Do you know that men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men’s hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing(变老) on the heart has found that women’s longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,” said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
“Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,” said Goldspink. “This is part of the aging process.”
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman’s heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one’s.
“This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men,” said Goldspink. They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease. “The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart,” said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age. The underlined word “longevity” in the second paragraph probably refers to “________”.
| A．health | B．long life | C．ageing | D．effect |
The text mainly talks about ________.
| A．men’s heart cells | B．women’s ageing process、 |
| C．the gender difference | D．hearts and long life |
According to the text, the UK scientists have known that ________.
| A．women have more cells than men when they are born |
| B．women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat |
| C．the female heart loses few of the cells with age |
| D．women never lose their pumping power with age |
If you want to live longer, you should ________.
| A．enable your heart to beat much faster |
| B．find out the reason for ageing |
| C．exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy |
| D．prevent your cells from being lost |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out |
| B．scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells |
| C．the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss |
| D．women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20 |
The slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry’s highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars. British director Steve McQueen’s brave portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won two other Oscars, including best supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and best adapted screenplay based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man tricked and sold into slavery in Louisiana. “Everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup,” said McQueen in his acceptance speech.
“12 Years a Slave” was better over space thriller “Gravity” from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, which nevertheless got the most Oscars of the night with seven, including the best director honor for Cuaron, a first for a Latin American director.The film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut lost in space swept the technical awards like visual effects and cinematography, a reward for its groundbreaking work on conveying space and weightlessness. Referring to the “transformative” experience he and others undertook in the four-plus years spent making “Gravity”, Cuaron, whose hair is graying, said, “For a lot of these people, that transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my hair.”
In one of the strongest years for film in recent memory, the 6,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scattered golden Oscar statuettes among the many acclaimed movies in contention.
It was a good night for the scrappy, low-budget film “Dallas Buyers Club”, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, a biopic of an early AIDS activist two decades in the making that won three Oscars, including the two male acting awards.
Matthew McConaughey, in a validation of a remarkable career turnaround, won best actor for his portrayal of the homophobe who turned AIDS victim and then turned treatment crusader Ron Woodroof, a role for which he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). His co-star, Jared Leto, won best supporting actor for his role as Woodroof’s unlikely business partner, the transgender woman Rayon, for which he also slimmed down drastically.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role as the socialite unhinged by her husband’s financial crimes in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” “As random and subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of, yet again, extraordinary performances by women,” said Blanchett, who beat out previous Oscar winners Bullock, Amy Adams, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.The film which won the largest number of Oscar awards this year is ______.
| A．12 Years a Slave | B．Gravity |
| C．Dallas Buyers Club | D．Blue Jasmine |
Which director spent the least money in making the film?
| A．Steve McQueen. | B．Alfonso Cuaron. |
| C．Jean-Marc Vallee. | D．Woody Allen. |
How many Oscar best actresses are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．“12 Years a Slave” won two Oscar awards altogether. |
| B．The director of “Gravity” is from Latin America. |
| C．The character Rayon is played by Jared Leto. |
| D．The woman film star Cate Blanchett comes from Oceania. |
I was now in my twenty third year of residence in this island and was accustomed to the place and to the manner of living. If it had not been the savages（野人）who had come to the place to disturb me, I could have been content to spent the rest of my time there, even to the last moment, till I had laid me down and died, like the old goat in the cave.
I had also arrived to some little recreations and amusements, which made the time pass more pleasantly with me a great deal than it did before．
At first, I had taught my Poll to speak. And he did it so familiarly and talked so clearly and plain that it was very pleasant to me. And he lived with me no less than twenty six years. How long he might live afterwards, I don’t know; though I know they have an idea in Brazil that they live a hundred years. Perhaps poor Poll may be alive there still, calling Poor Robin Crusoe to this day. I wish no other English man had the bad luck to go there and hear him. But if he did, he would certainly believe it was the devil（魔鬼）.
