阅读理解

　　Experts say that agriculture provides fourteen percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions each year．The gases released include carbon dioxide，a major cause of global warming．

　　Twenty－one nations around the world recently joined forces to better understand and prevent greenhouse gas emissions from farms．The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases was launched at the United Nations conference on climate change．The meeting took place in Copenhagen，Denmark last month．

　　Agricultural experts blame a number of farm activities for producing greenhouse gases．For example，animal waste and cattle digestive systems release methane(甲烷，沼气)gas．Fertilized soil and the burning of crop waste also release harmful gases into the air．Experts say some methods of farming－turning the soil to prepare for planting－also release harmful carbon dioxide．

　　An official of the European Commission's Directorate General for Research says agricultural greenhouse gas emissions can be cut．Maive Rute suggests feeding animals a diet designed to reduce emissions．

　　The new agricultural research group says protecting against global warming is only part of its purpose．It says the world also needs to develop better farming methods to feed growing populations in poor countries．

　　United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said no one single nation can fight agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase food production at the same time．This is why the alliance is important for combining resources and finding new ones．

　　The United States Department of Agriculture will increase spending on farm emissions research by ninety million dollars over the next four years．The total will reach one hundred and thirty million dollars．The U．S．D．A．will share the research with other countries in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and support researchers from developing countries that belong to the alliance．Money from the Borlaug Fellowship Program will let the researchers study agricultural climate change with American scientists．

　　Mister Vilsack said that just as climate change has no borders，there should be no borders for research．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Washington(Reuters)－People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌)，an unusual but deadly cancer，researchers reported on Monday．

　　People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk，the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found．

　　Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits，said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota，who led the study．

　　“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin(胰岛素)in the body，which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell's growth，”Pereira said in a statement．

　　Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology，Biomarkers & Prevention，Pereira and his colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years．

　　Over that time,140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer．Those who drank two or more sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer．

　　Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere．

　　“Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare．Favorite pastimes(消遣)are eating and shopping，so the findings should apply to other Western countries，”he said．

　　But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious．

　　“Although this study found a risk，the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal(因果的)connection or not，”said Mayne，who serves on the board of the journal，which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research．

　　Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer，with 230,000 cases globally．In the United States,37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

Dear Dr．Cory：

　　I have allergies(过敏反应)．It feels like something is in my throat．What is it and what should I do to help it?

Christa

Dear Christa：

　　You might be feeling mucous in your throat．The membranes there make mucus to keep nasal passages(鼻腔)moist and clean and to warm the air that we breathe．But sometimes our bodies make too much mucus,and it can collect at the back of the throat．Drinking lots of liquids, especially warm ones, may help．

Dear Dr．Cory：

　　Sometimes when I don't wear any socks with my shoes I get blisters(水疱)．What are blisters?How can I avoid them?

Jacy

Dear Jacy：

　　Blisters occur when something(like the back of your shoe)rubs against your skin and causes tiny blood vessels to leak fluid(液体)．The blister acts like a pillow to protect damaged skin while it repairs itself．

　　The best way to prevent blisters is to avoid“rubbing”spots．If the problem is your shoes, wear socks and shoes that fit to help prevent blisters．

Dear Dr．Cory：

　　I like reading your column．It tells me a lot about the body and how it works．I have a question for you：I have not been airing my feet out lately and the bottoms of them have been turning crisp(起皱的)and the skin is peeling．Why?

Aaron

Dear Aaron：

　　People whose feet get wet or sweaty while wearing shoes may develop athlete's foot, caused by a fungus that likes warm, damp skin．The fungus is easily passed from one person to another, so public places such as locker rooms or showers are real hot spots．It's most common during summer in people who rarely remove their shoes, and in people who sweat a lot．It can cause bumps, redness, itching, and peeling of the skin, often between the toes．

　　Anti－fungus cream, now available without a prescription(处方), cures the infection．Your doctor or health care provider can help find the cause of the problem．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　There are thousands of products of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are worth a try．How?Packaging(包装)is the silent but persuading salesman．

　　There on the shelves, each bottle, can, box, and jar has been carefully designed and measured to speak to the inner self of the consumer(消费者), because he is buying not only a product but also his belief in life．Scientists have studied consumer behavior recently and found that the look of the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “Consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package．Many products are packages and many packages are products”, as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers' feelings for packaging, noticed．

　　Colors are one of the best tools in packaging．Studies of eye movement have shown that colors draw human attention quickly．Take V8 for example．For many years, the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that it is very good for your body．And the word “green” today can keep food prices going up．

　　Shapes are another attraction．Circles often suggest happiness and peacefulness, because these shapes are pleasing to both the eye and the heart．That's why the round yellow M signs of McDonald's are inviting to both young and old．

　　This new consumer response(反应)to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people buy to satisfy both body and soul．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　As a kid, I can remember going to the supermarket and grabbing eggs off the shelf．I would run them home to my mother because they were usually going into a delicious cake．Times have changed．Cage－free?Organic?Brown?White?Omega－3s?Help!Here are some tips to help you figure out which eggs you should choose：

　　●Brown or white?In fact, color is simply a sign of the breed of hen．Find the freshest egg with the most flavor and let color be a secondary concern．

　　●Extra Omega－3s?Omega－3 eggs come from a hen whose diet has added flaxseed(亚麻籽), which produces an egg containing an average of 225 mg of Omega－3 fatty acids and Vitamin E．The countless health benefits for humans make these eggs an attractive purchase．My opinion?Eat a piece of fresh fish and get a pure dose of Omega－3s．Let eggs be eggs．

