Water Safety

To rescue a drowning person, don't jump into the water unless you are a trained lifesaver. The victim(受害者) may pull you under.

Instead, try to toss (抛) a life preserver if you have one. Anything that will float can save the person's life. A beach ball, a vacuum jug, or a picnic chest will also help. The National Safety Council points out that many drownings could be prevented if people knew all the common objects that float well enough to help a drowning person.

If you are in a boat, or you can find one, use the boat to try to reach the person in trouble. Turn the boat so the victim can grab the stern(船尾). Don't stand up to help the victim. Stay seated so the boat won't overturn. Try to balance the boat as the person climbs aboard. If the boat overturns, stay hanging on to the side for a while to relax before trying to right it.

5. What kind of things should you throw to a person in trouble in the water?

A. A stone.

B. A heavy box.

C. Something that floats well enough.

D. Something large and heavy.

6. Which sentence belongs to the box?

A. Jump into the water and swim to him(her).

B. Paddle(用桨划) the boat towards the coast.

C. Stand up and shout for help.

D. Turn the rear(后部) of the boat towards the person in the water.

7. The first paragraph helps the reader understand why ________.

A. there are so few drowning accidents

B. people are often drowned themselves when they try to save a drowning person

C. so many drowning people are able to save themselves

D. it is important to drink plenty of water

8. Where would you be most likely to find a passage like this?

A. In a encyclopedia (百科全书).

B. In a humorous story about a couple who sail around the world.

C. In a newspaper account of the National Cup sailing competition.

D. In a guidebook.

Women who own cats are more likely to have mental health problems and kill themselves because they can be infected by a common parasite that can be caught from cat litter, a study has found.

Researchers found women infected with the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite(刚地弓形虫), which is spread through contact with cat waste or eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables, are at increased risk of attempting suicide.

The study involved more than 45,000 women in Denmark. About a third of the world’s population is infected with the parasite, which hides in cells in the brain and muscles, often without producing symptoms.

The infection, which is called toxoplasmosis(弓形虫病), has been linked to mental illness, such as schizophrenia(精神分裂症), and changes in behavior.

The study’s senior author Doctor Teodor Postolache, an associate professor of psychiatry(精神病学) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, said, “We can’t say with certainty that T. gondii caused the women to try to kill themselves, but we did find a predictive association between the infection and suicide attempts later in life that deserves additional studies.”

Doctor Albert Reece, vice president of medical affairs at the University of Maryland, said, “T. gondii infection is a major public health problem around the world, and many people don’t realize they’re infected.

“Dr Postolache is a leading expert on suicide neuroimmunology(神经免疫学). Suicide is a critically important mental health issue. About one million people commit suicide and another 10 million attempt suicide worldwide each year. We hope that this type of research will one day help us find ways to save many lives that now end too early in suicide.”

Dr. Postolache’s research team at the University of Maryland was the first to report a connection between T. gondii and suicidal behavior in 2009. He is cooperating with researchers in Denmark, Germany and Sweden to confirm and investigate the way leading to this association.

The T. gondii parasite thrives in the intestines of cats, and it is spread through their waste. All warm-blooded animals can become infected through contact with it. Humans can become infected by changing their infected cats’ litter boxes, eating unwashed vegetables, drinking water from a polluted source, or by eating undercooked or raw meat.

Not washing kitchen knives after preparing raw meat before handling another food item also can lead to infection. Pregnant women can pass the parasite directly to their unborn babies and are advised not to change cat litter boxes to avoid possible infection.

Babies don’t produce antibodies to T. gondii for three months after they are born, so the antibodies present in their blood represented infection in the mothers. The scientists studied Danish health patients to determine if any of these women later attempted suicide, including cases of violent suicide attempts which may have involved guns, sharp instruments and jumping from high places.

The study found that women infected with T. gondii were one and a half times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who were not infected, and the risk seemed to rise with increasing levels of the T. gondii antibodies.

Dr Postolache noted limitations to the study, such as the inability to determine the cause of the suicidal behavior.

The findings were published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

1.The objects of the research are women from _____.

A. Demark                                      B. the USA                            C. Germany                          D. Sweden

2.The common way which is more likely to be infected with the disease is _____.

A. to eat unwashed vegetables or undercooked meat

B. to clean a place where a cat once lived for a time

C. to pass the infection to her unborn baby during a woman’s pregnancy

D. to reuse kitchen tools which have been used to cut raw meat

3.What is the consequence if a woman is infected with the parasite in the passage?

A. Having a high fever.                                                      B. Doing deliberate self-harm.

C. Keeping a depressed mood.                                       D. Becoming bad tempered.

53.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Women have a higher risk to be infected by the parasite than men.

B. The result of the research may help the scientists to find ways to stop suicide in advance.

C. The scientists will continue their research into the possible connection.

D. The risk of being infected seems to rise with the decreasing levels of the antibodies.

5.Which of the following statements would probably be the best title of the passage?

A. Why are women more likely to commit suicide?

B. Women should keep away from cats.

C. Ways found to deal with women’s mental problems.

D. Are women who own cats at a suicide risk?

单词考查 （共10小题，满分20分）

1.He was found in ____________（拥有） of drugs and was accused.    

2.To t_____________（改造）hills into fields is an extremely tough job. 

3.It was a long journey, but we e____________ (最终) arrived at the small village before dark.

4.He was b_______ from driving for three months owing to rushing red lights.

5.The door opens and closes _____________（自动地）.

6.Whatever you do, you’ve to take the possible c_____________.

7.The rise in carbon dioxide is causing a s__________（持续）increase in global warming.

8.Try to use e____________ friendly materials to consume less energy.

9.There’s a lot of a__________（焦虑）among the staff about job losses.

10.In autumn, the temperature in this city v_______ from 10c to 30c in a day.

单词考查 （共10小题，满分20分）
【小题1】He was found in ____________（拥有） of drugs and was accused.    
【小题2】To t_____________（改造）hills into fields is an extremely tough job. 
【小题3】It was a long journey, but we e____________ (最终) arrived at the small village before dark.
【小题4】He was b_______ from driving for three months owing to rushing red lights.
【小题5】The door opens and closes _____________（自动地）.
【小题6】Whatever you do, you’ve to take the possible c_____________.
【小题7】The rise in carbon dioxide is causing a s__________（持续）increase in global warming.
【小题8】Try to use e____________ friendly materials to consume less energy.
【小题9】There’s a lot of a__________（焦虑）among the staff about job losses.
【小题10】In autumn, the temperature in this city v_______ from 10c to 30c in a day.