A

A new study finds that the animal known as man’s best friend can also be a good friend to the heart. Researchers in California say they have found that even just a short visit with a dog helped ease the worries of heart patients.

The study divided the patients into three groups. In Group A, a dog and a person visited each patient for twelve minutes. Patients in Group B received just a human visitor for twelve minutes. And members of Group C received no visitor, human or dogs.

The dogs would lie in the hospital bed so the heart patients could touch them. The researchers say some patients immediately smiled and talked to the dog and the human visitor. Dogs, in her words, “make people happier, calmer and feel more loved.”

The researchers examined the patients before, during and after the visits. They measured stress（緊張）levels based on blood flow and heart activity. They say they found a twenty-four percent decrease in the group visited by both a dog and a person. They reported a ten percent decrease in the group visited by a person only. There was no change in the patients without any visitors. These patients, however, did have an increase in their production of the hormone epinephrine（腎上腺素）. The body produces epinephrine during times of stress.

The increase was an average（平均值） of seven percent. But the study finds that patients who spent time with a dog had a seventeen percent drop in their levels of epinephrine. Patients visited by a human but not a dog also had a decrease, but only two percent.

1. The author believes that          .

A. the dog can take the place of most medicines

B. the dog is the most popular pet for man

C. the findings of the research cannot be trusted

D. visits by a human work better than visits by a dog

2. From the research findings we may conclude that          .

A. the less the body produces epinephrine, the better

B. the longer a visit lasts, the happier the patient should be

C. the patients enjoyed the dogs’ company more than the human visitors’

D. it’s impossible for heart patients to recover without dogs’ visits

3. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Worried heart patients                       B. Epinephrine and stress

C. A good friend to the heart                 D. Three groups of patients

4. The author seems to suggest that          .

A. no one should keep a dog as a pet    

B. the dog is better than any other animal

C. everyone should keep a dog as a pet 

D. keeping a pet does you good

B

On the 25th of January three years ago, my uncle, my cousin, and I went to the desert for hunting. It was the hunting season. My uncle was 72 years old, but he was still strong. My cousin at that time was 10 years old, and I was 25.

It took us three hours by car to reach the place we were looking for at 5:15 p.m. That night we ate the delicious food, drank Arabic coffee, and sat around the fire talking until 10:30. Then we went to bed.

We left camp the next day at 7 o’clock in the morning. We went north and found two kinds of birds and caught them. However, we faced trouble at 10:00 a.m. because the car got stuck in the sand! We spent about three hours trying to pull out the car without any progress. Finally, we decided to walk. I talked with my uncle about how hard it was for an old man or a young boy to walk more than 40 kilometres in the desert. He agreed with me. So I took a bottle of water with me and started to walk south alone. Luckily, I met a man who was riding his camel. He took me to his house. When I had had enough rest, I asked him to take me to the road and he did. Soon, I found a car which took me to the city to get help. I had one day to get back to my uncle and cousin. We were so happy to see each other again.

We learned from the story that the desert is dangerous, but we will never give up hunting.

5. It can be inferred that the writer          .

A. lived by hunting            

B. lived on raising birds

C. loved hunting very much               

D. loved raising birds very much

6. Where did the three people spend their first night ?

A. In a tent in the desert.    

B. In a hotel near the desert.

C. In their car in the desert.              

D. In a man’s house in the desert.

7. Why did the writer walk south alone ?

A. Because the other two were too weak to walk.

B. Because it was a long difficult way for the other two.

C. Because there was no enough water left.

D. Because the other two had to stay with their car.

8. The three people left the desert safely most probably on          .

A. the 26th of January        B. the 27th of January

C. the 28th of January        D. the 29th of January

C

This year more than 125,000 high school graduates in Beijing are taking the national college entrance exam. And with the 36 degrees Celsius, should these tests be moved to another month? And students in Beijing aren’t the only ones suffering in the heat. The north, southeast coastal area and Xinjiang are almost burning at over 35 degrees.

The exam takers are suffering the effects of global warming. Heat puts more pressure on the heart to supply more blood to the brain. These students can’t afford to get these kinds of illnesses after a ten years of hard work at school. Commonly known as “gaokao” held in July in the past, the exam takes place in June following complaints （抱怨） about the terrible weather. But moving the exam time earlier hasn’t helped the students as June has become just as hot as July.

Should “gaokao” be adjusted according to the weather? Some experts suggested the exam should be held in May to avoid the hot weather or even organize the exams in April next year to reduce the traffic burden before the Olympic Games.

China’s Education Ministry, however, stressed that the examination timetable for next year won’t be changed, but did say that the time could change in the coming years. In fact, the adjustment will lead to further troubles in re-organizing teaching plans. What is more, the suggestion to hold the exam during weekends was not welcomed in Western China, where they don’t have the same traffic problems that many large Chinese cities are dealing with at the moment.

This year marks the 30th anniversary（周年）of the restoration（恢復(fù)） of “gaokao”. Chinese universities were shut down from 1966 to 1976, due to the political disaster of the Cultural Revolution （文化大革命）. In the past 30 years, 36 million students have been admitted into universities, colleges, and vocational and technical schools.

