阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples．Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas．Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States．

　　There are various kinds of apples but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale．The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious and McIntosh．

　　Apples are different in color, size and taste．The color of the skin may be red, green or yellow．They have various sizes with Delicious apples being among the largest．The taste may be sweet or tart(酸的)．Generally sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce．Apples can also be found in many foods(especially desserts)and drinks．Many beneficial health effects have been found from eating apples．However, the seeds are slightly poisonous．

　　Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters．They do best in areas that have very cold winters．Although no fruit is yielded during the winter this cold period is good for the tree．

　　At least 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, with a value of about ＄ 10 billion．China produced about 35％ of this total．The United States was the second-leading producer, with more than 7.5％ of world production．Iran was third, followed by Turkey, Russia, Italy and India．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Simon and Garfunkel once famously sang “I am a rock, I am an island”．It's a great song, but is simply isn't true! For whatever reason, we all seem afraid to ask for help, even from those closest to us, regardless of whether we need or deserve it．There's something in our society than seems to dictate that we have to do it all by ourselves-either the views that we'll be seen as weak, or just simply pride．

　　This, however, doesn't seem to be true of successful people．They haven't bought into the fallacy that asking for help is wrong．They know the truth that great things are achieved when people cooperate．

　　We all have different skills, knowledge and experiences．Each person you know is a whole new set of untapped(未使用的)reference material and expertise．So if you want to get hold of it and use it, all you have to do is ask them．People are rarely unwilling to assist-it's in our nature to be part of communities．

　　A good example I sometimes use in seminars is to pick a delegate at random and ask him how many people he knows in total．The usual answer is somewhere between 200 and 500．For the sake of this illustration, let's select the lower figure and call it 200．Then I ask the person how many people each of those people knows．On the assumption that they have similar-sized corc; es．they almost certainly know at least 200 people each．On this basis, the people within one degree of separation(1度分割理论：朋友的朋友形成一个小世界)for a person who knows 200 people comes to 40, 000-can you imagine the size of that experience and knowledge pool?

　　Looking as it this way, giving your friends, family and colleagues the opportunity to help you open your resource bank to thousands of people．That's a whole army of potential volunteers all waiting to be praised!

　　So, next time you need help, don't suffer in silence．Pick up the phone or mention it to a friend．You'll be pleasantly amazed at what you can achieve together．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　There are several reasons why some people enjoy a better standard of living than other people．Then again, some people work very hard for their entire life and only are able to pay their monthly living expenses．As a matter of fact, they usually end up working until the last day they are alive．

　　On the other hand, many people who are well off, so to speak, and through no fault of their own, experience a rapid decline of their standard of living due to an unexpected disaster, poor health and/or a severe economic depression within the country in which they live．

　　Additionally, well-educated people usually earn more money during their active working years and thus are able to save a great deal of money in which to support themselves after they retire from the work force．

　　People also become wealthy as a result of their own determination or they inherit(继承)wealth from elder family members, or they simply continue to work in the business that past generations of their family worked within．

　　It is also true that a person can simply be a lucky dog who wins a lottery or some such contests that give a great deal of wealth to the winner．Let us not forget about the self-made individuals who have a dream of achieving fame and fortune and, after many years truly hard work, are well-rewarded for their continued efforts．

　　An example of whom is the person who wrote the Harry Potter novels．She was just an average erson who became a billonaire．So too, Ray Croc, the founder of a chain of fast food restaurants, became rich and famus at a time in life when most people retire from the workforce．Bill Gates is another person, who, by his own detemination, skill and hard work, became rich and famous, as well as Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison．

　　As you can see, there are many ways in which to become wealthy and enjoy an above average standard of living．However, those who are motivated by greed and become criminals as a result of such greed end up causing harm to others, as they continue to suck the wealth out of other people within the society．Those criminals simply take all that they get and give back little or nothing in return．What is your plan for achieving financial security, happiness, fame, and fortune?

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Hubert Joseph Schlafly was an electrical engineer who helped change the way actors, politicians and other people speak on television．In 1950, he and two other men developed the teleprompter．One co-worker, Fred Barton, was an actor．He had an idea for a tool that would help television actors read their lines without having to memorize them．The other co-worker was Irving Kahn．He worked as vice-president of radio and television at 20^th Century Fox．

　　The first teleprompter involved a erson who held a long piece of paper printed whth big letters．As the actor read the lines, another person would move the paper ahead on the device(装置)。The teleprompter was first used on a television program called “The First Hundred Years．”Later versions used television screens to show the words that were to be read．

　　Hub Schlafly and his co-workers believed that many companies would want to buy the teleprompter．So, they left their jobs and created the TelePrompTer Corporation to sell their invention．

