In my profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS．The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life．They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages． Let me tell you about Tyler．

Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected．From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive．When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest．This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back．Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream．At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing．

Tyler wasn’t willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease．It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine - laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon．All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him．Tyler’s mom often teased him by telling him that he moved so fast she needed to dress him in red．That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she could quickly spot him．

This dreaded（可怕的） disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler．He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV - infected mother．When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death．She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven．

A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon．I’m not scared．When I die, please dress me in red．Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too．I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me．"

his HIV - infected mother．When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death．She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven．

A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon．I’m not scared．When I die, please dress me in red．Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too．I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me．"

1.What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?

A．pessimistic（悲观的）．                              B．optimistic．           C．sorrowful．   D．fearful．

2.Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because___________．

A．red is a lucky color                            B．red might help to cure him

C．his mom could spot him easily                  D．he could find more mates by wearing red

3.Which of the following might serve as a possible title for this passage?

A．My unusual profession．                              B．A caring mother．

C．Mother and son．                                                                                    D．Dying in red．

4.The underlined word dynamo in the fourth paragraph here means         ________________．

A．a promising and helpful youth               

B．an extremely energetic person

C．a rare and beautiful flower                

D．a magic and understanding superstar

 

BEIJING, Nov. 25, 2005（Reuters）— China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine① is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved by the government, head of the research drug company said on Friday.

       Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed, said Yin Wei-dong, managing director of Sinovac Biotech.

       “It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human，so we are very optimistic②,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.

       The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people. The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia, killing 68 of them.

       “It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin. We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.

Oregon, Nov. 26, 2005（AP）— The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry③ industry or consumers, according to Oregon State University researchers.

       There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans. But one strain, called H5N1, has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.

       International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu, raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.

       But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.

       “Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes, OSU Extension Service poultry specialist. But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry — including washing hands while preparing food, and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.

       He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.

Notes:

vaccine  n. 疫苗

optimistic  adj. 乐观的

poultry  n. 家禽

Choose the best answers according to the above:

 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?

A. Human trials have already started but not yet successful.

B. Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak.

C. The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human.

D. The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans.

What does the first news report mainly talk about?

A. The new outbreak of the bird flu.

B. How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on.

C. How many people died of bird flu.

D. What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu.

What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?

A. signs.         B. symbols.          C. kinds.               D. diseases.

What can we know from the second news report?

A. Because of the safety guards, Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in the 2003 outbreak of bird flu.

B. People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu.

C. People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products.

D. H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide.

Here are some of the best movies you like. I believe they can accompany you to spend your dull weekend.

The Matrix

In this story a computer hacker searches for the truth behind the mysterious force . In the 22nd century it turns out that the world is controlled by a magic computer system called the Matrix and people live in an unreal world. The computer hacker and his comrades overcome much difficulty and at last find the way to take over the Matrix and save the world.

Men in Black

      This comedy is about J and K, agents in a top secret agency , and they fight bravely with the alien to save the galaxy from a bad-tempered alien “bug” and save the Earth from being destroyed .

Harry Potter

    Harry has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle’s house. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he’s a powerful wizard——with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he uncovers the truth about his parents’ deaths and about the bad man who’s to blame .

Andromeda Strain

      When a satellite crashes in New Mexico, the Air Force sends two men to reach it. To their horror, they discover that the probe carries an alien virus that’s already killed all but two of the residents of the town where it landed. Now, scientists must stop the virus from spreading .

12 Monkeys

      In the year 2035, James Cole is forced to be sent back to 1996 by scientists to discover the origin of a virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth’s population. When Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, he’s arrested and locked up in a mental hospital, where he meets the son of a famous virus expert.

In which film secret agents fight with the bad creature from outer space?

A. The Matrix    B. Men in Black    C. Andromeda Strain  D. 12 Monkeys

Harry Potter _________.

A. does’t know he’s a powerful wizard until he is 11 years old

B. has a happy and pleasant childhood with his aunt and uncle

C. hates to stay at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

D. Knows how his parents died before he goes to the Hogwarts school

Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Men in black is a comedy.

B. The Matrix is a mysterious force which is later taken over by a group of computer hackers.

C. The alien virus killed all the residents of the town where it landed.

D. James Cole is sent back to 1990 mistakenly and is kept in a mental hospital.

   The author writes the passage in order to ________.

A. let readers know more about the latest movies

B. increase the income of the cinemas of the city

C. tell readers some interesting summaries of movies

D. help readers to choose the best movie they like

People who averaged fewer than seven hours of sleep per night in the weeks before being exposed to the cold virus were nearly three times as likely to get sick as those who averaged eight hours or more, a new study found.

Researchers used frequent telephone interviews to track the sleep habits of more than 150 men and women aged 21 to 55 over the last few weeks. Then they exposed the subjects to the virus, quarantined (检疫隔离) them for five days and kept track of who got sick.

Besides sleeping more, sleeping better also seemed to help the body fight illness: Patients who fared better on a measure known as “sleep efficiency”—the percentage of time in bed that you’re actually sleeping—were also less likely to get sick.

The results held true even after researchers adjusted for elements such as body-mass index, age, sex, smoking and pre-existing antibodies (抗体) to the virus.

The researchers aren’t exactly sure why sleeping better makes you less likely to develop a cold. But they do try to give an answer: “Sleep disturbance influences the regulation of symptom mediators (调节因子) that are released in response to infection.” In plain English, maybe tossing and turning when you’re infected with the cold virus contributes to the symptoms that define a cold.

The researchers were based at Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia, and the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

1. According to the passage, what does the underlined word “subjects” mean in paragraph 2?

A. areas of knowledge in a school

B. people being studied in an experiment

C. research topics

D. animals being tested

2.It is shown in the passage that _______.

A. the researchers obtain information about the sleep habits by frequent interviews

B. the researchers do their research in the National Institutes of Health

C. people hope to avoid being infected with a cold by sleeping as much as possible

D. sleeping more and better helps regulate the symptom mediators

3.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. The Relationship Between Virus and Cold

B. How to Sleep Well

C. Good Sleep Helps Fight a Cold

D. The More the Sleep, the Better Your Body