I couldn’t sleep at all last night. My sister says it was because I ate a bowl of really spicy chili (辣的辣椒) right before bedtime, but I think that’s impossible. Can spicy foods at bedtime really have an influence on one’s sleep?
－Sleepless
Dear Sleepless,
I know your feeling because I often eat spicy chili before lights out. I’ve also experienced sleep problems after eating a lot of spicy foods. What does science say?
Researchers in Australia did an experiment to find out the effects of spicy foods on how we sleep. They wanted to try to know the influence of spicy foods on the length or quality (质量) of sleep. They gave a group of people delicious late-night meals. Some nights, they got spicy meals. Other nights, their meals were mild (清淡的). It turns out that your sister is on to something. When the people taking part in the experiment ate spicy foods, their sleep patterns (模式) were changed. They took longer to fall asleep and they slept less, too. This was the kind of information the researchers were looking for to build a link (关联) between eating spicy foods and possible sleep problems.
Researchers aren’t sure exactly how spicy foods change sleep patterns, but they have some ideas on the subject. People’s sleep could be influenced because of stomachache caused by eating spicy foods. Also, they could be taking too long to fall asleep because of taking too long to digest (消化) the spicy foods. But they also guess that body temperature plays a role. Spicy foods include something that can raise the body’s temperature. Other studies have connected increased body temperature with poor sleep. So before you go to bed, leave the chilies alone and sleep well.
－Science
1. The questioner couldn’t sleep last night because ________.| A．he ate spicy foods |
| B．he went to bed too late |
| C．he was angry with his sister |
| D．he talked with Dr. Science for a long time |
| A．eating at bedtime is unhealthy |
| B．many Australians enjoy eating spicy foods |
| C．eating spicy foods can influence one’s sleep |
| D．spicy foods are more healthful than mild foods |
| A．true | B．stupid | C．terrible | D．funny |
| A．sleep badly | B．go to bed early |
| C．like mild foods | D．eat lots of foods |
| A．By sharing his personal experience. |
| B．By telling him about some research. |
| C．By interviewing him face to face. |
| D．By making experiments with him. |
2 . In the United States, most of our electricity comes from power plants (发电厂) that burn coal and oil.
There are two big problems with using these things for electricity. First, their supply is limited (有限的). Second, burning them causes pollution. So to make sure we always have power and to keep our planet clean, we must find other ways to make electricity.
Some people think that wind power is our best choice. First, there will always be more wind. Also, wind power does not pollute the environment. Best of all, we don’t have to search for wind.
Today, less than 1 percent of our electricity comes from wind. But scientists have been developing better wind machines. As a result, wind power is getting more popular in this country.
Yet wind power may not keep growing so quickly in years to come. Why not? Many wind turbines (风力涡轮机) are needed to make much electricity. So wind-power companies try to build wind farms but are competing (竞争) with other uses for the land. A wind farm is a group of turbines placed close together in an area with frequent winds.
In places where companies try to build wind farms, people think that lines of turbines are ugly. Noise from turbines often troubles people. Also, turbines kill birds that fly into them.
Wind-power supporters disagree. They think the sight of wind turbines is lovely. They point out that people have gotten used to living near noisy highways. They say ways can be found to keep birds away from turbines.
In today’s world, we need clean and unlimited power sources more than ever. Unless a better power source comes along, people may just have to accept wind power as a part of their lives.
1. The underlined part “these things” in the second paragraph refers to ________.| A．frequent winds. | B．wind turbines. |
| C．power plants. | D．coal and oil. |
| A．How wind power works. |
| B．How wind power was found. |
| C．The advantages of wind power. |
| D．The development of wind power. |
| A．It is very expensive to build lots of wind turbines. |
| B．It is difficult to improve the wind power technology. |
| C．There are few people who accept it as a new power source. |
| D．Many wind turbines are needed and there is less space for them. |
| A．make a loud noise. |
| B．look very beautiful. |
| C．are built near highways. |
| D．provide places for birds to stay. |
| A．The Role of Wind. |
| B．The Power of Wind. |
| C．The Cost of Wind Power. |
| D．The History of Wind Power. |
3 . My daughter graduated from college this year. I couldn’t be more proud of her. Through countless hours of study, books read, papers written, and tests taken, her hard work has paid off. She is no longer a little girl. She has become a wise, giving, caring, and loving adult. She has learned so much and is ready to start the rest of her life.
