Like distance runners on a measured course，all of us will move through time in a roughly predictable pattern．

In the first stage of our lives，we develop and grow, reaching toward the top of physical vitality(活力)．

After we grow up，however, the body begins a process of gradually wearing out．

A new awareness of physical fitness may help lengthen our years of health and vitality，yet nothing we do will work to stop the unavoidable force of aging．

Most of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body．The lungs become less able to take in oxygen．Powerful muscles gradually lose their strength．The heart loses power and pumps less blood．Bones grow easier to break．

Finally, we meet a stress，a stress that is greater than our physical resistance．Often，it is only a minor accident or chance infection(a disease caused by virus)，but this time，it brings life to an end．

In 1932，a classic experiment nearly doubled the lifetime of rats，simply by cutting back the calories in their diet The reason for the effect was then unknown．

Today, at the University of California at Berkley, Dr．Paul Seagle has also greatly lengthened the normal lifetime of rats．The result was achieved through a special protein limited diet，which had a great effect on the chemistry of the brain．Seagle showed that within the brain，specific chemicals control many of the signals that influence aging．By changing that chemical balance，the clock of aging can be reset．

For the first time, the mystery of why we age is being seriously challenged．Scientists in many fields are now making striking and far-reaching discoveries．

An average lifetime lasts 75 years，yet in each of us lies a potential for a longer life．If we could keep the vitality and resistance to disease that we have at age twenty, we would live for 800 years．

1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．Physical vitality．   B．Stress．           C．Aging．           D．Physical resistance．

2.Which of the following is not a change of aging?

A．People gradually lose their muscle strength．

B．Bones tend to break more easily．

C．The heart loses power and pumps less blood．

D．The lungs become unable to take in oxygen．zxxk

3.The author believes the following except that     ．

A．human's life pattern is predictable

B．physical fitness can't stop the force of aging

C．human's lifetime will last longer than 75 years

D．a(chǎn)ll of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body

4.How did Dr．Paul Seagle lengthen the lifetime of rats in his experiment?

A．By keeping their physical fitness．          B．By cutting the calories in their diet．

C．By resetting their clock of aging．           D．By limiting the protein in their diet．

5.What is probably the best title for the article?

A．Two Great Experiments

B．The Mystery of Human Life

C．The Breakthrough in the Study of Aging

D．Ways to lengthen Human Life

 

The secret of staying slim could be as simple as keeping your mind on your meals. Research suggests that   1  ourselves from distractions and concentrating completely on the food that is in front of us, helps us stay in   2  . Such ‘mindful eating’ ensures that the   3  is in tune with (協(xié)調(diào)) the body, enabling it to ‘hear’ the chemical   4  that tell it that we are full。

Digestion   5   a complex series of signals between the gut (腸道)and the nervous system and it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to tell that the body has eaten enough. This means that if someone eats too   6  , the signals will come slowly, leading to   7  .

   Scientists say that distractions make it  8  for us to remember what we have eaten. This absent-mindedness stops us from feeling   9   – and sends us reaching for some snacks later on. It is thought that our memory of what we have eaten plays a key role in   10   appetite. This means that distractions stop us from remembering the detail of what we have eaten – leaving us feeling   11  .

   Advocates of mindful eating   12  chewing food slowly and taking note of its color, smell and flavor. Before   13   dieters should ask themselves if they are really hungry---and if not, distract themselves by going for a walk or reading. Done  14  , mindful eating may not only leave you   15  , but also make you enjoy mealtimes.

1.A. feeling      B. protecting      C. freeing        D. saving

2.A. shape       B. health         C. touch          D. business

3.A. appetite     B. speed         C. emotion        D. mind

4.A. orders      B. sounds        C. desires          D. messages

5.A. discovers    B. involves      C. sends           D. holds

6.A. quickly     B. slowly        C. gradually        D. suddenly

7.A. imbalance   B. damage       C. overeating       D. failure

8.A. clearer      B. easier         C. sharper         D. harder

9.A. full         B. great         C. comfortable      D. delicious

10.A. building     B. losing        C. controlling       D. improving

11.A. upset       B. eager         C. hungry          D. desperate

12.A. mind       B. advise        C. avoid            D. consider

13.A. snacking    B. running       C. writing           D. cooking

14.A. quietly     B. strongly       C. properly          D. poorly

15.A. slim        B. fat           C. strong            D. calm

 

touch          

A．chapter

B．machine

C．school

D． chemical

 

                             

Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there's a whole lot more to it than assessing(評(píng)定) your skills and matching them with a particular position．If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay．There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job．Here are a few of those main areas;

1） Do you prefer working alone or with other people?

    There are isolating（使孤立）jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy．Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer．There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation．

2） How do you handle change?

    Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others．If you need to be stable in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often．Other people would be bored of the same daily routine．

3） Do you enjoy working with computers？

    I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic．There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day．Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well．

4） What type of work environment do you enjoy？

    This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly．

5） How do you like to get paid?

    Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that．The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this．

    Anyway, these are a great starting point for you．I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love．It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for it can change the course of your life for the better．

1.What is unnecessary in your job hunting?

    A．Assessing your skills

    B．Going to different areas

    C．Matching your skills with a position

    D．Taking your personality into consideration

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．Isolating jobs usually drive people mad．

    B．Interactive jobs make people shy easily．

    C．Extreme people tend to work with others．

    D．Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs．

3.The underlined word in the passage means ________.

    A. not likely to move or change

    B. calm, reasonable and not easy to upset   

C. being in the same chemical state

D. a group of people working for the same company

4.What is the best title for this passage?

    A．Lifestyles and Job Pay               B．Jobs and Environment

    C．Job Skills and Abilities             D．Personalities and Jobs

 

Farming was once the chief way of life in nearly every country. People cannot live without food, and nearly all their food comes from crops and animals raised on farms. Not many people farm for a living any more, but farming remains the most important work in the world.

    Before the nineteenth century, the typical American family lived on a small farm. They raised pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and planted corn, fruits, garden vegetables, and wheat. Everyone worked long and hard, but the results were often poor. Families barely harvested enough food for themselves. This situation began to change during the last half of the 1800's and it changed remarkably(明顯地) in the next century.

Scientific methods and labor-saving machinery have made farming increasingly productive. The development of improved plant varieties and fertilizers has helped double and even triple the production of some major crops. More scientific animal care and animal raising have helped increase the amount of meat and products that animals produce. At the same time, the use of tractors and other modern farm equipment has sharply reduced the need for farm labor.

As farming has become less important as a way of life in the United States, it has become more important as a source which offers materials to industry. Today's successful farmers are experts not just in agriculture but also in accounting, marketing, and finance. Farms that are not run in a similar way have great difficulty surviving.

We are told in the first paragraph about ____.

A. the history of farming                       B. the importance of farming  

C. the development of farming                  D. the changes of farming

Which of the following describes American farming before the 19^th century?

A. Farmers didn’t work hard on their farms.  

B. Farmers used tractors to help them.

C. Farming was the main way of living for most people.

D. Farmers could supply materials to industry.

Crop production has increased greatly now thanks to all the following EXCEPT __.

   A. scientific methods                 B. labor- saving machinery    

C. farmers’ hard work                 D. chemical fertilizers

The passage mainly talks about_____.

   A. the advantages of American farming              B. the changes in American farming 

C. the situation of American farms                  D. how rapidly farming has developed