If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault.
Have you ever found that some people can't read or write but they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised.
So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practise remembering.
【小题1】If you do not use your arms or legs for some time, ______.

A．you can't use them any more

B．they will become stronger

C．they become weak but they slowly become strong again

D．they become weak and won't become strong until you use them again

【小题2】Some people can't read or write, but they usually have better memories, because ______.

A．they can't write everything in a little notebook

B．they have to use their memories all the time

C．they have saved much trouble

D．they have saved much time to remember things

【小题3】The main reason for one's poor memory is that ______        

A．he does not use his arms or legs for some time	B．he can't read or write
C．his father or mother may have a poor memory	D．his memory is not often used

【小题4】Give the best title for this passage.

A．How To Have A Good Memory	B．Don't Stop Using Your Arms Or Legs
C．Strong Arms And Good Memories	D．Learn From The People

It doesn’t matter when and how much a person sleeps , but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought , until they heard about Herpin. Herpin, it was said , never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw him sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.
【小题1】The main idea of this passage is that_____

A．large numbers of people do not need sleep

B．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep

【小题2】The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting_____

A．to cure him of his sleeplessness

B．to find that his sleeplessness was not really true

C．to find out why some old people did not need any sleep

D．to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

【小题3】After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Herpin_____

A．needed some kind of sleep

B．was too old to need any sleep

C．needed no sleep at all

D．often sleep in a chair

【小题4】One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _____

A．his mother’s injury before he was born

B．that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit

C．his magnificent physical condition

D．that he hadn’t got a bed

【小题5】Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______

A．a common one

B．one that could be cured

C．very healthy

D．a rare one

Lots of people are unhappy with their present weight, but most aren't sure how to change it. You may want to look like the models or actors in magazines and on TV, but those goals might not be healthy or realistic (现实的) for you. Being healthy is really about being at a weight that is right for you. The best way to find out if you are at a healthy weight or if you need to lose or gain weight is to talk to a doctor or dietitian（营养学家）. If it turns out that you can benefit from weight loss, then you can follow a few of the simple suggestions listed below to get started.
_______________________. Ask your mom or dad to lend help and support and to make lifestyle changes that will benefit the whole family, if possible. Those who have the support of their families tend to have better results with their weight-management programs.
Watch your drinks. It’s amazing how many extra calories can be in the sodas, juices and other drinks that you take in every day. Simply cutting out a can of soda or one sports drink can save you 150 calories or more each day. Slake yourself with water or other sugar-free drinks when you’re thirsty and stay away from sugary juices and sodas.
Stop eating when you’re full. Lots of people eat when they’re full. Try to pay attention as you eat and stop when you are full.
Avoid diet pills. They can be dangerous to your health; besides, there’s no evidence that they help keep weight off over the long term.
Get moving. You don’t have to play a team sport or go to the gym. Try different kinds of activities from hiking to cycling, or to dancing until you find what you like.
【小题1】According to the passage, before you decide to lose or gain weight you must know _________.

A．how you will do it

B．how long it should last

C．whether you have a healthy weight

D．what your realistic goal is

【小题2】Which of the following would be the best to be put in the blank in the second paragraph?

A．Find a partner.

B．Make weight loss a family behavior.

C．Don’t give up easily.

D．Small changes make a difference.

【小题3】The underlined part ‘Slake yourself’ in the third paragraph means “__________”

A．Stop yourself feeling thirsty.

B．Make yourself feel less tired.

C．Make yourself feel comfortable.

D．Stop yourself feeling less hungry.

【小题4】We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. exercising is harmful to one’s health
B. diet pills may not help one lose weight in the long term
C. having eating trouble is the No.1 cause of being overweight
D. all models or actors in magazines and on TV have weight problems

We all know that everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older, but men’s minds decline more than women’s, according to the results of a worldwide survey.
General differences seem to be natural in male and female brains: Men are better at maintaining and dealing with mental images (useful in mathematical reasoning and spatial skills), while women tend to excel be good at recalling information from their brain’s files. Many studies have looked for a connection between sex and the amount of mental decline people experience as they age, but the results have been mixed.
Some studies found more age-related decline in men than in women, while others saw the opposite or even no relationship at all between sex and mental decline.
Those results could be improper because the studies involved older people, and women live longer than men: The men tested are the survivors, “so they’re the ones that may not have shown such cognitive(认知的) decline,” said study team leader Elizabeth of the University of Warwick in England.
Scientists surveyed completed four tasks that tested sex-related cognitive skills: matching an object to its rotated form, matching lines shown from the same angle, typing as many words in a particular category as possible in the given time, e.g. “object usually colored gray”, and recalling the location of objects in a line drawing. The first two were tasks at which men are usually good; the latter are typically dominated by women. Within each age group studied, men and women performed better in their separate categories on average. And though performance declined with age for both genders, women showed obviously less decline than men overall.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following can NOT be typed into the same category?

