Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.
Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)，Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.
In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.
The doctor told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins’ problem and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.
Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead，he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.
He began to experiment on himself while still in hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.
Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days，Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television，reading funny books，and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks，he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.
After a few months，Mr. Cousins returned to work. He has laughed himself back to health.
1. Why did Norman Cousins get sick?| A．He did not rest enough. | B．He traveled too much. |
| C．His body chemistry changed. | D．All of the above. |
| A．The bones in his feet. | B．His mind when he slept. |
| C．The material between his bones. | D．His stomach. |
| A．Bad food. | B．Too much laughter. |
| C．Unhappy thoughts. | D．The doctors. |
| A．To a hotel room. | B．To the beach. | C．To the hospital. | D．To the USSR. |
| A．A few weeks. | B．A few months. | C．A few hours. | D．A few years. |
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【推荐1】An outbreak of bird flu（禽流感） moved from Asia to Europe, and has now spread to North America, which has led to the deaths of tens of millions of birds.
The last time there was a bird flu outbreak was seven years ago. The 2015 bird flu caused the death of over 50 million birds in the US alone. Slowly, over time, that outbreak was brought to a close by itself. This version of bird flu was first noticed in Saudi Arabia in February,2020. All through 2020 and 2021, the disease continued to spread. Wild birds which caught the flu in one part of the world carried the disease to other parts as they travelled.
The current bird flu appears to be at least as deadly as the 2015 flu, and seems to spread more easily. As one expert put it, “A lot more birds appear to be affected.” In the US alone, over 40 different kinds of wild birds have been found to have the disease, and those birds are spread out over 30 different states. Among the wild birds hit the hardest are water birds like ducks and geese. Birds which eat other birds, like eagles, are also being heavily affected. To keep the flu from spreading, farms with a few infected birds often have to kill thousands of birds, even if they don’t all have the disease yet.
Some scientists think this virus will stick around in wild bird populations. “I hope that this is not the case. I hope that in the US this infection will go away soon,” says Ron Fouchier, a virologist（病毒学家） at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. “But there’s no guarantee for that, as we’ve seen in Europe now that this virus has remained present for several years.”
1. What do we know about the 2015 bird flu?| A．It was discovered in Saudi Arabia. | B．It had little effect on the birds. |
| C．It appeared in different forms. | D．It came to an end on its own. |
| A．The performance of the infected birds. | B．The killing of the bird flu. |
| C．The current bird flu’s consequences. | D．The tough choices for farmers. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncertain. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．A magazine about animals. | B．A novel about ordinary people. |
| C．A health guidebook. | D．A medicine book. |
【推荐2】When public health officials started telling Americans that hand washing is one of the most powerful weapons against the spread of the coronavirus, Terence Lester wondered, “What about the homeless?” Lester had been homeless himself for a time as a teenager, and today he runs a nonprofit in Atlanta called Love Beyond Walls that helps raise money for and awareness of homeless people. He knows all too well that in the best of times they are lucky to find a public bathroom that will let them in to wash up occasionally, not to mention several times a day.
Lester’s experience of creating temporary shelters with his nonprofit led him to another idea: temporary handwashing stations, the kind you see at outdoor music festivals. He mentioned the idea to his friend Lecrae Moore, a Grammy-winning Christian rapper, who eagerly donated enough money to buy 15 of the $ 150 washing stations. They called their project Love Sinks In. “If leaders in this country are asking people to wash their hands, we also have to provide the tools to people living on the margins of society who are more likely to catch and spread the coronavirus,” Lester says.
After its success in Atlanta, the group sent sinks to Birmingham, Alabama; Oakland, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas, where a partner organization installed the sinks in parks and other public spaces, thanks to a $ 13,000 donation from Google. (In addition to the startup funds, it costs about $ 500 a month to keep each sink stocked with soap and clean water.) One Atlanta hand washer, Sam, left a note on a sink that said, “God bless you! The hand washing the others!” One Atlanta hand washer, Sam, made sure his gratitude didn't go unnoticed. He left a note on a sink that said，“Thank you all for not forgetting about us.”
