Many years ago in a small village, an old man was hired to clear the spring up on the mountain. He patrolled (巡逻) the spring every day, and swept away all the leaves and other things 1. would dirty the fresh flow of water. Soon, beautiful swans (天鹅) came to the clear spring, and the village became a popular 2. (attract) for visitors.
Years passed. One evening the town leaders held a meeting. As they looked 3. the payroll, one of them said, “Why do we keep this old man year after year? I don’t think we need 4.(he) or his work.” So the old man was asked 5. (leave).
For several weeks, nothing changed. By early autumn, the leaves began to fall off the trees and the spring 6. (cover) with leaves. A few days later, the water was much 7. (dark). Only a few months after the old man left, all the swans left. So did the tourists.
8. (quick), the leaders held a special meeting. After 9. (realize) their mistake, they rehired the old man. Then within a few weeks, the spring began to clear up. Soon new life returned to the village.
No matter how small your work or your life seems, never overlook it. Everything we do makes 10. difference.
Most people agree that a pet adds joy to a person’s life. Scientists are now finding that having a pet may keep its owner_________ . And good health may add years to a person’s life.
Scientists have been ________the tie（关系） between pets and health for years. In 1990, a study was done with people aged 65 and older. It _________that pet owners went to the doctor less than people ________pets. Do pets make people _________? Are people able to handle their everyday lives better? Alan Beck, who is a researcher, says that _________the answer to the questions is yes, then having pets may be a good idea.
Can pets also help people live longer? Rebecca Johnson did a study to _________. Johnson teaches nurses how to care for ________people. Her study shows that having pets may cause people to _________more slowly.
The human body makes many chemicals. Some of the chemicals make people feel _________. Others make people feel bad. In Johnson’s _________, levels of the “good” chemicals ________when people were around pets while levels of the “bad” chemicals went down. The good ________seemed to slow the aging of cells. If this is ________, maybe people should spend more time with their ________. Then people might feel better and _________longer.
You might be allergic（过敏的） to pets. Or you may not want to ________a pet. Never fear. A robotic, or computer pet may be just the thing for you. Scientists are testing computer pets, like the robotic dog AIBO. They want to see if _______pets can help people the way _________dogs do.
Will a robotic pet ________the real pet sitting with you on the sofa? Something tells us that it will probably become a reality.
1.A. excited B. mad C. hurried D. healthy
2.A. carrying out B. making up C. looking at D. breaking down
3.A. showed B. warned C. reminded D. advised
4.A. through B. beyond C. against D. without
5.A. busier B. happier C. funnier D. angrier
6.A. though B. if C. until D. unless
7.A. find out B. put out C. look out D. set out
8.A. sick B. friendly C. lovely D. old
9.A. move B. grow C. age D. walk
10.A. bored B. good C. sleepy D. surprised
11.A. study B. work C. story D. case
12.A. changed B. varied C. fell D. rose
13.A. sides B. chemicals C. studies D. dogs
14.A. unusual B. important C. true D. impossible
15.A. neighbors B. friends C. pets D. children
16.A. live B. wander C. stay D. travel
17.A. head for B. search for C. cheer for D. care for
18.A. baby B. computer C. family D. toy
19.A. brave B. faithful C. real D. quiet
20.A. destroy B. accompany C. improve D. replace
A healthy amount of sunshine may be the secret to staying young. British scientists have discovered.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to(对…的反应) sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King’s College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres--- a biological marker of ageing found in DNA. As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible(易受伤害的) to certain illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres--- a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said, “These results are exciting because they show for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D.” This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.”
Professor Tim Spector, a co-author of the report, added, “ Although it might sound absurd(荒唐的), it’s possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process.
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 percent of the body’s supply, but lower levels can also be got through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals(粥).
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
1.A certain amount of sunshine helps people stay young because _________.
A. vitamin D may help to slow the ageing process
B. sunshine protects people against heart disease
C. vitamin D makes one’s skin look young and healthy
D. people feel happy and energetic in the sun
2.From Brent Richards, we know that ________.
A. sunlight causes skin cancer to people with high level of vitamin D
B. the higher levels of vitamin D people have, the more slowly people may age
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Telomeres are important as they are signs of ageing of the DNA.
