1 . Sitting around doing nothing used to seem like one of the safest activities possible. Then a few years ago scientists discovered that sitting all clay causes harmful changes that increase your chances of meeting an early end. Even regular workouts didn't fix the ill effects of having your bottom in a chair all workday. Suddenly, sitting became public health enemy number one. However, a new research finds that tiny bursts of intense activity are enough to protect your body from the worst effects of your couch-bound lifestyle.
In the research, the scientists closely observed eight young, healthy volunteers as they sat around. On the first day of the experiment they simply lounged for six hours. On the second day they got up every hour and engaged in five rounds of four seconds of intense workouts on a specialized bike.
"Twenty seconds total exercise an hour sounds like nothing, but the data showed it made a big difference to the subjects' bodies. In short, they didn't exhibit the usual ill effects of having sat all day. This study is small, but it's still both hopeful and relevant. The results suggest that breaking up sitting with frequent exercise can undo some of the effects of being inactive," explains Gretchen Reynolds.
"While the study used a special type of bike developed by sports scientists, the researchers feel similar results are obtainable with home exercise equipment. However, you may have to work for a few more seconds to reach the same level of intensity. You should try to get your heart pumping to its maximum as quickly as possible to ensure the effect. When you find yourself sitting for most of the day, try to rise frequently and move as often during the day as possible and for as many seconds as you can manage," Reynolds concludes.
1. What does the new research find?| A．Regular workouts can extend your life. |
| B．Sitting all clay can cause permanent harm. |
| C．Sitting is a worst enemy for people's health. |
| D．Intense exercise can relieve the damage of sitting. |
| A．By comparing figures. | B．By analyzing phenomena. |
| C．By describing behaviors. | D．By referring to documents. |
| A．The study still needs further experiments for data. |
| B．Reaching maximum heart rate should be the aim. |
| C．Working out at home is much less effective. |
| D．20 seconds' exercise is far from enough. |
| A．The Worst Health Problem Is Solved |
| B．Intense Activities Are Beneficial to Health |
| C．Just 4 Seconds' Exercise Makes a Big Difference |
| D．New Research Redefines a Healthy Lifestyle |
2 . At an airport I happened to hear a father and daughter in their last moments together. Standing near the door, he said to his daughter, “I love you, I wish you enough.” She said, “Daddy, your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too.” They kissed good-bye and she left.
He walked toward the window where I was seated. I could see he wanted to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”
“Yes,” I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of my Dad. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.
“When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?” He began to smile. “That’s a wish handed down from my parents.” Looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.
“When we said ‘I wish you enough’, we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things,” he continued the sharing. “I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”
He then stood up and walked away.
1. What can we infer about the father’s family?| A．Hardworking. | B．Honest. | C．Supportive. | D．Generous. |
| A．Disturb. | B．Value. | C．Care. | D．Ignore. |
| A．Varied. | B．Rough. | C．Simple. | D．Smooth. |
3 . The human brain remembers negative experiences more easily than positive ones. Our brains have developed in this way because threats, like dangerous animal, have a more immediate effect on people's survival compared to positive things like food or shelter. As a result, you clearly know what makes you unhappy, but do you know what makes you happy?
Research suggests that our level of happiness is partly shaped by the choices we make. If you've been chasing wealth, fame, power and some material things, you may be looking for happiness in the wrong places. Psychologists suggest that the following habits can make people happier.
People who own close relationships tend to be happier than those who do not. The number of our friends is not important. What matters is the quality of our relationships. Relationships that bring happiness usually consist of the sharing of feelings, acceptance, mutual respect and trust.
People who exercise regularly can improve both their physical and mental well-being. Some research has shown that exercise can be as effective as some medicine in treating depression.
If we are so interested in an activity, we may lose track of time, and we can be in a state of flow. The activity could be playing the piano, surfing the Internet or playing a game. People who experience flow in their work or life tend to be happier.
People are more likely to be happy if they know what their strengths are and can use them regularly. People are especially happy when they can set goals and use their strengths to achieve them.
People, who think positively by being grateful, mindful and optimistic, are more likely to be happy. Being grateful means being thankful. Being mindful means considering, focusing on, and enjoying the experiences of the present moment. Being optimistic means being hopeful about the future.
