1 . You've probably heard it suggested that you need to move more throughout the day, and as a general rule of thumb, that "more" is often defined as around 10,000 steps. With many Americans tracking their steps via new fitness-tracking wearables, or even just by carrying their phone, more and more people use the 10,000-step rule as their marker for healthy living. Dr. Dreg Hager, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, decided to take a closer look at that 10,000-step rule, and he found that using it as a standard may be doing more harm than good for many.
“It turns out that in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume so they picked 10,000 steps as a number” Hager said.
According to Hager, asking everyone to shoot for 10,000 steps each day could be harmful to the elderly or those with medical conditions, making it unwise for them to jump into that level of exercise, even if it's walking. The bottom line is that 10,000 steps may be too many for some and too few for others. He also noted that those with shorter legs have an easier time hitting the 10,000-step goal because they have to take more steps than people with longer legs to cover the distance. It seems that 10,000 steps may be suitable for the latter.
A more recent study focused on older women and how many steps can help maintain good health and promote longevity (长寿).The study included nearly 17,000 women with an average age of 72. Researchers found that women who took 4,400 steps per day were about 40% less likely to die during a follow-up period of just over four years: Interestingly, women in the study who walked more than 7,500 steps each day got no extra boost in longevity.
1. What does the underlined word "it' in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The phone recording. | B．The 10,000-step rule. |
| C．The healthy living. | D．The fitness-tracking method. |
| A．How many steps a Japanese walks. |
| B．How we calculate the number of steps. |
| C．If burning 3,000 calories daily is scientific. |
| D．Where 10,000 steps a day came from. |
| A．Senior citizens. | B．Young short-legged people. |
| C．Healthy long-legged people | D．Weak individuals. |
| A．4,400 steps. | B．10,000 steps. |
| C．2,700 steps. | D．7,500 steps. |
2 . Ask people in the UK what the words “Sunday roast” mean to them, and they’ll probably take you back to their grandmothers’ dining rooms -maybe with a few stories of “the greatest puddings” and “the best ever steak”. But now the traditional Sunday roast seems to have been left back in the old days. According to the Daily Mail, just one in 50 British families sits down to this weekly meal together.
There are many reasons why the roast is becoming less popular. In the busy modern world, where breakfast is a slice of toast eaten on the way to work or school and lunch is a quick sandwich in front of the computer screen, people just don’t seem to have the time or patience to make a roast.
And Sunday was once a day when people could easily go to the kitchen to cook. Nowadays, people are often out shopping or at the cinema until it’s far too late to start thinking about heating the oven(烤箱) up.
However, a recent article from The Telegraph warned against being carried away by our tight schedules: “It would be a shame to let this fine old tradition disappear.”
The Guardian further explained that the eating of the big meal is only the half of it. The Sunday roast also makes for relaxed morning activities in the kitchen, and the table becomes the perfect place to share good food and chat with family and friends. “For busy moms and dads, even if you can manage to turn off your mobile phone and the TV only once a week and turn the Sunday roast into a real family event, children can have fun cooking the food and clearing up together.”
1. The best title for the passage is probably _____.| A．Sunday—Best Time for Family |
| B．Sunday Roast Dying Out |
| C．It’s the Perfect Time for Us |
| D．Let’s Sit Down Together |
| A．They have a busy lifestyle. |
| B．They have no interest in cooking. |
| C．They don’t think it worthwhile. |
| D．They are living in the modern society. |
| A．A recent article. |
| B．A traditional kitchen. |
| C．The fine old tradition. |
| D．Sunday morning activity. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Sorry. | D．Uncertain. |
3 . Americans recognize that there is a past on which the present rests. But they have not developed their sense of the depth of time as much as this has been done in the Middle East and South Asia. The Arab looks back two to six thousand years for his own origins. History is used as the basis for almost any modern action. The chances are that an Arab won’t start a talk or a speech or analyze a problem without first developing the historical aspects of his subject. The American assumes that time has depths but seldom stresses the importance of it.
