高中英语阅读理解

Hair loss can be an emotionally troubling experience for some women. Luckily, experts do have suggestions on how to treat and prevent this condition.
According to Dr. Robert Jones of the Hair Transplant Center in Oakville, ON, hair loss in women is largely genetically determined—he estimates that nearly 80 to 90 percent of hair loss in both men and women is due to a family history of the condition. But some women can experience hair loss as the result of a thyroid dysfunction, pregnancy hormones or because of side effects of medicines such as antidepressants and birth control pills. Nick Dimakos, founder of SureThik International in Toronto, agrees stress and lower-than-normal levels of estrogen (雌性激素) are other contributing factors to hair loss in females. Low levels of iron and over-use of chemical hair products such as artificial dyes (染料) can also lead to thinning hair, which can be especially difficult for women, for whom hair loss is much less socially acceptable than it is for men. “Women lose about 25 percent of their hair before even noticing there’s a problem,” Dimakos says. “It can be devastating (毁灭性的) for them.”
There is no surefire (一定成功的) way to prevent hair loss, but there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of hair you lose. Dimakos recommends visiting your doctor because early discovery and treatment can prevent unnecessary hair loss. He also recommends using mild hair products, avoiding hair dyes or extensions, avoiding smoking and taking vitamin B12 if you suspect hair loss may be in your future. Wearing hair in a ponytail (马尾辫) or braid (辫子) regularly can also lead to weakened hair that is likely to fall out, so it may be best to avoid wearing these styles too often.
Of course, if your hair begins to lose, you’d better seek treatment.
• Hair transplants
Very few women turn to hair transplants because unlike men, women suffering from hair loss usually have thinning hair all over their heads rather than only in one area. If there is not enough hair somewhere else on the head that can be taken to fill in the gaps, a transplant cannot be performed.
• Minoxidil
Found in Rogaine, an over-the-counter (OTC) product, this is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. But it can also slow down or stop hair loss, says Dimakos. This option may work for some women, but it is important to consult your physician before taking any type of medication.

The truth about hair loss in women
What (71)     hair loss?	(72)      factor	A large (73)      of hair loss is due to a family history of the condition.
Health condition and stress	A thyroid dysfunction, stress, pregnancy hormones and low levels of estrogen and iron all lead to hair loss.
Side effects of medicines	Some medicines lead to hair loss.
Chemical hair products	Over-use of such products may cause hair to (74)     .
Women’s ignorance	About 25 percent of their hair is lost before women (75)      there is a problem.
How can you prevent hair loss?	Visit the doctor.	Doctors may help you (76)      it early and treat hair loss in time.
Adopt a healthy (77)     .	Avoid smoking and take vitamin B12. Avoid hair dyes or extensions.
Wear your hair properly.	Avoid wearing hair in a ponytail or braid (78)     .
How can you (79)      hair loss?	Hair transplants	A transplant can be performed if there is enough hair somewhere else on the head that can be taken to fill in the gaps.
Minoxidil	The medicine can slow down or stop hair loss if (80)      properly.

Do you know soon eleven biggest food and drink companies of the nations will adopt new rules to limit advertising to children under the age of 12, a move that restricts ads for products such as McDonald’s Happy Meals and the use of popular cartoon characters.
The companies announced their new rules ahead of a Federal Trade Commission hearing on Wednesday that steps up pressure on the companies to help solve the growing child obesity problem through more responsible marketing. The self-given rules include promises by seven companies who will no longer use licensed characters, such as those made popular through movies or TV shows, to advertise online or in print media unless they’re promoting their healthier products. Four other companies said they do not advertise at all to children under 12.
“I think this is a very good step forward. It’s not the end of the journey but it’s a good way down the road,” said Margo Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Since the FTC first publicly raised the issue in 2005, many of the companies have started selling products with better nutrition in mind. The companies hope their self-regulation efforts — organized through the Council of Better Business Bureaus — will fend off any new and more strict federal regulation.
Parents are happy to see new rules that restrict the use of cartoon characters such as Shrek, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants. “It catches their eyes when you’re shopping,” said Josephine Thomas, a mother of three boys who lives in Manhattan. “As soon as they see a Shrek or Mickey Mouse, they automatically look at that and they don’t see what they really need. That’s one of the biggest problems when you go shopping.” That’s one reason the food companies have said they will now only use licensed characters to advertise their “better for you” products.
The reason why the food and drink companies will take action is that they want to___________

A．promote sales across the country

B．limit advertising to children under the age of 12

C．meet increasing demands from kids

D．adapt to the new federal regulations

What can we learn from the text that the seven companies ____.

