Songs that make our hearts happy can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels (血管) dilated in much the same way as when they are laughing, or taking blood medications.
"We have a pretty impressive effect," said Dr Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology (心脏病学) at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
"Blood vessel diameter improved," he said. "The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise." A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins.
When blood vessels open up more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the clots (凝块) that cause heart attacks and strokes. "We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but rather to add this to an overall program of heart health," said Miller, who presented his findings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
Miller's team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music. They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music they said made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound tests designed to show blood vessel function.
Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music. Listening to music they disliked — in most cases in this group heavy metal — blood vessels narrowed by six percent, Miller said.
Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering that laughter caused blood to literally flow more smoothly. "I asked myself what other things make us feel really good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. ... It makes me feel really good," he said.
Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important rather than what pleases each individual.
1. The underlined word dilate (in paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. widen B. move C. change D. increase
2. According to the passage, which of the following will NOT cause blood vessels to open up?
A. Taking exercise. B. Listening to unpleasant music.
C. Bursting into laughter. D. Taking drugs like statins.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. blood clots are caused by heart attacks and strokes
B. music is better than chocolate for your health
C. the style of music has different effects on different people
D. a person’s overall health is more influenced by how much exercise he gets
4. What is the passage possibly taken out from?
A. A scientific journal. B. A school textbook.
C. A medical brochure. D. A local newspaper.
5. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Pleasant Music Cures B. Research into Blood Vessel
C. Music and Heart Attack D. Music and Happiness
Brian knew he had been drinking more and more, but he was convinced that he'd return to more moderate drinking when he wasn't so pressured at work, and that "a few too many drinks now and then" wasn't a major problem.
"My wife and father were on me to stop drinking, but you know how critical and protective family can be," said Brian. "So I blew them off."
It wasn't until his friend Jack spoke up that Brian started to think differently. "That really hit home, because I wouldn’t expect a friend to confront me with something that personal unless it was very important," said Brian. "Jack said he was really concerned about me. He pointed out that my personality changed after I had a few beers--that I became belligerent(寻衅的). For a normally easy-going guy, that was a dramatic change in behavior."
Jack could see that Brian's numerous drinking binges(放纵) were causing problems. Brian was frequently calling into work sick and falling behind in his work, and his marriage was seriously on the ropes. Brian was teetering(摇摇欲坠) on the edge of disaster. "I didn't want to see a good life and a good friendship ruined," said Jack, "so I approached Brian, shared my honest observations with him, and suggested that he seek help."
After a couple days of soul searching, though still reluctant, Brian took Jack's suggestion and was assessed by an addiction professional. The expert recommended that Brian check into a treatment center, and one day later Brian did so.
Many people fear taking the path that Jack took. Speaking up to a friend who may have a problem with alcohol or other drugs can be a tricky undertaking.
Yet it's true that a concerned friend can do a lot. Most people don't recognize they have a substance abuse problem and most don't seek help for a problem until someone close to them intervenes(干预).
1.What happened to Brian according to the passage?
A. He suffered from an illness called alcohol addiction.
B. He changed so much that he was deserted by his family.
C. He became morally corrupted drinking too much all day.
D. He drank a little more than normal to escape the pressure.
2.What does “that” in the 3rd paragraph refer to?
A. Brian’s drinking binges. B. Jack’s talk with Brian.
C. Wife and father’s intervention. D. Brian’s different thoughts.
3. Brian could accept Jack’s suggestions mainly because ____________.
A. he found his friend was very critical and protective
B. Jack’s suggestions were professional and persuasive
C. Jack and Brian’s family had different opinions
D. he knew his friend wouldn’t easily intervene his personal affair
4. Brian’s alcohol abuse brought him many problems EXCEPT ____________.
A. his refusal to listen to his family B. his bad temper and aggressiveness
C. his failure to do his work well D. his marriage problems
5. The writer narrates Brian’s story in order to ____________.
A. tell us the bad results of alcohol addiction
B. warn us not to fall into the habit of drinking
C. show friends have real power to intervene
D. prove a friend in need is a friend indeed
第三部分：阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
What is a creepy crawly?
A few years ago, I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest. I sat down on the grass. A few seconds later, I was covered in ants. They were swarming all over me so I got up and brushed them off. It was a strange experience but I soon forgot about it.
A couple of years later, I was living in Jordan. I had just moved into a modern flat and was unpacking plates when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at the kitchen drawer and there was a cockroach crawling out of it. I screamed. Then I grabbed a can of insecticide and sprayed it on the cockroach. He ran under the nearby bathroom door. It took me three days before I found the courage to open the bathroom door to see if he was still alive. He wasn’t.
Why did I react so violently to one lone insect when a closer encounter with hundreds of ants hardly affected me? The answer is easy: because cockroaches are creepy crawlies and ants aren’t. Creepy crawlies are those little bugs which provoke feelings such as uneasiness, anxiety or dislike – they make your skin crawl.
Did you know that some people feel such a fear of bugs that it becomes a phobia? Psychologists have offered many explanations. Some say we associate them with dirt and disease. Or that these are life forms that are so alien to us, that we find them repulsive(令人厌恶的) for their dissimilarity.
