Most people agree that a pet adds joy to a person’s life. Scientists are now finding that having a pet may keep its owner . And good health may add years to a person’s life.
Scientists have been the tie between pets and health for years. In 1990, a study was done with people aged 65 and older. It that pet owners went to the doctor less than people __ pets. Do pets make people ? Are people able to handle their everyday lives better? Alan Beck, who is a researcher, says that the answer to the questions is yes, then having pets may be a good idea.
Can pets also help people live longer? Rebecca Johnson did a study to . Johnson teaches nurses how to care for people. Her study shows that having pets may cause people to more slowly.
The human body makes many chemicals. Some of the chemicals make people feel . Others make people feel bad. In Johnson’s , levels of the “good” chemicals when people were around pets while levels of the “bad” chemicals went down. The good __ seemed to slow the aging of cells. If this is , maybe people should spend more time with their . Then people might feel better and longer.
You might be allergic（过敏的） to pets. Or you may not want to 57 a pet. Never fear. A robotic, or computer pet may be just the thing for you.
Scientists are testing computer pets, like the robotic dog AIBO. They want to see if __ pets can help people the way dogs do.
Will a robotic pet the real pet sitting with you on the sofa? Something tells us that it will probably become a reality.
1.A. healthy B. excited C. mad D. hurried
2.A. carrying out B. making up C. looking at D. breaking down
3.A. warned B. showed C. reminded D. advised
4.A. through B. beyond C. against D. without
5.A. busier B. funnier C. happier D. angrier
6.A. though B. until C. if D. unless
7.A. find out B. put out C. turn out D. set out
8.A. sick B. friendly C. old D. lovely
9.A. age B. move C. walk D. grow
10.A. bored B. surprised C. sleepy D. good
11.A. study B. work C. story D. case
12.A. changed B. varied C. fell D. rose
13.A. sides B. chemicals C. studies D. dogs
14.A. important B. unusual C. true D. impossible
15.A. children B. pets C. friends D. neighbors
16.A. live B. wander C. stay D. travel
17.A. head for B. search for C. cheer for D. care for
18.A. family B. computer C. baby D. toy
19.A. brave B. quiet C. faithful D. real
20.A. destroy B. replace C. improve D. accompany
For millions of years, coral reefs（珊瑚礁）have provided homes and food for thousands of different living things. Fish and sea birds share the reef with other creatures. Now these beautiful places are in danger. 1. Scientists have found that more than one-fourth of the earth’s coral reefs have been ruined so far. Another quarter will disappear in ten years’ time. Unless things change, all of the remaining reefs may die within your lifetime.
Some people think that coral is stone because of its rough（粗糙的）, hard surface. But coral is an animal. Tiny polyps（水螅体）form the coral reefs. 2. These colors come from the algae（海藻）living inside the coral. Billions of coral polyps stick together. New ones grow on the dead ones. This happens year after year. Over time, the coral builds up a reef. The reef rises from the ocean floor until it almost reaches the sea’s surface. It takes coral 500,000 years to build a huge reef. 3.
The coral reefs have been harmed mainly in three ways. The first factor is pollution on land. The pollutants run with rainwater into streams and rivers, which carry the poisons into the ocean. 4. So they will be easily infected with diseases. Another cause is people. People have broken off pieces of coral, which they want to sell or keep as souvenirs. People have dropped sticks of dynamite（炸药）into the water to catch more fish. The worst problem is the heating up of the oceans. Higher ocean temperatures kill the important food source for the coral—the algae, the tiny greenish-gold water plants that live on coral. 5. The coral turns white and dies. Scientists call this coral bleaching（珊瑚白化）. The bleached part of the coral reef cannot recover.
A. They come in many different colors.
B. However, humans have taken less than 100 years to destroy it.
C. This has blown up parts of the reefs.
D. When the algae die, the coral loses both its food and its color.
E. So are all the sea plants and animals that depend on them.
F. Chemicals from the poisons kill reefs or make them weak.
G. Many of them might not even last that long!
Darek Fidyka, a 38-year-old Bulgarian, had been paralyzed (瘫痪的) from the chest down for four years after a knife attack. Scientists from Britain and Poland took cells from his nose, transplanted (移植) them into his back and re-grew his spinal cord (脊髓). Now he can walk and even drive a car. The doctors were delighted but said it was the first step in a long journey.