A．may still use cartoon characters in advertising

B．are going to stop advertising to children under 12

C．Would like to continue the cooperation with entertainment media

D．will make food and drink specially for fat kids

What of the following can best describe the underlined words “fend off”?

A．prevent ... from happening	B．draw up or work out
C．pay attention to	D．give a warm welcome to

What does Josephine Thomas advise in the last paragraph?

A．kids spend too much on unhealthy food

B．parents are strict about their kids’ food choice

C．“better for you” products are popular with kids

D．ads with cartoon characters mislead kids

Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man ... .There is no shortage of superheroes. You find them in comic books, on the TV and the big screen.
In a survey of fans by the sci-fi and fantasy website, SFX.co.uk, Batman, 70 years old this year, was voted Britain's favorite superhero.
Unlike many crime-fighting superheroes Batman has no special powers. He can't fly like Superman or shoot a sticky web like Spider-Man.
Bruce Wayne is born to a wealthy Gotham City business family. However, when his parents are murdered his life changes completely.
Wayne feels anger at their deaths and guilty that he did not prevent them. He travels around the world learning how to fight. Upon returning to Gotham, he creates a disguise (伪装) to enable him to fight crime without being recognized.
A childhood fear of bats leads him to choose to dress as one. His idea is that through the bat person he can prove to himself that he has overcome his childhood fears.
Wayne is the CEO of the company he inherits (继承) from his father. He seems to live the lifestyle of a millionaire playboy. But this is a ruse (计策). He works hard at the image to allow himself the freedom he needs to do his work as a crime fighter. "Bruce Wayne, playboy" is the disguise Batman is the real person.
"Wayne is not a born superhero. Instead, he is a real, complex person," said Dace Golder, editor of the website. "He is the most realistic of all the superheroes. I am particularly interested in the emotional process by which a boy becomes a hero. His superhero qualities come from within."
What is the article mainly about?  

A．How Bruce Wayne develops into a superhero.

B．How to overcome childhood fears.

C．What makes a superhero.

D．Why superheroes enjoy great popularity in Britain.

Bruce Wayne decides to dress like a bat because of ______ .

A．his curiosity about bats	B．his childhood fear of bats
C．his parents' sudden death	D．his unusual travel experiences

Why does Wayne live like a playboy?

A．He prefers the lifestyle of a playboy.

B．He doesn't know how to run a company.

C．He loves freedom more than anything else.

D．He needs to disguise his crime fighting activities.

Which of the following statements is true about Batman? 

A．Batman is a born superhero

B．He has special powers

C．The turning point of his life is due to his parents' sudden death

D．He actually lives the lifestyle of a millionaire playboy

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。
The standard of living of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country’s standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its ability to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy, “goods” such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
A country's ability to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a very large degree upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile (肥沃的)soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The USA is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders(边疆), her soil is fertile, and her climate is of great variety. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. Sound and stable (稳定的)political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion(侵略), enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered.
Another important factor is the technical efficiency(效能) of a country's people. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous(无数的) skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.
Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin(富余)for saving, and can put their savings(储蓄) into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.

Title	People's (1)_____ standard
Meaning	The average share of the goods and services for people (2) _____ by the country.
Some factors that (3) _____ the standard of living of any country	▲ Wealth depends (4) _____ upon a country's natural resources such as coal, gold, other minerals, water supply and a fertile soil and a favorable climate ▲ Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn (5) _____ resources to use. ▲ The (6) _____ efficiency of a country's people is another important factor
The comparison between the USA and the Sahara Desert	▲ The USA has vast natural resources, her soil is fertile, and it has (7) _____ climate ▲ The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the (8) _____
The (9) _____ of wealth	▲ Wealth also produces wealth. ▲ Wealthy people can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to (10) _____ out more goods in their working day.

Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old middle school teacher at the No 19 middle school in the city of Jiamusi in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province was crossing the road just outside the school's gate when a school bus suddenly came rushing toward nearby students at 8:38 pm on May 8, 2012.
"There were three buses at the school gate ready to pick up students, but the one in the back suddenly crashed into the second bus and pushed it into the first one. There were several students standing between the first and the second buses and they were about to be crushed," said Liu Ye, a student of No. 19 middle school.
"We were waiting to board the bus when suddenly it began moving toward the teachers and students. Zhang Lili immediately pushed the students out of the way, but unfortunately she didn't escape. The bus crushed her legs. " added Liu.
Zhang Lili was sent to hospital at about 9 pm and she was critically injured and her blood pressure was low. The situation was quite serious when rushed to hospital.
After consulting specialists, the doctors decided that the only way to save her life was cut off both of her legs.
Upon learning about the accident, the deputy mayor of the city, Sun Zhe, asked the hospital to "save the young teacher regardless of the cost"  
"If necessary, we will invite more specialists from the capital city, even from whole nation," said Sun.
Fortunately, after 58 hours of emergency medical attention after being transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Zhang finally regained consciousness on May 15.
"But it cannot be ruled out that her condition may worsen, and the doctors are still working full out to save the heroic teacher," said Zhao Mingyan, ICU director at the hospital, where Zhang is now receiving treatment.
"Her courage moved all of our staff, and we will try our best to help the brave teacher in her future life. " said Wang Jianwei, the director of center.
The Ministry of Education has also named her "National Outstanding Teacher" and called on the country's educators to learn from her.
What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to ________.

A．the bus in the back	B．the bus in the middle
C．the bus in the front	D．the third bus

What can be inferred from the remark of the deputy Mayor Sun Zhe?

A．Every possible means is being carried out to save the brave teacher.

B．It’s increasingly difficult to save the brave teacher.

C．The only way to save the brave teacher is to cut off her legs.

D．No more medical experts will be needed in the operation to save the brave teacher.

What does the underlined sentence in the ninth paragraph attempt to tell us?

A．The woman teacher’s condition will definitely get worse.

B．There is little possibility that the woman teacher’s condition will improve.

C．It is obvious that the woman teacher will recover shortly after.

D．It’s likely that the woman teacher will suffer from a worse medical condition.

Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?

A．National Outstanding Teacher	B．A Heroic Teacher
C．An Example of Top Teachers	D．An bus accident

Getting close to active or erupting volcanoes can be dangerous. But for Michael Rampino, it’s all in a day’s work. Rampino is a volcanologist, a scientist who studies volcanoes and how they affect our planet. Rampino has been close to red-hot lava flows (熔岩流) in Hawaii and explosive volcanoes in Indonesia. He knows when to get close to an active volcano and when to back away.
Rampino wasn’t always a volcanologist. He worked for NASA for seven years. He studied rocks until he began to research climate change and the effects that volcanoes have on climate. He became interested in the subject. “Once I started working with volcanoes,” Rampino said, “I was hooked.”
Rampino is a professor at New York University. As part of his job, he travels to areas where volcanoes have been active. “Active” means they have erupted within the past few centuries and probably will erupt again. Rampino studies the deposits (沉积物) of ash and other materials from the eruptions. The ash may hold clues to what happened to the Earth in the distant past. It may also help scientists predict what could happen to Earth’s climate in the future.
Rampino doesn’t work alone. He works with a team of scientists who use computers to stimulate (模拟) the effects volcanoes have on Earth’s atmosphere.
Being a volcanologist may be hard work, but it’s also fun. “It’s cool traveling the world studying volcanoes,” Rampino says. When he talks to students about his work, he tells them that his goal is “to understand the events that have shaped Earth’s history.”
To Rampino, being close to active volcanoes is _____.

A．adventurous but meaningful

B．scary but necessary

C．impossible and unnecessary

D．dangerous but urgent

The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_____”.

A．trapped

B．touched

C．frightened

D．attracted

Rampino’s study on volcanoes might help _____.

A．warn people to protect the environment

B．support the study of Earth’s future climate

C．tell the future eruption time of the volcanoes

D．reduce the possibility of the volcanoes’ eruptions

In which part of a newspaper could we find this text?

A．Climate.

B．History.

C．People.

D．Business.

An increase in students applying to study economics (经济学) at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis (危机) awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.  
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.  
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.  
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.   
University applications rose 70% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.  
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.  
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped (使…有能力) to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
Professor John Beath’s lectures are            .  

A．given in a traditional way

B．connected with the present situation

C．open to both students and their parents

D．warmly received by economics

Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their        .

A．greater stability	B．higher pay
C．fewer applications	D．better reputation

In the opinion of most parents ,           .  

A．economics should be the focus of school teaching

B．more students should be admitted to universities

C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened.

D．children should solve financial problems themselves

According to Hocking , the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____.

