A study led by Professor Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital has determined that young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQs than their non-smoking peers (同龄人). Tracking 18-to 21-year-old men enlisted in the Israeli army in the largest ever study of its kind, he has been able to demonstrate an important connection between the number of cigarettes young males smoke and their IQ.

The average IQ for a non-smoker was about 101, while the smokers’ average was more than seven IQ points lower, at about 94, the study determined. The IQs of young men who smoked more than a pack a day were lower still, at about 90. An IQ score in a healthy population of such young men, with no mental disorders(心理疾病), falls within the range of 84 to 116.

An addiction that doesn’t discriminate(歧视)

“In the health profession, we’ve generally thought that smokers are most likely the kind of people who have grown up in difficult neighborhoods, or who’ve been given less education at good schools,” says Weiser, whose study was reported in a recent version of the journal, Addiction, “But because our study included subjects with various socio-economic backgrounds, we’ve been able to rule out socio-economics as a major factor. The government might want to rethink how it arranges its educational resources on smoking.

Making the results more significant, the study also measured effects in twin brothers. In the case where one twin smoked, the non-smoking twin registered a higher IQ on average.

Although a lower IQ may suggest a greater risk for smoking addiction, the representing data on IQ and smoking found that most of the smokers investigated in the study had IQs within the average range, nevertheless.

In the study, researchers took data from more than 20,000 men before, during and after their time in the military. All men in the study were considered in good health, since pre-screening(筛选的)measures for suitability in the army had already been taken. The researchers found that around 28 percent of their samples smoked one or more cigarettes a day, 3 percent considered themselves ex-smokers, and 68 percent said they never smoked.

“People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,” says Weiser. He adds that his finding can help address serious concern among heath counsellors at grade and high schools.

1.The study led by Professor Mark Weiser shows that            .

A．the IQ of smoking males is lower than that of non-smokers

B．the IQ of smoking males is higher than that of non-smokers

C．the IQ of smoking males is the same as that of non-smokers

D．the IQ of smoking males is higher than that of female smokers

2.According to the passage, a smoking man’s IQ is most likely to be            .

A．101

B．94

C．80

D．120

3.What can be learned from the passage?

A．People in the military are more likely to become smokers than other people.

B．Most heavy smokers are found to have mental problems.

C．Socio-economic backgrounds have nothing to do with smoking behaviour.

D．People with lower IQs tend to be less good at controlling their addiction to smoking.

4.What is the meaning of the underlined part “An addiction that doesn’t discriminate”?

A．Smokers do not believe their IQ is affected by being addicted to smoking.

B．All people, no matter what their background, can become addicted to smoking.

C．Smoking is an addiction, and we must not discriminate against smokers.

D．The addiction to smoking is difficult to get rid of.

 

I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs（突破）. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him    1   he thought he was able to be so much more    2   than the average person.

He responded that it all came from a(n)   3   with his mother that occurred when he was about 2. He had been trying to   4  milk from the fridge when he    5   the slippery(光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.

When his mother came in,    6   shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful    7   you have made! I have    8   seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been    9  . Would you like to get down and    10   in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge(海绵), a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge.

His mother then said, “ You know, what we have here is a    11  experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two    12   hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can   13 .” The little boy learned that if he    14   the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful    15  !

This scientist then said that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be    16  to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just    17   for learning something new, which is,    18  , what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn't   19 ,” we usually learn something    20   from it.

1.                A．why           B．what           C．when D．how

 

2.                A．capable        B．able           C．creative  D．original

 

3.                A．coincidence     B．experience      C．incident  D．conflict

 

4.                A．carry          B．bring           C．remove   D．fetch

 

5.                A．fell            B．lost            C．escaped  D．dropped

 

6.                A．rather than      B．instead of       C．other than D．in place of

 

7.                A．picture         B．mass           C．map D．mess

 

8.                A．rarely          B．happily         C．frequently D．angrily

 

9.                A．got            B．suffered        C．done     D．received

 

10.               A．jump          B．play           C．enjoy D．lay

 

11.               A．failed          B．successful       C．fantastic   D．painful

 

12.               A．strong         B．tiny            C．thin  D．weak

 

