1 . Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it’s so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods.
The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex, which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you’re on an empty stomach.
Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal, bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch.
When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast. Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. “We believe that bit identifies the value of foods — how pleasant, how delicious something is,” Goldstone told The Guardian.
1. From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________.| A．scientists found out why eating breakfast is important |
| B．it’s easy to lose weight without breakfast |
| C．there’s no need to have good food for supper |
| D．eating breakfast makes your brain smarter |
①The volunteers skipped breakfast. ②The volunteers had lunch.
③The volunteers had a brain scan.
| A．①②③ | B．③②① | C．①③② | D．③①② |
| A．of the usual breakfast | B．more than the usual breakfast |
| C．of the usual lunch | D．more than the usual lunch |
| A．Breakfast still most important | B．Three meals a day |
| C．Experiments on breakfast | D．Experiments on lunch |
2 . If you ever find yourself trapped in the wilderness without food, you'll have to figure out how to feed yourself. Many plants in the wild are edible, but many are also poisonous. So it is necessary to learn how to determine whether the plants you find can be eaten safely.
Avoid using this method without careful planning. Some plants can be deadly, and even if you follow these guidelines perfectly, there is always a chance that a plant will make you seriously ill. Prepare yourself for wilderness outings by learning about the local plants, and carry a guidebook to help you identify plants. Even if you are unprepared and cannot find food you know to be safe, remember that, depending on your activity level, the human body can go for days without food, and you’re better off being hungry than being poisoned.
Testing the plant in your mouth is dangerous, so go forward very slowly and carefully. First, hold a small portion of the prepared plant part against your lip for 3 minutes. Do not put the plant in your mouth. If you notice any burning, tingling (刺痛), or other reactions, discontinue testing. Second, place another small portion of the plant part on your tongue. Hold the plant on your tongue without chewing for 15 minutes. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Third, chew the plant and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Chew the plant well, and do not swallow. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Fourth, swallow the small portion of the plant. Wait 8 hours. Do not eat or drink anything during this period except purified water. If you feel sick, immediately throw up what you eat and drink plenty of water. If activated charcoal (活性炭) is available, take that with the water.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined world “edible” in paragraph 1?| A．Suitable for using as food. | B．Widely spread. |
| C．Existing in large quantities. | D．Not widely known. |
| A．Planning is unnecessary when using the method. |
| B．Not all plants in the wild can serve as food generally. |
| C．Suffering hunger can be more dangerous than testing plants. |
| D．Following the method perfectly can ensure safety. |
① wait and see ② chew it in the mouth③ put it on the tongue④ put it against lips ⑤ swallow it
| A．③④②①⑤ | B．④③②①⑤ | C．③④②⑤① | D．④③②⑤① |
| A．A student’s diary. |
| B．A science report. |
| C．A guide book for camping. |
| D．A doctor’ s notebook. |
3 . TUVALU,a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean,has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea.Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu’s nine little islands is more than five meters above sea level.Salt water is already entering the country’s drinking water supply,as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetables.Without urgent help,the country’s days are numbered.
But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea.Venice,a historic city in Italy best known for its canals,has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years.Experts say that it will have sunk another 20～50cm by 2050.A century ago,St.Mark’s Square,the lowest point in the city,flooded about nine times a year.Nowadays,it happens more than 100 times.While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands,Tuvalu’s rising sea level is caused by global warming.
The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century,scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1～3 degrees over the next 100 years.
Warmer weather makes glaciers(冰川)melt,adding more water to the ocean.The warmer temperatures also make water expand,so it takes up more space,causing the sea level to rise.The sea level has risen about 10～25cm in the last 100 years.
The main cause of global warming is human pollution.Through burning coal,oil and gas,people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,such as CO2.This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect,making the planet even warmer.
Many scientists believe that,if the warming is not stopped,there will be huge climate changes.The sea level could rise by one meter this century.
Should this come true,the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with“climate refugees”looking for somewhere to live.
