You maybe surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water．
Our ancestors enjoyed the healing power of nature，and now scientists are starting to catch up．According to research in recent years，just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients' recovery and reduce illness rates among office workers．Also，exposure(曝露) to wildlife，horseback riding，hiking，camping and farms can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children．
Much of this type of research is focusing on children，and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature．
Obesity（肥胖）．Rates of childhood obesity have grown sharply in recent years，and this is partly because of reduced outdoor activity time．Increasing the time students spend learning about nature，both in and outside the classroom，would help solve this problem．Such lessons are often more attractive for students and often lead them to become more active outside．
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder（ADHD）（注意力缺失症）．Exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after­school and weekend activities may be effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children．Participation in green activities—such as nature walks—helped ADHD patients from a wide range of backgrounds to stay focused and complete tasks．
Stress．Access to nature，even houseplants，can help children cope with stress．
Depression and seasonal emotional disorder．Major depression requires medical treatment，but physical activity，especially outdoors，can help ease symptoms．For your average case of winter blues，experts suggest spending time outside every day and，if possible，taking the family to a sunny vacation spot in mid­winter．
Experts emphasize that you needn't go to wilderness preserves to enjoy nature's benefits—simply walking in a city park or growing in a rooftop garden can make a difference．
【小题1】It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that       .

A．ancient people were not familiar with the healing power of nature.

B．modern people are not familiar with the healing power of nature．

C．the healing power of nature works better on children．

D．the healing power of nature works better on office workers．

【小题2】According to Para.4, lessons about nature         .

A．should engage parents in them

B．should take place outdoors

C．are used widely at schools

D．are liked by students

【小题3】Exposure to green areas in neighborhoods can 　　　　．

A．improve children's skills at learning

B．help reduce ADHD symptoms

C．treat major depression

D．cure winter blues

【小题4】What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A．You can only enjoy nature's benefits in the wilderness．

B．A common natural setting is beneficial to your health．

C．A city park and a rooftop garden have different benefits．

D．Too many people in the wilderness will reduce the benefits of nature．

We've all experienced a "good cry"． Shedding （流） some tears can often make us feel better and help us put things in perspective． But why is crying beneficial? And is there such a thing as a "bad cry"?
The researchers analyzed the detailed accounts of more than 3,000 recent crying experiences and found that the benefits of crying depend entirely on the what, where and when of a particular crying episode （一段经历）． The majority of persons reported improvements in their mood following a short period of crying． However, one third reported no improvement in mood and a tenth felt worse after crying． Criers who received social support during their crying episode were the most likely to report improvements in mood．
Research to date has not always produced a clear picture of the benefits of crying, in part because the results often seem to depend on how crying is studied． The researchers note several challenges in accurately studying crying behavior in a laboratory setting． Volunteers who cry in a laboratory setting often do not describe their experiences as making them feel better． Rather, crying in a laboratory setting often results in the study participants feeling worse;  this may be due to the stressful conditions of the study itself, such as being videotaped or watched by researchers． This may produce negative emotions, which neutralize （使无效） the positive benefits usually connected with crying．
However, these laboratory studies have provided interesting findings about the physical effects of crying． Criers do show calming effects such as slower breathing, but they also experience a lot of unpleasant stress, including increased heart rate and sweating． What is interesting is that bodily calming usually lasts longer than the unpleasant． The calming effects may occur later and overcome the stress reaction, which would account for why people tend to remember mostly the pleasant side of crying．
Research has shown that the effects of crying also depend on who is shedding the tears． For example, individuals with anxiety or mood disorders are least likely to experience the positive effects of crying． In addition, the researchers report that people who lack insight into their emotional lives actually feel worse after crying．
【小题1】 We can infer from the passage that __________________．

A．people don't like being seen crying

B．crying in public makes people feel better

C．a bad cry is as common as a good cry

D．a good cry can sometimes help us face problems rightly

【小题2】The beneficial effects of crying can be shown when _________．

A．your breath becomes slow	B．you sweat a lot．
C．your face turns pale	D．you are being watched

【小题3】Who will be least likely to feelworse after crying?

