Doctors recognize obesity as a health problem. So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients
about it?
     The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while
most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don't
know what to say.
      So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there, said
Christine C. Ferguson, director of the Stop_Obesity_Alliance. Without being told about options for
diabetes, she said, "Doctors don't feel they have good information to give. They felt they didn't have
adequate tools to address this problem."
     The lack of dialogue hurts patients, too. The patient survey, of over 1,000 adults, found that most
overweight patients don't even know that they' re too heavy. Only 39 percent of overweight people
surveyed had ever been told by a health care provider that they were overweight.
     Of those who were told they were obese,90 percent were also told by their doctors to lose weight,
the survey found. In fact most have tried to lose weight and may have been successful in the past-and
many are still trying, the survey found. And many understand that losing even a small amount of weight
can have a positive impact on their health and reduce their risk of obesityrelated diseases like
hypertension and diabetes.
     Dr. William Bestermann Jr., medical director of Holston Medical Group, in Kingsport, Tenn. , which
ranks the 10th in obesity among metropolitan areas in the United States, said the dialogue had to be an
ongoing one and could not be dropped after just one mention of the problem. "If you're to be successful
with helping your patients lose weight, you have to talk to them at actually every visit about their progress, and find something to encourage them and coach them, " he said.
     He acknowledged that many doctors tend to be not optimistic.
"Part of this is that there's this common belief, and doctors are burdened by it, too, that overweight
people are weakwilled and just don't have any willpower and are selfindulgent and all that business, "he
said. "If you think that way, you're not going to spend time having a productive conversation."

1. What is the "Stop Obesity Alliance" most probably in Paragraph 3?
A. An organization of doctors specializing in obesity.
B. An organization of patients suffering from obesity.
C. A research group that conducts special surveys about overweight people.
D. A research group dealing with doctorpatient relationship.

2. How many of the patients surveyed have been advised by their doctors to lose weight?
A. About 350.      
B. About 390.
C. About 900.              
D. 1,000.

3. What can be inferred about obesity patients in Paragraph 5?
A. They are not as hopeless as doctors think they are.
B. Most of them have tried hard to lose weight, but in vain.
C. Without their doctors' constant coaching, there is little chance of their succeeding in losing weight.
D. Most of them have just given up their hope of becoming less heavy.

4. According to the passage, which factor contributes to the lack of dialogue between doctors
    and patients?
A. Most doctors just never think of warning their patients about their weight problem.
B. Many doctors find it difficult to persuade overweight people to lose weight.
C. Most patients are too weakwilled to do anything about their weight.
D. Many patients tend not to trust their doctors about their weight problem.

5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Obesity in the US
B. Trouble of Overweight Americans
C. Talk More, Help Better
D. Doctors or Patients-Who to Bear More Blame?

      The World Health Organization is using a new combination of drugs to treat African trypanosomiasis
disease,also known as sleeping sickness. The drugs will be given out in Uganda and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
     Officials says the new treatment has fewer side effects. It is also more effective and less costly than
the drugs traditionally used. In addition,the new treatment reduces the number of injections needed. And
it shortens the amount of time patients must spend in hospital.
      Sleeping sickness threatens millions of people in 36 countries in Africa. Most live in poor rural areas.
The disease is caused by the trypanosoma parasite(寄生物). It is spread to humans through the bite of
infected tsetse flies. Common signs of sleeping sickness include fever,headaches,extreme tiredness and
pain in the muscles and joints. Early identification of the disease may be difficult because many infected
people do not show any immediate symptoms. Over time,the parasites invade the central nervous system. The disease causes sleep disorders,mental confusion,personality changes and speech problems. If left
untreated,sleeping sickness kills.
     It's estimated that about 60,000 people are currently infected with the disease. It develops in two
different forms. Trypanosoma gambiense is responsible for 90% of the reported cases of sleeping
sickness. People infected with this form may develop the disease over many years without any major
symptoms. Until now the drug melarsoprol is used to treat patients in the advanced stage of sleeping
sickness. But the drug requires many painful injections several times a day for several weeks. It also
causes bad side effects,some of which can be deadly.
     In Uganda,a new study has confirmed earlier research linking the spread of sleeping sickness to
infected farm animals. The writers of the study have called for stronger rules requiring cattle to be treated
before being sold at market.


