An exercise method (Gyrotonics) designed to stretch muscles and improve strength and balance is becoming popular in the United States. Here's more about Gyrotonics and the man who invented this special form of exercise.
Gyrotonics is a kind of exercise that combines the movements of dancing and swimming with the mental and physical practice called yoga. It helps lengthen muscles, improve balance, and exercise the joints, the parts of the body where bones are joined.
A Hungarian dancer named Juliu Horvath developed this special form of exercise. After he was injured in dancing, Mr. Horvath studied yoga intensely. In the 1980s, he developed a new exercise method as a special kind of yoga to strengthen dancers.
According to Mr. Horvath, his method was based on the octopus(章鱼)，monkey and cat. He says these animals have no restrictions. They can move in any direction the Gyrotonic movements to help the human body move more freely.
A special machine made of wood and weights(砝码) helps guide the body through the Gyrotonics exercises. You sit or lie on a flat board. You put your legs or hands through special cloth handles attached to a line with weights. With the tension created by the weights, you must try to move through the exercises.
Seven kinds of backbone movements form the base of Gyrotonics. For example, you can stretch your back to the left and right or forward and backward. While moving your back, you can also work on arm or leg motions. These movements must be done in a smooth way. Often the motions are circular(圆形的)。
When Juliu Horvath first developed Gyrotonics, he was the only teacher. Since then, he has taught almost 70 trainers. Now, there are more then 800 official schools in the world where you can learn Gyrotonics.This passage mainly focuses on _____.
| A．A successful life of Horvath | B．A popular kind of exercise |
| C．Some advice on health care | D．Some uses of a special machine |
According to the passage, what made it possible for Horvath to develop Gyrotonics?
| A．His dancing-related injury. | B．His failure in practicing yoga. |
| C．His good skills of dancing | D．His wish to be a Gyrotonics trainer. |
What do you think inspired Horvath in developing Gyrotonics?
| A．His experience in dancing. | B．His use of a special machine. |
| C． The movements of some animals. | D．The ideas from many trainers. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Many Americans have improved their health through Gyrotonics. |
| B．In a way, Gyrotonics is an exercise that comes from yoga. |
| C．You only have to move your backbone when doing the exercise. |
| D．Gyrotonics courses can be found in most countries worldwide. |
Dear Betty,
My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.
Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?
Yours,
Knowing Nothing
Dear Knowing Nothing,
It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.
You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.
If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.
Yours,
BettyKnowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.
| A．tell Betty some good news | B．ask for some advice |
| C．answer some questions | D．invite her to dinner |
According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.
| A．can only bring some flowers | B．can’t bring wine |
| C．should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late | D．should arrive twenty minutes late |
Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.
| A．relax at the dinner table | B．watch the other guests |
| C．ask the person beside him | D．keep silent at table |
Botany, the study of plants, occupies a special position in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest (含糊的) of insight. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must extremely ancient. This is logical. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been enormously important to
the welfare of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, eyes, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the j
ungles of the Amaz
on re
cognized accurately hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them, botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.
Unfortunately, the more industri
alized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. When our Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer productions the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture; cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the built up knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relationship with plants in the wild would begin fade away.Which of the following statements about early humans is expressed in the passage?
| A．They probably had extensive knowledge of plants. |
| B．They thought there was no need to cultivate crops. |
| C．They did not enjoy the study of botany. |
| D．They placed great importance on the ownership of property. |
What does the comment “This is logical.” In the first paragraph mean?
| A．There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor’s knowledge of plants. |
| B．It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants. |
| C．It is reasonable to assume that our ancestors behaved very much like people in pre-industrial societies. |
| D．Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed. |
According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany begun to fade?
| A．People no longer value plants as a useful resource. |
B．Botany is not recognized as a specia l branch of science. |
| C．Research is unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of plants. |
| D．Direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased. |
In the second paragraph, what is the author’s purpose in mentioning “ a rose, an apple, or an orchid”?
| A．To make the passage more poetic. |
| B．To give an example of plant that are attractive. |
| C．To give botanical examples that all readers will recognize. |
| D．To explain the variety of botanical life. |
According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?
| A．The invention of agricultural tools and machinery. |
| B．The development of a system of names for plants. |
| C．The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted. |
| D．The changing diets of early humans. |
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy. You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house, leave a half-written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,” as she explained.
