Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all，you probably sing or whistle when you are happy．
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However，they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal，usually the male，claims(声称)as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there．No other families 0f the same species(物种)are welcome．Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you，you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．
If so，you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing。But he expects an outsider almost any time，especially at nesting(筑巢) season．So he is screaming all the time，whether he can see an outsider or not This screaming is what we call a bird’s song，and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs．
You can see that birds have a language all their own．Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories．Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’ singing is actually．
| A．an expression of happiness |
| B．a way of greeting |
| C．an expression of anger |
| D．a way of warning |
What is a bird’s “territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted． |
| B．An area which a bird considers to be its own |
| C．an area for which birds fight against each other． |
| D．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its Voice． |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends |
| B．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears． |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around． |
| D．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away． |
O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because___________.
| A．they had surprise endings | B．they were easy to understand |
| C．they showed his love for the poor | D．they were about New York City |
O. Henry went to prison because ____________. .
| A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper |
| B．he broke the law by not using his own name |
| C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners |
| D．people thought he had taken money that was not his |
Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?
| A．His life inside the prison. | B．The newspaper articles he wrote. |
| C．The city and people of New York. | D．His exciting early life as a boy. |
根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空1个单词。
Introduction to anger
Anger is a natural reaction which comes out when we feel that we have not been given a fair treatment. The positive side of this negative emotion is that it has helped us to evolve as humans and cope in a better manner with our surroundings. However, it tends to become a problem when we fail to control it. Many a time it happens that your anger has hurt others or has spoiled one of your relationships for which you regret later. It has some bad effects on the health, too.
We should control anger so that it does not cause harm to us or to those around us whom we love. One of the best ways to control anger is to get help from others. If you feel that you are unable to manage your anger, it can make you more upset. So tell someone that is close to you, a friend or a family member, about your problem. When you discuss a matter with others, there is a better chance of finding a solution to your problem. Besides, there are no better stress relievers than humor. When you feel that it is because of stress that your anger is becoming unmanageable, you can use humor. It can help you look at difficult things in a lighter way and you will feel better about the things around you.
Anger tends to make us have a lot of negative thoughts. Therefore, we have to change the negative thoughts into positive ones. For this you have to first refuse all the negative thoughts that are in your mind one by one. This can be done with a lot of practice. Once you are successful in that, you have to maintain your focus only on the positive things of life.
Meditation (冥想) is an excellent anger management technique. In addition, what we do is disconnect ourselves from the outer world and focus all our attention into the inner world. This helps us develop a sense of controlling our thoughts that tend to cause anger.
| Anger is a natural reaction which comes out when we have been treated |
||
| Positive sides |
﹡Help us evolve as humans. ﹡Help us deal with our surroundings |
|
| ﹡Hurt others. ﹡Spoil your ﹡Have some bad effects on your health. |
||
| Some ways to |
Get help from others |
Discuss your problems with your friend or a |
| Use |
It can help you see difficult things in a |
|
| Think |
Refuse all the negative thoughts and focus only on positive things. |
|
| Practice meditation |
Help us control our thoughts which tend to cause anger. |
Why do some people flush when they drink alcohol? This effect is a common reaction to alcohol among East Asians. It affects about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.
For many, even a small amount of alcohol can cause unpleasant effects. Most commonly, their face, neck and sometimes their whole body turn red. People might also feel uncomfortable and sick to their stomach. They might experience a burning sensation, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and headaches.
The cause is a genetic difference that they are born with called an ALDH2 deficiency (缺乏). It prevents their bodies from treating alcohol the way other people do. But the effects might be more serious than just a red face. Researchers warn of a link between this condition and an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus (食道) from drinking alcohol.
The more alcohol people with this deficiency drink, the greater their risk is. In Japan and South Korea, for example, many people have the deficiency but still drink heavily. Researchers found that these drinkers develop a form of esophageal cancer six to ten times more often than those without the deficiency.
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It can be treated when found early, but once it grows the chances of survival drop sharply. The researchers estimate that at least five hundred forty million people have the deficiency, about eight percent of the world’s population.
Philip Brooks is a researcher at the National Institute in the United States. He says it is important to educate people about the link between the alcohol flushing effect and esophageal cancer. He says doctors should ask East Asian patients about their experiences with facial flushing after drinking alcohol. Those with a history of it should be advised to limit their alcohol use. They should also be warned that cigarette smoking works with the alcohol in a way that further increases the risk of esophageal cancer.The underlined word “flush” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_________”.
| A．walk unsteadily | B．appear unpleasant |
| C．turn red in the face | D．talk more than usual |
The second paragraph is mainly about _________.
| A．the cause of the effects of alcohol | B．unpleasant effects caused by alcohol |
| C．the advantages of drinking alcohol | D．Asians and alcohol |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．the ALDH2 deficiency may be passed on from generation to generation |
| B．about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans are heavy drinkers |
| C．unpleasant effects occur only when people with this deficiency drink a lot |
| D．only some East Asians have the ALDH2 deficiency |
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because _________.
| A．it can’t be treated at all |
| B．it is hard to be discovered early |
| C．people are usually addicted to alcohol |
| D．it is hard to cure once it has developed |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature．However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment．
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water．Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition．This causes major environmental effects．For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you can take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse．Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit．If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones．Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control．
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials．But the final goal should be “green gyms”．They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers．Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership．And best of all, it’s free．The author thinks the golf is resource-hungry because of the following EXCEPT that_____．
| A．Golf wastes large areas of countryside |
| B．Golf runs out of much water |
| C．Keeping golf court in good condition needs too much energy |
| D．Golf is bad for people’s health |
According to the passage, which of the following is an environment-friendly sport?
| A．hiking in the hills |
| B．swimming in the pool |
| C．playing basketball in the gym |
| D．motor racing in the desert |
The reason why the author uses power walking as an example mainly is because _________．
| A．it improves our health | B．it is an outdoor sport |
| C．it uses fewer resources | D．it is recommended by experts |
The purpose of the author’s writing this passage is to ______．
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parent’s eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge. It is time you built a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list of you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat（拍）yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!You need to build a positive self-image when you .
| A．dare to challenge yourself | B．feel it hard to change yourself |
| C．are unconfident about yourself | D．have a high opinion of yourself |
How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
| A．To keep a different image of others. | B．To accept your weaknesses. |
| C．To understand your own world. | D．To change the way you think. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to prepare for your success. | B．How to face challenges in your life. |
| C．How to build a positive self-image. | D．How to develop your good qualities. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号