The American never questions the fact that time should be planned and future events should be fitted into a schedule. He thinks that people should look forward to the future and not talk too much on the past. His future is not very far ahead of him. Results must be obtained in the foreseeable future—one or two years or, at the most, five or ten. Promises to meet deadlines and appointments are taken very seriously. There is real punishment for being late and for not keeping commitments in time. The American thinks it is natural to calculate the value of time. To fail to do so is unthinkable. The American calculates how much time is required to do everything. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” “It will take six months to finish that job.” “I was in the Army for four and a half years.”
The Americans, like so many other people, also use time as a link that chains events together. If one event occurs on the heels (紧接着) of another, they will certainly try to find a causal relationship between them. If A is seen around the area of B’s murder shortly after the crime has been committed, they automatically form a connection between A and B. However, events which are separated by too much time are difficult for them to connect in their minds. This makes it almost impossible for them as a nation to engage (从事) in long-range planning.
1. How do Americans see past time according to the first paragraph?| A．It’s worthless. | B．It’s limited. |
| C．It reflects today. | D．It helps start a talk. |
| A．To calculate the value of the past. |
| B．To figure out the importance of time. |
| C．To plan a schedule for future events. |
| D．To meet deadlines and appointments. |
| A．When common evidence is found. |
| B．When A is found near the scene of B’s crime. |
| C．When the two events happen one by one. |
| D．When one event happens long after another. |
| A．See time further. | B．Be punctual. |
| C．Study the past time. | D．Make a long-range plan. |
4 . I always had the preference to take on more than I should when I was young. At times, I wanted to prove to myself that I could handle it. At other times, my purpose was to please someone and gain recognition for my efforts. Sometimes this led to stress or frustration.
When I was an IT manager after college graduation I was assigned to work with a wealthy customer and be a go-between (中间人)for my company. I took on the assignment happily, thinking that this might be my time to shine. However, the customer’s demands proved to be more than I could do with. And the company chose to stand by the customer and try to meet his unreasonable requirements rather than stick to what we had originally offered in the contract. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of unexpected problems and arguing with some of the staff who refused to do anything outside their scope (范围) of work. I remember walking into my office one morning, opening my laptop and staring at the blank screen for long, thinking to myself: What should I do? That was a difficult time in my life and then I finally had to give up my first job and left that company sadly.
Perhaps, I thought then, I could find the job that didn’t involve dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. But later I realized: Is this possible in our modern world? No, it is impossible. Now, I know, I shouldn’t run away from the challenges I faced in life: I had to learn how to deal with them. I regret not persevering ( 坚 持 ) in my job. We should train ourselves to look at things from a positive point of view, because that is far better than being trapped in the bad circle depression. I’ve come to see that when faced with difficulties, I should not give up, but persevere.
1. Why did the author take the work assigned to him happily?| A．He wanted to please the boss. |
| B．The work was very easy for him to do. |
| C．He failed to find a job many times before. |
| D．He thought it was time to prove his ability. |
| A．Arguing with some of the staff. |
| B．Meeting the customer’s unreasonable requirements. |
| C．Accepting the assignment without hesitation. |
| D．Sticking to what had been originally offered in the contract. |
| A．The depressing job situation. | B．The low payment. |
| C．His lack of ability. | D．A better job waiting for him. |
| A．Running away from challenges. | B．Persevering instead of giving up. |
| C．Refusing to argue with customers. | D．Leaning to take on more than one can. |
5 . A study has warned that seafood supplies from the world's oceans could be almost gone by the middle of the century. The researchers say there has already been a breakdown in wild populations of almost one third of currently fished sea-foods. The study says that means their catch has fallen by ninety percent from their highest level. Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia Canada led the intentional team that did the study. Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at an increasing speed. At this rate he says all seafood species could collapse by 2048.
Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments. But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty, in, fifty years.Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems but others are doing a good job of protecting fish populations. Government officials in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research.
The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine.
The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems. These complex systems help control water quality. The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appears to increase the risk of fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth.
The scientists examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas. They also looked at records of catches worldwide. They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization from 1950 to 2003. And they examined archaeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas. That research reached back over a thousand years.
Boris Worm says the findings are, in his words, “beyond anything we suspected.”But he also said the situation is not too late to core. He said that with good fisheries management, some species could completely recover in three to ten years.
1. The two underlined words “their” in the first paragraph most probably mean .| A．researchers' | B．fisherman's |
| C．sea foods' | D．the oceans' |
| A．All the scientists don't believe that all seafood species will disappearing very soon |
| B．Most government officials disagree to the seafood-disappearing research |
| C．Some scientists are doing a good job of protecting fish populations |
| D．It's too late to take any action to improve the situation. |
| A．Some people are doing a good job of protecting fish populations |
| B．Overfishing is one of the causes for the loss of seafood species |
| C．things are getting worse though efforts can be made |
| D．some more species will come into being with right measures |
| A．To call on people to protect the ocean environment |
| B．To introduce a study about the disappearing of sea foods |
| C．To report different opinions about the seafood research |
| D．To criticize the present fisheries management |
As many as two-thirds of the city’s 21 million residents live in slums. “Most girls are trapped in a terrible cycle of poverty. Many of them are not thinking of education, a plan for the future,” Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, a computer programmer in Lagos, recalls. But several times a week, girls like Okpoe get a glimpse of another world when they attend GirlsCoding, a free program run by the Pearls Africa Foundation that seeks to educate and excite girls about computer programming. Since 2012, the group has helped more than 400 disadvantaged girls gain the technical skills and confidence they need to transform their lives.
It’s the vision of Ajayi-Akinfolarin, who left a successful career to devote herself to this work. She'd noticed how few women worked in this growing field-a 2013 government survey found that less than 8% of Nigerian women were employed in technology jobs. She wanted to fix the gender gap. “Technology is a space that’s dominated by men. Why should we leave that to guys?” she said. “I believe girls need opportunities.”
Now, dozens of girls aged 10 to 17 get trained in computer programming technology. “I believe you can still find diamonds in these places,” Ajayi-Akinfolarin said. “They need to be shown another life.” One way her program does this is by taking the students to visit tech companies — not only showing them what technology can do, but also helping them visualize themselves joining the industry.
Okpoe, for one, has taken this to heart. She helped create an app called Makoko Fresh that went live this summer, enabling fishermen like her father to sell seafood directly to customers. She even wants to become a software engineer and hopes to study computer science at Harvard. “One thing I want my girls to hold onto is, regardless of where they are coming from, that they can make it,” Ajayi said. “They are coders. They are thinkers. Their future is bright.”
1. What can we learn about GirlsCoding?| A．It encourages girls to land a job in education. |
| B．It offers Nigerian girls in need part-time jobs. |
| C．It helps girls working in Lagos to fight poverty. |
| D．It teaches girls in Makoko computer programming. |
| A．Men could do far better in technology jobs. |
| B．Girls should get equal work opportunities. |
| C．Men normally got paid more than women. |
| D．Girls tended to devote themselves to work. |
| A．Rebuilding the girls’ confidence. |
| B．Training the girls to find diamonds. |
| C．Presenting a different life to the girls. |
| D．Taking the girls to technology companies. |
| A．She got fishermen to benefit from her app. |
| B．She was admitted to Harvard University. |
| C．She took her father’s suggestion to heart. |
| D．She made some changes to computer science. |
7 . HOW BIG should a business team be?It is an enormously important issue for companies, Teams that are too small may lack the skills required to get the job done:teams that are too big may be impossible to co-ordinate.
Robin Dunbar.an anthropologist at Oxford University,has done a lot of work on primate(灵长目）groups.His argument is that the size of the group is linked to the size of the brain.With their large brains,humans can cope with larger bands,A larger social group has many advantages,allowing for greater protection and specialization.
Whereas 150 is sometimes referred to as the"Dunbar number",the academic himself in fact refers to a range of figures.He observes that humans tend to have five intimate friends,15 or so good friends,around 50 social friends and 150-odd acquaintances.
