Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss? No. But a new research shows that large amounts of flavones, substances found in cocoa, tea and some kinds of vegetables, may improve age-related memory failure.
Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology at Columbia University in new York City He is the lead writer of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavones on brain activity His study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavones drink made from cocoa beans or a low-level flavones drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900 milligrams of flavones a day. The others got 10 milligrams of flavones each day. Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavones drink showed much improvement on memorytests.
The researchers warn that more work is needed to be done because this study was performed only on a small group. Dr. Joann Manson is the lead researcher of a four .year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavones capsules(胶囊) The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills per day. The capsules used will all Look the same. But one group's capsules will contain flavones, while the other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo
Dr. Manson says it's not necessary for people to start eating more chocolate, because 3 person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the same level of flavones given to the Lest subjects. He adds many manufacturers have planned to remove the flavones from their chocolate products. Similarity, Dr. says a cocoa-based flavones extract（提取）may be developed in the future But he says that more studies are needed to see how much flavones is good for our healthWhat was done to the subjects alter Dr. Small's study?
| A．They were asked to take a high-level flavones drink |
| B． They were given capsules containing flavones |
| C． They were given brain imaging and memory tests |
| D． They were asked to take two pills of flavones capsules per day |
What's the similarity of the 2 experiments?
| A．Both use high-level flavones capsules |
| B．The number of the subjects is the same |
| C．Drinks and placebos are used in both experiments |
| D．The subjects are divided into two groups in both experiments |
Why will Dr. Manson carry out the four-year study?
| A．To prove the first experiment is wrong |
| B．To carry out the experiment further |
| C．To test how much flavones can improve our memory. |
| D．To show eating chocolate is better to improve memory. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．It's not necessary for us to eat chocolate |
| B．The more we eat flavones, the better our health will be |
| C．In the future we can get flavones without eating chocolate |
| D． It's easy for people to get the same level of flavones given to the test subjects |
Bursting into the classroom from recess, 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang.
“What day is it today?” she asks, in Mandarin Chinese.
“Confucius’ birthday!” the fifth graders shout in Mandarin.
“Why do we celebrate Confucius’ birthday?”
“Because he’s the greatest teacher in the history of China!” exclaims a brown-haired girl. She is speaking Mandarin.
English is rarely heard in Lisa Yang’s class at the Chinese American International School(CAIS), despite the fact that few students are native speakers of Mandarin.
The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in “critical languages” such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend.
Founded 25 years ago, this small private school in San Francisco, USA, does what few other American schools do: It produces fully fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, by far the most commonly spoken language in the world.
Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. As China becomes the world’s leading economy sometimes this century, schools in the U. S. are scrambling to add Mandarin to their list of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place.
“It really is almost unprecedented. People are looking at China as a force to be reckoned with… And to ensure that the U. S. has the ability to conduct trade, and to work with the Chinese. Certainly having an understanding of Chinese language and culture is an advantage,” said Marty Abbott of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL).
To develop Chinese-language programs has not been smooth. A shortage of trained teachers has made it difficult for some schools to join the race. When schools do get teachers, they often hire them straight from China, and the teachers usually suffer culture shock when they come to the U. S.
Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom It was not an easy adjustment. “In China, students respect their teachers,” he said. Liu found that American students, however, expect an active teaching style. He had to use games to engage them rather than lectures.
To avoid many of the problems with foreign teaching styles, the CAIS has been working with the Chinese government to improve training of teachers who are sent to the U. S.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Understanding Chinese language and culture is helpful to work with Chinese. |
| B．Chinese-language programs have met trouble during the development. |
| C．Many other American schools do the same as CAIS, founded 25 years ago. |
| D．A lack of trained Mandarin Chinese teachers is a problem for the programs. |
What kind of problem is the most difficult to adjust in teaching Chinese in America?
| A．To adapt themselves to the American life styles. |
| B．To communicate with the American students. |
| C．To get along well with the American students. |
| D．To be fit for the cultural differences in teaching styles. |
The meaning of the underlined word “scrambling” is similar to .
| A．climbing | B．rushing |
| C．changing | D．beating |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．the students in Lisa Yang’s class usually speak Chinese |
| B．There are few American students in Lisa Yang’s class |
| C．We celebrate Confucius’ birthday because he’s the greatest history teacher |
| D．in America the students don’t respect their teachers |
Owning a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are… but they also turn you into a workaholic, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.
