1 . We’re all familiar with the feeling―it usually starts with a little itch (痒) deep inside the nose. Next comes the awareness that it’s going to happen. Then, achoo! Air rushes out of our nose at a shocking 100 miles per hour, bursting out whatever was causing the itch. The high-pressure from a sneeze (喷嚏) has led some people to think that if we didn’t close our eyes, they could be pushed out.
For decades, countless people have tested the theory. When finding it almost impossible to keep their eyes open while sneezing, many have concluded that the theory must be true. If you try it yourself, the possibilities are that your eyes are still where they belong. That’s because they are held firmly by the muscles in the eyes. Furthermore, increased pressure from sneezing actually builds up in the blood vessels (血管), which may cause vessels to break but may not be possible to push the eyeballs out.
Why did this theory start, anyway? Some say that it all began in 1882, when the New York Times reported an incident of a woman who burst one of her eyeballs during a sudden sneeze. Others point at the fact that different high-pressure experiences, such as childbirth, can cause blood vessels in the eyes to break out. Still others say that closing our eyes when we sneeze shows the theory is true. Scientists, on the other hand, explain that we close our eyes for the same reason we sneeze ― to prevent unwanted things from entering our bodies. Either way, as far as we know, there are no actual recorded cases of anyone losing an eyeball because of a sneeze, so don’t lose any sleep over it!
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 1?| A．The cause of a sneeze. | B．The danger of sneezing. |
| C．The importance of a sneeze. | D．The experience of sneezing. |
| A．Because they are fixed firmly in the eyes. |
| B．Because high pressure builds up in the eyes. |
| C．Because they are held strongly by blood vessels. |
| D．Because increased pressure prevents them from bursting out. |
| A．Sneezes usually cause an itchy nose. |
| B．People sneeze to burst out unwanted things. |
| C．The high pressure caused by a sneeze will become less through breathing. |
| D．People close their eyes when sneezing to stop their eyeballs from popping out. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A storybook. | D．A textbook. |
2 . Creative ways to change your workouts
Most people know working out is good for your health, both physical and mental.
Create a word or image with your exercise route
Runners often map routes through city streets that create a word or image, then use a GPS device to “draw” it as they run.
Join a free fitness group
Exercising can be more fun with others, so look for group fitness opportunities. Many communities offer free exercise opportunities. Fitness in the Park is a summer-long activity that has been operating in New York state for a decade. Everyone is welcome to head to one of 18 different parks.
Sure, you can run a 5 K. But why not try orienteering (定向越野赛)? This timed navigational sport requires you to use detailed maps to find orange-and-white flags that are hidden in parks or remote areas. Races involve difficult running routes
Dance
Whether you take a class or practice at home, dancing is a great way to get your body moving. Dancing doesn’t seem like exercise to a lot of people, which is why it’s always a popular choice.
| A．Hit the road. |
| B．Sign up for a new-to-you event. |
| C．Participants have ranged in age from about 10 to over 70. |
| D．But staying motivated — especially for the long term — can be a struggle. |
| E．The event is timed, so people often jog or power walk from flag to flag. |
| F．You can do the same, whether your favored exercise is running, walking or biking. |
| G．It’s also something you can do anywhere, to any kind of music, salsa, hip-hop — it all works. |
3 . 3 Most Walkable Cities in Europe
Walking on holiday is a great way to stay fit, but also to see the sights a city has to offer. Here are the three most walkable cities in Europe.
Athens, Greece
Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world. The capital of Greece ranks fifth, with a slightly longer—but very worthwhile—route of 2.1 miles between its top-rated tourist attractions.
Visitors to Athens can set off at the Acropolis, climbing to discover the ancient Parthenon that stands as a landmark to the city’s ancient legacy. Then it leads to the Acropolis Museum, with the neighbourhood of Plaka waiting to be explored in the shadow of the Acropolis. The National Archaeological Museum is also close-by.
Seville, Spain
Seville is home to some wonderful sights that are best seen when walking. Seville in Spain takes the top spot as Europe’s most walkable city, offering the shortest walking route between the top five tourist attractions.
Visitors to this charming Spanish city can explore the impressive Plaza de Espana public square, before wandering over to the UNESCO-listed palace of Real Alcazar and Seville Cathedral. After that it’s only a short trip on foot to visit the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz neighbourhood and admire the Torre Giralda bell tower hanging above. With just 20 minutes of walking between these attractions.
