Reading Comprehension

　　Can earning a college diploma(文凭)make your heart healthier? Maybe not directly, but a study finds that people who went to college are less at risk of heart disease than other less-educated people．The study shows that blood pressure levels of people who didn’t go to college are much higher than that of college graduates．The study conducted(进行)physical examinations of thousands of people over 30 years．The men who didn’t continue their studies after high school had higher blood pressure than the men who completed college education．Meanwhile, the difference in women was even more obvious．A higher blood pressure level is a great risk factor for heart disease．

　　So how is it that the stress of trying to finish papers and assignments(作业)at college actually reduces students’ blood pressure? Most possibly, it is not education itself that lowers heart disease risk but other factors related to education．Generally, people without a college education earn less money, and other research shows that poverty is another factor of heart disease risk．Besides, there is an connection between poverty and obesity(肥胖),which also has a negative effect on heart health．

　　It looks like going to college has become more attractive：education benefits not only your brain but also your health．

Reading Comprehension

　　Melbourne Zoo’s Close-up Visits will bring you face to face with some of our zoo’s most popular animals．

　　Each experience includes a 6×8 photograph, taken by one of our professional photographers, to help you keep the memory of your visit to Melbourne Zoo．

　　Please note：The price of a Close-up Visits ticket does not include entry to Melbourne Zoo．

　　● Bookings can be made by calling Zoo Photos on 03 9285 9406

　　● Bookings can be made on the day by visting Zoo Photos from 9∶30 am

　　● A Zoo Photo Animal Experience does not include entry to Melbourne Zoo

　　● Group size and restrictions are needed to pay attention to．

　　● The photographer reserves(保留)the right to stop any experience at any time for reasons relating to animals’ health or visitors’ bad behavior．

Reading Comprehension

　　When parents talk about school safety these days, they’re usually referring to the increase in violence(暴力)at schools．But research shows that school-age children are actually nine times more likely to suffer an injury while doing sports than to be the victim of violence while at school．Accidents can be prevented if parents are on the lookout for potential(潜在的)dangers．To help you keep your kids free from harm, here are some safety tips：

a．Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers．Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your child doesn’t know well or trust．

b．Be sure that your child walks to and from school with a sibling, friend or neighbor．

c．Teach your kid, whether walking, biking or riding a bus to school, to obey all traffic signals, signs and traffic officers．Remind him to be extra careful in bad weather．

d．When driving your kid, deliver and pick them up as close to the school as possible．Don’t leave until they are in the schoolyard or building．

e．If your child rides a bike to school, make sure he wears a standard helmet(头盔)．Research shows that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85％．

f．Teach your kid to arrive at the bus stop earlier, stay off the street, and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop．

g．Be sure that your kid knows his or her home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for emergencies(紧急情况)．

阅读理解

　　After a little snowstorm yesterday I began to think of what snowflakes had to offer other than nice scenery and dangerous road conditions．From the way they fall, to the way they look, snowflakes have some similarities with our life．Here are some life lessons these little white ice crystals have to offer．

　　Every snowflake has its own shape and look．So should you! Accept yourself and be yourself．Everyone is different and should remain that way．

　　One flake doesn’t fall during a storm millions do．As they build up and stick together, they accomplish a lot．Billions of them can become inches, maybe even feet tall and blanket miles upon miles．If you want to achieve success and change your life, you will need help from others eventually．

　　Snowflakes are very small but very powerful．They’re extremely delicate but can shut down whole cities and states．You may be weak physically but mentally you can be strong．

　　Unless wind is pushing them, snowflakes usually take their time to get to their destination．Don’t rush through life; it’s the journey that’s important, not the destination．

　　Most snowflakes are supposed to land on the ground and may be headed that way when they’re falling．But sometimes they land in trees, lakes, or the street．They go with the flow and are very flexible．It’s great if you have planned out your time and life, but events are going to throw those off course．So be flexible and let certain events take you for a ride．

　　At times snow can be extremely dangerous, but think about how many times snow has made people happy and joyful．Just the sight of a fresh blanket of snow makes people feel good．You should do the same, make people happy to see and talk to you．Don’t be unhappy because you’ll bring those around you down．

　　Snowflakes don’t last that long．Frequently they melt the instant they hit the ground, but they’ve had an interesting journey．Cherish your life and every minute you have．

阅读理解

　　A Low－Carbon Economy(LCE)or Low－Fossil－Fuel Economy(LFFE)is an economy which has a smallest output of greenhouse gas(GHG)release into the atmosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas CO2．Recently, most of scientific and public opinion has come to the conclusion that there is such an accumulation of GHG(especially CO2)in the atmosphere due to human－related activities that the climate is changing．The over－concentration of these gases is producing global warming that affects long－term climate, with negative impacts on humanity in the foreseeable future．Globally performed LCEs therefore, are proposed as a means to avoid catastrophic climate change, and as a forerunner to the more advanced, zero－carbon society and renewable－energy economy．

