The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues (瘟疫) that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy (谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one.
If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
　　During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches (战壕) cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp (奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
　　At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be dipped with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
　　If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
　　No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killer pills such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.
【小题1】How many examples are offered by the writer to support his argument?

Our village carpenter(木匠), John Hill, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job.
My wife said to me quietly, “It’s his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said in a loud voice, “It is a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it?”
“I will decide about that when I see the bill, ” I read:
One dining table, 10 November, 1989.
Cost of wood: ＄17.00
Paint: ＄1.50
Work: 8 hours (＄1 an hour) ＄8.00
Total: ＄36.50
When I was looking at the bill, John said, “It’s been a fine day, hasn’t it? Quite sunny.” “Yes,” I said, “I’m glad it is only the 10^th of November.”
“Me, too,” said John. “You wait. It’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month.”
“Yes, colder…. And more expensive! Dining tables will be ＄20 more expensive on November 30^th, won’t they, John?” John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes? I gave his bill back to him.
“If it isn’t too much trouble, John,” I said, “Please add it up again and you can forget the date.”
I paid him ＄26.50and he was happy to get it.

1. 1.

   Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill?_______

   1. A.
      Because he didn’t want the writer to go through the bill carefully.
   2. B.
      Because it was really a fine day.
   3. C.
      Because he wanted the writer to check the bill carefully.
   4. D.
      Because he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like.
2. 2.

   Why did the writer say that dining table would be＄ 20 more expensive on November 30^th ?__________ 

   1. A.
      Because it was difficult to make dining tables in cold weather.
   2. B.
      Because paint would be more expensive.
   3. C.
      Because the cost of wood would be more expensive.
   4. D.
      Because he thought John would certainly add to the cost of the dining table.
3. 3.

   From the story we know that _____________

   1. A.
      John made a mistake in the bill.
   2. B.
      John tried to fool the writer in order to get more money for his work
   3. C.
      John had written out the bill before the writer got home.
   4. D.
      John still wanted to get ＄36.50 for his work in the end.

The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that flesh receives.

The most widespread fallacy(谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.

During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.

In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.

If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.

No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.

1. The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.

A. 4              B. 5               C. 6              D. 3

2. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?

A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.

B. Colds are not caused by cold.

C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.

D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.

3. Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.

A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions

B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather

C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions

D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world

4. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.

A. suffered a lot                         B. never caught colds

C. often caught colds                  D. became very strong

5. The passage mainly discusses _______.

A. the experiments on the common cold

B. the fallacy about the common cold

C. the reason and the way people catch colds

D. the continued spread of common colds

People who are outdoors in cold weather should avoid actions like suddenly lifting a heavy basket full of snow. Even walking through heavy, wet snow can strain a person’s heart.
Many people aren’t conditioned to the physical stress of outdoor activities and don’t know the dangers of being outdoors in cold weather. Those who like winter sports can suffer accidental hypothermia if they don’t make certain preparations.
Hypothermia means the body temperature has fallen below normal. It occurs when your body can’t produce enough energy to keep the internal (内部的) body temperature warm enough. It can kill you. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia.
Children, the elderly and those with heart disease are at special risk. As people age, their ability to keep a normal internal body temperature often decreases. Elderly people can suffer hypothermia without knowing they’re in danger because they can’t notice the cold conditions as quickly as the young.
Besides cold temperatures, high winds,  snow and rain can also steal body heat. Wind is especially dangerous because it removes the layer of heated air from around your body. At 30 degrees Fahrenheit in a 20-mile-per-hour wind, the cooling effect is equal to calm air at four degrees. Similarly dampness (湿气) causes the body to lose heat faster than it would at the same temperature in drier conditions.
To keep warm, wear more clothes. This traps air between layers. Also, wear a hat or head scarf. Much of your body’s heat can be lost through your head. Keep your hands and feet warm, too, as they tend to lose heat rapidly.
Don’t drink alcohol before going outdoors or when outside. Alcohol makes you feel warm at first because blood vessels in the skin expand. But heat is then drawn away from the body’s important organs.
【小题1】The underlined word “strain” in Paragraph 1 means ________.

The common cold is the world's most widespread illness， which is plagues（病疫） that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy（谬误） of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly， with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds， it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes. During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）， cold and wet，showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp（奥斯维辛集中营），naked and starving，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England， volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths，they put on bathing suits， allowed themselves to be with cold water， and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose. If，then， cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds， why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research， no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times， and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on. No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors（止痛片） such as aspirin， but all they do is relieve the symptoms。

Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage？

    A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.

    B. Colds are not caused by cold.

    C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.

    D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.

Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.

    A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions

    B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather

    C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions

    D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world

Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.

    A. suffered a lot      

    B. never caught colds

    C. often caught colds    

    D. became very strong

The passage mainly discusses _______.

    A. the experiments on the common cold

    B. the fallacy about the common cold

    C. the reason and the way people catch colds

D. the continued spread of common colds