A．People who receive help in course of crying．

B．People who fail to understand their emotions．

C．People who are anxious and nervous．

D．People whose mood is not in order．

【小题4】The passage is mainly about ___________．

A．the types of crying	B．the way of crying
C．the psychology of crying	D．the causes of crying

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.
The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.
In nutrition it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.
Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.
【小题1】We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is __________.

A．green outside and sweet inside	B． good-looking outside and soft inside
C．yellowy-gold outside and hard inside	D．a little soft outside and sweet inside

【小题2】Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

A．It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.	B．It was less sweet and good for health.
C．It was developed by Del Monte.	D．It was used as medicine.

【小题3】The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.

A．that people enjoy eating	B．that is always present
C．that is difficult to get	D．that people use as a gift

【小题4】 We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.

A．slowed other companies to develop pineapples

B．succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

C．tried hard to control the pineapple market

D．planned to help the other companies

Ears are for hearing — everyone knows that. But for a creature called the Cuvier’s beaked whale, hearing starts in the throat (喉咙), a new study found.
The observation might help explain how all whales hear. The work might also help scientists understand how animals are affected by underwater sonar (声呐). This sonar, used by some ships, sends out sound waves to locate underwater objects.
The Cuvier’s beaked whale is a so-called toothed whale. Toothed whales dive deep into the ocean in search of food. As the whales hunt, they produce sounds that reach objects and then return to the whales. This allows the animals to “see” the shape, size, and location of objects, even when they’re 1,000 meters under the sea, where it is totally dark.
To better understand how the whale hears, researchers from San Diego State University in California took X rays of two Cuvier’s beaked whales. The whales had died and washed up on the beach.
Ted Cranford and his colleagues used the images to make a computer model of a Cuvier’s beaked whale’s head. Then, they modeled the process of sound traveling through the head.
The researchers knew that some sounds get to the ears of a toothed whale through a structure (构造) called “the window for sound”. Found on the lower jaw, this structure is very thin on the outside and has a large pad (垫) of fat on the inside.
When the researchers used their computer model to work out how sound waves travel in the whale’s head, they were surprised to find that sounds coming from right in front of the whale actually travel under the animal’s jaw. From there, sound waves move through the throat, into a hole in the back of the jaw, and finally to the pad of fat near the animal’s ears.
【小题1】Toothed whales look for food under the sea by ______.

A．watching the shape and size of their objects	B．diving deep into the sea
C．sending and receiving sounds	D．making lots of noises

【小题2】Researchers took X rays of two Cuvier’s beaked whales in order to ______.

A．find out why they had died and washed up on the beach

B．make a computer model of a Cuvier’s beaked whale’s head

C．make sure that sound travels through the head

D．know more about the way the whale hears

【小题3】 Which of the following describes the way taken by sound waves through a Cuvier’s beaked whale?

A．A hole in the back of the jaw → the ears → the jaw → the throat.

B．The jaw → the throat → a hole in the back of the jaw → the ears.

C．The throat → the jaw → the ears → a hole in the back of the jaw.

D．The ears → the throat → a hole in the back of the jaw → the jaw.

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．The throat is important to the Cuvier’s beaked whale’s hearing.

B．Ships send out sound waves like a Cuvier’s beaked whale.

C．The ears are actually useless to the Cuvier’s beaked whale.

D．The researchers haven’t found how the whales hear.

