Water is of vital importance in a healthy diet and lifestyle. There are many health benefits of drinking water .It helps get toxins out of our systems. It aids in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients .In fact, nearly every system in our bodies depends on water for proper functioning .But how can we tell whether the water we’re drinking is healthy?
As to tap water, it’s relatively easy .If your water comes from a governmental source , the suppliers are required by law to provide annual water quality reports .If you have a well, you can have an authorized lab test your water .It may cost $100 or more, but it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind .
When it comes to bottled drinking water, it can be more difficult to know what you’re getting .Start by checking the label or the bottle cap. Some may tell you that the water comes from a governmental source or “community water system”, which means tap water .If the label doesn’t give any information, you can call the bottler and ask .But don’t be surprised if you get the runaround and are transferred to several different departments .Some states have a bottled water program that tracks bottled drinking water and can tell you the origin of the water as well as other information .
Safe and healthy drinking water has become big business .Thousands of companies are competing for your hard earned cash , and some are not always honest about what their products offer .The initial investment in a home drinking water filtration (过滤)system can seem expensive at first , but over time , it is usually less expensive than bottled drinking water .And with a water filter , you at least know where the water you drink comes from and how it is treated .
Before going out and spending your hard earned money on bottled drinking water , it’s a good idea to do some research .You’re likely to find that a drinking water filtration system or purifier is a healthier choice and provides the best value as well .According to the second paragraph, we can know tap water _____
| A．costs us a large amount of money to test |
| B．is very hard to judge its safety |
| C．is reliable if it comes from a government approved source |
| D．needs to be tested every month |
By using a water filter, people_____
| A．can drink water without fearing that the water isn’t treated |
| B．will have to pay more money eventually than if they just drink bottled water |
| C．will know if the water company is honest or not |
| D．can check the quality of the water by themselves. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards drinking bottled water?
| A．Concerned | B．Indifferent |
| C．Positive | D．Opposed |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “toxins” in the first paragraph?
| A．extra blood | B．harmful material |
| C．useless tissue | D．polluted chemicals |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The disadvantages of bottled water |
| B．The benefits of drinking water |
| C．The difference between tap water and bottled water |
| D．The ways to ensure the safety of your drinking water |
“It is a dreadful thing to be poor a fortnight before Christmas, ” said Clorinda, with the mournful sigh of seventeen years.
Aunt Emmy smiled. Aunt Emmy was sixty, and spent the hours she didn’t spend in a bed, on a sofa or in a wheel chair; but Aunt Emmy was never heard to sigh.
“The gifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give,” said Aunt Emmy gently, “nor the best, either.”
“Oh, I know it's nicer to give something of your own work,” agreed Clorinda, “but materials for fancy work cost too. That kind of gift is just as much out of the question for me as any other.”
“That was not what I meant,” said Aunt Emmy.
“What did you mean, then?” asked Clorinda, looking puzzled.
Aunt Emmy smiled.
“Suppose you think out my meaning for yourself,” she said. “That would be better than if I explained it. Besides, I don't think I could explain it. Take the beautiful line of a beautiful poem to help you in your thinking out: 'The gift without the giver is bare.”
“I'd put it the other way and say, 'The giver without the gift is bare,” said Clorinda. “That is my predicament(窘境)exactly. Well, I hope by next Christmas I'll not be quite bankrupt. I'm going into Mr. Callender's store down at Murraybridge in February. He has offered me the place, you know.”
“Won't your aunt miss you terribly?” said Aunt Emmy gravely. “I think she would rather have your companionship than a part of your salary, Clorinda,” said Aunt Emmy. “But of course you must decide for yourself, dear.”
“Well, I must say bye-bye and run home.” Clorinda lived just across the road from Aunt Emmy in a tiny white house behind some huge willows. But Aunt Mary lived there too--the only relative Clorinda had, for Aunt Emmy wasn't really her aunt at all. Clorinda had always lived with Aunt Mary ever since she could remember.
Clorinda puzzled over Aunt Emmy's meaning for days. Then all at once it came to her. On Christmas Day, Clorinda went over to Aunt Emmy's.Aunt Emmy was lying on the sofa before the fire, and Clorinda sat down beside her.
“I've come to tell you all about it,” she said. “Aunt Emmy, I thought for days over your meaning ... And then one evening it just came to me. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had. I got over that, though, Aunt Emmy. Now I'm going to tell you what I did give.”