1. We can infer from the first paragraph that.| A．Tuvalu is in danger of moving slowly downwards into the sea |
| B．all Tuvalu’s islands are about five meters above the sea level |
| C．drinking water in Tuvalu will be destroyed |
| D．Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves |
a.Glaciers begin to melt.
b.People burn coal,oil and gas.
c.The greenhouse effect is growing.
d.The earth is getting warmer and warmer.
e.The sea level is rising.
f.More CO2is produced.
g.Many places are sinking into the sea.
| A．d,f,b,c,a,e,g | B．b,f,c,d,e,a,g |
| C．f,c,b,d,a,e,g | D．b,f,c,d,a,e,g |
| A．People who are forced away from their homeland by climate. |
| B．Climate changes. |
| C．Rare animals. |
| D．Climate effect. |
| A．Tuvalu’s nine little islands are less than five meters above the sea level. |
| B．The average global temperature has risen by 1―3 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years. |
| C．the warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise. |
| D．There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped. |
4 . Being compared to great people like Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein is not something that happens to the average person. At the age of just 23, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski has already achieved much more goals than most of us ever will in our lifetime.
When she was only 14 years old, the Chicago girl made her own single engine airplane—by herself. She then flew it across Lake Michigan, becoming the youngest person to ever fly their own plane.
She graduated from Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in 2010 and entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
At first, she had to wait to be accepted into the school, but once Professors Allen Haggerty and Earll Murman watched her video they had no doubt. Femalista quoted Haggerty as saying: After just three years at MIT she has already achieved the highest possible grade point average of 5.0.
She is now studying further at Harvard University, with full academic freedom. Once again she is only 23 years old.
What's even more impressive is that she is no longer interested in building planes but has turned her attention to physics, namely black holes and how gravity (重力)affects space and time —that is why she is being compared to Einstein and Hawking.
Pasterski records all of her work on her website Physics Girl, but if you are a little shocked by her achievements, she has some words for you.
During an interview with Marie Claire earlier this year she said: Being optimistic about what you believe you can do. When you're little, you say a lot of things about what you'll do or be when you're older—I think it's important not to forget those dreams."
1. Why does the author mention Einstein and Hawking at the beginning?| A．To honour the two scientists. |
| B．To compare the two scientist. |
| C．To bring out the key character. |
| D．To introduce their achievements. |
a. Study at Harvard University.
b. Wait to be accepted by MIT.
c. Achieve grade point average of 5.0.
d. Graduate from IMSA in 2010.
e. Make a single engine airplane by herself.
| A．edcba. | B．edbca. |
| C．decab. | D．deacb. |
| A．She has full academic freedom at Harvard. |
| B．She records all of her work on her website. |
| C．She becomes the youngest person to fly a plane. |
| D．She is interested in some special fields of physics. |
| A．Independence and concentration. | B．Concentration and optimism. |
| C．Optimism and determination. | D．Friendliness and determination. |
5 . By the mid-1920s, Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. had been one of the most celebrated men .In 1957, when Pablo Picasso was in his seventh decade, he joked that x-ray technology might one day reveal a lost work underneath one of his early paintings. Today, that prediction became reality although the technology involved goes far beyond x-rays.
Using hyper-modern tools to peer into one of his Blue Period paintings, researchers have not only shown a hidden piece of art history in astonishing new detail, they have revealed a striking amount of insight into Picasso's creative process and style.
The investigation focused on"La Miséreuse accroupie, "or" Crouching Woman, "painted in 1902 and currently owned by the Art Gallery. The painting, an oil on canvas (画布) piece drawing a crouching (蜷坐的) woman who wears a long coat, shows Picasso’s typical Blue Period colors: grey, green, blue and white. It shows that the innovative modernist was inspired by the lines of an underlying landscape painted by an unknown artist.
The analysis also exposes several changes to the woman described in the painting,many of which Picasso ultimately abandoned. Researchers released their findings on Saturday’s press conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas. “We think now it's a landscape painted by someone enrolled at the fine arts academy in Barcelona, someone in Picasso’s orbit but not in his close circle, ”says Kenneth Brummel, assistant curator of modern art for the Art Gallery of Ontario.
As to why Picasso would have “recycled” another artist’s canvas(油画布), reasons could range from economic necessity, as a young artist still establishing himself, to deep inspiration driven by the lines of the image already laid down there. Picasso often re-used canvases for this reason."
“He didn't shave off the canvas or put a preparatory layer over it,” Brummel says.“ Picasso saw this landscape, found inspiration, and decided he was going to paint it immediately."
1. According to the text ,the most likely process of Picasso's painting?①Picasso reused another artist's canvas.
②Inspired by a landscape painting, Picasso decided to paint one too.
③Picasso painted a woman on the landscape painting.