I think the things I take most pride in her learning, though, aren’t the ones she learned in the classroom. They are the ones she learned through living her life. My daughter already knows things that it took me much longer to learn. She knows that money can’t buy happiness. She knows that laughter exercises the lungs and love opens up the heart. She knows that doing what you love and loving what you do turns work into play. She knows that children are life’s most precious (珍贵的) gift and that every child should be treated with kindness and love.
My daughter knows that life often isn’t fair, that society often isn’t wise, and that everyone of us will face our share of problems. She also knows, however, that with love in our hearts we can bring learning, laughter, and joy to even the toughest days. She knows that life is a journey taken on a rocky road and that sometimes we stumble. She knows that we can pick ourselves up each time and even help someone else up as well. Most of all she knows that she is still learning, just as we all are. May she always know too just how much I love her.
1. How did the author feel when her daughter graduated from college?| A．Grateful. | B．Satisfied. | C．Calm. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Her daughter is ready to start a new life. |
| B．Her daughter knows a lot about society. |
| C．Her daughter’s knowledge learnt through living her life. |
| D．Her daughter’s achievements in the classroom. |
| A．you should love work as well as play |
| B．it’s important for one to turn work into play |
| C．your work will become interesting if you love it |
| D．what you love and what you do are totally different |
| A．her mother is well educated |
| B．her mother loves her very much |
| C．she is cleverer than her mother |
| D．she has to keep learning all her life |
| A．Fall. | B．Climb. | C．Control. | D．Shock. |
4 . “Daddy, can I have a piece of cake?” my oldest son asked me.
We had just been to the gym and stopped to
“No,” I replied, “you don’t need a piece of cake.”
My son
He had a full plate of
He was silent as he looked at the
I looked at my plate. There sitting on the edge was a piece of
A few days later my oldest son was
He ordered a sandwich. I then
Your kids are very likely to put on their plates, exactly what you have on yours, and I think this applies to (适用于) more than food. Keep your life plate with only what you want your kids to have.
1.| A．eat | B．relax | C．play | D．rest |
| A．gets | B．becomes | C．turns | D．grows |
| A．in order | B．in time | C．in use | D．in shape |
| A．trouble | B．success | C．matter | D．failure |
| A．vegetables | B．meat | C．desserts | D．cream |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．However | D．Instead |
| A．different | B．good | C．healthy | D．expensive |
| A．took | B．paid | C．cost | D．spent |
| A．delicious | B．smelly | C．big | D．chocolate |
| A．buying | B．choosing | C．making | D．cooking |
| A．glass | B．cake | C．paper | D．wood |
| A．with | B．against | C．behind | D．over |
| A．restaurant | B．gym | C．shop | D．hotel |
| A．sent | B．tasted | C．ordered | D．brought |
| A．actually | B．exactly | C．entirely | D．finally |
5 . For many years people in Estonia have been leaving their rubbish in the forests. Rainer Nolvak, a businessman and his friends wanted to clean up all the rubbish in Estonia. The rubbish was not just an environmental problem. It was a problem of people’s attitudes. Rainer Nolvak got together with a team of 20 friends and they began to make a plan about how to clean up the rubbish. Soon, over 600 people joined in the group.
They named the project Let’s Do It! Estonia. The Ministry of the environment gave them some support. Many other companies joined in the group. Famous actors and singers also took part. Even the President of Estonia joined in. They sent information about Let’s Do It! Estonia throughout the country.
Technology experts developed a special computer program. Team members went into the forests to find where the rubbish was. They used their mobile phones to mark every place where they found rubbish and send the information to the computer program. Then, the marked rubbish places appeared on the map. Anyone could go on the Internet and see the map.
The team found a surprising result. There were over 10,000 tons of waste in the forests of Estonia. When people saw how much waste was around their own homes, they were shocked. Thousands of people began to help. The team chose May 3, 2008 as the day to clean up the rubbish. On May 3, more than 50,000 people helped to get rid of the rubbish.They moved over 10,000 tons of rubbish in only one day!
