Vinegar（醋） is an old folk treatment beneficial in a long list of diseases．Some people say that it can guard against lower blood pressure , prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging．

Vinegar is said to have been used for medical diseases for at least 10,000 years．The Babylonians first made wine into vinegar in 5000 BC using date palms, grapes, and figs, and believed vinegar had exceptional curing natures．Hippocrates is said to have used vinegar as an antibiotic（抗生素）．Samurai warriors supposedly used vinegar for strength and power．During the U．S．Civil War, soldiers used vinegar to prevent stomachic upset and as a treatment for various diseases including pneumonia and scurvy．It was used to treat wounds during World War I．

The name vinegar comes from a French word meaning "sour wine．" Vinegars take their name from the material used to make the vinegar, i．e．, apple cider vinegar comes from apples, wine vinegar comes from grapes．

Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid．Sugar and yeast are added to the liquid to start the fermentation（发酵） process, which turns the sugars into alcohol．In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is turned into vinegar with its sour taste．

1．Which of the following is NOT a curing effect of vinegar?

       A．To prevent lower blood pressure           B．To help lose weight

       C．To delay one’s mind getting old            D．To cure cancer

2．The second paragraph mainly talks about ________．

       A．the history of vinegar

       B．how people used vinegar medically in history

       C．the production of vinegar

       D．how vinegar has functioned since ancient times

3．What topic the author could most possibly turn to following the last paragraph?

       A．the production process of vinegar

       B．the curing effects of vinegar

       C．the production process of wine vinegar

       D．the production process of apple cider vinegar

Vinegar（醋）is an old folk treatment beneficial in a long list of diseases. Some people say that it can guard against lower blood pressure, prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging.

Vinegar is said to have been used for medical diseases for at least 10,000 years. The Babylonians first made wine into vinegar in 5000 BC using date palms, grapes, and figs, and believed vinegar had exceptional curing natures. Hippocrates is said to have used vinegar as an antibiotic（抗生素）. Samurai warriors supposedly used vinegar for strength and power. During the U.S. Civil War, soldiers used vinegar to prevent stomachic upset and as a treatment for various diseases including pneumonia and scurvy. It was used to treat wounds during World War I.

The name vinegar comes from a French word meaning "sour wine." Vinegars take their name from the material used to make the vinegar, i.e., apple cider vinegar comes from apples, wine vinegar comes from grapes.

Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Sugar and yeast are added to the liquid to start the fermentation（发酵） process, which turns the sugars into alcohol. In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is turned into vinegar with its sour taste.

1．Which of the following is NOT a curing effect of vinegar?

       A．To prevent lower blood pressure           B．To help lose weight

       C．To delay one’s mind getting old             D．To cure cancer

2．The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.

       A．the history of vinegar

       B．how people used vinegar medically in history

       C．the production of vinegar

       D．how vinegar has functioned since ancient times

3．What topic the author could most possibly turn to following the last paragraph?

       A．the production process of vinegar

       B．the curing effects of vinegar

       C．the production process of wine vinegar

       D．the production process of apple cider vinegar

Growing up in the U.S.A., I always wanted to experience another culture. The   1  came when I was 15. After several months of   2 , I was ready to spend the second term of my first year of high school as an exchange student in Australia.
Landing in Perth was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I   3  then that there was no turning back. The family I would live with was waiting for me, and it would be only five days   4  the new school year started.
The Catholic school I   5  was different from my public school back in the States. The uniform code was very strict. We were only   6  to wear one bracelet, which had to be a watch and one necklace, which had to have a Holy Cross. I was quite intimidated(害怕的) at first,   7  never having been to a new school—even in the United States. Everything went   8  , though. The teachers were welcoming and the students were friendly.
The most unforgettable time of my term abroad was with forty-one other international exchange students traveling around Australia during our term break. Our   9  were as extensive as our nationalities: we traveled to Sydney, Canberra, Mildura, Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Mount Isa, Airlie Beach, and the Cold Coast.
The few weeks we enjoyed together were crowded with   10  . We took a day-cruise on Darling Harbor and visited the Sydney Opera House. We slept in an “underground town”. We walked around the famous Ayers Rock and went sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
At the end of our   11  in Australia, we had three weeks of traveling time to share our stories and help each other deal with leaving. It was   12  that our last day together was filled with tears. We packed our camp, exchanged e-mail addresses, and gathered together for a final good-bye.

American author Mark Twain once noted that “life would be surely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Twain’s words were only one of many complaints about aging. The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age “hateful”, and William Shakespeare termed it “terrible winter”.
Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world before he died around 323 B.C., may have been looking for a river that healed the ravages of age. During the 12^th century A.D., a king called Prester John ruled a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth.
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16^th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He thought it would be found in Florida. In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction. It is said to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513. However, elderly visitors who drink the spring’s water don’t turn into teenagers.
But the tale of the search for a fountain of youth is so appealing(有吸引力的) that it survives anyway, says Ryan K. Smith, a professor of history. “People are more attracted by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere.”
Still, a few grains of truth have helped to support the story. Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology, says a graveyard and the remains of a Spanish mission dating back to St. Augustine’s founding in 1565 have been discovered near the so-called fountain of youth. Michelle Reyna, a spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, says the fountain has been a tourist attraction since at least 1901 and may have been attracting visitors since 1860.
【小题1】According to the passage, who searched for a fountain of youth?

US bees operation keeping groups have been attacked seriously by so called Colony Collapse Disorder (蜂群衰竭失调)．Almost 1/2 of their worker bees have vanished during the past season．This disorder has also been reported in Israel, Europe and South America．Bees fly away from the hive and never return．Sometimes they are found dead; other times they are never found．Many crops and trees depend on pollination--- by bees to help them grow． 
A new report says a virus may be at least partly responsible for the disorder in honey bee colonies in the United States．This virus is called Israeli acute paralysis virus．It was first found in Israel in 2004．Lan Lipkin at Columbia University in New York and a team reported the new findings in Science Magazine．Doctor Lipkin says the virus may not be the only cause．He says it may work with other causes to produce the collapse disorder．
The team found the virus in colonies with the help of a map of honey bee genes that was published last year．They examined thirty colonies affected by the disorder．They found evidence of the virus in twenty-five of them, and in one healthy colony．The next step is further testing of healthy hives．
The researchers suggested that the United States may have imported the disorder in bees from Australia．They say the bees may carry the virus but not be affected．
The idea is that unlike many American bees, the ability of Australian bees to fight disease has not been hurt by the varroasis mite．This insect attacks honey bees, which could make the disorder more likely to affect a hive．Australian bee producers object to these suspicions．
And some researchers suspect that bee production in the United States is down mainly because of the weather．Honey bees gather nectar from flowers and trees．The sweet liquid gives them food and material to make honey．But cold weather this spring in the Midwest reduced the flow of nectar in many flowers．Many bees may have starved．Dry weather in areas of the country could also be playing apart．
Wayne Esaias is a NASA space agency scientist who keeps bees in his free time．He lives in central Maryland, where he has found that flowers are blooming a month earlier than they did in 1970, which may be partly responsible for the disorder. Wayne Esaias is organizing a group of beekeepers to document nectar flow around the country.
【小题1】What is the author’s attitude toward the cause of this disorder?

A．American bees are more likely to defend themselves against hurt from other insects than Australian ones

B．A collection of plants production in the U.S may be influenced by the bee disorder

C．Israeli acute paralysis virus should be responsible for the disorder

D．The solution to the disorder will be found eventually