13.               A．get it          B．put it          C．try it  D．make it

 

14.               A．controlled      B．possessed       C．occupied  D．grasped

 

15.               A．example        B．teaching        C．lesson D．instruction

 

16.               A．anxious        B．nervous        C．fearful    D．afraid

 

17.               A．situations       B．opportunities    C．occasions  D．turns

 

18.               A．after all        B．above all        C．first of all  D．in all

 

19.               A．do            B．finish          C．go   D．work

 

20.               A．worthy         B．costly          C．valuable   D．interesting

 

 

The average person learns most of the 30 000～40 000 words whose meanings he or she recognizes by hearing them or getting familiar with them in the context or simply absorbing them without conscious(意识到的) effort. The best way to build a good vocabulary, therefore, is to read a great deal and to participate in a lot of good talks. There are relatively few words that we learn permanently(永久的)by purposefully referring to dictionaries or keeping word lists. However, even those extra few are of value, and no one will make a mistake by working on developing a larger vocabulary. Here are some suggestions of how to do it.

Read plenty of good books. When you come across a new word, or a new meaning of an old word, stop and see if you can understand it from its context. If you can't, and if you can manage without interrupting the thought of the book too much, look it up in a dictionary or ask somebody and then repeat its meaning to yourself a couple of times. If you are really conscientious(认真的), write the word and its meaning in a personal vocabulary list — preferably using it in a sentence, or you can keep a special vocabulary notebook. Go over the list from time to time. Further, try to use a new word in writing or conversation a few times over the next several days.

Listen to good talks and be alert to new words you hear or to new meanings of words you already know. Then treat them just as you treat the new words you read.

Learn and be alert to the parts of words: prefixes, suffixes and roots. Knowing them enables you to make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words.

If you are studying a foreign language, be alert to words in that language which relate to words in English. English has inherited(继承) or borrowed much of its vocabulary of 500 000～600 000 words from Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German.

When you meet a new word in reading, what should you do?

A. Guess its meaning.                              B. Ask somebody.

C. Look it up in a dictionary.                     D. All of the above.

According to this passage, the best way to build a good vocabulary is ___.

A. to remember a lot                                 B. to read a great deal

C. to take part in a lot of good talks            D. both B and C

The phrase “be alert to” in the third paragraph may best be replaced by “___”.

A. look at                                               B. pay attention to 

C. write down                                         D. learn by heart

In the fourth paragraph, the word “them” refers to ___.

A. the parts of words                                 B. prefixes

C. suffixes                                                D. roots

Have you got a Facebook account? Are you thinking of getting one? Jamie Simmonds has just signed up. Let’s see how she’s getting along.

My Diary

MONDAY: I’m officially a Facebooker. I find a few people I used to know and I’ve soon got seven friends. I’ve never felt so popular! I wonder if my old university flatmate Steve is on here…What do you know! He is! Maybe Facebook has its uses.

TUESDAY: I’ve received lots of nice welcoming messages on my wall. Later, I meet up with Steve for a drink after not seeing him for five years. We get on really well! Then, he uses his Facebook app for iPhone to suggest me as a friend to some other former classmates. Some of them even come to the pub and it’s just like old times – possibly a bit too much like old times. During the night, photos are uploaded to Facebook.

WEDNESDAY: Disaster! My mum’s on Facebook! Has she seen the photos of me dancing on the table from last night? Has she shown them to dad? Oh. And I have a friend request – mum again!

THURSDAY: There’s a message from my boyfriend, “so, it’s over then, ;is it?” Evidently I haven’t changed my settings to show I’m “in a relationship”, and I haven’t even added him as a friend. Ah, well, I wonder what my ex-boyfriend is doing… Whoops! I accidentally type his name into my status box instead of the search ‘ and now every one can see it on their news feed.’

FRIDAY: Time to update my status:“Work is boring. Can’t wait for the weekend!” Yeah, that about sums it up. Oh, look, I’ve received a comment! Someone must feel the same way. Lots of my friends now“like” this status.

SATURDAY: Good news! I’ve got 100 friends But wait! Someone’s “un-friended” me! I look through my “friend list” to try to work out who it was. Why did they do that? Am I really such a terrible person? I never knew Facebook could be this cruel.