Running a larger network can be difficult.The armed forces have spent more than 1,000 years experimenting with unit size.A Roman centurion(百天长）oversaw 100.The modern American army company has 180 members.Britain's equivalent numbers 120.These are rough estimates,rather than fixed figures.But it is striking that many group activities seem to be close to a Dunbar number. The Special Air Service of Britain has four-man patrols;when your life depends on it,you need to have absolute trust in your colleagues.As a result,such groups are limited in size.
For much of economic history,work was conducted in small units by peasants,tenant farmers and craftsmen.The coming of powered machinery enabled production at a much larger scale,with workers crowded into factories.These days the rise of the service economy means that workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups.
This may not be a bad thing.It was easy for employees in large factories to regard remote company owners as "them"rather than"us".The modern company may settle on a model with a small group of"core"workers and a larger group of contract workers.The result may be more united within the core staff but the non-core staff may be less well treated.The small core teams may work effectively.The big question will be the effect on morale of those outside those teams.
1. What does the first paragraph serve as in the whole article?| A．An example of the topic, |
| B．An introduction to the topic, |
| C．A guide to the whole article, |
| D．No relation to the passage at all. |
| A．Workers crowded into factories |
| B．'These days the service economy has risen. |
| C．Workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups. |
| D．Employees regard company owners as"them"rather than"us". |
| A．A large group of exact 150 workers. |
| B．A small group of less than 15 core workers. |
| C．A small group of peasants and a large group of factory workers. |
| D．A small group of efficient workers and more contract workers. |
| A．To offer companies some useful advice. |
| B．To introduce us the most suitable size of teams. |
| C．To arouse the readers' interest in Robin Dunbar. |
| D．To persuade companies to adopt the"Dunbar number". |
8 . I come from a broken family. After we grew up， my sister and I could go years without speaking. And that is where this story begins.
My sister Jeanne and I were born only 14 months apart， but by the time we were teenagers we had lost touch. By age 19， I had moved away from our home in Wisconsin to live on my father’ s horse farm in Virginia. Jeanne got married at 18， moved to Chicago， and I didn’ t know what. We lived separate lives in separate states， and our connection somehow ended.
Fast － forward about five years. I was 24 and on a trip with my fiancé （未婚夫） to New York City，a place I had never been. During a day of sightseeing， we were crossing a very busy street loaded with people. Everyone was in a hurry. I had laughed at something my fiancé said， and I suddenly heard my name yelled from somewhere behind me： “ Cheryl！ ” I froze in my steps in the middle of the road. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew without a doubt that it was my sister Jeanne. I yelled back before even turning to look. “ Jeanne？ ”
It was her. I began pushing people out of my way to get to her. The crowd started to part—even by New York standards， we must have seemed crazy. And there we were， standing in the middle of a Manhattan street， facing each other and smiling. I couldn’ t believe it.
I later asked how she’ d known it was me—she never saw me！ She said it was my laugh. I wouldn’ tsay my laugh is all that unusual， but I guess to a family member it’ s infectious（有感染力的） . It hits your heart and goes deep in your mind.
Since that time， my sister and I have never been separated. We both moved back to Wisconsin. Wetalk daily. Many years have passed， and we are now in our 50s. I truly believe God played a huge part in bringing us together. But our meeting by chance wasn’ t just a sign. I see it as more of a lesson， a reminder not to lose touch with loved ones. It is too easy to remain lost. After our sister － to － sister miracle（奇迹） ， I don’ t plan to let that happen again.
1. What can we learn about Cheryl in the first two paragraphs？| A．She got on well with her sister. | B．She came from a normal family. |
| C．She was brought up in Wisconsin. | D．She moved to Chicago with Jeanne. |
| A．By her yell. | B．By her name. |
| C．By her looks. | D．By her laugh. |
| A．Meeting. | B．The trip. |
| C．Separation. | D．The miracle. |
| A．Long－Lost Sisters | B．New－Found Families |
| C．Life－Long Journey | D．Long－Standing Friendship |
9 . People often talk about cultural differences between western and eastern countries, but how about the western world itself? Surprisingly, a closer look at it can reveal a good many curious details.
