At age 61, identical twins Jeanne and Susan no longer look exactly alike. Susan smoked for many years and is an admitted sun worshipper, whose habits Jeanne does not share. A new study of twins suggests you can blame those coarse(粗糙的)wrinkles, brown or pink spots on too much time in the sun, smoking, and being overweight.
Because twins share genes, but may have different exposures to environmental factors studying twins allows an “opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility(易受影响性),” Dr. Elma D. Baron, at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, and his colleagues explain in the latest issue of Archives of Dermatology.
Their analysis of environmental skin-damaging factors in 65 pairs of twins hints that skin aging is related more to environment and lifestyle than genetic factors.
But when it comes to skin cancer, the researchers say their findings support previous reports that both environment and genes affect skin cancer risk.
Baron’s team examined facial skin of 130 twins, 18 to 77 years old, who lived mostly in the northem Midwest and Eastern regions of the US, who were attending the Twins Days Festival in Ohio in August 2002. At this time, each of the twins also separately reported how their skin burned or tanned(晒黑)without sunscreen, their weight, and their history of skin cancer, smoking, and alcohol drinking. The study group consisted of 52 fraternal(异卵双生)and 10 identical twin pairs, plus 3 pairs who were unsure of their twin status.
From these data, the researchers noted strong ties, outside of twin status, between smoking, older age, and being overweight, and having facial skin with evidence of environmental damage. By contrast, sunscreen use and drinking alcohol appeared related to less skin damage.
Baron and his colleagues say the current findings, which highlight ties between facial aging and potentially avoidable environmental factors—such as smoking, being overweight, and unprotected overexposure to the sun’s damaging rays—may help motivate people to minimize these risky behaviors.
67．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Jeanne and Susan share all the habits including smoking.
B．Skin aging is related more to environment and lifestyle than genetic factors.
C．Only identical twins can take part in the research.
D．Sunscreen use cannot help people have less skin damage.
68．Why did Baron’s team do the research on twins?
A．Twins are more likely to suffer from skin cancer.
B．It may guarantee the research is not influenced by genetic factors.
C．It gives others an opportunity to control twins’ genes.
D．It helps find twins are exposed to different environments.
69．What can you infer from the last paragraph?
A．This research makes people aware of dangerous lifestyles.
B．The environmental factors are unavoidable.
C．Being exposed to the sun is absolutely damaging.
D．There is little relationship between skin aging and environment.
70．The passage is mainly concerned with___________
A．skin cancer and environment
B．identical twins research
C．aging skin and environmental factors
D．genes and lifestyles
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or sleep restfully．It is a problem to nearly everyone at some time ．A person may be awake for an hour in the middle of the night and then , next morning, feel that he hardly sleep all night Normally, worry about not getting enough sleep is the worst aspect of most insomnia．If insomnia is recurrent, however, it is important to find its causes and try to correct them, with the help of a doctor if necessary．
Any of a large number of simple factors may take it difficult for someone to fall asleep or remain asleep．His matters may be too soft or too hard．If there are too many blankets on a hot night, he may be too warm; if the bedclothes are too light he may feel cold during the night．If it is not dark enough, or too noisy, this may cause difficulty in sleeping．Eating shortly before going to bed also be responsible for insomnia．Stimulating drinks, such as tea or coffee, can also keep people awake．
Inability to fall asleep is sometimes a symptom of emotional or mental disorders．Insomnia may also be caused by pain and, very rarely, it can be a symptom of a physical disease．
The cause of insomnia may be easy to correct．The sufferer should check the mattress, bedclothes and bedroom temperature, and make any necessary changes．An eye mask keeps out the night and ear-plugs shut out sound．He should relax for an hour or two before bedtime, perhaps by reading a book; watching TV, or taking a warm bath．If he wakes during the night he should try turning on the light and reading for a while．Taking warm milk and a biscuit or two may be helpful．Above all, he should try not to worry about sleeplessness when someone is tired enough he nearly always falls asleep．
If necessary, a doctor may prescribe tranquillizers or sleeping pills．Take only the dosage he prescribes; any more is dangerous．According to the writer, insomnia is ______．
| A．a rare problem | B．a sign of illness |
| C．a common complaint | D．a modern disease |
Which of the following statements is not the cause of insomnia?
