高中英语阅读理解

No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the Art Institute, which is the second largest art museum in the nation.
Opening hours:
Mon - Wed & Fri - Sun, 10:30 am - 5 pm; Thu, 10:30 am- 8 pm; closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Highlights:
●  The Modern Wing contains contemporary（当代的）masterpieces by Dali, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Pollock, and Warhol.
●  View one of the world’s finest Impressionist collections, including masterpieces by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.
●  Thorne Miniature Rooms offer a detailed view of European homes from the 16th century  through the 1930s and American homes from the 17th century to 1940.
●  The past returns as over 550 works from 4,000 years of art come together in Of Gods and Glamour, located in the beautiful new Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art.
Advice for visitors:
●  Free guided tours are available daily at noon.
●  Free art-making activities are available for children each weekend from 11 am to 2 pm.
●  Visit the Family Room in the Ryan Education Center, open daily from 10:30 am – 5 pm, and introduce your child to the museum’s collections with a variety of hands-on activities. Assemble (组装) puzzles based on masterpieces you’ll see in the galleries, build architectural wonders with colorful blocks, and learn about art through stories and games at Curious Corner.
●  Check out the Lion’s Trial tour for children ages 5-10. This tour is especially designed for the young people in your group! Don’t miss it!
Getting there:
You can take the follow buses: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 14, 26, 28, 126, 143.
The Art Institute of Chicago can be visited on ____________.

A．Christmas Day	B．New Year’s Day
C．Independence Day	D．Thanksgiving Day

Whose works can you see in the Impressionist collections?

A．Picasso’s	B．Monet’s
C．Pollock’s	D．Warhol’s

At Curious Corner, children can ____________.

A．take part in many hands-on activities

B．join the Lion’s Trail tour

C．enjoy free art-making activities

D．get free guidance

I had recently arrived in London and I wanted to see some of the famous places. Should I go to the seaside? Or maybe one of the famous parks? I walked along the street, past a kindergarten playground, and suddenly saw an underground railway station. I was surprised because it was not on my map. I went to buy a ticket. The ticket-seller looked very old. He gave me a ticket, said "Remember it's a return", laughed and walked away without taking my money. Was it special for tourists?
A train arrived. I could not see any other passengers. I got on and the doors closed. I suddenly felt I should not have got onto the train. It started to go faster and faster, shooting along the tracks. As it entered the tunnel, everything became as dark as midnight and I do not remember the next few minutes. The train came to a station and I got out. I could see light shining in the distance so I walked towards it and came to a door. Beyond it there was a busy street.
There were lots of English people walking about, and I could see some of the famous buildings of London, but there was something wrong. The people's clothes were strange. There were no cars, no motorbikes—but there were horses everywhere. Was someone making a film?
“Excuse me,” I said to a man. “Would you mind telling me where I am and what is happening?”
“What do you mean? Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you from China? This is London and everyone's going to work. Can't you see that?” he asked.
“Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but could I look at your newspaper?” I asked.
“You can have it,” he said as he walked off.
I looked at it; I saw “New Bicycle Law” and above that “July 5, 1880”.
Maybe I should have walked around, but I ran back to the door. I waited a long time. I was very afraid. A train came. I got on. It took me back to the first station. As I left, a woman asked, “What were you doing in that abandoned station?” I had no answer, but I still had the newspaper in my hand.
Why was the author surprised at the beginning of the story?

A．Because he suddenly saw an underground railway station.

B．Because he walked past a kindergarten playground.

C．Because the ticket-seller looked very old.

D．Because he couldn’t find the station on his map.

What does the underlined “it” in the second paragraph most probably mean?

A．The train.	B．The light.
C．The distance.	D．The door

Why did the author think he had arrived in a film-making scene?

A．Because he could see some of the famous buildings of London.

B．Because he had done something wrong in the street of London.

C．Because he could only see horses rather than cars in the streets.

D．Because the people in the streets were all neatly dressed.

According to the passage, New Bicycle Law might be _______.