Venice, Italy
Venice is famous for walkers, so it’s no surprise it ranks as the second best location for walkable city breaks. Walking is the best way to explore the bridges over the canals the city is famed for. There are endless charming alleyways to explore, as well as plenty of bridges over the canals that the city is famous for. Just under half an hour of walking here will take you on a tour of the impressive Grand Canal.
1. What’s the recommended starting point of the city walk in Athens?| A．Plaka. |
| B．The Acropolis. |
| C．The Acropolis Museum. |
| D．The National Archaeological Museum . |
| A．It offers some wonderful sights. |
| B．Visitors can explore five tourist attractions. |
| C．It makes visitors enjoy their time to the full. |
| D．Visitors can tour five tourist attractions in the shortest walking distance. |
| A．Those who are hiking during the vacation. |
| B．Those who want to find suggestions on where to travel. |
| C．Those who are looking for the best traveling destinations. |
| D．Those who usually choose walkable cities for their vacation. |
4 . 20-year-old Colen Nulgit and his girlfriend, Shantelle Johnson, had gone out for a daytime fishing trip at Keep River National Park in Australia last week when their car became stuck in some mud (淤泥). When they were unable to free the car from the mud, they began to worry. The park’s waterways are usually full of crocodiles (鳄鱼), and the couple had already seen plenty of crocodile tracks running through the mud. Not only that, they had only brought a few bottles of water and little food for the trip.
Nulgit and Johnson tried to fall asleep in their car—but as the sun set and the nearby water levels began to rise, they feared that the high water would bring the crocodiles closer to their car. The young couple then moved towards dry land and hoped for rescue. They even used a piece of wood to write the word “HELP” into the mud along with a line pointing towards their car.
Thankfully, the couple had told Nulgit’s parents where they were going and when they expected to be home before they left. So when they failed to return the very same night, his worried mother called the police. Rescuers began searching the area by airplane the next morning. Upon hearing the sound of the plane, the couple started a fire so the rescuers would see the smoke. As the plane drew closer to the smoke, the rescuers successfully located the couple after they caught sight of the “HELP” sign pointing towards the car.
Nulgit and Johnson were very thankful for the rescue. They now plan on putting together a set of emergency survival tools for the car.
1. Why did the young couple move to dry land?| A．Because their car became stuck in some mud. |
| B．Because they wanted to fall asleep in their car that night. |
| C．Because they were afraid the crocodiles would come to their car. |
| D．Because they only brought a few bottles of water and little food. |
| A．They wrote a sign for help. | B．They went fishing for food. |
| C．They started a fire for warmth. | D．They called their parents for help. |
| A．The evening when they should have arrived home. | B．The moment their car became stuck in some mud. |
| C．The minute she received their call for help. | D．Upon hearing the sound of the plane. |
| A．At the sight of the rescuers, the couple brought into tears. |
| B．The couple successfully caught the rescuers’ attention by smoke. |
| C．The rescuers began searching the area the moment they received the call. |
| D．After being rescued, the couple bought some survival tools for car at once. |
5 . The Nobel economics prize was awarded on Monday to Harvard University professor Claudia Goldin for research that has advanced the understanding of the gender (性别) gap in the labor market.
The announcement went a tiny step to closing the Nobel committee’s own gender gap: Goldin is just the third woman to win the prize out of 93 economics laureates (获奖者). She has studied 200 years of women’s participation in the workplace, showing that despite continued economic growth, women’s pay did not continuously catch up to men’s and a divide still exists despite women gaining higher levels of education than men. “I’ve always been an optimist. But when I looked at the numbers, I found in the 1990s, our labor force participation rate for women was the highest in the world, and now it isn’t the highest in the world,” Goldin told The Associated Press.
“Although Goldin’s research does not offer solutions, it allows policymakers to deal with the problem,” said Randi Hjalmarsson, a member of the Nobel committee. “She explains the source of the gap, and how it’s changed over time and how it changes with the stage of development. By finally understanding the problem and calling it by the right name, we will find a solution.”
Goldin, 77, told AP that what happens in people’s homes reflects what happens in the workplace. Women often have to take jobs that allow them to be on call at home—work that often pays less.
“Goldin tried to fill in missing data for her research,” Hjalmarsson said. For parts of history, systematic labor market records did not exist, and, if they did, information about women was missing. “So Goldin had to be a detective to find novel data sources and creative ways to use them to measure these unknowns.”
