1. What does the man say about hot deserts?
| A．They are hot all the time. |
| B．They are dangerous to live in. |
| C．The temperature is changeable. |
| A．They’re dry. | B．They’re sandy. | C．They’re large. |
| A．Many of them live in groups. |
| B．Many of them live at the edges of deserts. |
| C．Many of them sleep in the day and come out at night. |
1. What kind of people are “early birds”?
| A．The people getting up around 5:00 or 6:00 am. |
| B．The people going to bed around 9:00 or 10:00 pm. |
| C．The people going to bed around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. |
| A．Around 9:00 pm. | B．Around 10:00 pm. | C．Around midnight or later. |
| A．One-fifth. | B．Two-fifths. | C．One-fourth. |
| A．Getting grades in school. | B．Some intelligence tests. | C．Getting good jobs. |
| A．The possible existence of life on other planets. |
| B．Methods for building powerful new telescopes. |
| C．A technical problem that astronomers can’t solve |
| D．The discovery of planets orbiting distant stars. |
| A．They studied variations in the appearance of the parent stars. |
| B．They were able to see the planets with a telescope. |
| C．They compared the parent stars to the Sun. |
| D．They sent astronauts on a mission into space |
| A．Their surface features. | B．Their chemical composition. |
| C．Their temperature. | D．Their age. |
| A．All the stars are orbited by their own planets. |
| B．We currently have a telescope that can be used to see other planets |
| C．By a very direct method, the astronomers measured subtle distortions. |
| D．By a very indirect method, the astronomers measured subtle distortions. |
4 . Plastic is everywhere, from the Arctic ice to vital organs in the human body. In fact, previous estimates suggest that the average person swallows a credit card-worth of microscopic plastic particles(颗粒) every week. But new research shows that this could actually be an understatement.
Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 millimeters, found in industrial waste, beauty products, and formed during the degradation of larger plastic pieces. Over time, they break down into even smaller nanoplastics. These tiny particles can pass through our intestines and lungs into our bloodstreams, reaching vital organs like the heart and brain.
While the idea of eating plastic is unsettling in itself, the major concern here is that these plastic particles contain chemicals that can interrupt our body’s natural release of hormones, potentially increasing our risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. They can also carry toxins(毒素) on their surface like heavy metals.
In the past, researchers have shown bottled water can contain tens of thousands of identifiable plastic fragments in a single container. However, until recently, only the larger microplastics were detectable with available measuring tools, leaving the area of nanoplastics largely a mystery.
Using Raman microscopy (显微镜学), capable of detecting particles down to the size of a flu virus, the team measured an average of 240, 000 particles of plastic per liter of bottled water, 90 percent of which were nanoplastics, a revelation 10 to 100 times larger than previous estimates.
These plastics likely originate from the bottle material, filters used to “purify” the water, and the source water itself. “It is not totally unexpected to find so much of this stuff, ” the study’s lead author, Columbia graduate student Naixin Qian, said in a statement. His team hopes to expand their research into tap water and other water sources to better inform our exposure to these potentially dangerous particles. “The idea is that the smaller things get, the more of them I reveal, ” he added.
1. What is the primary focus of the new research?| A．The presence of plastic particles. | B．The use of plastic in everyday products. |
| C．The detection methods for microplastics. | D．The potential risks of nanoplastics to human. |
| A．Finding the source of plastic particles. | B．Helping to cure the deadly flu virus. |
| C．Detecting the smaller plastic particles. | D．Improving the quality of bottled water. |
| A．To focus on areas with higher plastic pollution. |
| B．To be aware of the dangerous particles in daily life. |
| C．To further measure the types of particles in tap water. |
| D．To detect the smaller plastic particles in industrial areas. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Conservative. | D．Positive. |
5 . How much salt is too much salt? Unfortunately, it’s most likely the amount you’re consuming.
A new study published Monday in the journal JAMA found that cutting one teaspoon of salt a day results in a decline in blood pressure comparable to taking blood pressure medication.
Humans need sodium (钠), which is found in salt, for our bodies to work properly. It plays an important role in nerve and muscle function by allowing nerves to pulse with electricity and muscles to contract. But too much sodium can be bad for our health. It contributes to high blood pressure, or hypertension (高血压)which is a major cause of stroke and heart disease.
One way it does this is by making the body absorb more water. Extra sodium in the blood pulls more water into blood vessels (血管), which increases the amount of blood in the vessels. This increases blood pressure and, in some people, leads to high blood pressure and can damage vessels and even organs like the heart, kidney s and brain.
In this latest study, participants who cut out their daily salt intake by one teaspoon had lower blood pressure in just one week. This was even true for people already on blood pressure medication.
But how much sodium is in one teaspoon of salt? A teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium in it. And according to the FDA, Americans eat an average of 3,400 mg of sodium. So cutting out a teaspoon would be equivalent to cutting two-thirds of a person’s daily sodium intake.
