A California man who was feeling sick almost died recently from a shocking cause.

26-year-old Luis Ortiz went to a hospital because of a headache and nausea(恶心,作呕). When doctors examined him, they were shocked to find a tapeworm larva(绦虫幼虫) in his brain. The story gets stranger. The larva was still alive.

The creature had caused a cyst(囊肿) to form inside his head. The cyst was restricting the flow of liquids to different areas of his brain. The situation was so serious that doctors said they had to perform an emergency operation to remove the larva.

A doctor who operated on Ortiz told him he had only 30 minutes to live. When the doctor pulled the worm out of his head, it was still moving.

Luis Ortiz was a student at California State University in Sacramento. He began experiencing headaches in late August. But Ortiz said he did not think the headaches were serious.

In September, he visited a friend and his parents in another city. That is when the pain got worse. His mother saw Ortiz throwing up and took him to a hospital emergency room.

The doctors saved Ortiz's life. However, the surgery also affected him. Ortiz had to drop out of school and move back home. For now, he is not permitted to work or drive a vehicle.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has about 1,000 reported cases of tapeworms each year. The CDC adds that tapeworms are more common in developing countries with poor public health systems.

The best way to avoid a tapeworm infection (感染)is to wash fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly. The CDC suggests cooking all meats to an internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius.

1. What caused Luis Ortiz to feel sick and headaches?

A. Dirty food eaten in August.

B. Travelling for a long way,

C. A living creature in his brain.

D. Uncooked meat eaten by him.

2.If the doctors didn’t have an emergency operation on him , Luis Ortiz was likely to ________ _ .

A. die of cancer B. live for only half an hour

C. finish studying in school D. pass the driving tests

3. How should people avoid infecting tapeworms?

A. By washing fruits and vegetable.

B. By boiling plates and bowls before meals.

C. By cooking meats to at least 63 °C outside,

D. By improving the development of economy.

4. What did the writer think of the cause of Luis Ortiz’s disease?

A. Quite frightening. B. Very dangerous.

C. Rather puzzling. D. Extremely surprising.

Twelve-year-old twins Lily and Audrey Andrews are teaching kids how to cook in unusual ways with their creative recipes(食谱).Growing up in Northern California, the sisters have created their very first cookbook. Jack and Jill caught up with the girls to talk about food.

Jack and Jill: How did you two become interested in cooking?

Audrey: When we were younger, we watched cooking shows on the Food Network instead of cartoons. We were hooked and began doing anything we were allowed to do in the kitchen.

JJ: Who taught you both how to cook?

Lily: Our mom and dad taught us the basics, but when we were about 6 years old, we took cooking classes with one of our mom’s friends who is a cook. We have also taken adult classes at our local cooking school.

JJ: Do you have a favorite dish you like to cook?

A: In the winter, Lily and I love making hot soup. In the summer, we’re always coming up with new salads. We love cooking with friends and family, and one recipe that everyone can help us with is our Beef Stir Fry.

JJ: For the eater who wants to start cooking and trying new foods, where do you suggest they begin?

L: Start by adding new things to foods you already enjoy! Try to add a little curry(咖喱) to your favorite chicken dish. Start small, and slowly you’ll be open to trying tons of new things!

1.The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A.worried B.frightened C.surprised D.interested

2.The twins began to learn to cook ________.

A.from their parents

B.from their mom’s friend

C.when they went to school

D.when they were 6 years old

3.What dish do the twins like to cook the most?

A.Hot soup.

B.New salads.

C.It is up to the season.

D.It depends on their family.

4.The twins advise the eater who wants to cook to ________.

A.create lots of new things

B.cook the chicken dish first

C.prepare well before cooking

D.try something new little by little

Preventing obesity (肥胖) and smoking can save lives, but it doesn’t save money, reported researchers. “It was a small surprise, for it is against the common belief,” said Pieter Van Baal, who led the study. “But it makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more.”

The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, obese people racked up (累计) the most expensive health costs. But on average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years. Smokers and obese people tended to have more heart disease than healthy people. Therefore in the long run, the thin and healthy group cost about $417, 000, from age 20 on. Smokers cost about $326, 000 and obese people $371, 000.

“The result throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea, based on guesswork, that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars,” said Patrick Basham, a professor of health politics. “If we’re going to worry about the future of obesity, we should stop worrying about its financial impact,” he said.