1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．Men gained higher levels of education than women. |
| B．The women’s pay caught up to men’s 200 hundreds years ago. |
| C．Many women scientists have won the Nobel economics prize these years. |
| D．At the late 20th century, American women labor force participation rate was the top. |
| A．Randi Hjalmarsson didn’t agree with Goldin. |
| B．Most of the women usually prefer to be housewives. |
| C．What happens in family life often mirrors that in the workplace. |
| D．Goldin’s research offered the policymakers solutions to the problem. |
| A．Lack of experience. | B．Lack of support. |
| C．Lack of money. | D．Lack of data. |
| A．A Solution to the Gender Gap in the Labor Market |
| B．Claudia Goldin—a Great Economics Data Detective |
| C．The Third Woman Who Wins the Nobel Prize in the World |
| D．Nobel Economics Prize Goes to Harvard University Woman Professor |
6 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.
For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.
Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”
Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.
1. How did the researchers reach their conclusion?| A．By analyzing a mass of data. |
| B．By conducting genetic research. |
| C．By comparing various levels of activity. |
| D．By tracking the subjects for many years. |
| A．Physical activity betters medical treatment. |
| B．Exercise is able to decrease and prevent it. |
| C．Different levels of exercise intensity matter the same. |
| D．Exercising 35 minutes daily is the most effective treatment. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Complex. |
| C．Unusual. | D．Common. |
| A．To discuss a disease. |
| B．To introduce a method. |
| C．To analyze a genetic risk. |
| D．To explain a phenomenon. |
7 . In 1867, Caroline Shawk Brooks and her husband, Samuel, had a farm in Arkansas. Life on the farm was not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Caroline and Samuel milked cows, gardened, and picked cotton. This left Caroline no time for her dream of becoming an artist.
Time was not the only problem. Money was a worry too. The cotton crops were failing. What could Caroline and Samuel do?
Caroline decided to make butter (黄油) from their cows’milk and sell it at market. But other farms also made and sold butter. How would Caroline set her butter apart from the rest? This is where Caroline’s artistic talent came in. To draw attention to her butter, she began making small butter sculptures (雕塑). She used many different tools, such as butter paddles (搅拌器的浆叶), broom straws, and tree sticks. She also put the butter in a shallow tin pan, which sat in a larger tin pan filled with ice to stop the butter sculpture from melting.
Caroline’s butter sculptures were a hit. Before long, she was displaying them at fairs and exhibitions. One of her largest butter sculptures was a life-size statue called A Study in Butter. It was transported all the way to Paris for the 1878 world’s fair.
Caroline also made sculptures using marble (大理石). She eventually opened a studio in New York City where she created many marble sculptures, some of which were shown at the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago.
But Caroline never stopped making butter art. She considered butter a superior material to work with. At the 1893 fair, she also displayed her butter techniques with a sculpture of Christopher Columbus.
Caroline Shawk Brooks died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1913. She is remembered as the first known American butter sculptor.
1. Why did Caroline make butter sculptures?| A．To realize her dream. | B．To make her butter stand out. |
| C．To make her farm famous. | D．To display her sculptures at the fair. |
| A．Caroline made her art works all by machine. |
| B．The sculptures were all made from cow's milk. |
| C．Ice was used to keep the butter sculptures in shape. |
| D．Caroline stopped making sculptures after being world-famous. |
| A．Talented and successful. | B．Confident and caring. |
| C．Creative and rich. | D．Brave and famous. |
| A．A Farming Pioneer. | B．A Great Sculptor. |
| C．The Butter Sculptures. | D．The Butter Artist. |
8 . It’s 1: 45 a.m, and 21-year-old Thomas Murphy is studying for an important exam. To stay awake, he’s had two cups of coffee in the last three hours and is now downing a popular energy drink which also has caffeine.
Caffeine is present in many of the foods and drinks we consume (消耗), but is it good for us? Charles Czeisler, a scientist and sleep expert at Harvard Medical School, believes that caffeine causes us to lose sleep. “Without enough sleep — the typical eight hours -the human body will not work at its best, physically, mentally, or emotionally.” Too often, Czeisler says, we consume caffeine to stay awake, which later makes it impossible for us to get the rest we need.
A number of scientists believe that regular caffeine use causes physical dependence. Heavy caffeine users show similar behaviors. For example, they get mild to severe headaches, or they feel tired or sad when they can’t have a caffeinated drink. To reduce or stop these feelings, users must consume caffeine, which is characteristic of drug addiction.
Despite these concerns, the general opinion in the scientific field is that caffeine is not dangerous when one or two small cups of coffee per day are consumed. Furthermore, a lot of current research goes against long-held negative beliefs about caffeine, and suggests that it may, in fact, have health benefits. For example, studies have shown that caffeine can help ease pain and help improve one’s mood. Research has also shown that some caffeinated drinks can help the body fight a number of illnesses, including certain types of cancer.
