It’s 3 o’clock and you’ve been hard at work. As you sit at your desk, a strong desire for chocolate overcomes you. You try to busy yourself to make it go away. But it doesn’t. Here is another situation. Perhaps you are not feeling well. The only thing you want to eat is a big bowl of chicken soup, like your mum used to make when you were sick as a child. Food cravings are a strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.
Scientists at the website How Stuff Works compare hunger and cravings this way. Hunger is a fairly simple connection between the stomach and the brain. They even call it simply “stomach hunger”. When our stomachs burn up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (激素) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which regulates our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite and you eat. Hunger is a function of survival.
A craving is more complex. It activates brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward. These are the same areas of the brain activated during drug-craving studies. Because of this, some scientists call food cravings “mind hunger”. People often crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Foods that are high in fat or high in sugar produce chemicals in the brain. These chemicals give us feelings of pleasure.
In a 2007 study, researchers at Cambridge University found that dieting or restricted eating generally increases the possibility of food cravings. So, the more you deny yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it. However, fasting (禁食) is a bit different. They found that eating no food at all for a short period of time lessened food cravings.
So, the next time you crave something very specific, know that your brain may be more to blame than your stomach.
1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To deepen the understanding of hunger.
B. To lead to the topic of the whole passage.
C. To report the discovery of craving study.
D. To remind readers of their own special food.
2.What do we learn about food cravings?
A. It means the stomach functions well. B. It ensures a person survives hunger.
C. It shows food is linked to feelings. D. It proves the brain decides your appetite.
3.What’s the likely result of dieting?
A. The increase of food desire. B. The decrease of chemicals.
C. The refusal of fat and sugar. D. The disappearance of appetite.
4.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The findings of food cravings. B. What hunger is all about.
C. The functions of brain areas. D. What dieting may bring us.
It may seem hard to leave Sydney’s attractions and sights, but when the urge arises to explore beyond the city, many exceptional day trips await travelers.
Scenic World
On a visit to the World heritage-listed Blue Mountains, enjoy clean fresh air and breath-taking landscapes of ancient rainforests. Scenic World in Katoomba is the best way to access the beauty of this region. Besides climbing, you can choose cablecars, elevated boardwalks or the Scenic Railway—the world’s steepest train travelling through a rock tunnel, to reach the mountain top.
Royal National Park
Established in 1879, the Royal is the world’s second-oldest national park. Located an hour’s drive south of Sydney, the beaches are unspoilt, crowd-free and great for surfing or swimming. There’s dramatic scenery along the way with a range of unique heritage attractions. Bushwalking, boating, canoeing and fishing are also popular activities.
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Located 45 minutes west of Sydney, Featherdale has the world’s largest collection of Australian native birds, mammals (哺乳动物) and reptiles (爬行动物). Situated in a bushland environment, Featherdale provides a unique opportunity for up-close animal interactions (交往). Hand-feed a kangaroo, have breakfast with a koala and check out a huge variety of species including dingos, emus, penguins and more.
The Hawkesbury River
An hour north-west of Sydney, the Hawkesbury is one of New South Wales’ best-kept secrets. Experience what this picturesque region of waterways, farmland and national parks has to offer—from waterskiing and bushwalking to horse riding, river cruises and retail therapy.
1.What can you do when visiting Scenic World?
A.Ride horses.
B.Hand-feed a kangaroo.
C.Go surfing.
D.Climb mountains.
2.If you are an animal lover, you can go to ________.
A.Scenic World
B.Royal National Park
C.The Hawkesbury River
D.Featherdale Wildlife Park
3.What do Royal National Park and The Hawkesbury River have in common?
A.Both can be reached by cablecars.
B.Visitors can go swimming and fishing.
C.Bushwalking is available on the two trips.
D.Visitors can enjoy beautiful mountain scenery.
最近你校进行了“学生参加社区服务”大讨论，学生们对此观点不一，有的支持，有的反对，请谈谈你的看法。内容包括：
1. 观点；
2. 理由；
3. 建议。
注意：1. 可根据要点增加细节使行文连贯；
2. 词数：100左右。
提示词：社区服务community service；责任 responsibility。
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读表达
When Dan Shaw gets up from the sofa in his home, Cuddles is never far away. When he wants to go outside, he doesn't take Cuddles out for a walk—Cuddles takes him for a walk. Cuddles is clearly no ordinary family pet. It is a two-foot-high small horse and serves as the guiding eyes of Shaw, who is blind.
When Shaw lost his sight, his wife suggested he apply for a guide dog. Shaw, an animal lover, said he couldn't bear to part with a dog (which usually lives about eight to ten years) and get used to a new one, perhaps several times in his life.
