What do former American president Bill Clinton and rock musician Pete Townshend have in common.'? Both men have hearing damage from exposure(暴露，接触) to loud music, and both now wear hearing aids（助听器） as a result. As a teenager, Clinton played saxophone in a band. Townshend, who has the more severe hearing loss, was a guitarist for a band called the Who. He is one of the first rock musicians to call the public's attention to the problem of hearing loss from exposure to loud music.
Temporary（暂时） hearing loss can happen after only 15 minutes of listening to loud music. One early warning sign is when your ears begin to feel warm while you listen to music at a rock concert or through headphones. One later is that an unusual sound or a ringing is sometimes produced in your head after the concert.
"What happens is that the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, but they're not dead," says physician and ear specialist Dr. Sam Levine. According to Dr. Levine, if you avoid further exposure to loud noise, it's possible to recondition the cells（细胞） somewhat. However, he adds, "Eventually, over a long period of time, hair cells are permanently damaged." And this is no small problem.
What sound level is dangerous? According to Dr. Levine, regular exposure to noise above 85 decibels (分贝) is considered dangerous. The chart below offers a comparison of decibel levels to certain sounds. Here's another measurement you can use. If you're at a rock concert and the music is so loud that you have to shout to make yourself heard, you' re at risk for hearing loss. That's when wearing protective devices such as earplugs becomes critical.
The facts are pretty frightening. But are rock bands turning down the volume.'? Most aren't. "Rock music is supposed to be loud," says drummer Andrew Sather."I wouldn't have it any other way. And neither would the real fans of rock. "
Continued exposure to loud music and the failure to wear earplugs can lead to deafness, according to Dr. Levine. He states, "There's no cure for hearing loss. Your ears are trying to tell you something. That ringing is the scream of your hair cells dying. Each time that happens, more and more damage is done. "
| Levels of Common Noises Normal conversation 50 — 65 dB Food blender 88 dB Jet plane flying above a person standing outside 103 dB Rock band during a concert 110 — 140 dB |
From Paragraph 1, we can learn that ___________ .
| A．loud music is a major cause of hearing loss |
| B．famous people may have hearing problems |
| C．teenagers should stay away from school bands |
| D．the problem of hearing damage is widely known |
In Paragraph 3, the underlined word "recondition" means__________ .
| A．not to be seen | B．to fill with sound |
| C．to become larger in size | D．to make good again |
The purpose of the chart at the end of the article is to show__________ .
| A．a list of harmful sounds |
| B．the effect of rock concerts |
| C．the noise levels of sounds |
| D．relationship between daily activities and hearing loss |
Which of the following statements will Dr. Sam Levine probably agree?
| A．When your ears feel warm, your hair cells are dead. |
| B．Drummer Andrew Sather gives good advice. |
| C．Many are at the risk of losing hearing. |
| D．Doctors know how to deal with hearing loss. |
Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems．While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves．University of Missouri（MU） researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient．
“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density（密度）”，said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU．“The radioisotope（放射性同位素） battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries．”
Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro / nanoelectromechanical systems （M/NEMS）．Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe．
“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said, “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems．”
His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor（半导体）．Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor．
“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure（晶体结构） of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem．”
Together with J．David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery．In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials．Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hairThe text is most probably a ________．
| A．science news report | B．book review |
| C．newspaper ad | D．science fiction |
Liquid semiconductor is used to _________．
| A．get rid of the radioactive waste |
| B．test the power of nuclear batteries |
| C．decrease the size of nuclear batteries |
| D．reduce the damage to lattice structure |
According to Jae Kwon, his nuclear battery _______．
| A．uses a solid semiconductor | B．will soon replace the present ones |
| C．could be extremely thin | D．has passed the final test |
Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4_________．
| A．to show chemical batteries are widely applied |
| B．to introduce nuclear batteries can be safely used |
| C．to describe a nuclear-powered system |
| D．to introduce various energy sources |
One school night this month I walked quietly up to Alexander, my 15-year-old son, and touched his cheek gently in a manner I hoped would seem casual．A year ago he would have ignored this disturbance but now he reacted impatiently and leaned back to his computer screen．
I made a mistake: breaking into my teenager's personal space. “The average teenager has pretty strong feelings about his privacy," Lara Fox and her friend Hilary Frankel told me. Mr．Frankel and Mr．Fox, both 17, are the authors of Breaking the Code, a new book that seeks to bridge the generational divide between parents and adolescents．It is being promoted by its publisher as the first self-help guide by teenagers for their parents, a kind of "Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus" that explains the language and actions of teenagers．The girls dealt with issues including hanging out late, money, school pressures, smoking etc．
Personally, I welcome their opinions．The most common missteps in interacting with teenagers arise from the war between parents exercising their rights to know what goes on under their roof and teenagers firmly guarding their privacy．Teenagers can be quick to interpret their parents' remarks and respond with anger that masks their vulnerability （脆弱）. Ms Fox said, "What we want above all is your approval．Don't forget, no matter how much we act as if we don't care what you say, we believe the things you say about us．"
Nancy, a New York child-raising expert said she didn't agree with everything the authors suggested but found their arguments reasonable．"When your kids are saying, ' You don't get it, and you never will, ' there are lots of ways to respond so that they will listen and that is what the writers point out．"
" My parents helped me see that, " Mr．Fox told me, " even though they used to stay out late and ride their bicycles to school, times have changed and the way parents educate children is different．These days there is a major fear factor in bringing up kids．Parents worry about their child crossing the street．" The writers said they hoped simply to throw light on teenage thinking．According to the two girls, teenagers nowadays are ____．
| A．independent | B．intelligent |
| C．inconsiderate | D．sensitive |
The underlined sentence "You don't get it, and you never will" in the 4th paragraph implies that ____．
| A．the teenagers don't want/to admit their weakness |
| B．the teenagers think that their parents will never understand them |
| C．the parents do not necessarily force into the world of their children |
| D．the generation gap cannot be shortened despite their parents' efforts |
It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that ____．
| A．teenagers should guard their privacy |
| B．Nancy totally agrees with the two girls' opinions |
| C．parents are more concerned about children's safety |
| D．the two girls have obtained numerous support from the public |
Why does the author mention the book "Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus ?
