An important factor that plays a part in susceptibility (易受影响) to colds is age.A study done by the University of Michigan School of Public Health indicated the fact that seems to hold true for the general population.Babies are the group suffering most from colds, averaging more than six colds in their first years.Boys have more colds than girls up to age three.After the age of three, girls are more susceptible than boys, and teenage girls average three colds a year to boy's two.

The general frequency of colds continues to decline into adults.Elderly people who are in good health have as few as one or two colds annually.One exception is found among people in their twenties, especially women, who show a rise in cold infections(感染), because people to this age group are most likely to have young children.Adults who delay having children until their thirties and forties experience the same sudden increase in cold infections.

The study also found that economics (经济状况) plays an important role.As income increases, the frequency at which colds are reported in the family decreases.Families with the lowest income suffer about a third more colds than families at the upper end.Lower income generally forces people to live in closer quarters than those typically occupied by wealthier people, and crowding increases the opportunities for the cold virus to travel from person to person.Low income may also influence diet.The degree to which poor nutrition affects susceptibility to colds is not yet clearly proved, but an inadequate diet is suspected of lowering resistance generally.

1.What factors cause people to catch colds easily?

       A.Age and pregnancy.

B.Health and pregnancy.

       C.Health and economics.

D.Age and economics.

2.Why does the lowest income lead to the rapid spread of colds?

       A.Because poor people can't afford to go to see a doctor.

       B.Because balanced diet has definitely affected poor people.

       C.Because people with the lowest income have limited living space.

       D.Because cold virus don't have opportunities to travel in poor families.

3.How does the study prove that age plays a part in susceptibility to colds?

       A.Using comparison.                   B.Using graphs.

       C.Using description.                   D.Using argument.

4.What can you learn from the passage?

       A.Families with the lowest income suffer less colds than rich families.

       B.The general frequency of colds are likely to increase among the poor.

       C.Women in their twenties are most likely to avoid cold infections.

       D.The general frequency of colds continue to rise into the adults.

Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: "The hand took hold of the ball"), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information concerning how humans behave and interact (互动). Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.
【小题1】Mirror neurons can explain _________.

A.why we cry when we are hurt
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C.why we smile when we see someone else smile
D.why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
【小题2】The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.
A.set offB.cut offC.built upD.broken up
【小题3】We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _________.
A.relate to human behavior and interaction
B.control human physical actions and feelings
C.result in bad behavior and social disorders
D.determine our knowledge and language abilities
【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?
A.Ways to find mirror neurons.B.Problems of mirror neurons.
C.Existence of mirror neurons.D.Functions of mirror neurons.

A grave of a man dating back to around 2300 BC was found by archaeologists in England On May 3, 2002. Buried with him were the tools of a hunter or warrior. There was a bone pin that may have been from a piece of clothing such as a leather coat. He carried a copper knife on his breast. The most amazing find was two gold earrings. That would have made him a man of distinction. Only a few centimeters from his head were two pots made of clay, tools and materials to make arrows, a bow and a dozen arrows for hunting and a second, smaller copper knife. Next to them lay a cushion stone, upon which the man could work metal.
His grave is the richest of any found from that period, because this man was buried with two gold earrings which are the oldest gold ever found in Britain (dated to 2470 BC). Besides, he was buried three miles from Stonehenge. Archaeologists tend to believe he was a member of a powerful class who might have organized the construction of Stonehenge.
Stonehenge was begun around 3000 BC. In about 2300 BC the huge stone circles were built. The biggest stone weighed approximately 20 tons. But the smaller blue stones, still weighing 4 tons on average, came from west Wales. It is not yet known how these were conveyed over a distance of 380 km. It is also a mystery how early man was able to construct Stonehenge without the use of modern construction machines and lorries.
He is an example of people who brought culture and new techniques from the European mainland to Britain. In terms of technical development people were going from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age and then to the Iron Age.
【小题1】Which are not included in the things that are found in the grave of a man?