My wife, one of her first visits to my mother’s house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused,
she s
et down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better
These disappearance had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有……的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find th
at every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. “ Do you remember what I was doing?” was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of cleaning windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
| A．she enjoyed removing others’ drinks. | B．She became more and more forgetful. |
| C．She preferred to do everything by herself. | D．She wanted to keep her house in good order. |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.
| A．she had already finished them | B．my mother had taken them away |
| C．she forgot where she had left them | D．someone in my family was holding them |
The underlined part suggests that my sister ______.
| A．is happy to clean windows | B．loves to clean used windows |
| C．is fond of cleaning used windows | D．likes cleaning windows as my mother did |
How many persons are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Five. | D．Four. |
This passage mainly tells us that ______.
| A．my mother often made us confused | B．my family members had a poor memory |
| C．my mother helped us to form a good habit | D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother |
American like to visit the national parks. In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas run by the National Park Service. Experts predict that by 2010, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks. As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds.
The crowding of the parks has caused several problems. One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks. To cope with this problem, national parks may require reservations months in advance for some spots. The Park Service may also raise entrance fees at these places.
Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution. Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees. To cut down on noise pollution and air pollution, officials may decrease the number of cars allowed in parks. If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks. Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snowmobiles (摩托雪橇), motorboats, and sightseeing helicopters and 
planes.
The parks are also threatened by development that is going on around them. For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many motels (汽车旅馆), golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built. Some of these developments affect areas that are used by animals. People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks. If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures.By 2010, the number of visitors will rise by ______ per year.
| A．250 million | B．500 million | C．2.5 billion | D．5 billion |
If you want to visit the national parks, you may have to _____ in the future.
| A．pay less than before | B．stay there for months |
C．book the ticket before months |
D．fill in a form to apply for the ticket |
Entrance fees may be increased _______.
| A．just for the benefit of the National Park Service |
| B．either to limit the number of visitors or to pay for the cleaner |
| C．not only to protect the animals but to reduce the noise pollution |
| D．merely for the development of the national parks |
What does the underlined sentence in the passage mean?
A．People are not supposed to visit the national parks for fear that they will ha rm the animals. |
B．Only if more man-made t ou rist attractions are built will more people visit the parks. |
| C．It is reasonable to keep the balance between the development of the parks and the reserve. |
| D．People will not visit the national parks since there are no golf courses and resorts. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．High fees may probably keep some people out of parks. |
| B．Helicopters and planes will not be used in parks any longer. |
| C．The bus will become the only toot in parks with the purpose of pollution reduction. |
| D．The National Park Service welcomes as many visitors as possible. |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Website you've visited，Or perhaps
someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it's likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen ---- the 21st century replacement of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs(碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a strong bad feeling about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give away personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠卷)。
But privacy does matter ---- at least sometimes. It's like health: When you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.What does the author mean by saying "the 21st century replacement of being caught naked"?
| A．People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge. |
| B．In the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets. |
| C．People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age. |
| D．Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology. |
What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．There should be fewer arguments between friends. |
Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret"？
| A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society. |
| B．People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
| C．There are always people who are curious about others' affairs. |
| D．Many search engines benefit from giving away people's identities. |
What do most Americans do as for privacy protection?
A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
| B．They use various loyalty cards for business transactions(交易).. |
C．T hey rely most and more on electronic devices. |
| D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it. |
According to the passage, privacy is like health because ___.
| A．people will make every effort to keep it. |
| B．its importance is rarely understood |
| C．it is something that can easily be lost |
| D．people don't treasure it until they lose it |
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