No one would much like the idea of eating 61 pounds of tomatoes a day. But if their goodness was put into an easy-to-swallow pill that you were told might prevent strokes(中风) and heart attacks you would probably be putting in an order tomorrow.
Researchers believe they may have come up with just that after trials. The daily pill contains a chemical called lycopene which makes tomatoes red and is known to break down fat in the vessels(血管). A Cambridge University study found taking the pills improved blood flow and the lining of vessels in patients with pre-existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility(灵活性) of their vessels by 50 percent. The scientists believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease-responsible for 180,000 deaths a year-and help cut the 49,000 deaths a year from strokes. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis(关节炎), diabetes(糖尿病) and even slow the progress of cancer.
Each pill is equal to eating around 61 pounds of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in tomatoes fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol(胆固醇) and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Preliminary results from a two-month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. It was shown to improve the function of the endothelium- the layer of cells lining blood vessels. It also improved their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which causes the enlargement of the vessels in response to exercise.
Ian Wilkinson, head of Cambridge University’s clinical trials unit, said “These results are potentially very significant and it meets the goal, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes.”
Further studies are planned, with researchers hoping it could offer a choice for heart disease sufferers who can not take the cholesterol-lowing drugs.
Mike Knapton, head of the British Heart Foundation, said, “Although this showed lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that’s a long way from demonstrating that taking it could improve outcomes for people with heart disease. The best way to get the benefits of a good diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”What can we infer from Paragraph 1?
| A．We can eat too much tomato food. |
| B．Tomatoes are helpful to strokes and heart attacks. |
| C．Tomatoes will lose healthy elements were put into pills. |
| D．We had better not eat tomatoes. |
We can learn from the passage that the pills ____.
| A．are at the experiment stage |
| B．can cure all the disease |
| C．are widely used among patients |
| D．cost patients so little money |
Who were the volunteers by taking part in the trial?
| A．Children. | B．Youth. |
| C．Working people. | D．old healthy people. |
What Was Ian Wilkinson’s opinion on the trial?
| A．Disappointing. | B．Surprising. |
| C．Satisfactory. | D．Terrible. |
Have you ever had a science class that you look forward to? It doesn’t happen often. But when you have a teacher like Mrs. Field, it’s more than a science class. It’s a science class where learning is easy and fun. There is no getting down to a huge textbook or listening to a teacher about something you don’t care about.
My experience with Mrs. Field didn’t start with science class, but with her as my tutor. I was always a weak reader and wasn’t getting any better. My parents told me I needed to be tutored. One day after school, I went into the library with my mom for my first tutoring time. I had no idea who was tutoring me. My mom practically had to drag me into the library. The first thing we did was to play a game to get to know each other and get rid of the awkwardness. We didn’t even play a reading game.
We also went around the library and I got to pick out a book I wanted to read. She didn’t make me read a boring textbook about something I didn’t care about. I didn’t even pick a book. I picked out a magazine about remote control cars. I thought to myself, how bad could it be? To my surprise, She told me even though I was reading a magazine, I was still reading. After the first magazine, she picked out a book she liked. I would read a chapter and then she would read a chapter to me, in this way I didn’t have to read for long periods of time.
As I got better and faster at reading, I was able to read two chapters in the same amount of time, which used to take me to read one chapter.
Reading is one of the most important things in high school and college to be successful. If it were not for her, I would not be the reader I am today ! The writer tutored by Mrs. Field because____________.
| A．he was too shy to talk with others. |
| B．he found science fun but hard. |
| C．he was eager to learn science. |
| D．he lacked the skills of reading. |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that __________.
| A．the writer knew Mrs. Field very well |
| B．the writer was unwilling to be tutored |
| C．the writer felt awkward to read in the library |
| D．the writer went to the library to play a reading game |
At the library, the writer __________.
| A．chose any book he was interested in |
| B．played a reading game with Mrs. Field |
| C．was asked to read one chapter after another |
| D．had to read textbooks rather than magazines |
What’s the author’s feeling about Mrs. Field according to the last paragraph?
| A．unsatisfied | B．worried |
| C．grateful | D．regretful |
Your car is a necessary part of your life. You use it every day. Of course, you want to hold on to it so you make sure it has the latest alarm and immobilizer. But despite all these, cars like yours are still stolen every day. In fact, in this country, one car is stolen almost every minute! And if your car is stolen, you only have a 50:50 chance of seeing it again.
Each year, car crime costs nearly £3 billion. Of course, if you’re insured, you won’t lose out, or will you? Firstly, you will have to pay extra insurance later on, and then you may not be offered the full amount by the agent. You will probably have to hire a car and you will also lose the value of the contents and accessories (配件) in the car.
Now comes the solution. An RAC Trackstar system, hidden in one of 47 possible secret locations in your car, is the key of our system. If your car is stolen, radio signals are sent at twenty-second intervals from the car to the RAC Trackstar National Control Center via a satellite network. Then a computer gives the vehicle’s exact location, speed and direction.
The RAC Trackstar National Control Center, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, will immediately inform the police in the area where the car is located. Because the police receive information every twenty seconds, they will always know the vehicle’s location. Once the thief has been arrested, your car will be returned to you.
RAC Trackstar is unique in being able to provide the National Control Center with details of the exact location of your car, its speed and direction. And speed is the key to successful recovery of a stolen vehicle. RAC Trackstar Control will immediately tell the police if you report your car stolen and under the 24-hour Guardian Option. It will also tell you if your car has been stolen. RAC Trackstar’s constant updates mean the police are kept informed of the car’s location. All these greatly improve your chances of seeing your car again.
