【推荐1】Some people don't wish to waste even a second at work. Looking at a computer screen for a long time can cause stress on one's eyes. Sitting and looking at a television screen for hours can also make the eyes tired.

Bookworms love reading and they will make sure they read much more than their bodies can deal with. The strong wish to finish a book may result in fast reading，without taking breaks, which can lead to tired eyes. Reading for a long time in weak light can also cause tired eyes.

More salt-based junk food like burgers，pizzas, etc. and less water also play a role in causing tired eyes. The junk food is a reason for tired eyes for it hasn't enough vitamins（维生素）.

Less sleep causes the eyes to become heavy. Dark circles also develop if one doesn't get enough sleep over a period of time.

If not treated in time，the condition can become worse. Here are some ways to relieve（减轻）a tired eye condition.

Every hour during your day at work, spend a minute relaxing your eyes. Look away from your computer screen and roll your eyes in all directions. Try and blink（眨眼）more often. Look around the room or close your eyes for a minute if you want and then work again. Following these every hour will help relieve the stress on your eyes，and you won't feel so tired after work.

Tea helps relieve tired eyes. Make a cup of hot black tea and pour it into a glass. Hold the glass close to your eyes，so that the vapors from the tea reach your eyes. This will also make you feel fresh.

If your eyes feel very tired at work, go to the washroom and wash your face with cool tap water. The cold water will help relieve the tired feeling. Do this every hour during work and your eyes will feel good.

1. How many factors will cause the tiredness of one's eyes according to the passage?

A．6	B．4
C．8	D．10

2. In the last paragraph, what method does the author suggest to relieve your eyes?

A．A physical approach.	B．A medicine treatment.
C．An operation.	D．An exercise method.

3. What's the purpose of the passage？

A．To show the importance of our eyes.

B．To explain the ways of eyes' protection.

C．To help us keep fit.

D．To tell us how to get rid of eyes' tiredness.

4. Where can you possibly see the passage？

A．A poster.	B．A travel guide.
C．A health magazine.	D．An introduction to an eye hospital.

【推荐2】Have you ever noticed that your fingertips are wrinkled (起皱的) when you’ve just finished swimming or washing dishes? It seems as if your hands have aged 30 years in a second. But is this an accident? Or is it something that nature has built into our bodies?

“If your finger’s wrinkling up had no use at all, it wouldn’t need to.” Professor Tom Smulders from Newcastle University UK told BBC News. By studying wet fingers closely, Smulders and his partners found that the wrinkles looked a bit like the patterns on the car tire or the bottom of the running shoes. So they made a guess that wrinkles on fingers might be able to help the hand hold things more tightly.

To test this, researchers asked 20 people to pick up marbles (大理石) from water with their hands. But before they started, some of the people had to keep their hands in water for half an hour. The researchers found that the people with wrinkled fingers completed the task faster than those with dry hands. But when they were asked to move dry marbles, all the people performed equally well no matter they had the wrinkled fingers or not. Researchers said our ancestors might not have played with marbles but wrinkled fingers could have made it easier for them to climb around in the wet forests and catch fish from rivers. Similarly, our toes also get wrinkled in water. This may have developed from our ancestors need to run on wet ground.

But the question is if wrinkled fingers are so helpful, why don’t our hands just stay that way all the time? Researchers explained that wrinkling had its disadvantage: wet fingertips are far less sensitive than smooth ones, reducing our sense of touch.

1. What does the underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．Whether fingers have wrinkles after they are put in water.

B．Whether wrinkled fingers can hold things more tightly.

C．Why keeping things in water makes them wrinkled.

D．Why wrinkles help hands hold things more tightly.

2. The test shows that _________.

A．wrinkled hands hold dry things more tightly than dry hands do

B．dry hands hold dry things more tightly than wrinkled hands do

C．wrinkled hands hold wet things more tightly than dry hands do

D．dry hands hold wet things more tightly than wrinkled hands do

3. What might be the disadvantage of wrinkled fingers?

A．They are too sensitive to be touched.

B．They might be more likely to get hurt.

C．They cannot hold things tightly enough.

D．They are not so sensitive as dry fingers.

【推荐3】A year ago， Jiao Wenchao， 31 and a college teacher， suddenly realized that he was having hearing problems． The problem grew to such a degree that he decided to seek professional help at a local hospital in Beijing． An examination suggested that both his ears were losing the ability to hear high frequency sounds．

The doctor told him that the problem was caused by over exposure to high frequency and loud noise， including from his earphones．

Neurological hearing loss， as in Jiao's case， is usually caused by exposure to unsafe noise levels， says Pan Tao， an otologist from the Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing． His department receives around 10 patients who have neurological hearing impairment like Jiao every day．

"Such patients are increasing in recent years． Even some teenagers are among them，" says Pan． "And during our investigations， we find that many of them follow bad habits such as making phone calls or listening to music for too long and at high volume．"

A recent report by the World Health Organization has warned that some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices， including smart phones． Data from studies in middle-and high-income countries analyzed by WHO indicate that among teenagers and young adults aged between 12 and 35， nearly 50 percent were exposed to unsafe levels of sound from personal audio devices and around 40 percent were exposed to potentially damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues．

