(   ) 8.1 believe we will face delays if we travel by bus,        traffic jams.

A. thanks to    B. but for C. regardless of    D. instead of

(   ) 7. Landing in bad weather is a tricky task for any pilot，even the smallest error can        disaster.

A. refer to    B. point to C. lead to D. take to

(   ) 6. ―I, m sorry I，m late. I, ve got a flat tyre.

―Is that the best excuse you can          ？

A. get along with B. come up with C. run out of D. watch out for

(   ) 5. The tragic coalmine incidents           the need for immediate action to ensure the

safety of coalminers.

A. adapted B. declined    C. satisfied D. underlined

(   ) 4. ―I，11 help you prepare for the party on Wednesday.

―Please don't          . My sisters have promised to help me.

A. promise B. annoy C. bother D. disturb

(   ) 3. In order to put an end to poverty，the World Bank has switched its           to providing technical assistance and long-term loans to developing countries.

A. concern    B. process C. struggle    D. focus

(   ) 2. "Have you any          to make on the recent developments?”the reporter asked the

foreign minister.

A. comments B. contents C. attitudes D. impressions

(   ) 1. Progress so far has been very good.          ，we are sure that the project will be

completed on time.

A. However B. Otherwise C. Therefore D. Besides

Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile (敏捷的)and independent than their peers over time,according to a Japanese study that covered thousands of people.

Green tea contains antioxidant chemicals(抗氧化物)that may help stop the cell damage that can lead to disease. Researchers have been studying green tea's effect on everything from cholesterol (膽固醇)to the risk of certain cancers，with mixed results so far.

They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop "functional disability"，or problems with daily activities or basic needs, such as dressing or bathing.

Specifically,almost 13 percent of adults who drank less than a cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled, compared with just over 7 percent of people who drank at least five cups a day.

The study did not prove that green tea alone kept people agile as they grew older. Green tea lovers generally had healthier diets, including more fish,vegetables and fruit, as well as more education, lower smoking rates，fewer heart attacks and strokes，and greater mental sharpness. They also tended to be more socially active and have more friends and family to rely on. But even with those factors accounted for,green tea itself was tied to a lower disability risk,the researchers said.

People who drank at least five cups a day were one-third less likely to develop disabilities than those who had less than a cup per day. Those people who averaged three or four cups a day had a 25 percent lower risk.

Although it's not clear how green tea might offer a buffer(緩沖)against disability,Tomata's team did note that one recent study found green tea extracts (提取物)seem to increase leg muscle strength in older women.

While green tea and its extracts are considered safe in small amounts, they do contain caffeine and small amounts of vitamin K，which means it could affect drugs that prevent blood clotting(凝固).

(   ) 8. What does the underlined word "peer" mean in the first paragraph?
A. Father. B. Brother.

C. A person of the same age. D. A person living in the same neighborhood.

(   ) 9. What can be learned from the passage?

A.   Antioxidant chemicals can lead to disease.

B.   Those who often drink green tea can't develop "functional disability'.

C.   "Functional disability" is related to problems with daily activities or basic needs.

D.   People who drink at least five cups of green tea a day are not likely to become functionally disabled.

(   ) 10. What does the fifth paragraph mainly tell us?

A.   How the study was proved.

B.   Why green tea lovers can keep agile.

C.   What healthier diets include.

D.   How to lower disability risk.

(   ) 11. What have the researchers discovered?

A.   Those who drank green tea can't develop "functional disability".

B.   Green tea alone kept people agile as they grew older.

C.   How green tea might offer a buffer against disability.

D.   Green tea extracts seem to increase leg muscle strength in older women.
(   ) 12. From the passage we can infer that        .

A.   vitamin K is contained in caffeine

B.   vitamin K is good for our blood

C.   vitamin K is bad for our health

D.   vitamin K has influence on some drugs

The later part of the 20th century saw its share of strange financial bubbles (泡沫).There was the real-estate bubble,the stock market bubble, and the .com bubble,just to name a few. In each instance people paid huge amounts for things that shouldn, t have been worth anything like the going price. And each time people stood around afterwards and said "What were we thinking?"

Actually the same thought occurred to the Dutch in the 17th century. As much as the tulip(郁金香)is associated with Holland,it is not native there. Actually it was introduced in 1593 by a botanist named Carolus Clusius,who brought it from Turkey. He planted a small garden,intending to research the plant for medicinal purposes. Had Clusius' s neighbors been morally upright,the tulip might still be a rare foreign plant in the gardening world. Instead they broke into his garden and stole some of his tulips in order to make some quick money，and in the process started the Dutch tulip trade.

Over the next several decades tulips became a craze among the rich of Holland,and prices began to rise. Soon even ordinary bulbs were selling for extraordinary prices, and the actually rare bulbs were extremely large. Here is an example of how many useful items it cost to buy one single tulip bulb: four tons of wheat, eight tons of rye, one bed, four oxen, eight pigs, twelve sheep, one suit of clothes, two casks of wine,four tons of beer,two tons of butter, 1 ，000 pounds of cheese and one silver drinking cup.

The height of the bubble was reached in the winter of 1636―1637. Tulip traders were making fortunes regularly. A good trader could earn up to 60 ，000 florins in a month ―approximately $61 ，710 in current U.S. dollars. With profits like those to be had，nothing local governments could do stopped the passion of trading. Then one day in Haarlem a buyer failed to show up and pay for his bulb purchase. The coming panic spread across Holland,and within days tulip bulbs were worth only a hundredth of their former prices. The tulip bubble had burst.

Looking back through time it's easy to laugh at the foolish Dutch, paying such prices for simple tulip bulbs, but an economic bubble was nothing new even then. We're still doing the same sorts of things today.

(   ) 4. The author wrote the passage        .

A.  to share the information about tulips

B.  to analyze the cause of the tulip bubble

C.  to warn us to reflect on economic bubbles

D.  to present his study of the 17th-century Holland

(   ) 5. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that        .

A.   Carolus Clusius planted tulips for medical purposes

B.   Clusius's neighbors were morally not honest

C.   the tulip is much associated with Holland

D.   the tulip is a common flower in the garden

(   ) 6. In which of the following period did tulip traders find it easiest to make money?

A. From Nov. 12 to Nov. 25. B. From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1.

C. From Dec. 1 to Dec. 12. D. From Dec. 12 to Feb. 3.
(   ) 7. The writer listed all the items for which a tulip bulb was exchanged        .

A. to attract the readers    B. to arouse the readers' curiosity

C. to show its huge potential    D. to show people' s craze of trading