Alaskan black bears hibernate for up to seven months a year, during which time they do not eat or drink, before waking up in virtually the same physical state they fell asleep in．
Now experts hope to develop methods of putting humans into a similar state which could help astronauts survive long missions and lead to new ways of treating severely ill patients．
While many studies have examined hibernation in mice and hedgehogs, little research has been done into the same condition in larger mammals such as bears．
But new research conducted at the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska monitored the animals' body temperature, heart rate and muscle movements while they slept.
The research results showed that during a five-month hibernation the bears’ body temeratures varied between 30℃ and 36℃ in cycles that lasted between two and seven days—a pattern that was previously unknown in hibernating animals.
The research project leader said, "If our research could help by showing how to reduce metabolic(新陈代谢的) rates and oxygen demands in human tissues, one could possibly save severely ill patients. We simply need to know how to turn things on and off to take advantage of the different levels of hibernation."
Craig Heller, of Stanford University, who contributed to the study, added: "There has always been a thought that, if there is ever long-distance space travel, it would be good to be able to put people into a state of lower metabolism or a state of hibernation. That's almost science fiction but you can see the logical basis."
【小题1】We know from the text that            .

A．during winter Alaskan black bears sleep for more than half a year

B．researchers have examined hibernation in humans

C．experts have got no results from their research

D．Craig Heller is a leader from the Institute of Arctic Biology

【小题2】The best topic of the text should be                ．
． 

A．The Latest Research Results

B．New Methods of Putting Humans into Hibernation

C．Alaskan Black Bears Hibernate

D．Astronauts Could Hibernate Like Bears

【小题3】According to the text, we can infer that         .

A．many studies have examined hibernation in mice and bears as well

B．humans' body temperatures vary between 30℃ and 36℃ while they sleep

C．research into hibernation in animals may help deadly patients stay longer

D．scientists have already take advantage of the different levels of hibernation in space missions

What kind of life do you seek for? One that is frustrating and full of complaints every day? Or one that is filled with thankfulness, gratefulness and a positive mind?
The moment we open our eyes each day, we should be grateful that we are still alive．We are given a brand-new day．We are given another day to love．We are given another day of hope．We are given another chance to do whatever we have failed to accomplish．Those who have chosen to leave this place do not have any second chance．
We should be grateful every day．By being grateful, we will treasure the things around us．We will learn to appreciate life in a better way．Treat others better and find ourselves in a better mood every day．When we are thankful and grateful for the things we have, the universe tends to give us more．
By being thankful and grateful for our personal health, we will focus our attention on it and we would want to have a better well-being for our health．We will want to eat healthier food to nourish our body．After all, the body is the temple of our soul．We have to treat it well so that it can carry us a longer journey in life．
When we face problems in life, be thankful and grateful too．They are designed specifically for us so that we will be stronger and wiser．We are like a strong oak tree, facing the harsh weathers time to time．After each storm, we will grow stronger and strengthen our foundations for the next harsh weather．
The year 2010 has come to an end．Have you achieved what you aimed for in the past year? Be grateful for those you have achieved and especially for those you have not—both successes and failures．Failures and mistakes will give you valuable lessons．So, pick yourself up and try again this year．Good luck！
【小题1】According to the text, how many kinds of life are mentioned?

A．One．

B．Two．

C．Three．

D．Four．

【小题2】What does the word "harsh" underlined in the text refer to?

A．severe

B．pleasant

C．fine

D．mild

【小题3】According to the text, the life filled with thankfulness should be the following except that we       .