| A．too many blankets on a hot night |
| B．drinking juice |
| C．emotional or mental disorders |
| D．physical pain |
Insomnia needn’t be taken seriously because_______．
| A．people can catch on sleep during the day． |
| B．many people sleep far too much． |
| C．it can easily be cured by doctors． |
| D．it is cured naturally by tiredness． |
The main cure for insomnia is_____．
| A．reading a book at night |
| B．having sleeping pills |
| C．watching television before bedtime |
| D．not to get too anxious about sleeping |
Dewey is the true story of an abandoned kitten（小猫） who went on to live an extraordinary life, inspiring a struggling single mother , transforming a sleepy library and the local people of Lowa farm town, and eventually getting hold of the hearts of animal lovers around the world．
Vicki Myron was a single mom ，who , after surviving the loss of her family farm and an alcoholic husband ,went back to school and became a librarian ．As the director of the Spencer Public Library, her biggest challenge was to raise the spirits of the residents of a remote town affected deeply by the farm crisis of the 1980s ．Her solution came when Vicki found a tiny kitten almost frozen to death in the library’s night drop box．Recognizing the extraordinary strength and uniqueness of this kitten , Vivki received approval from the library board to adopt him as Spencer’s resident cat．From that moment on, her life ---and the town of Spencer--- would change forever．
Dewey, as the townspeople named the kitten, grew into a friendly cat whose funny behavior kept people laughing and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving friendships．As his fame grew, people drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey, and he even became a subject of a hit documentary in Japan !Through it all, Dewey remained a loyal companion , a beacon of hope not just for Vicki Myron, but for the entire town of Spencer as it slowly pulled itself up from the worst financial crisis in its long history．
When Dewey died in 2006 at the age of 19, his obituary appeared in over 250 newspapers , including the New York Times and USA Today , and was announced on the national television evening news．Which of the following descriptions of Vicki Myron is Not true?
| A．She worked as a librarian in the Spencer Public Library． |
| B．Her husband was addicted to drinking． |
| C．She kept Dewey, an abandoned cat at home． |
| D．It was she that found Dewey in the library’s night drop box． |
What does the underlined word in the last paragraph “obituary” mean?
| A．featured photos |
| B．reports of one’s life |
| C．the news of one’s death |
| D．comments on ones’ life |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Dewey, an abandoned cat who touched the world． |
| B．Vicki Myron , a small-town librarian who adopted Dewey． |
| C．How a little cat made the Spencer Public Library famous． |
| D．How Vicki Myron made Dewey, an abandoned cat, world-famous． |
In which sections of a magazine will readers find the passage?
| A．Fabric of fashion | B．Reading hour |
| C．Smart and sharp science | D．Health tips |
Parents are a child’s first teachers．But some parents never learned from good examples．In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents．
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week．The class is called Mommy and Me．Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother．She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season．
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby．The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding．Delores Clemens says, “that's not true．You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason．If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying．Pick your baby up．Cuddle your baby．Hug him! And she started to do that．They just want a little cuddling and a little love．And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered．Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year．
In class, with her baby son is Natasha．She lived on the streets．She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House．As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life．
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen．That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones．By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two．What is the text mainly about?
| A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers． |
| B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered． |
| C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life． |
| D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers． |
Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____．
| A．help homeless young mothers become good parents |
| B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter |
| C．help mothers in New York be good parents |
| D．teach some parents how to love their children |
What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?
| A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother． |
| B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged． |
| C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers． |
| D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House． |
According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?