　　Some nations are low－carbon societies which are not heavily industrialized or populated．In order to avoid climate change at any point in the future, all nations considered carbon －thick societies and societies which are heavily populated, should become zero－carbon societies and economies．Several of these countries have promised to become “low carbon” but not entirely zero carbon, and claim that release will be cut by 100％ by offsetting release rather than stopping all release．In other words, some release will continue which will be offset, so they are not low－release．

　　Nations seek to become low－carbon economies as part of a national global warming reductionstrategy．A comprehensive strategy to manage global warming is carbon neutrality, geoengineering andadaptation to global warming．

　　Nuclear power, or, the proposed strategies of carbon collection and storage(CCS)have been proposed as the primary means to achieve a LCE while continuing to exploit non－renewable resources; there is concern, however, with the matter of spent－nuclear－fuel storage, security and the uncertainty of costs and time needed to successfully carry out CCS worldwide and with guarantees that the stored release will not leak into the atmosphere．Alternatively, many have proposed renewable energy should be the main basis of a LCE, but, they have their associated problems of high－cost and inefficiency; this is changing, however, since investment and production have been growing significantly in recent times．Furthermore, regardless of the effect to the atmosphere by GHG releases, the growing issue of peak oil may also be reason enough for a change to a LCE．

阅读理解

　　BELIEVE it or not, the color of the tie Barack Obama wore to the inauguration(就职典礼)is now a hotly debated topic．The level of public interest in Obama’s tie might seem strange but many people believe his choice will symbolize the type of government he plans to run, as the color of a politician’s tie is thought to convey ideas of power, trustworthiness and more．

　　Polities of ties．

　　It may be the least practical item of male dress, but it is arguably the most expressive．In the UK and many other coun－tries around the world, conservative(保守的)politicians may wear a blue tie and their liberal opponents a red one．In America, the colors go the other way round．The Republicans have in recent years become associated with the color red, and the Democrats with blue．But in spite of this, bush wears blue ties more often than any other color．

　　What they mean

　　According to Sharon Haver, editor of focusonstyle．com, in America the feelings associated with colors overrule their political significance．“a guy who want to be regarded as strong and in charge would wear red,” Haver says．Unsurprisingly, the business tycoon Donald Trump is known for wearing red ties．But what about blue? According to Haver, “Blue is a softer color… Look at the sky．It’s peaceful and calm and trustworthy．”

　　Selecting the right tie for the right occasion．

　　●Perfect job interview tie．

　　Perhaps no other tie －wearing occasion is as important as the job interview．Gilchrist, the fashion expert, advises playing it safe and choosing a conservative one．Best choices are solids, stripes or small patterns．An excellent color is burgundy(深红色)or another serious color．Avoid pink or yellow, which suggests that the wearer lacks gravity．

　　Pattern ties, Gilchrist suggests, should be limited to a maximum of three colors．A striped tie is a safe choice as this is acceptable to everyone．Last, Gilchrist recommends saving the expensive “hip” tie for those applying for glamorous creative jobs．

　　●Date－night tie

　　When picking out the right tie for taking a girl out on a date, spend more time considering color than pattern．According to studies, women are attracted to men wearing the color blue, because blue gives the image of a “stable, faithful, constant, always there” person．So what is the worst color to wear on a date? “Flattened caterpillar(毛虫)yellow－green,” according to Gilchrist, “it will repel both sexes equally．”

阅读理解

　　Inventor, physicist, surveyor, astronomer, biologist, artist… Robert Hooke was all these and more．Some say he was the greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century．Once he worked with renowned men of science like Christian Huygens, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton and the great architect, Christopher Wren．

　　Hooke’s early education began at home, under the guidance of his father．He entered Westminster School at the age of thirteen, and form there he went to Oxford, where he came in contact with some of the best scientists in England．Hooke impressed them with his skill at designing experiments and devising instruments．In 1662, at the age of twenty－eight, he was named Curator of Experiments of the newly formed Royal Society of London．Hooke accepted the job, even though he knew that it had no money to pay him!