9. According to the passage, the college entrance exam takes place          .

A. in Beijing                          

B. in the north and Xinjiang of China

C. in Western China               

D. all over China

10. As for the year 2008, how many reasons should “gaokao” be adjusted for in the eyes of some people？

A. Two.      B. Three.      C. Four.        D. Five.

11. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. While “gaokao” is being held, the weather is terrible in most provinces.

B. In the future, it is possible that the exam will be moved to April.

C. A great many young people have changed their fate thanks to the exam.

D. All the Chinese people don’t agree with the exam adjustment.

12. The important exam has lasted          .

A. thirty years            

B. more than thirty years 

C. less than fifty  years         

D. over fifty years

D

Scientists have proven （證明） that drinking tea can help people lose weight. During a five-year study, researchers discovered five new genes related to obesity（肥胖）. However, they also found that something in tea ―especially Oolong tea ―can help obese people battle the obesity.

The focus of the study was to help address growing obesity among Chinese children, especially in cities. The research shows that overeating is not the only cause. “Diet and lifestyle are only the external （外部的） reasons,” said Guo Xirong, a specialist. “The genetic conditions of the people could cause children and teenagers to become overweight.” However, Guo admits there is no magic bullet for treating childhood obesity. But he said a healthier diet and lifestyle will help.

Children tend to become obese later in life before they are born if their mothers eat too much and have a dramatic increase in weight. Compared to bottle-fed babies, breastfed （母乳喂養(yǎng)） babies are less likely to become obese later in their life because breast milk is limited. Bottle-fed babies are easy to develop a larger appetite（胃口） because they are fed each time they cry.

Chinese have long believed in the link between tea drinking and weight loss but many health experts in the West have been doubting it. Guo particularly recommends Oolong tea, one of the less-known teas in the West. Of the total amount of tea produced and consumed in the world, 78 percent is black, 20 percent is green, and less than 2 percent is Oolong tea.

Black tea is consumed mainly in Western countries, the Middle East and South Asia while green tea is drunk mainly in China, Japan and a few countries in North Africa. The production and drinking of Oolong tea are mainly limited to southeastern China.

13. Why do some Chinese children become obese easily?

A. Because they have much chance to eat too much food.

B. Because their mothers had a good appetite before they were born.

C. Because it is probable that they were bottle-fed babies.

D. Because both some genes and eating habits contribute to the result.

14. According to the passage, how do obese people lose weight?

A. Babies had better not be bottle-fed.

B. Their mothers should keep their bodies fit.

C. Drinking Oolong tea may help a lot.

D. Such people should take much exercise.

15. As a businessman, in which country will you be successful by trading green tea?

A. Egypt.                       B. Canada.   

C. Singapore.                 D. Korea.

16. If there is some more information added to the passage, what will it be about?

A. Southeastern China.   B. Black tea.

C. Green tea.                  D. Oolong tea.

E

The traditional idea of the bride moving in with the bridegroom’s parents seems to be on the wane (逐漸衰落). Now，in Shanghai, the opposite seems just as likely.

Before moving into his wife’s family home earlier this year, Li Feng had felt worried about what life with his in-laws would bring. “My wife and her parents insisted that living together be a better option. It is certainly more convenient, and it helps save money.” Now Li says he is living a happy life with his wife and the two elders , and feels far less pressured to buy a new house.

Like Li, more and more newlywed couples in Shanghai have accepted the idea of life with the parents of the bride, an idea which seems contrary with the past.

“It still sounds a bit strange when young people get married but continue to live with their parents, especially with their wife’s parents.” said Li. But the young modern generation of Shanghai seems to be slowly abandoning this traditional viewpoint.

For some people, however, life with the parents seems more like a smart business than a question of choice.

But it’s not only the young who are open to this new idea. Many elders in Shanghai also encourage their married children to remain with them.

17. The underlined phrase “the opposite” in Paragraph 1 means “         ”.

A. parents moving in with the young couple

B. the young couple living separately from the parents  

C. the husband moving in with the wife’s parents

D. the wife moving in with the husband’s parents

18. Which of the following can best show the advantages of living with the girl’s parents?

A. It’s more convenient.          

B. It helps save money.

C. For some it seems more like a smart business than a question of choice.

D. All the above.

19. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Young couples tend to live with parents

B. Parents tend to live with young couples

C. Husbands tend to live with wives’ parents

D. Husbands feel at home with wives’ parents

20. If the writer goes on writing the passage, what will be the main idea of the next paragraph?

A. Some young couples don’t like to live with the elders.

B. In the past, many elders didn’t like young couples to live with them.

C. Why many elders would like young couples to live with them.

D. Now, more and more elders would like young couples to live with them.

F

Ireland is the land of artists and scholars. But it still feels bad about letting its greatest literary names like Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw leave the country.

So, for the past 30 years, the world’s smallest cultural super-power has comforted itself with a unique act: Its writers, artists and musicians don’t have to pay tax. Now, however, the government is working in secret to see whether it should stop the tax exemption（免稅）. The reason is that the public are angry at tax-avoiding British writers and pop stars using the rule to get rich.

