A new survey finds that more than eighty percent of Internet users in the United States search for health information online. The survey found that searching online is one of the leading ways that people look for a second opinion though doctors are still the main source of health information.
Forty-four percent of people are actually looking for doctors or other providers when they search for health information online. Another finding of the survey: Two-thirds of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical condition.
The Internet has also become an important source of emotional support for people with health problems. Susannah Fox says one in five Internet users has gone online to find other people who have the same condition. It was more popular among people with more serious health issues—one in four people living with chronic diseases (慢性病). And it was basically off the charts with people living with rare disease. They are so eager to find other people online who share their health concerns.
A disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than two hundred thousand people worldwide. The rise of social networking has made it easier for people with rare diseases to connect with each other and feel less alone. Social networking is also changing the way some doctors and patients communicate with each other. Dr. Jeff Livingston operates a medical center for women in Irving, Texas. His office uses password-protected software to share information with patients.
“We provide the patient full access to their medical care. Anything I can see, the patient can see. All of their notes, all of their doctor visits are right there. All of their lab work is right there.” Dr. Livingston says the software has increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved relations with patients.From the first paragraph, we can know _________.
| A．most online health information is reliable |
| B．more people now turn to the Internet for medical advice |
| C．people shouldn’t rely on the Internet for medical advice |
| D．doctors are no longer the patients’ first choice |
The underlined words “off the charts” in Paragraph 3 mean _________.
| A．very popular | B．not accessible | C．far away from | D．not attractive |
By using social networking, patients with rare diseases can _________.
| A．find effective cures | B．get emotional comfort |
| C．ask for financial support | D．consult doctors anytime |
Which of the following is NOT true of Dr. Livingston’s software?
| A．It cuts down medical expenses. |
| B．It decreases the time spent on medical care. |
| C．It takes doctors closer to their patients. |
| D．It gives patients a medical test online. |
Russia and the United States have completed the largest spy exchange since the Cold War．On Friday, at an airport in Vienna, Austria, an American plane and a Russian plane landed, parked side by side and exchanged occupants．
The United States freed ten admitted Russian agents．The men and women were arrested in late June and pleaded（承认） guilty on Thursday．
In exchange, Russia freed four Russians serving prison sentences on charges of spying for the West．The men include Igor Sutyagin, an armed researcher who always denied the charges．Some considered him a political prisoner．
The United States deported（驱逐） nine Russian and an American citizen born in Peru．Some raised children while living quiet lives as married couples．
Russia’s Foreign Ministry praised the exchange, saying, “The action improved Russian-U．S．relations．”
The group was accused of trying to gain information on American nuclear weapons, foreign policy and politics for the SVR — Russia’s foreign intelligence service．
The ten were only charged with plotting（阴谋） to act as undeclared foreign agents．They were not charged with the more serious crime of spying, so the extent（程度） of their success as spies is not clear．
One of the Russians, Anna Chapman, drew attention with her looks and stories of her New York party life．Hr lawyer, Robert Baum, said she had not passed secret information to Russia or received any payment．He also said, “She was accused of communicating with a Russian official through a laptop to laptop communication, without the government specifying the nature of the communication．”The underlined word “occupants” in the first paragraph probably refers to _____．
| A．the pilots of the planes |
| B．the passengers on board the planes |
| C．the spies of Russia and the United States |
| D．the officials of Russia and the United States |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Altogether fourteen spies were exchanged．
B．Anna Chapman wrote stories about her New York party life．
C．One of the Russian spies was an American born in Peru．The way both countries are handling the issue suggests that _____．
| A．neither side is interested in starting a fight |
| B．neither side is in need of spies now |
| C．the two countries are finding faults with each other |
| D．the two countries are in a cold war now |
The passage is most probably _____．
| A．an advertisement | B．a newspaper ad |
| C．a book review | D．a news report |
They may make us scared, but somehow we just can’t get enough of our favorite monsters．From literature to movies, TV shows to Halloween（万圣节） costumes（服装）, we want more of these blood-drinking, walking-dead, scary creatures!
Here’s a look at a few of them．
Mummy（木乃伊）: All you’ll need is a generous supply of toilet paper of make this instantly recognizable costume．The concept of mummies dates back thousands of years and across many cultures．Mummies are constantly seen in books, movies, and of course, on every Halloween night．
Werewolf（狼人）: The werewolf is known for its superhuman strength and shape-shifting powers．Examples of the werewolf date back to ancient Greek and Roman stories, which were about humans changing into animals and animals changing into humans．With television shows and movies, werewolves are once again having a strong influence on popular culture．
Frankenstein: Mary Shelley created the monster in her 1818 novel．Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who is curious about life and death, uses different body parts to create his works．Shocked by his new scientific creation, however, Victor ran away, leaving the creature to leave the laboratory and go out into the human world．Whether in books, movies, or onstage, this monster is still a costume favorite for people of all ages．
Zombie（僵尸）: Halloween activities would incomplete without zombies to really give people a fright．The zombie earned its title as one of Halloween’s most terrifying creatures after popular films．Zombies still frighten audiences as undead monsters that return to feast on the living．
Dracula（德拉库拉）: This classic vampire（吸血鬼） has terrified audiences for decades, but first appeared as a character in Irish writer Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel．In horror films, Dracula remains the most popular character．He is known for his pale skin, sharp teeth, red lips and son on．According to the article, monsters ______．
| A．are scary but at the same time fascinating |
| B．provide excitement for people who lead dull lives |
| C．are mysterious and have supernatural powers |
| D．can change into humans |
Which of the following statements about monster costume is TRUE according to the article?