Insects, however, don’t follow our rules – they just do what they want and invade our space. Unfortunately, although insects and bugs have been a successful animal species up to now, many of them, like many other species nowadays, are under threat of extinction. Entomologists warn that this could upset entire ecosystems and lead to all kinds of disastrous consequences.
So my plea to you is: the next time you feel the urge to stamp on, splatter or spray a creepy crawly, give a thought to the planet and stop.
1. Why did the author mention the ants in the beginning?
A. Because the experience with the ants presents a sharp contrast to that with the cockroach later.
B. Because the author wants to show her preference to the ants and her dislike for the cockroach.
C. Because both ants and cockroaches are creepy crawlies that the author dislikes.
D. Because meeting the ants is an unusual experience that the author can hardly forget.
2. What does “insecticide” in the second paragraph probably mean?
A. a kind of fruit juice. B. a kitchen knife.
C. liquid for killing insects. D. cleanser for the bathroom.
3. How does the author feel about the bugs like cockroaches?
A. The author doesn’t mind the contact with those harmless small creatures.
B. They make the author feel so awful that they should be killed.
C. They invade our space and become a threat to humans.
D. They still deserve a place for keeping the balance of the nature.
4. Which of the following is NOT the reason why the cockroach makes the author’s skin crawl?
A. It looks so strange and different that the author can’t accept its appearance.
B. It can make the author feel sick and cause a strong dislike.
C. The author may relate it to something dirty or disease at the sight of it.
D. It reminds the author of the experience of meeting hundreds of ants.
5. Which of the following statements about bugs is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Some people may be frightened so much by bugs that it leads to a psychological barrier in some degree.
B. People can enjoy a cleaner living environment if more bugs like cockroaches are killed.
C. Many bugs are in danger of extinction so they should be placed under human’s protection.
D. Some bugs are extremely unpleasant that people have a strong wish to destroy them.
第二节：语言结构（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分） 阅读下面短文，
根据上下文在空白处填上适当的词,或使用括号中的词语的正确形式填空。
When I was a ten-year-old girl, I was once asked to deliver a speech titled “A Real Test in My Life”. To talk before the whole class! Just imagine how 31 (terrible) shy I was the moment I thought of that 32 so many eyes fixed upon me. I had no other choice, though. First I was to draft the speech and that was just a piece of cake for me, because I was a good writer－something to pride myself in. But the hard part 33 (lie) in my oral presentation; to read from 34 paper was not allowed; I had to give the speech 35 my memory and in front of such a big audience! A real trial began when I stood on the platform with my legs trembling and my mind blank. How much time had passed by, I didn’t know. My listeners were still waiting, patiently and without any signs of rushing me. Gradually I found 36 back, giving out my speech with difficulty. Finally I finished. After 37 seemed to be a hundred years, I found my audience applauding. I made it! From then on, my fear of talking before an audience 38 (appear). Actually with my confidence building 39 , I now turn out to be a great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on our way to success is our fear. Overcome it, 40 we will be able to achieve our goals.
第二部分：英语知识及运用（共两节，满分35分）
第一节：完形填空（共10小题；每小题2分, 满分20分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项A、B、C和D中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。
Rubber ducks are being used to help scientists understand global warming and melting glaciers. NASA researchers have 21 90 ducks into holes in Greenland's fastest moving glacier, the Jakobshavn Glacier between Greenland and Canada. The 22 have each been marked with the words "science experiment" along with an e-mail address. If they are found scientists will be able to 23 how the water moves through the ice and provide information about the 24 of glaciers. Scientists are still 25 about why glaciers speed up in summer and head towards the sea. One theory is that as the summer sun melts ice on top of the glacier's surface, the water moves to the bottom of the glacier, where it helps to 26 the movement of ice toward the coast. The Jakobshavn Glacier is believed to be the 27 of the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912. Robert Jones, the experiment organizer, said none of the ducks had been 28 yet. "We haven't heard back but it may take some time until somebody actually finds it and decides to send us a/an 29 that they have found it," he said. "These are places that are 30 so there aren't people walking around."
21. A. flown B. buried C. hidden D. dropped
22. A. results B. toys C. glaciers D. scientists
23. A. remember B. invent C. learn D. control
24. A. development B. movement C. growth D. travels
25. A. unsure B. excited C. concerned D. ignorant
26. A. reduce B. control C. speed D. stop
27. A. position B. source C. reason D. result
28. A. hurt B. eaten C. missing D. reported
29. A. email B. card C. fax D. sign
30. A. hidden B. lost C. remote D. quiet
第二节：读写任务（共1小题，满分25分）
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
“Depend on yourself”is what nature says to everyone. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. Others still can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been great men in history. But many of them were very poor in childhoods and no uncles, aunts or friends to help them. Schools were few and not very good. They could not depend upon them for an education. They saw how it was, and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way up to fame.
One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils. “I can not make worthy men of you but I can help you make men of yourself.”
But some young men tend to totally depend on others to help them out. They can never achieve much unless they see their weak points and change their course. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers and depend on their own honest efforts.
［写作内容］
1）以约30词概括短文的要点；
2）然后以约120词就“一切靠自己”的主题发表看法，并包括以下要点：
a）表达你的论点；
b）陈述你的理由；
c）概括你的论点：应该如何依靠自己。
［写作要求］
可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
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