1 . Summer is the season of mosquitoes. And mosquito bites are truly the worst-not only are they huge and painful, but they itch(发痒) like nothing else. And once you start scratching (挠), it’s hard to stop.
You can blame female mosquitoes for the trouble we all face. There is something that enters the skin while the mosquito is enjoying its blood meal. This is the protein that leads to the allergic reaction and itching. Basically, our immune systems see the protein as an enemy. This causes the local reaction we see as the bug bite. Our bodies are just particularly sensitive to mosquito bites. Other bug bites may not have the same effect on your immune system. Bees for example, are likely to produce more pain than an itch.
Scratching a mosquito bite is a double-edged sword. It feels so good, but it also makes the itch way worse. When you scratch, you may release more local histamine, the chemical in the skin that causes the itching, and you may also be spreading the allergen under the skin. If you tend to scratch until you bleed you’re putting yourself at risk for skin infections.
You’re not imagining it -mosquito bites do itch more at night. Most people itch more at night because we are less distracted as we try to fall asleep.
If you’ve ever wondered why some mosquito bites itch more than others, it totally depends on your body. Everyone responds differently to mosquito bites. While some people may have a minimal reaction, others may experience serious reaction. It just depends on your body’s immune system. People with so-called atopic traits, who are highly sensitive, are more likely to develop more serious local reactions after the mosquito bites.
1. What accounts for the itch you feel after a mosquito bite?| A．The blood type. | B．The sensitivity of our skin. |
| C．The change of temperature. | D．The protein from mosquitoes. |
| A．Scratching them helps the blood to flow quicker. |
| B．Your skin will be infected after you scratch them. |
| C．Scratching them causes a special chemical to let out. |
| D．You focus more on mosquito bites when you are scratching them. |
| A．Their body’s immune system is less sensitive to the bites. |
| B．They pay less attention to the mosquito bites. |
| C．Their skin is thicker than others. |
| D．They get used to the bites. |
| A．The cure for mosquito bites. | B．The itch caused by mosquito bites. |
| C．Why mosquito bites itch less than bee bites. | D．How people respond to mosquito bites differently. |
2 . We all know that forests-especially rainforests-absorb carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen that all living things depend on. It’s no wonder that they have been named the lungs of the planet. Today, after the big fires in the Amazon, Alaska, Greenland, and even Siberia, it’s very clear that we need to grow a forest that is fireproof. That’s not an impossible dream. We can grow seaweed forests that are fireproof because they are underwater.
Seaweed can store carbon and help reduce the influence of global warming. Now, seaweed is being farmed in small ocean farms to be used for food, medicines, and beauty products. If seaweed can be grown on a large scale(大规模地), it could help to fight against global warming.
“Seaweed is finally having its moment in the spotlight,” said Halley Froehlich, a scientist at the University of California. She is the lead author of a new study published in Current Biology. The study shows that large-scale seaweed farming could be used to cancel out land-based carbon emissions and it mapped the areas of the oceans where seaweed could be grown.
Now, only 3.8 percent of the US waters off the coast of California are being used to grow seaweed but that is just 0.065 of the ocean that can be farmed. In fact, 48 square kilometers of the world’s oceans can be used for seaweed farming.
For seaweed farms to be part of the global solution, they will have to be much larger. To create underwater forests, seaweed would have to be grown, harvested and then sunk into the deep ocean so that the trapped carbon could be buried for years to come.
While it sounds like a good plan on paper, “The technology doesn’t yet exist” to keep seaweed in the deep ocean, said Froehlich. “Hopefully this paper encourages conversation among engineers and economists about what it would take for the actual tools to be put in place.”
1. What makes people put forward the idea of growing seaweed forests?| A．The burning of forests. |
| B．Seaweed’s economic and medical value. |
| C．Uncontrollable carbon dioxide emissions. |
| D．Their long-lasting dream of underwater exploration. |
| A．It doesn’t burn. | B．It doesn’t pollute. |
| C．It can take in carbon. | D．It can break down plastics. |
| A．Breaking silence. | B．Taking a bad turn. |
| C．Drawing people’s attention. | D．Making room for other products. |
| A．It has a long way to go. | B．It has been put into practice. |
| C．It needs lots of money to carry out. | D．It needs enough evidence to support. |
3 . One piece of advice I give young people is that they don't have to decide what they want to do for the rest of their life at age 22. Just think of all the jobs that didn’t exist 10 years ago and what might exist 10 years from now.
