The res
earch carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology
Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered
most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly pa
inting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pa
in as being a third less intense while they were
viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings
or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also 
go a long way to show that
beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso
, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".
| A．cure | B．ease | C．improve | D．kill |
How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?
| A．4. | B．5. | C．6. | D．7. |
Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de T
ommaso's?
| A．Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely. |
| B．Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first. |
| C．Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse. |
| D．Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients. |
From the last paragraph, we know that_______.
| A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces |
| B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly |
| C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters. |
D．som e of them were art masters, while others were not. |
Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
| A．Beautiful surroundings can ease pain. |
| B．Ugly paintings could be masterpieces. |
| C．More research should be done in he field. |
| D．Latest environmental research. |
Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that a
s little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes 
were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is
in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders. How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?
| A．It involved more people. |
| B．It took longer to finish the research. |
| C．It determined the exact amount of time needed. |
| D．It was led by just two researchers. |
What can we conclude from the findings of the study?
| A．Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health. |
| B．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”. |
| C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect. |
| D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill. |
. According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
| A．stressed, inactive people | B．office workers |
| C．youth offenders | D．women and children |
What is th
e main problem discussed in this article?
| A．Physical well-being. | B．Outdoor exercise. |
| C．Mental illness. | D．Harmony with nature. |
Everyone knows that you can study the English language for years and still not understand a native speaker of English.
Well, here’s a secret for you: a lot of British people can’t understand each other either! Apart from the different regional accents across the country, language can also differ (不同) among age groups. The words and pronunciations used by young Britons can be very different to those used by adults. This is called “yoof” culture.
The word “yoof” is a slang (俚语) spelling of “youth”. Some people consider “yoof” to be a negative (消极的) term, since its pronunciation is easier than “youth”. Other people see the term as positive, because it describes how young people are creating their own language, concepts (观念) and identity.
When parents find it difficult to understand their children, the children can say more things without the censorship (审查) of their parents. In this way, young people are starting to find freedom, independence and self-expression.
They are creating a “yoof culture”. It is impossible to come up with a complete list of words used by yoof. By the time the list was completed, it would be out of date. New words come and go like fashions.
By A.J. DaltonThe point of the article is _____.
| A．to list words used by yoof |
| B．to introduce UK yoof culture |
| C．to give advice on how to communicate with native English speakers |
| D．to explain why it is hard for British people to understand each other |
According to the article, children are creating a “yoof culture” _______.
| A．to stay cool among their peers |
| B．to draw more attention from their parents |
| C．to avoid interference of their parents in their lives |
| D．to keep up with the fast pace of modern society |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The variety of regional accents in the UK is an obstacle to communication. |
| B．Some people consider the term “yoof” positive because it is easier to pronounce than “youth”. |
| C．A few vocabularies used by yoof are going to be collected in dictionaries. |
| D．Yoof culture is getting popular all around the English speaking countries. |
By saying “Sorted!”, yoof probably means ____
__.
| A．“I’m very tired.” | B．“I understand.” |
| C．“You got it wrong!” | D．“I don’t care!” |
Many of us assume that with such a last name, Peter Buffett, 52, must enjoy a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor (投资人) Warren Buffett definitely doesn’t think so.
“People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim (受害者) to what my father has called a silver dagger (匕首) in your back,” Buffett told Reuters in an interview. “It leads to a sense of entitlement (特权) and a lack of personal achievement.”
Entitlement, he believes, is the worst thing ever. “Anybody who acts like they deserve (应得) something ‘just because’ is a disaster,” he said.
In his new book, Life Is What You Make It: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents was a philosophy (价值观): Forge your own path in life. It is a belief that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap (收获) his own successes.
Did his father ever want him to go into finance? “It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea,” he told Reuters. But as he grew older, it became clear the financial world “was not speaking to my heart.”
His father accepted his choice to become a musician. He began his 
musical career by writing music for TV commercials (广告). He then released his own albums.
“I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life,” he told Reuters. “This isn’t about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing.”
Along with the book, Buffett has begun a “Concert & Conversation” tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist (消费主义) culture and damaging the environment.