According to the study， safe listening depends on the intensity or loudness of sound， as well as the duration and frequency of listening． When the exposure is particularly loud， regular or prolonged， it could lead to permanent damage of the ear's sensory cells， it says．

The study results have grabbed wide attention on the internet in China． Many internet users admit that compared with more noticeable health problems like eyesight loss， hearing loss has been largely neglected． Pan says such impairment is usually neglected even by patients themselves as it is usually in the high frequency section， which means that those who suffer it can still carry out daily communication unaffected．

"Often the problem is only found out when they visit our hospital to seek help for more noticeable symptoms like tinnitus，" says Pan． He also says that timely treatment is critical． "This is because sometimes the hearing loss is temporary and can be cured with therapy， including medicine． However， it can become irreversible if the problem is not properly treated within the first two or three months．

"But many people miss the best time to get treated because they do not even realize the existence of the problem．"

After Jiao's first check a year ago， the doctor prescribed Jiao medicine to tackle the problem． However， Jiao returned to the hospital recently， and found that the situation had not improved much． "I understand now that the impairment may be irreversible，" says Jiao． "So， I must pay attention to my habit of using earphones， and avoid harmful environmental noises， too．"

To mark International Ear Care Day， celebrated each year on March 3， WHO has launched the "Make Listening Safe" initiative to draw attention to the dangers of unsafe listening and promote safer practices．

The WHO study has suggested that unsafe levels of sounds could be exposure to in excess of 85 decibels for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes， such as noise at nightclubs， bars， sporting events and other entertainment venues．

The study also warns that hearing loss has potentially devastating consequences for physical and mental health， education and employment． It says teenagers and young people can better protect their hearing by keeping the volume down on personal audio devices， wearing earplugs when visiting noisy venues， and using carefully fitted， and， if possible， noise-canceling earphones or headphones．

1. According to the study， safe listening depends on ______ ．

A．The intensity of sound．

B．The loudness of sound．

C．The duration and frequency of listening．

D．All of the above．

2. Jiao Wenchao's problem， according to the doctor， was caused by a series of reasons except ______ ．

A．Congenital diseases．

B．Overuse of earphones．

C．Over exposure to loud noise．

D．Over exposure to high frequency noise．

3. which of the following is wrong？ ______

A．Patients， like Jiao Wenchao， are merely limited to adults．

B．Sometimes the hearing loss is temporary and can be cured with therapy．

C．In Jiao Wenchao's case， timely treatment is critical．

D．WHO has launched some initiatives to draw attention to the dangers of unsafe listening．

4. what can we infer from the text？ ______

A．It is harmful to stay in bars for hearing for a while．

B．Environmental noises have no effects on people．

C．People working at nightclubs are apt to lose hearing ability．

D．Patients suffering from listening loss would immediately realize the importance of treatment．

【推荐1】A new study has found that a child’s reading speed can be improved by simply increasing the space between letters within a piece of text. The research, led by Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), examined the benefits of letter spacing and coloured overlays (颜色标注) among children.

Two groups of children, dyslexic (有阅读障碍的) and non-dyslexic children, were asked to read four texts with either standard or extra-large letter spacing, both with and without a coloured overlay. They were instructed to read the text out loud while being recorded. The recording was used to measure the number of errors they made — specifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciation — as well as the participants’ reading time.

The study discovered that text with increased space between letters provided a benefit for both groups. On average, the dyslexia group showed a 13% increase in reading speed, while the group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5% increase. In addition to improving reading speed, it also resulted in a significant decline in the number of words missed by the children with dyslexia. However, the study found that coloured overlays had no significant impact on reading speed or the reduction of errors for either group.

Dr Stagg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at ARU, said, “We believe extra-large letter spacing works by reducing what is known as the ‘crowding effect’, which can hamper the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed.”

“Our findings strongly suggest that teachers can be confident that all children would be helped by increased letter spacing in reading materials.” Dr Stagg added. While we found that coloured overlays provided little benefit, we suggest children should be encouraged to use overlays if they find these help their reading. Coloured overlays may not increase reading speeds, but they may extend reading stamina (持久力). Previous research suggests their benefits may not become apparent if reading time is less than 10 minutes and the short reading duration of the tests in our study may have put coloured overlays at a disadvantage.

1. Which of the following best describes the research process in paragraph 2?

A．Illustrate, group and report.	B．Read, instruct and measure.
C．Question, assume and prove.	D．Categorize, record and count.

2. What can we learn about increased letter spacing from paragraph 3?

A．It reduces reading errors.	B．It sharpens reading skills.
C．It arouses reading interest.	D．It enhances reading comprehension.

3. What does the underlined word “hamper” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Obtain.

B．Prevent.

C．Change.

D．Involve.

4. What can be inferred about coloured overlays from paragraph 5?

A．They might work better in short reading.

B．They might not be recommended by experts.

C．They might not have been evaluated fairly.

D．They might have some disadvantages.