The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have an email-enabled phone, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they take work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first email in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smart phones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”What can we conclude from the text?
| A．All that glitters is not gold. |
| B．Every coin has two sides. |
| C．It never rains but pours. |
| D．It’s no good crying over spilt milk. |
The underlined word “accessing” in the third paragraph can be replaced by .
| A．calling | B．reaching |
| C．getting | D．using |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The average UK working day is between nine and twelve hours. |
| B．Nine-tenths spend over three hours checking work emails. |
| C．One fourth check their first mails between 11 pm and midnight. |
| D．The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 8 am. |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Workaholics like smart phones. |
| B．Smart phones bring about extra work. |
| C．Smart phones make our live easier. |
| D．Employers don’t like smart phones. |
Minnie's flat, as the one-floor resident apartments were then being called, was in a part of West Van Buren Street inhabited by families of laborers and clerks, men who had come, and were still coming, with the rush of population pouring in at the rate of 50,000 a year. It was on the third floor, the front windows looking down into the street, where, at night, the lights of grocery stores were shining and children were playing. To Carrie, the sound of the little bells upon the horse-cars, as they tinkled in and out of hearing, was as pleasing as it was novel. She
gazed into the lighted street when Minnie brought her into the front room, and wondered at the sounds, the movement, the murmur of the vast city which stretched for miles and miles in everydirection.
Mrs. Hanson, after the first greetings were over, gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper. Her husband asked a few questions and sat down to read the evening paper. He was a silent man, American born, of a Swede father, and now employed as a cleaner of refrigerator cars at the stock-yards. To him the presence or absence of his wife's sister was a matter of indifference. Her personal appearance did not affect him one way or the other. His one
observation to the point was concerning the chances of work in Chicago.
"It's a big place," he said. "You can get in somewhere in a few days. Everybody does."
It had been understood beforehand that she was to get work and pay her board. He was of a clean, saving character, and had already paid a number of monthly installments(分期付款）on two pieces of land far out on the West Side. His ambition was some day to build a house on them.
In the interval which marked the preparation of the meal Carrie found time to study the flat. She had some slight gift of observation and that sense, so rich in every woman-intuition.
She felt the drag of a lean and narrow life. The walls of the rooms were improperly papered. The floors were covered with matting and the hall laid with a thin rag carpet. One could see that the furniture was of that poor, hurriedly patched together quality sold by the installment houses.
She sat with Minnie, in the kitchen, holding the baby until it began to cry. Then she walked and sang to it, until Hanson, disturbed in his reading, came and took it. A pleasant side to his nature came out here. He was patient. One could see that he paid enough attention to his baby.
"Now, now," he said, walking. "There, there," and there was a certain Swedish accent
noticeable in his voice.
"You'll want to see the city first, won't you?" said Minnie, when they were eating. "Well, we'll go out Sunday and see Lincoln Park.
Carrie noticed that Hanson had said nothing to this. He seemed to be thinking of something else.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll look around tomorrow. I've got Friday and Saturday, and it won't be any trouble. Which way is the business part?"
Minnie began to explain, but her husband took this part of the conversation to himself.
"It's that way," he said, pointing east. "That's east." Then he went off into the longest speech he had yet taken part in, concerning the lay of Chicago. "You'd better look in those big manufacturing houses along Franklin Street and just the other side of the river," he concluded. "Lots of girls work there. You could get home easy, too. It isn't very far."
Carrie nodded and asked her sister about the neighborhood. The latter talked in a soft tone, telling the little she knew about it, while Hanson concerned himself with the baby. Finally he jumped up and handed the child to his wife.The first paragraph mainly describes＿＿
| A．the surroundings around the Hansons' flat |
| B．the scenes in West Van Buren Street |
| C．what Mr. and Mrs. Hanson's flat looked like |
| D．the nightlife of West Van Buren Street |
From the passage we can learn that Mr. Hanson＿＿·
| A．was glad at Carrie's arrival’ |
| B．cared little about his child |
| C．was unfamiliar with Chicago |
| D．tried hard to live a better life |
We can draw a conclusion from the passage that＿＿．
| A．Minnie's house was very well furnished |
| B．Carrie was a sensitive girl with ambition |
| C．Carrie came to look after her nephew |
| D．Minnie and her husband got on very well |
Which of the following shows the right order of the events in the story?
