of national belonging．
In 2009，US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed “to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well-being”.But is well-being more easily measured?From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage，we know_______．
| A．people’s happiness is determined by great people |
| B．people’s happiness is an important target for the development of a country |
| C．people in all countries have the right to ask the government for a happy life |
| D．People both in China and America are living a happy life |
According to the passage，the writer may most likely agree that_____．
| A．CCTV journalists are concerned about people’s happiness out of sympathy． |
| B．the question has led to heated discussions about who are the happiest people in China， |
| C．Bhutan’s new index shows that people there are the happiest in the world |
| D．it is not easy for us to decide what determines people’s happiness |
What does the underlined word“elusive”in the sixth paragraph mean?
| A．Available． | B．Easy to get． |
| C．Hard to understand． | D．Accessible． |
The best title of the passage is____
| A．Are You Happy? | B．The Measurement of Happiness |
| C．GDP and Happiness | D．The Secret of Happiness |
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