“Old wives tales” are beliefs lasting for many generations. For example, most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking, but others have not passed the test of time.

Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you, too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.

       Unfortunately, not all of Mom’ s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems? Well, yes. However, sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.

Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the test?

       A. Eating garlic is good for our eyes.         

       B. Sticky sweets are damaging our teeth.

       C. Swimming after a meal is dangerous.     

       D. Carrots prevent people from catching colds.

The phrase “hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means”_____”.

A. to be believable                             B. to be valuable    

C. to be admirable                                   D. to be suitable

What is the author’s attitude toward “old wives tales” in the text?

A. Subjective                 B. Objective             C. Dissatisfied       D. Curious

What do you do if you don’t get into your first choice of university? That’s the dilemma that faces thousands of British students every year.
Many candidates turn to Clearing, the service that helps find university places for students at the last moment. If they don’t have the marks to get into their first choice of institution, Clearing tells them about places available at other universities, though they might have to read another subject.  
But this year has seen a record number of people applying to university. This, combined with the weak economy, an uncertain job market and budget cuts at universities, means that there's been even more of a scramble for places than usual. Some sources say six students have applied for each remaining undergraduate university place.
The British university admissions service, UCAS, says up to a quarter of this year’s university applicants --- almost 190,000 people --- still don’t have a place on a degree course. That’s a rise of over 46,000 students from last year.
Faced with these figures, some British students might be thinking of an interesting alternative: studying abroad. The University of Nottingham, for example,is offering places at its campuses in Ningbo, near Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Students here can gain University of Nottingham degrees in business, accounting, engineering and English. Similarly, the University of Bolton says it has ‘unlimited’ places at its campus in the United Arab Emirates.
Given the problems getting into university, the UK’s Higher Education Minister, David Willetts, encourages students who haven't made the grade to consider alternatives to university, such as apprenticeships and studying at home.
"There are a range of options available," he says. "People are able to reapply. They should think how they can spend their year adding that bit to their CV, which would help their application --- getting practical work experience or extra skills --- anything that strengthens their chances next year."
But some experts say that rising university costs, poor long-term job prospects, and a drop in graduate recruitment mean it’s the worst time to be a university student in the UK.
【小题1】When the author says this year “there’s been more of a scramble for places” (Para. 3), he means_________________.

A.more people have applied to university
B.there is more competition between the candidates
C.there are more services that help find university places
D.more places are available
【小题2】According to UCAS, there are about ____university applicants this year.
A.190,000B.46, 000C.236, 000D.760, 000
【小题3】David Willetts encourages students faced with the lack of places on a degree course _____.
A.to consider apprenticeships and studying at home
B.to study at campus outside the UK
C.to reapply next year
D.not to go to university in the UK
【小题4】Which of the following is NOT the reason that may make this year the worst time to enter university?
A.It costs more to study at university.
B.Long-term job prospects are worse.
C.Universities offer places in other countries.
D.There are fewer chances to do graduate study.
【小题5】According to the passage, what can students do if they don’t get into their first choice of university?
A.They can go to work in Clearing.
B.They can get practical work experience or skills and reapply next year.
C.They can spend the year writing a better CV.
D.They do graduate study at home.

My family and I lived across the street from Southway Park since I was four years old. Then just last year the city put a chain link fence around the park and started bulldozing(用推土机推平)the trees and grass to make way for a new apartment complex. When I saw the fence and bulldozers, I asked myself,“Why don’t they just leave it alone?”
Looking back, I think what sentenced the park to oblivion(被遗忘)was the drought(旱灾)we had about four years ago. Up until then, Southway Park was a nice green park with plenty of trees and a public swimming pool. My friends and I rollerskated on the sidewalks, climbed the trees, and swam in the pool all the years I was growing up. The park was almost like my own yard. Then the summer I was fifteen the drought came and things changed.
There had been almost no rain at all that year. The city stopped watering the park grass. Within a few weeks I found myself living across the street from a huge brown desert. Leaves fell off the park trees, and pretty soon the trees started dying, too. Next, the park swimming pool was closed. The city cut down on the work force that kept the park, and pretty soon it just got too ugly and dirty to enjoy anymore.
As the drought lasted into the fall, the park got worse every month. The rubbish piled up or blew across the brown grass. Soon the only people in the park were beggars and other people down on their luck. People said drugs were being sold or traded there now. The park had gotten scary, and my mother told us kids not to go there anymore.
The drought finally ended and things seemed to get back to normal, that is, everything but the park. It had gotten into such bad shape that the city just let it stay that way. Then about six months ago I heard that the city was going to“redevelop”certain worn­out areas of the city. It turned out that the city had planned to get rid of the park, sell the land and let someone build rows of apartment buildings on it.
The chain­link fencing and the bulldozers did their work. Now we live across the street from six rows of apartment buildings. Each of them is three units high and stretches a block in each direction. The neighborhood has changed without the park. The streets I used to play in are jammed with cars now. Things will never be the same again. Sometimes_I_wonder,_though,_what_changes_another_drought_would_make_in_the_way_things_are_today.
【小题1】How did the writer feel when he saw the fence and bulldozers?

A.Scared.B.Confused.
C.upset.D.Curious.
【小题2】Why was the writer told not to go to the park by his mother?
A.It was being rebuilt.
B.It was dangerous.
C.It became crowded.
D.It had turned into a desert.
【小题3】According to the writer, what eventually brought about the disappearance of the park?
A.The drought.
B.The crime.
C.The beggars and the rubbish.
D.The decisions of the city.
【小题4】The last sentence of the passage implies that if another drought came,________.
A.the situation would be much worse
B.people would have to desert their homes
C.the city would be fully prepared in advance
D.the city would have to redevelop the neighborhood

 In all one’s lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is exactly oneself that one has the least understanding of.

When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself, mistaking difficulties for your own incompetence.

To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself-aware of both one’s strengths and shortages. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for ideals can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. That’s to say so long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself there won’t be difficulties you can’t overcome.

To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you think you are a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own value. If you earnestly admire yourself you’ll have a real sense of self-appreciation, which will give you confidence. As soon as you gain full confidence in yourself, you’ll be enabled to fight and overcome any adversity.

To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires doing oneself a favor when it’s needed. In time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a gloomy mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep. As you are aware, what a person physically has is but a human body that’s vulnerable when exposed to the elements. So if you fall ill, it’s up to you to take a good care of yourself.

In a word, to get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control of one’s life. Then one will find one’s life full of color and flavor.

1. What is described in Paragraph 2 is to show that           .

A.a person is easy to estimate himself too high when succeeding

B.it is difficult for one to have a perfect knowledge of oneself

C.you should keep up high spirits whatever difficulties you meet

D.it is essential that a person get a thorough understanding of himself

2. Remember not to expect too much of yourself when looking forward to the future because         .

A.your shortages might stop you succeeding

B.ideals can never be turned into realities

C.you are likely to lack enough courage

D.you haven’t understood yourself quite well

3.Having a real sense of self-appreciation can enable one         .

A.to realize one’s shortages

B.not to be too proud

C.to gain enough self-confidence

D.not to go downhill

4.If this passage is divided into three parts, the second part should consist of        .

A.Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3

B.Paragraph 2 to Paragraph 5

C.Paragraph 3 to Paragraph 5

D.Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5

 

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