| A．A zombie costume is the choice costume of people celebrating Halloween． |
| B．A mummy costume is easy to make and can be immediately recognized． |
| C．Frankenstein’s monster is losing appeal（吸引力） among some people． |
| D．Because of its uniqueness, the Dracula costume is the most popular for Halloween． |
We can conclude that ______．
| A．Dracula is the only monster who first appeared in a book |
| B．mummies may come back to life in the future |
| C．Victor Frankenstein was finally able to get his monster under control |
| D．Frankenstein’s monster was created using different body parts |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Monster Halloween Costumes |
| B．Monsters and Halloween |
| C．Monsters Loved by people |
| D．How Monsters Scare People |
Sitting across from his teacher, Edgar Martinez repeated the word he couldn't quite pronounce: "situation"．The teacher, LisaMojsin, hired to help Martinez reduce his accent, said the word slowly; "Sit-chew-a-shun．" "I wish he had taught me this 20 years ago．" said Martinez, 37, who comes from Mexi
co and lives in Los Angeles．In private tutoring classes throughout the nation, immigrants are focused on sounding more American．
Accent reduction classes have been around for years, but experts say．"As our workforce becomes more and more global, these classes are becoming more and more popular．" Private tutors said they answer calls almost daily from students, when just a few years ago the phones rang only occasionally．Author Amy Gillett said that sales of her book and CD set, "Speak English Like an American", have increased three times in the last few years．Judy Ravin, President of the Accent Reduction Institute, said she has hundreds of students who follow her program, "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days"．
Though there is a general tolerance for diversity, experts said, reality has made some immigra
nts who sound different feel unwelcome．If someone speaks with an accent associated with an Asian language, they may work as engineers or computer scientists．If someone speaks with certain Spanish accents, people may think they are recent immigrants working in landscaping or the hospitality industry （招待性行业）．A French accent gives images of romance．An Australian accent brings to mind adventure and fun．
Accent reduction students said they are aware of how they sound and whether their accents limit their job opportunities or spoil their social lives．Jennie Lo, aged 43, said her accent has been an embarrassment．Sometimes people couldn't even understand her when she said her name．While in college in Oklahoma, Lo said she didn't make many friends, tearing that no one could make out her words．Lo is now taking accent reduction classes and hopes to apply for a manager position at work．"I just want to feel good about myself," she said．"If I really work hard, if I practice every day, I can't be perfect．But I can be bet
ter．"In the whole passage, the first paragraph serves as a（n） _____．
| A．introduction | B．comment |
| C．explanation | D．background |
What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?
| A．The effect that popular accent reduction classes have． |
| B．The fact that accent reduction classes become popular． |
| C．The steps how accent reduction classes become popular． |
| D．The reasons why accent reduction classes become popular． |
If someone speaks with certain Asian accents, people may think _____．
| A．they are romantic | B．they are hospitality workers |
| C．they are computer scientists | D．they love adventure and fun |
What is Jennie Lo's attitude towards her taking accent reduction classes?
| A．Confident． | B．Helpless． |
| C．Proud． | D．Anxious． |
Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activi
ty affected winter weather patterns．
However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．
Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote．
"However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"
Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditio
ns that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （气象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "impro
vement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．We can know from the second paragraph that _____．
| A．research shows that Britain will soon fall into an ice age |
| B．Mike Lockwood's research focuses on space environment physics |
| C．it was quite cold in Britain over the entire winter last year |
| D．so far one-in-seven winters have been very cold in Britain |
The．underlined word "mean" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to "_____"．
| A．average | B．stable | C．ungenerous | D．changeable |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．It was sunspots that blocked warm westerly winds reaching Europe． |
| B．Meteorological factors hardly have any influence on blocking events． |
| C．The latest study done by Professor Lockwood was of little practical value． |
| D．Considering solar activity or not affects the accuracy of weather forecasting． |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Another big danger approaching the UK |
| B．Research finds out solar activity is to blame for the cold |
| C．UK faces more cold winters due to weaker solar activity |
| D．Changes in weather patterns should be responsible for low solar activity |
When T was a child I never said, "When T grow up, I want to be a CEO," but
here T am．When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clearly clarified path．In fact, no two paths are the same．But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies．
As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may vary, but the people in that position share the qualities of commitment, work ethic （守则） and a strong desire for building something new．And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup．
I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur （企业家） from my f
ather, who has run a small business for almost 30 years．I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with varying degrees of success．And I always had a dream job pattern: to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers．
I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO．Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team．In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other colleagues, where I became a CEO．
Career advice; Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at．Figure out what makes you do so．What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing．．．and then apply it to your work life．Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning．Read more books than you did in college．If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do．What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The author hasn't achieved his childhood ambition． |
| B．The author thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO． |
| C．The author had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood． |
| D．The author believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial to everybody． |
According to the author, successful CEOs should _____．
| A．try not to take risks |
| B．stay in the same business |
| C．have a strong sense of creativity |
| D．save every possible penny |
What can we know about the author from the passage?
| A．His father had far-reaching influence on him． |
| B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL． |
| C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success． |
| D．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University． |
Which of the following proverbs may the author agree with according to the last paragraph?
| A．Well begun is half done． |
| B．One is never too old to learn． |
| C．Time and tide wait for no man． |
| D．Everything conies to him who waits． |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号