Why do men live a shorter life than women? The latest research indicates that men’s hearts going into a rapid decline when they reach middle age could be the cause.
The research of ageing on the heart has shown that women’s longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose much pumping power with age.
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 20 and 70 years of age,” said the head of the study, Samantha of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
“Within the heart there are millions of cells which make it beat. Between the ages of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men ,” said Samantha. “This is part of the ageing process.”
What amazes scientists is that the female heart suffers very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman’s heart could work almost as perfectly as a 20-year-old one’s.
“This gender （性别）difference might give the reason why men live shorter than women,”said Samantha. They studied over 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 17 and 80, who are mainly healthy persons so as to reduce the influence of disease. “The team has yet to think about why ageing suffers a greater loss on the male heart,” said Samantha.
But there is also good news -- men can enjoy the health of their hearts with regular exercise. Samantha stressed that women should also take regular exercise to stop their leg muscles getting weaker as they age.
1.The underlined word “longevity” in the second paragraph means “________”.
A. health B. long life C. ageing D. effect
2.The text mainly talks about ________.
A. men’s heart cells B. women’s ageing process
C. the gender difference D. hearts and long life
3. According to the text, the UK scientists have known that ________.
A. men have fewer cells than women when they are born
B. women can produce the cells that make the heart beat
C. the female heart suffers less loss of the cells with age
D. women will never suffer the loss of pumping power with age
4. If you want to live a long life, you should ________.
A. enable your heart to beat much faster
B. think about the reason for ageing
C. take regular exercise to keep your heart healthy
D. stop your cells from being lost
October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments. These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public-private Partnership for handwashing with soap. The goal, they say, is to create a culture of handwashing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs （细菌）. They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails. Then, wash well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the chances that people will wash again.
It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea （痢疾）, which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.
1.What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?
A. To keep healthy by washing hands. B. To wash hands with soap.
C. To take action to wash hands. D. To wash hands often.
2.Which of the following is the right way to wash hands?
a. Washing hands well. b. Covering hands with soap.
c. Drying hands. d. Rubbing hands with soap.
e. Wetting hands.
A. a--c--b--e--d B. e--d--a--b--c
C. a--c--b--d--e D. e--b--d--a--c
3.Which fact can’t explain why soap is important?
A. It gives people a longer handwashing time.
B. It helps to remove a lot of germs from hands.
C. It attracts people to do more handwashing.
D. It gets all people into the habit of washing hands.
4.According to the last paragraph, diarrhea is a disease that ________.
A. kills half of the kids in the developing countries a year
B. causes the greatest number of child deaths
C. can be prevented to some degree by washing hands with soap
D. can’t be cured without washing hands
Our company, Eastern Energy, is here to help and provide you with personal advice on any matters connected with your bill or any other questions about your gas and electricity supply.
Moving Home
Please give as much notice as possible if you are moving home, but at least 48 hours required for us to make the necessary arrangements for your gas and electricity supply. Please telephone our 24-hour line at 0131 6753 219 with details of your move. In most eases we are happy to accept your meter reading on the day you move.
Meter Reading
Eastern Energy uses various types of meter ranging from the traditional dial meters to new technology digital display meters. Always read the meter from left to right, ignoring any red dials. If you require assistance, contact our 24-hour line at 0600 7310 310.
Energy Efficiency Line
If you would like advice on the efficient use of energy, please call our Energy Efficiency Line at 0995 7625 513. Please do not use this number for any other enquiries （询问）.
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Passwords -- you can choose a password so that, whenever we visit you at home, you will know it is us. If you want more information, please ring our helpline at 0995 7290 290.
Help and Advice
If you need help or advice with any issues, please contact us at 0131 6440 188.
Complaints （投诉）
We hope you will never have a problem or cause to complain, but, if you do, please contact our complaints handling team at PO Box 220, Stanfield, ST55 6GF or telephone us at 0131 6753 270.
Supply Failure
If you experience any problems with your electricity supply, please call free at 0600 7838 836, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
1. Who is this passage most probably written to?
A. People applying for energy supply.
B. People moving home.
C. Persons in need of help.
D. Energy users of Eastern Energy.
2. If you have any complaints, what should you do?
A. Make a call or send a mail. B. Contact Help and Advice.
C. Go to the company directly. D. Ask for special services.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. You are not expected to read your own gas or electricity meters.
B. It is now cheaper to use gas than electricity as a form of heating.
C. You are not charged for the call when you report supply failure.
D. You should inform Eastern Energy of a change of address on arrival at your new home.
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils （水仙花）before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible （看不见的）in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”
My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.
We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio （庭院）, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs （鳞茎）,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.
1.The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.
A. she was not interested in them
B. they were growing on the mountain top
C. the weather was not good enough
D. it was not easy for her to drive there
2.What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?
A. She must be out of mind.
B. She acted as a gardener there.
C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.
D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.
3.What could the author probably learn from this experience?
A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.
B. We must put the interests of others above our own.
C. We can change the world by growing flowers.
D. It’s never too late to learn.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. An Unforgettable Experience. B. Beautiful Daffodils.
C. One Bulb at a Time. D. I Love Daffodils.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was half an hour before midnight on December 24th last year. I was a ticket-counter supervisor（主管）for a major airline and was looking forward to the 36 of my shift （轮班）at Stapleton International Airport in Denver. My wife was waiting up for me at home so that we could 37 our gifts for Christmas.
Just then, a very 38 gentleman went up to me. He asked how he could get to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He had just arrived from Philadelphia and 39 his connecting flight. I pointed him to the ground transportation area, where he could rent a 40 . And then I called my wife to let her know I would be home 41 .
About fifteen minutes later, the gentleman 42 and informed me that all the buses were full and there were no cars 43 . I told him that he had to stay for a night at the airport. Hearing that, he burst into 44 .
I tried to make him calm down. He explained that his name was Tom, and that his only son was 45 ill at home and was not expected to 46 another year. He expected that this would likely be the 47 Christmas with his son.
I told Tom to 48 his luggage and wait for me at the gate. I was driving to Cheyenne. I called my wife Kathy, telling her about it and not to wait up for me. I drove fast 49 and we arrived in Cheyenne around 2:30 a. m.
Kathy was still 50 me when I got home in the early morning. We traded gifts and then our conversation 51 Tom. For Kathy and me, there was no 52 that driving Tom to Cheyenne was the 53 choice.
A couple of days later, I 54 a Christmas card with a picture of Tom and his family. In it, Tom thanked me for the special 55 he had received that holiday season, but I knew the best gift was mine.
1.A. end B. turn C. role D. change
2. A. expect B. get C. exchange D. make
3. A. kind B. helpless C. sad D. worried
4. A. mistook B. missed C. caught D. continued
5. A. bus B. flight C. room D. car
6.A. soon B. late C. early D. lately
7. A. left B. moved C. came D. returned
8.A. reliable B. present C. available D. acceptable
9. A. laughter B. tears C. anger D. sorrow
10.A. really B. slightly C. seriously D. unluckily
11. A. suffer B. live C. share D. grow
12.A. last B. best C. happiest D. hardest
13. A. hand B. find C. pack D. collect
14. A. for a while B. all around C. all the way D. from time to time
15. A. waiting for B. caring for C. thinking of D. depending on
16.A. remembered B. recalled C. concerned D. contained
17.A. idea B. doubt C. point D. problem
18.A. main B. only C. nice D. great
19. A. received B. sent C. saved D. discovered
20. A. drive B. help C. deal D. gift
________ the danger of drunk driving, many drivers promised never to drive after drinking.
A. Realizing B. To have realized
C. Realized D. Having realized