A．cloud

B．sheep

C．trees

D．goose

【小题2】Which of the following statements is true according the article? _______

A．Men do better than women when it comes to learning English.

B．Women stand out at remembering people’s names.

C．Women do well in dealing mathematic problems.

D．Men excel at typing as many words as possible in the given time.

【小题3】One important factor that affects the correctness of the results is that ________.

A．women live longer than men

B．people surveyed are all old

C．the old men tested may not have shown such cognitive decline

D．people taking part in this test came from all over the world

【小题4】The author aims to tell us that _________.

A．women’s minds perform better than men’s

B．men’s minds decline more with age

C．everyone becomes a little more forgetful as they get older

D．a survey on human’s mind decline was done recently

LEEDS, England—A Leeds University psychology professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.
"The hate we hold within us is a cancer, " Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than 70 people have become members in Hart's first 20-week workshop in London—a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian- born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight.
The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. "People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness," he said, "People confuse forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one."
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
"The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with," said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project.
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people "want to get free of the past".
【小题1】From this passage we know that________.

A．high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hate

B．high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors

C．without hate, people will have less trouble connected with blood and heart

D．people who suffer from blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies

【小题2】If you are angry with somebody, you should________.

A．attend Hart’s course

B．never meet him or her any longer

C．persuade him or her to have a positive talk with you

D．treat him or her positively instead of negatively

【小题3】In Hart's first 20- week workshop, people there can ________.

A．meet their enemies	B．change their attitudes
C．enjoy the professor's teaching	D．learn how to quarrel with others

【小题4】If you are a member in Hart's workshop, you'll________.

A．meet in eight or ten groups

B．get rid of the illness of cancer

C．attend a gathering twice a month

D．pour out everything stored in your mind

【小题5】The author wrote this passage in order to________.

A．persuade Britons to go to Hart's workshop

B．tell us the news about Hart's workshop

C．tell us how to run a workshop like Hart's

D．help us to look at various kinds of angers

Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers．He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday．
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit．Every now and then he still smokes in secret．
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time．Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No．” Obama said at a news conference．
“I don' t do it in front of my lads．I don’t do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．
"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said．
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．
【小题1】The new law makes life difficult for             ．

A．Obama	B．tobacco industry
C．White House	D．US Food and Drug Administration

【小题2】What do we know about Obama?

A．He no longer smokes．

B．He still smokes as usual．

C．He began to smoke at eighteen．

D．He is trying hard to give up smoking．

【小题3】According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about           ．

A．children

B．officials

C．his family

D．businessmen

Cities need to put efforts to deal with pollution and clear the air.
Chinese cities will need to put efforts to clear up the sky when a new department to improve regional air quality is set up by 2015，according to the latest plan released by the State Council.
Besides the existing pollution control program for CO₂，regional emission caps(区域排放上限) for other certain chemicals will be established in the three key air polluting areas—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing­-Tianjin­- Hebei region. Coal­-consumption caps will also be tried out in some areas，according to the plan.
The plan is aimed at dealing with regional air pollution—such as acid rain and smog—which have become increasingly obvious in China in recent years and caused a severe threat to people’s health，Zhang Lijun，vice­minister of environmental protection，said in an interview on Monday.
The air quality in a city affects the areas nearby because pollutants can travel in the sky，said Chai Fahe，vice-­director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
“So efforts to reduce air pollution in a single city，targeting a certain pollutant(污染物) will not be enough，” Chai said.
Zhang said the country’s major industrial districts—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing­-Tianjin-­Hebei region—have recorded more than 100 misty days annually in recent years.
These three regions，home to at least 200 million people，occupy only 6.3 percent of the country’s area but consume 40 percent of the country’s coal and produce half of its steel，according to official figures.
Studies also show that the visibility(能见度) in eastern regions of China has dropped by 7 to 15 km compared to that in the early 1960s，as a result of air pollution.
Liaoning province，the Shandong Peninsula，Wuhan in Hubei province and its surrounding area，the Changsha­-Zhuzhou­-Xiangtan region in Hunan province，the Chengdu­-Chongqing region，and the western coast of the Taiwan Straits are also listed as areas to carry out such regional air pollution control programs，according to the plan.
The new plan also requires an improved air quality system，which will measure the pollution levels. “The current system，which only measures some major pollutants，cannot reflect the_truepicture.” said Chai.
【小题1】It will not be enough to reduce air pollution in a single city because ________.

