Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone cant make us tired. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.
1.What surprised the scientis
ts a few years ago?
A. Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood.
B. Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn out after a day’s work.
C. The brain could work for many hours without fatigue.
D. A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins.
2. According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
A. Challenging mental work. B. Unpleasant emotions.
C. Endless tasks. D. Physical labor.
3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ idea?
A. He agrees with them. B. He doubts them.
C. He argues against them. D. He hesitates to accept them.
4.We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need to __
_________.
A. have some good food B. enjoy their work
C. exercise regularly D. discover fatigue toxins
Going green seems to be fad(时尚)for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22, 2011, we decided to go green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different green things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to thin
k of 365 different green things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day for a year, Our Green Year started. My life and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyle. We now shop at organic(有机的)stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buyin
g we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet.
1.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. Going Green.
B. Protecting the Planet.
C. Keeping Open-Minded
D. Celebrating Our Green Year.
2.It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because_________.
A. they were expected to follow the green fad
B. they didn’t know how to educate other people
C. they were unwilling to reduce their energy
D. they needed to perform unusual green tasks
3.What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year?
A. They tried to get out of their ungreen habits.
B. They ignore others ungreen behavior.
C. They chose better chemical cleaners.
D. They sold their home-made food.
4.What can we infer form the last paragraph?
A. The government will give support to the green people.
B. The couple may continue their project in the future.
C. Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas.
D. Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign.
China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I’ve found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it’s the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors----silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.
It’s fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can’t provide.
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.
My first ride home was orderly (守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a “pack” of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn’t want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.
I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.
1.According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?
A. Because they are traditional and safe.
B. Because they are convenient and inexpensive.
C. Because they are colorful and available.
D. Because they are fast and environment friendly.
2.The 
author decided to buy a bicycle because he intended ______________.
A. to ride it for fun
B. to use it for transport
C. to experience local skills
D. to improve his riding skills
3.How did the author feel about his street crossing?
A. It was boring. B. It was difficult.
C. It was lively. D. It was wonderful.
4.Which of the following best describes the author’s biking experience?
A. The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills.
B. The author was annoyed by the air while riding.
C. The author was praised by the other bikers.
D. The author took great pleasure in biking.
生活中充满了选择，学会自主选择有助于我们的成长。请以“An important choice I have made”为题，用英语写一篇120词的短文，记述一次对你影响深远的选择。
内容要点：
1.记述选择的经过；
2.结合此次经历，简要说明自主选择的重要性。
注意：文章的标题已给出，不计入词数。
An important choice I have made
____________________________________________________________________
Sitting on the bus I took the book out and was about to read but I was attracted by a young woman behind, who was speaking 1.________ her cell phone.
She was talking to her brother. She wanted to know where he was, why he wasn't where he was supposed to be, why he had 2._________(撒谎) to their mother again and if he knew that their mum had broken down in3. t___________ that morning because of him.
She kept it quiet but she didn't have any mercy on him. She let him know exactly 4.___________she thought of him but I could tell there was 5.________ (爱) under all the disappointment. She tried so hard to get this boy to come to see his mother and make it all right, but I got the 6._________ (印象) she was fighting a losing battle.
When she left the bus, I got7._________ behind her. "Excuse me," I said. "Do me a favor, would you? 8.T__________ this money and buy your mum a box of chocolates 9.__________ a bunch of flowers. And tell her a stranger said that10. b_________ a mother is the hardest but most important job in the world."
Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator（猎食动物）gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them, and they don't need to share their food.
As is mentioned above, animals behave dishonestly for survival. Is it OK to lie for us human?
1.The writer uses the three questions at the beginning of the passage to _________.
A. ask the readers to answer the questions
B. draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C. seek answers to the questions
D. show he is at a loss about the question.
2.Which of the following is not an example of animal’s dishonest behaviors?
A. A plover pretended to have a broken wing to protect its baby birds.
B. A scrub jay dug out its buried food and reburied it somewhere else.
C. The adoptive parents feed their baby birds of cuckoos.
D. A losing chimp starts fighting again after taking the winner’s hand.
3.The underlined word “sneaky” in paragraph 5 most probably means______.
A. selfish B. friendly
C. entertaining D. dishonest
4.What is the common reaction of most chimps when they find their favorite food?
A. They let out a loud cry
B. They cry in a very low voice
C. They hide their food immediately
D. They share their food with other chimps.