1. Human brains remember negative things more easily because negative things_________.| A．tend to affect human survival immediately |
| B．are much more important than other thing |
| C．can make people live much happier |
| D．are easy to remember |
| A．being famous | B．setting life goals |
| C．chasing power | D．earning money |
| A．think more about our future |
| B．focus on everything in our life |
| C．be positive in our life and work |
| D．only enjoy the present moment |
| A．Why people remember positive things easily. |
| B．Why people remember negative things easily. |
| C．What makes people happy. |
| D．What makes people sad. |
4 . When I was a child, I often saw my Grandma throwing bread that was no longer fresh to birds. Not surprisingly, this attracted few birds. Later on, we discovered bird food at the local store. Feeding garden birds in the UK has come a long way since then. Today, the birds can enjoy many kinds of food: from plant seeds to sunflower hearts and from cakes to meat balls. All this comes at a huge cost of about £200m a year. Sometimes, I wonder if we might be feeding our garden birds better than our kids. But maybe it’s worth it. Our generosity is having an important effect on the behavior and even evolution of these birds.
Take the goldfinch for example. In the 1960s, this was a rare bird. Today, goldfinches can be seen in many gardens. Other new visitors include the spotted woodpecker, which has left its usual woodland for food on bird tables. Evolution is meant to progress slowly: over thousands of years. Yet during the past few decades, the beaks of many kinds of birds have become longer because birds with longer beaks can get more food, and then are more likely to live on.
Actually, the British habit of feeding garden birds goes back much further. During the sixth century, St Serf of Fife fed a robin in his garden; during the winter of 1890, workers in London were seen giving their lunches to songbirds. The real change took place in the 1980s, when a few farsighted businessmen realized that encouraging the British to be more generous to garden birds can help them make money. Therefore, various kinds of bird food and modern bird feeders were produced. As a result, the number of species using garden feeding stations increased very quickly, from about 10 to over 100. Then, in 2005, Springwatch came, which turned our love of garden birds into an entertainment show.
Is bird feeding completely good for birds? Not everyone thinks so. Studies by the Zoological Society of London have shown that by bringing together many birds, bird feeders may help the spread of disease. In Australia, some bird experts believe—probably wrongly—that bird feeding creates a “dependence culture”.
But we shouldn’t forget one major benefit of feeding garden birds—it connects millions of people to the natural world. This is especially important for people who seldom reach the wider countryside. As I write this, there comes some noise outside my window: several birds were singing and flying around in my garden. It’s a sight I could only imagine years ago, when feeding garden birds just meant throwing hard bread to them.
1. What does the author mean by saying the underlined part in Paragraph 1?| A．Feeding garden birds is a huge waste of money. |
| B．We spend quite a lot of money on the food of garden birds. |
| C．We should care more for our kids rather than garden birds. |
| D．Feeding garden birds can bring more joy than feeding kids. |
| A．These birds have given up traditional woodland. | B．Food for these birds becomes richer and better. |
| C．Longer beaks mean more chances of survival. | D．These birds grow faster than ever before. |
| A．It is completely good for birds. |
| B．It may help the spread of disease. |
| C．It connects more and more people to the natural world. |
| D．It may reduce birds’ ability to find food by themselves. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Pleased. | C．Surprised. | D．Bored. |
5 . King's College Summer School
King's College Summer School is an annual( 每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King' s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
Application (申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2011. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2011. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2011. | Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. | Cost Daily lessons: $200 Sports and activities: $100 Travels: $200 Hotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King' s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo.com | |
1. You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A．a textbook | B．a travel guide |
| C．a newspaper | D．a telephone book |
| A．$200 | B．$400 |
| C．$900 | D．$500 |
| A．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| B．The program will last two months. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2011. |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
6 . Welcome to SummerCamps.com; find and book the very best summer camps. Your children are precious so we offer the highest quality of camps that will meet each child’s needs and interests.
Catalina Sea Camp
Sea Camp offers three one-week sessions to boys and girls aged 8-13 and two three-week sessions to teens aged 12-17. Our hand-picked instructors create an atmosphere of fun and excitement while leading campers to a host of ocean adventures, marine(海洋的) biology, and social summer camp activities.