This was amazing for the environment in Estonia. But it was also an important step for Estonian society. Rainer Nolvak gave a speech at a conference in the Balkans. He said, “The most important thing we did was to build a team. It changed every one of us. We had to connect to people. We had to see that the rubbish was our problem. At times we are afraid of sharing. When we are together and there are many of us, we are not afraid.”
1. The Project Let’s Do It! Estonia（爱沙尼亚） is to ________.| A．prevent people leaving their rubbish anywhere |
| B．make Estonia a clean place |
| C．change people’ s attitudes towards the environment |
| D．make plans for businessmen |
| A．the special computer program |
| B．how the team found the rubbish |
| C．phones’ important part in marking |
| D．how the rubbish was shown on the Internet |
| A．find out | B．make use of | C．clean up | D．throw away |
| A．It was less successful than expected. |
| B．It got great support from all over the country. |
| C．It got money from famous actors and singers. |
| D．It was set up by the Ministry of the Environment. |
| A．all difficulties are paper tigers |
| B．people should help each other |
| C．there is strength in numbers |
| D．well begun is half done |
6 . I did have a really amazing time in Rio! I worked as a volunteer there to promote (提高) the local people’s awareness (意识；认知) of their own health. Therefore, I stayed there for a period of time. During this period of time, I learnt how to take blood pressure and how to give advice in Portuguese to people with high or low blood pressure. I also gave some English lessons at the building or clinic (诊所) I was in when I was not very busy.
When I think of those days in Rio, I would say that really a volunteer should stay at least for four weeks in order to have time to settle in and see progress in their work, especially since volunteering is only four days a week. Also, on the health program, I found that there wasn’t work to do unless you made work. For example, the volunteer I was working with had set up a blood pressure awareness program. So some days we went around the poor areas in the city where only the poorest local people live. I went there to measure people’s blood and give them advice about their life. We felt quite full while other days could be very quiet if we sat in the clinic waiting for people to come to us to get measured. Volunteers should also be aware that things don’t always happen that fast and it can be hard to see progress in only four weeks, so try to stay longer if you can.
Also, people in the poor areas can be very friendly! A local woman that another volunteer and I worked with for a few weeks invited us to her family’s picnic. She and her husband cooked and a lot of her family came — it was really lovely. I found my volunteering in Rio a rich and unforgettable experience.
1. Why did the author go to Rio?| A．To pay a visit to this city. |
| B．To be a medical volunteer. |
| C．To give some advice to the locals. |
| D．To measure his blood pressure. |
| A．raise local people’s awareness of health |
| B．teach the local students English |
| C．learn to measure blood pressure |
| D．work together with the locals |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Stressed. | C．Free. | D．Excited. |
| A．learn something more |
| B．make money from the locals |
| C．make more friends in the program |
| D．see the progress in the work |
| A．To call on more people to take voluntary work. |
| B．To share his/her voluntary experiences in Rio. |
| C．To invite more people to work in Rio. |
| D．To show us his/ her interesting stories. |
7 . I am afraid of heights but two summers ago I climbed to a high place. Most of our high school had come along on a day trip to a beautiful beach village in Peru. After eating our lunches, many of us wanted to make the climb to an area around the village.
Do I turn back? “Yes!” Will I regret it later? I really want to get to the top, but … At last, I decided at least to have a try.
My friend Tom was in front of me. Then, suddenly, he slipped (滑倒) and was about 10 feet back! My heart was beating faster until he stopped himself. Knowing that my friend Seth would be right behind me, I began the climb. I was soon past the first challenge safely, but not feeling much better about the rest of the climb. Looking down, I saw rocks everywhere. My breathing sped up, and my heart beat even faster, growing loud in my ears.
My friends kept climbing. But they did not forget me. Someone was always behind me to help hold my feet when necessary, and someone else was always in front to offer a hand up. With friends helping me by words and actions, I slowly gained ground.
Then we came to the worst part. The climb looked very close to vertical (垂直的). To me, the wise choice was to go back down. Melody encouraged me to go on and she made it safely first. I stopped, unsure of my footing. “You can do it, Jean! I’m right here,” Melody called. She waited patiently, not asking me to hurry. I took a few deep breaths and kept climbing.