1. The following are the advantages of the new treatment EXCEPT ________.
A. having an intended effect
B. low price
C. reducing injections and hospitalization
D. no bad side effects

2. It is hard to identify sleeping sickness in the early stage because ________.
A. it is spread to humans through the bite of infected tsetse flies
B. the infected patients live in poor conditions
C. there are so many infected people in Africa
D. the symptoms of the disease doesn't occur at once

3. Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. Nine people in ten infected with sleeping sickness in Africa result from trypanosoma gambiense.
B. The invasion of sleeping sickness may lead to death.
C. The drug melarsoprol is used to treat patients in the early stage of sleeping sickness.
D. There are many disadvantages for the drug melarsoprol to control sleeping sickness.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.
A. farm animals infected by trypanosoma parasite is a main source of sleeping sickness
B. all the animals must be get rid of by the government
C. there isn't any rules requiring cattle to be treated before being sold at market in Uganda
D. cattle is forbidden to enter the market before being infected by trypanosoma parasite

5. The passage is primarily written to ________.
A. explain the importance of good sleep habits
B. provide the latest medical treatment information
C. prevent African trypanosomiasis disease
D. introduce the common signs of sleeping sickness

    How has smoking been controlled in recent years?
    People were asked to stop smoking in a range of public places-such as doctors' surgeries,cinemas,
theatres and churches-over the second half of the 20th century but it was after the King's Cross
Underground fire on November 18,1987,caused by a cigarette end which resulted in 31 deaths,that
restrictions on smoking in public places gained rapid and widespread acceptance.
    How did a ban on smoking in public places come into place?
    In 1998 the Smoking Kills White Paper set out a national strategy to reduce smoking prevalence(流
行)and passive smoking,including in public places. The measures were voluntary and poorly carried out.
After a public conference in England in 2004,the Government decided to choose for lawmaking.
Scotland went first,with a ban in 2006,followed by the other nations a year later.
    What is the current law?
     Any person who smokes in enclosed public places,including pubs,offices,on public transport and
work vehicles,is breaking the law. It does not extend to private houses. It is also an offence for people
in charge of premises to permit others to smoke in them.
    How was it received?
    It was welcomed by most organizations-except for some pub owners and restaurateurs. Many
workplaces in the UK had already introduced smokefree policies consistent with the legislation(法律,
法規(guī))before it was carried out,while others have gone beyond its basic requirements.
     All railway facilities,including platforms,footbridges and other areas-whether or not fitting the
definition of an enclosed public space-are covered,as are all football grounds and some cricket and
athletics stadiums. School grounds are not required to be smokefree under the legislation,but the majority
now are.
     How has it been forced?
     Compliance(服從)in public premises has been high,with inspections suggesting that 99 percent of
places were sticking to the rules.The number of people charged for smoking in cars has been very low,
which was due to the problems defining and identifying "work" vehicles. They said that a total ban on
smoking in vehicles would end this confusion.
     Has it improved health?
Studies in early adopters of the law,including in Scotland,suggest a reduction in hospital admissions for
heart disease,which has been shown to be linked to passive smoking. There is also strong evidence of
improved rates of smoking end and a drop in the number of cigarettes consumed by those who continue
to smoke.


1. When did the first law come out to ban smoking in public places?
A. 1987.      
B. 1998.
C. 2004.                
D. 2006.

2. Which of the following behaviors may NOT be against the law?
A. Jack often smokes in the office when he is alone.
B. A taxi driver is smoking with a lady in his car.
C. Tom smokes while thinking of his future at home.
D. Max smokes for relaxation during timeout in the stadium.