④Not happy with the landscape, Picasso covered it totally.
⑤Picasso made changes to the woman
| A．②③④ | B．④②③ |
| C．①③⑤ | D．②①④ |
| A．He reused it because he hated wasting anything. |
| B．He hid his own paintings beneath the landscape. |
| C．He took the advantage of it and created a new one. |
| D．He kept it to himself with the permission of its owner. |
| A．People often celebrated Picasso’s success. |
| B．Picasso was not well-off when he started his career. |
| C．Picasso became successful overnight. |
| D．Picasso was good at imitating other artists’ works. |
| A．Picasso's predication turned out to be joke. |
| B．High technology uncovered art mysteries. |
| C．Seeing is not always believing. |
| D．Lost Artwork Found Under Famous Picasso Painting. |
6 . One day in March, seven years ago, during happy hours at a bar in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, I made a surprise announcement to my friends: I was going to shut down my law practice and attempt to travel around the globe in a year. What’s more, I would do it without taking any flights or making a single advance reservation (预定) of any kind. My announcement drew mixed reactions from my friends. Some offered support and encouragement, while others were more doubtful.
Once I had said the words, there was no turning back. I took months to shut down my law practice and get things in order. Once I set off on my adventure in December 2008, I found travelling without using planes was not easy. Trying to circle the globe in 16 months (it took me a bit longer than the initial 12 months I planned) made it even harder. Even so, travelling overland was the most amazing way to truly understand the immensity (浩瀚无际) of our wonderful planet.
I took three consecutive (连续) overnight buses to travel 3,000 km through Argentina, from Ushuaia to the capital Buenos Aires. I would look out of the windows for hours continuously at the completely plains, as if humans had never touched it.
It took seven consecutive days and nights on trains to get from Moscow to Beijing, each day spent staring out of the windows for hours as the Siberian plains swept by. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see a village or a human being for 10 hours. Later in my journey, it took 22 days on a cargo freighter (货船) to get from New Zealand through the Panama Canal and back to Philadelphia, to finish my round-the-world adventure.
It turned out that travelling with no reservations was far less difficult than I had imagined. Pulling into a city on a bus with a backpack, looking in a guidebook for a few suggestions of accommodations (住所), and then finding an empty room was never much of problem anywhere. It also kept me flexible (灵活) and open about all my travel plans, which is advice I give everyone who asks—plan for less than you think you should.
1. The author’s trip was special in that ________.| A．he made it at the expense of giving up his job |
| B．it hardly cost him anything |
| C．he did not make advance booking or travel by air |
| D．It was a global trip |
| A．Jane 2009 | B．December 2009 |
| C．February 2010 | D．April 2010 |
① Moscow
② Philadelphia
③ New Zealand
④ Ushuaia
⑤ Beijing
⑥ Buenos Aires
| A．⑤④①⑥③② | B．④⑥①⑤③② |
| C．④⑤①⑥③② | D．⑤①⑥④③② |
| A．Challenging but pleasant. | B．Dangerous but wonderful. |
| C．Boring and disappointing. | D．Costly and painful. |
7 . In Africa, Christmas Day begins with groups of carolers (欢唱颂歌的人) walking to and from through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the missionaries (传教士), singing the lovely carols known to the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to gather at the house of worship(敬神活动). They return home to make final preparations as to the clothes one must wear and also as to their offering for the Christmas service.
The most important part of their Christmas worship service is the love offering. This is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8 or 9 o'clock everyone goes to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. No one will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. There is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of wild flowers being in their full pride.
In Ghana, most churches show the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to be the time of cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be such as farms or mines.
In Africa, it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed (正式宣布的) public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.
1. The purpose of this text is to ________.| A．persuade us to have a holiday in Africa |
| B．describe some important holidays in Africa |
| C．tell us how people celebrate Christmas in Africa |
| D．introduce to us when Christmas came into being |
| A．One must sing a carol on the platform. |
| B．One must appear in fantastic clothes. |
| C．Food is shared among carolers. |
| D．Everyone carries a gift to the scene. |
| A．the church and homes are being decorated |
| B．there are flowers all over the country |
| C．everyone returns home to harvest cocoa |
| D．it is snowing heavily everywhere |
| A．Christmas→ Boxing Day→Advent |
| B．Boxing Day→ Christmas→Advent |
| C．Christmas→ Advent→Boxing Day |
| D．Advent→Christmas→Boxing Day |
8 . One advantage of the Internet is shopping conveniently online for clothes; one disadvantage of the Internet is also shopping conveniently online for clothes.