　　●Does your egg need exercise?Free－range eggs are from hens raised without the confines of a cage, though they may or may not have spent much time outdoors．Organic eggs are from hens whose feed must meet organic standards．These hens must be raised humanely, and they must be given time to stay outdoors．Hey, happier hens do lay tastier eggs．

　　●Does local make a difference?Nothing is better than local eggs．They may have a feather or two stuck to them or a little imperfect shape and they may or may not be certified(证明)organic; however, they have one quality I prize：I know exactly where my food came from and how it came to be!In some cases I can even ask the farmer when the eggs were laid and what the hens were fed．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Britain’s seed bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010．

　　The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens－one of the oldest botanical gardens－will officially deposit the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China．

　　More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew’s giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said．

　　The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1.5 billion seeds．Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change．

　　The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction(灭绝)in Southwest China from agricultural development．It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption．

　　Stored at minus 20 degrees centigrade, the seeds can last for thousands of years and await the day that scientists hope never comes－when the species no longer exist in the wild．

　　It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone,20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild．He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century．

　　“It is urgent and it is happening now．An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation(植被)every year，”Smith said．

　　Because most of the world’s food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say．There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0.6 percent of plant diversity．

　　For Kew’s next goal－to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020－the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　EVERYBODY in this world is different from one another．But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?

　　As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs．These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on．Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life．

　　Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances．This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money．

　　According to our different values, experts put us in three categories．They are：the ant, the cricket and the snail．

　　◆The ant－works first

　　Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment．They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire．The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk．

　　◆The cricket－fun first

　　The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future．They even borrow money when they really want something．Many young people now belong to this group．These people have little savings．When they get old, they might have problems．They should learn to save and buy insurance．

　　◆The snail－lives under pressure

　　The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves．They take big long－term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses．They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure whether they can afford it．This can cause problems in the future．They should plan more carefully．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　After winning a big game, athletes are often asked how they attained that success．Most say their achievement is the result of gruelling hard work and intense practice．Usually athletes say how hard it is to win the big games．At the opposite end of the spectrum, however, is the fact that losing the big game, or, in my case, all the games, can be even tougher．

　　From the spectators’ point of view, last year’s basketball season for my high school team was nothing short of an embarrassment．And while 0 and 20 is certainly nothing to be proud of, that season had a bigger impact on me than any other, and probably more than any season since．

　　As a team captain, I knew it probably wouldn’t be the easiest year, but did I ever think we would lose every game? Of course not．Since six of our top players had graduated, it was clear that we were a young team who would struggle．The struggle began earlier than expected, though, as our team’s starting center was suspended for the season, and two key members decided to quit after two weeks．At some point, quitting probably passed through every player’s mind, but, in the end, we all stuck it out, vowing to work even harder．

　　Then there came a time when even our own coach had given up on us．Personally, I felt like it was no longer worth giving my all．I thought, if even the coach doesn’t believe in us, why should I? But just as my hope began to fade, a teammate called a meeting．He said，“Nobody thinks we’re going to win, and heck, we may not, but, as teammates and friends, we owe it to each other to give it our all every game．”

　　Sure, it was a little cliche(陈旧的), but it was that moment that taught me how to be a leader．It hit me then that I may have been a captain, but I, like others in my position, certainly didn’t deserve the role．As a leader you can never quit on the team who looks up to you．It is one thing to be named captain and feel great and go through the motions, but it is quite another to be a real captain and make sure everyone works to their potential all the time．

　　I am sure it is great to go through high school without losing and bringing home awards．But in all honesty, I relish the fact that my team lost every game last year．It may not help me to become a better basketball player, but it already has made me a better leader, and person．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven’t listened carefully enough．We get things wrong because we haven’t listened carefully enough．We get things wrong because we haven’t quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us．Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember－despite the benefit of notes－exactly what everyone said．But success depends on getting things right－and that means listening．

　　Listening is not the same thing as hearing which is not quite an effort．It demands attention and concentration．It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification－it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong．However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you’ll miss what the speaker is saying －probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical．And not having heard, you won’t know you’ve missed anything until it’s too late．

　　The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished．We then stop listening．Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it．Good listeners don’t interrupt．In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points．Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well．

　　Above all, be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators．It’s helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying．Equally important you should put yourself in the other person’s place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response．But don’t be too clever．Faced with a know－all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读材料

　　Most American kids love Halloween treats, but a bucket of Halloween candy can be a dentist’s nightmare．Some parents try to get rid of half of the candy after their children go to bed, but dentists say parents also need to separate the good kinds of treats from the bad ones．

　　It is not exactly what a child eats that truly matters, but how much time it stays in his mouth．According to pediatric dentist Dr．Kaneta Lott, the most damaging stuff is something that is sticky or very hard and thus stays in the mouth for a long time．This is because we all have bacteria in our mouths．When we eat, the bacteria take our food as their food and produce an acid that destroys the surface of the teeth, causing cavities to form．The longer the food stays in the mouth, the more likely cavities will develop．Therefore, potato chips are worse than candy because they get stuck between teeth．For the same reason, raisins and crackers are not the best choice．Hard candies take a long time to consume and are also a bad choice for Halloween treats．

　　If children really love candy, dentists recommend that they eat chocolate instead．Unlike hard candies, chocolate dissolves quickly in the mouth．Besides, chocolate contains tannins, which help to kill some of the bacteria in the mouth．But no matter what a child eats, brushing after each meal is still the best way to fight cavities．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)