| A．Canada | B．the United States of America |
| C．Mexico | D．Britain |
A woman whose sports car was stolen with her dog in it put up notices all over the area that made it clear getting back her pet was more important than her car．
“Whoever did this can keep my car．Please let Benjerman come home,” the notice said．
It is not known whether the thief showed any pity, but almost 30 hours after the 1 pm theft Friday, Atkins and Benjerman，a 12-year-old black retriever（猎犬），were reunited after police located them in Barrington．
“He’s hungry, he’s dirty, but he’s very happy to be home，”Atkins said．
The car was found at about 5 pm Saturday off Route 125 in a swampy area frequented by off-the-road cars and dirt bikes．However, the police couldn’t control Benjerman，and they had to call Atkins to come and get him．
Atkins said the thief cared for Benjerman a little by providing him with some dry cat food．She believed Benjerman ended up drinking some muddy water in the area．
She said they have been together for nearly 11 years after she took him back from a society shelter in Dallas, Texas．
Before Benjelman was found，Atkins and several friends put up notices all over the city and in Somersworth．They also contacted animal shelters，throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts The notice stated there was a reward，and also that the dog needed medication．Any caller could remain anonymous（匿名的）．
Atkins had parked the car outside a hardware store with the keys inside and gone in to rent a carpet cleaner．
¨It was l0 minutes and I came out and my car was gone along with Benjerman in broad daylight，” Atkins said．The car thief threw Atkins’wallet and other personal items out of the car before escaping from the scene．Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened?
a．Notices were put up saying there was a reward．
b．Atkins saw Benjerman again．
c．Police found Atkins’car．
d．Atkins took Benjerman back from a society shelter．
e．Atkins hired a carpet cleaner in a hardware store．
| A．d,e,a, b,c | B．d,e,a,c,b |
| C．e,a,d,b,c | D．e,a,c,d,b |
We can infer from the passage ．
| A．the dog was treated extremely badly by the thief |
| B．car stolen accidents happen frequently nowadays |
| C．the dog was found because of the reward |
| D．the thief stole the car easily |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Benjerman was sent back immediately after Atkins put up the notices． |
| B．Atkins and her friends made a great effort to look for Benierman． |
| C．The thief gave the dog back but kept the sports car． |
| D．The dog was back at 1 pm on a Friday． |
Losing weight comes with a lot of health benefits—including making your brain sharper.
There have been few studies of overweight and cognitive functioning, (认知功能) possibly because it is generally believed that it is not a primary risk cause for poor cognitive performance. Yet, it turns out that overweight may damage cognitive functions such as memory and attention. Losing weight, therefore, may help improve these mental functions, according to a new research led by John Gunstad, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University.
Growing evidence suggests that being fat is linked to cognitive deficits (缺陷). So Gunstad and his team guessed that losing weight might improve mental function. For their study, they measured memory and attention in a group of 150 overweight participants, some of whom had some kind of operation for weight loss and some did not. All of the volunteers completed mental skills tests to assess their abilities of memory and attention at the beginning of the study, and again 12 weeks later. To begin with, about 24% of the patients showed damaged learning and 23% showed signs of poor memory when tested. At the end of the study, those who had lost weight after operation improved their scores into the average or above average range for cognitive functions. Scores for the volunteers who didn’t lose weight dropped even further.
The study helped Gunstad to find out whether losing weight had any effect on mental function. Now that he’s seen the positive effect that weight loss can have on memory and attention, he says he will next study those who choose to lose weight by the traditional way—eating healthier and getting more active. He expects that losing weight in this way will have a similarly positive effect on the brain. “If we can improve the condition with operations, then we can probably produce the same change with behavioral weight loss as well,” he says.There is less research on overweight and cognitive functions because researchers _____.
| A．believe overweight only affects our body |
| B．have focused on ways to sharpen people’s mind |
| C．do not consider overweight a main cause for low cognitive ability |
| D．are clear about the relation between weight and mental functions |
The result of Gunstad’s study shows that ______.
| A．losing weight has little effect on people’s memory |
| B．losing weight can improve people’s mental functions |
| C．overweight people are likely to have psychology problems |
| D．overweight people’s abilities of concentration differ greatly |
What is Gunstad planning to prove next in his research?
| A．Slim people are smarter than overweight people. |
| B．Healthy diet is better than exercise in losing weight. |
| C．Traditional ways of losing weight are better than operation. |
| D．Overweight people will get smarter by taking more exercise. |
Which of the following is the best title for the text?
| A．Body Weight and Health |
| B．Losing Weight by Operation |
| C．Ways to Improve Mental Functions |
| D．Losing Weight to Sharpen Your Mind |
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