“Nothing fits,” said Lam Yuk Wong, a senior in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University. “Everyone says this. They order clothes and they don’t fit. People get very unhappy.”
Wong and her design partner, Xuaner “Cecilia” Zhang, are Team White Mirror, creators of what they call a “virtual (虚拟) fitting room”. Their goal is simple and consumer-friendly: to let online clothing shoppers have a perfect fit and a perfect look when shopping every time.
Both women are from China, Wong from Hong Kong and Zhang from Beijing. They both order most of their clothing online. They got the idea from their own experience as consumers and from listening to the complaints of friends and relatives. “They say, ‘The color is wrong’ or ‘I got the right size but it still does not fit.’ We want to make it like you’re in the store trying on the clothes,” Zhang said.
Using a Kinect developed by Microsoft for use with its Xbox 360 video game player,
Zhang scans Wong and turns her image into, in effect, a virtual model, keeping Wong’s dimensions (尺寸), and even her skin and hair color. “We put the clothes on the shopper’s 3-D body models and show how they look when they are dressed,” Wong said. So far, Wong and Zhang have adapted the software to show dresses and shirts, and they are now working on shorts.
Asked if she thought men as well as women might be interested in using their virtual fitting room, Wong said, “I think their wives will care about this, so it will also be important to men.”
1. Why is shopping conveniently online for clothes a disadvantage?| A．Clothes bought online may not fit. |
| B．Students may easily get addicted to it. |
| C．It attracts more online clothing shoppers. |
| D．It causes shoppers to waste too much money. |
| A．the Xbox 360 video game player | B．a program at their university |
| C．some shop-owners’ complaints | D．their shopping experiences |
| A．scanning—trying on clothes—getting images |
| B．trying on clothes—getting models—scanning |
| C．scanning—getting models—trying on clothes |
| D．trying on clothes—getting images—scanning |
| A．It is perfectly developed. |
| B．It will have its market share. |
| C．It is limited to women shoppers. |
| D．It is like a kind of video game player. |
9 . A new tool of communication called the "drift diary" is doing the rounds among young college graduates.
The "drift diary", like those ancient paper messages put into a bottle left to drift on the high seas to reach hundreds of miles away, connects lonely hearts. It was first started by a Beijing woman, who goes by the screen name Little S, in 2007.It has become the preferred tool of communication among youngsters afraid to reveal their innermost self to peers, but wanting to share their lives with others. The way it works is that the initiator（发起人）of the diary mentions it on popular Internet forums such as Tianya and Douban. Those wanting to react or otherwise add to the diary then send their real names and addresses to the initiator via e-mails or text messages.
The numbers in one group are usually restricted to between 30 and 50. The diary then is passed on to another by the express delivery or personal handover. The diary writers are mostly anonymous（匿名的）but if they wish to reveal their identity they can do so by posting their contact information at the end of their postings.
The diary writers not just add words but also decorate the plain notebooks with cartoons, drawings or even dress it up with a ribbon or a new cover. Interesting experiences, travel journals, the simple joys of everyday living or sweet recollections of childhood, all find a place in these diaries. Most often, though, the writers set down their frustrations and predicaments.
It usually takes one year for a diary to return to the initiator. The last recorder is the luckiest one, with access to all previous entries, while others can request photocopies of them from the diary's initiator.
1. Why is the "drift diary" popular among youngsters?| A．Because they hate using the Internet. |
| B．Because they like to show themselves to peers. |
| C．Because they want to share their lives with strangers. |
| D．Because they find it fashionable to be a diary writer. |
①The diary then is passed on between the recorders.
②The diary returns to the initiator.
③The initiator of the diary makes a mention online.
④Participants request photocopies of the diary from the diary's initiator.
⑤Those who want to participate in the program get in touch with the initiator.
| A．③⑤①④② | B．③⑤①②④ |
| C．④⑤①②③ | D．①③⑤②④. |
| A．Successful experiences. | B．Sense of achievement. |
| C．Difficult situations. | D．Favorable conditions. |
| A．Drift Diary——A New Tool of Communication |
| B．How a Drift Diary Works |
| C．Share Your Lives with Strangers |
| D．The Diary Passed on |