“The benefits of obesity prevention may not be seen immediately in terms of cost saving in tomorrow’s budget, but there are long-term gains,” said Van Baal. “These are often immeasurable when it comes to people living longer and healthier lives.” In the meanwhile, he said that governments should recognize that successful smoking and obesity prevention programs mean that people will have a longer chance of dying of something more expensive later in life.

“Lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don’t survive very long. But if they are old enough to get Alzheimer’s (早老性痴呆症) one day, they may survive longer and cost more. We are not advising that governments stop trying to prevent obesity,” Van Baal said. “But they should do it for the right reasons.”

1.Among middle-aged people, who may cost the health system most?

A. Those who are heavy smokers.

B. Those who are overweight.

C. Those who are too thin.

D. Those who are suffering from heart attacks.

2.What can we know about the belief that obesity costs much?

A. It turns out to be incorrect.

B. It comes from scientific study.

C. It is based on medical evidence.

D. It has changed over the past years.

3.According to the text, governments prevent obesity for the purpose of _______.

A. reducing the risks of suffering cancer

B. weakening obesity’s financial impact

C. making sure of people’s long and healthy life

D. reducing the money spent on medical programs

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A. Recent Medical Study Shows Truth about Health

B. Preventing Obesity and Smoking May Cost More

C. Obesity and Smoking Lead to Expensive Diseases

D. Governments Change Attitude towards Obesity and Smoking

Visiting Balboa Island, in sunny southern California, proved an exciting experience that I will never forget. I had never been to Balboa Island, even though it is only about an hour from my home in northern San Diego.

Our first stop was for a specialty called a "Balboa Bar". It is a famous chocolate covered ice cream on a stick, created many years ago. As we drove along the streets toward the boat, I also saw some interesting buildings that stood for many years. Many of the building designs seemed like dollhouses and someone in our group said that the style was called, Victorian.

After we parked our car on one of the streets, we got on the boat sailing to Balboa Peninsula. As I looked around the boat, I saw a bird flying very close to the water and our boat. A little girl near the boat' s edge jumped out to touch it and shockingly fell into the water! Her dad, who stood nearby, jumped in after her at once and everyone on the boat ran to help. The boat's engine stopped and both father and daughter got saved with the help of people on the boat.

On Balboa Peninsula my family and I went to various shops, especially for food! We saw a restaurant at the very end. We enjoyed our lunch there, at the first Ruby's Diner ever opened in southern California. Although I have been to other restaurants of this popular chain (连锁店), being at the very first is a great memory.

On our way back to Balboa island we stopped at the huge Ferris Wheel, bought some sugars and played games. It was an exciting afternoon walking around on Balboa Island. I look forward to returning soon to spend some time on the beach again or maybe even to try fishing!

1."Balboa Bar" is the name of

A. a street B. a restaurant

C. a food D. a building

2.What happened on the boat to Balboa Peninsula?

A. A little girl fell into the river

B. The boat broke down halfway.

C. People helped a girl catch a bird.

D. A father quarreled with his daughter.

3.The author' s dining experience at the first Ruby' s Diner was

A. boring B. interesting

C. unpleasant D. unforgettable

4.What did the author do on Balboa Island?

A. He went fishing by the river.

B. He walked along the beach.

C. He rode the Ferris wheel.

D. He bought some dolls.

5.What' s the best title for the text?

A. My trip to Balboa B. The first Ruby' s Diner

C. My first boat ride D. Victorian buildings

On a hot summer day, there are few things that are more wonderful than a nice cool pool. 1. And it is completely relaxing. Of course, if you have children, there are certain measures you should take to keep them safe, whether you have a pool in your backyard or you are going to a public pool.

People should never swim by themselves. Actually it only takes a second for people to become injured and drown(溺水). 2. This is especially true for young children.

Splashing(玩水) is fun, but don’t take it too far.3. Kids love to go after one another through the water and to splash and jump around. But it is important to teach children not to jump on top of one another and to watch their surroundings in the water, so that they do not accidentally knock into others.

If you have a pool, you must have a locking gate around your pool. 4.Keep the gate knocked at all times, even when you are in the pool.

Know the way out. 5. Make sure that they know where all ladders are and how to enter and get out of the pool properly. Although your children may be able to lift themselves out of the pool using the side, that is not the safest way to go.

A. Kids should be taken good care of when they are swimming in the pool.

B. And having someone there with you can make the difference between life and death.

C. This is to prevent children from entering your pool without your knowledge.

D. Jumping into the water seems like the perfect way to deal with the heat.

E. Even so, attempt to avoid getting any pool water into your mouth.

F. Be sure to show all children the proper way to get out of the pool.

G. Playing around in the pool can be a lot of fun.

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