A．The name for a London street.

B．The name for a film made in London.

C．The name for a newspaper article

D．The name for a underground station.

Where can this passage most probably be taken from?

A．In a storybook.

B．In a math textbook.

C．In a travel guidebook.

D．In a scientific experiment report.

You have heard the expression “horse sense”. As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.
Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are propelled by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.
In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse.
The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．engines	B．safe driving
C．using horses	D．modern machines

The underlined word “propel” in the second paragraph means ______.

A．repair

B．raise

C．push forward

D．made

It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．a driver must know the rules of safety

B．a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green

C．an eye test is an important part of a driver’s examination

D．greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．A driver must be able to see and hear well.

B．The driver of a car must follow the rules of safety.

C．Horses are known to have saved their drivers from injury.

D．It is better for vehicles to be pulled by horse than to be pushed by engine.

Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice．Gifts are easy—they’re given after a11．Choicecan be hard．
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago．Icame across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year．I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，andtheidea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I’d been married for a year．I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’tand I wasn’t sure what to expect．MacKenzie told me I should go for it．As a young boy，I’dbeen a garageinventor．I’d always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion．
I was working at a financial firm in New York Citywith a bunch of very smart peopleand Ihad a brilliant boss that I much admired．I went to my boss and toldhim I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet．He took me on a longwalk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good ides，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job．”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision．Seenin that light．it really wasa difficult choice，but ultimately，I decided I had to give it a shot．I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing．And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration，I took the less safe path to follow my passion，and I’m proud ofthat choice．For all ofus，in the end，we are our choice．
What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?

A．His dream of being an inventor．

B．The support of his wife．

C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet．

D．Millions of exciting titles,

Which of the following is closest in meaningto the underlinedentence?

A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him．

B．He would be very excited if he tried it out．

C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try．

D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him．

We can know from the passage that_______．

A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author

B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea

C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea

D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cleverness and Kindness

B．The Starting of Amazon

C．Following My Passion

D．We Are What We Choose

Frank Smithson woke up and leaned over to turn off the alarm clock. "Oh no!" he thought to himself. " Another day at that office; a boss who shouts at me all the time."
As Frank went downstairs his eyes fell on a large brown envelope by the door. He was overjoyed when he opened it and read the letter inside. "Bigwoods Football Pools(足球赌博公司)would like to congratulate you. You have won half a million pounds."
Frank suddenly came to life. The cigarette fell from his lips as he let out a shout that could be heard halfway down the street.
At 11:30 Frank arrived at work. "Please explain why you're so late," his boss said. "Go and jump in the lake," replied Frank. "I've just come into a little money so this is good-bye. Find yourself someone else to shout at."
That evening Frank was smoking a very expensive Havana cigar(雪茄) when a knock was heard on the door. He rushed to the door. Outside were two men, neatly(整洁) dressed in grey suits. "Mr. Smithson," one of them said, "we're from Bigwoods Football Pools. I'm afraid there's been a terrible mistake…"
What do we know about Frank?

A．He was a lazy man.

B．He made a lot of money.

C．He didn't get on well with his boss.

D．He was a lucky person.

When he heard the knock at the door, Frank probably thought_______.

A．someone had come to make an apology

B．someone had come to give him the money

C．his friends had come to ask about the football pools

D．his friends had come to congratulate him on his luck

On hearing "…there's been a terrible mistake…" Frank was most likely to be ______.

