1 . Belly fat（stomach fat） has long been thought to be especially bad for your heart, but now, a new study adds more evidence to the idea that it may also be bad for your brain.
The study, from the United Kingdom, found that people who were overweight and had a high waist — to — hip ratio （a measure of belly fat） had slightly lower brain volumes （容量），on average, compared with people who were just over weight or had a healthy weight. Specifically, belly fat was connected with lower volumes of gray matter, the brain tissue （组织）that contains nerve cells.
“Our research looked at a large group of people and found obesity （肥胖）,specifically around the middle， may be linked with brain shrinkage （萎缩），” lead study author Mark Hamer, a professor at Loughborough University, said in a statement.
Lower brain volume， or brain shrinkage， has been linked with a higher risk of memory recession， which leads to being forgetful.
The new findings, published on Jan. 9 in the journal Neurology ， suggested that the combination of obesity （as measured by body mass index, or BMI） and a high waist—to—hip ratio may cause brain shrinkage.
However, the study found only a connection between belly fat and lower brain volume, but couldn't prove that belly fat actually caused brain shrinkage. It could be that people with lower volumes of gray matter in certain brain areas are at a higher risk of obesity. Future studies are needed to find out the causes for the connection.
1. What can we infer about belly fat from the new study?| A．Belly fat may have a bad influence on our brain. |
| B．Belly fat can help increase brain volumes. |
| C．Belly fat affects people's diet. |
| D．Belly fat is bad for our eyes. |
| A．A tall and thin man. |
| B．A man with too much belly fat. |
| C．A short and thin man. |
| D．A man with normal body weight. |
| A．Going ahead. | B．Getting poor. |
| C．Getting active. | D．Going around. |
| A．The real cause of getting obesity. |
| B．The danger of getting too much fat. |
| C．The bad effect caused by belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
| D．The reasons for the connection between belly fat and brain shrinkage. |
2 . One day while trying to print all the class worksheets we needed for the day, I found myself shouting at my printer in front of my son. “Why won’t this stupid thing print?” I shouted. My son came up to me quietly, saying, “Calm down, Mommy. Maybe if you don’t shout at the printer, it will work. You need to have patience.”
He was right. I needed patience-patience with this whole situation. I stopped myself, realizing this was not the behavior I wanted my son to see. He was also right that I needed to calm down. Just like what I told him to do, I took a few deep breaths and walked away from the collapsed printer. Later that day when we were outside, I tried to keep the sense of calm I had slightly achieved. Once I blocked out all the anxiety over the virus, school, and my work-I found the afternoon peaceful and pleasant. I played flying disc with my son, simply enjoying each other’s company while the birds sang. It was an everyday moment I’ll never take for granted again.
From then on, things got a little easier. I started to give myself, and everyone else, some favour. I stopped holding myself to my perfectionism standards with every little thing because they were truly impossible to keep to.
With that favour, I changed my focus. Getting every school worksheet done correctly is not important. Neither is cleaning the house. And, apart from getting fired, neither is my work. Spending time with my family, and staying healthy emotionally and physically, became my main concerns. We took walks. We danced our hearts out during the Disney Family Sing-Along. We got up early and walked secretly into our backyard with telescopes to bird watch. Who knows, birding may be the new hobby we’re never giving up.
1. What did the author’s son ask his mother to do?| A．Print later. | B．Stop printing. |
| C．Change another printer. | D．Stay calm. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Broken-down. | D．Unfriendly. |
| A．By giving up dreams. |
| B．By focusing on others. |
| C．By stopping pursuing perfection. |
| D．By paying little attention to work. |
| A．Watching birds. | B．Doing house cleaning. |
| C．Seeking after her career. | D．Finishing school worksheets. |
3 . Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmer killed large numbers of hawks, the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by mice. Why? Because hawks eat mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the mice multiplied quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.
1. Animals are important to us mainly because .| A．they give us a source of food |
| B．they are beautiful and lovely |
| C．they keep the balance of nature |
| D．they give us a lot of pleasure |
| A．Became more. | B．Became less. |
| C．Turned black. | D．Ate food. |
| A．people have known the importance of animal protection since a long time ago |
| B．animals play an important role in people’s life |
| C．the number of hawks is on the decrease |
| D．many countries passed laws forbidding the killing of any animal |
| A．Save the Animals |
| B．Useful Animals |
| C．Laws for Animals |
| D．Animals in Danger |
4 . Bats (Firefly Books, 2011)by Phil Richardson helps to show readers the truth about bats. While bats get a bad name for their connection to mysterious vampires (吸血鬼）and their nightly habits, Richardson shines light onto the species and shows that bats are amazing and complex creatures for various reasons. The following is information about bat protection.
Bats are under threat in many areas of the world. Some have gone down to such a level that the remaining numbers may not be enough to keep the species. Threats to bat populations matter not just because bats are attractive creatures in their own right.Our increasing familiarity with the term biodiversity from television, newspapers, magazines and other media reflects the importance biologists place on this kind of protection.
The easiest way to appreciate what is included is to recall the idea of food chains and webs from biology lessons at school. It all starts with the producers,the plants that produce the food in their leaves by photosynthesis (光合作用）. Animals such as caterpillars then join the chain and eat the leaves, other animals such as birds eat the caterpillars, and so on up the chain.If a species dies out, then there is a break in the chain, and predators (捕食者）that relied on that species could also die or grow weaker as there is less food available.
There is another important point,a single insect-eating bat may eat hundreds of insects a night. So bats help to keep a balance in the natural world.Besides, they are a great help to humans,as farmland, gardens and house wooden structures all suffer attacks from injurious insects and bats are useful in keeping down their numbers.
1. What is the general impression people have of bats?| A．Bats are not related to mysterious vampires. |
| B．Bats are often active during the day. |
| C．Bats are not good creatures. |
| D．Bats are helpful to humans. |
| A．Animals that feed on birds. | B．Animals that produce the food. |
| C．Animals that are under threat. | D．Animals that feed on leaves. |
| A．Bats only eat insects. | B．Bats can help balance nature. |
| C．Bats are helpless to humans. | D．Bats can reduce the number of people. |
| A．Bat protection needs attention. | B．Bat population is increasing. |
| C．Bats are insect-eating animals. | D．Bats are short of food. |
5 . Cars could be able to "talk" to each other to warn about dangers on the roads using 5G technology in future, according to researchers.
Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) believe 5G may enable driverless cars to send each other messages about dangers such as ice or deep holes.
And they believe the high-speed, low -delay (低延迟的) nature of 5G will improve driverless cars to the point where they will be safer than the cars being driven today. They predict the number of road traffic accidents which cause more than 1. 3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year will drop greatly as a result.
Dr Dimitrios, a member of the research group, said, “To have a better idea of what the future will look like, think of having cars that not only use sensors (感应器) to find what's around them, but also can talk to each other about safety information nearby.”
“I'm sure anyone who has had a bad experience on frozen roads would have benefited from knowing about the dangerous conditions ahead of time so they could have changed their speed or, if possible, even avoided that route (路线) altogether.”
With the help of 5G, an early warning system in vehicles will come into use within the next few years. Cars that are close enough to the danger area will pass warning messages to other cars around them using communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably. Then those cars will send the same information to cars near them and 80 on, forming a joined-up.
5G is an exciting mobile technology, which will give a great boost to smart cities and autonomous (全自动的) vehicles among many other things.
1. Which of the following will Dr Dimitrios agree?| A．Cars can talk with drivers using 5G. |
| B．5G will improve the safety of car driving. |
| C．Massages sent by 5G will never be delayed. |
| D．Over 1.3 million deaths are caused by driverless cars. |
| A．changing their speed | B．turning to another route |
| C．getting closer to the danger area | D．sending warnings to nearby cars |
| A．Recovery. | B．Push. | C．Danger. | D．Fame. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Entertainment. | C．Life. | D．Transport. |
6 . A solar-powered car that can be charged as it runs is being tested in Germany.
Munich-based manufacturer(制造商)Sono Motors has built the new type, named Sion, and will likely help the European powerhouse hit its national target of 1 million electric cars on the road by 2020.