3. Who might feel unhappy about the law according to the article?
A. A restaurant owner.          
B. A company manager.
C. A car owner.                
D. A policy maker.

4. What can you infer from the article?
A. Most heart diseases have been proved to be linked to passive smoking.
B. A new law will soon come out with a total ban on smoking in vehicles.
C. The 1987 fire has convinced more people that smoking is bad for health.
D. Most of the school grounds are not smokefree,as it is not banned in the law.

     Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that's long been considered a necessary part to reading
and writing paper.No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper.Nor are there any pencils or pens, which
always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.A"paperless classroom"is what more and more
schools are trying to achieve.
     Students don't do any handwriting in this class.Instead, they use palm size, or speciallydesigned
computers.The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's
personal computer.
      Having computers also means that students can use the Web.They can look up information on any
subject they're studying from maths to social science.
     High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn
about the war in Afganistan(阿富汗) over one year ago.
      "We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps
(難民營), "she said."Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible."
      And exams can go online too.At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own
computers.The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to
his own electronic grade book.
      A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher
Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky US said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each
student.
      "Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers, "she said. But, with all this
technology, there's always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or
technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hitech students.

1. What does the part of the last but one sentence in the first paragraph, "run out of ink at the critical
     moment" mean?
A. Pens may not write welt at the critical moment.
B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.
C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.
D. Pens use ink, while pencils don't.

2. In a paperless classroom, what is a must?
A. Pens.                            
B. Computers.
C. Information.                                
D. Texts.

3. The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that________.
A. the Web could take them everywhere
B. the Web taught them a lot
C. the Web is a good tool for information
D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive(全面的) information

4. The paperless classrooms will benefit ________ the most.
A. students                                  
B. teachers  
C. trees                                      
D. computers

5. What does the phrase in the last paragraph, "break down", mean?
A. Break into pieces.                          
B. Stop working.
C. Fall down.                                
D. Lose control.

     Israeli researchers say they have developed a substance that attracts and kills the mosquitoes infected with the malaria parasite (瘧原蟲). However, the sweet-smelling substance is said to be harmless to
people and animals, Scientists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem developed the sugary bait by combining
fruit juice oils and boric acid (硼酸). The fruit juice oils get the attention of the mosquitoes, and the boric
acid kills the insects when they eat it.
     The scientists took the sweet boric acid bait to the West African nation of Mali. They sprayed (噴灑) it on the plants near the man-made ponds which are home to "Anopheles Gambiae", the mosquitoes that
carry the most deadly form of malaria (瘧疾). The researchers also placed a sweet-smelling spray on the grasses near other ponds. But it contained no boric acid. Both of the substances also contained a
substance that would mark any mosquito that came in contact with the bait.In this way the scientists
could count the mosquitoes that fed on it. Yosef Schlein, an expert on the insects that affect human healh，led the sweet bait research. He says thirty-eight days of results show the sweet boric acid bait proved very effective in killing mosquitoes. At the ponds treated only with sweet-smelling bait, Professor Schlein says, more than seventy-five percent of mosquitoes fed on the false bait. He says most people do not know that female mosquitoes feed on sweet plant nectar to survive.
     The Israeli researchers now hope to develop a bait that is even more desirable to the malaria
mosquitoes.
     Boric acid is generally safe for human beings and other mammals. Professor Schlein says scientists
might be able to develop a mosquito bait for enclosed spaces. Boric acid has been used to kill other
insects, including cockroaches, termites and ants inside homes since the middle of last century.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the sweet-smelling substance?

A. It is said to be harmless to people but harmful to animals.
B. It attracts the mosquitoes but fails to kill them most of the time.
C. It is actually created by Professor Schlein.
D. It is a mixture of fruit juice oils and boric acid. 

2. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. A sweetsmelling spray.
B. The fruit juice oil.
C. A sweetsmelling spray with boric acid.
D. The sweet boric acid bait. 