“First, there was old Aunt Kitty. You know she was my nurse when I was a baby. She is always glad when I go to see her, but I've never gone except when I couldn't help it. She is very deaf, and rather dull and stupid, you know. Well, I gave her a whole day. I took my knitting yesterday, and sat with her the whole time and just talked and talked. She was so pleased and proud; she told me when I came away that she hadn't had such a nice time for years. ”
“Then there was ... Florence. You know, Aunt Emmy, we were always intimate friends until last year. Then Florence once told Rose Watson something I had told her in confidence. I found it out and I was so hurt. I couldn't forgive Florence, and I told her plainly I could never be a real friend to her again. Florence felt badly, because she really did love me, and she asked me to forgive her, but it seemed as if I couldn't. Well, Aunt Emmy, that was my Christmas gift to her ... my forgiveness.”
“I gave Aunt Mary her gift this morning. I told her I wasn't going to Murraybridge, that I just meant to stay home with her. She was so glad--and I'm glad, too, now that I've decided so.”
“Your gifts have been real gifts, Clorinda,” said Aunt Emmy. “Something of you--the best of you--went into each of them.”
“I didn't forget you, Aunt Emmy,” she said, as she unpinned the paper.
There was a rosebush. Aunt Emmy loved flowers. She put her finger under one of the roses and kissed it.
“It's as sweet as yourself, dear child,” she said tenderly. “And it will be a joy to me all through the lonely winter days. You've found out the best meaning of Christmas giving, haven't you, dear?”
“Yes, thanks to you, Aunt Emmy,” said Clorinda softly.Clorinda felt anxious before Christmas because___________.
| A．She had to leave Aunt Mary |
| B．She didn’t know what kind of Christmas gifts she should buy |
| C．She had not enough money to buy Christmas gifts |
| D．She had no time to make a proper decision |
Which of the following sentences can best explain the line “The gift without the giver is bare.”？
| A．A gift is valued by the mind of the giver. |
| B．Forgiveness is a gift for the giver and the receiver. |
| C．You cannot buy love or respect with expensive gifts. |
| D．Think twice before you give gifts to somebody |
What is the gift that Clorinda gave to old Aunt Kitty?
| A．Passion | B．Sympathy | C．Kindness | D．Company |
What does the underlined phrase “in confidence” mean?
| A．respectfully | B．confidently | C．secretly | D．willingly |
Which two words can best describe Aunt Emmy?
| A．cute and joyful | B．kind-hearted and emotional |
| C．optimistic and wise | D．gentle and timid (羞怯的) |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．A Special Christmas | B．Clorinda’s Gifts |
| C．Aunt Emmy | D．Clorinda’s Choice |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently
B. can be used if permitted
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permissionIf the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.
A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy
B. The companies will be closed
C. The companies will be fined
D. The senators will turn to legislationWhere can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
The aims of the Illustrators’(插图画家的)Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23to 26 December 2011,are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
•Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1992, whose artwork is intended for use in children’s books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
•Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Nonfiction Category．Illustrators may only enter one category.
•Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
•The confirmation(确认)form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 15 October 2011.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand．From abroad, please use the following forms: Form “A” for registered mail or post by air; Form “B” if using an international forwarding agent or airline．To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post．Material should be sent “carriage paid”, including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork．all published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher’s name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations(i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed(超过) the following dimensions:
Fiction: 32×42 cm (or 42 × 32 cm)
Non-fiction: 50 ×70 cm (70 × 50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere．The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm ( for scanner separation purposes).
SELECTION PROCESS
All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group (whose decision is final), including five members (from publishing house and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
After the Bologna event, the Illustrators Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY. The Illustrators Exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues(场馆) in other countries. The exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the Illustrators Exhibition, and the provisions (条款) of the regulations are extended to the organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.
RETURN OF ARTWORK
All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere or directly by the organizers of the exhibitions and held abroad by the end of July 2013. Which of the following of the Illustrators’ Exhibition is true?
| A．It will last five days in all in July every other year. |
| B．It is intended for college students who are good at painting. |
| C．It is held by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in BolognaFiere. |
| D．It can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers. |
The illustrators of the Illustrators Exhibition __________．
| A．should be at least 16 and no more than 25 |
| B．may re-enter their artwork after it is returned |
| C．should state the category of their artwork clearly |
| D．may choose to attach a photo to the application form |
Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?
| A．Normal post | B．Airline post | C．Registered mail | D．Express delivery |
What is BolognaFiere responsible for?
| A．Paying for the delivery costs | B．Late arrival of artwork |
| C．Confirmation of ISBN number | D．Returning the illustrators’ works |
The illustrators’ works will not be considered if they .
| A．are received after the day of 15 October 2011 |
| B．are smaller than the required size |
| C．have already been published abroad before |
| D．don’t meet the demands of the international experts |
American researchers found females are the more talkative sex because of a special “language protein(蛋白质)” in the brain.
