As is known to us all, baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a water system for baths built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some baths, as many 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time.
Treating disease by taking bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medical bathing first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700’s has also become popular in the United States.
For many years frequent(经常的) bathing was believed to be bad for one’s health. Ordinary bathing just to keep clean was avoided, and perfume was often used to cover up body smells!
By the 1700’s doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th century, taking a bath on Saturday night became common.
In the United States ordinary bathing was slow to become popular. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans were known as “The Great Unwashed!” In one American city, for example, a person was only allowed to take a bathe every thirty days! That was a law!
Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health, Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. As a result, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bath once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential (="necessary)" to good health.
1. A water system for baths was built by _________ over 3,000 years ago.
A．the Greeks B．the Romans C．the Americans D．the Europeans
2.In the 18th century doctors believed that being clean was __________.
A．good for health B．unimportant C．harmful D．important
3.The underlined word perfume probably means _____________.
A．a strange smelling substance B．good health
C．a sweet smelling substance D．large wealth
4.Which of the following gives the main idea of the passage?
A．Everybody inAmericatakes a daily bath.
B．A bath a day keeps the doctor away.
C．Bathing has become easier and cheaper.
D．Taking baths has become popular in the world.
Who says constant texting is just a bad habit? The teenager with the fastest thumbs in the country was crowned on Wednesday at the LG US National Texting Championship in New York City, winning ＄50,000 after a series of fierce texting battles.
16-year-old Austin Wiershke comes from Rhinelander, Wisconsin of the United States. He took home the top prize at the fifth annual texting event, beating 11 other competitors in the final, including last year’s champion Brianna Hendrickson from Brooklyn, New York.
Wiershke, who was wearing a gray shirt and having Justin Bieber’s hairstyle, sailed through each level of the competition by typing passages of text on a QWERTY keyboard rapidly without any mistaken. One special round even included being blindfolded(蒙眼) on the state to make up phrases by memory.
“I’m extremely nervous,” Wiershke said while waiting for the results after the final round. “I’m getting ready to hear Brianna’s name. When I heard my name was announced, I really couldn’t believe my ears.” After the announcement was made, confetti(五彩纸屑) dropped from the ceiling and Wiershke was met on the stage by the singer who said that she liked texting very much. She was Ashley Tisdale, a famous and beautiful singer, who awarded him his check.
In August, a film on Music Television called “Thumbs” took a behind-the –scenes look at the teenager’s life. It shows how he practiced texting to be the fastest. The film followed a series of young texting competitors, including Brianna Hendrickson, in the weeks leading up to this year’s LG US National Texting Championship. Besides showing the always –connected lifestyle of these teenagers nationwide, the mover also shows the studies, sports , dreams and friendships among these competitors.
1.What is the main idea of this passage?
A．A teenager receiver $50,000.
B．Teenagers in the US make money by texting.
C．A teenager was named the fastest texter in the US.
D．The LG US National Texting Championship was held in New York City.
2. During the special round, competitors were required to text_____________.
A．among confetti
B．without using their eyes
C．using a special keyboard
D．extremely difficult words
3.We can infer that Austin Wiershke_________.
A．wasn’t used to using the QWERTY keyboard
B．didn’t think Brianna Hendrickson would win this time
C．didn’t expect he would beat Brianna Hendrickson
D．was very confident when he was waiting for the result of the contest
4.Through the film called “Thumb”, people can know____________.
A．the development of the LG US National Texting Championship
B．various parts of the competitors’ life
C．what happened to the competitors after the contest
D．the details of the texting contest
Hearing plays an important part in our everyday life, but few of us take the steps we need to protect our hearing.
It is easy to see how your hearing is under assault in today’s world. There are so many things to hear, and so many new instruments, like iPods and headphones, which can harm your hearing if used improperly. Keeping the volume(音量)to a reasonable level on an iPod or other portable listening instruments is one of the most important ways to protect your hearing. Another great way to keep your hearing protected is to avoid loud noises whenever possible. There are many loud noises from power tools to machinery, and it is important to avoid these noises as often as possible. When it is not possible to avoid them, keep your hearing protected by using earplugs(耳机).
If you think your hearing may have already been damaged by modern technology, it is important to have your hearing tested by a physician. Only such a professional will be able to measure your level of hearing loss and help you find the best solution to your hearing problem.
For those with hearing issues, the choices have never been greater. There are many excellent hearing aids on the market. Having a hearing aid can be a perfect choice for the young and the old alike, and many people who swore they would never wear a hearing aid find that they love the convenience and quality these instruments represent.
Never let an unimportant thing like vanity(虚荣) get in the way of treating a hearing problem. These days there are hearing aids that are nearly invisible to the naked eye, including a number of models that fit completely inside the ear. If you believe you may be experiencing a problem with your hearing, it is important to have it checked out, and to take the right measures to protect your ears. In many cases, this treatment will be as simple as wearing earplugs. Taking care of your ears is of great importance. After all, you only get one set of ears.
1.The second paragraph mainly talks about_____.
A．the causes of hearing loss
B．the importance of hearing
C．how to cure hearing problems
D．how to protect your hearing
2.The underlined phrase “under assault” in Paragraph 2 most probably means_____.
A．under consideration
B．under protection
C．under attack
D．under treatment
3.All the following factors may cause hearing problems EXCEPT_____.
A．using iPods improperly
B．listening to MP3 at full volume
C．standing near machinery making a loud noise
D．using earplugs when there are loud noises
The World Health Organization recently reported that the number of cases of tuberculosis(TB) has been abating since 2006 . Also, fewer people are dying from TB. But a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, says smoking could threaten this progress.
Nearly twenty percent of all people use tobacco, and millions of non-smokers get sick from breathing the smoke. The new study predicts that smoking will produce an additional thirty-four million TB deaths by 2024.
Efforts to control the spread of TB have mainly focused on finding and treating infections. Fewer efforts have been made to understand the causes. Dr Anthony Fauci is the director of the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases. He said, “Despite our control efforts, we still have more than a million people each year dying from TB and millions of people getting infected; we realize it’s still a very important problem. So we have to do the practical thing and we have to do the fundamental research things at the same time. ”
Smoking does not cause TB; bacteria cause the infection. But the study says smoking affects the nervous system in a way that makes an inactive case of TB more likely to develop into an active one. Stanton Glantz is the director of the University of California’s Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education and an author of the new study. He says it shows that TB cannot be controlled unless tobacco use is controlled. He said, “It increases the number of people who will get TB by about seven percent.”
The study is described as the first to identify a direct link between tobacco use and rates of TB infection and death. Professor Glantz says the results should guide those creating health policies and TB control efforts. He said, “If you want to control the infectious disease of TB, you have to control the tobacco industry and the tobacco industry’s efforts to increase tobacco use, particularly in developing countries where TB is a big problem.”
1.What would be the beat title for this passage?
A．Scientists try to find the causes of TB deaths.
B．Study shows smoking is harmful to our health.
C．Study links smoking to millions of TB deaths.
D．Scientists pay more attention to TB deaths than before.
2.What does the underlined word “abating” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A．Responding B．Surviving. C．Rising. D．Falling.
3. What would Dr Anthony Fauci probably agree with?
A．More efforts are needed to find the causes of TB infections.
B．TB infections are no longer a serious problem.
C．Few efforts have been put into the work of treating TB infections.
D．The practical and the fundamental research cannot be done together at present.
4.It is implied in the passage that ____________.
A．it is not very hard to control TB
B．smoking indirectly leads to TB
C．an inactive case of TB is deadly
D．people cannot blame smoking for TB
I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend. She had just moved into the neighborhood and her grandmother brought her down to 1 me. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother, 2 to look at each other. Soon, we lost the shyness and started playing with each other. In 7th grade, I first lost 3 with her. She was 4 family problems and I deserted her. 5 of my new friends liked her 6 they knew she had “problems”.
It was last year when I noticed the 7 . I guess I was just to catch up in high school to realize she 8 someone there for her. I didn’t know 9, but she started cutting herself!
She was 10 from clinical depression(抑郁), and had to go to a 11 during the day. I was very upset at first but with the late night 12 , and meeting each other at midnight. I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend once 13 her since people were calling her crazy.
Yesterday she came to me and said this:“I never knew what a best friend was 14 you were the only person that would 15 me from cutting; the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my problems. You don’t know this but I was trying to 16 myself that night you called me. You didn’t even know you were 17 me. I owe you so much.”
We both cried. And I guess a kind of 18 from my life is:“never give up on your friends”. Even if they aren’t as cool as others, or people think they are 19 , they need someone there. If you desert them, you will only be 20 yourself. So if a friend needs you, and you care for them, you can never desert them.
1. A．call B．find C．meet D．know
2. A．scared B．surprised C．glad D．eager
3. A．communication B．friendship C．relation D．touch
4. A．breaking through B．going through C．seeing through D．getting through
5. A．None B．All C．Each D．Neither
6. A．even if B．however C．as if D．because
7. A．problem B．coolness C．assessment D．sadness
8. A．had B．wanted C．needed D．expected
9. A．how B．why C．when D．where
10. A．dating B．suffering C．separating D．originating
11. A．hospital B．teacher C．friend D．school
12. A．comforts B．conversations C．persuasions D．calls
13. A．liked B．respected C．deserted D．hated
14. A．when B．until C．before D．after
15. A．protect B．support C．stop D．warn
16. A．control B．kill C．forget D．enjoy
17. A．hurting B．ignoring C．reminding D．helping
18. A．fact B．truth C．lesson D．experience
19. A．unfriendly B．cool C．strange D．crazy
20. A．unhappy B．foolish C．impressive D．anxious
---Now, children begin to learn English at a very early age. It is really a good thing?
---_________.
A．Yes, just in case B．Well, it depends
C．Don’t mention it D．Believe it or not
