A glass a day keeps obesity at bay．Alcohol has always been thought to cause weight gain because of its high sugar content，but new research suggests a glass a day could form part of a diet．Looking at past studies they found that，while heavy drinkers do put on weight；those who drink in moderation can actually lose weight．

A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says，“Light to moderate alcohol intake，especially of wine，may be more likely to protect against，rather than promote，weight gain”．The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions，particularly that current data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight．

Boston University’s Dr．Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms(生物学机制)relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood．His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes(糖尿病)，which relate to increasing obesity．Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers．

The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and are not stored in fat，and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods．They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks，taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight．

For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one’s risk of becoming obese．What’s more，a study three years ago suggested that resveratrol，a compound present in grapes and red wine，destroys fat cells.

1.The passage is mainly for those__________．

A．who produce wine

B．who have a drinking habit

C. who go on a diet

D．who are eager to lose weight

2.The underlined phrase“in moderation”in the first paragraph means_________．

A．excitedly B．carefully C．properly D．frequently

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Current data clearly show that moderate drinking increases weight．

B．Resveratrol is proved to increase the risk of becoming fat．

C．The specific roles of different types of alcoholic drinks are very clear．

D．The research found moderate drinking has a strong protective effect．

4.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．How to do some easy experiments．

B．How to reduce the calories contained in wine．

C．How to make wine in a healthy way．

D．How to prove the finding mentioned above．

“I wouldn’t buy that woman a Mother’s Day card”，said the woman standing by the card shelf．I looked up and saw an of total complaint and dislike．

Having been at a Florida orphanage at four, I never knew what it felt like to have a mother or a father．Never had I received a hug from my parents．That part of my life is a total ．

She looked up，saw me looking at her and angrily，“Just what are you looking at，you fool?”

“Sorry Ma’am．I never had a mother，and I was by your words．”I picked up a nice-looking ，opened it and began to read，“Thank you for being my mother．”

“Do you think your mother would like that card?Mine would，I think，”I said．

“Do you know what it is like to be at for years，and never be told that you are loved?”she asked．

“My mother didn’t me，let alone shout．She just took me to the orphanage where I stayed until I grew up，”I replied．

“Don’t you her?”she asked．

“Oh，I can’t．She’s my mother．Being a mother is a position to be ，even if she is not a very nice person，”I said．The woman stood there her head．

“I know your mother might have done a lot of things that you．It appears as if you hate her．But I can tell you this from my that disliking her，or even hating her，feels nowhere near as as never having known a mother at all—good or bad．At least，you feel ．For me，it’s all just a large blank of loneliness inside my heart，and that’s I’11 feel until I die．”

The woman stood there for a moment． ,she reached out，took the card from my hand and placed it in her cart．After she left，I a nice card for my mother．I took it home， it，and placed it with the other Mother and Father’s Days cards bought all these years，each marked“Address Unknown”．

1.A．idea B．appearance C．expression D．impression

2.A．deserted B．1ost C．reserved D．rescued

3.A．dark B．pain C．misfortune D．blank

4.A．requested B．considered C．screamed D．refused

5.A．relieved B．moved C．disappointed D．shocked

6.A．cart B．card C．book D．magazine

7.A．simply B．1argely C．originally D．basically

8.A．shouted B．glared C．1aughed D．pointed

9.A．set aside B．1eave behind C．care about D．know about

10.A．miss B．1ove C．accuse D．hate

11.A．depended B．obeyed C．respected D．observed

12.A．shaking B．dropping C．raising D．turning

13.A．hurt B．blamed C．disturbed D．punished

14.A．conscience B．efforts C．experiences D．nature

15.A．fragile B．1onely C．hateful D．anxious

16.A．anything B．everything C．nothing D．something

17.A．whether B．how C．where D．why

18.A．Cheerfully B．Eagerly C．Hesitantly D．Seriously

19.A．picked out B．packed up C．brought out D．took up

20.A．mended B．exposed C．addressed D．signed

The latest fashion in the kitchen is the food steamer．All the stores are selling them；everyone wants one．Steaming is one of the simplest and healthiest ways of cooking food．However，that cooking time is usually longer than with other methods．In case you’re thinking of buying a steamer，I’ve done a survey about the steamers available on the market to help you decide which will suit you best．