Choose the yum(美味的东西) and risk the yuk（讨厌的东西）?
Scientists have given us a lot of health warnings. The advice from cancer experts for avoiding bowel(肠) cancer is "try to avoid processed(加工过的) meats such as bacon, ham, corned beef and some sausages", and women fearing breast cancer are told "there doesn't seem to be a starting point at which alcohol consumption is safe",
But all these health warnings tend to have little influence on behavior, So who is being unreasonable —the scientists who give us health advice, or the public that just ignores it?
The curious fact is that both might be right. The reasoning behind these health warnings seems to be this: if you do more of something pleasurable (which we shall give the name “yum”) there is a higher risk of something bad (which we shall give the name “yuk”)occurring, so you should avoid yum.
But when presented with this argument you might ask two questions.
First, maybe the pleasure of yum makes the risk worth taking, especially if yuk might occur a long time in the future? Second, maybe there are other benefits of yum that could cancel out the risks of the particular yuk that has been identified (确认) ?
So suppose bacon sandwiches are your particular yum: research shows that 50g per day — that is a great greasy sandwich — increases your risk of bowel cancer by 20%.
But this means that out of every 100 people who stuffed down that big bacon sandwich every day of their lives, the number of bowel cancers would rise from five to six.
In addition, if a middle-aged woman gave up alcohol, it might reduce her risk of breast cancer, but could increase risk of some other cancers as well as heart disease.
So we need to look at the whole picture before trying to get people to change what they do, since everything has benefit and harms — just think of the joggers(慢跑者) who get knocked down by cars — and people need to be able to find their own balance.
Therefore, as you reach for your yum, perhaps sometimes pause a moment and realize that you are taking a gamble(赌博) on the yuk occurring, but that it may be a risk worth taking.
【小题1】What is the advice given by scientists for avoiding breast cancer?

A．Try to avoid processed meat.	B．Try to avoid alcohol.
C．Try to choose the yum.	D．Try to risk the yuk.

【小题2】 What does “this argument” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．If you choose the yum, you will risk the yuk.

B．If you risk the yuk, you’ll choose the yum.

C．The yum is worth taking, especially if yuk might occur in the future.

D．Other benefits of yum could cancel out the risks of the yuk.

【小题3】Why do we need to look at the whole picture before trying to get people to change what they do?

A．Because giving up alcohol might reduce breast cancer.

B．Because people are not able to find their own balance.

C．Because all the things have both sides.

D．Because the advice given by scientists is not true.

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following is correct?

A．People are often influenced by the health warnings.

B．Both the scientists and the public are not reasonable.

C．Alcohol consumption has both benefit and harms.

D．People should avoid yum to reduce the risk of yuk.

Compared to the other parts of the body, our ears don’t ask for much. They don't need to be brushed once a day like your teeth. But they need some special care, especially if you like listening to music with earphones.
Maybe your mum or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they are quite right. Loud noise might cause hearing loss for a short time or even forever. Think that earphones are a good way to escape from your parents’ eyes? Well. It may not be as good a way as you expect. American doctors have studied a group of 44,000 people who used earphones more than 15 hours per week. The doctors found that 37,000 of them were getting hearing problems.
If you use earphones for too long a time, your ears might feel painful. You could also lose your hearing for the rest of your life.
So don’t wear your earphones too long. Use them less than one hour a day.
Want sharp hearing? Don’t forget to do the following:
Try to stay away from places where there is too much noise, like a disco. If you have to go, wear earplugs.
When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in.
Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying "WHAT???" when you are older.
【小题1】Which is the topic paragraph of the article?

A．Paragraph One.	B．Paragraph Two
C．Paragraph Five.	D．The last Paragraph

【小题2】Using earphones "may not be as good a way as you expect" because _______.

A．your parents know what you're doing

B．it can cause hearing problems

C．it makes your parents angry

D．most of you use them improperly

【小题3】If you want sharp hearing, you should _____.

A．have your ears specially trained

B．often wear earplugs and clean out the earwax

C．take good care of your ears

D．choose what you listen to carefully

【小题4】"WHAT???" in the last sentence is an expression showing that the speaker____.

A．has become impatient	B．speaks in a loud voice
C．is slow in understanding	D．asks for a lot of repetition

A growing number of health, hunger, and sustainable （可持续的）agriculture groups today announced plans for Food Day-a nationwide campaign to change the way Americans eat and think about food．Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to “eat real” and support healthy, affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way．
Organizers hope Food Day will inspire Americans to hold thousands of events in schools, college campuses, houses of worship and even in private homes aimed at fixing America’s food system．A Food Day event could be as small as a parent organizing a vegetable identification contest at a kindergarten class-or as massive as a rally（集会）in a city park, with entertainment and healthy food．Health departments, city councils and other policy makers could use Food Day to launch campaigns, hold hearings, or otherwise address communities food problems．
The campaign will advocate progress toward five central goals:
·Reducing diet-related disease by promoting healthy foods．The American diet is too low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and too high in fatty meat, soft drinks and salty packaged and restaurant foods-contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year．
·Supporting sustainable farms and stopping subsidies to agribusiness．Billions of federal dollars a year would be better spent helping environmentally conscious family farmers than hugeagribusiness operations．
·Expanding access to food and alleviating hunger．Far too many Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or have access to fresh produce in their neighborhood．
·Reforming factory farms to protect animals and the environment．Farming of animals can and should be done without cruelty, and without degrading the quality of life．
·Curbing junk-food marketing to kids．Food companies should not be targeting children with foods that promote tooth decay, obesity and other health problems．
【小题1】What is the best title of the text?