A．disappointed	B．worried
C．nervous	D．curious

Cheerleading is the fastest growing girls' sport，yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport．Actually，competitive cheerleading is a sport．
A sport is a “physical activity against/with an opponent，governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared，and the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants．"Because cheerleading follows these guidelines，it is a sport．
Competitive cheerleading includes lots of physical activities．Like gymnasts，cheerleaders must  learn  to  tumble  (翻滚) ．They perform lifts and tosses．This is where the "flied' are thrown in the air，held by "bases" in different positions that require strength and cooperation with other teammates．
Just as basketball and football have guidelines for competitive play，so does competitive cheerleading．The whole routine has to be completed in less than 3 minutes and 15 seconds and the cheerleaders are required to stay within a certain area．
Competitive cheerleaders' goal is to be the best．Just like gymnasts，they are awarded points for difficulty，creativity and sharpness．The more difficult a mount，the sharper the motions，the better the score．Cheerleading is a team sport so without cooperation，first place is out of reach．
Cheerleading is the number-one cause of serious sports injuries to women．Emergency room visits for cheerleading are five times the number of those for any other sport，partially because they do not wear protective gear．While many athletes are equipped with hip pads or helmets，smiling cheerleaders are tossed into the air and spiral down into the arms of trusted teammates．The fliersmust remain tight at all times so that their bases can catch them safely．Also，because cheerleading is not yet recognized as a sport by many schools，neither proper matting nor high enough ceilings are provided to ensure safety．Instead，the girls use whatever space is available．More recognition of competitive cheerleading as a sport would decrease the number of injuries．
So why do many Americans not think cheerleading is a sport？Some people argue that cheerleaders are just "flirts in skirts" with their only job to entertain the crowd，but cheerleaders today work just as hard as other athletes．
Hopefully，cheerleading will become as well-known a sport as football and basketball，and even appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports．
What does the underlined word "bases" in Paragraph 3 refer to？

A．Strength and cooperation

B．Lifts and tosses

C．Supporting teammates

D．Physical activities

Gymnasts are mentioned in the passage to _________

A．explain the dangers of cheerleading

B．show their similarities with cheerleaders

C．suggest cheerleaders learn to do gymnastics

D．present the guidelines of gymnastic movements

It can be leamed from the passage that cheerleading _________

A．is a good sport for all people

B．lacks necessary guidelines to follow

C．is more than a form of entertainment

D．enjoys greater popularity than other sports

This passage is written mainly to _________

A．attract more girls to cheerleading

B．draw people's attention to cheerleading

C．call for more recognition of competitive cheerleading as a sport

D．criticize some Americans who do not think cheerleading as a sport

Researchers from France and Italy discovered that Canadian parents are less strict with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy.
“Our most important finding was the difference between Canadians and the others，” said Professor Michel Claes，the lead author of the study.“Canadians focus on independence and negotiation．On the other hand，Italians，for example，exercise more control．We found Canadians seem to focus on negotiation in case of a conflict.”
Claes said Canada，France and Italy were selected for the study because they share important cultural and social factors.“We chose French­Canadians because they share the same language as France，and originally came from France and share certain values．Italy was included because it was considered to have similar，strong and important family values，” he explained.
The researchers examined the emotional ties between parents and their children by questioning 1,256 students aged 11 to 19 years old.
Canadian students reported less control and more free actions，according to the study．Italian parents were stricter and French parents were somewhere in the middle.
Claes explains that the differences lie in education in Canada，France and Italy.
“North America has its own educational values，which promote individualization．Tolerance and comprehension are encouraged．Italy，on the other hand，promotes respect of authority，control，and the need for permission.” he said.
Children from all three countries described their mothers as warm and communicative．Italian and Canadian children had similar feelings about their fathers，and reported high levels of emotional ties．But French fathers were generally thought by their children to be more distant and cold.
“We were surprised by this，” Claes admitted.“It seems as though the relationships between French mothers and their children were becoming closer over time，while fathers maintain a form of distance and coldness，which is more of a source of conflict in France than in the other countries.”
Professor Michel Claes believes that Canada，France and  Italy ________.

A．have the same family spirit

B．have some similar cultural traditions

C．have experienced some similar social changes

D．have experienced similar cultural developments

How did the researchers carry out the study ?

A．By collecting answers of parents from Canada，France and Italy.

B．By collecting answers of children from Canada，France and Italy.

C．By questioning parents and their children from Italian Canadian families.

D．By questioning children from French­Canadian families.

