Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens（过敏原）, prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children？
A study finds that, contrary to many parents’ fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child’s risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study’s lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was “very surprised” by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps "exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.
There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune(免疫) system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child’s allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them.
【小题1】Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?

A．Because the results are contrary to their expectation．

B．Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs．

C．Because parents are so much worried about their children．

D．Because children with animals may develop allergies easily．

【小题2】Compared with children who have pets，those who haven’t  ______.

A．will lose the chance to develop immune system

B．will reduce the harm from bacteria

C．may suffer allergic diseases more often

D．can keep doctors away

【小题3】The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.

A．the early life	B．an allergic disease
C．something important	D．immune system

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to protect your kids from allergies

B．Bacteria do good to your kids

C．Your pets may be helping your kids

D．Advantages of owning pets

American children are not the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending 3 hours a day or more watching TV or on computers, according to the study of over 70,000 teens in 34 nations.
From Argentina to Zambia, Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization in Geneva and her colleagues found most children were not getting enough exercise and that it made no difference whether they live in a rich or a poor country. “With regards to physical levels, we didn’t find much of a difference between rich and poor countries,” Guthold said, “Growing up in a poor country doesn’t necessarily mean kids get more physical activities.”
The researchers defined adequate physical activity as at least an hour of exercise outdoors for at least 5 days a week. Children spending 3 or more hours a day watching TV, playing computer games or chatting with friends were classified as sedentary.
The researchers found only a quarter of the boys and 15 percent of the girls were getting enough exercise by these definitions. A quarter of boys and nearly 30% of girls were sedentary and didn’t get enough exercise with girls less active than boys in every country aside from Zambia.
Girls from India were the most active with 37 percent meeting exercise recommendation, while girls from Egypt were the least active with 4 percent getting enough exercise. Children in Myanmar were the least sedentary while the most sedentary nations were St .Lucia and the Cayman Islands.
People show deep concern for kids’ lack of physical activity in various nations. Why do they have a low level of physical activity? Guthold speculated（认为）that urbanization could be a factor as well as easy access to cars and TVs.
【小题1】If you are sedentary, you ____________.   

A．are a diligent student spending much time doing homework

B．have at least an hour of exercise outdoors 5 days a week.

C．like watching TV and playing computer games

D．spend longer hours sitting or lying without moving

【小题2】Which of the following statements is true as to Guthold’s finding?

A．Most children around the world don’t meet the exercise recommendation.

B．Girls in every country are no more active than boys.

C．Children in rich countries relatively get less physical activity.

D．Only 4% of the girls from Egypt are not active in exercise.

【小题3】All the following statements are wrong except _______.

A．Children in poor countries get more physical activities.

B．Girls in Egypt are more active than those in India.

C．Couch potatoes are those children addicted to snacks.

D．Children in Myanmar are less sedentary than those in St .Lucia.

【小题4】What would the writer be most likely to discuss in detail in the paragraph that follows?

A．The suitable amount of physical activities for students.

B．Some of the factors for the popularity of cars and TVs among the kids.

C．The reasons behind the lack of physical activities.

D．The ways to make the most of cars and TVs.

Eco City Farms(生态城市农场) are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the Unites States.
Eco City Farms in Edmonton, Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a working-class community(社区). People do not have very much money. And they have limited access to fresh food in markets.
Over the past two years, the farm has attracted volunteers from the community like Marcy Clark. She schools her four children at home. On a recent day she brought them to Eco City Farms for a lesson. Her son Alston Clark thinks his experience is very valuable.“I like coming out here,”he says,“You know, you connect with the earth, where your food comes from. You appreciate the food a little bit more.”
Margaret Morgan started Eco City Farms. She thinks of it as a place where people can learn to live healthier lives. “Growing food in a community brings people together,”she continues,“Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration(示范) to show people everything about how to have an eco-friendly community.”she says. From the Eco City Farms people come to know that they are not only growing food and raising chickens and bees, but improving the soil with compost(肥料)made from food waste.
Eco City Farms is an experimental operation. The farm gets its power not from the local electricity networks, but from the sun with solar panels. In winter, the green house use a geothermal(地热)system.
Vegetables can be grown all year. So once a week, all winter long, neighbors like Chris Moss and her three children bike to the farm to pick up a share of the harvest.
“I like eating the vegetables ”say five-year-old Owen Moss.
【小题1】What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A．Eco City Farms save a lot of energy.

B．Eco City Farms are gaining popularity.

C．Eco City Farms are influencing community life.

D．Eco City Farms helps the working-class live better.

【小题2】According to the passage, Eco City Farms are close to the following places EXCEPT______.

A．shopping centers	B．car repair shops
C．fast-food restaurants	D．working-class community

【小题3】What is the author’s attitude toward Eco City Farms?

