1.What is the colour of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
A．Blue. B．Light yellow.
C．Red. D．Dark reddish purple.
2.Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?
A．Because their spine is in active use.
B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity.
C．Because they keep growing backwards.
D．Because their spine becomes more bent.
3.Which of the following statements about our brain is true?
A．In the long run，our brain probably works harder than our heart.
B．When our brain senses the spinning，we will feel dizzy.
C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans.
D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain.
4.What is the main purpose of the selection?
A．To give advice on how to stay healthy.
B．To provide information about our body.
C．To challenge new findings in medical research.
D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science.
(2013·高考北京卷，D)People who multitask all the time may be the worst at doing two things at once，a new research suggests.The findings，based on performances and selfevaluations by about 275 college students，indicate that many people multitask not out of a desire to increase productivity，but because they are easily distracted (分心) and can’t focus on one activity.And “those people turn out to be the worst at handling different things，”said David Sanbonmatsu，a psychologist at the University of Utah.
Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues gave the students a set of tests and asked them to report how often they multitasked，how good they thought they were at it，and how sensationseeking (寻求刺激) or impulsive (冲动)they were.They then evaluated the participants’multitasking ability with a tricky mental task that required the students to do simple mathematical calculations while remembering a set of letters.
Not surprisingly，the scientists said，most people thought they were better than average at multitasking，and those who thought they were better at it were more likely to report using a cellphone while driving or viewing multiple kinds of media at once.But those who frequently deal with many things at the same time were found to perform the worst at the actual multitasking test.They also were more likely to admit to sensationseeking and impulsive behavior，which connects with how easily people get bored and distracted.
“People multitask not because it’s going to lead to greater productivity，but because they’re distractible，and they get sucked into things that are not as important，”Sanbonmatsu said.
Adam Gazzaley，a researcher at the University of California，San Francisco，who was not a member of the research group，said one limitation of the study was that it couldn’t find out whether people who start out less focused tend toward multitasking or whether people’s recognizing and understanding abilities change as a result of multitasking.
The findings do suggest，however，why the sensationseekers who multitask the most may enjoy risky distracted driving.“People who are multitasking are generally less sensitive to risky situations.”said Paul Atchley，another researcher not in the group.“This may partly explain why people go in for these situations even though they’re dangerous.”
1.The research led by Sanbonmatsu indicates that people who multitask________.
A．seek high productivity constantly
B．prefer handling different things when getting bored
C．are more focused when doing many things at a time
D．have the poorest results in doing various things at the same time
2.When Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues conducted their research，they________.
A．assessed the multitasking ability of the students
B．evaluated the academic achievements of the students
C．analyzed the effects of the participants’tricky mental
tasks
D．measured the changes of the students’understanding ability
3.According to Sanbonmatsu，people multitask because of their________.
A．limited power in calculation
B．interests in doing things differently
C．inability to concentrate on one task
D．impulsive desire to try new things
4.From the last paragraph，we can learn that multitaskers usually________.
A．drive very skillfully
B．go in for difficult tasks
C．fail to react quickly to potential dangers
D．refuse to explain the reasons for their behavior
LowCost Gifts for Mother’s Day
Gift No.1
Offer to be your mother’s health friend.Promise to be there for any and all doctor’s visits whether a disease or a regular medical checkup.Most mothers always say “no need，” but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit.The best part? This one is free.
Gift No.2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records，which include the test results and medical information.Put them all in one place.Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them.“Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life，” Dr.Marie Savard said.
Gift No.3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions.“Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep，”Savard said.“We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No.4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构)．Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things －many of which are“green”－and then choose a meaningful charity from a list.When your mother gets the gift，she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.
1.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
A．Take notes. B．Be with her.
C．Buy medicine. D．Give her gifts.
2.Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
A．In Gift No.1. B．In Gift No.2.
C．In Gift No.3. D．In Gift No.4.
3.Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to________.
A．enjoy good sleep B．be wellorganized
C．get extra support D．give others help
The National Gallery
Description：
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London.It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13thcentury religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh.The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance
Layout：
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13thto 15thcentury paintings，and artists include Duccio，Uccello，Van Eyck，Lippi，Mantegna，Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16thcentury paintings，and artists include Leonardo da Vinci，Cranach，Michelangelo，Raphael，Bruegel，Bronzino，Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17thcentury paintings，and artists include Caravaggio，Rubens，Poussin，Van Dyck，Veláazquez，Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18thto early 20thcentury paintings，and artists include Canaletto，Goya，Turner，Constable，Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours：
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10am to 9pm) and is free，but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There：
Nearest underground stations：Charing Cross (2minute walk)，Leicester Square (3minute walk)，Embankment (7minute walk)，and Piccadilly Circus (8minute walk)．
1.In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
A．The 13th. B．The 17th.
C．The 18th. D．The 20th.
2.Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
A．In the East Wing.
B．In the main West Wing.
C．In the Sainsbury Wing.
D．In the North Wing.
3.Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
A．Embankment. B．Leicester Square.
C．Piccadilly Circus. D．Charing Cross.
(2013·高考安徽卷，B)Using too much water or throwingrubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger，but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways.You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water.A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater.Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers.It comes from underground.The more roads and parking lots we pave，the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall，but in any case，good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference，too.In the United States，a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live，but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home.To start with，use the same glass for your drinking water all day.Wash it only once a day.Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full.Help your parents fix any leaks in your home.You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
1.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
A．Using river water.
B．Throwing batteries away.
C．Paving parking lots.
D．Throwing rubbish into lakes.
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A．All water shortages are due to human behavior.
B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs.
C．There is much we can do to reduce family size.
D．The average family in America makes proper use of water.
3.The last paragraph is intended to________.
A．show us how to fix leaks at home
B．tell us how to run a dishwasher
C．prove what drinking glass is best for us
D．suggest what we do to save water at home
4.The text is mainly about________.
A．Why paving roads reduces our water
B．how much we depend on water to live
C．why droughts occur more in dry climates
D．how human activity affects our water supply
(2013·高考湖南卷，C)It’s such a happylooking library，painted yellow，decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven，it’s pedestrianfriendly，too，waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach County Estates，along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago，shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization，a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available，she announced to her family of four，“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break！”
Son Austin，now a 10thgrader，didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox.But Janey insisted，and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses，and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点)，the family hung a signboard on the front，instructing users to“take a book，return a book，”and making the Henriksen library，now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world，the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read，a mix of science fiction，reference titles，novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them，keep in mind that you might not see it again，”said Janey，a stayathome mom.
Since then，the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself，thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff，says Peter，are the thankyou notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”
1.In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”？
A．It owns a yellow roof.
B．It stands near a sidewalk.
C．It protects book lovers from the sun.
D．It uses palmtree stickers as decorations.
2.Janey got the idea to build a library from________.
A．a visit to Brian Williams
B．a spring break with her family
C．a book sent by one of her neighbors
D．a report on a Wisconsinbased organization
3.The library was built________.
A．by a ship supply company
B．on the basis of toy horses
C．like a mailbox
D．with glass
4.What can we infer about the signboard?
A．It was made by a user of the library.
B．It marked a final touch to the library.
C．It aimed at making the library last long.
D．It indicated the library was a family property.
5.The passage tells us that the users________.
A．donate books to the library
B．get paid to collect books for the library
C．receive thankyou notes for using the library
D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily
