Heat has been used to control hair for hundreds of years. But how much is too much? If you have ever opened a very hot oven, you know that heat can burn your eyebrows off your face very quickly. A scientist from Purdue University in Indiana is trying to find a scientific answer on how hot is too hot when it comes to your hair.
Many women and some men are very particular about their hair. Some people who have naturally curly hair prefer to have it straightened. Others with straight hair want to have curls. Tahira Reid is one of those people. As an African-American woman, she is familiar with the challenges of maintaining (保养) curly hair.
Tahira Reid and other researchers at Purdue University are studying how heat treatment interacts with different types of hair and how to prevent damage. Amy Marconnet is an assistant professor. She says the team is seeing how heat and temperature relate to their research.
In a Purdue University’s lab, team members designed a hair straightener tool —a flat iron with temperature control. They attached it to a robotic arm that moved over pieces of hair. They controlled the temperature while the device straightened hair.
What did they find? Their study found that the heat weakens or breaks a protein called keratin, responsible for the hair’s shape, and temporarily changes it. But nobody knows exactly what level can make the heat actually cause forever change. Researchers say early results are a bit inconclusive.
It turns out that everyone’s hair is different and there’s no exact temperature where hair straightening becomes hair damage. Ms Reid says they will continue their research in the hope of finding what works best without damaging hair.
1.What does the scientist want to find out?
A. Ways to protect our hair.
B. Ways to maintain curly hair.
C. The temperature that can damage hair.
D. The temperature that makes hair curly.
2.The underlined part “those people” in Paragraph 2 refers to those who ________.
A. are African-Americans
B. love their hair very much
C. love making their hair curly
D. love changing their hairstyle
3.When the heat breaks a protein called keratin in the hair, ________.
A. the hair gets burned
B. the hair’s shape is changed
C. the hair is forever damaged
D. the hair surely becomes curly.
I was very excited on the first day of high school! I had P.E. for the first period. We hurriedly gathered in the locker room (衣帽间) when the headmaster began to speak, “Good morning, boys and girls! Welcome to the first day of the great new school year. We will begin with the pledge (誓言) of loyalty.”
I pulled my shirt over my head and my right hand immediately rested over my heart. A few tears came to my eyes as every time I pledged. I thought of my grandpa. He had died almost a year before, but I still missed him every day. Grandpa served in World War II and the flag had a very special meaning for him.
The next morning in the locker room, I noticed something strange. Some girls talked through the pledge. After that, even fewer did the pledge, including the teachers. By the second week of school, I was the only girl in the whole locker room that did the pledge.
The next morning, I hid in the bathroom to change clothes and pledge. There I couldn’t see the flag and I had a sense of sorrow to be hiding like that. I kept hiding for the next week and felt worse.
I spent a weekend gathering up my nerve. On Monday, I changed into my gym clothes right away and was standing by my locker when the headmaster began morning announcements. The pledge started and I put my hand over my heart. A girl nearby locked her locker and asked, “Why are you doing that? ” She looked confused.
“My grandpa fought in World War II and he died last year,” I said. “I’m doing it for him.”
She felt embarrassed and looked away. “Oh.” She said.
Over the next few weeks, more girls questioned me about the pledge. I gave them all that same answer. I never inspired other girls to do the pledge along with me. They made their choice; I made mine. I was doing it for my Grandpa, but more than that, I was doing it for myself. Grandpa raised me to be proud of my country and that pride didn’t stop.
1.How did other students behave during the pledge periods?
A. They gradually quit the pledge.
B. They continued to show curiosity.
C. They did the pledge with sincerity.
D. They made fun of those who did the pledge.
2.The author did the pledge every day because ________.
A. the flag had a special meaning for her
B. the headmaster required her to do so
C. all the teachers and students did that
D. it was a way to show love for her grandpa
3.The whole passage is mainly developed by ________.
A. space B. time C. examples D. comparison
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The first day at school
B. My grandpa
C. The pledge of loyalty
D. The secret in the locker room
Running seems easy enough: Just grab a pair of sneakers and put one foot in front of the other, right? Well, anyone who struggled to get through a mile knows it’s not quite that simple. We’ve asked experienced runners to tell us something wrong they did when they started running. The following are some of their answers.
I got excited and signed up for a half-marathon with a few more experienced runner friends, but I wasn’t adequately prepared and didn’t train efficiently. I ended up with blisters(水泡) on my feet. I couldn’t wear shoes for two days!
—Cali Lavey
I have always been athletic and I have never been badly injured, but one day I felt a slight pain in my knee. I ignored it for a month until I realized I was having a hard time putting weight on my right leg. I finally went to a doctor. It took four months of weekly physical therapy(治疗) to heal. I shouldn’t have done that.
—Arnold
My biggest mistake was treating running like soccer practice: If I wasn’t exhausted by the end of practice, I felt as though I didn’t work hard enough. I run all of my runs at 80 percent effort, or the equivalent of what I now call tempo runs (节奏跑). I wasn’t warming up to the pace or cooling down effectively.
—Kate
I decided to go out for a run during the hottest part of the day. At the time, I told myself that it would be refreshing to sweat a little, but I didn’t bring adequate water. I returned feeling completely rundown, dehydrated (脱水的), and exhausted. If you must go out on a run during unfavorable weather, wear proper suits and bring enough water to keep you feeling strong.
— Sarah
1.Why did Cali suffer from her half-marathon?
A. She ran all the way barefoot.
B. She didn’t get ready for it.
C. She ran with experienced runners.
D. She did not have self-confidence.
2.What did Arnold regret doing?
A. Thinking he would never get injured.
B. Putting heavy weight on his right leg.
C. Spending about four month s treating his knee.
D. Waiting for so long to get his knee examined.
3.Who didn’t get enough water when running?
A. Cali B. Arnold C. Kate D. Sarah
4.The examples of the four runners mainly show that ________.
A. we should warm up before running
B. we should bring enough water when running
C. we shouldn’t think running is very easy
D. we shouldn’t ignore any pain when running
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How many participants(参入者) are in the festival?
A. 200. B. 700. C. 1000.
2.What is different about this year’s festival?
A. It’s not free.
B. There are more prizes.
C. Donald Trump will be attending.
3.What is the biggest prize?
A. “The Grand Pumpkin”.
B. “Celebrity Pumpkin”.
C. “The Great Pumpkin”.
4.Who might the speaker be?
A. A news reporter.
B. A radio announcer.
C. A participant in the festival.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who do the woman’s parents probably cheer for?
A. England. B. Portugal(葡萄牙). C. Spain.
2.According to the woman, what is most likely to happen tonight?
A. Spain will lose.
B. Portugal will lose.
C. Ronaldo(罗纳尔多)will score three goals.
3.Why does the man support for Portugal?
A. He likes Ronaldo.
B. Spain is way too confident.
C. Portugal hasn’t lost a single game yet.
4.How much money do the speakers agree to bet?
A. $10. B. $20. C. $40.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When does the woman have to hand in her essay?
A. This afternoon. B. Tomorrow. C. In a couple days.
2.What is the woman having trouble with?
A. Ending her paper.
B. Starting her essay.
C. Giving more thoughts.
3.How will the man help the woman?
A. By correcting her mistakes.
B. By showing her some examples.
C. By reading what she has written.