According to Michel Claes，what mainly leads to the differences in parent­children relationships among Canada，France and Italy?

A．Educational opportunities.

B．Traditional ideas.

C．Educational values.

D．Historical events.

Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study?

A．French children have troubled relationships with their parents.

B．Canadian children have close relationships with their parents.

C．Italian children have good relationships with their parents.

D．Kids from Canada，France and Italy have closer ties with their moms.

Summer Holiday Fun 2015!
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum's main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits！Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember！The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday，and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August.
Call 01733 864663 for details.
School holiday fun：Young people aged 13—19 will be able to produce their own music，compete in sports activities，or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club，Saxon Community Centre，Norman Road，Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday,12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm.
Call 01353 720274 for details.
Houghton Mill
Through the Looking Glass—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th，August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30 pm，performance 6:30 pm—8:30 pm. Tea room will be open until the end of the interval. Adult ￡ 10. Child ￡7. Family ￡20.
Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Games：From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches，come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette that is fit for a winner！No need to book，just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday,19th August. Suitable for children aged four and above，each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost：￡ 7 per child.
For further information，call 01223 810080.
If you are interested in cooking，you can go to ________.

A．Peterborough Museum	B．Houghton Mill
C．Saxon Youth Club	D．Farmland Museum

You want to watch the new play with your parents，so it will cost you ________.

A．￡ 7

B．￡ 17

C．￡ 27

D．￡ 20

Which of the following activities needs parents' company?

A．Playing farmland games.

B．Watching the new play.

C．Competing in sports activities.

D．Visiting the dinosaur exhibition.

Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.
Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s hasty-made table as “Perfect!” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to shift blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
The trouble with failure-prevention devices is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time--- and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when we don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honor roll on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick consolation, prize or say, “It doesn’t matter.” because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment—and be helped to master it.
Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grown-ups and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask “Why did I fail?”
Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring. Success, which encourages repetition of old behavior, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can prompt fresh thinking, a change of direction. After 12 years of studying ballet, a friend of mine auditioned for a professional company. She was turned down. “ Would further training help?” she asked. The ballet master shook his head. “ You will never be a dancer”, he said, “You haven’t the body for it.”
In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock(估量) of the situation bravely asking, “What have I left? What else can I do?” My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy—a way to find new possibilities.
The second paragraph tells us ___________

A．how a mother praised her children

B．parents should blame their children at the proper time.

C．how to shift blame

D．two ways of failure prevention most parents use when their children fail

According to the author, what should a child know in the real world?

A．No one can be best all the time at everything.

B．He should be equipped for life.

C．No parents should offer quick consolations.

D．He can get pleasure from failure as well as success.

The underlined word “prompt” in the fifth paragraph can be best replaced by “_________.”

A．prevent

B．cause

C．continue

D．exchange

From the passage we know that ______________.

A．success lies in hard work

B．never be disappointed to life

C．failure can affect one’s life greatly once he learns to use it.

D．everyone had his own value

For career changers thinking about growth and advancement potential, forget the blue-collar and white-collar categories: Green is the way to go. According to Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Progress, careers that promote environmental responsibility will become main stream within a decade. “The growth in green careers will be like the Internet boom, which not only created new jobs, but also had an influence on the overall economy,” he says.
The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs. Many countries of the world have realized the importance and need for energy-saving products and services. It is expected that by 2025 about 25% of the jobs in developed countries will be of green-collar jobs. Doesn’t the data look promising for the future?
Green-collar jobs have become a bright career chances for all. And jobs will pop up at every income level, from environmental manager to gardener. For example, many countries including the United States have understood that fossil fuels have negative effect on the environment which can later become a serious danger to mankind. As a result, possibilities are being explored to find alternatives to satisfy demands in a better way. The increasing demand of newer resources has creating the need for experts and researchers who can find better ways to deal with the ongoing needs. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demands of environment-friendly equipment, both green product designer and educated and trained workers are needed. Management of environmental organizations also demands a large number of environmental managers.
Where can you find green-collar jobs? Internet is undoubtedly the best way to find information on almost any matter. Nowadays, different kinds of jobs are being posted online. Search through a couple of job websites to look for a bright future in energy conversion and recycling of waste management. Check regularly and find the right work for yourself. People who read newspapers can also find different kinds of green-collar jobs.
Why does Bracken Hendricks mention the Internet Boom in Paragraph One?