But the researchers say that cutting out any amount of sodium will help lower blood pressure-at least more than no reduction at all.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To describe an interesting fact. | B．To present a confusing question. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. | D．To provide background information. |
| A．By causing muscle disorders. | B．By bringing about hypertension. |
| C．By directly damaging our organs. | D．By absorbing the water in blood vessels. |
| A．Equal. | B．Relevant. | C．Beneficial. | D．Important. |
| A．The Recommendation on the Intake of Salt |
| B．The Less Sodium We Have, the Better We Are |
| C．Cutting One Teaspoon of Salt May Improve Health |
| D．The Relationship Between Salt and Blood Pressure |
1. What is the speaker mainly talking about?
| A．The importance of regular exercise. |
| B．The health risks of being overweight. |
| C．The influence of certain foods on health. |
| A．They often go to the gym. |
| B．They are not heavy and fat. |
| C．They lack physical exercise. |
| A．It causes many diseases. |
| B．It increases our chances of getting ill. |
| C．It takes away energy from our bodies. |
| A．Eating sugar-free foods only. |
| B．Shopping less at supermarkets. |
| C．Trying to remove added sugar from daily diet. |
We need to get back to the natural, built-in mechanisms that we have for self- preservation and health. Laughter is one of them.
Laughter Yoga is a way for people to use laughter without telling jokes and being able to get the laughter to help them feel better. The interesting thing is that it helps ease pain, it can ease depression, it’s a way to move and get into your inner child and it’s a lot of fun. And adults don’t remember necessarily how to have fun
The bottom line of our research is that laughter not only makes us feel good but it has a direct effect on our blood vessels. And our blood vessels control the likelihood of us developing a heart attack or a stroke. So if we keep the blood vessels healthy, then we’re going to be healthy.You can burn up to 40 calories for 5-10 minutes of laughter. But equally important is that the blood vessel opening that we see is the same as going jogging or even taking one of our cholesterol medications. You get the same effect in terms of opening up your blood vessels as you do with a good, deep, belly laugh. Laughing on a regular basis is not only good for our soul, but also great for our heart.
Laughter is a way of communication and that’s why it’s contagious. Because when I’m laughing, you’re looking at me and you’re like “wow, this is a positive energy” and you’re more likely to join me in the laughter.
But laughter’s not present at birth. It appears about 3-4 months of age and it’s one of the most important early means of communication between babies and mothers. A mother will tickle the baby and the baby will smile and laugh. And the mother will do more of that. If the baby does not like it, the baby will fuss or cry and the mother stops. It’s a kind of instinctive language that exists before we learn to talk. Laughter, like speech, evolved to change the behavior of other individuals. Does it have to have other purposes? It probably does, but we’re just now starting to tease out what those differences are. Did the benefits of laughter come from the act of laughing or is it the social context, spending time with friends, family, and lovers? All of these are very difficult scientific issues that haven’t been teased out. But laughter clearly feels good when we do it. Isn’t that enough?
1. What are the functions of Laughter Yoga?2. How does laughter help us medically?
3. What role does laughter play in a person’s growth?
8 . Boredom has, surprisingly, become quite interesting to academics lately. In early May, London’s Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather traffic jams, and vending-machine sounds, among other sleep-inducing topics.
What, exactly, is everyone studying? One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is “the unpleasant experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activities.” But how can you measure a person’s boredom level and compare it with someone else’s?
In 1986, psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale, designed to measure an individual’s overall tendency to feel bored. By contrast, the Multidimensional State Boredom scale, developed in 2008, measures a person’s feelings of boredom in a given situation.
Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving mindless snacking excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact, many of us would choose pain over boredom.
One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather have electric shocks than sit alone with their thought for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could have electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral one did.
But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it can encourage activity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers to fight boredom. A British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been prepared were more productive.
In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.
1. When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted psychological definition?| A．When they can’t do what they want. |
| B．When they experience unpleasant things. |
| C．When they are engaged in some routines. |
| D．When they don’t enjoy what they are studying. |
| A．Great determination. | B．Mental health. |
| C．Huge pain. | D．Harmful conduct. |
| A．Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating. |
| B．Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes. |
| C．Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females. |
| D．Mary volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom. |
| A．Unlock one’s smartphone. | B．Stop worrying and think big. |
| C．Spare some time to be bored. | D．Look around oneself for inspiration |
9 . The computer is a useful machine. It is the most important invention in many years. The oldest kind of computer is the abacus, used in China centuries ago, but the first large, modern computer was built in 1946. A computer then could do maths problems quite fast.
Today computers are used in many ways and can do many kinds of work. In a few years the computer may touch the life of everyone, even people in faraway villages.
In the last few years, there have been great changes in computers. They are getting smaller and smaller, and computing faster and faster. Many scientists agree that computers can now do many things, but they cannot do everything. Who knows what the computers of tomorrow will be like? Will computers bring good things or bad things to people? The scientists of today will have to decide how to use the computers of tomorrow.
1. The computer is a ______ machine.| A．helpful | B．strange | C．large | D．dangerous |
| A．a few | B．forty | C．sixty | D．eighty |
| A．bigger | B．fewer | C．smaller | D．taller |
| A．everything | B．anything | C．nothing | D．lots of things |
| A．may decide | B．must decide | C．can make | D．needn’t make |
10 . Do women talk more than men?
These differences will continue into adult life, she says. In public conversations, men talk most and interrupt other speakers more than women do. In private conversations, men and women speak in almost equal amounts.
Some scientists who are studying speech think that the brain is preprogrammed for language. As we are usually taught to speak by women, it seems likely that the brain must have a sexual bias in its programming; otherwise, male speech patterns would not arise at all.
| A．And he uses his language to show this. |
| B．Do men talk in the same way as women? |
| C．However, they say things in a different style. |
| D．Women are far more silent than men in public conversations. |
| E．Little boys use conversation to establish status with their listeners. |
| F．More women are encouraged to help each other, talking about their doubts. |
| G．Teaching is one job where the differences between men’s and women’s ways of talking show. |