Then Shaw heard of a program about the tiny guide horses. He learned that the horse possess many qualities that make them an excellent choice for guiding people. They are clean, friendly, smart and have great memories. They can be trained to remain calm in noisy and crowded places. Best of all, they live for 25 years, which would enable Shaw to have the same guide companion for most or all of his life.
Shaw immediately applied to be and was accepted as the first person to receive a guide horse. The instant he met Cuddles, he knew he was making the right choice. Then he began his training.
Through training, Shaw and Cuddles learned to find way on busy streets and find elevator buttons. Cuddles even showed its ability to step in front of Shaw and block him, to prevent him from walking into a dangerous situation. The little horse also expertly led Shaw through busy shopping malls. They got along without any difficulty. Now Shaw is confident that Cuddles will change his life for the better.
1.What is the main reason why Shaw chose a horse as his guide? (No more than 15 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
2.What does the passage mainly tell us? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
3.What will Shaw's future life be like with the help of Cuddles? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
4.What's the meaning of the underlined word ''malls'' in the last paragraph? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
5.In your opinion, how should man get along with animals? (No more than 20 words)
____________________________________________________________________________.
The Galapagos Islands are in the Pacific Ocean, off the western coast of South America. They are a rocky, lonely spot, but they are also one of the most unusual places in the world. One reason is that they are the home of some of the last giant tortoises left on earth.
Weighing hundreds of pounds, these tortoises go slowly around the rocks and sand of the islands. Strangely, each of these islands has its own particular kinds of tortoises. There are seven different kinds of tortoises on the eight islands, and each kind is slightly different from the other.
Hundreds of years ago, thousands of tortoises were around these islands. However, all that changed when people started landing there. When people first arrived in 1535, crews would seize as many tortoises as they could. They would roll the tortoises onto their backs when they were brought onto the ships. The tortoises were completely helpless once on their backs, so they could only lie there until used for soups and stews. Almost 100,000 tortoises were carried off in this way.
The tortoises faced other problems, too. Soon after the first ships, settlers arrived, bringing pigs, goats, donkeys, dogs and cats. All of these animals ruined life for the tortoises. Donkeys and goats ate all the plants that the tortoises usually fed on, while the pigs, dogs and cats ate thousands of baby tortoises each year. Within a few years, it was hard to find any tortoise eggs or even any baby tortoises.
Finally, in the 1950s, scientists decided that something must be done. The first part of their plan was to remove as many cats, dogs and other animals as they could from the islands. Next, they tried to make sure that more baby tortoises would be born; This slow, hard work continues today, and, thanks to it, the number of tortoises is now increasing every year. Perhaps these wonderful animals will not disappear after all.
1.What makes the Galapagos Islands unusual?
A.The biggest islands in the Pacific Ocean.
B.Rocky, lonely spot.
C.The giant tortoises.
D.Many homes for tourists.
2.What can be learned from Paragraph 2?
A.Tortoises weigh a hundred pounds.
B.Tortoises move around very fast.
C.There are different kinds of tortoises.
D.Tortoises are larger than the ones in other places.
3.What did first comers to the island do with tortoises hundreds of years ago?
A.People cooked them as food.
B.Scientists took measures to protect them.
C.Pigs, dogs and cats ate many baby tortoises.
D.Settlers brought other tortoises to the islands.
4.What happened soon after people brought animals to the islands?
A.Tortoise eggs were kept in safe containers.
B.The animals ate the tortoises’ food and eggs.
C.The tortoises continued to wander freely.
D.The tortoises fought against the other animals.
5.What happened to the tortoises because of the scientists’ effort?
A.The tortoises began to disappear gradually.
B.The number of tortoises began to decrease.
C.Scientists took away other animals off the islands.
D.There are more and more giant tortoises on the islands.
Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn't in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren; correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent ''Book of the Month Club'' topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her suffering in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
'' Whrr, '' she said weakly.
''Where? '' I asked. ''Mom, is there something you want? '' ''Whrr, '' she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could gather said, '' Not was. Say were! ''
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. ''if it was up to me…''
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. ''Thanks, Mom, '' he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…
1.What does the underlined words ''went steadily downhill'' mean in the 2nd paragraph?
A.went lower and lower B.went worse and worse
C.went down the hill D.went downstairs
2.When Mom said, ''Whrr'', what did she really want to do?
A.She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B.She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C.She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D.She wanted to give her sons something before she died.
3.Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
A.Mom was a good teacher and never gave up her teaching.
B.Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C.Mom didn't forget her teaching until she died.
D.Mom stopped teaching when she was at home.
4.What does the writer think of his mother?
A.He loved her but was tired of his mother's teaching.
B.His mother should have forgotten her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C.His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D.His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
5.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A.Once a Teacher, Always… B.Mom's Will
C.A Teacher’s Life D.A Teacher’s Devotion