1. What makes Lester know the homeless well?| A．His research into the homeless. | B．His personal experience. |
| C．The public health warming. | D．The nonprofit organization. |
| A．He fixed handwashing stations at musical festivals. |
| B．He installed the sink for hand washing in person. |
| C．He launched the project Love Sinks In. |
| D．He created temporary shelters. |
| A．The homeless are unlikely to develop coronavirus. |
| B．The project involves individual and collective efforts. |
| C．The homeless have good public health consciousness. |
| D．Handwashing is the most effective way to cure coronavirus. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Concerned | D．Doubtful |
【推荐3】WASHINGTON(Reuters)-People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌),an unusual but deadly cancer,researchers reported on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk,the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits,said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota,who led the study.
“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin(胰岛素)in The body,which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,”Pereira said in a statement.
Writing in the joumal Cancer Epidemiology,Biomarkers & Prevention,Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for l4 years.
Over that time,140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer.Those who drank two or more sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said he believed the fndings would apply elsewhere.
“Singapore is a wcahhy country with excellent heahhcare.Favorite pastimes(消遣)are eating and shopping,so the findings should apply to other western countries,”he said.
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
“Although this study found a risk,the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal(因果的)connection or not。”said Mayne.
who serves on the board of the journal,which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer,with 230,000 cases globally.In the United States,37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it.
1. According to the text,who is in control of the health study?| A．Mark Pereira. | B．Scientists from Singapore. |
| C．Researchers in Yale. | D．Susan Mayne. |
| A．the heahhcare in Singapore should be greatly improved |
| B．2 soft drinks a day are considered harmful to health |
| C．87 out of l40 volunteers developed pancreatic cancer |
| D．sugar might not be the only cause of pancreatic cancer |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Doubtful. | C．Worried. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．The Deadliest Forms of Cancer | B．Drink Fruit Juice Instead of Sodas |
| C．A Study in University of Minnesota | D．Sugary Soft Drinks Lead to Cancer |
【推荐1】Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom when her mother, Leigh Williams, came in and shouted, “A little boy fell into a septic tank (化粪池)!” Then she asked her 13-year-old daughter if she could help.
Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard, where they found the boy’s mad mother and other adults around the septic tank. Madison quickly examined the situation. She was the only one who could fit through the small hole. Without waiting a second, she got on her stomach next to the opening, placed her arms out in front of her, and told the adults, “Lower me in.”
Leigh and others held her waist and legs. Inside, the tank was dark, and the air was terrible. In the process, she stuck her left wrist (手腕) against a pole, hurting the muscles in her wrist and arm so seriously that the hand was useless. Rather than deal with her pain, Madison looked for the boy in the water with her eyes and right hand. Minutes went by before she saw his foot. Madison shot her right hand out and held the foot tightly. “Pull me up!” she shouted to the others above.
As they were pulled up, the boy’s free foot got stuck inside the hole. “Lower me down!” she shouted. Then, ten minutes after Madison had entered the tank, they were lifted out. But the boy wasn’t breathing for the lack of fresh air. He was placed on his side, and an adult gave him several hard hits on the back. It was only when Madison heard him cry that she knew he was all right.
1. How did Madison know what had happened?| A．She saw it herself. | B．She heard a cry for help. |
| C．Her mother told her about it. | D．Her mother asked her to help. |
| A．The boy’s cry of surprise. | B．People’s call. |
| C．Her mother’s bravery. | D．Her own willingness. |
| A．He was saved finally. | B．He was drowned to death. |
| C．He wasn’t breathing. | D．He was sent to hospital. |
| A．A girl and her brave mother. | B．A drowning boy in the water. |
| C．A boy falling into a septic tank. | D．A girl voluntarily saving a little boy. |
【推荐2】I love reading the amazing stories of kindness on the Internet, but I don't often post my own. But this time, I really want to share this story with you.