a. Carrie observed the Hansons' flat.
b. Mr. Hanson handed his baby to Minnie.
c. Minnie told Carrie about their neighborhood.
d. Carrie sang to the baby to stop it from crying.
e. Mr. Hanson explained the business part to Minnie.
f. Minnie gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper.
| A．c-a-f-e-d-b | B．a-c-f-eb-d |
| C．f-a-d-e-c-b | D．f-e-a-b-c-d |
The evolution of the first animals may have oxygenated（供氧）Earth's oceans. New research
led by the University of Exeter challenges the long held belief that oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans was a precondition for the evolution of complex life forms.
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, builds on the recent work of scientists in Denmark who found that sponges（海绵动物）一the first animals to evolve一require only small amounts of oxygen.
Professor Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter, who led the new study, said: "We argue that the evolution of the first animals could have played a key role in the widespread oxygenation of the deep oceans. This in turn may have facilitated the evolution of more complex, mobile animals."
Critical to determining oxygen levels in the deep ocean is the balance of oxygen supply and demand. Demand for oxygen is created by the sinking of dead organic material into the deep ocean. The new study argues that the first animals reduced this supply of organic matter一both directly and indirectly.
Sponges feed by pumping water through their bodies, "digesting" the tiny particles of organic matter, and thus helping oxygenate the shelf seas that they live in. By oxygenating more of the bottom waters, the first animals actually increased the removal of the essential nutrient phosphorus（磷）in the ocean. This in turn reduced the productivity of the whole ocean ecosystem, lowering oxygen demand and thus oxygenating the deep ocean.
A more oxygen-rich ocean created ideal conditions for more complex mobile animals to evolve, because they have a higher requirement for oxygen. These included the first predatory（肉食的）animals with guts（内脏）that started to eat one another, marking the beginning of the type of food webs we are familiar with today.
Professor Simon Poulton of the University of Leeds, who is a co-author of the study, added: "This study provides a possible mechanism for ocean oxygenation without the requirement for a rise in atmospheric oxygen. It therefore questions whether the long-standing belief that there was a major rise in atmospheric oxygen at this time is correct. We simply don't know the answer to this at present, which is ultimately key to understanding how our planet evolved to its current habitable state. Geochemists need to come up with new ways to explain oxygen levels on the early Earth."The underlined word "facilitated" in Para. 3 is closest in meaning to＿＿．
| A．prevented | B．promoted | C．interrupted | D．witnessed |
From paragraphs 4 to 6, we can infer that＿＿．
| A．phosphorus can keep the productivity of the ocean ecosystem |
| B．complex animals consume the same amount of oxygen as sponges |
| C．the sinking of dead organic material into the deep ocean produces oxygen |
| D．the existence of the first animals marks the beginning of modern food webs |
From the last paragraph, we can learn Pro. Simon Poulton believes that＿＿．
| A．their study gives a new explanation for the high oxygen content in the air |
| B．oxygen increased greatly in the air as the first animals oxygenated the oceans |
| C．their study answers the question of how the earth evolved to the present state |
| D．ocean oxygenation does not necessarily require a rise in atmospheric oxygen |
The main purpose of the passage is to＿＿．
| A．present the view that the first animals played an active role in oxygenating oceans |
| B．introduce two opposite opinions on how the first animals oxygenated oceans |
| C．analyze how atmospheric oxygen stepped up the evolution of oceanic animals |
| D．explain how oceanic oxygen determines the amount of atmospheric oxygen |
Nothing gets the heart racing like a new roller coaster, and theme parks keep building them higher, faster and, well, just cooler than ever before. Here are five hot new coasters opening for the 2014 summer season.
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Thunderbolt was built in New York in 1925． |
| B．Goliath will not be built as a high coaster. |
| C．Magic Kingdom provides a short musical journey. |
| D．Banshee is the first female-inspired theme park ride. |
Which roller coaster is most likely to attract people who like adventure and excitement?
| A．Banshee. |
| B．Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. |
| C．Goliath. |
| D．Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott. |
We can learn from the passage that
| A．the five new roller coasters are made of the same materials |
| B．Banshee is the first of the roller coasters built by a woman |
| C．King Island is a branch of the company named Cedar Fair |
| D．the roller coaster in Orlando is located in the city of London |
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