A．To explain the importance of technology.

B．To provide evidence of his recent research.

C．To inform us of the way of finding green-collar jobs.

D．To indicate the bright future of green careers.

Which of the following probably creates green-collar jobs?

A．Promoting services.

B．Developing new resources.

C．Consuming fossil fuels.

D．Training employees.

What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?

A．The requirements for green employees.

B．The development of the green industry.

C．The job chances in the environmental industry.

D．The economic influence of green careers.

The passage is written to _______.

A．discuss eco-friendly services

B．suggest ways of saving energy at work

C．introduce promising career chances

D．explain the best method of finding jobs

Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically（心理上的） and physically.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤）instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.
From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________.

A．diet products fail to bring out people’s potential

B．people are fed up with diet products

C．people have difficulty in choosing diet products

D．diet products are misleading people

One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _____.

A．hesitate before they enjoy diet foods

B．pay attention to their own eating habits

C．watch their weight rather than their diet

D．try out a variety of diet foods

The purpose of writing this passage is _________.

A．to warn people of the side effect of diet products

B．to tell people how to lose weight

C．to advise people to eat diet products

D．to introduce some diet products

Which of the following shows the structure（结构） of the passage?

CP: Central Point      P: Point       Sp: Sub-point(次要点)   C: Conclusion

As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know how the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.
What can we learn about the first experiment?

A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer.

B．The first group didn’t know where the information is.

C．The two groups remembered the information equally well.

D．The second group had a better memory of the information.

In transactive memory, people ______.

A．know how to access huge amounts of information later.

B．learn how to organize small amounts of information.

C．organize huge quantities of information like a computer.

D．bear huge quantities of information in mind.

What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?

A．We are becoming more intelligent.

B．We are using memory differently.

C．We have poorer memories than before.

D．We need a better way to access information.

Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss? No. But a new research shows that large amounts of flavones, substances found in cocoa, tea and some kinds of vegetables, may improve age-related memory failure.
Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology (神经病学) at Columbia University in new York City. He is the lead writer of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavones on brain activity. His study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavones drink made from cocoa beans or a low-level flavones drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900 milligrams of flavones a day. The others got 10 milligrams of flavones each day. Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study. Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavones drink showed much improvement on memory tests.
The researchers warn that more work is needed to be done because this study was performed only on a small group. Dr. Joann Manson is the lead researcher of a four-year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavones capsules(胶囊). The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills per day. The capsules used will all look the same. But one group's capsules will contain flavones, while the other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo
Dr. Manson says it's not necessary for people to start eating more chocolate, because a person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the same level of flavones given to the rest subjects. He adds many manufacturers have planned to remove the flavones from their chocolate products. Similarly, Dr. Manson says a cocoa-based flavones extract(提取)may be developed in the future But he says that more studies are needed to see how much flavones is good for our health.
What was done to the subjects after Dr. Small’s study?

A．They were asked to take a high-level flavones drink.

B．They were given capsules containing flavones.

C．They were given brain imaging and memory tests.

D．They were asked to take two pills of flavones capsules per day.

What's the similarity of the two experiments?

A．Both use high-level flavones capsules.

B．The number of the subjects is the same.

C．Drinks and placebos are used in both experiments.

D．The subjects are divided into two groups in both experiments.

Why will Dr. Manson carry out the four-year study?

A．To prove the first experiment is wrong.

B．To carry out the experiment further.

C．To test how much flavones can improve our memory.

D．To show eating chocolate is better to improve memory.

What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．It’s not necessary for us to eat chocolate.

B．The more we eat flavones, the better our health will be.

C．In the future we can get flavones without eating chocolate.

