1 . It is well known that smoking is harmful to health. It is unfortunate that despite some individuals who choose not to smoke, they remain to be victims of various diseases caused by cigarette smoking.
Cigarette smoke contains thousands of dangerous chemicals that are unhealthy for both smokers and non-smokers. Secondhand smoke refers to the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed by smokers. More than 126 million Americans are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke at home, at work, and in enclosed public spaces.
The Deadly Effects
Secondhand smoke can cause heart disease and lung cancer in non-smoking adults. Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time increases risk for those diseases.
Children and infants are especially attacked by the poisons in secondhand smoke. Almost 3 million children in the United States under the age of six breathe secondhand smoke at home at least four days per week.
Secondhand smoke is a known cause of the sudden infant death syndrome, breathing problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children.
Secondhand smoke in the home environment can slow the lung growth of exposed children. Older children whose parents smoke get bronchitis and pneumonia more often than the children of non-smokers. Wheezing (气喘) and coughing are also more common in children who breathe secondhand smoke.
Protecting Yourself and Others
The only way to fully protect yourself and loved ones from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is through 100 percent smoke-free environments. Opening a window; sitting in a separate area; or using ventilation (通风), air conditioning, or a fan cannot get rid of secondhand smoke exposure. If you are a smoker, the single best way to protect your family is to quit smoking.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the possible result of smoking?| A．Heart disease. | B．Pneumonia. |
| C．Lung cancer. | D．High blood pressure. |
| A．Adults. | B．The elderly. |
| C．Cancer patients. | D．Children and infants. |
| A．Use an air conditioner. | B．Try to avoid smoking. |
| C．Stay in a separate room. | D．Open the windows for ventilation every day. |
| A．Smoking is harmful to health | B．Anti-smoking campaign is launched |
| C．Secondhand smoke: the real danger | D．Create a smoke-free environment |
2 . What would you like to drink? It’s likely the first thing your server will ask when you sit down for a restaurant meal. Whether you ask for it or not, a glass of water usually comes with lemon slices. But be warned: despite all the health benefits of lemon water, you might want to tell your server to leave a lemon slices out.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental Health tested 76 lemons from 21 restaurants for germs(细菌)and had some pretty frightening findings. Nearly 70 percent of the lemon slices had germs. Even though lemon is a natural germ-killer, it can still be polluted by germs. Another ABC research testing one lemon at 10 different restaurants found that half the lemon slices had human waste.
Lemon slices are more likely to have germs than the food you order on a plate because restaurant health standards are likely to be less strict for garnishes(装饰菜). The ABC research noticed that restaurant workers often cut lemons without gloves. If they didn’t scrub their hands completely after using the bathroom, there was a good chance that they could leave the germs on the lemon slices in your drink.
But before you start giving servers an angry look when you see them carrying lemon water, you should know that the garnish won’t necessarily make you sick. The authors of the 2007 study admitted there haven’t been any diseases linked to lemons. And expert Philip Tierno, leader of the ABC research, said, “Your immune system(免疫系统)will usually protect you from getting sick from lemon water.” “The usual course will probably result in no disease, but there is a possibility,” DrTierno said. “You can’t live in a bubble. Your immune system is usually pretty good.”
Still, if you’re concerned, just request your server to bring your water with no lemon slices. Don’t skip the lemon water at home though, because drinking lemon water has huge health benefits. Just make sure to wash the lemon before putting it in your glass.
1. How does the author introduce the topic of the text?| A．By telling a story. |
| B．By raising a question. |
| C．By giving an example. |
| D．By listing scientific facts. |
| A．Germs grew faster in lemons. |
| B．The lemon was a natural germ-killer. |
| C．Most tested lemons had germs. |
| D．Few people noticed unsafe restaurant food. |
| A．Dry. | B．Clean. |
| C．Move. | D．Examine. |
| A．People can drink lemon water in restaurants. |
| B．Lemon water in restaurants will become less popular. |
| C．Cooks should wear gloves while preparing garnishes. |
| D．Homemade lemon water is healthier than that in restaurants. |
3 . "Could you load(把碗碟放入)the dishwasher?" How many times have we asked our teenage children to do a chore(家务活)and found later that it was done so poorly that we have to finish the job?
Don't expect teens already know how to do something. Kelly says."We left my teenage daughter alone for a few days.
Use the team method.
Kelly says, "We do so much for our kids.
If you can’t stand how clothes are always being left on the floor, don’t let your teens got away with it .
Keep chores gender-neutral(不分性别的).
Don't leave all the kitchen chores for daughters, and jobs like washing the car or fixing things for sons.
| A．Explain the job. |
| B．Remember to say thank you. |
| C．However, she had no idea how to separate rubbish. |
| D．Watering the plants can be a good way of relaxation. |
| E．We drive them everywhere, and help with their homework. |
| F．Few parents are happy with the way housework is done by their teenagers. |
| G．Make them pick the clothes up, but don’t add on other chores at the same time |
4 . Their beautiful call suggests the arrival of spring, but the routes taken by cuckoos(杜鹃) during their annual migration(迁徙) have remained a mystery. Now, though, scientists from the British Trust for Omithology(BTO) have revealed the details of their remarkable 10,000-mile journey, with the help of tracking devices.
