In the United States, 30 percent of the adult (成年人) population has a “weight problem”. To many people, the case is clear: we eat too much. But scientific evidence（證據(jù)）does little to support the idea. Going back to the America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today. Yet they ate more food. In those days, people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch TV.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fat people do not eat more on average (平均) than thinner people. In fact, some investigations (調(diào)查), such as a 1990 study of 3,545 London office workers, show that fatter people eat less than slimmer people.
Studies show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group of Stanford University School of Medicine found the following interesting facts:
The more the men ran, the more fat they lost.
The more they ran, the more they ate.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.
【小題1】What kind of physical problem do many adult Americans have?

A．They are too thin.	B．They work too hard.
C．They are too fat.	D．They lose too much fat.

【小題2】Which of the following words can take the place of the word “slim” in this passage?

A．poor

B．thin

C．healthy

D．rich

【小題3】Compared with the adult American population today, the Americans of 1910 ______.

A．a(chǎn)te more food and had more activities	B．a(chǎn)te less food but had more activities
C．a(chǎn)te less food and had less physical activities	D．had more weight problems

【小題4】What have modern medical and scientific researches reported to us?

A．Fat people eat less food and are less active.

B．Fat people eat more food than slim people but are less active.

C．Fat people eat more food than slim people but are more active.

D．Thin people run less, but have greater increase in food intake.

Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment (營養(yǎng)).The old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form, believing that these will make them healthy.
But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn’t need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?
In the modern western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. The list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening,
【小題1】“Your body has close relations with the food you eat.” It really means that ______.

A．a(chǎn)ll kinds of food you eat can be made into your body

B．your body is made up of the food you eat

C．what you eat has great effect on your health

D．the more you eat, the fitter you will feel

【小題2】The old saying referred to in the passage tells us that ______.

A．eating apples regularly does lots of good to our health

B．the apple is the best among all kinds of fruits

C．a(chǎn)pples can take the place of doctors

D．a(chǎn)n apple is a sure cure for illness

【小題3】In the second paragraph, the writer tries to let us know ______.

A．our bodies need food or we can’t live

B．often eating apples is a good habit

C．taking extra vitamin pills is completely useless

D．a(chǎn) good diet is of great importance for our health

【小題4】From the passage we can draw a conclusion that if we want to keep healthy, we should ______.

A．only eat an apple a day

B．eat properly

C．take as many vitamin pills as possible

D．throw something into our stomachs slowly and carefully

Why do parents deny their kids’ weight?
Experts in childhood nutrition aren’t surprised by an investigation this summer that shows 50％of parents who have overweight children don’t realize their children Weigh too much．Many parents deny their children’s weight because they don’t want to have to change their own eating and exercise habits，says Keith Ayoob, a doctor who works with overweight children and their families in New York City．
Parents frequently ask him whether their children have a thyroid(甲狀腺) problem, but that’s rarely the case．“1t’s usually a dietary(有關(guān)飲食的) and lifestyle issue．It’s very difficult for parents to deal with their own food issues，”Ayoob says．An estimated 25 million children in the USA are overweight, which puts them at risk of developing diabetes(糖尿病), high blood Pressure and other health problems．A Consumer Reports magazine investigation released on July 25，2009 of 3．048 parents who have children aged 5 to 17 found that 91% say childhood obesity (肥胖) is a problem in the USA．
Only 36％of the parents with heavy children say their family doctors have suggested their children lose weight；the other 64％say the doctors didn’t mention it．“Many parents simply don’t realize their children are overweight．”says Keith Ayoob．“The doctors never told them．Other kids in the class look like their children．a(chǎn)nd their kids seem pretty healthy．”he says．
He has parents go to the calculator on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to figure out whether their children are too heavy．
【小題1】Why do many parents fail to admit their children are overweight?

A．Because they think it a shame to be overweight.

B．Because they want to keep their own eating and exercise habits.

C．Because they want to change their own eating and exercise habits．

D．Because they want their children to have more nutrition．

【小題2】What is the probable cause of childhood obesity?

A．Thyroid problem．	B．High blood pressure．
C．Dietary and lifestyle habit．	D．Diabetes．

【小題3】It can be inferred from the fourth paragraph that the family doctors’ advice     ．

A．has no influence on many parents

B．has much influence on many parents

C．has little influence on many parents

D．is totally accepted by many parents

【小題4】What advice does Keith Ayoob give to parents?

A．He advises that parents should go and ask their family doctors in person．

B．He advises that the children should have a medical examination regularly．

C．He advises that school should force the children to eat less and exercise more．

D．He advises parents to go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the information．

Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, having grown by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. Denmark’s agriculture minister is herself an organic farmer. The UK market for organic food grew by 55 percent in 2000, while the food market as a whole grew by only one percent. Yet only seven percent of British shoppers account for nearly 60 percent of organic sales. However popular the idea of organic farming may be, it is still an interest for only a few people.
So what makes the idea of organic farming popular? Organic farming means farming with natural materials, rather than with man-made fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farmers rely on many  methods — such as crop rotation (農(nóng)作物的輪作) and the use of resistant（有抵抗力的） varieties, because they are necessary for organic farmers to compensate for the shortage of man-made chemicals.
Organic farming is often supposed to be safer than traditional farming for the environment. Yet after a long research on organic farming worldwide for a number of years, science continues to be against this opinion. The House of Commons committee on agriculture publicized that, even with complete research work, it would fail to find any scientific evidence to prove “that any of claims （宣稱） made for organic farming is always true”.
However, the talk about the benefits of organic farming is going on. This is partly because many people depend on their individual farm, the soil, the weather, and so on.
【小題1】The first paragraph mainly tells us _____.

A．organic farming has been performed only in Europe over the past 10 years

B．governments of European countries have cared less about organic farming

C．organic farming is far from being as popular as expected

D．European countries need organic food more than the other countries in the world

【小題2】 The underlined words “compensate for” in the second paragraph probably mean “________”.

A．a(chǎn)rgue for

B．care for

C．struggle for

D．pay for

【小題3】 What can we know about organic farming?

A．It refers to farming with natural materials, instead of chemical fertilizers.

B．It refers to farming with chemical fertilizers rather than natural fertilizers.

C．It refers to farming with soil rather than any other thing.

D．It refers to growing crops with man-made fertilizers and pesticides.

【小題4】According to the third paragraph, _____.

A．organic farming is safer than traditional farming for the environment

B．the idea that organic farming is safer has not been proven by science

C．organic farming is accepted by the UK’s House of Commons committee

D．organic farming is preferred to traditional farming

【小題5】Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?

A．The UK’s agriculture minister is an organic farmer.

B．Organic farming is popular with young people.

C．Farmers make use of many different kinds of methods to improve the organic sales system.

D．Ninety-three percent of British shoppers don’t buy organic products.

When thinking about quitting(停止) smoking…
List all the reasons why you want to quit. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of the reasons 10 times.
Decide positively that you want to quit. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be. Develop strong personal reasons as well as your health and responsibility to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting a light, etc. Set a date for quitting --- perhaps a special day like your birthday, a holiday. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation. Make the date seriously, and don't let anything change it. Begin to condition yourself physically; start a modest (適當(dāng)?shù)? exercise; drink more water; get plenty of rest.
Immediately after quitting...
The first few days after you quit, spend as much free time as possible in places where smoking is prohibited, e.g. libraries, museums, theatres, department stores, etc.
Drink large quantities of water and fruit juice. Try to avoid wine, coffee, and other drinks which remind you of cigarette smoking.
Start a conversation with someone instead of a match for a cigarette.
If you miss the feeling of having a cigarette in your hand, play with something else - a pencil, a pen, a ruler. If you miss having something in your mouth, try a fake (仿制的) cigarette.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Whenever you feel like a cigarette, try to forget it by sleeping.

B．Try to start a conversation before asking for a light.

C．If you miss the feeling of having a cigarette in your mouth, play with a pen.

D．Every night before going to bed, repeat all the reasons 10 times.

【小題2】 From the passage, we know smokers __________.

A．should drink a lot of coffee	B．have to stop to smoke from time to time
C．should drink a lot of wine	D．should not do any exercise

【小題3】According to the passage, what does the underlined word “prohibited” mean?

A．forbidden

B．a(chǎn)llowed

C．received

D．welcomed

【小題4】 If the passage is in a newspaper, which section is it in?

A．Sports

B．News

C．Health

D．Culture

Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
【小題1】The text is mainly about ________.

A．a(chǎn) strange man

B．a(chǎn)n unusual party

C．how the roller skating began

D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

【小題2】People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.

A．often gave others surprises	B．was a gifted musician
C．invented the roller skates	D．was full of imagination

【小題3】Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .

A．impress the party guests	B．a(chǎn)rrive at the party sooner
C．test his invention	D．show his skill in walking on wheels

【小題4】What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

A．The roller skates needed further improvement.

B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.

D．Merlin got himself into trouble.

A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have disclosed.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA．As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they are easy to have illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said: "These results are exciting because they prove for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D．
"This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."
He said further studies are required to confirm the findings.
Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added: "Although it might sound absurd(荒謬的), it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process."
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals.
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
【小題1】What’s the best title of this passage?