3. What do we know about Yosef Schlein?

A. He offered help to the researchers in the sweet bait research.
B. He is an expert on the substances that affect human health.
C. He thinks the sweet boric acid bait kills the malaria mosquitoes very effectively.
D. He thinks most people know female mosquitoes feed on sweet plant nectar to survive. 

4. We can infer from the text that _____.

A. there will be fewer and fewer mosquitoes in Mali.
B. the new mosquito killer has been widely used in Africa.
C. malaria will become the most dangerous disease in the poorest areas of Africa.
D. the Israeli researchers want to develop a substance more attractive to the mosquitoes.

1. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A. To discuss how cavities can be treated.
B. To point out the problems with Halloween celebrations.
C. To tell parents what sweets are less damaging to their children’s teeth.
D. To teach parents the meaning of Halloween candy for their children.

2. Why are hard candies especially bad for teeth?

A. They may break the children’s teeth.
B. They contain too much sugar.
C. They help bacteria to produce tannins.
D. They stay in the mouth for a long time.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is a better choice for Halloween treats?

A. Chocolate.      
B. Crackers.
C. Raisins.  
D. Potato chips.

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of tannins?

A. They are produced when the bacteria digest the food.
B. They help to get rid of some bacteria in the mouth.
C. They help chocolate to dissolve more quickly.
D. They destroy the surface of the teeth.

     Within fifteen years Britain and other nations should be well on with the building of huge industrial
complexes for the recycling of waste. The word rubbish could lose its meaning because everything that goes
into the dumps would be made into something useful. Even the most dangerous and unpleasant wastes would
provide energy if nothing else.
     The latest project is to take a city of around half a million inhabitants and discover exactly what raw
materials go into it what go out. The aim is to find out how much of these raw materials could be provided if
a plant for recycling wastes were built just outside the city. This plant would recycle not only metal such as
steel and copper, but also paper and rubber as well.
     Another new project is being set up to discover the best ways of sorting and separating the rubbish. When
this project is complete, the rubbish will be processed like this: first it will pass through metal bars which will
tear open the plastic bags in which rubbish is usually packed; then it will pass through a powerful fan to
separate the lightest elements from the heavy solids; after that grounders and rollers break everything that can
be broken. Finally the rubbish will pass under magnets, which will remove the bits of iron and steel; the rubbish and plastic will then be sorted out in the stage.
     The first full-scale giant recycling plants are, perhaps fifteen years away. Indeed, with the growing cost of
transporting rubbish to more distant dumps, some big cities will be forced to build their own recycling plants
before long.

1.  The main purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. show us a future way of recycling wastes
B. tell the importance of recycling plants
C. warn people the danger of some wastes
D. introduce a new recycling plant

2.  How many stages are there in the recycling process?

A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6

3. What is the main reason for big cities to build their recycling plants?

A. To deal with wastes in a better way.
B. It's a good way to gain profits.
C. It's more economical than to dump wastes in some distant places.
D. Energy can be got at a low price.

4. The first full-scale huge recycling plant _____.

A. have been in existence for 15 years
B. take 15 years to build
C. can't be built until 15 years later
D. will remain functioning for 15 years

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. the word"rubbish" will soon disappear from dictionaries.
B. dangerous wastes can be recycled into nothing but energy.
C. To recycle paper and rubber will still be impossible even with the new recycling methods.
D. Big cities will soon have their own recycling plants.

     Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people
lack basic sanitation.
     The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between
2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe
drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and
women, and poverty.
     Consider these facts:
     The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
     Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water, and only 37 percent of children
in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
     Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases.
     Here are three ways you can help:
     (1) Write Congress
     Current U. S. foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American
citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
     (2) Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization
     Many U.S. religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations
abroad. Simply putting a single project by a U.S. organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of
people.
     (3) Support nonprofit water organizations
     Numerous U.S.-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to drinking water
and sanitation. Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, other small-scale,
some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them
generously.