A．Enthusiastic(热心的).	B．Disappointed.
C．Surprised.	D．Doubtful.

【小题4】In which column(专栏) of a newspaper can you most probably read this article?

A．People.

B．Travel.

C．Environment.

D．Education.

A new study links heavy air pollution from coal burning to shorter lives in northern China. Researchers estimate that the half-billion people alive there in the 1990s will live an average of 5 years less than their southern counterparts because they breathed dirtier air.
China itself made the comparison possible: for decades, a now-discontinued government policy provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. Researchers found significant differences in both particulate pollution of the air and life expectancy in the two regions.
While previous studies have found that pollution affects human health, "the deeper and ultimately more important question is the impact on life expectancy," said one of the researchers, Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at Massachusetts Institute of 一Technology. "This study provides a unique setting to answer the life expectancy question because the(heating) policy dramatically changes pollution concentrations（含量），，，Greenstone said in an email. "Further, due to the low rates of migration in China in this period, we can know people's exposure over long time periods," he said.
The policy gave free coal for fuel boilers to heat homes and offices to cities north of the Huai Riv饥which divides China into north and south. It was in effect for much of the 1950-198,0 period of central planning, and, though discontinued after 1980, it has left a legacy（遗留） in the north of heavy coal burning, which releases particulate pollutants into the air that can harm human health. Researchers found no other government policies that treated China's north differently from the south.
The researchers collected data for 90 cities, from 1981 to 2000, on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended（悬浮的）particulates. In China, those are considered to be particulates that are 100 micrometers or less in diameter, sent out from sources including power stations, construction sites and vehicles. Among them, PM2.5 is of especially great health concern because it can go deep into the lungs.
The researchers estimated the impact on life expectancies using death data from 1991-2000． They found that in the north, the concentration of particulates was 184 micrograms per cubic meter一or 55 percent higher than in the south, and life expectancies were 5.5 years lower on average across all age ranges.
【小题1】The main idea of this passage is that＿·

A．research in China finds air pollution shortened life expectancy

B．the government provided free coal for heating in North China

C．coal burning causes bad air quality across China

D．a new study finds different particulates in South China

【小题2】According to Greenstone,＿greatly contributed to the high pollution concentrations in North China.

A．power stations	B．construction sites
C．the free heating policy	D．gases from vehicles

【小题3】It is implied in the passage that＿·

A．coal is no longer used for heating in North China

B．air quality was comparatively better in South China

C．southerners burned coals for heating in the 1980s

D．people preferred to live in South China after 1980

【小题4】The underlined word "particulates" most probably means＿．

A．dirty clouds	B．particular smoke
C．harmful dust	D．dangerous bacteria

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day．Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap．
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments．These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food．
Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public-private Partnership for handwashing with soap．The goal, they say, is to create a culture of handwashing with soap．The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs．They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap．Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails．Then, wash well under running water．Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth．
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing．Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs．And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the chances that people will wash again．
It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine．It could help reduce cases of diarrhea, which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half．
【小题1】What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?

A．To keep healthy by washing hands．	B．To wash hands with soap．
C．To take action to wash hands．	D．To wash hands often．

【小题2】Which of the following is the right way to wash hands?
a．Washing hands well．        b．Covering hands with soap．   c．Drying hands．
d．Rubbing hands with soap．e．Wetting hands．

A．a--c--b--e--d	B．e--d--a--b—c
C．a--c--b--d--e	D．e--b--d--a--c

【小题3】Which fact can NOT explain why soap is important?

A．It gives people a longer handwashing time．

B．It helps to remove a lot of germs from hands．

C．It attracts people to do more handwashing．

D．It gets all people into the habit of washing hands．

【小题4】According to the last paragraph, diarrhea is a disease that ________．

A．kills half of the kids in the developing countries a year

B．causes the greatest number of child deaths

C．can be prevented to some degree by washing hands with soap

D．can’t be cured without washing hands

Bad teeth can be painful and even be deadly. Infections of the gums(牙龈) and teeth can release bacteria into the blood system. Those bacteria can increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke and worsen the effects of other diseases. And adults are not the only ones at risk. For example, a 12­year­old boy died when a tooth infection spread to his brain in 2007 in Washington. Experts said it might have been prevented had he received the dental care he needed.
Experts say good dental care starts at birth. Breast milk, they say, is the best food for the healthy development of teeth. Breast milk can help slow bacterial growth and acid production in the mouth. But dentists say a baby's gums and early teeth should be cleaned after each feeding by using a cloth with a little warm water. Experts say if you decide to put your baby to sleep with a bottle, give only water.
When baby teeth begin to appear, you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies and to use them very gently. The use of fluoride(氟化物) to protect teeth is common in many parts of the world. For example, it is often added to drinking water supplies. The fluoride mixes with enamel(釉质), the hard surface on teeth, to help prevent holes from forming.
But young children often swallow toothpaste when they brush their teeth. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry notes that swallowing fluoridated toothpaste can cause problems. So young children should be carefully watched when they brush their teeth. And only a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste, the size of a pea, should be used.
Parents often wonder what effect finger sucking might have on their baby's teeth. Dental experts generally agree that this is fine early in life. Most children stop sucking their fingers by the age of four. If it continues, experts advise parents to talk to their children's dentists or doctors. Because it could interfere_with the correct development of permanent teeth.
Dentists say children should have their first dental visit at least by the time they are one year old. They say babies should be examined when their first teeth appear—usually at around six months.
【小题1】According to the passage，what is the function of fluoride?