A．Food Day Campaign	B．Eat Real and Keep fit
C．How to Observe Food Day	D．Food Problems in the USA

【小题2】What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．Food problems are not easy to deal with．

B．Food Day events should be held in public places．

C．Kindergarten kids are unable to identify vegetables．

D．People are invited to create their own Food Day events．

【小题3】One of the aims of Food Day is to ____．

A．target children with junk food	B．operate more agribusiness
C．increase access to food	D．cancel a series of events

【小题4】The underlined word "curbing" in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “          ”．

A．controlling

B．enlarging

C．evaluating

D．providing

【小题5】We can infer from the text that _____．

A．Food Day will not help preserve natural resources．

B．Food Day can be an opportunity to solve food problems．

C．Food Day has so far achieved all the central goals．

D．there are different ideas and views about Food Day．

“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour(跑酷).
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that’s parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we’ve learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.
【小题1】Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of          .

A．its founder, David Belle	B．the film, Casino Royale
C．its risks and tricks	D．the varieties of participants

【小题2】The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “          ”.

A．streets

B．objects

C．barriers

D．roofs

【小题3】Which of the following is true of parkour?

A．It challenges human abilities.	B．It is a good but boring sport.
C．It needs special training.	D．It is a team sport.

【小题4】As its participants move around a city,                    .

A．they can ask for help	B．they may choose to escape
C．they should run to extremes	D．they must learn to survive

【小题5】Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?

A．Sports and extremes.	B．Excitement and popularity.
C．Dreams and success.	D．Determination and freedom.

The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.
“Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.
Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.
“I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man.
“Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.
Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”
“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.
Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly. “Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.
“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.
Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”
The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.
Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”
In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.
His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.
This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．It was the first time Alfred had stolen anything.

B．Alfred tried to sound big to hide his fear.

C．Mr. Carr set a trap to catch Alfred stealing.

D．Mr. Carr had planned to forgive Alfred from the beginning.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “disarmed” probably mean?

A．annoyed	B．made less angry
C．convinced	D．got over

【小题3】What was the mother’s attitude toward Alfred?

A．She felt disappointed with him.	B．She was very strict with him.
C．She was supportive of him.	D．She was afraid of him.

【小题4】What impressed Alfred most about his mother at the drugstore was ________.

A．how angry she was	B．that she didn’t cry
C．that she was able to save him	D．how effectively she handled Mr. Carr

【小题5】From the last paragraph, we know that Alfred ________.

A．was no longer a youth	B．felt proud of his mother
C．wanted his mother to be happy	D．felt guilty and regretful for his deed

A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure．Dr．Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that investigated how pre-recorded videos of hypertension （高血压） patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months．
Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine．They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier．Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state．Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies（疗法） have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements．
In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate．Next, they divided their study population into two groups．One received three interactive （互动） DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension．The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic．The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure．
While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston suspects that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension．They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect．
【小题1】We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________．

A．tell medical histories of hypertension patients

B．introduce some medical treatments of hypertension

C．introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients

D．tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group

【小题2】Houston was surprised to find that _______．

A．hypertension is really difficult to control

B．communication has some medical effects

C．medical treatments have no effect at all

D．people don't follow the medical requirements

【小题3】Which of the following is true about the study?

A．The scientists chose 230 patients from a hospital．

B．Both the groups used the same videos about health topic．

C．The two groups lowered blood pressure in different degrees．

D．The story-tellers were hypertension patients as well．

【小题4】Which of the following could be the best title of the text?

A．The stories of some hypertension patients．

B．Medical treatments of blood pressure．

C．Storytelling may help lower blood pressure．

D．Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure．