1 . If you don't use it, you lose it. At least, that's how the old saying goes. It refers to the idea that something which does not get used regularly quickly falls into a state of decline. Muscles, for example, will waste away without use. In order to resist this, people take regular exercise to keep their skills sharp.

Well, what about the brain? As we age, our brains can naturally begin to decline. In some cases, this can lead to certain mental conditions such as dementia(痴呆)，which I'm sure you will agree, no one wants. However, all is not lost because these days it's relatively easy to train your brain. Smart phones and apps have put programmes into our hands that can test, maintain and even improve our memories, mathematical skills and a lot of other mental abilities. With a little practice every day, we can keep our brains nice and sharp, right?

Well, no, actually. According to a report from the Global Council on Brain Health, even though many people thought it was important to play online games, such as puzzles and mind games, which are designed to improve brain health, the evidence of the benefits was “weak to non-existent”.

There are other ways to promote the old grey matter. It recommends seeking out new activities that challenge the way you think and are socially engaging，while leading to a healthy lifestyle. Among their suggestions are practising tai chi, taking photography classes, learning new technologies, gardening, art projects or volunteering.

There's more good news, too, James Goodwin, chief scientist at Age UK has said that brain decline is not inevitable (不可避免的）. As long as the activities are “new to you and require your concentrated attention”, they can provide benefits for brain health. So, hurry up, get out there and try something new. Maybe it's time to try that hobby you've always wanted to do. And as for me? I'm off to learn the piano.

1. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A healthy magazine.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A research paper.

2. Which has the closest meaning of the underlined words “socially engaging”？

A．Making more shopping.	B．Avoid brain decline.
C．Doing exercises alone.	D．Going out with friends.

3. Which of the following can better keep your brain healthy according to the author?

A．Trying something new.	B．Using smart phone regularly.
C．Playing games online.	D．Doing what you are good at.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Advantages of trying something new.

B．Disadvantages of using smart phones.

C．Ways to keep our brain as sharp as possible.

D．How to spend time meaningfully at an old age.

2 . How to Protect Yourself from the Sun

It can be fun to get out and enjoy sunshine, and the vitamin D provided by the sun can help with your overall health.     1     Overexposure to the sun can cause wrinkles, sunburn, and skin damage. Too much sun can also increase your risk for skin cancer. A quality sunscreen can help protect you from the sun. In addition to this, your clothing choices can keep you from being too exposed. You should also work on avoiding the sun during daylight hours as much as you can.

Using Sunscreen

Choose a sunscreen with a safe SPF. You should wear sunscreen each time you go out during the day, even when it’s overcast. Make sure you select a sunscreen with a strong enough sun protection factor (SPF) to protect you from UV rays.

Apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before leaving your home. Do this each time you leave your house during the daytime when the sun is out.     2     You should also make the effort to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours so it stays effective. Apply the correct amount. You need at least 45 milliliters (1.5 fl oz) of sunscreen to cover all exposed skin on your body.

Protecting Yourself with Clothing

Wear sunglasses.       3     Make sure to check the label of a pair of sunglasses before you buy it. Any sunglasses you wear should block 99 to 100% of UVA and UVB light. Wear a hat with at least a 3-inch brim. This will cover areas like your scalp, where it is difficult to safely apply sunscreen.     4     You should go for long-sleeved shirts and longer pants to protect yourself from the sun.

Avoiding the Sun

Seek shade between 10 am and 4 pm.       5     You’re most likely to get skin damage during this time of day. If you’re going to be out in the sun, seek shade from trees, patios, and other objects whenever possible.

A．Wear clothing that covers more skin.

B．Smooth sunscreen over rather than rubbing it.

C．However, too much sun can be damaging.

D．Sunglasses should be worn year-round, and not just in the summer.

E．During warmer months, longer clothing may be uncomfortable.

F．During these hours, the sun is at its peak.

G．This is especially important if you’ll be exposed to the sun for more than 30 minutes.

3 . Among the more practical advice that can be offered to international travelers is wisdom of the toilet. I do not mean those squats (下蹲) you see at the gym. No, strong glutes (臀肌) will not save you here. I mean the deep squat. This position is so stable that people in China can hold it for minutes and perhaps even hours…

Of course, squat toilet is not unique to Asia, nor is the deep-squatting position. But so common is the position in Asia and so rare it is in the West that it’s been nicknamed the “Asian squat”. Bryan Ausinheiler, a physician in California said, “The squat is a great model for a multi-segmental movement pattern. You have to fold everything up underneath you.” There’s a lot going on.

But the key factor seems to be ankle flexibility. This is also in part. Ausinheiler says, why kids have no problem squatting. “I measured my daughter’s ankle flexibility when she was one day old,” says Ausinheiler. “She has 70 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion (背屈)! Normal in the West is like 30.” So humans are born squatters; some of us lose it when we stop trying. Body shape also seems to play a role. People with the longest legs have the worst squat.

Believe it or not, no one appears to have actually studied born ability in deep squatting across ethnic groups. “You would have to take kids from the time they’re born in China and never let them do any squats to be a control group, and it’ll never happen,” says Matt Hundson, a physiologist at the University of Delaware, humorously. And finally, it may not matter. Practice and training make the bigger difference.

Some believe America’s squat problems can be blamed on toilet seats. Yet this ability that comes so naturally has been lost ----- and it’s not so easy to get it back. But the position, while doable, is not very comfortable for me.

1. Why has the deep-squatting position been named “Asian squat” ?

A．It came from Asia	B．It is widely adopted by Asians
C．It can be performed only by Asians	D．It is completely invisible in the West

2. What is the most important factor for performing “Asian squat” ?

A．Flexible ankles.	B．Strong glutes.
C．Body shape.	D．Ethnic groups.

3. What can we infer from the fourth paragraph?

A．Studying deep squatting is not practical.

B．Asians have born ability in deep squatting.

C．It’s necessary to study newborn babies in China.

D．Everyone can do deep squatting through practice.

4. Why have Americans lost the ability of deep squatting?

A．Because it comes so naturally.

B．Because it is never got back once lost.

C．Because they rely on toilet seats too much.

D．Because they feel it impossible and uncomfortable.

4 . What’s wrong with the man?

A．He has bad eyesight.

B．He has a headache.

C．He feels dizzy.

5 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

When talking about our bodies, we often forget our skin. Actually, our skin is very important, too. It keeps us    1    (inform)of the outside world--    2    it is hot or cold, wet or dry.

Try this: pull up the skin from the back of your hand and then let     3    go. What happens?

The skin goes back to its first position, which means that skin is elastic (有弹性的).

Our skin seems to be very thin, but it     4       (make) up of two layers. The top layer is the one we wash every day. Do you know that this part of skin is dead? However, it is still very important because it serves as    5     (protect) against dirt and disease.

Skin has millions of tiny holes called pores(毛孔). Pores allow liquid, especially sweat,    6    (pass)through. By    7     (sweat), our bodies keep up a normal temperature. When it is very hot, we sweat a lot, but    8    (strange) enough, when it is quite cool, we also sweat. On a cool day, our bodies produce     9    average of 700 ml of sweat. That is    10    (much) than 0.5 kilos.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When did the man start wearing glasses?

A．At six years old.

B．At seven years old.

C．At ten years old.

2. How did the man end up with bad eyesight?

A．He got it from his mother.

B．He watched too much TV.

C．He had bad reading habits.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who are the speakers?

A．Customer and assistant.

B．Teacher and student.

C．Doctor and patient.

2. What is the man going to do?

A．Pull out the woman's tooth.

B．Make the woman fall asleep.

C．Rob the woman.

8 . What will man be like in the future—in 5000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.

Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.

Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger.

On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.

But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.

Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.

1. The change in man's size of forehead will probably be because _____.

A．he makes use only 20% of the brain's capacity

B．his brain has grown larger over the past centuries

C．the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time

D．he will use his brain more and more as time goes on

2. What will be true about a human being in the future ?

A．He will be hairless because hair is no longer useful.

B．He will have smaller eyes and will wear better glasses.

C．His fingers will grow weaker because he won't have to make use of them.

D．He will think and feel in a different way.

3. It is implied that _____.

A．human beings will become less attractive in the future

B．less use of a bodily organ may lead to its degeneration

C．human beings hope for a change in the future life

D．future life is always predictable

9 . The world has many beautiful sounds. we can hear the songs of birds and laugh of people. We can listen to cool music and news reports. And all this is due to(归功于) our ears! They bring us a world of sounds.

But some people can’t hear any sound at all. Some are born deaf. Others can hear well in their childhood, but too many loud sounds hurt their ears later on.

In China, 6 children out of 1000 have hearing problems when they are born. They can not hear ordinary sounds clearly. Children who have hearing problems usually also have learning problems at school.

A lot of things can cause hearing problems. For example, too much earwax is not good for our hearing and noise louder than 85 decibels(分贝) can hurt our ears and make us lose our hearing for a short time or even forever.

Hearing is a problem for all of us. So we should do our best to give our ears special care. Don't forget the following:

Try to stay away from places with too much noise. If you have to go, wear earplugs(耳塞). A pair of earplugs can cut the noise by 30 decibels. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your parents to help you clean it out.

Keep these things in mind! Then you won’t ask “WHAT?” when you are older.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer wants to       .

A．tell us many beautiful sounds.	B．describe the sounds.
C．teach us how to use ears.	D．show the importance of ears

2. The word earwax means        in Chinese.

A．耳膜

B．耳鸣

C．耳垢

D．耳疾

3. Hearing problems may be caused by       .

A．a little earwax	B．learning problems at school
C．noise louder than 85 decibels	D．earplugs that can only cut noise by 15 decibels

4. Which of the following is not mentioned(提到) in the passage?

A．Hearing problems caused by diseases(疾病).	B．People with hearing problems.
C．Ways to protect our ears.	D．Danger of loud noise

10 . Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

About 12 million Americans over 40 have some form of vision impairment (视力障碍).     1     So make sure they have the support they need. Learn how to care for your eye health and keep potential problems in control. So what can you do to keep yours eyes healthy?

●     2     Eye problems aren’t always obvious, so seeing an eye-doctor for a full eye exam is a good idea. This type of exam can check for eye diseases while they’re still in early period and earlier to treat.

● Protect your eyes. Slip on UV-blocking sunglasses when you’re outside, even if it’s cloudy out. And wear safety glasses or goggles when doing home repairs or playing sports.

● Give your eyes a break.     3     We don’t know how blue light influences vision over time, but in the short term, all those screens can cause eye stress and dry eyes. Take regular screen breaks, and talk to your eye doctor if your dry eye lasts for a long period of time.

● Choose a healthy diet. Increase eye health with fruits and vegetables high in vitamins A, C, and E, like sweet potatoes, oranges, pines, and more. Cold-water fish containing omega-3 fatty acids can help protect eyes.     4    

● Take care of your contact (隐形眼镜). Follow your doctor’s instructions for contact care and only use contact solution to store and clean them.     5     Turn to Health Grades to connect with the right eye-doctor to check and treat any eye disease.

A．Get a full eye exam.

B．Choose the proper eye-doctor.

C．Your eyes work hard for you every day.

D．Also beans are nice food to keep your eyes fit.

E．You’d better do eye exercises at least twice a day.

F．Mistreating your contacts can cause eye pain, and even vision loss.

G．The common adult spends about 11 hours staring at screens every day.