The study, conducted by neuroscientists (神经学家)and psychologist from the University of Maryland, concluded that women talked more because they had more of the Foxp2 protein. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that higher levels were found among humans that were women but in rats that were males. Their findings came after it was previously claimed that ladies speak about 20,000 words a day – over 13,000 more than men. “This study is one of the first to report a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals,” said Prof Margaret McCarthy, who led the study. In their study, the researchers attempted to determine what might make male rats more vocal than their female friends.
They separated four-day-old rats from their mothers and then counted the number of times they cried out in the “ultrasonic range”, the frequencies higher than humans can hear, over five minutes. While both sexes called out hundreds of cries, the males called out twice as often, they found. But when the pups were returned to their mother’s cage, she fussed over her sons first. Tests conducted on the parts of the brain known to be associated with vocalcalls showed the male pups have up to twice as much Foxp2 protein as the females. The researchers then increased the production in the brains of female pups and reduced it in males. This led to the female rats crying out more often and their mothers showing more interest to them. In contrast, males became less “talkative”.
The researchers then tested samples from ten children, aged between three and five, which showed that females had up to 30 per cent more of the Foxp2 protein than males, in a brain area key to language in humans.
“Based on our observations, we assume higher levels of Foxp2 in girls and higher levels of Foxp2 in male rats is an indication that Foxp2 protein levels are associated with the more communicative sex,” said Prof McCarthy. “Our results imply Foxp2 as a component of the neurobiological basis of sex differences in vocal communication in mammals. “From the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．women always speak more words than men |
| B．men and male rats have low levels of language protein |
| C．women and male rats have similar levels of Foxp2 |
| D．McCarthy isn’t the first to find females more talkative |
The underlined phrase “fussed over” in the third paragraph probably means______.
| A．paid attention to | B．related to | C．put pressure on | D．counted on |
The researchers carried out the experiments on rats in order to _______.
| A．test which part of the brain is key to language in rats and humans |
| B．prove the levels of Foxp2 protein in humans and rats are different |
| C．determine the reason why female rats are more talkative than male rats |
| D．discover the association between Foxp2 protein and vocal communication |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?
| A．Tests on humans and rats |
| B．Why women are the talkative sex |
| C．Sex differences in Foxp2 protein |
| D．Foxp2 protein determines oral ability |
Yawning sends out certain messages -either “Oh ，this movie is so boring” or “I probably need to get some sleep”. But did you know that a yawn can also help your brain to cool down when it is overheated?
A new study, led by a research team at Princeton University, has indicated that yawning could be the brain’s natural way of regulating temperature. People yawn more often when the temperature outdoors is lower than their body temperature but are less likely to yawn when it is hotter outdoors, according to Sciencedaily. com.
The research team did an experiment on 160 people, 80 in summer and 80 in winter, to examine how often they yawned at different air temperatures. The study found that people yawned more often in winter than in summer. Scientists say that when the air temperature is lower outside the body, there is heat exchange between the overheated brain and the cool air. But when the air temperature is higher than or equal to the body, people are less likely to yawn because the hot air they breathe in will make the brain even hotter.
When people yawn, their jaw is also stretched ，which increases blood flow and may also help cool the brain
The study showed that the amount someone yawned could be related to the amount of time they spent outside. The longer they spent outside in summer, the less they yawned. Nearly 40 percent of participants yawned within their first five minutes outside, but after that the percentage was reduced to less than 10 percent.
However, the result was the opposite in winter. The number of people who yawned increased when they spent more than five minutes outdoors. But the change was only slight compared to summertime.
According to Gallup, this is the first report to show that yawning frequencies change depending on season. This could help us to understand better the way our brains work. It may also help us understand the reason why frequent yawning can sometimes be a sign of brain disease.The purpose of the experiment is ______.
| A． to prove people yawn in winter and in summer equally |
| B． to indicate brain can regulate temperature naturally |
| C． to find the frequency of people’s yawning |
| D． to show the real reason why people yawn |
The information we get from Paragraphs 5 and 6 is that ______.
| A． longer outdoor summertime results in more yawns |
| B． yawning frequency changes with outdoor time |
| C． yawning frequency increases with outdoor time |
| D． longer outdoor wintertime leads to fewer yawns |
Acorrding to the text ，people yawn more often ______.
A, when the air temperature is lower outside the body
B. when the hot air breathed in makes the brain hotter
C. when the air temperature is higher than the body
D. when the air temperature is equal to the bodyWhat could be the best title for the text?
| A． Yawning Is A Sign of Brain Disease |
| B． Yawning Carries Some Information |
| C． Yawning Benefits Your Body |
| D． Yawning Cools Your Brain |
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