Five male birds were caught in Norfolk last May and fitted with satellite-tagged “backpacks’’ before being released. The scientists then monitored their progress over 12 months as they flew to Africa in the autumn, and returned in the spring.
The project was carried out to discover why every year fewer of the birds return to Britain. Between 1995 and 2010，the population of cuckoos spending summer here fell by almost half, and the number is continuing to decline. Previously, the lack of information about the cuckoos’ long migration has hampered the understanding of how to help conserve the birds.
Earlier this year, it was reported that cuckoos arrived in the UK much earlier than normal. Their call was recorded by ornithologists(鸟类专家) as early as February, a month ahead of their usual arrival.
Like all migrating animals, cuckoos respond to the changing seasons. They depend on lush plants to provide the fruit and food for insects that they feed on. This reliance on seasonal patterns means that a changing climate could make an already challenging journey impossible for them.
1. What is the main purpose of the project?| A．To track cuckoos’ 10,000-mile journey. |
| B．To better understand the habits of cuckoos. |
| C．To find out what happens during cuckoos’ journey. |
| D．To discover why the population of cuckoos is declining. |
| A．prevented | B．deepened | C．improved | D．affected |
| A．In January. | B．In February. | C．In March. | D．In April. |
| A．1acking food | B．changing climate |
| C．changing routes | D．cold spring in the UK |
5 . Parents may fear that if their high school student isn’t motivated (有动力) to do well in classes, there’s nothing that will change that. But a new study found that students’ learning motivation often did change and usually for the better.
1,670 students from grades 9 to 11 took part in the study in two school years, during which they completed several surveys that assessed their motivation. After each survey, the students were placed into six different profiles (档案), from worst — those who were not motivated at all, to best — those who had an inner desire to learn.
The study found about 67 % students did change their profiles during the two years and there was an overall positive change in students’ motivation. For example, 8% of the students were in the best profile — autonomously motivated — in the first year, and that increased to 11.4% in the second year. The worst profile, the not motivated, described 2.8% of the students in the first year, dropping to 2.1% in the second year.
“The other good news in the study was that if we can find better ways to motivate students, if we can get them in a better profile, they tend to stay there,” said Kui Xie, lead author of the study and professor of educational studies at the Ohio State University.
Why did students move in a positive direction? One reason may be simply because they’re a year older and more mature (成熟).
But the study did find two factors that impacted how likely they were to become more motivated. One was the previous achievement. Students who had higher grade the first year were more likely to remain in better profiles in the second year of the study. The other factor was school belongingness, with students who felt they were more a part of their school in the first year being more likely to move to or stay in a better profile in the second year.
“This may be one area where we can help students become more motivated,” Xie said. “Belongingness is something schools can change. They can find ways to help students feel like they are part of the school community.”
1. What did Kui Xie’s study discover?| A．Students’ willingness to study can be improved. |
| B．Teenagers’ inner desire to learn can be assessed. |
| C．Students from grades 9 to 11 are easy to be inspired. |
| D．Teenagers’ learning motivation is parents’ most concern. |
| A．The background of the study. |
| B．The influence of the study. |
| C．The purpose of the study. |
| D．The process of the study. |
| A．Their average ages. |
| B．Their previous scores. |
| C．Their personal profiles. |
| D．Their motivated schoolmates. |
| A．Schools should put students in better profiles. |
| B．Students should have their own assessment plan. |
| C．Schools should use motivation strategies to inspire students. |
| D．Students should improve their communication with their parents. |
6 . When I was a kid, my sister and I would fight all the time over nearly everything. But as we grew older, our bond strengthened by sharing secrets, offering advice and trading clothes. Having a sister by my side while growing up taught me many lessons about the unique bond.
And now, thanks to an 8-year long study that’s making the rounds on the Internet again, science is confirming what I know is true. In the study, researchers discovered that having an older or younger sister can help ease the anxiety for kids between the ages of 10 and 14 years. They also found that people with sisters can “learn how to make up and to have control over their emotions again, which are skills that undoubtedly serve children well.
The revival of this study actually comes on the heels of another newer study, which shows that it’s not just the older kids and parents who influence and shape children as they grow. It turns out that younger siblings(兄弟姐妹) do too, and what’s more, they may also give their older siblings a greater chance of developing empathy (同情).
The Canadian study followed 452 pairs of siblings, all between a year-and-a-half and 4 years old. The researchers found that having a younger sibling increased the older sibling's level of empathy.
This research confirms that sisters are pretty amazing in making the world a much lovely place. As the mom of two boys, I often wonder what kinds of lessons they will learn from their younger sister. Perhaps they will be the same lessons I learned from mine that cooler heads always win. This study gives me hope that all those endless arguments between my kids may actually be laying the groundwork for conflict-settlement skills.
1. What can we learn from the study?| A．Children under four develop empathy fastest. |
| B．It is normal for siblings to quarrel. |
| C．Having siblings is not always a headache. |
| D．Having sisters is helpful to mental health. |
| A．Result | B．Beginning. |
| C．Reappearance. | D．Significance. |
| A．They love their mom very much. |
| B．They have a higher level of empathy. |
| C．They often quarrel with one another. |
| D．They have learned the same lessons as the the author. |
| A．Siblings have a unique bond. |
| B．Siblings have something in common. |
| C．Having siblings is good to children. |
| D．Children having siblings are considerate. |