A．Making the surface on teeth much cleaner.

B．Protecting gums from being infected.

C．Keeping holes on teeth from forming.

D．Slowing down bacterial growth and acid production.

【小题2】The underlined phrase “interfere with” in Para.5 probably means “________”．

A．do harm to	B．account for
C．contribute to	D．stand for

【小题3】What is the purpose of the author in writing the passage?

A．To warn us of the deadly infections of gums and teeth.

B．To introduce the advantages of fluoridated toothpaste.

C．To draw our attention to the dental care of young children.

D．To present the research results about dental care.

Are you stressed out, scared or worried all the time? Do you avoid going to certain places, seeing friends or doing certain things because of your worries? Do your worries keep you awake at night? If you’ve answered yes, you may be suffering from anxiety.
Anxiety is a normal and necessary part of life. Anxiety is your brain’s way of telling you about danger. It is anxiety which helps you jump out of the way if a car is speeding towards you. But if it gets out of hand, anxiety can get in the way of your getting on with life and can become a real problem. If this is the case for you, treatment may be a helpful way for you to get your anxiety under control.
Anxiety is a normal part of life. Some people may feel uneasy if moving to a new place and some may get overly anxious in certain situations. There are lots of reasons for this. One main reason is after a stressful thing which has happened in your life. So, if you are involved in a car crash, it’s quite likely that you will be more worried than other people around cars and driving.
Being anxious also probably runs in families. If your parents suffer from anxiety then you are more likely to be anxious too. This is probably partly due to genetics, and partly because of how things are when you’re growing up.
Even though people don’t talk about it much, anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems. About 1 in 4 people will have an anxiety problem at some time in their life.
If you have an anxiety problem it’s hard for other people to understand why something that doesn’t worry them, like being in a crowd of people, can be so scary for you. This can make you feel separated and lonely, as may become worse and worse.
The good news is there are lots of excellent treatments available for anxiety. These include taking therapies (疗法) and drugs.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is true about anxiety?

A．With anxiety you are far away from traffic accidents.

B．It’s abnormal for people to get too anxious after a stressful thing.

C．Almost everybody has a certain degree of anxiety in certain situations.

D．When you feel stressed out, scared or worried, you are surely suffering from anxiety.

【小题2】 Which of the following reasons for anxiety is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Illness.

B．Experience.

C．Genetics.

D．Environment.

【小题3】 What can we infer from the fifth and sixth paragraph in the passage?

A．Anxiety is the most common mental health problem.

B．Those suffering from anxiety need others’ understanding badly.

C．About a quarter of the population are suffering from anxiety now.

D．Once you suffer from anxiety, you’d better seek for medical treatment.

【小题4】The author will most probably talk about ________ following this passage.

A．what is about anxiety	B．what causes anxiety
C．how to handle anxiety	D．when anxiety becomes serious

When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungey lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.
It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.
Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally – admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is

A．not very high.	B．high.
C．contemptuous.	D．critical.

【小题2】The main idea of this passage is

A．vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law.

B．people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence.

C．to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports.

D．people are bloodthirsty in sports.

【小题3】That the author mentions the old Romans is

A．To compare the old Romans with today’s people.

B．to give an example.

C．to show human beings in the past know nothing better.

D．to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty.

【小题4】.How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?

A．Three.	B．Five.
C．Six.	D．Seven.

【小题5】The purpose of the author in writing this passage is

A．that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve our selves.

B．that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law.

C．that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system.

D．to show law is the main instrument of social change.