With no more mistakes, we came to the top finally. I was dirty and tired. But it didn’t matter. I was at the top! I had never felt so alive.
1. According to the passage, the climb ________.| A．was done by all of the high school students |
| B．happened on a morning two summers ago |
| C．was near a beautiful beach village |
| D．lasted for about two days |
| A．felt excited about it |
| B．turned back to the village |
| C．regretted going out with them |
| D．wasn’t sure whether to join them |
| A．felt more confident about the climb |
| B．didn’t feel any better about the climb |
| C．chose to go back down |
| D．couldn’t breathe easily |
| A．lost heart | B．moved forward |
| C．climbed to the top | D．accepted the friends |
| A．Melody gave Jean words of encouragement. |
| B．Jean waited patiently for Seth to catch up. |
| C．It was dirty and dangerous. |
| D．Jean had the first try. |
8 . People get angry because they don’t know enough to keep calm. I couldn’t control my emotions and used to feel annoyed (使恼怒) when I was a child. Worse still, I was not good at communicating with my
One morning, my mother
I took out my anger on my mother
After a long time, mother told me about my father’s
On that day, I decided never to let anger get the better of me. I learn to
| A．teachers | B．classmate | C．parents | D．friends |
| A．casually | B．carelessly | C．suddenly | D．finally |
| A．put on | B．put down | C．put up | D．put out |
| A．scared | B．interested | C．annoyed | D．quiet |
| A．without | B．beyond | C．besides | D．despite |
| A．dirty | B．cheap | C．wrong | D．old |
| A．up | B．away | C．off | D．around |
| A．calmly | B．sadly | C．nervously | D．anxiously |
| A．save | B．give | C．hold | D．wash |
| A．compliment | B．happiness | C．surprise | D．disappointment |
| A．hoped | B．joked | C．imagined | D．decided |
| A．faced | B．covered | C．pleased | D．filled |
| A．cool | B．turn | C．break | D．put |
| A．If | B．But | C．And | D．So |
| A．forget | B．remember | C．clean | D．wear |
9 . There was once a boy called Joseph Webb who always loved to show off how many friends he had at school. One day his
Joseph
“Take it. It’s a very
Joseph, brave and determined, set off for
“Wait! Let me try again, ”Joseph said. But again, he missed the seat,
| A．schoolmate | B．grandfather | C．classmate | D．stranger |
| A．accepted | B．noticed | C．concluded | D．ignored |
| A．passed | B．recovered | C．returned | D．disappeared |
| A．smooth | B．secure | C．unique | D．comfortable |
| A．awkward | B．flexible | C．positive | D．tough |
| A．intend | B．struggle | C．gather | D．manage |
| A．magic | B．promise | C．memory | D．response |
| A．flat | B．party | C．school | D．spot |
| A．popcorn | B．circle | C．chair | D．misfortune |
| A．missed | B．acquired | C．removed | D．escaped |
| A．providing | B．moving | C．causing | D．losing |
| A．pass out | B．back down | C．give up | D．turn down |
| A．skip | B．focus | C．suffer | D．fall |
| A．However | B．Moreover | C．Besides | D．Therefore |
| A．relative | B．neighbor | C．companion | D．teammate |
10 . I’m sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written?
The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called “Song Storied for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous “Good Morning to You.” The song said, “Good morning to you, good morning to you, dear children, good morning to all.” This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday” to the melody of “Good Morning to you” to her little nephew. She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Archie! Happy birthday to you!
Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune and friendliness in words.
1. Archibald A. Hill was ________.| A．English | B．Russian | C．American | D．Australian |
| A．son | B．student | C．brother | D．nephew |
| A．Happy Birthday to You | B．Good Morning to You |
| C．Song storied for the Sunday Morning | D．Jingle Bells |
| A．Because they are musicians. | B．Because they love children. |
| C．Because they were asked to write for a book. | D．Because their nephew asked them to do so. |
| A．The song really became popular. | B．Their wish would really come true. |
| C．People all over the world like to listen to the song. | D．Yes, but the song didn’t become popular. |