Today, I went to the local store to prepare something for our family dinner. When I was waiting in line, I heard the voice of a clerk who had been working at this store for many years. He was always happy and always kind to all the shoppers in his line. A voice in my mind told me to do something kind as he did. In front of me was a young father with two children. He tried to pay with his credit card, but it was out of use. The clerk let him take his basket to the ATM near the door of the store, and he called his manager to help him.
When the father made his way to the ATM, I asked the clerk if I could pay for the father's order. And I asked the clerk to keep a secret, saying another shopper helped him. The clerk agreed. After a while, the surprise and happiness on the young father's face was enough to make this day special for me! The joy of the father was real and clear, I was so happy with my decision.
After the father left the store with his children, the clerk thanked me. Kindness is of great importance. Even a small thing can make a great difference.
1. The author went to the local store to ___________.| A．meet the clerk | B．buy some food |
| C．order a family dinner | D．share stories of kindness |
| A．Because the clerk needed the manager's help. |
| B．Because he didn't take his credit card with him. |
| C．Because he couldn't pay with his credit card. |
| D．Because his children were crying for the empty basket. |
| A．A father's love for his children. | B．A happy meeting in a store. |
| C．A store clerk's happy day. | D．A story about kindness. |
【推荐3】Do you remember reading an article called Kouji in middle school? In it, a kouji performer, specializing in vocal mimicry, creates lifelike performances of various sounds using just his mouth, with the stage having only a table, a block of wood on it, a chair and a fan.
Originating from ancient China, the art of kouji involves skillfully using movements of the lips, teeth, throat, and tongue to produce sounds that mimic birds, animals, and various other noises in the world. It is often combined with story-telling during performances. In 2011, kouji was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
According to the IHChina website, traditional kouji is becoming endangered due to the rapid development of electronic audio. However, Cao Quyang, a 28-year-old inheritor, has found a solution by combining kouji with beatboxing, achieving a perfect combination of traditional and modern performance art.
Cao started learning kouji in 2016 when she wanted to bring something original to her B -box performance. "As a former percussionis (打击乐器演奏者), I'm sensitive to rhythm, so I integrated the kouji techniques I learned into beatboxing and created my own unique style in my area of expertise." she added. For example, when mimicking environmental sounds like wind, Cao can use her mouth to weave beatboxing into it, making the sound of the wind stronger and more rhythmic." The addition of beatboxing brings more musical expression to kouji performances, making the stories more vivid and appealing to today's young audiences." said Cao.
In addition to kouji and beatboxing, Cao can also play the Chinese drums, drum set, and piano, as well as DJ. "Innovation is not difficult for me. To me, innovation is simply expressing something that people don't understand in a way they do," said Cao, "As long as it combines tradition and modernity and allows the public to appreciate the beauty of tradition through innovation, I'm willing to do it."
1. What does the article tell us about kouji ?| A．It involves five parts of the human mouth. |
| B．It originated in the Western Han dynasty. |
| C．It usually mixes sound mimicry with storytelling. |
| D．It received national heritage status in 2001. |
| A．By developing a new form of art. |
| B．By employing it to compose pop songs. |
| C．By including digital effects in her performances. |
| D．By combining it with percussion instruments. |
| A．Visual appeal. | B．Emotional depth. |
| C．Mimicry accuracy. | D．Rhythmic complexity. |
| A．It presents challenges and risks of failure. | B．It is a means of beautifying the old. |
| C．It is a way to bridge understanding. | D．It serves as a form of self-expression. |
【推荐1】We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
“Look down, Elsa,” father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. “See, my dear,” father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.
When I turned to father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered (喷溅出) “The cook must have gone mad!” Quickly I told her what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed, I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.
