2 . People who have kids live longer than those who remain childless, an academic study has suggested. Researchers believe it is because adults’ immune systems are “refreshed” when kids go to nursery and start picking up infections.

During the course of someone’s life, their immune system can become weaker. But when kids start bringing infections home, their parents’ immune systems get a workout. Non-parents — unless they are teachers or nurses perhaps — do not get the same exposure to infection.

Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, Miguel Portela said parents had less risk of dying from infection than non-parents and if they did, it was about five years later. He said that “a parent’s immune system is refreshed by a child’s infections at a time when their own protection starts wearing thin.” He added, “With this improved immune system, the parent has a better chance to defend whatever infections that might strike when old and weak and parenthood is rewarded in individual terms through an improved immunization against infections.” Naturally there are other reasons why some people live longer than others, but they may not be comparable with becoming a parent. The academics say that high income and house ownership are always associated with higher survival but less so than having children.

Mr. Portela admits the research is far from complete, saying that while the results “record a relationship between the presence of children and death rate, the specific transmission mechanisms remain unclear. He acknowledges the presence of other, perhaps behavioral factors in parents which result in changed death rate compared to individuals without children.” He adds, “While the relationships of lifestyle choices such as smoking, obesity, drinking and other behavioral factors with life expectancy and causes of death are well studied and understood, the same cannot be said for the individual decision to become a parent”.

1. Why did Mr. Portela say “parents had less risk of dying from infection than non-parents”?

A．Parents have healthier lifestyles.

B．Parents have less exposure to infection.

C．Parents have higher ability to fight against infections.

D．Parents have less experience to fight against infections.

2. How are parents protected against infections?

A．By being exposed to their kids’ infection.	B．By working out with their kids.
C．By refreshing their kids’ life.	D．By strengthening their kids’ infection.

3. What can we infer from the research?

A．Rich life benefits parents more than having children.

B．Lack of sleep has nothing to do with life expectancy.

C．The presence of children can improve parents’ health

D．Behavioral factors contribute to higher death rate than having no children.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Parents and Non-parents	B．How to Achieve Longer Life Expectancy?
C．How Is Parents’ Immune Systems Changed?	D．Children’s Effect on Parents’ Immune System

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where does the conversation probably take place?

A．At a party.

B．In a drug store.

C．In a hospital.

2. What might cause the woman’s discomforts?

A．Being caught in a downpour.

B．Great changes in her diet.

C．A lack of enough sleep.

3. What does the man suggest?

A．Buying some medicine from a drug store.

B．Taking the medicine with few side effects.

C．Getting a professional’s suggestion when ill.

4 . When it comes to medical care, many patients and doctors believe “more is better.” But what they do not realize is that overtreatment—too many scans, too many blood tests, too many procedures—may bring harm. Sometimes a test leads you down a path to more and more testing, some of which may be attacking, or to treatment for things that should be left out.

Terrence Power, for example, complained that after his wife learned she had Wegener’s disease, an uncommon disorder of the immune system(免疫系统), they found it difficult to refuse testing recommended by her doctor. The doctor insisted on office visits every three weeks, even when she was feeling well. He frequently ordered blood tests and X-rays, and repeatedly referred her to experts for even minor complaints. Even when tests came back negative, more were ordered, and she was hospitalized as prevention when she developed a cold. She had as many as 25 doctor visits during one six-month period. The couple was spending about $30,000 a year for her care.

After several years of physical suffering and near financial ruin from the medical costs, the couple began questioning the treatment after discussing with other patients in online support groups. “It’s a really hard thing to determine when doctors have crossed the line,” Mr. Power said. “You think she’s getting the best care in the world, but after a while you start to wonder: What is the purpose?” Mr. Power then spoke with his own primary care doctor, who advised him to find a new expert to oversee Mrs. Power’s care. Under the new doctor’s care, the regular testing stopped and Mrs. Power’s condition was stable. Now she sees the doctor only four or five times a year.

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Treatments do not always cause harmful side effects.

B．Patients tend to believe more testing is better treatment.

C．Too much medical care may not be beneficial to patients.

D．Doctors generally recommend office visits that are necessary.

2. Which of the following was a problem for Mrs. Power during her medical treatment?

A．She had to be hospitalized for three weeks whenever she had a cold.

B．When test results showed she was fine, her doctor still ordered more tests.

C．She did not have any insurance, so she became penniless.

D．Her doctor asked her to consult other experts for her complaints.

3. What does “develop” in the second paragraph probably mean?

A．construct

B．improve

C．catch

D．attack

4. When did the Powers start to doubt Mrs. Power’s treatment?

A．After knowing about other patients’ treatment.

B．After analyzing the results of her blood tests.

C．After curing Mrs Power of her illness.

D．After the new expert’s testing