My dog was a very pleasant and loving companion to me, for no less than sixteen years of my time, and then died of mere old age.
As for my cats, they multiplied to that degree that I had to shoot several of them at first to keep them from eating up all I had.
Besides these, I had two more parrots which talked pretty well and would all call Robin Crusoe, but none like my first. Nor indeed did I take the pains with any of them that I had done with him.
I had also several sea-fowls, whose names I don’t know, that I caught upon the shore and cut their wings. And the little stakes which I had planted before my castle wall being now grown up to a good thick bush, these fowls all lived among these low trees and bred there, which was very agreeable to me; so that as I said above, I began to be well content with the life I led if not worried about the threat from the savages.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Robin Crusoe treated animals kindly. |
| B．Robin Crusoe led a hard life on the island. |
| C．The animals raised by Robin Crusoe brought him much pleasure. |
| D．The savages always spoiled Robin Crusoe’s happy life. |
How many parrots did Robin Crusoe mention in this passage?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Robin’s dog may be still alive on the island. |
| B．Robin Crusoe lived in harmony with savages. |
| C．Robin Crusoe met an English man while on the island. |
| D．Parrots raised by Robin could talk very well. |
What is the “sea-fowl” mentioned in the last paragraph?
| A．A bird living on the coast. |
| B．A fish living in the sea. |
| C．A creature without a name |
| D．An animal feeding on tree leaves. |
The £109 Nest Protect Smoke Alarm promises Internet alerts（警报）and an end to the low battery chirp（短而尖的叫声）. Besides, it uses a voice to tell you where the fire is.
The alarm is the first UK product from Nest, which is run by iPod-inventor Tony Fadell. The company claims the device’s batteries will last for up to seven years. The device will offer a spoken warning before it sounds a major alarm. Also it will use text messages and apps on your phones to alert users to low-level risks.
The present smoke alarms constantly alert users to non-existent threats, which will make many users annoyed and finally remove their batteries altogether. “We’ve all experienced the smoke alarm going off while we’re cooking. Sometimes, we need to search for the source of that non-stop low-battery chirp at midnight,” said Fadell. “Therefore, every time a smoke alarm cries wolf, we trust it a little less, and then — in a moment of frustration — we take the batteries out to stop the beep（嘟嘟声）. And that leaves us and our families at risk.”
If the Protect smoke alarms are used, they can be set up in up to ten zones, so that the clear warnings tell users where the risk has been detected.
“Safety shouldn’t be annoying,” said Matt Rogers, Nest founder and vice president of engineering. “It was unacceptable to us that one in eight houses in the UK has a non-functioning smoke alarm. These products are required by law and are supposed to keep us safe, yet people hate them. We wanted to change that.”
For what purpose did Nest create the Protect Smoke Alarm?
| A．To predict low-level fire risks. | B．To experiment with a new battery. |
| C．To improve present smoke alarms. | D．To avoid the low-battery chirp. |
What did Tony Fadell really want to tell us in Paragraph 3?
| A．One of his cooking experiences. |
| B．Disadvantages of present smoke alarms. |
| C．His growing distrust of smoke alarms. |
| D．His source of annoyance to crying wolf. |
Which of the following are the advantages of the Protect Smoke Alarm?
a. Rechargeable batteries b. A talking smoke alarm
c. Longer battery life d. Going off constantly
e. Internet connection
| A．a, b, c | B．c, d, e | C．a, c, e | D．b, c, e |
What can we know from the last paragraph?