The breakthrough came after 40 years of research by Professor Geoff Raisman, who found that cells had the possibility to repair damage to nasal (鼻腔的) nerves, the only part of the nervous system that constantly re-grows. “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself and put it into an area that doesn’t repair itself,” Professor Raisman said.
Polish doctors injected (注射) the nasal cells into Mr Fidyka’s spinal cord above the injury and used some nerves from his ankle to form a bridge across the damaged tissue. The nasal cells appear to have caused the spinal nerves to repair themselves.
Professor Raisman achieved this with rats in the late 1990’s, but this is his greatest success. “I think the moment of discovery for me was Christmas in 1997 when I first saw a rat, which couldn’t control its hand, put its hand out to me. That was an exciting moment, because I realized then that my belief that the nervous system could be repaired was true.”
Doctors chose the easiest case for their first attempt—it might not work for others. But there is a real sense of hope that an idea once thought impossible has been realized.
David Nicholls, who helped provide money for the breakthrough, said information about the breakthrough would be made available to researchers across the globe.
“What you’ve got to understand is that for three million paralyzed people in the world today, the world looks a totally brighter place than it did yesterday,” he said.
1. Why did Professor Geoff Raisman choose cells from the nose?
A. The nervous system in the nose can repair itself.
B. Cells from the nose can be easily transplanted.
C. The nervous system in the nose has more cells.
D. Cells in the nose are able to re-produce rapidly.
2. How did the operation work for Darek Fidyka?
A. The nervous system in the spinal nerves can repair itself.
B. The nerves from his ankle cured the patient of the injury.
C. The nasal cells re-produced and spread over very quickly.
D. The nasal cells helped the spinal nerves to repair themselves.
3. What made Professor Geoff Raisman begin to believe the nervous system can be repaired?
A. His former study with other people. B. His operation on a paralyzed patient.
C. His sudden thought about Christmas. D. His unusual experience with a sick rat.
4. David Nicholls’ words suggest that _______.
A. the world will become a better and brighter place
B. paralyzed people of today have the hope of recovery
C. the report of the breakthrough will be published soon
D. researchers across the world will carry out the operation
Fashion refers to the styles of dress that are currently popular. Fashion goes beyond just clothes, though. It’s important for some people to wear only the latest fashions and styles. For others, though, keeping up with trends (潮流) isn’t that important. The one thing that stays the same with fashion is this: it always changes!
In the 1960s and 1970s, hippies made bell-bottomed blue jeans popular. In the 1980s, Michael Jackson made parachute pants all the fashion. Now try to find these items in today’s clothing stores!
Why do fashions change? The answer is probably as simple as the fact that people change. Over time, the new replaces the old. People are influenced greatly by popular culture, including athletes, musicians, movie stars, as well as popular films, televisions shows, books and music. We are also influenced by the fashion industry’s advertising.
The stars of popular culture are always searching for a new angle to maintain (保持) their popularity. Often these new angles come in the form of new clothing or hairstyles. When people see these new styles, they often want to imitate their favorite stars. To do so, they seek out the latest fashions to make themselves look like the people they want to imitate. In this way, fashions evolve and change over time.
For years, clothes have been used to separate people into groups. Even today, brand-name clothing that is more expensive than other types of clothing can be used by some people to distinguish themselves from others. Unfortunately, this can often have the effect of distancing certain groups from others.
Don’t forget that it’s always OK to develop your own sense of style that is unique and separate from what the fashion world determines! Stay true to yourself and let your personality — not your clothes — speak for who you are.
1. The examples of bell-bottomed blue jeans and parachute pants in Paragraph 3 are used to show that _______.
A. people often have different dressing styles
B. trends of fashion are changing all the time
C. people are always affected greatly by the stars
D. hippies and Michael Jackson are good designers
2.Fashion change mainly because _______.
A. new films and shows replace the old
B. movie stars are changing over time
C. popular culture influences people
D. advertisements change rapidly
3. We can learn from the text that _______.
A. clothes may separate and distance people
B. people like imitating others’ dressing style
C. the author has clearly gone out of fashion
D. fashion is all about clothes people wear
4. In the last paragraph, the author mainly wants to stress _______.
A. the advantages of staying unique and separate
B. the bad effects of following fashions and styles
C. the good benefits of popular styles to people
D. the importance of having one’s own personality
Thousands of objects have been on display in The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and a lunar rock you can touch. In addition to our exhibition galleries, you may want to visit the Albert Einstein Planetarium, Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, and the Public Observatory on the east end. There are many things to do at the Museum in DC. We offer daily tours and educational activities for both children and adults. We also have scheduled lectures and events throughout the year.