A．learn to enjoy our life in a better way

B．face problems in life and choose to leave

C．focus our attention on our health

D．treat others better and find ourselves in a better mood

【小题4】The sentence "We are like a strong oak tree…" in the fifth paragraph, we can see that the author used the writing technique of ____．

A．telling a fairy story	B．stating facts
C．discussing matters	D．imitating things

【小题5】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Kinds of Life	B．Be Positive
C．Be Grateful Every Day	D．Pick Yourself Up

              Four common bad habits combined—smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet—can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests.
The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Overall, 300 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 90 died during the study, or 30 percent. Among the 400 healthiest people with none of the four habits, 8 percent of them died.
The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo.
The healthiest group included never-smokers and those who had quit; teetotalers, women who had fewer than two drinks daily and men who had fewer than three; those who got at least two hours of physical activity weekly; and those who ate fruits and vegetables at least three times daily.
"You don't need to be extreme" to be in the healthy category, Kvaavik said. "These behaviors add up, so together it's quite good. It should be possible for most people to manage to do it."
The US government generally recommends at least 4 cups of fruits or vegetables daily for adults, depending on age and activity level, and about 2 hours of exercise weekly．
【小题1】What problem may you have, if you smoke often and eat few fruits and vegetables?

A．You would have difficulty in walking．	B．You would feel tired, lack of energy．
C．You may look older than you really are．	D．You may face the risk of death of cancer．

【小题2】How many of the 400 healthiest people with none of the four habits died?

A．32.

B．24．

C．56．

D．120．

【小题3】What does this text mainly talk about?

A．Suggestions to smokers．	B．The results of four bad life habits．
C．The findings of a new research．	D．The recommends from the US government.

People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers are now working outside home. More fathers must help with the children care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day, people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother, while a black one shows the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit cemetery ( 墓地). On these days, families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is the thought that counts. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT a reason for parents show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up children

B．Parents give love and care to children

C．Parents educate children to be good persons

D．Parents pass away before children grow up

【小题2】Which do you think is true about “carnation” mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．It has only two kinds of colours

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’Day

C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May

【小题3】 What can we learn from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past

C．Not all the children respect their parents

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers

【小题4】 On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ____________.

A．people usually have family parties	B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C．children always go to parents’ home	D．hand-made cards are not valuable

Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket. It caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I'm very sorry for this.
Much love   
Sarah     
【小题1】Why did Sarah write to his parents?

A．He missed them very much for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

B．He told his parents what he had done in school.

C．He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school.

D．He thought he was old enough to help them do something.

【小题2】 Where did Sarah smoke?

A．In the classroom	B．In the Dinning hall
C．In the street	D．In the dormitory

【小题3】 Why was the school master angry with him?

A．Because he was too naughty

B．Because he was too lazy

C．Because he caused a big fire

D．Because he stole something from the school

【小题4】According to the passage, what should the students not do?

A．They should not smoke, because smoking is dangerous to them

B．They should not dance, because dancing would waste a lot of money

C．They should not make friends, because making friends would take them absent

D．They should not wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money

When it comes to eating out, we can't help thinking of big meals in the restaurants, which usually contain much more fat and less fibers. Whether it is a business meeting over lunch or a fast food meal with the kids, eating out is a part of our lives. We eat out to save a lot of time, like grabbing a bite at fast food restaurants, or we take dining out as a favorite way to relax and socialize with friends.
Eating out can be fun but many people still like eating at home more because it is healthier. When my dear wife does not prepare foods for me, I would rather cook some instant noodles and eat at home! However, we go out to eat once in a while for holidays or on special occasions.
More and more people want to make healthy food choices nowadays. Some are watching calories, while others want to keep their cholesterol(胆固醇)under control or eat less fat. Plan ahead and choose wisely, you will find foods that fit into your meal plan and make eating out both healthy and enjoyable.
Here are some pointers to remember that can help you make wise choices when eating out: go for balance, watch portion sizes and drink water or low-fat milk. Keep the ground rules of good nutrition in mind. Eat a variety of foods in moderate(适中的)amounts, limit the amount of fat you eat, and watch the amount of salt in food. If you develop the skills to make healthy choices now, your body will thank you later.
Eating out can be one of life's great pleasures. Make the right choices, ask for what you need, and balance your meals out with healthy meals at home. You can enjoy yourself and take good care of yourself at the same time.
【小题1】 From the passage, we can infer that often eating out______________ .

A．contributes to healthy bodies	B．maintains good relations with friends
C．is of disadvantage to health	D．saves time from cooking

【小题2】 On the author's wedding anniversary, _______________________.