1. The three facts presented in the passage are used to illustrate that ____.

A. poverty can result in water-borne diseases
B. people have no access to clean drinking water
C. women's rights are denied in some developing countries
D. safe drinking water should be a primary concern

2. The intended readers of the passage are ____.

A. Americans
B. overseas sponsors
C. congressmen
D. U.S.-based water organizations

3. The main purpose of the passage is to call on people to ____.

A. get rid of water-related diseases in developing countries
B. donate money to people short of water through religious groups
C. fight against the worldwide water shortage and sanitation problem
D. take joint action in support of some non-profit water organizations

4. What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph?

A. A variety of companies and their worldwide operation.
B. A list of non-profit water organizations to make contact with.
C. Some ways to get financial aids from U.S. Congress.
D. A few water resources exploited by some world-famous organizations.

     Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is el.ean and cool. Fox Point is a very new47-unit
living building in South Bronx, one of the city's poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are
formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families.
The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that
would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions (碳排放) while also cutting costs.
     Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy,
people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable
housing by providing support to housing developers.
     ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (環(huán)境方面) clever and affordable homes
which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving
and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing
construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a
window to get most daylight can help save energy.
     Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000
New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City's greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40%
of those are caused, by housing. So he recently announced that the city's Department of Housing and
Preservation and Development (DHPD), whose duty is to develop and keep the city's supply of affordable
housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP's green standards.
     Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York's DHPD
is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.

1. What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?

A. To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people.
B. To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas.
C. To show how the environment-friendly building works.
D. To compare old and new boiler rooms.

2. What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards?

A. Lower running costs.
B. Costing less in construction.
C. Less air to be lost in hot days.
D. Better prices for homeless people.

3. It can be learned from the text that, _____.

A. New York City is seriously polluted
B. people's daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City
C. a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in
D. some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City

4. What is the main purpose of this text?

A. To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems.
B. To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing.
C. To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families.
D. To introduce healthy, environmentally clever-and affordable housing.

    The physicians in a hospital form the center of medical staff. But they could not
provide effective medical care to their patients without the help of numerous other
medical employees. From the viewpoint of the patients, the nursing staff is particularly
important. Nurses are usually in close contact with patients as long as they are in the
hospital.
    A nurse does not study for as many years as a doctor. however , each must be equally
dedicated. Caring for sick persons requires a great deal of patience and concern. Most
nurses work long days, and they often must work at odd hours or during the night.
    Under the supervision (監(jiān)管) of the head nurse, the nursing staff must provide nursing
services on a 24-hour basis and attend to patients' needs. This responsibility continues
around the clock, and so nurses must work in shifts. A shift is a period of duty, usually
eight in length. The nurses on the ward rotate their shifts. Some take turns working night
duty; others work odd shifts.
    A nurse must always be alert. She can never afford to be careless. This is true in all
nursing situation, but it is especially true in the intensive care unit. Patients under
intensive care are critically ill, and they must be monitored at all times. The nurses who
do intensive care duty have one of the most demanding jobs in the hospital.
    Serving as a nurse can be a very rewarding job. But it is not an easy one. Not every
person is suited to become a nurse. Only very dedicated people have chosen nursing as a
profession.

1. The nursing staff ______.

A. are central to the medical staff
B. play an important role in caring for patients
C. can work effectively without physicians
D. are always in close contact with the patients

2. Why don't nurses study for as many years as doctors?

A. They don't treat patients for illness and injury.
B. Most nurses work long days.
C. Caring for sick patients requires patience and concern.
D. They are not dedicated.

3. Nurses work in shifts because ______.

A. they are careless.
B. nursing services must be provided continuously.
C. they work at night from time to time.
D. a shift is usually eight hours long.

4. What kind of person is suited to become a nurse?

A. A very careful person.
B. An able person.
C. A very dedicated person.
D. A specially trained person.