My daughter is a nurse practitioner(从业者). But she didn’t start there when she went to college. She got her undergraduate degree in hotel and restaurant management with a minor(辅修课程) in business. She wanted to find a job in travel and tourism and see the world. On graduation day she looked at me and said, “Mom, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life that’s meaningful, but I don’t think it' s travel and tourism”. I looked at her and said, “Just get a job and then figure it out.”
She struggled for a year or two after college with a couple of different jobs including work in the travel industry for a short time. But she started thinking early on after graduation about becoming a nurse. Whenever she talked to me about it, I told her she’d be a great nurse-super organized, able to multitask better than anyone I knew, with amazing people skills. But I also told her that she’d have to work hard and study the sciences if she wanted to be a nurse.
She considered her choices and decided to enter a combined nursing/nurse practitioner program getting her second bachelor’s degree then her master’s. She had found her passion(热衷的爱好)!Her nursing career since 2005 has progressed. She now has a mix of leadership, administrative, and clinical work.
Do you know what your passion is? Have you found it in your work or are you still searching for it?
1. How did the author react to her daughter’s words on graduation day?| A．She recommended a job to her daughter. |
| B．She was worried about her daughter’s future. |
| C．She was angry about her daughter’s uncertainty. |
| D．She advised her daughter to find answers in practice. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．She has traveled around the world. |
| B．She has figured out what she loves to do. |
| C．She was unsuccessful in her nursing career. |
| D．She was unwilling to follow her mother’s suggestion. |
| A．By listing facts. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By providing a typical example. |
4 . Finland is offering free trips to people in need of happiness lessons
For the past two years, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. Its citizens are relaxed and cheerful, enjoying life in a technologically advanced society. The Finns themselves owe(归功于) this to their connection with nature and their instinct(本能) to go outside whenever anxiety appears: “When others go to therapy(治疗), Finns put on a pair of rubber boots and head to the woods. A project called Rent A Finn will send a select number of guests to live in Finland for three days this summer. All travel and accommodation costs are covered, but you must be willing to be filmed throughout the experience.
Guest’s activities
Experience anything from visiting a national park to spending a weekend fishing at a real summer cottage， berry picking in the wilderness, enjoying a proper Finnish sauna(桑拿浴)一 basically all the things that we Finns love to do in nature and what makes Finland the happiest country worldwide.
Esko, mayor(市长) of a small town, will take you boating and teach you to play molkky, a Finnish throwing game. If you stay with Hanna, an IT professional, you’ll travel to her grandmother’s lakeside home outside Helsinki, where you’ll pick blueberries and eat traditional foods. Linda and Niko, who live on Uto, an island with a population of around 40, will take you sailing, show you the lighthouse, and camp out on an island.
Application
Now is the time to apply by filling out an online application form and filming a 3-minute video describing yourself, your connection to nature, and why you want to visit Finland. Submit, breathe deeply, and wait. I know what I’ ll be doing this weekend.
1. What do the Finns think mainly brings them happiness?| A．Getting close to nature. |
| B．Living in a rich country. |
| C．Remaining in high spirits. |
| D．Getting on well with others. |
| A．Esko. | B．Linda. |
| C．Hanna. | D．Niko |
| A．Complete a form online. |
| B．Make a video about Finland. |
| C．Pay the activity expenses in advance. |
| D．Learn how to make traditional Finnish food. |
5 . Use your American Express Card to enjoy a one-day visit to any one of America’s greatest museums below, and you will not want to miss their exciting special exhibitions (展览).
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Chairs February 11 -- May 8, 2017
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world. They are presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces. For more information: www.gardnermuseum.org
New York
The Noguchi Museum Noguchi and Graham May 1 -- December 1, 2017
Noguchi’s long-term co-work with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art.The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this co-work. For more information: www.noguchi.org Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts January 11--April 10, 2017
Founded in 1805,the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for more than 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits a great number of works of famous American artists, and it is also well-known for training fine artists.
