Country-dwellers(农村居民) often say the constant noise, heavy traffic and crowds of the city would drive them mad. Well, they might be right, according to the latest research. City residents are more likely to develop mental illnesses than those who live in villages, a study has found.
Researchers from Cardiff university examined the lifestyles of more than 200,000 people in Sweden and found that those who lived in urban areas were more at risk from mental illnesses than people who lived in villages.
The experts don’t know exactly why this is but they suggest that town and city residents are more likely to be ostracized(排挤) by those around them. They are more likely to experience discrimination(歧视) if they do not fit in, which can lead to them feeling anxious and even developing mental illnesses.
Dr Stanley Zammit, who led the research said that people living in towns and cities are more likely to develop other mental illnesses that result in personality changes — a condition known as non-affective psychosis(非情感性精神病).
Earlier this year an official report found that village-dwellers live an average of two years longer than those living in towns and cities. According to figures from the Office of National Statistics in the UK, men who live in villages are likely to live for between 78 and 79 years, while those in towns and cities can expect to survive to an age of 76. Women on average survive to their 81st birthday in towns and cities, but live to between 82 and 83 in villages. The small marked town of Wimborne Minster in rural Dorset was named the healthiest place to live in.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. City-dwellers are more likely to develop mental illnesses.
B. City-dwellers live longer than country-dwellers.
C. Country-dwellers are more likely to develop mental illnesses.
D. Country-dwellers live longer than city-dwellers.
2.It can be inferred that ___________.
A. people like living in towns and cities
B. city-dwellers enjoy their peaceful city life
C. village-dwellers get along better with their neighbors than city-dwellers
D. village-dwellers are more likely to be looked down upon by others
3.Non-affective psychosis is a kind of mental illnesses that is linked to ________
A. energy weakening B. temperature rise
C. pressure increase D. character change
4.We can learn from the last paragraph that generally ________ .
A. men living in villages live the longest
B. women living in cities live the longest
C. women living in villages live the longest
D. men living in cities live the longest.
Eco City Farms(生态城市农场) are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the United states.
Eco City Farms in Edmonton, Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a working-class community(社区). People do not have very much money. And they have limited access (获得)to fresh food in markets.
Over the past two years, the farm has attracted volunteers from the community like Marcy Clark. She schools her four children at home. On a recent day she brought them to Eco City Farms for a lesson. Her son Alston Clark thinks his experience is very valuable.“I like coming out here,” he says,“ You know, you connect with the earth, where your food comes from. You appreciate the food a little bit more.”
Margaret Morgan started Eco City Farms. She thinks of it as a place where people can learn to live healthier lives. “Growing food in a community brings people together,” she continues, “Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration(示范) to show people everything about how to have an eco-friendly community.” she says. From the Eco City Farms people come to know that they are not only growing food and raising chickens and bees, but improving the soil with compost(肥料)made from food waste.
Eco City Farms is an experimental operation. The farm gets its power not from the local electricity networks, but from the sun with solar panels. In winter, the green house use a geothermal(地热)system.
Vegetables can be grown all year. So once a week, all winter long, neighbors like Chris Moss and her three children bike to the farm to pick up a share of the harvest.
“I like eating the vegetables ”says five-year-old Owen Moss.
1.What is mainly talked about in the passage?
A. Eco City Farms save a lot of energy.
B. Eco City Farms helps the working-class live better.
C. Eco City Farms are influencing community life.
D. Eco City Farms are gaining popularity.
2.According to the passage, Eco City Farms are close to the following places EXCEPT______.
A. shopping centers
B. car repair shops
C. fast-food restaurants
D. working-class community
3.What is the author’s attitude toward Eco City Farms?
A. Doubtful. B. Disappointed.
C. Surprised. D. Enthusiastic(热心的).
4.Eco City Farm gets its power from
A. local electricity networks
B. the sun with solar panels
C. the green house
D. a geothermal system
Diary of a Do-it-Yourself Book
This book based on Greg Hefley's own "diary" lets kids express themselves in an exciting way.In the book, kids will be asked: What was the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This Do-It-Yourself Book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries.