“Economic prosperity (繁荣) may come and go; that’s just how it is,” he writes in the book. “But values are the steady currency (硬通货) that earn us the all-important rewards.” What does “It” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．A life of a top investor. | B．A silver spoon in the mouth. |
| C．Being born to a wealthy family. | D．The victim of a silver dagger in the back. |
What does the article tell us?
| A．Peter Buffett is a born musician. |
| B．Peter Buffett enjoys a hugely privileged life. |
| C．A wealthy family can benefit a child but also spoil him or her. |
| D．Peter Buffett was forced by his parents to take over their business. |
The article claims that Peter Buffett owes his achievements largely to ______.
| A．his passion for music | B．the good education he received |
| C．his great determination | D．the values he learned from his parents |
Which of the following statements would Peter Buffett probably agree to?
| A．Wealth is there to enjoy to the fullest. |
| B．A person’s value lies within. |
| C．Many people are fooled by economic prosperity. |
| D．Young people should choose their own philosophy, whatever their parents believe in. |
After spending three days in a wheelchair, I was ready to quit. Not only did I have to battle cracked (裂缝的) and uneven (不平的) pavements, I had to deal with the bad attitude of pedestrians (行人) and a cold rain. But I didn’t give up because of people like Tiffany Payne.
Payne, who has been using a wheelchair for 18 years, laughed at me:
“Imagine trying to get around town in the winter,” she said.
I could see her point: You’re battling to get to a doctor’s appointment (预约), but no one has shoveled (铲) after a big snowfall. Your choices: Move out and risk getting stuck, or reschedule the appointment.
Those of us fortunate enough to get around on our own two legs don’t give a second thought to the person in a wheelchair next to us at a crosswalk. That would require us to look down.
So I decided to try using a wheelchair to get a sample of what their lives are like. It wasn’t long before I saw that people who use wheelchairs are forced to deal with a lot of trouble.
During my experiment, I was ignored by store staff while shopping and bumped into by inattentive (疏忽的) walkers without so much as an apology.
Some people even gave me angry looks as if I were the one at fault.
Once in a store, a woman bumped into me trying to get to the new iPad. She didn’t say, “Excuse me.”
When salespeople did offer assistance, they talked to people who were with me, instead of me. I wanted to yell: “Hey, I’m down here!”
Some salespeople talked to me as though I were a child or acted like they didn’t want to be bothered with me.
People who use wheelchairs want to be treated like everyone else. They also comprehend (理解), so you don’t have to speak to them in a childlike, sing-song voice. It’s not very appealing (吸引人的), especially when the person is an adult. And most importantly, remember they have feelings that can be hurt just like yours.
Spending three days in a wheelchair made me look differently at those who have to use one. I hope you do the same.
By James E. CauseyThe author writes the story to _______.
| A．help those in wheelchairs gain self-confidence |
B．share his experience of acting as a wheelch air user |
| C．ask people to show sympathy for those in wheelchairs |
| D．call on people to respect and help those in wheelchairs |
During his three days in a wheelchair, the author met all of the following
difficulties EXCEPT ______.
| A．bad road conditions | B．poor attitudes of ordinary people |
| C．terrible medical service | D．bad weather |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．A wheelchair user may feel offended when you do not address him or her directly. |
| B．Assistants in big stores are usually kind to people in wheelchairs. |
| C．People in wheelchairs should fight for fair treatment. |
| D．People in wheelchairs are usually hard to get along with. |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．Look down on a person in a wheelchair. |
| B．Speak to a person in a wheelchair in a sing-song voice. |
| C．Treat a person in a wheelchair as you would any other person. |
| D．Offer assistance to a person in a wheelchair without asking for permission. |
It’s 2035. You have a job, a family and you’re about 40 years old. Welcome to your future life. Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror, “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronic（智能电子元件） is rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe that you are 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged.
As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear: “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that,” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code（电 子源码）on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible food appears on the counter as kitchen checks its food supplies.
“Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son a
nd daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space—and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trip or longer vacation. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel.” Thanks to medical advice, vaccination shots（防疫针） are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.
It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office. Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video films rather than read it. What changes the color of your shirt?
| A．The mirror. | B．The shirt itself. | C．The counter. | D．The medicine. |
How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?
| A．By pouring the breakfast into a bowl. |
| B．By listening to the doctor’s advice. |
| C．By testing the food supplies in the kitchen. |
| D．By checking the nutrition details of the food. |
The strawberries the children eat serve as ______.
| A．breakfast | B．lunch | C．vaccines | D．nutrition |
How is the text organized?
A．In order of time  |
B．In order of frequency. |
| C．In order of preference（偏爱）. | D．In order of importance |
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