A．wiser in money management

B．have access to better equipment

C．confident about their future careers

D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds

What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Universities have received more applications.

B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students

C．college students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty

D．parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job．In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand．I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled．After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to _____.

A．develop closer relations

B．share the same culture

C．get to know each other

D．keep each other company

The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _________.

A．the English prefer to make long speeches

B．too many words are of no use

C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

D．even talk and silence can be culturally different

According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?

A．By sharing different ways of life.

B．By accepting different habits.

C．By recognizing different values.

D．By speaking each other' s languages.

What would be the best title for the text?

A．Multicultural Environment.

B．Cross-Cultural Differences.

C．How to Understand Each Other.

D．How to Build Up a Relationship.

The passengers on the subway who caught a glimpse of me may have thought I was strange. In particular a gentleman sitting opposite me was always staring at me, looking at the cheese bread on the floor in front of me and then staring back at me. A passenger probably dropped it by mistake and got off at a previous stop, but the gentleman might not think so. “Next stop, St. Patrick Station” — my stop was quickly coming up. I had few minutes to either take the cheese bread, which nobody else was claiming, or left it there.
In those few minutes I felt my pride getting in the way. “What would others on the subway think of me if I took the cheese bread? Would they think that I was poor and hungry? Would they think that I was stealing?” The ignorant thing to do was say “yes” to any of those self-imposed questions. Actually, they were just my own thoughts. Though I would leave the subway, walk a block to my office, get settled at my desk, and sit comfortably in my office for the whole day, I couldn’t get rid of the enormous sense of guilt and regret.
My thoughts once pushed me towards pride and ignorance, but finally I had to admit I was wrong. This missing cheese bread could be a gift for a homeless person who suffered from cold and hunger. So why not overcome a little bit of my pride and pass along so much kindness?
Just as the doors opened at my stop, I grabbed the cheese bread and left the subway. It felt awesome, but I didn’t care if people were looking at me or what they were thinking. Instead of going directly to my office as usual, I walked a few more blocks up to Queen’s park, where I often saw a homeless man sitting outside. I always wanted to give him something, but only today I walked toward him, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag. I was full of satisfaction, and so did the homeless man, I thought.
The gentleman kept staring at the author because _______.

A．he wanted to talk to the author

B．the author appeared too nervous

C．the author was going to get off

D．he might think the author dropped the bread

The underlined word “self-imposed” in paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.

A．easily obtained	B．deliberately created
C．strongly supported	D．completely unaccepted

Why did the author grab the cheese bread when he got off?

A．He noticed that no one was looking at him.

B．He didn’t want to see the cheese bread to go to taste.

C．He valued kindness more than his own pride.

D．He remembered a homeless man at that very moment.

There are two ways to save money traveling. The first way is to get the best deals on the specific things you want. There is a limitation to this type of approach (途径，方法) though. If you find the lowest price on the best hotel in Honolulu at the height of the season, you will save money, but still have a very expensive vacation. Trying to get exactly what you want will generally be an expensive proposition, in travel and in life.
The other approach is to be a true opportunist. This will be difficult for some of you, and entirely unacceptable to others. Nonetheless (尽管如此)，the travelers who get to travel the most, go to the widest variety of places, learn the most and do the most, are the opportunists. This will be true until you are so wealthy that you have no monetary (货币的；钱的)limits.
The first time I went to Ecuador, I went there because it was cheap. If it wasn’t, I would have had a great time—somewhere else. The trip lasted a month, and cost $1045, which included airfare and even the $130 fee for a guide to take me to the top or glacier (冰川) covered Mount Chimborazo.
I cut the cost by taking a bus from my home in Michigan to Miami, and back again when I returned from Ecuador. The round-trip ticket cost $158. The round-trip flight to Quito from Miami was only $256, because it was a courier (信使，通讯员) flight, which meant I signed for some luggage(car parts), and  could only take carry-on luggage.
Never did I feel deprived, or bored. I had a great time, eating wherever it was cheap and clean, doing all sorts of inexpensive, but interesting things, and traveling across the country to climb Chimborazo. I also met and fell in love with my wife Ana.
Being an opportunist means you’ll have just as much variety, and probably almost everything you want—eventually. You just have to stop trying to get exactly what you want exactly when you want it. If the guide that took me up Chimborazo hadn’t dropped his price from $200 to $130, I would have spent $2 for a bus and gone hiking on EI Altar, another great Andean mountain. That would have left me with enough money for several other minor adventures.
The underlined phrase “the best deals” in the first paragraph probably refers to ______.