Caffeine’s behavioral effects are real, but most often mild. Getting that burst of energy, of course, is why many of the world’s most popular drinks contain caffeine. Whether it’s a student drinking coffee before class or a businessperson enjoying tea with lunch, humankind’s favorite stimulant (兴奋剂) is at work every day, all over the world.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “downing” in paragraph 1?| A．Holding. | B．Decreasing. | C．Drinking. | D．Waking. |
| A．The type of caffeine will affect people’s sleep. |
| B．Heavy caffeine consumption will cause drug addiction. |
| C．It’s a good idea to consume caffeine if people want to stay energetic. |
| D．Regular caffeine use will make it difficult for people to get enough sleep. |
| A．The risks of caffeine intake. | B．The effects of consuming caffeine. |
| C．Healthy and unhealthy caffeine products. | D．Recent changes in caffeine consumption. |
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Unconcerned. |
9 . Various sports attract fans for different reasons: Spectator sports draw even more fans who just love to watch. Here are some of the most beloved sports worldwide.
Hockey-2 billion fans
Hockey, both on ice and on a field, wins a following of two billion enthusiastic fans worldwide. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada and the US, where kids grow up playing pond hockey. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not involve body contact in the form of checking and hitting.
Football-4 billion fans
Football, better known as soccer in the US, is by far the most popular sport in the world. Experts estimate that the origin (起源) of football may go as far back as two thousand years, beginning in ancient China during the Han Dynasty. One major reason for football’s global popularity is that unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play football is a ball and your feet.
Volleyball-900 million fans
Volleyball pits two teams across a high net, each attempting to smash the ball onto the opponent’s floor. A popular variant, beach volleyball, is competed on sand by pairs rather than the regular six players per team. The crowd appeal of beach volleyball has grown greatly in recent years.
Tennis-1 billion fans
An estimated one billion people worldwide follow professional tennis tournaments and matches. In tennis, players on both sides of a net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponent (对手) or bounces twice on their opponent’s side of the court to score points. Tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams are now household names around the world, with huge international fan bases.
1. Which sport attracts the most fans according to the text?| A．Volleyball. | B．Hockey. | C．Football. | D．Tennis. |
| A．Its long history. | B．Its great convenience. |
| C．Its unique origin. | D．Its huge fan bases. |
| A．Playing ice hockey involves body contact. |
| B．Soccer is American people's favorite sport. |
| C．Beach volleyball has attracted the most sports fans recently. |
| D．A tennis player loses one point if his ball goes past his opponent. |
10 . China is one of the world’s ancient civilizations and has the earliest outstanding bronze casting technology. Here we’ve created a list of 4 museums where you can gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese bronze.
Sanxingdui Museum
Address: Sanxingdui Ruin Site, 133 Xian Road, Guanghan, Deyang, Sichuan province
Hours: Comprehensive Gallery (the first exhibition hall): 8:30-18:00; Bronze Gallery (the second exhibition hall): 8:30-18:30. Last tickets sold at 17:00. Closed on the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve
Ticket booking: 0838-5651526
General admission: Gallery ticket 80 yuan
Note: Children shorter than 1.2m (including 1.2m) can visit the gallery free of charge. The ticket must be used on the day it is sold and authorizes one visit to each gallery.
National Museum of China
Address: East side of Tian’anmen Square, Dongcheng district, Beijing
Hours: 8:30-17:00 (no entry after 16:30)
General admission: Free (passport required for entry), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
E-mail: webmaster@chnmuseum.cn
Shanghai Museum
Address: 201 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district, Shanghai
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (no entry after 16:00), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
E-mail: webmaster@shanghai-museum.org
General admission: free (a max of 8, 000 admitted daily)
Hunan Museum
Address: 50 Dongfeng Road, Changsha, Hunan province
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (no entry after 16:00), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays) and the eve of Chinese New Year
Tel: (+86-731) 8415833, 84475933
E-mail: web@hnmuseum.com
General admission: Free (passport required for entry)
1. Which museum should you choose for your family to visit next Monday?| A．Sanxingdui Museum | B．Hunan Museum |
| C．Shanghai Museum | D．National Museum of China |
| A．They are all free of charge. | B．They all set a deadline for entry. |
| C．They all lie in the south of China. | D．They can all be available through E-mail. |
| A．Science | B．Today’s News | C．Entertainment | D．History and Culture |