Hours & Admission: Open every day except December 25. Admission is free.
Regular Hours: 10: 00 am to 5: 30 pm
Extended Hours: 10: 00 am to 7: 30 pm
December 26—30, 2014.
March 30—April 20, 2015.
Fridays and Saturdays, April 24—May 16, 2015.
May 17—September 7, 2015.
VISITING TIPS:
Limit the Number of Bags: All visitors are screened through metal detectors upon entry. The fewer items you bring inside the Museum, the faster your entry. Before you visit, please review the list of prohibited items, which include pocket knives and tripods (三脚架). Visitors carrying prohibited items will not be allowed inside the Museum, so please leave them at home or in your car.
No Food and Drink: Only bottled water is permitted in the Museum. You may only consume food and other drinks in the Food Court, not in the Museum. Groups who bring food are encouraged to picnic on the National Mall.
Please Take Photos: You are welcome to take photos for personal use. However, tripods and monopods (单脚架) are not permitted without approval.
First Aid: The Museum has a First Aid office and a nurse on duty. Please contact the nearest security officer or the Welcome Center for assistance.
Visit the Welcome Center:
At our Welcome Center in the South Lobby, staff and volunteers can answer any questions you have during your visit.
Open 10: 00 am to 5: 30 pm
Phone: 202-633-2214
E-mail: NASM-Visitor Services@ si.edu
1.According to the passage, the National Air and Space Museum is a museum _______.
A. where only adults can take part in activities
B. which anyone can visit without buying tickets
C. where one can touch anything that he likes
D. which anyone can visit without time limits
2. If you plan to visit the Museum at 6: 00 pm, it is possible on _______.
A. December 24, 2014 B. March 1, 2015
C. July 6, 2015 D. September 15, 2015
3. The purpose of this passage is to _______.
A. make an advertisement for the museum
B. encourage adults to bring their children there
C. show what is on display in the museum
D. attract people to explore the universe
Eve was waiting in the corridor outside her class. She was feeling sick. She had two exams that day and physics was first. She really hated physics. It was her worst subject. Lisa looked back at her, and then looked away quickly. Eve thought she looked guilty. She didn't have a problem with physics. She didn't have a problem with anything... Miss Perfect!
“Hi, Eve! So what's wrong with you and Lisa?” asked Tina, “I thought you were friends.” “Yes, so did I,” said Eve. “But she hasn't spoken to me for two weeks now. She promised to help me review for the physics exam too, but then she’s ignored all my calls and texts.”
While in the exam, Eve found Lisa was holding her phone on her knee under the table and reading from it. Eve couldn’t believe it! Is that how Lisa always got such good grades? She thought about telling the teacher, but she hesitated. The next exam was history. That was Eve’s favorite subject but she couldn't concentrate. She didn't know what to do about Lisa. Just then, Mr. Reed, their teacher, walked past. “Mr. Reed…”
Lisa was called to the teachers’ office and there waited Mr. Reed…
The history test was over. Eve was walking towards the school gate when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Lisa. Eve could see that she had been crying. “Listen,” said Lisa. “I'm really sorry I haven’t answered your calls, but my dad had a heart attack two weeks ago and he’s in hospital. He had a big heart operation today and I was very worried about him. So I was reading texts from my mum, but Mr. Reed caught me. He thought I was cheating. He believes me now, but I have to take the exam again. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was happening. Will you forgive me?”
1. The reason for Eve’s feeling sick is most probably that _______.
A. she found Lisa was looking back at her
B. she had to take two exams within one day
C. she was worried about the physics exam
D. she had been waiting for too long a time
2. Lisa didn't help Eve review for the physics exam because _______.
A. she had to look after her sick father
B. she herself was quite bad at physics
C. she didn't consider Eve as a true friend
D. she was selfish and hated to waste time
3.At the end of the story Eve probably felt _______.
A. confident and optimistic B. regretful and sorry
C. sad and angry D. glad and inspired
4.What lesson can we learn from this passage?
A. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B. A life without a friend is a life without sun.
C. Old friends and old wines are the best.
D. Friendship should be based on trust.
