In Colombia, there are some unwritten rules that people are used to. These rules are not officially established, but people do respect them. For example, on a bus, a person keeps a distance from another person, and people don’t like to touch each other. Many people come to work late because they prefer to wait for another bus if the first one is too crowded. They don’t want to have to stand too close to another person, or maybe they are afraid of starting a conversation.
A friend of mine in Colombia once said his mom got angry because he came home late, so he asked her, “Mom, what do you think of most people arriving at their jobs so late?” That gave her the answer to her question since everyone knows no one wants to get on a bus that is too crowded. His mother realized at that moment that customs have a big influence on a person’s life.
Sometimes, people don’t like to make any kind of conversation or make eye contact(接触) with others. For example, when they are in line at a bank, they prefer to look up or down rather than look at other people.
Moreover, people usually look down when they are in an elevator. Not only on a bus, in line at a bank, and in an elevator do people usually avoid talking to other people, but also in the streets when they are walking, they prefer to look down and to avoid contact with others.
【小题1】 Why do many people get to work late in Colombia?

A．They always think the next bus will be better.

B．They don’t want to get on crowded buses.

C．It’s an official rule in Colombia.

D．They get into conversations and miss their buses.

【小题2】 From the text we learn that        . 

A．customs influence people’s lives	B．a mother always understands her son
C．people respect each other in Colombia	D．people like to talk in elevators in Colombia

【小题3】When people in Colombia are in line at banks, they         .

A．make eye contact	B．look at other people
C．make conversation	D．look up or down

【小题4】 What would be the best title for the text?

A．What People Do in Different Situations	B．Avoid Getting on a Crowded Bus
C．Special Customs in Colombia	D．Obeying Unwritten Rules

When people in the U.S. have company or when they're invited to (formal or informal)get-together, they usually make a point of trying to make others feel comfortable and relaxed.On the whole, they tend to be informal. Men shake hands, but usually only when they're introduced. Male friends and business associate who haven't seen each other in a while may shake hands when they say hello. Women usually don't shake hands when being introduced to each other. When a woman and man are introduced, shaking hands is up to the woman. Americans rarely shake hands to say goodbye, except on business occasions. American women are used to being independent. They are used to going to places by themselves, making their own money, and often living alone. Sometimes they will ask men for help, but they usually don't want to be protected. Since the women's movement started, it's not always clear whether women expect men to open doors or help them into their coats. American women may start conversations with men or even ask them to dance.
There are a lot of Americans who don't smoke or drink, and many who don't want people to do those things in their houses. It's always best to ask for permission before you,bring alcohol to a dinner or before you light up a cigarette, if you are with people you don't ,know very well. Non-smokers have become more militant (好战的) about smoking in public places. Many restaurants, for example, have set up special areas for smokers.
House guests may bring gifts when they come to visit, and they often offer to help in some way. As a guest, you may want to ask your host or hostess if there's anything you can do to help in the kitchen. In many cases, the gesture is more important than actually helping.
【小题1】"…the gesture is more important than actually helping." Here "gesture" means_________.

A．态度

B．话题

C．姿态

D．言行

【小题2】When American people are introduced to each other, ____________.

A．men seldom shake hands	B．women often shake hands
C．a woman decides if she will shake hands with a man
D．a man decides if he will shake hands with a woman

【小题3】___________is not mentioned in the passage.
A. How to visit an American family      B. When American women's movement started
C. American women are independentD Non-smokers hate smoking in public places.
【小题4】 Which one is NOT right? ________________.
A None of Americans want people to smoke or drink in their houses
B Many Americans don’t smoke or drink
C Many special areas for smokers have been set up in the US
D It’s best to ask before you smoke in America

In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”。To many people the cause is obvious (明显的): they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.
【小题1】 Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.

A．they are too slim

B．they work too hard

C．they are too fat

D．they lose too much body fat

【小题2】According to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?

A．150.

B．300.

C．600.

D．270.

【小题3】Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?

A．Yes, there is plenty of evidence.	B．Of course, there is some evidence to support this.
C．There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this.	D．We are not sure.

【小题4】The Americans in 1910 ________.  