A．he prefers to cook some instant noodles for his wife

B．he would like to have a party at home

C．he must make an important choice

D．he is likely to take his wife to eat out

【小题3】 The third paragraph doesn't say but implies that________________.

A．people's awareness of health has improved

B．most people are worried about their cholesterol

C．calories have caused people's attention

D．it is important to choose your food every day

【小题4】If you had been watching for your diet, _____________________ .

A．you wouldn't have suffered any disease

B．you would be in good health now

C．you might have had much experience in life

D．you could have cured your illnesses

In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous and real, yet fade away in a short time if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while— then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left off and are delighted.
In the States, you can feel free to visit people’s homes, share their holidays, or enjoy their lives without fear that you are taking on a lasting obligation(义务). Do not hesitate to accept hospitality（好客） because you can’t give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily.
Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real. Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as only home—cooked food, not “ doing something for your guest”. It is felt that restaurant entertaining, shows more respect and welcome. Or for other different reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes.
In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one’s home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior treatment.
Don’t feel neglected if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room, either. Flowers are very expensive there; hotel delivery is uncertain; arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled —— so flowers are not customarily sent as a welcoming touch. Please do not feel unwanted! Outward signs vary in different lands; the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real.
【小题1】In the United States, you will find friendships ______ if circumstances change.

A．die suddenly	B．pass away
C．disappear gradually	D．last forever

【小题2】Americans _____ their foreign friends to make a return for their hospitality.

A．ask

B．don’t expect

C．never allow

D．wish

【小题3】In some other countries, giving a dinner party at home is considered ______ than in a restaurant.

A．less friendly

B．less hospitable

C．more natural

D．more popular

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Flowers are signs of outward welcome.

B．Flowers are expensive.

C．Flowers are available at all time.

D．Flowers are not necessarily sent to guests.

Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Britain. It provides a variety of entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty. Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites（套房），swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses. There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B & B”signs.
As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments（饮料）and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts. There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country. For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing.
After a day in the open air, there’s lots to do in the evenings, too. There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres. For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night.
Of course, there’s no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay. Only a short drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams. Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham.
Torquay seems to have something for everyone. But don’t take my word for it----come and see for yourself.
【小题1】 Which of the following best explains what “B & B” means on the signs?

A．Beach and barbecue	B．Breakfast and bath
C．Bed and breakfast	D．Beautiful and British

【小题2】According to the text Torquay might be described as      .

A．comfortable and expensive	B．remote and beautiful
C．croweded and lively	D．fresh and healthy

【小题3】What is special about the model village?

A．It opens at night.	B．It has a real railway system.
C．It’s in the open air.	D．It has something for the children

【小题4】What is the purpose of writing this text?

A．To introduce the geography of Torquay to students.

B．To make some places known to visitors.

C．To show the beauty of resorts.

D．To attract more tourists.

We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has-discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.
【小题1】Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair because      .

A．he found a new kind of microorganism

B．he contributed much to environmental protection

C．he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time

D．he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way

【小题2】 Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to      .

A．make the live bacteria work better	B．test how effective his method was
C．know which bacteria worked faster	D．control the temperature in the process

【小题3】
Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because       .

A．plastics can get hot easily	B．microbes can produce heat themselves
C．much carbon dioxide is produced	D．the temperature can be controlled

【小题4】 Daniel Burd got his idea from       .

A．his school textbook	B．the failure of researchers
C．his everyday work	D．the practice of other people

In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment.
The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites, people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about __________.

A．the most popular Internet technology in 2006

B．some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet

C．one online game called Second Life

D．the high price of playing online

【小题2】Who is the owner of YouTube now?

A．Three young men.

B．Google.

C．Computer users.

D．Yahoo.

【小题3】 Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The people who are interested in blogs.

B．The people who play games on YouTube.

C．The people who play Second Life.

D．The people who are created in Second Life.

【小题4】 What do we know from the passage?

A．Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website.

B．More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports.

C．Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life.

D．Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world.