1 . Farmers in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh are now growing herbs(草药) instead of traditional crops such as rice, wheat and corn. They are trying to save their farms from monkeys eating their crops.
For years, farmers have fought a losing battle with increasing number of monkeys. The animals invade farms in several northern Indian states, searching for food and destroying crops worth millions of dollars. Many have given up on farming because of the monkey problem. Officials estimate that 40 percent of the farmland in the area is unplanted.
Agriculture experts say switching to herbs will protect farmers’ crops and bring higher profits. Monkeys do not attack herbs with medicinal properties. Farmers can make more money as demand for herbsboostsfrom Indian companies making medicinal and personal care products. India's herbal product industry is worth $4 billion and growing quickly. Some farmers have already started planting herbs with help from the medicinal plants board.
Experts have listed about 100 herbs that can be grown on the empty farmland where villagers stopped growing crops. So far, nearly 4,000 farmers have switched to growing herbs in seven North Indian states. In Himachal Pradesh, the number is 300.
An expert says the most successful farmers have strong business sense and are willing to innovate. His organization also links farmers in distant villages with possible buyers to make sure they can market their crops.
Monkeys are also becoming problems in cities, including India's capital New Delhi. They are famous for stealing food and even mobile phones.
In December, experts gave lawmakers advice on dealing with monkeys often seen around parliament (议会) . The experts advised leaving the animals alone and not making eye contact. The monkey population has increased since India banned their export for biomedical research in 1978. But many in Hindu-majority India respect and feed the animals. They link the monkeys to the Hindu god Hanuman, who takes the form of a monkey.
1. What results from the growing number of monkeys?| A．The price of crops increases. |
| B．More traditional crops are grown. |
| C．Quite a few farms are not grown. |
| D．Farmers are easy to suffer from attack. |
| A．Lacks. |
| B．Changes. |
| C．Reduces. |
| D．Increases. |
| A．Leave them alone. |
| B．Cover their eyes. |
| C．Avoid feeding them. |
| D．Comforting them. |
| A．Farmers Switch to Herbs to Stop Monkeys |
| B．Effective Measures to Deal with Monkeys |
| C．Battle Between Farmers and Monkeys |
| D．Ways to Avoid Being Attacked by Monkeys |
2 . Have you ever felt as if the entire world was watching while you made a mistake? Well here’s some good news: it’s likely that no one even notice.
The spotlight effect is a trick of the mind that makes us believe that people notice us more often than they really do. We experience the spotlight effect not only when we make mistakes but also when we perform well, such as making a mistake in a game, giving a terrible answer in class, scoring a big goal or doing a good deed. In these moments, it feels like everyone is watching.
The spotlight effect exists because we all get used to seeing things through our own eyes. Every person is the main character in his or her story, and the events of our lives seem to have great importance. We are so busy examining ourselves that we actually observe very little about everyone around us.
The spotlight effect is a very common part of the human experience. However, in some cases, it can lead to extreme social anxiety and nervousness around other people.
Everyone suffers some degree of social anxiety. We all care about what others think, and we all want to be liked. It’s normal to wonder about what effect we have on other people.
However, this can be a problem when the anxiety is too much to handle. If someone is so nervous that they can’t make good decisions then it’s time to take action and improve the situation.
Learning about the spotlight effect is important because it can help us reduce our anxiety. The next time you feel like everyone is staring at you, remind yourself that it’s just your mind playing tricks on you. Another good exercise is to make an effort to notice the people around you, rather than focusing on yourself. If you fill your mind with thoughts of your friends and family, it will help you be less self-conscious.
1. What is the spotlight effect?| A．It feels like all eyes are on us. | B．We enjoy more focus from others. |
| C．It’s probably (hat no one notices us. | D．It is a trick lo make us perform well. |
| A．Proud. | B．Anxious. | C．Relaxed. | D．Depressed. |
| A．It makes people feel more confident in scoring a big goal. |
| B．It may be an unusual human experience about social anxiety. |
| C．It happens only when we make some mistakes in great events. |
| D．It exists when we care too much about what others think of us. |
| A．To release our mental burden. | B．To help us take more exercise. |
| C．To make us more self-conscious. | D．To help us pay more attention in class. |
3 . A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off — if it is milked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin (褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.
The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder made from cows milked both during the day and at night.
Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cows milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fall asleep at night.
Previous studies have also indicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.
Milk is also sugar-free and additive-free with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choice before bed as it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in before bedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.
1. Which of the following is true of melatonin according to the text?| A．It’s been tested on mice for ten times. | B．It can make people more energetic. |
| C．It exists in milk in great amount. | D．It’s used in sleeping drugs. |
| A．Night Milk and Sleep | B．Fat, Sugar and Health |
| C．An Experiment on Mice | D．Milk Drinking and Health |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By stating arguments. |
| C．By explaining statistical data. | D．By providing research results. |
4 . “Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves,” he said. Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The wind starts out by making little ripples(涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine(涡轮机).The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.
“The resource is huge,” said Janet Swain of the World watch Institute. “We will never run out of wave power.” Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’ s surface-that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic.
Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. “Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world,” Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
1. The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to ________.| A．test the readers’ knowledge about waves | B．draw the readers’ attention to the topic |
| C．show Jamie Taylor’s importance | D．invite the readers to answer them |
| A．shorter its journey to thousands of homes | B．build more small power stations on the oceans |
| C．reduce the cost of turning it into electric power | D．quicken the steps of producing electricity |
| A．air pollution | B．our boat traffic | C．our power supply | D．our supply of sea fish |
5 . Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh, and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well. That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends.
Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we can’t call them and write to them. It could be that we will even see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women who have been friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.
1. The first paragraph tells us ________.| A．nobody needs friends | B．we always need friends around |
| C．making friends is a need in people’s lives | D．we never need to be alone |
| A．People are not happy when their friends leave them. |
| B．People will never see their friends after their friends move away. |
| C．People can know their friends in different ways. |
| D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them. |
| A．A city. | B．A room. | C．A town. | D．A library. |
| A．They feel happier. | B．They take better care of themselves. |
| C．Their friends care about them. | D．All of the above. |
| A．that people are all friends | B．that people need friends |
| C．how to get to know friends | D．how to name a place |
6 . When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laughs turned into crying,
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing are controlled by the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so does crying.
Whatever helps us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional health, and crying seems to work well. One study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendlier and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better, sometimes we don’t even know we’re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying-holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering-can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illness. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don’t fight it. It’s a natural, healthy and emotional response.
1. Why didn’t the author cry when her grandmother died?| A．Because her father did not want her to feel too sad. | B．Because she did not love her grandmother. |
| C．Because she was too shy to cry at that time. | D．The author doesn’t give the explanation. |
| A．there are two ways to keep healthy |
| B．emotional health has a close relationship to physical health |
| C．crying and laughing play the same roles |
| D．crying does more good to health than laughing |
| A．Crying is the best way to get help from others. |
| B．Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
| C．We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry. |
| D．We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
| A．Why We Cry. | B．How to Keep Healthy. |
| C．Power of Tears. | D．New Scientific Discovery. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Touched. | D．Upset. |
7 . Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities (设备) to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognised in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (辐射能). Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.
1. Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
| A．At the Curie Institute. |
| B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. |
| D．At the College of Sévigné. |
| A．In 1932. | B．In 1927. |
| C．In 1897. | D．In 1926. |
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. |
| B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once. |
| D．Irene died from leukemia. |