　　In 1952, former President Herbert Hoover became the first politician to use a teleprompter．The former president was speaking at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, USA．For a brief time, he stopped reading and began to talk about a subject not written in his speech．When Hoover wanted to continue the speech, the words on the teleprompter were not moving．He then said the machine should be restarted and viewers became aware of the new invention．Many reporters wrote about that incident, creating a new level of publicity(宣传)for the teleprompter．

　　Soon more and more politicians started to use it to face the television camera while reading prepared statements, instead of looking down at their notes．Then the device was used for almost all live television broadcasts．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　I'd like to take you to four of the most beautiful lakes around the world．

　　Malawi Lake

　　Home to 1, 000 species of fish, Malawi Lake is Africa's third largest lake at 363 miles long and up to about 50 miles wide in some spots．Located 2, 300 feet below sea level, it supports hundreds of local villages with its rich underwater stock．The lake's southern area represents the world's first freshwater national park．A star of the water here is the mbuna, a native freshwater fish known for eating directly from people's hands．

　　Peyto Lake

　　Banff National Park's Peyto Park is brilliant turquoise(青绿色的)。 For the most dramatic views of the 1.7-mile-long lake, encircled with thick forest and dangerous mountain peaks, pull into at Bow Summit, the parkway's highest point, and follow the steep hike to the overlook．

　　Crater Lake

　　Thousands of years ago, a 12, 000-foot-high volcano in the Cascade Range exploded．The massive pit(坑)left behind became known as Crater Lake．Forests of towering evergreens and 2, 000-foot-high cliffs surround the lake．At 1, 949 feet deep, it's the deepest lake in the United States．If winter hiking and cross-country skiing aren't your thing, wait until early July to visit, when the roads have been plowed and the trails cleared．

　　Taal Lake

　　This dangerous beauty, situated just 37.28 miles south of Manila, is the deepest lake in the Philippines, with a depth of 564feet．Taal Lake is also home to one of the world's smallest but most active volcanoes, the Taal Volcano, which sits within its water on the island of Luzon．The lake itself was formed when a larger volcano crater here collapsed．Plenty of tour groups offer trips to the natural wonder-in spite of the fact that the volcanoes are very active．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　When I was 23 years old I was in a dangerous relationship with the man who was my fiancé(未婚夫)at the time．I was being physically and verbally abused on a daily basis．I was financially tied to him after he spent all my savings to pay his debts but I wanted to be free!

　　For the longest time I was too embarrassed to tell my mother about the situation．She had warned me about him．But, eventually, I worked up the courage to tell her and she sent me the money I needed to leave．Before the money arrived, he found out what I planned to do．I was so scared of what he might do that I decided to leave without taking all my belongings and just get out of there．

　　Then, on my way to safety, my car died! I had automobile insurance(thanks to my mom)so I called the AAA and had them pull the car to a garage．It turned out the repair was going to cost ＄800 and the money my mom sent hadn't arrived by that point．

　　The owner of the garage must have known something was up because he asked what was wrong．I told him a brief version of my story and promised him I could pay him in two days．He never told me his name but I will never forget him or what he did for me that day! He said he had a daughter almost my age and hoed that if she ever needed help in the future then some stranger might do the same for her．

　　Since then I have tried to help people in my own way．Now I have a beautiful 12-year-old daughter and I hope throughout her life she can help others and be helped when she needs it, like I was!

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations：you’re a survivor．According to a survey, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, than nine times more likely to die of AIDS．Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you'll die on average five years before a woman．

　　There’re many reasons for this-typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke-but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor．

　　“Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should, ” says Dr．Gullotta．“This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike．”

　　Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two．For those over45, it should be at least once a year．

　　Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker's cough for a year．

　　“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he finally died from lung cancer, ” he says．“Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged(延长)his life．”

　　According to a recent survey, 95％ of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70％ of men in the same age group．

　　“A lot of men think they can never defeated, ” Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …’”

　　Then there's the ostrich(鸵鸟)approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know, ” says Dr, Ross Cartmill．

　　“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies, ” Cartmill says．He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups．

　　Regular check-ups for men would inevitable place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says．“But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the ultimate cost far greater; it's called premature death．”

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　If you want to avoid making impulse(冲动)and unnecessary purchases, then just keep your hands away from tempting products．According to new research, individuals who touch possible items in stores are more likely to have an increased desire to purchase them than those who keep their hands off the products．