A．air pollution has been becoming more and more serious in recent years

B．air pollution like acid rain and smog is threatening people’s health

C．air pollutants in a city can travel in the sky and affect nearby areas

D．air pollutants stay in fixed places over the cities

【小题2】Suppose the visibility in eastern regions of China was 130 km in the early 1960s，the visibility there nowadays is ________.

A．123 to 115 km	B．137 to 145 km
C．123 to 145 km	D．115 to 137 km

【小题3】The main purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to inform readers of the damage caused by air pollution

B．to introduce the new plan to control air pollution

C．to provide official figures of air pollution levels

D．to point out the regions affected by air pollution

【小题4】What does the underlined phrase “the true picture” in the last paragraph mean?

A．The major pollutants.

B．The key polluted areas.

C．The major polluted cities.

D．The pollution levels.

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded (包围) by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice-cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children will buy less take away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an pastime(消遣), it also give them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
【小题1】According to the passage, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?

A．Those who often took exercise.

B．Those who often watch TV.

C．Those who often have meals at home.

D．Those who often walk to school.

【小题2】The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because _____.

A．their parents often cook meals for them

B．they are too busy to go out and play

C．they can’t choose what to eat

D．there are so many fast food shops around

【小题3】The word “steering”underlined in the last sentence most probably means _____.

A．forcing

B．guiding

C．driving

D．moving

【小题4】The main purpose of the passage is to _____.

A．tell a story

B．provide facts

C．give advice

D．compare opinions

Why do some people flush when they drink alcohol? This effect is a common reaction to alcohol among East Asians. It affects about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.
For many, even a small amount of alcohol can cause unpleasant effects. Most commonly, their face, neck and sometimes their whole body turn red. People might also feel uncomfortable and sick to their stomach. They might experience a burning sensation, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and headaches.
The cause is a genetic difference that they are born with called an ALDH2 deficiency (缺乏). It prevents their bodies from treating alcohol the way other people do. But the effects might be more serious than just a red face. Researchers warn of a link between this condition and an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus (食道) from drinking alcohol.
The more alcohol people with this deficiency drink, the greater their risk is. In Japan and South Korea, for example, many people have the deficiency but still drink heavily. Researchers found that these drinkers develop a form of esophageal cancer six to ten times more often than those without the deficiency.
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It can be treated when found early, but once it grows the chances of survival drop sharply. The researchers estimate that at least five hundred forty million people have the deficiency, about eight percent of the world’s population.
Philip Brooks is a researcher at the National Institute in the United States. He says it is important to educate people about the link between the alcohol flushing effect and esophageal cancer. He says doctors should ask East Asian patients about their experiences with facial flushing after drinking alcohol. Those with a history of it should be advised to limit their alcohol use. They should also be warned that cigarette smoking works with the alcohol in a way that further increases the risk of esophageal cancer.
【小题1】The underlined word “flush” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_________”.

A．walk unsteadily	B．turn red in the face
C．appear unpleasant	D．talk more than usual

【小题2】The second paragraph is mainly about _________.

A．the cause of the effects of alcohol

B．Asians and alcohol

C．the advantages of drinking alcohol

D．unpleasant effects caused by alcohol

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that _________.

A．about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans are heavy drinkers

B．the ALDH2 deficiency may be passed on from generation to generation

C．unpleasant effects occur only when people with this deficiency drink a lot

D．only some East Asians have the ALDH2 deficiency

【小题4】Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because _________.

A．it can’t be treated at all

B．it is hard to be discovered early

C．it is hard to cure once it has developed

D．people are usually addicted to alcohol

Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.
Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.
Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.
“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways－scientists or actors, for example－may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.
In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desire－not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health－rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap(差距). Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” Says Michalos.
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad. “Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied?” asks Professor Laura Carstensen.
In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, but negative emotions much less often.
Why are old people happier? Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their goals, only setting ones that they know they can achieve. But Carstensen thinks that with time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.
“People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”
【小题1】According to the passage, the feeling of happiness __________.

A．has little to do with wealth	B．increases gradually with age
C．is determined partly by genes	D．is measured by desires

【小题2】Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs ____________.

A．make them feel much better	B．improve their social position
C．provide chances to make friends	D．satisfy their professional interests

【小题3】Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more _________.

A．optimistic

B．successful

C．practical

D．emotional

【小题4】Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if __________.

A．the gap between reality and desire is bigger

B．they have a stronger desire for friendship

C．their income is below their expectation

D．the hope for good health is greater