A．the best service	B． the lowest price
C．the cheapest goods	D． the best approaches

The return tickets from his hometown to Quito cost the author ______.

A．$128

B． $256

C． $207

D． $414

The last paragraph was to tell us how to ______.

A．save money for minor adventures

B．cut down traveling costs.

C．deal with different situations

D．become opportunist travelers

It’s suggested that the author _____.

A．went hiking on El Altar

B．traveled with his wife in Ecuador

C．is an opportunist traveler

D．likes traveling around the world

Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?

A．Cheap Travel Secrets	B． Travel Secrets
C．A Travel Opportunist	D． Travel Tips

I don’t want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated (controlled) by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space, time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics(天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens (镜片) of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations (挑衅) : I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.
Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

A．She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination (歧视).

B．She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.

C．She is not good at telling stories of the kind.

D．She finds space research more important.

From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute (把…归因于) the author’s failures to ________.

A．the burden she bears in a male-dominated society

B．her involvement in gender politics

C．her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist

D．the very fact that she is a woman

What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s fixed attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.

B．Women can balance a career in science and having a family.

C．Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.

D．Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.

Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high- rise or a complex （建筑群） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.
The world already is having trouble feeding itself. Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those – about 3 billion – are hungry or ill–fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are badly affected by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.
To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to greatly increase crop output.
Gertjan Meeuws and three other Dutch bioengineers grow vegetables and house plants in closed and regulated environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating “day” and “night”, but according to the rhythm of the plant.
Meeuws says a building of 100 square meters and layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Ken Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea isn’t to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.
Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near the consumer, so there’s on need to transport it long distances.
According to the text, Gertjan Meeuws’ farming _______.

A．can be used for corn production

B．is much like greenhouse farming

C．is adaptable to any environment

D．uses more water than outdoor farming

What is the second paragraph mainly about ?

A．The effect of climate	B．The hungry people in cities.
C．The world’s food problem.	D．The world’s increasing population.

What is the purpose of the text ?

A．To compare traditional and indoor farming.

B．To discuss the influence of climate change.

C．To explain the world’s food problem.

D．To introduce a new model of farming.

Last Sunday, I waked into the house in the afternoon to find my brother rushing around in a hurry. As soon as I took my coat off, my little brother placed a bunch of papers in my hands and asked me to fold them up so they could fit into an envelope as quickly as possible. He said it needed to get done quickly before it turned dark.
I was a little surprised that something could be so urgent on a Sunday. It wasn’t until I was halfway through that I actually looked at what I was folding. After I read it, it put the biggest smile on my face. It was a lovely letter to all the residents （居民）in my neighborhood. My brother was asking everyone to let him know if anyone needed help. He left his contact information and said that anyone that needed help should get in touch with him and he would figure something out. He also asked people to get in touch if they were able to help out.
London received an unusual amount of snow last week, and the city was completely under- prepared for it. So it was quite difficult to get anywhere. Only the major roads had been cleared, and smaller roads and pavements could be quite treacherous. There are a good number of old people in our little community. So my brother thought that the snow may have posed （造成）some difficulty for some of them, particularly because we live on a hill.
A few elderly people got in touch with him asking for help for things they needed. One of them was especially grateful because his caregiver couldn’t make it. To our surprise, he got more responses from people offering to help. Then he received help from people who wanted to help. Everyone was really touched and wrote to my brother wonderful email. One of our neighbors wrote email saying that although she wasn’t able to help, she was “very proud of having a neighbor like him who puts other people’s interests first.”
The author’s brother wrote the letter to _______.

A．ask for help from his neighbors

B．give a hand to those in need of help

C．require his neighbors to clear the snow

D．raise money for the old people in his community

What can we learn from the text?

A．Few people were willing to help out.

B．The snow was unexpectedly heavy.

C．Most residents in the community are elderly people.

D．The community was completely cut off from the outside world.

The underlined word “treacherous” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_______”.

A．dirty

B．dangerous

C．safe

D．crowded

One of their neighbors sent email to the author’s brother to ________.