If your car is stolen, you will have to ______.
| A．hire a new car |
| B．pay more insurance |
| C．buy a RAC Trackstar system |
| D．inform the National Control Center |
The Trackstar system can tell the police ______.
| A．how the car is stolen | B．who the thief is |
| C．what brand the car is | D．where the car is |
The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the local police station |
| B．the Guardian Option |
| C．the insurance company |
| D．the RAC Trackstar Control |
According to the passage, people with RAC Trackstar ______.
| A．automatically find directions |
| B．seldom get their vehicles damaged |
| C．have less chance of being in an accident |
| D．are more likely to get the stolen cars back |
A castle is a type of fortified（加固的）structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages. This is different from a palace, which is no fortified-though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to diverse structures.
The European castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, resulting in its land divided among nobles. These nobles built castles to control the area surrounding them, and they were both offensive and defensive structures. Although army uses are often emphasized in castle studies, the structures also served as centres of administration and symbols of power. Urban castles were used to control the local people and important travel routes, and rural castles were often built near farmland.
Many castles were originally built from earth and wood, but had their defences supplanted later by stone. In the late 12th and early 13th centuries, scientific approaches to castle defence appeared, and could function to maximize the castle’s firepower. These changes in defence came from a mixture of castle technology. Although gunpowder was introduced to be built well into the 16th century, improved cannon（大炮）fire made them uncomfortable places to live in. As a result, true castles went into decline.
From the 18th century onwards, there was a renewed interest in castles with the construction of mock（仿造的）castles, part of a romantic revival（复活）of Gothic architecture, but they had no defensive purpose.
According to the first paragraph, we can know .
| A．the palace is a fortified structure |
| B．the castle is different from the palace |
| C．the palace changed over time |
| D．the structures of the castle in different ages look the same. |
what does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Symbols of the European castles. |
| B．Functions of the European castles. |
| C．Influences of the European castles. |
| D．Characteristics of the European castles. |
The underlined word “ supplanted ” in the third paragraph is closet in meaning to “ “.
| A．produced | B．saved | C．protected | D．replaced |
What can be inferred from the river?
| A．Castles have nothing in common with palaces. |
| B．Castles have a history of more than 1,000 years in Europe. |
| C．Castles were mainly used for defensive purposes after the 18th century. |
| D．The introduction of gunpowder instantly influenced castle building in Europe. |
Photography has been my interest ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera, but today I want to share with you the 15 most treasured photos of mine, and I didn’t take any of them. There were no art directors, no stylists, no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting. In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.
My story begins when I was in New York City for a speech, and my wife took a picture of me holding my daughter on her first birthday. We’re on the corner of the 57th and 5th avenue. We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later, so we decided to take the same picture.
Well you can see where this is going. Approaching my daughter’s third birthday, my wife said, “Hey, why don’t you take Sabina back to New York and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ceremony?” This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.
So these photos are far more than representatives for a single moment, or even a specific trip. They’re also ways for us to freeze time for one week in October and reflect on our times and how we change from year to year, and nor just physically, but in every way. Because while we take the same photo, our viewpoints change, and she reaches new milestones and I get to see life through her eyes, and how she communicates with and sees everything. This very focused time we get to spend together is something we value and expect the entire year.
What can we know about the author from the first paragraph?
| A．He is fond of being photographed alone. |
| B．He hardly ever asks strangers to take pictures of him. |
| C．He has been interested in photography since childhood. |
| D．He’s proud of the 15 most treasured photos taken by himself. |
Who came up with the idea of having a father-daughter trip when Sabina was 3 years old?
| A．Her mother. | B．Her father. |
| C．Sabina herself | D．An unknown tourist. |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that .
| A．children usually get to see life through adults’ eyes |
| B．the 15 photos are meaningful to the author’s family |
| C．it takes the author a whole week to have a family photo taken |
| D．the viewpoints of the author’s family never change with the time. |
What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Believe it or not; photos do change |
| B．Photos help a family become rich |
| C．Even strangers can help take photographs |
| D．A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time |
Are you a volcano lover? Here is a list of some of the world’s most beautiful volcanoes that our travel agency can offer you to visit. Don’t miss them!
Mount Mayon, the Philippines
Located about 450 km southeast of Manila on the island of Luzon, Mount Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines; a September 2014 eruption forced thousands to flee the area. Those who hike the volcano are rewarded with views of the towns on the Albay province and the Pacific Ocean. But even those who prefer the view from a distance have historical good point at the Cagsawa Ruins, once an 18th Century Franciscan church that was destroyed by an 1814 eruption.
Kilauea and Mauna Kea, Hawall
Hawaii’s volcanoes are known for their active eruptions and extraordinary scenes. Mauna Kea is around one million years old, while Kilauea is the youngest volcano in Hawaii and has been erupting continuously since 1983. The lava falls straight into the sea, creating fantastic forms of black rocks and smoke clouds.
Mount Kelimutu, Indonesia
Kelimutu’s three mysterious crater lakes attract both scientists and tourists to the island of Flores in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province. One is emerald green（翡翠绿），another dark red, and the third pitch black. Scientists say the lakes take on such colors because the volcanic gases met the lakes’ minerals centuries ago.
People who hike Mount Mayon can enjoy the following EXCEPT .
| A．views of the towns in the Albay province |
| B．views of the Pacific Ocean |
| C．views of the Cagsawa Ruins |
| D．views of Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province |
According to the text, Kilauea .
| A．is an active volcano |
| B．stopped erupting in 1983 |
| C．is the youngest volcano in the world |
| D．forces thousands to flee in 2014. |
The colors of Kelimutu’s three mysterious crater lakes are due to .
| A．water pollution | B．different environment |
| C．chemical reaction | D．different temperatures |
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