Author: Jeff Kinney
List Price: $10.95
Price: $6.57 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $4.38(40%)
Train to Somewhere
Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on a train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. Stop after stop goes by, and there is no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy Marianne, either. But that is all right. She has to be free for her mother to claim her. Then the train stopped at its final stop, a town called Somewhere...
Author: Eve Bunting
List Price: $6.95
Price: $6.95 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $0.00(0%)
Chinese Children's Favorite Stories
This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful(令人愉快的) selection from the store of Chinese legend.(传奇) Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Chang’e and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged ix to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China.
Author: Mingmei Yip
List Price: $18.95
Price: $12.89 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $6.06(32%)
The Way Science Works
The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life.Discover science in action from the principles that explain everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today's fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more.
Author: Robin Kerrod
List Price: $24.99
Price: $16.49 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $8.50(34%)
1.Diary of a Do - It - Yourself Book is different from other books because you can .
A. write your own stories in the book
B. have a chance to see beautiful photos
C. ask the author questions
D. read many interesting stories about the author
2.Based on Train to Somewhere, how many children head west on the train.
A. 14. B. 13. C. 15. D. 16.
3.Whose book would you like to read if you are interested in science and technology?
A. Jeff Kinney's. B. Eve Bunting's.
C. Mingmei Yip's. D. Robin Kerrod's.
When Julio Diaz stepped off the subway after work one night, he was simply planning to go to his favorite local diner for a meal. But when a teenage boy approached him with a knife, Diaz knew the evening was about to take a more dramatic(巨大而突然的) turn.
The young man demanded Diaz’s wallet, and Diaz passed it over without objection(异议). But just as he turned to walk away, Diaz called, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something.”
The young man turned around, surprised.
“If you’re going to rob people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep warm.”
The teenager looked at Diaz in disbelief, and asked why he would do such a thing. Diaz replied, “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, I guess you must really need the money.”He said he was heading out for dinner, and that he would be happy to take someone with him.
The young man decided to take Diaz up on his offer. As they were sitting at the table, the manager, dishwashers and waiters all stopped over to say hello to Diaz, and the young man was amazed at his popularity.
“Haven’t you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?”Diaz asked him.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” the teenager replied. Thanks to Diaz, he was beginning to see that kindness wasn’t so strange, after all.
When the bill came, Diaz told the teen that he’d have to get the check. After all, he still had Diaz’s wallet.
But the teenager put the wallet on the table without a moment’s thought, and Diaz treated him to dinner. Diaz also gave the would-be robber a $20 bill — in exchange for his knife. “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right,” Diaz said.
1.The young man felt surprised when Diaz ________.
A. called him to wait for a moment
B. passed the wallet over without objection
C. stepped off the subway platform
D. invited him to have dinner together
2.The underlined part “take Diaz up on” can be replaced by “________”.
A. follow B. understand C. accept D. check
3.The teenager gave the wallet back to Diaz maybe because _________.
A. Diaz was so popular with people in the restaurant
B. he had been given a $20 bill to take with him
C. Diaz had to pay for the meal they had together
D. he began to realize people should be nice to others
4.Diaz possibly felt _________ during the whole night.
A. worried and helpless B. relaxed and happy
C. angry and scared D. surprised and anxious
书面表达
假如你是李华,你的美国朋友Peter 想了解你的高中生活,请用英语给他写一封信,内容包括:
1. 就读学校历史悠久,学习氛围好;
2. 英语成绩优异;
3. 积极参加课外活动;
4. 打算报考清华大学,致力于科学研究。
注意:1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当发挥,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:课外活动 extracurricular activities
Dear peter,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
假如英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的一篇作文。文中共有10处语言错误,要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),在其下面写上该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处,多者(从11处起)不记分。
On Friday, our teacher told us that there would an English corner in front of our teaching building. I set about soon after the last class in the afternoon.
To my joy, the English corner had just been on for a few minute. I joined them on their talk. At first, I was afraid that my English was so poor and limit that I couldn’t follow them or make myself understand. I was also afraid that anyone might laugh at me. But a smiling face here or an encouraging nod there soon put me at ease. Though I speak to them only in simple English that day, I believe in future I will make a greater progress.