A.Tools, a bone pin, a bow and a cushion stone
B.A copper knife and two gold earrings.
C.Two pots, arrows and materials to make arrows.
D.some chicken and grains.
【小题2】The man buried in the grave might be ______ at that time.
A.A poor manB.a kind-hearted manC.a rich manD.an ordinary man
【小题3】Why is the man buried in the grave called the "king of Stonehenge" ?
A.He was buried three miles from Stonehenge.
B.He had the oldest gold ever found in Britain.
C.He might be a member of a powerful class who might have organized the construction of Stonehenge.
D.All of the above.
【小题4】We can infer that _______ .
A.how Stonehenge was built
B.the King of Stonehenge was from France
C.Stonehenge was built through several ages
D.Stonehenge was built because of war

Plants can’t communicate by moving or making sounds, as most animals do. Instead, plants produce volatile compounds (挥发性化合物) —— chemicals that easily change from a liquid to a gas. A flower’s sweet smell, for example, comes from such volatile compounds to attract insects such as bugs and bees.

Plants can also discover  volatile compounds produced by other plants. A tree under attack by hungry insets, for instance, may give off these chemicals in order to let other trees know about the attack. In response, the other trees may send off their chemicals to keep the bugs away —— or even chemicals that will attract the bugs’ natural enemies.

Now scientists have created a quick way to understand what plants are saying: a chemical sensor (传感器) called an “electronic nose”. The “e-nose” can tell such compounds as plants make. When plants are attacked, scientists say, the e-nose could help quickly decide whether plants are being eaten by insects. But today, the only way to spot such insects is to inspect individual plants by observing them. This is a challenging task for managers of greenhouses, including those that can house thousands of plants. The research team is working with an e-nose that can recognize volatile compounds. Inside the device, 13 sensors chemically react with volatile compounds based on the interactions (相互作用), and then the e-nose will give off electronic signals that the scientists can analyze by using computer software.

To test the e-nose, the team presented it with healthy leaves from cucumber, pepper and tomato plants, all being common greenhouse crops. Then scientists collected samples of the air around damaged leaves from each type of crop. These plants had been damaged either by insects or by scientists who made holes in the leaves with a hole punch (打孔器).

The e-nose, it turns out, can identify healthy cucumber, pepper and tomato plants based on the volatile compounds they produce. It could also identify tomato leaves that had been damaged. But even more impressive, the device could tell which type of damage —— by insects or with a hole punch —— had been done to the tomato leaves.

With some fine-tuning (微调), a device like the e-nose can one day be used in greenhouses to quickly spot harmful bugs, the researchers say. A device like this can also be used to identify fruits that are perfectly ripe and ready to pick and eat, says Natalia Dudareva, a biochemist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, India, who studies smells of flowers and plants. Hopefully, scientists believe, the device can bring large benefits to greenhouse managers in the near future.

1.We learn from the text that plants communicate with each other by ______.

A.making some sounds

B.waving their leaves

C.producing some chemicals

D.sending out electronic signals

2.What did the scientists do to find out if the e-nose worked?

A.They fixed 13 sensors inside the device.

B.They presented it with all common crops.

C.They collected different damaged leaves.

D.They do tests on damaged and healthy leaves.

3.According to the writer, the most amazing thing about the e-nose is that it can ______.

A.pick out ripe fruits quite expertly

B.spot the insects in a very quick way

C.tell different damages to leaves

D.recognize unhealthy tomato leaves

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that the e-nose ______.

A.is unable to tell the smell of flowers

B.is not yet tested in greenhouses

C.is designed by scientists at Purdue

D.is helpful in killing harmful insects

 

David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups.But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon (跟腱) which means he could be out of action for around six months.With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out.The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league.After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered (被担架抬走)away.

It is not yet known whether he has completely severed (切断)his Achilles tendon or only torn it.The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist.

England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances.

"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement."I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support.

"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."

Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed (共鸣 )Capello's words of support:

"It is a horrible situation for Beckham.I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team.

David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over.

Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world.

Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks.

If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales.

So, perhaps all is not lost.Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:

"You never want to write off David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back(恢复原状)."

1.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Beckham had a dream?

B.Beckham--- a great football player!

C.The end for Beckham?

D.World Cup in South Africa!

2.What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow” in paragraph 4 ?

A.Missing the world cup will be a big success.

B.Missing Beckham means a great failure .

C.Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy.

D.Missing the world cup means a big disappointment for Beckham .

3.We may infer from the passage that ________ .

A.Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again

B.Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found

C.Beckham has his ability to bounce back

D.Beckham is likely to miss the world Cup

4.What does the underlined words “take heart” probably mean ?

A.get disappointed B.get help C.get encouraged       D.get hurt

 

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