| A．In the UK people seldom set up smoke alarms. |
| B．Matt Rogers didn’t like the safety requirements. |
| C．Non-functioning smoke alarms make people annoyed. |
| D．The government should pay attention to safety issues. |
| Bulletin Board Workshops are held at Women’s Health Centre, 1441 29 St. N.W. If you are interested, please call 944-2260 or visit www.womenhealthcentre.ca. |
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| Eating to Get to Your Healthiest Weight |
If you are seeking professional help with your weight-loss efforts, then this workshop series, presented by Dawn Peacock, BSc, RD, is for you. The workshop will take place on Fridays, July 10 between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. or July 24 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Fee: $120 |
| How to Reduce Depression & Anxiety |
Depression and anxiety are two disorders that often affect women at the same time. They may go unrecognized and cause needless suffering. This four-part class, offered by Elizabeth Miles, MSc, Rpsych, will help reduce the suffering. The classes will be held on Wednesdays, July 8, between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. or July 22 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Fee: $120. |
| How Do I Protect My Bones? |
Osteoporosis (骨质疏松) is a serious health condition that affects women as they age. Come to this workshop, presented by Irene Jackson, RN, MN, to find out more about osteoporosis and learn how you can reduce your risk factors and protect your bones. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fee: $150. |
| Raising Your Child in a Weight Obsessed World |
We live in a world where television and restaurants are pushing super-sized hamburgers and soft drinks, while magazines feature pencil-thin models. This presentation, by Keri Sullivan, MSc, RD, Eating Disorder Program, will offer ways to build healthy environments and behaviours for children. The presentation will be offered on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fee: $150. |
You are not free on Wednesdays. To help your child be in good shape, you need to join in _______.
| A．Eating to Get to Your Healthiest Weight |
| B．How to Reduce Depression & Anxiety |
| C．How Do I Protect My Bones |
| D．Raising Your Child in a Weight Obsessed World |
A woman with weight and bone problems can go to the evening classes _______.
| A．on July 10 & Aug. 16 | B．on July 8 & Aug. 24 |
| C．on July 24 & Aug. 16 | D．on July 22 & Aug. 24 |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the ad?
| A．To lose weight, women can attend the class offered by Elizabeth Miles. |
| B．Women may not be aware of the depression and anxiety they are suffering. |
| C．Hamburgers and soft drinks are the main causes of children’s bad behaviours. |
| D．Pencil-thin models are always shown on televisions. |
We can infer from the ad that osteoporosis is likely to happen to _______.
| A．the middle-aged women |
| B．women who are easily depressed |
| C．those who are getting old |
| D．overweight children |
At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher, since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey, to teach in a private school. She saw personally that these communities needed free education for their citizens, and she responded by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. Later, officials ignored her and appointed a male as principal instead. She resigned and moved to Washington DC, becoming the first woman employed by the U. S. Patent Office.
Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the troops in the Civil War. She saw surgeons dressing wounds with cornhusks（玉米叶）, since they had nothing else. The medical supplies for the Army were well behind the troops, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a wagon of bandages and medical supplies that she had collected personally beforehand. Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war.
She helped in the identification process of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. Afterward, she was an important figure in a campaign to identify missing soldiers from the Civil War. This non-stop work debilitated her, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe to recover herself.
While in Europe, and still in poor health Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on civilians brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, and in that work she was inspired to create the Red Cross, which served all troops and civilians.
Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war, after the horror of the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters, as well. This was her lasting legacy（遗产）, an agency that still provides aid to victims today.What does this text mainly tell us about?
| A．The establishment of the American Red Cross. |
| B．A general introduction of Clara Barton’s life. |
| C．Clara Barton’s contribution to the Red Cross. |
| D．Clara Barton’s service in the army. |
Why did Clara give up her job in the free school?
| A．Because officials didn’t make her principal. |
| B．Because she wanted to work in a Patent Office. |
| C．Because she wanted to serve in the army. |
| D．Because she was not satisfied with the pay. |
The underlined word “debilitated” in the third paragraph means .
| A．rewarded | B．satisfied | C．disturbed | D．weakened |
What is the greatest contribution made by Clara Barton?
| A．She set up a free school. |
| B．She collected supplies for the army. |
| C．She identified missing soldiers. |
| D．She set up the American Red Cross. |
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