1 . During space missions, astronauts can experience a loss of some of the inner structural support in their bones. For trips in space lasting at least six months, that loss is equal to about 20 years of aging. Luckily, a new study finds a year back on Earth rebuilds half of the strength lost in the affected bone.
Exercise scientist Leigh Gabel was part of a team that tracked 17 astronauts, each of whom had spent four to seven months in space. The team measured the 3-D structure of bone. They focused on the structure of the tibia (胫骨) and the lower-arm bone. The researchers took images of the bones 3 times—before spaceflight and again six months and one year later when the astronaut s returned home from space. From these pictures, Gabel’s team calculated an astronaut’s bone strength and density (密度) at each of those times.
What did they find through comparison of the pictures? Astronauts in space for less than six months regained their preflight bone strength after a year back on Earth. But those who stayed in space longer suffered permanent hone loss in their tibias. That loss was equal to a decade of aging. The lower-arm bones showed almost no loss. That was likely because these aren’t weight-bearing hones on Earth, Gabel explains. In fact, those arms can get a bigger workout in space than on Earth as astronauts use them to move around their craft by pushing off handles and doors.
“Inereasing weight-lifting exercises in space could help alleviate (缓解) bone loss in the legs,” says Steven Boyd, also in exercise scientist.
“With longer spaceflight, we can expect bigger bone loss—and probably a bigger problem with recovery,” says physiologist Laurence Vico. “Space agencies should also consider other bone health measures, such as nutrition, to reduce bone loss and increase bone formation.”
1. Why did Gabel’s team take pictures at different times?| A．To offer evidence for their predictions. |
| B．To show their respect for the astronauts. |
| C．To compare the changes in the astronauts’ bones. |
| D．To find out the proper length of staying in space for astronauts. |
| A．A spaceflight in less than half a year does no harm to astronauts. |
| B．Astronauts coming back from a spaceflight look much older. |
| C．Astronauts can avoid bone loss through doing enough exercise. |
| D．There is almost no difference in the astronauts’ lower-arm bones. |
| A．People on Earth never suffer bone loss. |
| B．The finding of the new study is good news for astronauts. |
| C．The 17 astronauts knew the bone loss before their spaceflights. |
| D．Astronauts can regain their bone strength as soon as they return to Earth. |
| A．How to prevent bone loss in space. |
| B．Problems faced by astronauts in space. |
| C．Astronauts’ suffering from bone loss in space. |
| D．Astronauts’ contributions to the development of science. |
2 . On July 28, I retired from my position. After teaching for many years, I looked forward to kayaking (划独木舟) with my grandsons, seeing friends and traveling for leisure with my husband. But my body had other plans for me. A broken spine (脊椎) in my back took me down a path that upended my plans.
I have long had back pain. However, I pushed through the pain to do my work, which worsened my condition. Doctors urged an operation when increased disability meant I could not sit, stand or walk for a long time. But I wanted to see whether physical therapy (治疗) could create an easier option.
Indeed, hard work with a great physical therapist has let me improve my mobility, sitting and standing. But X-rays told a different story. My spine was unstable and bending. After careful consideration and a second opinion from another professional, I agreed to surgery yet in the near term. Needless to say, the past months have been tough and the way ahead will be even tougher. Kayaking with my grandsons in the peacefulness of the lake is all out of reach, for now.
When I met my physical therapist for the first time, I was a mess. He listened to me outline my history with tears and then calmly said, “You have to make friends with your body.” I have repeated that line to myself daily and worked to embrace my body. I have focused on gratitude. I’m grateful that I do not have a fatal disease. I’m grateful that the body I have remains alert to the world, loved by family and friends. I’m grateful that I am still myself.
I don’t know exactly how the future will play out. The surgeon assures me that I should be able to get in my kayak by summer. But I may have to make friends with a different body, one that is mine regardless of the shape.
1. Why did the author’s condition become worse?| A．She disliked physical therapy. |
| B．She hurt her back when kayaking. |
| C．She still worked despite back pain. |
| D．She was unwilling to have an operation. |
| A．She forgot to kayak with her grandsons. |
| B．She decided to accept an operation right away. |
| C．She completely recovered after physical therapy. |
| D．She asked another doctor for advice on the operation. |
| A．Her wish to enjoy retirement life. |
| B．Her physical therapist’s advice. |
| C．Her worsening physical condition. |
| D．Her love for her family and friends. |
| A．Learning to accept my body |
| B．Enjoying my retirement life |
| C．Fighting against my back pain |
| D．Being grateful for what I have |
3 . Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit; most people don't even notice that they're doing it when they sit down. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.
A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason for this is that the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart and that crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. This causes your body to increase your blood pressure to push the blood back to the heart. You won't feel any immediate effects, but repeated, drawn-out increases in blood pressure can cause long-term health issues. So, planning to sit for a long period of time? Don't keep your legs crossed.
Crossing your legs at the knee can also cause pressure on the major nerve in your leg that passes just below your knee and along the outside of your leg, explains Richard Graves, a medical expert. This pressure can cause numbness and temporary paralysis (麻痹) of some of the muscles in your foot and leg, preventing you from being able to raise your ankle—what we know as that “pins and needles” sensation. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your legs until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.
So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet on the floor. Not only will it help your posture and stability, but it will also save your health in the long run.
1. What can we learn about crossing one's legs?| A．It is a very bad social habit. |
| B．It can do harm to people's health. |
| C．It is usually practiced deliberately. |
| D．It can make others feel uncomfortable. |
| A．affect your blood pressure | B．resist gravity effectively |
| C．lead to heart attacks easily | D．improve the function of legs |
| A．being highly flexible | B．being a little tired |
| C．serious muscle injuries | D．slight sharp pains |
| A．To compare common habits. | B．To evaluate effects of an experiment. |
| C．To give readers some advice. | D．To introduce research methods. |
4 . Mark Bertram, 46, lost the tips of two fingers at work in 2018 when his hand became trapped in a fan belt. “It's life-changing but it's not life-ending,” he says. “Doing work is harder now. Everything is just a little different.”
After two surgeries and occupational therapy, Bertram decided to make light of his condition by asking Eric Catalano, a tattoo (纹身) artist, to create fingernail tattoos. The idea made everyone in the studio laugh—until they saw the final result. “The mood changed,” Catalano recalls from his Eternal Ink Tattoo Studio. “Everything turned from funny to wow.”
When Catalano posted a photo of the tattoos, a pair of fingernails that looked so real that no one could believe their eyes, he had no idea the image would eventually be viewed by millions of people around the world.
The viral photo pushed Catalano, 40, further into the world of paramedical (辅助医疗的) tattooing. Now people with life-altering scars come from as far away as Ireland to visit his shop. They enter Eternal Ink looking for the artistic healing they saw online. Using flesh-toned (肉色的) inks and a needle, Catalano transforms his clients' view of themselves.
Leslie Pollan, 32, a dog breeder in Oxford, was bitten on the face by a puppy in 2014. She underwent countless surgeries to correct a scar on her lip.
“Plastic surgery gave me no hope,” she says. “So I looked for other options.” She ultimately traveled six hours to meet with Catalano. He hid Pollan's lip scar, giving her back a piece of her confidence.“ You don't understand until you've been through it,” Pollan says. “It made me have a different look on life.”
Catalano performs up to eight reconstructive tattoos. While he charges $100 per regular tattoo, he doesn't charge for paramedical tattoos. “Financially, it doesn't make sense,” Catalano says. “But every time I see that emotion from my customers, I'm 100 percent sure this is something that I can't stop doing.”
1. What best describes people's attitude when first hearing of fingernail tattoos?| A．Indifferent. | B．Ridiculous. |
| C．Confident. | D．Surprised. |
| A．He drew an artistic puppy. |
| B．He inked scars on her face. |
| C．He created a lip tattoo. |
| D．He performed plastic surgeries on her. |
| A．Cosmetic surgery is of no use. |
| B．Tattoos earn Mark Bertram a good fame. |
| C．Catalano is a kind and generous person. |
| D．Fingernail tattoos are popular around the world. |
| A．A Life-changing Event | B．Miracle Tattoos |
| C．An Amazing Artist | D．A Promising Business |
5 . Be at your best!
What does your brain need to work well? Here are some things it needs.
Good food
Experts say that breakfast is much more important than any other meal.
A regular supply of energy
Your brain needs a regular supply of energy, so you need to eat carbohydrates (碳水化合物). They’re found in bread, rice, pasta and beans.
A continuous supply of oxygen (氧气)
Your brain needs oxygen, which it gets from exercise.
Water
Your brain needs several hours’ sleep, so it can ‘update’ itself, just like a computer. Experts say that when you study for a test or an exam, you should get some sleep as quickly as possible after you’ve finished studying. This helps you to remember what you’ve learned.
| A．A short break |
| B．A good night’s sleep |
| C．It works best in the morning. |
| D．Exercise improves your memory too. |
| E．Water is much better than sweet drinks. |
| F．Your brain works better when you have eaten. |
| G．Chocolate, biscuits and sweets are not good for your brain. |
6 . Take a look at your fingers. Would you believe me if I told you that the length of your fingers in relation to one another can predict your personality? I know that it sounds like one of those silly tests you see on Facebook, but I have to admit that it was spot-on for me.
Look at your three middle fingers of your left hand. Is your index finger (食指) longer than your ring finger? Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? Or are the two the same length?
Category 1: A longer ring finger. If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, research shows that you’re likely a charming type, and you can probably talk yourself out of any situation. Others often find this personality type irresistible and will go to great lengths to help you. You’re more likely to take risks, and you’re good at problem-solving. People in this category make great engineers, soldiers and crossword-puzzle solvers.
Category 2: A longer index finger. If your index finger is longer than your ring finger, chances are you are full of confidence — possibly even to the point of being over-confident and too proud. You are not necessarily introverted, but you do enjoy time to yourself especially when you’re trying to complete a project. You are a determined go-getter who can make things happen, but you may be shy when it comes to taking the first step in building up a friendship. You are also probably happy with what you have, but you’re always wishing for more.
Category 3: The two are the same length. If your index finger and ring finger are roughly the same length, you are likely to avoid conflict at all costs and seek to keep the peace in your relationships. You are well-organized, faithful and sympathetic. But deep down under all of that caring and peace-loving, you also have a fiery core (暴躁的本质) and can lash out unexpectedly when you’re pushed too far.
How well did these descriptions match your personality? I was surprised at the accuracy in my case.
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．Never believe the silly tests on Facebook. |
| B．The length of fingers can reveal personality. |
| C．Why your fingers are not of the same length. |
| D．How to find out about one’s personality accurately. |
| A．Very funny. | B．Quite easy. |
| C．Exactly correct. | D．Completely strange. |
| A．cautious | B．catching |
| C．hard-working | D．warm-hearted |
| A．The sweet talker. | B．The self-important one. |
| C．The introvert. | D．The peacemaker. |
7 . Take Care of Your Eyes
Many of us don’t pay attention to the importance of eye care. It’s said that if you take care of your body, then you can be healthy.
There are several reasons leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, gene (基因) and aging.
Something dirty can lead to redness and they will make you feel uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes, too. If this happens, the best way is to clean your eyes by using cold water.
Eating healthy foods will do good to your eyesight. Remember that vitaminsA, C and E are good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And you should do eye exercises because exercise protects your eyesight, too. If a person exercises regularly and eats the right kind of food,
| A．What can you do to catch your eye? |
| B．such behavior will do harm to our eyes. |
| C．That is why our eyes should be given a lot of care. |
| D．his eyes will stay in good condition for a long time. |
| E．All above are natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. |
| F．You must also try your best to protect your eyes from harmful thing. |
| G．Televisions, computers and reading are also the reasons of having poor eyesight. |
8 . 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 |
| A．耳膜 | B．耳鸣 | C．耳垢 | D．耳疾 |
| 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 |
| A．Hearing problems caused by diseases(疾病). | B．People with hearing problems. |
| C．Ways to protect our ears. | D．Danger of loud noise |
9 . Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:
Schedule yearly exams.
Protect against UV rays .
Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it’s extremely important to wear sunglasses.
Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products.
As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.
Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses.
Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk.
Otherwise: you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.
| A．Eat your greens. |
| B．Eye care should begin early in life. |
| C．They can properly protect your eyes. |
| D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins. |
| E．Parents usually don’t care about their own eyesight. |
| F．Always follow the doctor’s advice for appropriate wear. |
| G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness. |
10 . Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men's hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women's longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
"We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20--25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,”said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
"Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70，one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,”said Goldspink. "This is part of the ageing process."
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one's.
"This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men,”said Goldspink.
They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80，focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease.
The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart, said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.
1. The underlined word“longevity" in the second paragraph probably refers to ______.| A．health | B．long life | C．ageing | D．effect |
| A．men's heart cells | B．women's ageing process、 |
| C．the gender difference | D．hearts and long life |
| A．women have more cells than men when they are born |
| B．women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat |
| C．the female heart loses few of the cells with age |
| D．women never lose their pumping power with age |
| A．enable your heart to beat much faster |
| B．find out the reason for ageing |
| C．exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy |
| D．prevent your cells from being lost |
| A．the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out |
| B．scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells |
| C．the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss |
| D．women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20 |
