A typical lion tamer(驯兽师) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip(鞭) and a chair.The whip gets all of the attention,but it’s mostly for show.In reality,it’s the chair that does the important work.When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face,the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time.With its focus divided,the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next.When faced with so many options,the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.

How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion?How often do you have something you want to achieve(e.g.lose weight,start a business,travel more)—only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress?

This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best,the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information.The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things,and so we take less action,make less progress,and stay the same when we could be improving.

It doesn’t have to be that way.Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face,remember this:All you need to do is focus on one thing.You just need to get started.Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people.If you have somewhere you want to go,something you want to accomplish,someone you want to become...take immediate action.If you’re clear about where you want to go,the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out of the way.

1.Why does the lion tamer use a chair?

A. To trick the lion. B. To show off his skills.

C. To get ready for a fight. D. To entertain the audience.

2.In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?

A. They feel puzzled over choices.

B. They hold on to the wrong things.

C. They find it hard to make changes.

D. They have to do something for show.

3.What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A. Tolerant. B. Doubtful.

C. Respectful. D. Supportive.

4.When the world is “waving a chair in your face”,you’re advised to    .

A. wait for a better chance B. break your old habits

C. make a quick decision D. ask for clear guidance

Thousands of persons in Peru are suffering from the disease cholera. Medical experts say it is the first time in their century that cholera has reached the western part of the world. The United States Centers for disease control says the kind of cholera has been spreading throughout the world since 1961. It was discovered that year in Indonesia. Since the first case in Peru, more than sixteen thousand people have been affected and about one hundred have died.

Cholera is caused by polluted food and water. People become infected (传染) when they eat the polluted food or drink the polluted water. If untreated immediately, they may die within hours. Most victims however, can be saved. Treatment includes drugs and replacement of body fluids (液体) directly into the blood.

Medical researchers have developed a vaccine (菌苗) medicines to protect against cholera. But the vaccine is only about 50% effective. And it protects against cholera for only about six months. Medical experts say the best way to fight cholera is to prevent it. They also say people should not eat uncooked food or food that has not been cooked long enough. People who live in areas where cholera has been found should wash their hands before eating and cooking. They should drink only water that has been boiled or made pure with chemicals.

1.The underlined word “Cholera” in the first paragraph means ________.

A. a certain place in Peru

B. a kind of illness which may make people die

C. a certain place in Indonesia

D. a certain medicine to deal with diseases

2.Cholera results from (由于……结果) ________.

A. Peru and Indonesia

B. the different peoples in the world

C. the different areas in the world

D. polluted water and polluted food

3.How to treat the people who have been caught by cholera?

A. By medicines and blood improvement.

B. By eating unpolluted food.

C. By drinking unpolluted water.

D. By taking them to a separated place.

4.The most effective way of avoiding cholera is ________.

A. seeing doctors as soon as possible

B. fighting against it

C. paying attention to the eating and drinking

D. taking vaccine immediately

Smog in Europe and North America could be more than 25 times more deadly than the average air pollution found in Chinese cities, a new study suggests. In the largest ever study of its kind in the developing world, researchers tested the effects of air pollution on the health of people in 272 cities in China.

They found average annual exposure to fine particles, known as PM2.5, in those cities was more than five times higher than the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a paper in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

However they also discovered that it was much less likely to increase the death rate than PM2.5 in Europe and North America.

The researchers, led by Dr Maigeng Zhou, of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested this was because China is affected by large amounts of natural dust blown by the wind from arid areas, while most pollution in the West comes from industry.

They found that for every increase of 10 micrograms of air pollution in a cubic meter of air, the mortality rate increased by 0.22 percent, discounting deaths from accidents.

Professor Frank Kelly, an expert in environmental health at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study but has studied air pollution in China, told The Independent: “Those relative risks are considerably less than those seen in Europe and the US. For mortality(死亡率) in Europe we are working on a six percent increase per 10 micrograms.” That suggests air pollution in Europe is about 27 times more toxic than average air pollution in China.

However, Professor Kelly said cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong were likely to suffer from Western-style air pollution. "The natural dust component there is not of the magnitude that it would dwarf the coal, biomass and fossil fuel signals,” he said, “That may be true in certain cities whose pollution is not dominated by local power generation or major traffic congestion.”

Natural dust particles can cause physical damage to the lungs and trigger an asthma attack. Particles of carbon produced when fossil fuels are burned can lead to similar problems but they are also coated with toxic heavy metals, chemicals and volatile organic compounds. These are able to pass from the lungs into the blood stream where it is thought they cause further damage to the body.

Areeba Hamid, an air pollution campaigner with environmental group Greenpeace, said: “Poisonous air causes damage to people’s health wherever in the world they live. We now know fumes from diesel(柴油机) vehicles are a lot more poisonous than car companies claimed and this is a big cause of air pollution in Europe and North America. These companies have a lot to answer for, but so far they’ve managed to avoid any real accountability.”

The study of cities in China found the average annual expose to PM2.5 was 56 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to the WHO guideline limit for safe air quality of 10 micrograms.

People who were older than 75, had less education or who lived in hotter places were more likely to die. It is thought people in warmer cities were more likely to spend time outside or leave their windows open, thereby breathing more polluted air, the researchers said. They also speculated that less well educated people might have poorer access to health care or experience poorer environmental health conditions.

1.Why PM2.5 in China is less deadly than that in Europe and North America?

A. China is free from any pollution about PM2.5.

B. Pollutants affecting China mainly come from arid areas.

C. Fewer people died from PM 2.5 in China than those in Europe and North America.

D. Europe and North America are polluted by natural dust.

2.What does the underlined part in Para 7 refer to?

A. The average mortality rate. B. The higher mortality rate.

C. The lower mortality rate. D. The normal mortality rate.

3.What’s the real cause of air pollution in Europe and North America according to Areeba Hamid?

A. Fumes from diesel vehicles are much more poisonous.

B. The environmental agencies can’t take on responsibilities.

C. The technology doesn’t meet the standards.

D. Car companies can’t evaluate the results.

4.The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A. appeal to people to lay an emphasis on environmental protection

B. illustrate smog in Europe and North America is quite serious

C. demonstrate China is safest place in the world to live in

D. provide some good ways to address the smog

Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.

If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.

If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的) person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn(顽固的), but you aren't very ambitious. You're usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.

If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.

If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.

1.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality  .

A. only in a normal night

B. only when you go to sleep

C. only when you refuse to show yourself to the word

D. only when you change sleeping position

2.Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person's personality?

A. He or she is always open with others.

B. He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others.

C. He or she is always easily upset.

D. He or she tends to believe in others.

3.Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?

A. He or she is careful not to offend others.

B. He or she doesn't want to stick to his or her opinion.

C. He or she can't be successful in any business.

D. He or she likes to bring others happiness.

4.Which of the following may be the reason for you not to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up?

A. He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you.

B. He or she is rarely ready to help you.

C. He or she prefers staying at home to going out.

D. He or she wouldn't like to get help from you.

5.It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because  .

A. he or she always shows sympathy for people

B. he or she is confident, but not stubborn

C. he or she has more strengths than weaknesses

D. he or she often considers annoying people

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