1. The author’s father took her to the top of a church tower to _________.| A．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town |
| B．find out how many ways lead to the square |
| C．inspire her to find out another way to solve her problem |
| D．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day |
| A．Do something delicious for lunch. |
| B．Taste her awful lunch. |
| C．Dismiss the mad cook. |
| D．Speak to the school about lunch. |
| A．the cook agreed to serve the soup to the writer’s mother. |
| B．the author’s mother was angry with the cook. |
| C．her father persuaded her mother successfully. |
| D．the method the author thought of was effective. |
| A．It was delicious. | B．It wasn’t so bad as the author said. |
| C．It is terrible. | D．It was as good as her cook did. |
【推荐2】The rain was raining hard. Many sicko(神经病)patients finally were unbearable, rushing into the rain and shouting: Come and take a shower now... come and take a bath now.
Doctor Watt stood hopelessly with a weak smile on the face, He was starring at those mad men when suddenly he looked back over his shoulder and found a sicko called Johnson firmly standing by him,
Watt: why don’t you go to take a shower. Johnson?
Johnson: No, I won’t. I am not the same . They are really mad. they are a group of mental sickos.
Watt: You are not the same as them, Johnson? Why do you say so?
Johnson: Yes. Because I am their leader. I am not like them at all.
Watt: Are you fine and healthy, Johnson?
Johnson: Yes. I am fine. Those are so foolish in the rain. They are truly hopeless.
Watt: I am so glad that I have finally cured one patient in all my life. How happy I am!
Johnson was definitely calm and stood still, saying: I am waiting for boiling rain. Then I will take a bath and wash again.
1. “Take a shower” means__________| A．To Bathe | B．To dance | C．To swim | D．To sing |
| A．Watt was very happy to cure Johnson. | B．Sicko patients are absolutely easy to cure. |
| C．Sicko patients never take a bath. | D．Watt was sad to see what had happened. |
| A．a normal man | B．the leader of Sicko patients. |
| C．seriously ill | D．a healthy man |
【推荐3】I’d gone snowboarding in France with my little brother, and what we lacked in skill we made up for in enthusiasm. That day, fresh snow had been falling, and we were in high spirits. We stopped near the top of an off-path section that went through forests. I let my brother disappear into the trees ahead, figuring I would soon catch up.
It was like hitting a solid wall. I began to pick up speed when I was suddenly thrown off balance. Just as I was regaining control, I ran into the trunk of a large tree.
The pain was instant. I knew immediately that my back was broken and quickly realized the situation could get very serious. Nobody would be coming past. There was no phone signal. It was snowing and cold. If I waited, I would probably be rescued eventually. But the chance of freezing to death before that happened was too high for me to risk staying put.
I tried to stand but fell down and almost blacked out with pain. I managed to get the board off from my feet and moved it under my stomach so I was lying on it. I faced down the mountain and used the board to slowly drag and slide my body down the steep, tree-lined slope.
It took about two hours before a skier found me and I got help. The mountain rescue team came, with my brother arriving shortly afterwards. I couldn’t feel my hands or my toes from the cold, but the relief at knowing I was safe was immense (极大的).
A helicopter took me to hospital. I had broken one of my backbones, so I had an operation where the doctors inserted plates. The constant pain was agonizing, but it wasn’t as bad as seeing the pain and worry I put my family through.
The recovery road was tough, but I was lucky. Gradually, I was able to walk, then swim, then cycle and then run. I haven’t been back to the slopes yet, but it might happen someday — I will, however, be sticking to the paths.
1. What caused the author’s accident?| A．The poor weather. |
| B．His brother’s push from behind. |
| C．His loss of balance while snowboarding. |
| D．The author’s overconfidence in his skills. |
| A．He suffered only minor injuries. |
| B．He was fully aware of the risks of waiting. |
| C．He wanted to catch up with his brother. |
| D．He preferred to challenge himself. |
| A．Guilty. | B．Delighted. | C．Disappointed. | D．Annoyed. |