A．ate more food and had more physical activities
B．ate less food but had more physical activities
C．ate less food and had less physical activities	D．had more problems

Increasingly ,over the past ten years ,people—especially young people—have become aware of the need to change their eating habits ,because much of the food they eat ,particularly processed foods ,is not good for the health .As a result ,there has been a growing interest in natural foods :foods which do not contain chemical fertilizers ,widely used in farming today .
Natural foods ,for example ,are vegetables ,fruit and grain which have been grown in soil that is rich in organic(有机的)matter . In simple terms ,this means that the soil has been nourished by unused vegetable matter ,which provides it with essential vitamins and minerals. This in itself is a natural process compared with the use of chemicals and fertilizers , the main purpose of which is to increase the amount—but not the quality—of food grown in commercial farming areas .
Natural foods also include animals which have been allowed to feed and move freely in healthy grassland for cattle .Compare this with what happens in the mass production of poultry (家禽):there are battery farms ,for example ,where thousands of chickens live crowded together in one building and are fed on food which is little better than rubbish .Chickens kept in this way are not only tasteless as food; they also produce eggs which lack important vitamins .
There are other things of healthy eating which are now receiving increasing attention from experts on diet .Take ,for example ,the question of sugar .This is actually a non-essential food! Although another natural food ,such as honey ,can be used to sweeten food if this is necessary ,we can in fact do without it .It is not that sugar is harmful in itself .But it does seem to be addictive : the quantity we use has grown steadily over the last two centuries and in Britain today each person consumes an average of 200 pounds a year !Yet all it does is provide us with energy ,in the form of calories .There are no vitamins in it ,no minerals ,and no fibre .
It’s very important that nowadays fibre is considered to be an important part of a healthy diet .In white bread ,for example ,the fibre has been removed .But it is present in unrefined flour and of course in vegetables .It is interesting to note that in countries where the national diet contains large quantities of unrefined flour and vegetables ,certain diseases are comparatively not often seen .For this reason ,the importance is placed on the eating of wholemeal(没有去麸的面粉)bread and more vegetables by modern experts on “healthy eating”.
【小题1】People have become more interested in natural foods because            .

A．they want to keep fit

B．they want to taste all kinds of foods

C．natural foods are more delicious than processed foods

D．they want to return to nature

【小题2】Chickens raised in poultry farms are all of the following EXCEPT that           .

A．they are fed on food which is little better than garbage

B．they live in very crowed condition

C．the eggs they produce lack vitamins

D．they are allowed to move about and eat freely

【小题3】According to the passage,_________.

A．people need sugar to give them energy

B．sugar is bad for the health

C．the use of sugar is habit forming

D．sugar only sweetens food, but provides us with nothing useful

Unlike Britain, the US does not have a national health care service. Most people buy medical insurance to help pay for medical care. The government only helps pay for some medical care for the old and the people who are on low incomes. The problems of those who cannot afford insurance have become an important political subject.
In Britain, when people are ill, they usually go to a family doctor first. However, people in America sometimes go straight to an expert. Children are usually taken to a doctor who is an expert in the treatment of children. In Britain, if a patient needs to see a specialist doctor, their family doctor will usually recommend a specialist, which will save more time and money both for the patients and the public fund（基金）.
In Britain, doctors do not go to people’s homes when they are ill. People always make appointments to see the doctor in the doctor’s office. In a serious situation, people call for an ambulance. In America, hospitals must treat all seriously ill patients, even if they do not have medical insurance. The gov-ernment will then help pay for some of the cost of the medical care.
【小题1】The majority of Americans pay for medical care    .

A．through the national health care service	B．by buying medical insurance
C．with the help of the government
D．by increasing their income

【小题2】The author implies in Paragraph 2 that     .

A．Americans don’t trust family doctors

B．family doctors are helpless to the patients

C．he is more in favor of the British medical care service

D．sick children should go to family doctors first

【小题3】 In the States, seriously ill patients will     .

A．be treated if they have an insurance

B．go to see the doctor by making an appointment

C．receive treatment even without insurance

D．normally go to see an expert for treatment

【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．Health Care in the United States and Britain

B．Types of Doctors in the United States

C．Treatment of Sick Children in the United States

D．Medical Insurance in the United States and Britain

Hundreds of people lined up at Grand Central Terminal yesterday, but they weren’t there to catch a train. They came to New York City’s famous railroad station to trade in old dollar bills for the new George Washington Presidential $ 1 coin.
The gold-colored coin is the first in a new series by the U.S. Mint（造币厂）that honors former U.S. Presidents. The Mint will issue four Presidential $ 1 coins a year through 2016. Like the popular 50 State Quarters(纪念币) program, which issues coins in the order in which each state joined the Union, Presidential $ 1 coins will come out in the order in which each President served. The George Washington coin is the first to be released. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison coins will come out later this year.
The Presidential $ 1 coins will be the same size and color as the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. However, there is an important difference. For the first time since the 1930s, there is an inscription（题字）on the edge of each coin. Each coin will show a different President on its face, or head side. It will also show the President’s name, the order in which he served and his years in office. The other side of the coin will show the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions “United States of America” and “$ 1”.
There will be one Presidential $ 1 coin for each President, except Grover Cleveland. He will have two! Cleveland is the only U.S. President to have served two nonconsecutive（不连续的）terms.
The last President scheduled to get a coin is Gerald Ford because a President must have been dead for two years before he can be on a coin.
【小题1】 Hundreds of people lined up at the railway station in order to ____________.

