1 . In English it’s common to say, “I know this town like the back of my hand!” While we may know our towns really well, how well do we actually know our hands?
Matthew Longo and his team from University College London studied the left hands of 100 people. With their hands placed palms down under a board, Longo’s team gave the instruction to point to their knuckles (指关节) and fingertips with a marker pen. How did they do? Not that well.
In the experiment, according to Longo, “people think their hands are wider than they actually are.”
“It is connected to our sense of position,” explained Longo. Humans know where different parts of our bodies are, even if we can’t see them. It tells us whether a joint (关节) is straight or not.
| A．More nerves, larger a body part seems. |
| B．Let’s see how our humans know our body parts. |
| C．It’s essential to the sizes and shapes of our body. |
| D．Maybe not quite as well as we think, said a scientific study. |
| E．The same can happen with body parts having a lot of nerves. |
| F．They also thought their fingers were shorter than their true lengths. |
| G．Our brains know the body sizes and shapes from the maps they make for themselves. |
2 . The tooth is the hardest part of your body. Your teeth help you in many ways. For example, they can help you talk. They can also help you have a great smile. And the most important job of your teeth is to chew (咀嚼) your food. But do you know how your teeth grow?
When you are born, you don’t have any teeth. About 8 months later, small teeth begin to appear one by one. These teeth are called baby teeth. They are also called milk -teeth. You won’t have baby teeth forever. They usually begin to fall out when a child is about 6 years old. Then, permanent (永久的) teeth begin to appear. These teeth are larger and more powerful. Most people will have 28 permanent teeth by the time they are 12 years old.
For some people, four more permanent teeth arrive by their 25th. birthday. They are called wisdom teeth (智齿). But these teeth don’t make you smart! Sometimes they bring you pain. If a wisdom tooth brings you too much pain, you should go to a dentist (牙医) and have it pulled out.
1. Which part of your body is the hardest?| A．The nose. | B．The tooth. | C．The leg. | D．The hand. |
| A．to prepare food. | B．to cook food | C．to chew food | D．to protect food |
| A．Baby teeth. | B．Adult teeth. | C．False teeth. | D．Big teeth. |
| A．Go to a dentist and have it brushed. | B．Go to a dentist and have it pulled out. |
| C．Go to a dentist and have it cleaned. | D．Go to a dentist and have it examined. |
3 . The eyes are the windows of the soul (心灵). Having a pair of bright, clear eyes is very important, so we should protect our eyes throughout our lives.
Don’t read while lying down or walking. Relax after every hour of reading. Keep a distance from the TV set when you watch TV and give your eyes a rest every 30 minutes. Don’t stare at (盯看) the sun or try to read in the darkness.
Get your eyes checked often.
Not many people have this habit, but it is necessary. If you feel that there is something wrong with your eyes, get them checked quickly.
Rest your eyes whenever you can.
You can close your eyes for a few seconds or look into the distance for one or two minutes. A small break will relax your eyes.
Besides, be careful when you choose your glasses.
| A．Develop good habits of using eyes. |
| B．It also helps to protect you from getting eye problems. |
| C．Make sure you get enough sleep every night. |
| D．Glasses that aren’t suitable for you could bring you trouble. |
| E．Even if you’re wearing sunglasses, never look directly at the sun. |
| F．Eye problem can be found and treated early with regular checks. |
| G．Drink green tea every day as a way to protect your eyes against eye problems. |
4 . Bad teeth may be painful and it’s getting worse without treatment. They can even ruin your life. Illness of the teeth can find its way into the blood system. This can increase the chances of a heart disease or other illnesses.
Experts say good care for teeth should start at birth. Mothers’ milk is the best food for the healthy development of teeth.
But dentists say a baby’s mouth and early teeth should be cleaned after each feeding. Use a cloth with a little warm water. Do the same if a baby is fed with a bottle. Experts say if you decide to put your baby to sleep with a bottle, give him only water.
When a baby’s teeth begin to appear, you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies and to use them very gently. Young children often eat toothpaste (牙膏) when they brush their teeth, so they should be carefully watched when they brush their teeth.
Parents often ask what effect thumb sucking (吮拇指) might have on their baby’s teeth. Experts generally agree that this is fine early in life. Most children stop sucking their thumbs by the age of four. If it continues, parents should talk to their children’s dentists or doctors.
Dentists say children should have their first dental visit by the time they are one year old. They say babies should be examined when their first teeth appear, usually at around six months.
1. People should pay attention to teeth problems because ________.| A．they will bring bad luck |
| B．they will bring the family much trouble |
| C．they usually last a long time |
| D．they can cause other illnesses |
| A．he begins to speak | B．he was born |
| C．he has his first tooth | D．he is fed with a bottle |
| A．children’s toothbrushes are always expensive |
| B．children are not advised to brush their teeth |
| C．drinking water is better for babies’ teeth than milk before sleeping |
| D．thumb sucking is common for kids |
5 . Wisdom teeth seem like a biological mistake, leading to millions of surgeries per year. But for some people, these “extra” teeth come up just fine, while others don’t get them at all. What’s the biological story here?
According to the standard story, before surgical intervention, people with impacted wisdom teeth expired. Those lacking the problematic teeth increased in number, passing on genes for reduced numbers of teeth to future generations. Today, thanks to dental surgeons, individuals with impacted teeth survive and contribute to the gene pool.
But decades of research challenges this survival-of-the-toothless explanation. Many scholars now propose that wisdom teeth problems originate from our eating softer foods as children, made possible by farming and industrialization. Here’s the theory: Compared to wild resources consumed by hunter-gatherers, agricultural and processed foods are softer. Hard food during childhood seems to stimulate jaw growth, allowing mouths to grow large enough for more teeth. Soft food doesn’t require enough of a chewing workout to maximize jaw growth potential.
Around 12,000 years ago, humans began to experiment with farming, and this lifestyle ultimately took hold in most societies. Domesticated products, like wheat flour and cow’s milk, make for much softer diets than wild foods. What’s more, the industrialization of food production has really softened our meals. So the idea is that processed and/or agricultural diets reduce the stress on our jaws necessary to result in full growth when we reach early adulthood. By the time we’re reaching adulthood, there may not be enough space to accommodate our final molars (臼齿).
This theory is supported by research. For example, a 201l paper measured skulls housed in museums from six farming and five hunter-gatherer groups. The farmers, raised on softer foods, consistently had shorter jaws, which would have provided less space for tooth formation.
Consequently, many dental scientists recommend parents put some additional raw fruits, vegetables and nuts on kids’ plates, which could potentially prevent later wisdom teeth removals.
1. What does the underlined word “expired” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Suffered. | B．Complained. | C．Died. | D．Failed. |
| A．They tended to have very large jaws. |
| B．They hated food requiring a chewing workout. |
| C．They were often troubled by impacted wisdom teeth. |
| D．They believed in the survival-of-the-toothless theory. |
| A．Bring their kids to the dentist regularly. |
| B．Increase the number of hard foods in their kids’ diet. |
| C．Get more kids’ tooth formation knowledge. |
| D．Encourage their kids to eat more cooked vegetables. |
| A．What role do genes play in our tooth formation? |
| B．What can we do to accommodate our final molars? |
| C．Why do some people have reduced numbers of teeth? |
| D．Why do humans have wisdom teeth that need to be removed? |
6 . Scientists recently discovered that our brains may be just as busy at night as they are during the day. While we sleep, our brains are doing much more than getting ready for the next day. Scientists found that the brain may be busy cleaning out harmful waste materials.
As with many studies, scientists turned to mice for help. They studied the mice brains as they slept and when they were awake. They saw that the brains of sleeping mice were hard at work.
Dr. Maiken led the study. The brain expert says our brains perform two very different jobs. It seems they have daytime jobs. Later they “moonlight” at a nighttime job. And this study says that is what our brains seem to be doing. “When we are awake, the brain cells are working very hard at processing all the information around us. When we are asleep, they work very, very hard at removing all the waste that builds up when we are awake.” The scientists say that the waste material includes poisons.
They also found that during sleep, the brain’s cells become smaller, which allows waste to be removed more successfully. Dr. Maiken says these poisons end up in the liver(肝脏). There, they are broken down and then removed from the body. “So we need to sleep because we have a cleaning system that removes many of the poisonous waste products from the brain.”
Dr. Maiken says the next step is to look for the process in human brains. She says the results show how important sleep is to health and fighting disease. The research may also one day lead to treatments to prevent or help fight mental disorders(精神疾病).
1. According to the scientists, when we sleep, our brains .| A．clean themselves | B．turn off for the night |
| C．process information | D．store energy for the next day |
| A．you work in the moonlight | B．you work hard |
| C．you work only at night | D．you have an extra job |
| A．breaking it down | B．sending it to the liver |
| C．building it up in order | D．removing it from the body |
| A．Opposed. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Critical. |
7 . Eyesight plays an important part 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 some suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:
I. Schedule yearly exams.
II. Protect against UV rays(紫外线).
Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it’s extremely important to wear sunglasses.
III. Give your eyes a break.
Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products.
IV. Eat your green.
As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.
V. Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜).
Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk.
| A．Eye care should begin early in life |
| B．They can properly protect your eyes |
| C．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins |
| D．Parents usually don’t care about their own eyesight |
| E．Always follow the doctor’s advice for appropriate wear |
| F．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness |
8 . Back pain can make it difficult for many people to function in everyday life.
Our bodies need adequate movement throughout the day to avoid the stiffness that contributes to aches and pains. If the weather is good, don't hunt for the nearest parking spot; don't take the elevator when you have the option of one or two flights of stairs. When you need to sit for long periods, set a timer to get up every hour and be active for just a few minutes.
When we overuse our dominant side, we create muscle patterns of weakness and tension that increase pain, especially in our backs. Consider the actions you take repeatedly throughout the day that shift your weight to one side.
Psychological stress is a noted risk factor for back pain, according to research. Most mental stress is caused by focusing on the past or future.
| A．Switch sides when you carry things. |
| B．It affects how you move, feel and think. |
| C．You should learn more about the cause of your pain. |
| D．Approach the health of your back as a responsibility. |
| E．So actively being mindful of the present reduces stress. |
| F．You'd better take a quick break to check in with your breathing. |
| G．More minutes of movement add up to big health benefits over time. |
9 . What is the best sleep position for your health?
It’s difficult to control what sleeping position we naturally fall into, as our body will subconsciously all into the most comfortable position for us. However, some positions are better for you than others and come could hold back your health and wellbeing.
If you sleep on your side
More than 60 per cent of people sleep on their side. Often our body naturally moves to this position, which is linked to when we were in the womb in the foetal(胎儿的) position.
If you sleep on your back
Lying on your back is the second most popular sleeping position and offers just as many benefits as side sleeping. When you’re sleeping on your back, it’s easy to keep alignment and to also evenly distribute your weight.
If you sleep on your stomach
Sleeping on your stomach is the least common sleeping position.
| A．This also helps to prevent any neck and back pain. |
| B．Sleeping on your side is probably the best position |
| C．Side sleeping would be particularly beneficial for older people. |
| D．There are more negatives to this position compared to positives. |
| E．Determining the sleeping position for you is personal preference. |
| F．Here, this article reveals exactly how your sleep position is affecting your health. |
| G．This is mostly likely because it is one of the most comfortable sleeping positions. |
10 . How tall are you? Do you tower over your friends and family - or are they people you literally have to look up to?
Of course, our height is out of our control.
In a recent study scientists have discovered a brain receptor, called MC3R, linked to our growing process.
For those eager to be taller, we need to look at the Dutch, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of us as the tallest people in the world. But, of course tall people have to stoop (俯身) through doorways and struggle to fit in cars and can have joint and cardiovascular problems.
| A．Are you getting as tall as you want to be? |
| B．It’s a biological fact influenced partly by genetics. |
| C．So maybe we should be careful for what we wish for. |
| D．Obviously, we’re not all the same, and size doesn’t really matter. |
| E．It’s thought to be the crucial link between food and sex development and growth. |
| F．There is a ceiling for height, and it’s reached when people achieve their genetic potential. |
| G．If this makes you want to be taller, it’s good to know we are taller than we were 150 years ago. |