The most obvious characteristic of the majority of Americans is that they smile a lot. It does not matter whether they have a strong reason to smile; they do it, sometimes simply because they have to. A smile is not just a powerful marketing tool but also a way to show that someone is friendly, and that life in general is fine. Europeans, on the contrary, prefer to keep a more neutral (不露声色的) facial expression. They smile mostly when they are in a good mood, or feel amused; if not, a European’s face will remain neutral, or even dull. In Russia, for example, there is a proverb saying that laughing for no reason is a sign of a fool. It does not mean that Europeans are serious, or that they do not have a sense of humor.
The same refers to communication in general. Americans are extremely communicative; small talk and chats are common. Europeans talk mostly when there is something to say, and rarely enter communication just for the purpose of talking to other people. American people prefer to express what they think carefully, considering how it might affect surrounding people. Europeans are more straightforward, even with unfamiliar people. A European friend will almost always voice their opinion on different occasions, and will not hesitate to remind you that you need to lose some weight or take a shower.
It can be said that Americans are people of contrasts. They are open-minded, flexible, and ready to accept everything new enthusiastically; but at the same time, American society manages to bring up unbelievable conservatives. Americans are extremely politically correct, which, in most cases, is indeed a secure and beneficial practice, but it can also mess up daily or even private communication, sometimes preventing having close relationships. Europeans, on the contrary, are more straightforward, preferring to tell the truth in direct ways. Each way of communication is different — neither is correct or incorrect.
1. What does the author say about smiling?| A．It is culture-related within western countries. |
| B．It is a powerful marketing tool across cultures. |
| C．It is thought of as a sign of a fool in America. |
| D．It is regarded as being socially necessary in Europe. |
| A．Beating around the bush. | B．Having small talk and chats. |
| C．Hiding their feelings carefully. | D．Expressing themselves openly. |
| A．Being straightforward. | B．Being politically correct. |
| C．Accepting everything new. | D．Raising unbelievable conservatives. |
| A．By analyzing cause and effect. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By classifying body language. | D．By discussing research findings. |
10 . Almost every community has some form of rules and some way of enforcing them. So why do we have rules, and what makes people follow them?
Studies have suggested that the reason we don't like rule-breaking is because fairness is programmed into our brains. Scientists have found that the brain reacts in a particular way when we feel we are being treated unfairly.A fair situation makes us feel comfortable and even happy, but unfairness causes our brains to respond with negative feelings.The study found that this a so happened when subjects saw others being treated unfairly. They concluded that fairness is one of basic human needs.
Arriving at a feeling of fairness means considering different, often conflicting, points of view. Regardless of the disagreement, people almost always need to compromise. But it can be difficult to arrive at a compromise when there are conflicting interests. This is why communities have rules that everyone must follow.
Social controls are an important factor in setting and following rules.They influence the way we be have, and can be internal (内在的) or external. Internal controls come from within and are based on our values and fears. Most of us don't steal, for example, because we believe that theft is unfair and wrong. We also don't want to disappoint our family and friends. In other words, our internal controls keep us from behaving in ways that cause conflict.
External controls include rewards and punishments. Rewards, such as job promotions and praise, are designed to encourage people to be have and actin the interest of the whole community.
Punishments, such as public embarrassment, fines, and even imprisonment can prevent people from acting against the community's best interests.
People need their communities to function smoothly.If there were no rules, most people would probably still behave positively. However, there would always be a minority who would not. This is why a society without rules is unlikely to exist.
1. What does the underlined word ''this'' in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A program in human brains. |
| B．A comfortable situation. |
| C．The response with bad feelings. |
| D．The requirement off fairness. |
| A．To punish illegal activities. | B．To prevent disagreement. |
| C．To promote fairness. | D．To meet various demands. |
| A．Take exams honestly because cheating is shameful |
| B．Park in the right place so as not to get a parking ticket. |
| C．Pay the electricity bill on time in order not to get a late fee. |
| D．Cooperate with your classmates to win a prize for your class. |
| A．Living by the rules | B．Why communities need rules |
| C．Reaching a compromise | D．How fairness functions |