D．It’s easy for people to get the same level of flavones given to the test subjects.

Dear Miss Manners，
Friends of mine lost their home in a house fire．It was terrible．Another friend set up a "go fund me" type page for friends and funnily to donate and help the couple．Many friends, including me, helped with money, meals, lamprey and their dog while 'they were getting back on their feet．
Last week, they sent thank-you notes．My roommate received one addressed to her and I did not  The notes were not in modularized; it was a printed one-size-fits-all message．My roommate realized I didn't receive a thank you, so she sent a private message to the couple just letting them know I had been left out．I didn't know she had done this until later．
The next day, I got a text message apologizing and saying that I had been left out because their friend who addressed the notes must have missed me!（Miss Manners, they didn't even address the notes themselves!）It was accompanied by a picture of the thank-you note, which was texted to me with- the message, "Here is a thank you just for you. "
I was a little annoyed．I helped them in their fume of need and didn't get a second thought．I have not responded to her text message．Is it fair of me to consider this friendship over? Should I tell her that I am upset, or should I accept that this rude thank you was better than nothing?
For what purpose did Mary write the letter?

A．To start a public donation for the unlucky couple．

B．To teach us how to see the true colors of friendship．

C．To tell us to loam a lesson from her story

D．To ask for advice on how to deal with her annoyance．

From the letter we can infer that           ．

A．the couple lost their car in the fire so they had to go everywhere on foot．

B．so far Mary hasn't received a thank-you-note addressed to her．

C．Mary's roommate sent the couple a message to blame their carelessness．

D．the couple left Mary out by accident when they wrote the thank you notes．

What does Mary think of the couple she helped?

A．careless	B．considerate
C．unbelievable	D．unreliable

The letter is most likely taken from         .

A．a diary	B．a brochure
C．a newspaper	D．a report

The average American child spends three to five hours a day watching TV. In 1961, the average child began to watch television at age three; however, today it is nine months. Yet, most parents think that television has a bad influence on their children. For example, in the early 1970s, my parents believed that my bad eyesight was the result of sitting too close to the screen, and they therefore made my stay at least six feet from it. Today, most people have no such worry, but many new ridiculous (荒谬的) sayings have appeared:
*TV makes kids stupid. Many children watch more educational programs when they are pre-schoolers. When they grow up, they can read more books and have much better ideas to solve difficult problems than other children.
*TV makes kids violent. The real story is not so simple. Hundreds of studies show that watching violence on TV makes children more aggressive (好斗的). But a study of over 5,000 children also finds that some positive programs make children kinder. The problem is that kids are increasingly watching shows with violence instead of those suitable for their age.
*Sitting around watching TV makes kids overweight. An experiment finds that when children watch less television, they do lose extra weight; however, reducing their television time does not make them more active. The real problem lies in snacking (吃零食), a widespread habit for kids, and junk-food advertisements.
*TV helps kids get to sleep. The opposite is true. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to have irregular sleep and nap(小睡) patterns. Allowing kids to watch television is part of the problem, not the solution.
Which one is the advantage of educational TV programs?

A．They will make children solve difficult problems better than others.

B．They will improve children’s ability to get along with others.

C．They are likely to make children more aggressive.

D．They will make sure of children’s success in the future.

Why are children spending much time watching TV likely to be fat?

A．Watching TV makes children lazy and inactive.

B．Children are attracted by the food advertisement on TV.

C．Watching TV doesn’t burn up as much fat as doing sports.

D．Children like to snack while watching TV.

What influence does watching TV have on a child’s sleep?

A．Children are likely to sleep deeper after watching TV.

B．Children’s sleep time will be greatly reduced.

C．It will make children form a bad habit of sleeping.

D．It will make children sleep easier.

What is the purpose of this text?

A．To increase people’s knowledge of watching TV.

B．To warn parents of the disadvantages of watching TV.

C．To explain the bad influences that watching TV has on children.

D．To correct parents’ wrong ideas of television’s effect on children.