A．exchange money	B．visit a coin show
C．book train tickets	D．do some shopping

【小题2】 What may you find on the head side of the new US $ 1 coin?

A．The Statue of Liberty	B．The name of a U.S. president
C．The year when the coin was made	D．The inscriptions “ United States of America”

【小题3】 Why will Grover Cleveland have two coins ?
A. He is the only one who has served two terms
B. He is the most famous President in the U.S.
C. He served longer than any other President.
【小题4】From the passage we can infer that_________.

A．the new presidential coin can buy more than the old coin.

B．the U.S. Mint has issued all the presidential coins by now.

C．no presidential coin has been released for president Obama

D．the coins are issued to honor the greatest presidents in America

Most people want to be successful, but never stop to think what it will really take to get there in their chosen field. If it means going back to college for 2 years of night school, could you do it ? If it means reading a book a week for about 6 months in order to really master a new skill ? If you aren’t prepared to do any of those things because they are outside of your comfort zone, then you can forget being succesful. I guarantee you will never reach your goals in life, unless your goals are to be ordinary.
The biggest killer by far is the dreaded “ comfort zone ” where most people live in their entire life. And the funny thing is that people just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that people who have reached some success get tons of time to just relax, but only because they’ve earned it ! If you haven’t built a successful business, or in some way built a career that allow you so much freee time, then you are stuck in the grinding world of nine-to-five jobs everyone else. So how comfortable is that ?
So what can you do about it ? Well, find a way to make something happen in your life--- build a business around your favourite hobby, write a book and publish it, or take a course in stock trading and become an expert at that, working on making enough money to retire. If you don’t take massive action that puts your way of your comfort zone, you will never be successful at much of anything. I promise--- and I don’t make many promises !
Finding real happiness in life can be a mystery for many. That’s why I wrote The Road to Happiness for those who want real success and happiness in life, including spirituality and all the gifts life has to offer.
Don’t wander aimlessly through life. Get focused on your goals, start helping others in need, and live life to the fullest ! Life is too short to be anything but happy. Visit my website and find what you’ve been missing. Sign up for my newsletter and get seven free ebooks, too ! Read hundreds of articles while you’re there in the article section, which is updated daily.
【小题1】This text must be taken from __________.

A．a radio program	B．a website
C．a newspaper	D．a TV program

【小题2】 If you want to be successful in life, what should you do first ?

A．We should think what it really takes to be successful in our chosen field.

B．We should focus our full attention on the work in our chosen field.

C．We should live out of the “ comfort zone ” all through our life.

D．We should work together with other people to reach our goals in time.

【小题3】 According to this text, why do some people have so much free time to relax ?

A．Because they have enough money to do so.

B．Because they don’t want to be successful.

C．Because they have already earned it through hard work.

D．Because they only work nine to five every day.

【小题4】 The writer thinks it necessary for you to __________ if you want to be successful.

A．do a lot of actual wotk	B．write a book and publish it
C．take a course in stock trading	D．make enough money to retire

For Chinese wanting to work as nurses in the United Sates, the arrival of the test of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) may be a welcome move.
The CGFNS has a certification programme for people wanting to work as registered nurses in the US. The first CGFNS test in China is to be held in Beijing in July. Registrations is open till April 9. According to US labour law, nurses have to pass the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) before they can practise. However, the NCLEX-RN is only useful in the US, making it difficult for people from other countries to get in. But, the US expects a shortage of 50,000 nurses by 2010. So, the CGFNS has not replaced the NCLEX-RN, which is still needed for work as a registered nurse in the US.
So what exactly does CGFNS do?
First of all, it helps international nurses qualify for a work visa for the US. Nurses educated abroad who do not have a US license by the NCLEX-RN, must get the CGFNS certificate. “But not everyone who gets a CGFNS certificate can get a work visa. There are many requirements for a visa, and the CGFNS is just one,” said John Ratigan, immigration officer for the CGFNS.
The certificate helps applicants meet requirements for the NCLEX-RN. Forty-two states require a CGFNS certificate from nurses educated abroad before taking the NCLEX-RN examination.
About 85 percent of those who passed the CGFNS have passed the NCLEX-RN. According to Barbara Michols, chief executive officer of CGFNS, “the CGFNS is cost-efficient for the Chinese. If they can’t pass the CGFNS here in China, their chances of passing the NCLEX-RN for the US are tiny. This saves time and money on visa applications and the long trip. ” In a word, to get a CGFNS certificate, a person must have: a credentials review, the CGFNS qualifying exam of nursing knowledge and an English language proficiency exam.
【小题1】   We can infer from the text that to people hoping to work as registered nurses in the US, CGFNS tests can be taken _____.

