It’s 3 o’clock and you’ve been hard at work. As you sit at your desk, a strong desire (欲望) for chocolate overcomes you. You try to busy yourself to make it go away. But it doesn’t. Here is another situation. Perhaps you are not feeling well. The only thing you want to eat is a big bowl of chicken soup, like your mom used to make when you were sick as a child. Food cravings are a strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.
Scientists at the website How Stuff Works compare hunger and cravings this way. Hunger is a fairly simple connection between the stomach and the brain. They even call it simply “stomach hunger.” When our stomachs burn up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (荷尔蒙) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which controls our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite (食欲) and you eat. Hunger is a function of survival.
A craving is more complex. It activates (刺激) brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward. These are the same areas of the brain activated during drug-craving studies. Because of this, some scientists call food cravings “mind hunger.” People often crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Foods that are high in fat or high in sugar produce chemicals in the brain. These chemicals give us feelings of pleasure.
In a 2007 study, researchers at Cambridge University found that “dieting or controlled eating generally increases the possibility of food craving.” So, the more you refuse yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it. However, fasting is a bit different. They found that eating no food at all for a short period of time reduced food cravings.
So, the next time you crave something very special, know that it’s the fault of your brain, instead of your stomach.
1.The author describes two situations in the first paragraph to ________.
A.deepen the understanding of hunger B.report the discovery of craving study
C.introduce the topic of the whole passage D.remind readers of their own special food
2.What do we learn about food craving?
A.It shows food is connected with emotion. B.It makes sure that a person survives hunger.
C.It means the stomach functions well. D.It proves the brain decides your appetite.
3.What’s the likely result of dieting?
A.The drop of chemicals. B.The increase of food desire.
C.The refusal of fat and sugar. D.The disappearance of appetite.
4.In which part of a newspaper can you see this passage?
A.Education. B.Entertainment.
C.Science. D.Economy.
The world’s first “Sky Pool” has been uncoated — and it’ll give anyone a touch of dizziness, unless he or she is not bothered by heights.
Situated in the capital’s new riverside district beside Battersea Power Station, the glass pool, hanging 10 storeys, or 110 feet up as a bridge between two apartment buildings, is 25 meters long, 5 meters wide and 3 meters deep with a water depth of 1.2 meters. Swimmers will be able to look down 35 meters to the street below as they take a dip, with only 20 cm of glass between them and the outside world. It’s even got a bar, folding chairs and an orange garden.
The pool will be part of Embassy Gardens at Nine Elms, a huge £15 billion building project beside the new American Embassy in south-west London. The project is creating thousands of apartments, the smallest of which are expected to cost nearly $1 million, and the pool will only be open to the apartments’ owners.
Embassy Gardens takes design inspiration (灵感) from the Meatpacking District of New York with floor to ceiling windows and brick frontages. The Sky Pool’s transparent structure is the result of important development in technologies over the past ten years.
The experience of the pool will be truly unique (独特的) and it will feel like floating through the air in central London.
Those people lucky enough to swim there will have a perfect view of the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye. It will be a selling point for developers when the second stage of the development is released (投放) to market.
1.Who can swim in the Sky Pool?
A.Tourists to London. B.Anyone at Nine Elms.
C.People living in Embassy Gardens. D.Those who aren’t terrified of heights.
2.People lucky enough to swim in the Sky Pool can do the following EXCEPT ________.
A.floating through the air B.sitting in the garden
C.enjoying the scenery D.drinking with friends
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The pool lies in the centre of London.
B.The pool is 25 meters above the ground.
C.The pool was at the top of an apartment building.
D.The pool is helpful for selling apartments in Embassy Gardens.
4.We can infer from the text that ________.
A.the sky pool will be part of a building project
B.the apartments in Embassy Gardens are quite expensive
C.Embassy Gardens lies in London’s new riverside district
D.Embassy Gardens looks exactly like the Meatpacking District
Christmas in the United States is traditionally a time of gift-giving and family gatherings. But small towns across the country have their own traditions.
Middleburg, a small town in the state of Virginia, is known for its horses. For more than 50 years, Middleburg has organized a yearly Christmas parade. Men and women ride horses through the woods and fields. They follow hunting dogs as they search for a wild fox. But first, these hunters ride in the yearly parade, wearing their bright red hunting clothes and hats.
John Hale, a citizen of Middleburg says many city people visit his town. “We have a lot of people from an urban area that come to visit, but it incorporates a lot of the old traditions.” The night-time hayride is one such tradition. Small groups gather under the moonlight on an open wagon (四轮马车) filled with hay (干草). The passengers sing as farm horses pull the wagon slowly across the fields.
There are some newer traditions, too. Trey Matheu works at the nearby Salamander Resort. He says a visit to Middleburg is a chance to slow down for a day. He says Middleburg can be a calming, peaceful place without tension.
“Middleburg is an opportunity to take a step back, to take a deep breath, and understand that even though life is moving on at a very fast pace, there’s really an opportunity where you’re allowed to step off for a little bit.”