Address: Toyon Way, San Bruno, California 94066
Phone: 800-645-1423
Camp Cayuga
Camp Cayuga is a private summer camp for children aged 6 to 16. The camp is on a 350-acre land in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, just outside the village of Honesdale. It’s a 3-hour drive from New York City to Philadelphia.
Address: 321 Niles Pond Road-Suite ISC, Honesdale, Pennsylvania 18431
Phone: 908-470-1224
Camp Rockmont
Camp Rockmont is a Christian summer camp for boys, aged 6-16, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Rockmont’s duty of developing boys into healthy young men is accomplished through age-appropriate skills, activities, and challenges that help campers to know themselves better.
Address: 375 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, North Carolina 28711
Phone: 828-686-3885
Primitive Pursuits Overnight Camps
Primitive Pursuits Overnight Camps offer week-long Summer Adventure Overnight Camps in New York’s Finger Lakes to your children aged 11-15. Campers experience a week of nature-based skills training, inspiring challenges, and fun activities under the guidance of skilled instructors.
Address: 611 County Rd 13, Van Etten, New York 14889
Phone: 607-272-2292
1. If a boy is curious about sea creatures, which camp should he go to?| A．Catalina Sea Camp |
| B．Camp Cayuga |
| C．Camp Rockmont |
| D．Primitive Pursuits Overnight Camps |
| A．Toyon Way, San Bruno. |
| B．611 County Rd 13, Van Etten. |
| C．375 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain. |
| D．321 Niles Pond Road- Suite ISC, Honesdale. |
| A．a magazine | B．the Internet |
| C．a textbook | D．a newspaper |
7 . The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior(外部的) advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonhury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents .| A．economically desirable |
| B．favorable to the environment |
| C．for holding music performances |
| D．designed for disaster relief |
| A．independently with an interest-free loan from Mint |
| B．with the approval of the City’s administration |
| C．in partnership with a finance group |
| D．with the help of a Japanese architect |
| A．the weather in the UK. is changeable in summer |
| B．most performances at British festivals are given in the open air |
| C．the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored |
| D．cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users |
| A．an attempt at developing recyclable tents |
| B．some efforts at making full use of cardboards |
| C．an unusual success of a graduation project |
| D．the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals |
8 . Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington D.C..
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses said she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm if they see or hear something highly unusual.”
But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can——if you’re an animal.
“Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”
Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound and a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of birds) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations (震动) were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough said earthquakes produce two types of waves——a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She thinks the “P” wave might be what sets the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith said the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.
1. Why did Mandara act strangely one day?| A．Because it sensed something unusual would happen. |
| B．Because its daughter Kibibi was injured. |
| C．Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call. |
| D．Because an earthquake had happened. |
| A．many animals hearing is sharp |
| B．earthquakes produce two types of waves |
| C．primates usually gather together before a quake |
| D．humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake |
| A．A giant panda. | B．A flamingo. |
| C．A lemur. | D．A lizard. |
| A．How animals survive a quake |
| B．How animals differ from humans |
| C．How animals behave before a quake |
| D．How animals protect their young in a quake |
9 . Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant (顾问) and life was going well—she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through.” she said. “After everything I’d done for the company, they dismissed me by text!I was So angry and I just didn’t feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life.”
Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.
“The moment I arrived at Kathy’s farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay.” said Zoe. “ Everything about
my past life suddenly seemed meaningless.”
Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. “It’s a hard life, physically very tiring. ” she says. “In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy’s wonderful dinners. ”
Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing-—watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, “It’s one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had. I could never go back to city life now. ”
1. When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a life.| A．satisfying |
| B．tough |
| C．meaningless |
| D．boring |
| A．Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant |
| B．Kathy persuaded her to do so |
| C．Zoe got tired of the city life |
| D．Zoe loved Wales mare than London |
| A．Tiresome and troublesome. |
| B．Romantic and peaceful |
| C．Mentally exhausting but healthy |
| D．Physically tiring but rewarding. |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．A misfortune may turn out a blessing. |
| D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