Sono Motors has solar cells fixed into Sion’s bodywork, with a total of 330 solar cells built into the roof, bonnet and sides of the vehicle. These enable the vehicle’s battery to be charged when sunlight is hitting the solar cells, whether it is on the road, or parked in the sunny spot in a car park.
The solar-powered vehicle is set to be launched in Germany in 2019.
Sono Motors wants Sion to be universal and allows the car to be charged using solar energy as well as conventional outlets(电源插座), so car owners aren’t left on cloudy days.
The firm has made a 2019 date for mass production, which will be undertaken(承担) by a European manufacturer. Some 6,500 people have already placed orders for the electric vehicle. Prices for Sion tend to start from € 16,000 next year. The all-electric vehicle will offer a range of around 250 km before the battery runs out completely and it needs recharging either by solar power or using a wall plug, the company said.
Sion was designed originally as an environmentally conscious car, but will also include a number of features designed around comfort to help it compete with other modern vehicles.
“We have a seat heater, air conditioning, and a large entertainment system where I can also connect my phone, which means I really have a full vehicle,” Laurin Hahn, co-founder of the company told Reuters.
1. From the third paragraph we can know that .| A．the car is popular on the road | B．the car has a very large battery |
| C．there are 330 solar cells on the car | D．where there is sunlight, Sion can be charged |
| A．design | B．release | C．improve | D．recall |
| A．Because it is made from the rainproof material. |
| B．Because it can be charged by clouds on cloudy days. |
| C．Because it can store a great deal of energy. |
| D．Because it can be charged by conventional power outlets. |
| A．Modern, powerful and popular. | B．Environmental, comfortable and competitive. |
| C．Environmental, cheap and simple. | D．Expensive, fashionable and energy-saving. |
7 . Have you ever thought that music can have an effect on animals? Dr. Fisher has put music in over 1,100 animal shelters, saying that it makes dogs and cats quiet and even cuts down on barking. Fisher asked artists around the world to share dog-and-cat friendly music. She gives it free to animal shelters.
One fan was Tina. Winter temperatures at the rural shelter for six dogs and six cats usually ran below zero and the wind blew nearly every day. To calm the animals, Tina tried the radio. Besides poor reception, the news and sports had people shouting and crying loudly. “The difference is great. ” she said. So she and her husband had to buy a second player for the cats. “When we play songs they like, they go and sit by the speakers. ” Tina said.
No one has studied the impact of Fisher’s music idea. But others have looked at how music and noise in general affected animals. A study found that animals were more likely to sleep and less likely to bark when Mozart, Beethoven and other similar music were playing, but not when heavy metal and other sounds were.
A survey of more than 500 shelters guided by Fisher validated her idea, finding barking reduced by half and animals more relaxed. It just destresses them.
Beyond the music, the shelter staff do what they can to reduce stress for the dogs, including toys, food and spending time with them. “Reducing their stress helps them show off their personalities and they can get adapted more quickly,” said Fisher. “The music also helps relax staff members and that benefits the animals too.”
1. When dogs listen to dog friendly music. They will _______.| A．calm down | B．get excited |
| C．become clever | D．never bark |
| A．doubted | B．refused. |
| C．proved | D．changed |
| A．Reducing stress is of great benefit to the dog. |
| B．The dogs in the shelter are fond of toys. |
| C．It is hard for the dogs to be adapted. |
| D．The staff members also like classical music. |
| FISH FOR FUN! DO NOT FISH FOR FOOD! FISHERMEN! FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUR HEALTH! FISH FROM THESE WATERS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN BECAUSE OF MERCURY CONTAMINATION. Department of Land and Forests |
1. What’s this? It’s a ________.
| A．letter | B．diary |
| C．newspaper | D．notice |
| A．to give an order for fish |
| B．for a concert |
| C．to warn fishermen of the danger |
| D．for making fun of fishermen |
| A．to stop fishing |
| B．that the fish from the waters is unfit to eat. |
| C．that they would never go fishing. |
| D．that fishing was not allowed here. |
| A．can feed up fish for people to eat |
| B．is helpful for health |
| C．can make people lose weight |
| D．is poisonous (有毒的) and dangerous to health |