A．Sunshine helps to keep you young.

B．Vitamin D has a protective effect on many diseases.

C．Telomeres - a biological marker of ageing.

D．People have found the secret to having a long life.

【小題2】How can people get Vitamin D?
A.through water.       B. through sunshine.
C.through food.        D.both B and C.
【小題3】Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A．women with high levels of vitamin D shows a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.

B．vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases.

C．too much sunshine may increase our risk of skin cancer.

D．It has been proved that sunshine helps to keep you young.

Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be games of football, hockey, golf, or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their relaxation.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier (滑雪者) is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
【小題1】 The main difference between a sport and a game lies in       .

A．a(chǎn)ctivity

B．uniform

C．rules

D．skills

【小題2】 Mountaineering can be called a team sport because      .

A．mountaineers depend on each other while climbing

B．teams compete against each other

C．it is an Olympic event

D．there are five climbers on each team

【小題3】Which of the following might be the best title?

A．How to Climb High Mountains	B．Mountain Climbers
C．Challenging Sports Activities	D．Mountaineering

Coffee is one of the world's most widely-enjoyed drinks. Now, a new research suggests that if you drink enough coffee, it might help you avoid certain kinds of cancer.
Dr. Mia Hashibe of the University of Utah School of Medicine was interested in the connection between coffee drinking and certain cancers of the head and neck. Researchers have looked into this before, but without reaching any firm conclusions. She said, "So this finding from our new study was quite a surprise. We didn't really have any expectation of which direction it could go into."
To sort out the confusion, Hashibe and her assistants used statistical (統(tǒng)計學(xué) ) techniques to, in effect, make one big study out of the earlier smaller studies. She explained,  "Thanks to the earlier studies, we have a lot more power than earlier studies that looked at this. And we included 4,000 cancer patients who have cancer of the mouth and throat. And then 9,000 controls, people who do not have cancer. '
Those studies--in Europe and the United States--found that people who drank a lot of coffee were less likely to develop cancers of the mouth and throat. "We saw a protective effect for drinking more than 4 cups of coffee per day," Hashibe said. "This was the 40 percent decrease in risk. We did not see the same effect for drinking three cups or less per day."
Mia Hashibe said there was a weak connection between cancer risk and drinking coffee without caffeine. And she and her assistants found no proof that drinking tea provided the same protection as drinking Coffee. Their research is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Hashibe says it is not clear how coffee might protect drinkers from certain cancers. "There are a few chemicals that are known to be antioxidants （抗氧化物）in coffee. So we are thinking perhaps they are playing some sort of protective role against several cancers."
【小題1】This passage is probably taken from __

A．a(chǎn) literature book	B．a(chǎn) travel journal
C．a(chǎn)n old directory	D．a(chǎn) medical magazine

【小題2】Dr. Hashibe expected nothing of her research because __

A．it was impossible to get the desired result	B．the research was much surprising in fact
C．no conclusions had been reached before	D．the research team lacked faith in success

【小題3】Which of the following might have something to do with the protection against mouth cancer?

A．Coffee without chemicals.	B．Coffee without caffeine.
C．Four cups of tea a day.	D．Antioxidants in coffee.

【小題4】What do we know about Dr. Mia Hashibe and her research?

A．She knew for sure how coffee may affect drinkers.

B．She included 4,000 people without cancer in study.

C．She found an effect for three cups of coffee a day.

D．She based her research on several earlier studies.

【小題5】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Drinking Coffee May Protect Some Cancers	B．Drinking Coffee May Prevent Some Cancers
C．Drinking Coffee May Cure Some Caneers	D．Drinking Coffee May Cause Some Cancers

Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activity affected winter weather patterns．
However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．
Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote．"However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"
Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditions that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （氣象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "improvement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．
【小題1】We can know from the second paragraph that _____．

A．research shows that Britain will soon fall into an ice age

B．Mike Lockwood's research focuses on space environment physics

C．it was quite cold in Britain over the entire winter last year

D．so far one-in-seven winters have been very cold in Britain

【小題2】The．underlined word "mean" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to "_____"．

A．a(chǎn)verage

B．stable

C．ungenerous

D．changeable

【小題3】What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．It was sunspots that blocked warm westerly winds reaching Europe．

B．Meteorological factors hardly have any influence on blocking events．

C．The latest study done by Professor Lockwood was of little practical value．

D．Considering solar activity or not affects the accuracy of weather forecasting．

【小題4】What's the best title of the passage?

A．Another big danger approaching the UK

B．Research finds out solar activity is to blame for the cold

C．UK faces more cold winters due to weaker solar activity

D．Changes in weather patterns should be responsible for low solar activity