Parade organizers say more than 13,000 people attend even in below freezing weather. But if you ask, you will hear many different reasons why people come to watch the parade:
“I come here because I’m from a small town. I like how everybody comes together.”
“I live right down that street, right there. And that’s my dog.”
Middleburg looks its best at Christmastime. That may be why so many people return each year.
1.At Christmas, people in Middleburg usually ________.
A.visit friends and families B.ride in the annual parade
C.feed farm horses with hay D.hunt for dogs in the woods
2.According to Trey Matheu, why do people visit Middleburg?
A.To enjoy the fresh air. B.To escape competition.
C.To relax themselves. D.To challenge themselves.
3.What do we know about the small town Middleburg?
A.It attracts many people each year. B.It makes a large money from tourism.
C.It doesn’t respect Christmas traditions. D.It is a good place for family gatherings.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Middleburg’s Christmas Parade B.A Small Town Known for Horses
C.Newer Traditions at Christmastime D.Christmas Traditions in Middleburg
This summer there is plenty to keep you all busy from free movies at Regal Mayfaire stadium to free theater performance.
Free Movies
Free movies will be shown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 a.m. at Regal Mayfaire stadium from June 14 to Aug 11. Call 9102563425 for more information.
Free Admission to Hundreds of Museums
This Saturday, July 25, hundreds of US museums are admission-free for the Smithsonian’s annual Museum Day.
Unlike previous Museum Day celebrations, you must sign up for a free ticket that allows two people to any of the participating museums. That means filling out a form and having the ticket emailed to you. Not bad for a free offer that will give you admission to museums such as the Adler Planetarium and the Air & Space Museum in Downtown Wilmington. Please see the website for the list of collections: http://www.mec.com.
Downtown Wilmington Concert
Downtown Sundown Concert Series will take place every Friday at 6 p.m. from June 16 to Aug.15. See the following link for a list of bands: http://www.wilmingtondowntown.com. Local performers will be performing “Much Ado about Nothing” at the newly built Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. All shows are free to the public.
Free Night of Theater
It’s the yearly run of the Free Night of Theater, when hundreds of theaters in 120 US cities give away thousands of tickets to local productions.
While the opening date is June 15, many of the theaters start giving away their free tickets by Oct. 1 or in waves during the month of June for performance dates throughout the month. Ticket seekers are limited to two tickets for one performance.
Find your city on the Free Night of Theater website (http://www.retheater.com) and check the listings for performances, their dates and their ticket giveaway times and locations.
1.You can go to watch a free movie on ________.
A.A Monday in June B.A Thursday in July
C.A Sunday in September D.A Wednesday in November
2.How can people get a free ticket to the Museums?
A.By getting the ticket in the participating museums.
B.By downloading and printing out a form by yourself.
C.By signing up and paying for the ticket on the website.
D.By filling out a form and having the ticket emailed to you.
3.Which of the following shows the similarity between Museum Day and Free Night of Theater?
A.They take place once a year. B.They last for the same length of time.
C.The tickets can be used in any US city. D.Their opening dates are the same.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
When I was 9 years old, I used to cut grass for Mrs. Long. The elderly lady paid me very little, for she hadn’t much money. But she did promise me, “When Christmas comes, I shall have a present for you.” I spent much time wondering what it would be. The boys I played with had baseball gloves and bicycles and ice skates, and I was so eager to acquire any one of these that I convinced myself that Mrs. Long intended choosing from among them.
“It would hardly be a baseball glove,”I reasoned with myself. “A woman like Mrs. Long wouldn’t know much about baseball.” Since she was old and weak, I also ruled out the bicycle, for how could she handle such a large item.
On my last Saturday at work, Mrs. Long said, “At Christmas you come to the door and collect the present. “ These words clinched(确定)my guess. Since she was going to have the present in her house and handle it herself, unquestionably she was giving me a pair of ice skates.
I became so convinced of this that I could imagine myself upon the skates and the excitement they brought me. As the cold days of November arrived and ice began to form on the ponds, I began to try my luck on the ice. “ Get away from that ice! “ a man shouted. “ It’s not strong enough yet.”
As Christmas approached, it was with difficulty that I restrained (抑制) myself from reporting to Mrs. Long and demanding my present. On the 21st of December, icy weather froze all the ponds so that boys who already had ice skates were able to use them. My longing to possess mine became overpowering.
So the next day I could control myself no longer and presented myself at Mrs. Long’s door. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said with a smile.
注意:
1. 所续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
She set me in a chair and handed a package to me.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
On Christmas morning, I could not wait to open the package.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是李华，关注到这样一则报道:由于温度升高，无处觅食的北极熊入侵俄罗斯北部村庄。请你就环境恶化问题，用英语给联合国环境规划署写一封电子邮件。内容包括:
1. 表示震惊。
2. 表达担忧。
3. 呼吁采取行动。
注意:
1. 词数80左右；
2. 开头和结尾均已给出(不计入总词数)；
3. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you about hungry polar bears invading a northern village in Russia for food.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes for you.
Yours,
Li Hua
