As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.

Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.

The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between "flight or fight" and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.

People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because _____.

       A．they regard working as their greatest enjoyment

       B．they believe that work is superior to relaxation

       C．they are traveling fast all the time

       D．they are becoming busier with their work than ever before

According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his _____.

       A．strong will to hold out stress

       B．knowing the art of relaxation

       C．high sense of responsibility

       D．having control over performance

Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

       A．We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress.

       B．Stress is always harmful to people's health

       C．It's easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.

       D．Different people can bear different amount of stress.

In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to _____.

       A．"expose ourselves to stress"

       B．"find ways to deal with stress"

       C．"remove stress from our lives"

       D．"establish links between diseases and stress"

According to the author, the right attitude toward stress is _____.

       A．to avoid it                      

       B．to try to cope with it

       C．to regard it as a vital motivation     

       D．to find some relaxation

First the ground shook in Haiti, then Chile and Turkey. The earthquakes keep coming hard and fast this year, causing people to wonder if something evil (邪恶的) is happening underfoot.
It’s not.
While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring, there really aren’t. the problem is what’s happening above ground, not underground, experts say.
More people are moving into big cities that happen to be built in quake zones, and they’re rapidly putting up buildings that can’t withstand (经受) earthquakes, scientists believe.
And around-the-clock news coverage (报道) and better earthquake monitoring make it seem as if earthquakes are ever-present.
“I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end,” said Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics (筑造学) at Durharn University in the UK.
A 7.0 magnitude quake in January killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti. Last month, an 8.8 magnitude quake--- the fifth-strongest since 1900—killed more than 900 people in Chile. And two weeks ago, a 6.0 magnitude quake struck rural eastern Turkey, killing at least 57 people.
On average, there are 134 earthquakes a year that have a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.9, according to the US Geological Survey. This year is off to a fast start with 40 so far—more than in most years for that time period.
But that’s because the 8.8 quake in Chile generated a large number of strong aftershocks, and so many quakes this early in the year skews (扭曲) the picture, said Paul Earle, a US seismologist (地震学家).
Also, it’s not the number of quakes, but their devastating (破坏性的) impacts that gain attention, with the death tolls (死亡人数) largely due to construction standards and crowding, Earle added. “The standard mantra (咒语) is earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do, ” he said.
There have been more deaths over the past decades from earthquakes, said University of Colorado geologist Roger Bilham. In an opinion column last month in the journal Nature, Bilham called for better construction standards in the world’s big cities.
Of the 130 cities worldwide with populations of more than 1 million, more than half are prone (倾向于) to earthquakes, Bilham said.
Developing nations, where populations are booming, don’t pay attention to earthquake preparedness, Bilham said.” If you have a problem feeding yourself, you’re not really going to worry about earthquakes.”
Another reason quakes seem worse is that we’re paying attention more. The Haiti earthquake quickly followed by the 8.8 in Chile made everyone start to think.
But it won’t last, said US disaster researcher Deniis Mileti. “People are paying attention to the violent planet we’ve always lived on,” Mileti said.” Come back in another six months if there has been no earthquakes, most people will have forgotten it again. ”
73. What is the main idea of the article?
A. The number of earthquakes is increasing this year.     
B. The reasons why earthquakes are so devastating.
C. The reasons why recent earthquakes have struck large cities.
D. Why earthquakes seem to be more serious this year.
74. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the seeming increase in earthquakes this year，
according to the article?
A. Greater underground activity.      
B. A larger number of buildings prone to damage during earthquakes.
C. Around-the-clock news coverage.   
D. Better earthquake monitoring.
75. According to the article, it is safe to say that ______.
A. there is an evil force beneath the world’s surface
B. large cities are always built in quake zones
C. enough attention has been paid to reducing the impact of earthquakes
D. the earthquake in Chili caused many aftershocks.
76. According to the article, the greater damage of earthquakes this year can be mainly caused by ______.
A. the occurrence of larger earthquakes
B. insufficient warnings about earthquakes
C. poor construction standards and overcrowding
D. an increase in large cities

First the ground shook in Haiti, then Chile and Turkey. The earthquakes keep coming hard and fast this year, causing people to wonder if something evil (邪恶的) is happening underfoot. It’s not.