SUNDAY: Wake up. Check my Facebook page. Make coffee. Check my Facebook page again. Get ready to leave. Change my mind and check my Facebook page … again. I am becoming addicted to it! I think it’s time to end it all before it takes over my life. I delete my account. Back to good, old, simple e-mails. Oh, look, I’ve got a message: A friend invited you to join Twitter. . .

In July 2010, Facebook had more than 500 million active users. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. Facebook is translated into more than 70 different languages. The world spends 700 billion minutes a month on Facebook. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page says he’s a Harvard graduate, even though he actually dropped out to focus on Facebook. The site is valued at between $7.9 and $11 billion.

1. Why did Jamie’s boyfriend ask her whether she had broken up with him?

    A. He had seen photos of Jamie dancing on the table.

    B. She showed in her facebook that she was still not dating anyone.

    C. Her boyfriend was angry that she refused to add him as her friend.

    D. He saw the name of her ex-boyfriend on his news feed.

2.Which of the following is conveyed in this article?

    A. Visiting Facebook website took up a large part of Jamie’s time and energy.

    B. Jamie is enthusiastic about her present job.

    C. Facebook was created by a Harvard graduate, Mark Zuckerberg.

    D. Compared with Facebook, Twitter is a better choice for Jamie.

3.What does the word“un-friend” mean in“Someone’s ‘un-friended’ me!”?

    A.  Being unfriendly to others.

    B.  Having a quarrel with somebody.

    C.  Removing a name from the friend list.

    D.  Ending friendship with somebody.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage ?

   A. Steve was Jamie’s boyfriend in the university.

   B. People all over the world spend 700 billion minutes a week on Facebook.

   C. Jamie’s mother has seen the photos of her dancing on the table.

   D. Jamie felt enthusiastic about Facebook at first.

5.It can be learned from the passage that the writer’s attitude towards Facebook is ______  .

    A. approval          B. objective           C. negative        D. positive

 

It’s a natural phenomenon. The minute you think you want to buy something new, you go online to read reviews about it. Not only is this done with shopping, it’s also done for movies to see , restaurants to go to and almost everything that is worth having an opinion on. The concept of writing down a review for all to see is something that has caused the birth of reviews sites. These are sites where people post reviews on other people, services, businesses, products and more.

In some cases you have professionals do the review and in some other cases you will have the average person write it up. Review sites have a number of ways in which they can gain revenue for themselves in the form of advertising. In some cases, a business can pay his way through to a better listing spot. This does not mean that a positive review will be promoted where it is not warranted (担保).

Review sites are largely a public forum and it is not necessary for people to reveal their identity. Since people are anonymous (匿名的) and sign up access is open to all, there are chances that reviews will be planted or will be negatively written simply to discredit a particular product or service.

There is a lot of criticism towards these websites since they do nothing to control the kind of entries made or the source of these entries. On the other hand, there are professional review sites. These people are accountable for each of their reviews. Any doubts you have will be addressed personally by the one writing the review. Such sites work on much better principles allowing for a fair opinion.

Considering they have a better reputation, they are aware of some the latest products that are released worldwide. This gives you a better chance of finding reviews of the latest product. While a review site will help you narrow down your choice, it by no means should influence your final decision. That is based entirely on the way you see fit.

1.Nowadays, before buying something, people usually ________.

A．ask the opinion of others                 B．surf famous review sites.

C．ignore topics of review sites.               D．read reviews on the Internet.

2.The underlined word “revenue” in Paragraph 2 probably means”______”.

A．the announcement posted by sites

B．the income earned from sales or services

C．the freedom of writing reviews

D．the program made by advertisement companies

3.What do we know about the professional reviews sites?

A．The reviews on the sites are written mainly by professors.

B．Those who write the reviews on the sites are serious sometimes.

C．The reviewer addresses your doubt personally for you.

D．The reviewers on the sites are ready to write to you if you like.

4.This passage was written mainly to tell us________.

A．to make good use of review sites

B．to consult something with reviewers

C．not to make a decision before reading reviews

D．not to believe some review sites