The exemption was created in 1969 by Charles Haughey, then finance minister. All income from “creative” work such as a novel, a play or a song would be exempt from tax, Haughey decided. Haughey said his plan was to stop Irish artists from leaving the country.

It started in 1970 and now exempts artists, writers and singers from paying tax on money earned from original works. But the tax exemption, which cost the Irish Government 37 million euros in 2001, has caused many British artists to move to the country.

Frederick Forsyth, author of “The Day of the Jackal” moved in the 1970s. The pop band Def Leppard and the singer Lisa Stansfield later moved there as well. This year’s biggest argument arose with the arrival of the millionaire Scottish author of “Trainspotting”, Irvine Welsh. He was described by Irish people as greedy for coming just to avoid paying taxes.

“I didn’t move here for tax reasons, but as a writer I would use it. I know the system there is to keep big bands like U2 based in the country instead of losing them to the US,” Welsh said.

While some show support for stopping the rule, others still think it is necessary. About 80 percent of tax-exempt writers and artists earn less than 50,000 euros a year and still need to be supported.

21. Tax exemption was originally created in order to          .

A. encourage artists to create    

B. promote the importance of literary

C. attract famous artists to settle    

D. prevent artists leaving the country

22. The passage is mainly about          .

A. Ireland’s cultural background    

B. tax exemption

C. artists’ fame                            

D. tax reform

23. The public           the phenomenon that British writers and pop stars needn’t pay taxes.

A. are for                            B. are strongly against     

C. have neglected            D. laugh at

24. It can be inferred that          .

A. Ireland values artists               

B. the author is against tax exemption

C. the Irish government finds it difficult to afford the vast fees concerning artists

D. the argument about tax exemption will be fierce

G

Every year, residents of Kunming, Yunnan Province welcome thousands of black-headed gulls with food and happy laughter. The lovely white birds fly from Siberia to stay in the Dianchi area of the city in winter. But this year the white angels are no longer lovely in locals’ eyes, due to their fear of bird flu.

Although scientists have not found the deadly virus in the birds, few people will dare to risk their lives to feed the birds this year. Across the world, wild migratory birds seem to have become number-one public enemy. Since the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus was discovered not only in Asia but also as far away as Europe and Africa, migratory birds were regarded as the carriers. Geographically speaking, the spread of bird flu appears to be following the migratory routes of wild birds. Bird flu is a common disease among wild migratory birds. But the virus may change itself when transferred to humans and animals.

Since the World Health Organization warned last month that migratory birds could carry the deadly H5N1 virus that causes bird flu, many countries, like China, have started tracking migratory birds and cleaning up poultry markets. China also didn’t allow all pigeon races last week.

Scientists said that the migratory routes of wild birds are often far away from big cities. The risk of transferring the virus directly from wild birds to humans is very low. Scientists also warned that wild birds are shy creatures. They see you coming and fly away at once. But if a wild bird becomes easy to approach, people should be careful that it may be sick.

There are already three areas hit by bird flu in the provinces of Hunan and Anhui and the northern region of Inner Mongolia, areas all on the migratory routes of wild birds. In the past two weeks China has reported three outbreaks of the H5N1 virus that killed 3,800 chicken, ducks and geese.

25. By mentioning black-headed gulls, the author wants to show          .

A .they have been lovely in people’s eyes

B. their fates are full of danger

C. people are alert these days

D. local people begin to hurt the birds

26. In which of the following continents hasn’t H5N1 bird flu been found?

A. Asia.                       B. Africa.    

C. Europe.                          D. America.

27. It can be inferred from the passage that          .

A. China does better in controlling bird flu than other countries

B. China pays great attention to the prevention of the outbreak of bird flu

C. people in big cities have no chance to catch bird flu

D. people must kill wild birds if they approach people

28. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Migrating birds may spread flu

B. Bird flu hits Asia

C. Bird flu might break out in winter

D. Birds start migration

H

Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between race and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos. 

Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.

Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic (民族的) differences. There could be differences in how people’s bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.

African-Americans and Latinos in the study reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day.  Whites were the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer. 

Scientists know that some diseases affect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted (針對(duì)) medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency （服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)） called it “a step toward the promise of personalized medicine.”

29. From the passage, researchers agree that it is          that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.

A. the larger amount of smoking than white people

B. the living style or habit of the blacks to form

C. the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs

D. the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke

30. People in the new study are made up of          .

A. heavy smokers in America

B. the black and white people

C. the Asians and Hawaiians

D. smokers and non-smokers

31. The production of BiDil is referred to in the last paragraph in order to          .

A. explain different races reaction to some diseases differently

B. tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers

C. show a big step people have taken in the medicine area

D. support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers

32. According to the author, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The way of smoking may increase the risk of lung cancer.

B. Race has nothing to do with the risk of having a lung cancer.

C. The research was started by New England Journal of Medicine.

D. The risk of lung cancer lies in how much a person smokes.

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