　　Watching living things through the microscope was one his favorite occupations．He devised a compound microscope for this purpose．One day while observing a cork(软木)under a microscope, he saw honeycomb－like structures．They were cells－the smallest units of life．In fact, it was Hooke who coined the term “cell” as the boxlike cells of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery(修道院)．

　　Perhaps because of his varied interests, Hooke often left experiments unfinished．Others took up where he left off and then claimed sole(独占的)credit．This sometimes led to quarrels with colleagues．One work that he finished was his book MICROGRAPHIA, a volume that reveals the immense potential of the microscope．The book also includes, among other things, ideas on gravity and light which may have helped scientists like Newton while they were developing their own theories on these phenomena．

　　Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too．A crater(陨石坑)on the moon is named after him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science．

阅读理解

　　We’ve all met with something that slows us down, for example, the bumps(颠簸)in the road, the setbacks．You just have to keep in mind that a setback is only temporary and greater things lie ahead．Therefore, keep moving forward, developing what you have, since you’ve already built a solid foundation on which you can rely．

　　It is easy just to quit, give up and ignore the hard work you have put into something．But we believe in the “two steps forward, one step back” philosophy．So how can you react when something doesn’t turn out as you’ve expected it to be?

　　First, be objective．Step back and look at the situation．Is your setback really that significant, or will it just require a little extra effort? Then, plan your next move．You can ask for help．Don’t be afraid or ashamed to do this．Frequently, people are more than willing to give you support and advice．You don’t have to be perfect; after all, nobody else is．Next, bounce back．Reevaluate the goals you should have set for yourself at the beginning and retool(改组)them when necessary．Goals should be realistic and specific, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be flexible．Instead of looking at your project as a disaster or failure, view it with success．Concentrate on how great it will feel after it is finally done, after you have put your all into it．Instead of focusing on a possible unsatisfactory performance one single time, take a moment to sit back and reward yourself for all that you have accomplished．

　　Above all, don’t live with regrets．Success is never easy．It remains up to you whether you will give up, or fight through the tough battles to earn whatever you want．Keep reaching for your goals and you will achieve them．One small setback is nothing if you really want something and are willing to work for it．

阅读理解

　　The Arctic is one of the few places in the world untouched by pollution where you can use its beautiful nature．Join our ship the Northern Star from 2 to 18 July, for a 17-day voyage to the Arctic．During the voyage you are able to relax yourself．There are no parties or film-shows to attend, quizzes to enter, or entertainers to watch．However, we do have specialists on board who are willing to answer any of your questions about the Arctic．

　　After setting off from Scotland, we go north along the coast of Norway to Bear Island．Along the way you’ll see thousands of seabirds and wonderful scenery, with rivers of ice and huge cliffs．You will have the chance to see polar bears and other Arctic animals．Although we have a timetable, experience has shown that we may have to change our direction a little, depending on the weather．

　　The Northern Star is a very special ship and our past voyages have been very popular．Our cabins all have the same excellent facilities．Our chefs are happy to prepare any food for people on special diets．If you need some exercise, why not do some swimming in the indoor pool?

　　Prices include economy class air travel and 16 nights on the Northern Star, all meals and all lectures．

　　Day 1：Board the Northern Star．

　　Day 2-7：We sail slowly north along the coast of Norway, stopping at places of interest．

　　Day 8：Tromse．You need to get up at sunrise to see the whales as we sail towards Tromse．Visit Tromse to see the Artic Museum and the beautiful old wooden houses．In the evening we sail away along the west coast to Bird Island, which is excellent for bird- watching．

　　Day 9-10：Bear Island．We arrive there in the early evening．Bear Island once had an active fishing industry, but today little of this remains．

　　Day 11-16：Spitsbergen－a place of mountains and rivers of ice．It is home to a large variety of animals．

　　Day 17：Leave the ship in Spitsbergen and fly to London from Tromse．

阅读理解

　　Although the Spring Festival is generally regarded as the most import celebration of the year, the fall and winter have a number of non-native holidays that are gaining popularity among the Chinese．

　　These include Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day．In the past, these foreign holidays were observed only by those who worked for foreign companies or those who had studied or live abroad．But today, many Chinese celebrate the holidays in some manners, such as sending text messages to friends and having a large dinner in a restaurant．Valentine’s Day is mainly for young couples, while Halloween is most celebrated by children．

　　Christmas is becoming increasingly popular among the Chinese, although originally it was heavily promoted by business．During the holiday, some shopping malls put up Christmas trees, inducing(劝说)visitors to write down their Christmas wishes and hang the notes on the trees．In just one or two days, the trees will be filled with all kinds of Christmas messages．For example, “I wish those who love me and whom I love happiness in the next year．” “May God bless my parents’ health and happiness．” “I hope my girlfriend will be admitted by renowned universities．”

　　Sociologists say the rising popularity of Christmas is due to the cheerful and bright colors associated with the holiday．Red is the most popular holiday color in China, representing harmony and indicating a happy event．On Christmas, people may find that Santa Claus and traditional red Chinese lanterns go well together．