While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring, there really aren’t. The problem is what’s happening above ground, not underground, experts say. More people are moving into big cities that happen to be built in quake zones, and they’re rapidly putting up buildings that can’t withstand (经受) earthquakes, scientists believe. And around-the-clock news coverage (报道) and better earthquake monitoring(监测) make it seem as if earthquakes are ever-present.

“I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end,” said Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics (筑造学) at Durharn University in the UK.

A 7.0 magnitude quake in January killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti. Last month, an 8.8 magnitude quake--- the fifth-strongest since 1900—killed more than 900 people in Chile. And two weeks ago, a 6.0 magnitude quake struck rural eastern Turkey, killing at least 57 people.

On average, there are 134 earthquakes a year that have a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.9, according to the US Geological Survey. This year is off to a fast start with 40 so far—more than in most years for that time period.

But that’s because the 8.8 quake in Chile generated a large number of strong aftershocks, and so many quakes early this year skews (扭曲) the picture, said Paul Earle, a US seismologist (地震学家).

Also, it’s not the number of quakes, but their devastating impacts(破坏性的影响) that gain attention, with the death tolls (死亡人数) largely due to construction standards (building standard) and crowding, Earle added. “The standard mantra (咒语) is earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do, ” he said.

There have been more deaths over the past decades from earthquakes, said University of Colorado geologist Roger Bilham. In an opinion column last month in the journal Nature, Bilham called for better construction standards in the world’s big cities.

Of the 130 cities worldwide with populations of more than 1 million, more than half are prone (倾向于) to earthquakes, Bilham said.

Developing nations, where populations are growing, don’t pay attention to earthquake preparedness, Bilham said.” If you have a problem feeding yourself, you’re not really going to worry about earthquakes.”

Another reason quakes seem worse is that we’re paying attention more. The Haiti earthquake quickly followed by the 8.8 in Chile made everyone start to think.

But it won’t last, said US disaster researcher Deniis Mileti. “People are paying attention to the violent planet we’ve always lived on,” Mileti said.” Come back in another six months if there has been no earthquakes, most people will have forgotten it again. ”

1. What is the main idea of the article?

A. The number of earthquakes is increasing this year.     

B. The reasons why earthquakes are so devastating.

C. The reasons why recent earthquakes have struck large cities.

D. Why earthquakes seem to be more serious this year.

2. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the seeming increase in earthquakes this year，

according to the article?

A. Greater underground activity.      

B. A larger number of buildings prone to damage during earthquakes.

C. Around-the-clock news coverage.   

D. Better earthquake monitoring.

3. According to the article, it is safe to say that ______.

A. there is an evil force beneath the world’s surface

B. large cities are always built in quake zones

C. enough attention has been paid to reducing the impact of earthquakes

D. the earthquake in Chili caused many aftershocks.

4.According to the article, the greater damage of earthquakes this year can be mainly caused by ______.

A. the occurrence of larger earthquakes

B. not enough warnings about earthquakes

C. poor construction standards and overcrowding

D. an increase in large cities

The deadly earthquake and tsunami (海啸) that struck Japan on March 11 damaged two nuclear power stations. Officials are now working to prevent dangerous radiation from poisoning the air in the area surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The Japanese government has ordered people living within 12 and a half miles of the plant to evacuate, and asked those living 12 and a half to 20 miles away to stay indoors.

Nuclear power plants create energy using a chemical reaction that produces large amounts of heat. Reactors(反应堆)in Japan have many long, thin rods, called fuel rods(棒), which must be kept cool.

If the reactor’s fuel rods aren’t cooled, the reaction can burn out of control. That’s what happened at the two Japanese plants after the quake caused a power failure and the cooling systems malfunctioned(发生故障). This overheating could cause radiation to escape and sicken many people.

Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are built to withstand the many small or moderate earthquakes the country faces each year. But Friday’s earthquake was one of the most severe earthquakes ever recorded.

People exposed to unsafe levels of radiation have a higher than normal risk of getting cancer. The Japanese government has been distributing potassium iodide(碘化钾)pills to people in the surrounding areas to protect those who may have come in contact with radiation from the power plant. The pills flood the body with healthy potassium iodide. The potassium iodide works to crowd out “bad” iodine in the body that may have been poisoned by radiation.

On Tuesday morning, 750 workers left the Fukushima Daiichi plant. However, 50 workers stayed behind to use sweater to cool the fuel rods. These dedicated employees are risking their own lives to save many others.

On Thursday, officials used helicopters, fire trucks, and water cannons to spray water on the reactors to cool the fuel rods. But it’s not clear whether these efforts were successful. Officials are now working on a power line to restore electricity to the plant. They hope this will help restart the plant’s cooling system and stop the fuel rods from leaking radiation.

1.The underlined word “evacuate” in Paragraph 1 probably means            .

2.What can we learn from the text?

3.In the last paragraph, the author mainly states            .

4.This text is most probably taken from            .

WHEN an Iraqi journalist threw a shoe at former US President George W.Bush at a news conference last December,the president’s bodyguards quickly moved to protect him.

Those bodyguards were from the US Secret Service.Their job is to protect the president.Now America’s first black president Barack Obama also has the same people at his side.Here are some details about these mysterious men and women.?

History?

       ◇The Secret Service is known today for protecting public officials and their families.

However,when it began in 1865,it was started to protect money.A third to a half of all US money during the Civil War was fake (假的).President Abraham Lincoln created the United States Secret Service to find those responsibly.?

      ◇The first 25 presidents had no special protection.That changed after President William Mckinley was murdered in 1901.?

Who gets protection?

       About 30 people get full-time protection in the United States (more in an election year).

Included are:?

      ◇Presidents and vice-presidents and their wives,for up to 10 years after leaving office,and their children up to age 16.Anyone can decline protection after leaving office.Richard Nixon did.?   ◇Candidates for president and vice-?president,their wives and children at a cost of $500,000 a month for 30-plus special agents (特工).?

◇The Secretary of State,National Security Adviser and others.The Secret Service also protects 80 to 200 visiting foreign political leaders every year.?

       Getting around?

        Rules for president

      ◇Limousines (豪华轿车) that can withstand a missile are used.?

      ◇Entering and exiting are never done on a street.?

      ◇Exact travel plans are kept secret.?

      ◇Bulletproof reading stands for speeches are used.

Agent’s task

     ◇Teach the president how to wave and move.

     ◇Test his food for poison.?

     ◇Use special radio channels for the police and the Secret Service.?

     ◇Use X-ray checks before allowing entry to secure areas,and search bags.?

     ◇Check lists of hundreds of people known to be dangerous.?

     ◇Keep files on thousands of people who have made even vague threats.?

     ◇Be part of counter-sniper (反狙击) teams.

What’s the purpose of writing the passage??

    A. To tell us how to be a bodyguard.?

    B.To introduce the US Secret Service to us.?

    C.To give us some information about US

        presidents.?

    D.To inform us of the incident at a news

        conference. ?

  Which is the special agent’s task according to

    the US Secret Service??

    A. Have dinner with the president’s family.?

    B.Teach the president to behave politely in

        public.?

    C.Keep a record of possible murderers.?

    D.Check people carrying bags with X-ray.  

What do you know about the US Secret

    Service from the passage??

    A. It is made up of 30 people.?

    B.It protects only US presidents.?

    C.It is responsible for the safety of all

       Americans.?

    D.It was created to protect money.

   Which of the following can be inferred from

    the passage??

    A. The bodyguards from the US Secret

         Service have no privacy.?

    B.The US Secret Service bodyguards’ job is

       full of challenges.?

    C.No one knows the exact travel plan of

        presidents.?

    D.Every president in American history has a

        bodyguard. ?