Folding Steamer

The simplest and least expensive is the folding stainless-steel(不锈钢)version．

Advantages：This is a good，basic design which sits inside a variety of different shapes of pans with the water under it；a ring in the centre allows for easy lifting and it's easy to clean．

Disadvantages：It only holds small dishes．Also，if you put too much water in the pan，it will boil up through the vegetables and they will be watery．If you put too little water in and let it get dry，you will burn the pan and get strange-smelling vegetables．

Steaming Pan

This is a three-layered black Teflon-coated version with a lid and two double-handled steamers，which sits on the oven ring．The brand I bought is called Nutritious Living．

Advantages：This is an excellent steamer, lightweight，easy to clean，and of all the steamers I’ve tried，this cooks the fastest．Fish and chicken can be cooked on the bottom with rice or vegetables on the top．It’s easier to store．

Disadvantages：Water can boil away until the pan is dry，but if you make sure you fill the pan up to the suggested level and do not overcook the food，this should not happen．You cannot see the food cooking from the top．It doesn’t supply a dish for cooking rice．

For serious users of steamers，I recommend having one of each version．If you just want to try it，get the folding stainless-steel type．

1.The food steamer is popular with people because ________________．

A．it can save time and money

B．food can be cooked simply and healthily

C．it is easy to clean and store

D．it is available in any store

2.Which of the following is true about the folding steamers?

A．They are cheap and easy to use．

B．They are difficult to clean．

C. They can hold all kinds of dishes．

D．You can put little water in the pan．

3.When you use the steaming pan，_________

A．you can overcook the food

B．you can only cook rice

C．you feel it’s heavy to carry

D．you should pour proper amount of water

Robots make me nervous-especially the ones which seem to think for themselves．I was embarrassed to admit this till I heard that Bill Gates，the founder of Microsoft，felt the same way．Gates said in an interview with the website Reddit：“I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence．First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent．That should be positive if we manage well．A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern．”

Well，maybe I don’t have to worry about my laptop and kitchen appliances yet．After I use them I can always pull the plug．But in the future，machines might find a way to prevent us from switching them off．There’s a scary thought!

Professor Stephen Hawking warned a few months ago about the possibility that artificial intelligence could evolve and end up beyond human contro1．He suggested that machines could“spell the end of the human race”．

Maybe the problem with computers too clever for us is not that they are evil or rebellious．What could put us in danger is that they might be too efficient．That’s what philosopher Nick Bostrom from the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University believes．He says that machines are indifferent to humans and in pursuit of their own goals，the destruction of people might be just collateral(附带的)damage．A machine would not take pity on you．

I’m glad my machines at home are“dumb”．All my vacuum cleaner wants to take over is the carpet in my living room．Let’s hope they don’t create an appliance which wants to take over the world!

1.We can conclude from Gates’statements that ___________．

A．he is embarrassed that he is afraid of robots

B．he doesn’t think machines are intelligent

C．machines should be fully employed

D．machines’super intelligence should be a concern

2.The underlined word“spell”in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____________．

A．record B．cause C．explain D．develop

3.Why are computers dangerous according to Nick Bostrom?

A．They are too evil and rebellious．

B．They are indifferent to humans．

C．They show pity on humans．

D．They are too clever and efficient．

4.What can be inferred about the author?

A．He doesn’t agree with Bill Gates．

B．He is not content with the present kitchen appliances．

C．He is scared about the super intelligence of machines．

D．He expects that machines will take place of humans．

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：

1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

Dear Bob，

I studied in your school for six month a couple of years ago．I’m very grateful to your help during my study in the U．S．Without your help，my English couldn’t have improved so rapid and I couldn’t have been enjoyed my life there so much．Do you know why everything is going with Mr．Smith? I failed to get in touch with him after I leave America．I’ll be very thankful if you can offer me his e-mail address．

I remember that you are very interesting in Chinese culture．I’m very glad to invite you to China during the Spring Festival enjoy our culture．I’m sure it will be a unforgettable trip. I’ll be happy if you can accept my invitation．

I’m looking forward to hear from you soon．

Li Hua

Hello everybody．You can use this website to learn English and other languages．Click the links below to explore our language learning resources．

Find an English conversation partner

You can speak English online with another person or practice any other language on our Live English Conversation Linkup service through Skype，Google Talk，MSN，etc．You can use the service to get information about travel，language，food，customs，climate，travel，business，work，study etc．Or，you can speak any foreign language on our Live Language Linkup page．

World English course

Learn English with our free World English Course．Listen，speak，read，write and understand English through our free weekly online activities and linkups．Join the English Classroom!