B. Sunlight can be dangerous as it causes skin cancer.
C. Sunlight does more good than harm to our health.
D. Vitamin D can only be gained from food.
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.”or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague (同事) causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
1.According to the passage, winners .
A. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives
B. deal with problems rather than blame others
C. have responsible and able colleagues
D. blame themselves rather than others
2.The underlined word “remedy” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
A. find B. improve C. accept D. consider
3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .
A. ask a more able colleague for help
B. blame him for his lack of responsibility
C. tell him to find the cause of the problem
D. find a better way to handle the problem
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Winner’s Opportunity. B. A Winner’s Achievement.
C. A Winner’s Problem. D. A Winner’s Secret.
I am Alice. My sister and I spent our last summer holidays with our uncle who is a geologist (地质学家) and loves to collect stones.
One day he bought us two backpacks and asked us to go to the mountain with him. We walked the whole day. Every now and then he put stones in our backpacks. To our surprise, he also took some stones out from them. But we thought he had just found better stones.
When we returned to the house, we were very tired. The backpacks were so heavy that we felt relief （轻松）when we took them off. Yet our uncle’s backpack was half empty.
"Why did you give us so many stones?” we asked.
"I didn’t. You did." he said. “You didn't know it, but I gave you a little attitude test today. I listened to every word you said. Whenever you were complaining, I added a stone to your backpacks. whenever you talked about something with positive thinking, I took out a stone. And now look at your backpacks."
Our backpacks were full of stones.
“Your negative thoughts are just like stones. You carry them in your mind just like those stones in your backpacks. The more negative thoughts you have, the heavier your mind will be.” said our uncle.
With great love, our uncle taught us one of the most important lessons in life—the power of the attitude.
1.Alice's uncle likes to _______.
A. collect coins B. collect stamps C. collect stones D. collect books
2.When Alice's uncle took out some stones from her backpack, she thought ________.
A. she said too many words
B. her uncle wanted her to feel a sense of relief
C. her uncle had found better stones
D. she talked about something with positive thinking
3.Alice's and her sister's backpacks were full of stones because they ______
A. complained too much on the way
B. enjoyed collecting stones very much
C. were hard working
D. chose wrong backpacks to carry the stones
4.The writer wrote this passage to encourage us to _______
A. have a positive attitude towards life
B. be pleased to take others' advice
C. make a plan before doing something
D. help people in trouble
Ramadan
Ramadan is one of the most important festivals for Muslims. The name of the festival comes from the Arabic month in which it is celebrated. Ramadan is celebrated in countries all over the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East. The time for celebrating Ramadan varies each year. People celebrate it in the ninth month of the Arabic lunar calendar. During Ramadan, people must not eat during the day: from when the sun comes up to when the sun goes down, people celebrating Ramadan will not eat or smoke. When the sun has gone down, however, the celebration begins. People often stay up all night eating, singing and dancing.
Easter
In late spring, many people around the world celebrate Easter. The festival is a celebration of spring and it is also a religious holiday. It is the time for Easter bunnies and egg hunts, and of course for eating lots of delicious foods. Easter is celebrated in late March or early April but the exact dates are different from year to year. People celebrate Easter in different ways: in some countries, the Easter Bunny-a big rabbit-will visit people and children will go on egg hunts, looking for eggs and candy that have been hidden by their parents. In other countries, Easter is a time for children to dress up like witches and go from door to door asking for candy---much like Halloween in the US. The Easter Bunny and the Easter Egg are popular symbols of the festival.
1.The word Ramadan is the name of____________.
A. a person B. a town C. a holy book D. a month
2.Ramadan and Easter are_________.
A. festivals celebrated in Asia and Africa
B. the only festivals that people like to celebrate
C. festivals celebrated by people all over the world
D. two names of the year
3.During Ramadan, people do not ____________ during the day.
A. sleep B. sing C. talk D. eat
4.The two main popular symbols of Easter are the ________ and the ________.
A. Easter Bunny, Easter egg B. Easter Bunny, Easter tree
C. Easter Man, Easter tree D. Easter Man, Easter egg