Vocabulary
relish           从……获得乐处，享受
orgy       狂欢，放纵
arena       竞技场，活动或斗争的场所
blood-thirsty     残忍的，嗜血的
bear-baiting     逗熊游戏
bull-fight    斗牛
batter       猛击，连续地猛打/捶，乱打
pulp          成纸浆，成软块
burst into flames    突然燃烧起来/着火
grim       令人窒息的，简陋的
coop up       把……关起来
难句译注
bear-baiting  逗熊游戏。这是一种十六、十七世纪流行于英国的游戏――驱狗去咬绑着的熊，很残忍，后被禁止。
…two men batter each other to pulp in the boxing ring.
【结构简析】batter one to pulp =" beat" one to a pulp 狠揍某人，打瘫某人
【参考译文】两个人在拳击场内彼此狠揍，知道一个人被打倒在地，爬不起来。
…unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames.
【参考译文】眼见一辆或多辆赛车相互撞击，突然烧起来而无动于衷。
A world heavy weight championship match is front page news.
【参考译文】世界重量级冠军赛总是头版头条新闻。
写作方法与文章大意
作者采取先对比、后分析的写作手法。先是今人和古罗马人对暴虐体育上对此两者都欣赏。后者坦率成人“欣赏暴力体育”，前者施以各种接口、实际都是嗜血成性者。第二段进一步剖析今人欣赏暴虐体育的种种实例，最后指出改善“暴虐”的根本嗜为改善法律采取积极的步骤，法律才能施以巨大的文明影响，否则人类很难改变。

    Feel tired lately?Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you?Perhaps he sends you to a hospital,but all the advanced equipment there shows there is nothing wrong with you.
Then,consider this:you might be in a state of sub-health(亚健康).
Sub-health,also called the third state or gray state,is explained as borderline state between health and disease.
According to the investigation by the National Organization,over 45 percent of sub-health people are middle-aged or elderly.The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.
Symptoms(征兆)include a lack of energy,depression,slow reactions,insomnia(失眠),agitation, and poor memory.Other symptoms include shortness of breath,sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health,according to some medical experts,is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly,and take part in open air activities.
As for meals,people are advised to eat less salt and sugar.They should also eat more fresh vegetables,fruits,fish because they are rich in nutritional elements—vitamins and trace elements(微量元素)—that are important to the body.
Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract(消化道).They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health.
【小题1】When you are in a state of sub-health,you should ________.

A．stay home and keep silent

B．go to a doctor and buy some medicine

C．not consider it very serious

D．find out the reasons and relax yourself

【小题2】Middle-aged people may be easy to get sub-health because ________.

A．they have used up their energy

B．they have lost their living hopes

C．they have more pressure in life and work

D．they have changed their way of life

【小题3】The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is to ________.

A．keep on working regularly	B．go to sleep a bit earlier
C．form good living habits	D．take medicine if necessary

【小题4】The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to ________.

A．arrange by turns	B．cause to take place
C．make up for	D．keep away from

As a nation we are becoming more aware of the food we and our children are eating.The recent campaign to improve school dinners by celebrity(名人) chef Jamie Oliver has helped raise awareness of our fast food lifestyles.While we may be trying to eat more healthily，it seems we still have some bad habits.
?Healthy eaters or just trendy?
Are there certain things that you do and don’t eat and why？With so many food programmes and books telling you what you should and shouldn’t eat to be healthy，it’s hard to make choices.
Some people are vegetarians for moral reasons，some don’t like the taste of meat and there are one or two people who do it because it’s trendy.Likewise，it can be trendy to follow the latest celebrity’s diet because it’s what the famous are doing.
?Eating out
People are eating out more often now，not just on special occasions as in the past.The choice of restaurants has also diversified.Italian，Chinese and Indian restaurants have been around for years but have now been joined by Mongolian，Japanese，Mexican and so on.Bars and pubs are still popular for food and often promote English cuisine made with local produce.
“We enjoy eating out a couple of times every month whether with friends or just as a couple.We like trying new things so we go to different restaurants.” said Craig,25，County Durham.
?Eating on the go
From chocolate bars to sandwiches more people are eating on the go—on the street，in cars or on buses and trains.While our parents and grandparents may frown at this behaviour，considering it to be bad manners，people eat on the go because they are rushing from one place to another.And in the home the number of people sitting down at a dining table for their evening meal is on the decrease as meal times become more informal.
“If I’m running late for work I don’t think twice about eating toast in the car or on the bus but I know my mum wouldn’t approve，” said Stacey,24.
【小题1】What can we infer from the text?

A．Our parents think highly of the eating habits mentioned in the text.

B．We should get rid of the bad habits and try to be healthier.

C．Japanese restaurants have been around for years.

D．It’s good for people to eat out more frequently.

【小题2】People find it difficult to decide what to eat to keep healthy because ________.

A．different programmes and books have different ideas about healthy eating

B．there are many celebrities having different diet styles

C．what the famous are doing is different from ours

D．they have some bad eating habits

【小题3】The underlined word “diversified” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．

A．made a great change

B．made a big difference

C．had a rapid increase

D．had a wide variety

【小题4】Craig often goes to different restaurants because ________.

A．he likes trying new things

B．he follows the latest celebrity diet

C．he enjoys the meal with his friends

D．he has more special occasions to celebrate