English courses

Take a look at some of the courses we offer．

●Be Aware：Use this free English course to brush up your grammar，vocabulary，and writing skills．

●Interactive Stories：Learn a new technique for learning languages by using stories with this free English training course．

●The Business Trip：Develop your business English with this unique free business English course．

●The Water Car：A full-length interactive story English course for intermediate(中等的)level leamers．

●The Children of Kenji Takeuchi：A full-length interactive story English course for upper- intermediate level learners．

●World English：A free English course designed for topic-based discussions．

English dialogues

Follow a story in English through free English dialogues．There are three levels：

●Lower Intermediate：Hiromi’s Trip to Thailand

●Intermediate：Miyako’s Education

●Upper Intermediate：A New Life in Mosquito City

Real conversations

We provide recordings of real conversations and interviews，with transcripts(文字记录)of the conversations so you can read and listen at the same time．It is a good way to learn real English．

1.This website mainly provides users with _____________．

A．free courses on traveling abroad

B．plenty of language resources

C．interesting conversations

D．1ots of amazing stories

2.If one wants to enrich his grammar and words，he should click _____________．

A．Be Aware B．The Water Car

C．The Business Trip D．Interactive Stories

3.Which of the following is designed for intermediate level learners?

A．The Children of Kenji Takeuehi．

B．A New Life in Mosquito City

C．Hiromi’s Trip to Thailand．

D. Miyako’s Education．

4.Real conversations is a good may to learn real English because ____________．

A．you can read while listening

B．you can see a native speaker

C．you can record your own voice and listen to it

D．you can transcript every word of real speakers

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

“My wallet!Where is it?”were my first words when I found out my wallet was lost．I searched my memory for a few good seconds，and then that I had left my precious wallet in the library．To be ，it was in the public toilet of the library!

the library was then closed，I had to wait until the next morning to begin my ．When I got there early the next day，all I found was a bathroom．

At that time，all I could was that the person who cleaned the restroom had my wallet．So I approached an old lady at the front desk．“Excuse me，is there a wallet found in the restroom yesterday?”She walked through a door and for a moment．Then she came back to the desk．“No，”she said．I quickly thanked her and walked off， ．

Finally，I painfully the fact that my wallet had gone．

A week later，I received a mysterious in the mail．Sure enough，it was my ! And most surprisingly， in it was missing! And there was a little yellow piece of paper folded up inside．I slowly unfolded it and a little medal of Christ fell off．The paper like his：

Always this medal with you，whatever your religion is，so the angel that was watching over you last will always be close．

This person didn’t even leave a return ，so I couldn’t thank whoever it was．

From that day on，I promised myself to this example when I was in a similar situation．I will make others as as I was when I opened that package !

1.A．predicted B．realized C．explained D．imagined

2.A．obvious B．honest C．exact D．clear

3.A．Because B．Although C．Unless D．Even

4.A．work B．reading C．research D．search

5.A．crowded B．noisy C．clean D．deserted

6.A．run after B．hope for C．remember D．declare

7.A．hidden B．picked C．ignored D．found

8.A. secretly B．aimlessly C．politely D．angrily

9.A．disappeared B．hesitated C．rested D．escaped

10.A．surprised B．disappointed C．satisfied D．ashamed

11.A．accepted B．considered C．changed D．covered

12.A．present B．invitation C．notice D．package

13.A．wallet B．book C．reward D．treasure

14.A．something B．nothing C．everything D．anything

15.A．exposed B．described C．read D．announced

16.A．keep B．equip C．compare D．connect

17.A．month B．fortnight C．week D．year

18.A．reminder B．date C．message D．address

19.A．set B．follow C．give D．take

20.A．annoyed B．puzzled C．crazy D．happy

Those _____ cannot answer all three riddles will be condemned to death.

A. that B. who

C. which D. what

We live in a society ______ there is a great deal of debate about competition.

A. where B. which

C. when D. that

The old man turned his business over to his younger son, ________made his elder son discouraged.

A. who B. what

C. that D. which