A．express thanks	B．lend a hand
C．show appreciation	D．ask for help

Mom and Dad are two of the most important people in your life. You probably see at least one of them every day. If your dad worships(崇拜) the Pittsburgh Stealers, you are likely to grow up being a big fun of that football team. And if your mom loves to read you just might grow up carrying everywhere you go, just like she does.
Here are four ways you can stay close and build a strong relationship with your parents.
1. Spent time together. How much time do you spend just enjoying each other’s company? Instead of playing a computer game or watching TV, maybe you can ask your mom and dad to play with you. Go outside together, try a board game, or read a book out.
2. Share your feelings and ask for help. Your mom or dad may not know that you are having a problem. Tell a parent if you are sad or struggling with something.
3. Show your care. Some families are always kissing, hugging, and saying “I love you”. It’s important to show that you care for each other. In addition to kisses and hugs, kids and parents show their love by respecting each other, being caring, polite, and thoughtful.
4. Whatever you do, do your best! You don’t have to be perfect, but when you do your best, you make your parents proud. It makes them happy to see how you are turning into such a great kid. Why? Because it lets them know they’re doing a good job.
The first paragraph mainly tells us___________.   

A．the Pittsburgh Stealers is a famous football team

B．the kid will like reading if his or her mother likes

C．parents influence(影响) their kids greatly.

D．we should follow our parents’ hobbies.

In the third paragraph, the author suggests that ____________.  

A．you keep your parents company all the time

B．you stay at home with your parents

C．you do something together with your parents.

D．you enjoy games when your parents watch TV

The underlined part “they’re doing a good job” means_____________. 

A．they have very good jobs

B．their jobs can bring the family much money

C．they make you become a great kid

D．they make you find a good job.

The text intends to（旨在）tell us______________. 

A．parents are important to everyone

B．how we get along with our parents

C．to respect our parents

D．to share feelings with our parents

If your recurring(经常性的)dreams are worrying you，you can rest assured and needn’t worry．Psychologists say in the vast majority of these cases，this is just the mind’s way of dealing with stress and conflicts，problems and concerns．It’s a good thing．
They call be surprisingly vivid and real，or fragmented and weird．They can be comforting or frightening．Our dreams can tell us a lot about what we are really thinking．Dreams give us an x-ray of our unconsciousness(潜意识)．They tell us，particularly when we are at life’s passages or turning points．
Lisa Oppenheim had the same dream whenever she was about to move to a new home or a new city．It’s always just a feeling of needing to stay safe．Experts say disturbing dreams often occur around major life events．For Lisa，it was moving．For others，it can be marriage or divorce，the death of a loved one or pressure at work．
Doctor Siegel has studied the meaning of dream for nearly 30 years．He believes stressful or upsetting dreams can be a sign of what’s buried deep inside our minds．
He said．“Dreams are important to survival．They are crucial to the balance of our psyche(心灵)．They help us work out problems that we’re having every single day．They go to the cutting edge of what’s stressful，what’s bothering us and what we’re working out in our lives．Dreams can guide us and in order to find that guidance，to find that deep source of wisdom that’s in our dreams every night，we need to pay attention to our dreams．”
But many dreams are scary and horrible．How can we understand these nightmares? Doctor Siegel says they are reflecting especially intense emotion or unresolved conflict．The stronger the emotion in the dream，whether it’s pleasure or fear，the likelier the dream is to be important．
Knowing what your recurring dreams or nightmares mean can be liberating．Some nightmares can be a sign of serious psychological problems，such as post-dramatic stress disorder．If they are extremely disturbing or violent or the cause of severe anxiety，you should see a professional therapist(治疗专家)．
By saying “Dreams give US an x-ray of our unconsciousness,”  the author means that dreams

A．do harm to our mind	B．show us our real mind
C．solve our stress in mind	D．give us a turning point in mind

People will have recurring dreams when they_______________．

A．1ive with great pressure or have great events

B．do the same things all their lives

C．move to a new home or a new city

D．are comforted or frightened

Which of the following is true according to Doctor Siegel?

A．Dreams play a very important role in the world’s balance．

B．Dreams help us find out the problems we need to solve．

C．We should pay attention to every dream we have．

D．Only the dreams with pleasure are important to us．

How should we deal with the recurring nightmares?

A．We should remember them because they are important to us．

B．We can ignore them since they are just reflecting our emotions．

C．We need to take some sleeping pills to stop this serious problem．

D．We should see a psychological doctor if they are seriously disturbing

The purpose of the passage is_________________．

A．to introduce a variety of dreams

B．to offer some advice on avoiding nightmares

C．to compare recurring dreams with nightmares

D．to ease our anxiety on recurring dreams