A．nowhere but in the US	B．somewhere outside the US
C．in every country but the US	D．both in China and the US

【小题2】 According to American labour law, people cannot work as nurses until they pass                   _____.

A．NCLEX-RN	B．CGFNS
C．CGFNS and NCLEX-RN	D．CGFNS or NCLEX-RN

【小题3】We can learn from the text that _____.

A．if you get a CGFNS certificate, you can pass the NCLEX-RN in the US and get visa applications

B．if you pass the NCLEX-RN in the US, you can get a CGFNS certificate and get visa applications

C．if you can't pass the NCLEX-RN in the US, you will not be able to pass the CGFNS examination

D．if you get a CGFNS certificate, you will be more likely to pass the NCLEX-RN examination

【小题4】The sentence "CGFNS holders have a higher rate of success on the NCLEX-RN examination" can be arranged at the beginning of Paragraph _____.

A．Two

B．Four

C．Five

D．Six

【小题5】What is probably the best title of this passage?

A．The CGFNS helps international nurses

B．The first CGFNS test in China

C．The CGFNS and the NCLEX-RN

D．Working as registered nurses in the US

NEW YORK - People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.
Researchers from the University of Maryland said the findings suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.
"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," researcher Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology, told Reuters Health.
For their study, Wang and his colleagues used data on more than 12,000 workers in a U.S. health study begun in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.
Overall, Wang's team found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.
The findings were not explained by older age or worse initial health among people who opted for full retirement, the investigators report in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also tended to report fewer mental health problems, such as depression.
The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retirees took part-time work in other fields -- possibly, Wang said, because many of these people may have taken those jobs out of financial need rather than choice.
He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.
Bridge work, particularly in one's accustomed field, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, according to Wang.
In general, he explained, such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they had during their careers and decrease any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement.  wwwWang said when it comes to mental health, for instance, bridge work may help by allowing people to keep some of the "role identity" that they have formed over their careers.
Staying active in general, not only through work, can also benefit retirees' physical health, Wang noted. He added, however, that any mental health benefits are likely to depend on the type of activity -- whether it is something that the person truly enjoys, and that helps ease any stress of moving into retirement.
"These findings," Wang said, "suggest that for retirees and prospective retirees, carefully considering whether to engage in bridge employment -- and if so, what types of bridge employment -- is quite important."
【小题1】 What does the underlined phrase “at the outset” mean?__________

A．at least

B．at least

C．at the beginning

D．at last

【小题2】 People who went into some form of bridge employment have less chances to get the following diseases, EXCEPT___________.

A．arthritis

B．heart disease

C．diabetes

D．low blood pressure

【小题3】Which of the following statement is WRONG?_________

A．As long as retirees move into “bridge employment”, they must be healthier than those who do not.

B．The participants in the study were between 51 and 61 years old.

C．The bridge workers are also less likely to get depression.

D．Staying active is beneficial to the retirees’ physical health.

【小题4】What can we infer from the passage?________

A．The study was begun in 1992 and lasts for two 6-year periods

B．If a bridge worker is older than 61 years old, it does not mean that he will get a better health than others who enjoy full retirement.

C．Only by moving into “bridge employment” can the retirees enjoy better health both physically and psychologically.

D．Any activity can benefit the retirees’ mental health.

【小题5】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A US study

B．Bridge Work

C．Working after retiring can be good for your health

D．Stay active

Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms—football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion of climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “ matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
【小题1】 What sports are popular among people in winter in the passage?

A．Soccer and golf.	B．Skiing and skating.
C．Cycling and hockey.	D．Mountaineering.

【小题2】 The underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ______.
A. strong emotion               B. good way  
【小题3】Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because_______.

A．it has man-made rules

B．it is too dangerous for climbers

C．it can’t bring people joy or leisure

D．it is free for climbers to use their own methods

【小题4】 We know from the passage that _______.

A．mountaineering has no appeal for people

B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers

C．a mountain climber passes his best by the age of thirty

D．it is possible for an old man of fifty or sixty to climb the Alps

【小题5】 What is the best title for the passage?

A．Sports in winter	B．Team work in climbing
C．Mountaineering	D．The quality for mountaineering