Is there a way to turn back the aging process in people? For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth.” The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink its water, you will not age.
Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears that the answer may be called the hypothalamus, which is part of your brain. It controls important body activities, including growth, the way we process food and so on.
Researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that hypothalamus neural stem cells (干细胞) also influence how fast aging takes place.
Dongsheng Cai, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was the leading researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings.
“Aging speed can be controlled by a particular place in the body, which is the hypothalamus. And it can be controlled by a particular type of cells, which are hypothalamus stem cells.” He adds that when the hypothalamus starts aging, so does the body. So when hypothalamus function is in decline, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, and this protection against the aging development is lost, it eventually leads to aging.
Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate the hypothalamus in laboratory mice. They did this by injecting the animals with stem cells.
The researchers say the results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals. “When we injected the hypothalamus stem cells to the middle-aged mice, the mice aged slowly and they can also live longer.”
But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in human beings.
“If we can translate what we have seen in animals to humans, I think humans can function better during later ages.” Cai and his team say their studies may have other benefits. They say the findings could lead to new ways to help doctors identify and treat any number of age-related health issues.
1.Why does the author mention the “fountain of youth” in the first paragraph?
A. To explain what the “fountain of youth” is.
B. To introduce the hypothalamus.
C. To show how to find the “fountain of youth”.
D. To help people find the “fountain of youth”.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The brain. B. The aging process.
C. Hypothalamus. D. The stem cell
3.What do we know about the study done by Cai?
A. They have found a way to turn back the aging process.
B. The brain controls growth, reproduction and the way we process food.
C. The decrease of hypothalamus stem cells can lead to aging.
D. The finding has been applied to human beings.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. The Fountain of Youth
B. A New Discovery about Aging
C. The Ways of Slowing Down Aging
D. Hypothalamus—the Fountain of Youth
One evening last summer, when I asked my 14-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response shocked me. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody else helped me in the kitchen. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our sons’ confidence and character, we perhaps don’t always consider that we are also raising someone’s future roommates, boyfriends, husbands, or fathers. I wanted to know that Pd raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home course. I was delighted to find that he didn’t say no. For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine.
I knew that he would rather have been playing in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother-he tried to beg not to have sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive- but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day. Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there’s nothing good about being helpless.
Now, not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man. I’m glad that I prepared so great a present for my future daughter-in-law.
1.Why was the author shocked at her son’s response?
A. Because he was not well behaved.
B. Because he refused to help with dinner.
C. Because he didn’t know the common kitchen tools.
D. Because he was very curious about kitchen tools.
2.In the author’s opinion, some parents pay little attention to .
A. building up children’s confidence
B. telling kids what is right and wrong
C. preparing children for their future life
D. making children live a hard life
3.After learning to do housework, Ray .
A. fell in love with sewing
B. did other work in the house
C. began to be more hardworking
D. acknowledged his mother’s efforts
4.We can infer from the text that Ray .
A. made great progress in cooking
B. always thought housework interesting
C. preferred sewing to cooking
D. was unwilling to learn cooking at first
One day the employees of a large company in St Louis, Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said, “Yesterday the person who has been hindering (阻碍) your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be.
The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered, “Who is this person that was hindering my progress? Well, at least he’s no longer here.”
One by one the employees got closer to the coffin (棺材) and when they looked inside it, they became speechless. They stood there, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their souls.
There was a mirror inside the coffin. Everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said, “There is only one person who can set limits to your growth: it is YOU.”
You are the only person who can change your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your family changes, when your friends change, when your boss changes, and when your company changes.
Your life changes when you change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us that .
A. the harder we work, the more successful we will become
B. our work and life are closely connected with others
C. changing our lives is down to ourselves
D. we will have a better future if people do not hinder our development
2.People were speechless when they looked inside the coffin because .
A. there was nothing but a mirror inside
B. they could see their own souls inside
C. their closest colleague lay inside
D. what was inside told a great truth
3.Who probably wrote the sign on the front door?
A. The company boss.
B. A worker who liked to make fun of others.
C. The director in charge of production.
D. A worker who wanted to teach others a lesson.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The employees were happy to hear the death of a competitor.
B. The lesson the employees learned would influence them greatly.
C. The employees’ lives depended on the attitude of their boss.
D. The employees got angry after the funeral.
Podcasts (播客)
The B. S. Report
Designed for the sports fan with a sense of humor, the B. S. Report is located by the sportswriter Bill Simmons. It’s not uncommon for him to go almost a whole show without even mentioning sports.
Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me
The show is a news program in the form of a game show. Each week a group of humorists and writers join host Peter Sagal in Chicago, where they are quizzed on the week’s most important and funny news stories. Listeners also get to call in to play different news related games for a prize.
The Moth
The Moth is a weekly podcast run by a nonprofit art organization. The show is made up of recordings of “true story told before a live audience without notes”. Each week, the group releases short 10-20 minute tales told by people from all walks of life. Past presenters have included writers, comedians, scientists and even New York City police officers.
Filmspotting
Filmspotting is a weekly podcast and is a must-listen for any movie fan. The show is focused on movie reviews, but hosts Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson do more than just tell their listeners which new movie is worth seeing, they also discuss and examine the film as an art form. The show doesn’t focus on current movies, either, as the hosts frequently discuss old films as part theme marathons.
1.If you are a police officer, you can take part in .
A. The B. S. Report B. Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me
C. The Moth D. The Filmspotting
2.What do The Moth and Filmspotting have in common?
A. They are weekly programs.
B. They are open to everyone.
C. Their hosts tell stories to the listeners.
D. They are nonprofit arts organizations.
3.Which of the following is true?
A. You can play games in the B. S. Report.
B. People can tell stories in the Moth.
C. Adam Kempenaar just tells their listeners old movies.
D. The Moth is available only in New York.
你是王玲，两周前你从网上订购一套书虫系列读物（Bookworm Series）昨天才到货，且包装破损，数量不足。请就此向网店客服写邮件投诉。要点如下：
1.介绍购物情况；
2.反映存在问题；
3.提出解决方案。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
To whom it may concern,
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Looking forward to your reply.
每句中只有一个错误。每处错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
Water is very important to us, without that there would be no life. therefore, some people don’t turn the tap off at once after using it. some people don’t realize they wash them in the shower too long. Some even threw away bottles full in water. As middle school students, we should make great efforts to save water. On the one hand, every single person’s save water is significance. On other hand, we can use the water we just used to watering plants. We shouldn’t leave the tap running for a long time while we brush our tooth.