2017 at the Academy begins with the largest American collection in history. For more information: www.pafA.org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass March 7- May 7, 2017
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glass-blowers near Venice,Italy.Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions. For more information: www.museumofglass.org
1. Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?| A．www.gardnermuseum.org | B．www.noguchi.org |
| C．www.pafA.org | D．www.museumofglass.org |
| A．a glassblower | B．a photographer |
| C．a painter | D．a dancer |
| A．the Noguchi Museum |
| B．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum |
| D．Seattle Museum of Glass |
6 . Mirroring body language is a way to bond and to build understanding. It is a powerful tool that we use without even knowing it.
The most obvious forms of mirroring are yawning and smiling. When you see someone yawn, you are likely to yawn immediately. Smiling is also pretty contagious-seeing a smiling person makes you want to smile too.
Mirroring body language is a nonverbal way to say “I am like you, I feel the same”. Research shows that people who experience the same feelings are likely to trust, understand and accept each other.
Women have the natural ability to pick up and understand body signals. Therefore, it is not surprising that a woman is more likely to mirror another woman than a man is to mirror another man. That's why women are regarded as better talkers, even if they might not really have more close friends.
It is interesting that when a man tries to mirror a woman's body language while she is talking, he may seem to her as caring, intelligent and attractive.
Mirroring body language is an excellent way to build trust and understanding quickly. If you want to set up a connection with a new person, mirror his or her gestures, sitting position, tone of voice and talking pace. This will make them feel that there is something about you that they like.
While mirroring body language gains you acceptance, you still need to take into consideration your relationship with the person you are mirroring. If you are in a lower social position and are mirroring the body language of your boss, he will view you as arrogant. However, if you want to defeat those who are trying to prove superior to you, mirroring their body language will help defeat them and change their position.
1. What does the underlined word “contagious” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Affecting each other. | B．Powerful to show one's feelings. |
| C．Attractive to the others. | D．Being gentle to people around. |
| A．send wrong messages | B．hide true feelings |
| C．win others' acceptance | D．avoid misunderstanding |
| A．You will appear very attractive. | B．It will help to soften his position. |
| C．You will seem unacceptably proud. | D．It will be a good way to build trust. |
| A．It is important to copy the others' gestures. |
| B．Why women are regarded as better talkers. |
| C．Men is not good at nonverbal communication. |
| D．Mirroring body language can be a useful tool. |
7 . I speak Spanish, because I was born in Spain. But then at primary school I had to learn Russian, and at high school, I was taught how to speak German. But I always wanted to speak English.
At last I came to America. Everywhere there was English! But even if I heard and felt its presence, it was hard for me to understand it and express myself in it. The few lessons of English that I had taken in Spain gave me only a chance to introduce myself, and I didn’t even know how to buy things and ask directions.
To talk to somebody, I went to a high school to take a course in English for foreigners. Disappointingly, it took almost an hour to get through the process of introducing ourselves. Everyone had to learn something that I had already known from my books – the English alphabet (字母表) and numbers. I thought it was a waste of time, so I quit.
After a month, I tried again, but this time at college. After 15 minutes of introducing ourselves, a teacher gave us a lecture about the history of English. Then we were told that it was very important to know English in an English-speaking country. It took three hours for the teacher to tell us this. Again, I quit.
But I didn’t stop looking for something or someone that would help me to achieve my goal, and I found a tutor from Literacy Volunteers of America. But I still wasn’t happy with the classes. And when it was my turn to give a speech, I was happy to use all the long, complicated words that I had learned from one of my English books. When I had finished, my tutor said “Well, I think I have to learn English before coming to teach you!” This time, the tutor quit!
1. How many languages has the writer learned?| A．Two. | B．Four. |
| C．Three. | D．Five. |
| A．Because no one wanted to talk to him. |
| B．Because everyone had to learn the English alphabet and numbers. |
| C．Because the lessons were too easy. |
| D．Because the courses were prepared for the natives. |
| A．happy. | B．crazy. |
| C．serious. | D．friendly. |
| A．The writer learnt many foreign languages. |
| B．The writer tested the teachers’ English abilities. |
| C．The writer researched different ways of learning English. |
| D．The writer tried to look for a proper way to learn English. |