　　Suzanne Shu and Joann Peck, marketing professors at the University of Wisconsin's business school conducted studies on the connection between touch and feelings of ownership and the effect of perceived ownership on the value placed on an object．For one of the experiments, the experts placed two products, a Slinky toy and a coffee mug in front of the volunteers who were undergraduate students．About half of the participants were allowed to touch the products, while the other half were asked not to touch them．The volunteers then were asked to express their sense of ownership of the products and to report how much money they were willing to pay for each．The results showed that those students who were allowed to touch the objects, reported significant increased levels of perceived ownership．They also expressed a desire to pay more money to obtain the products．

　　The investigators also discovered that a sense of very pleasant feelings when touching products, determined how much money consumers were willing to pay．However, if the object did not feel pleasant to the touch, it significantly decreased the amount the buyers were willing to pay．

　　Researchers said that many stores have already followed the right path．But what can be done while shopping online, when touching of an item is not possible? In this case, the experts say, just picturing in mind that they are touching it and then owning it, will cause greater feelings of ownership, and thus the consumers will be more likely to make a purchase．

　　When you touch an object, you immediately feel some kind of a connection to it, according to the researchers．That connection stirs up an emotional reaction．And that emotion can make people buy something they would never even consider buying if they had not touched it．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Now scientists believe that global warming affects hibernating animals, causing them to wake up earlier．While this may seem a little concern, it is in fact a significant environmental problem．The shortened hibernation period could actually lead to significant declines in the populations of several species

　　Some of the first concrete evidence of the phenomenon came from Colorado, where researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological lab have been observing marmot(旱獭)hibernation behavior since the 1970s．In the early days of their studies, marmots generally hibernated several weeks into the month of May．Nowadays, however, temperatures in the area have risen by 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and the marmots are waking up about a month earlier．

　　At least the marmots are still hibernating．Several other animals have not been hibernating at all recently．Brown bears in the Spanish Cantabrian Mountains did not hibernate last year．In parts of the United States, chipmunks(花鼠)also skipped the hibernation period．The bears seem to have survived without losing many individuals．The chipmunks, however, were not so lucky．Many of the animals died of starvation during the winter．

　　The problem with animals waking up early, or skipping hibernation altogether, lies with the creatures’ metabolism(新陈代谢)．When an animal hibernates, their metabolism drops significantly．The animals’ heart rate slows, and they require very little energy to live．When the animals awake from their winter slumber, their metabolism returns to normal．

　　But while their metabolism may be as active as it was before hibernation, food sources aren't as available as they were before．A marmot may wake up when temperatures get warmer, thinking it's spring, but plants will not have gotten the amount of sun they need to signal their spring period of growth．So until the plants grow, the marmots have no reliable food source．

　　Many scientists believe the problem will continue to get worse．In addition to changes in hibernation patterns, some believe that other animals will also begin to change their migration patterns or begin to give birth earlier．For many biologists, that's a scary prospect．Terry Root, an animal expert at Stanford University, said：“I do think what we will be facing is the extinction of many species．"

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　A black and white kitten with a broken back lay on animal doctor Betsy Kennon's examination table．A regular customer had rushed him to her office after his pet dog brought the cat home in his mouth．The dog's owner was horrified, believing that his pet had caused the cat's injuries．But Kennon found no teeth marks or bite wounds, which showed that the dog had probably saved, not harmed, the kitten．

　　In Kennon's opinion, however, the cat was a hopeless case．Many doctors would have put down such a badly hurt animal．But she couldn't be so cruel．The kitten's bright eyes and sad face had won her over．There was no way of finding his owner, so Kennon, a single woman aged 56, decided to keep him．

　　She gave him a round of shots and fed him food mixed with medicines．He couldn't move his back legs but soon started pulling himself forward with his front legs．The doctor named him Scooter and contacted a company that makes carts for disabled animals．Scooter took to his new wheels like a natural．In no time he was able to move freely, but somewhat awkwardly, around Kennon's office, home and even her backyard．The sight of the determined Scooter was uplifting and amusing in equal measure and Kennon had to smile each time the cat entered the room．

　　Kennon was convinced that her kitten could share his high spirits with others．So she took Scooter to the local hospital to see if he could help the patients．His first patient was an elderly woman who'd had a stroke and hadn't spoken to anyone for two days．Scooter jumped out of Kennon's arms and onto the bed, rolled over to the patient, and lay gently near her cheek, purring softly．The woman looked at Scooter．“Kitty, ” she murmured as she began to talk to him．Amazed, Kennon turned to the doctor-and saw that she was in tears．The cat had engineered a small miracle．

　　Today Scooter spends about ten hours a month working with patients who are recovering from strokes and injuries．Again and again, Kennon watches as her cat provides hope and comfort．As one patient who'd lost her leg in a car accident said, “If he can do it, so can I．”

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