| A．It is one of the best-sellers |
| B．It is also written by the two girls |
| C．The two books have the similar theme |
| D．The two books have different opinions |
My eighth grade consisted of 28 classmates. We knew each other so well that most of us could distinguish each other's handwriting at a glance. Although we grew up together, we still had class outcasts．From second grade on, a small group started harassing （骚扰） two or three of the others．I was one of those two or three, though I didn't know why．In most cases when children get picked on, they aren't good at sports or they read too much or they wear the wrong clothes or they are of a different race．But in my class, we all read too much and didn't know how to play sports．We had also been brought up to carefully respect each other's race．This is what was so strange about my situation．Usually, people are made outcasts because they are in some way different from the larger group．But in my class, large differences did not exist．It was as if the outcasts were invented by the group out of a need for them．
The harassment came in the form of laughter when I talked, and rolled eyes when I turned around．If I was out on the playground and approached a group of people, they often fell silent．Sometimes, someone would not see me coming and I would catch the tail end of a joke at my expense．
There was another girl in our class who was perhaps even more rejected than I．She provided the group with a lot of material for jokes．One day one popular girl came up to me to show me something she said I wouldn't want to miss．We walked to a comer of the playground．Three or four girls there were reading aloud from a small book, which I was told was the girl's diary．
I sat down and, laughing till my sides hurt, heard my voice finally mixed with the others．Often being accepted by others is more satisfying than being accepted by oneself, even though the satisfaction does not last．Looking back, I wonder how I could have participated in making fun of this girl when I knew perfectly well how it felt．If I were in that situation today I would react differently, but I can't honestly be sure．The author was made an outcast because ____．
| A．she couldn't play sports as well as others |
| B．her classmates needed to find an outcast her |
| C．her classmates found her clothes funny |
| D．family belonged to a minority group |
How was the author treated as an outcast?
| A．She was refused to approach others． |
| B．No one responded to her talking． |
| C．She was often the target of teasing． |
| D．Her diary was often made public． |
What did the author do to the girl mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．She showed great sympathy with the girl． |
| B．She found more materials about the girl for jokes． |
| C．She stopped the others from hurting the girl． |
| D．She joined others in making fun of the girl． |
What does the passage intend to tell us?
| A．Everyone is likely to become an outcast． |
| B．We shouldn't hit a person when he is down． |
| C．Everyone has a desire to be accepted by others． |
| D．One should pay somebody back in his own way． |
☆Locks
You have a special card which operates the electronic lock on your room door and a key for the main door of the door of the hotel. These are your responsibility and should never be lent to anyone, including your fellow classmates. If you lose them you will be charged £20 per replacement. Do not leave your room unlocked even for short periods. Unfortunately, theft from student hotels is very common and insurance companies will not pay for stolen goods unless you can prove that your room was broken into by force.
☆Visitors
There are rarely any rooms available for visitors, except at the end of the summer term. Stan Jenkins, the hotel manager, will be able to tell you and can handle the booking. A small charge is made. Stan also keeps a list of local guesthouses, with some information about what they’re like, price, etc. You are also allowed to use empty beds for up to three nights, with the owner’s permission (for example, if the person who shares your room is away for the weekend ), but you must inform Stan before your guest arrives, so that he has an exact record of who’s in the building of a fire breaks out. Students are not allowed to charge each other for this.
☆Kitchens
There is a kitchen on each floor where light meals, drinks, etc. maybe prepared. Each has a large fridge and a food cupboard. All food should be stored, clearly marked with the owner’s name, in one of these two places. Bedrooms are too warm for food to be stored, and the cleaners have instructions to remove any food found in them. After using the kitchen, please be sure you do all your washing up immediately and leave it tidy. If you use it late in the evening， please also take care that you do so quietly in order to avoid disturbing people in nearby bedrooms.
If a friend visits you for the weekend, he or she can .
| A．stay at a local guesthouse |
| B．book an empty house for free |
| C．use an empty bed without permission |
| D．share your room by paying your roommate |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Your insurance will cover what you have lost． |
| B．The cleaners will take away food left in the bedrooms． |
| C．Spare rooms are least likely to be available in summer． |
| D．Students will be fined for lending their cards to others． |
The passage is probably taken from ____．
| A．a travel guide book | B．a hotel brochure |
| C．a school poster | D．a club newsletter |
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal(人与人之间的) relationships. One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions(缓和) stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support money aid, material resources, and needed services - that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.Interpersonal relationships are important because they can ________
| A．make people live more easily | B．smooth away daily problems |
| C．deal with life changes | D．cure types of illnesses |
The researches show that people's physical and mental health _______
| A．lies in the social medical care systems which support them |
| B．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others |
| C．depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
| D．is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes |
Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of ________
| A．instrumental support | B．informational support |
| C．social companionship | D．the strengthening of self-respect |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．Effects of stressful condition. | B．Kinds of social support. |
| C．Ways to deal with stress. | D．Interpersonal relationships. |
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