For thousands of years, people have used plants to make medicines. They used different parts of the plants —the roots, the leaves, the flowers, and the bark (树皮). Today, doctors have rediscovered more medicinal (药用) values of some plants. Let’s look at some examples.
Foxglove is a common plant. People have used it to make the heart slow down. Recently scientists have developed another drug from it. This new drug helps prevent other heart problems.
In some areas, malaria has been a problem. Scientists have learned that the bark of a South American tree, the cinchona, can be made into a drug to prevent malaria. For a long time, the Chinese have known that a special plant, wormwood, can also fight malaria. Scientists have been working with it to develop new drugs against malaria.
In Germany, some scientists studied garlic (大蒜) for four years. They found that it helps prevent the build-up of plaque (血小板) because too much plaque is bad for health. This very common plant continues to be studied.
As we know, there are about 250,000 kinds of flowering plants in the world. Scientists have only studied little more than one percent of plants for their medicinal value. Maybe medicines for AIDS and cancer will be made from the other 99 percent.
1.What can foxglove be used for?
A．Studying plants.
B．Building up the plaque.
C．Treating AIDS and cancer.
D．Preventing heart problems.
2.What does the underlined word “malaria” in Paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?
A．A drug. B．A plant.
C．An illness. D．An animal.
3.How many plants are mentioned in the passage?
A．3. B．4. C．5. D．6
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．Past and future
B．Plants and medicine
C．Health and illness
D．Scientists and doctors
Sleep is like food for the brain. Enough sleep helps the body and brain grow and develop. However, many Chinese do not sleep well, and many do not pay enough attention to sleep.
The Chinese Medical Doctor Association released the 2013 China Sleep Quality Index (指数) on March 19 to mark World Sleep Day – March 21.
According to the index, nearly a quarter of Chinese people don’t sleep well. Half said that they feel tired after getting up and 15 percent people have trouble falling asleep.
Ye Jingying, a sleep expert at Beijing Tongren Hospital, says: “If people often wake up during the night, or always feel weak and tired in the day, they should pay attention to their sleep pattern (模式).”
Many people play with their cell phones or iPads before sleeping. The report said that this is one of the main reasons for bad sleep. Other reasons include stress and bad moods.
How to sleep well? Above all, get enough sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep every night is perfect for an adult, and eight to nine hours is best for a teenager.
Forming good sleep habits is important. The report suggested that people need to keep away from digital devices (数码产品) for at least an hour before sleep. The lights keep their brains excited for a long while. Other suggestions include: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and during holidays, and do the same relaxing things before bed each night, like listening to soft music.
1.From Paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?
A．The longer you sleep, the better.
B．Many Chinese people don’t sleep well.
C．Many Chinese people don’t care about sleep.
D．Sleep is very important for our body and brain.
2.Which of the following means that you sleep well?
A．You feel tired after getting up.
B．You can fall asleep within 20 minutes.
C．You wake up several times during the night.
D．You often do something boring until you feel sleepy.
3.From the article, which of the following may NOT cause sleeping problems?
A．Reading a book late at night.
B．Having sad or angry feelings.
C．Playing with digital devices before sleeping.
D．Being under strong stress about their life or work.
4.Which of the following helps teenagers sleep well?
A．They should do different things before sleeping.
B．They should sleep for more than nine hours a day.
C．They should not use any digital devices during the daytime.
D．They’d better go to sleep and get up at the same time every day.
1.We can enjoy Mattaponi Culture Day at _________.
A．9:00 a.m. B．3:00 p.m. C．6:00 p.m. D．10:00 p.m.
2.If Tom, 15 years old, wants to enjoy that day with his parents, they need to pay _________.
A．$6 B．$12 C．$18 D．$24
3.What can we do on that day?
A．Make baskets. B．Sing songs. C．Tell stories. D．Play games.
On my first day of the sixth grade, I noticed one little girl called Amy on the school bus. “Don’t 1 her,” Lauren said, who sat beside me, “or they will make fun of you.”
Amy had many physical differences —lots of 2 for other kids to make fun of her. Her eyes weren’t straight. Her glasses were an inch thick. And she had really ugly teeth.
Every day as we drove to school, kids would shout insults (侮辱) at Amy. “God, what a
3 face! Stop looking at me!” “Mr. Rolland (the driver)! Amy took off her 4 , and now her eyes are frightening me! Make her put them back on!” I also did that because I didn’t want them to treat me the same way they treated Amy.
But while I was insulting her, my heart 5 for the girl. I could see that the insults were making her look 6 , because she was so ashamed and alone. Then I wanted to stand up for her. I just didn’t know how to stop my schoolmates 7 the night of our class roller skating party.
Our whole class was there, including Amy. Amy didn’t know how to 8 , but I could see how much she wanted to 9 like the rest of us. So I skated over to her and took her by the hand. We began the journey together around the skating rink. She just smiled, and sometimes she would laugh in 10 .
On the school bus the next morning there was much news about Amy and me 11 together, but 12 insulted her or me. And they didn’t do that for the rest of the year.
After graduation, I never heard from Amy again. However, I never 13 her and I’ve always 14 if I changed her life for the better. But I know for sure she changed my life. After becoming her friend, I no longer tried to impress (给…留下印象) people by trying to 15 like them. I became myself.
1. A．laugh at B．ask about C．talk to D．be afraid of
2. A．reasons B．choices C．ideas D．habits
3. A．lovely B．strange C．common D．funny
4. A．glasses B．coat C．shoes D．hat
5. A．beat B．lost C．opened D．ached
6. A．happier B．angrier C．prettier D．uglier
7. A．until B．since C．before D．after
8. A．stand B．skate C．run D．walk
9. A．catch up B．have fun C．sit down D．fall over
10. A．fear B．surprise C．joy D．comfort
11. A．talking B．dancing C．skating D．traveling
12. A．somebody B．anybody C．everybody D．nobody
13. A．forget B．help C．meet D．miss
14. A．hoped B．thought C．wondered D．considered
15. A．shout B．laugh C．play D．act
— I think travelling by train is more comfortable than travelling by plane.
—_________. In my opinion, travelling by plane is more comfortable.
A．I agree with you B．I couldn’t agree more
C．You’re right D．I’m afraid it isn’t
Tom doesn’t know _________ Chinese because he has learned it for only _________ weeks.
A．much; a few B．little; a few C．much; a little D．little; a little
