【题目】Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.

As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.

They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.

Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused shortsightedness in animals.

Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.

A study of almost 300,000 young adults-the largest of its kind-showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January.

Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination(光照) causes the eyeball to lengthen-causing short-sightedness.

Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.

The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin(褪黑激素), a pigment (色素) which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.

In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more vulnerable to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.

Sight expert Professor Daniel O’Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said “At the moment we don’t know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming shortsighted.”

1Babies born in summer are more likely to be shortsighted ____________.

A. because the summer sun is too strong for babies

B. because babies born in summer have lengthened eyeballs

C. if they are exposed too much sunlight in the first weeks after they are born

D. if parents don’t know a proper way to protect their babies’ eyes

2Melatonin is a kind of material to ___________.

A. prevent the eyes from becoming near-sighted

B. protect the skin from harmful sun rays

C. make our body strong

D. protect babies’ eyes from summer sun

3】From what Professor Daniel O’Leary says we can conclude that ___________.

A. there is no evidence that shortsightedness is related to exposure to sunlight

B. whether light exposure affects sight still needs to be further proved

C. he believes that light exposure can cause shortsightedness

D. he tries to give the cause of why light exposure affects sight

4】The underlined word “vulnerable” in the passage probably means __________.

A. easy to be harmed B. resistant

C. protective D. changeable

【题目】Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.

All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags,bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.

The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert,with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.

In recent years,there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste,resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full,lessening their desire to eat or drink.

The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste,and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.

Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier,another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

In August,2009,a team from the University of California,San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.

【1】What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.

B. It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.

C. It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California.

D. It is described as a kind of oceanic desert.

【2】Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.

B. Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain.

C. Because it may be from an island in the pacific.

D. Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.

【3】Which column can you find the passage on a newspaper?

A. Sports and entertainment. B. Media and culture.

C. Environment and society. D. Science and technology.

【4】The purpose of writing this passage is to____________.

A. warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific

B. analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific

C. give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean

D. introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

【题目】 I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter. It was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter,, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a walking stick.He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worded. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, "She said I have to go to New Orleans."

After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the road on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.

Immediately, our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. When I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.I called for a wheelchair. He said that he had just had bypass surgery(分流手术)and an artery was taken from his leg. I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn't sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors(主管)if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher(收据) for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast.

The moment he left, he said, "Thank you," bending his head and starting to cry. I cried too.When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, "I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man."

【1The writer's first impression of the old man was that he was

A. gentle-looking and weak

B. tired out and worded

C. confused and very sick

D. sad and anxious

【2On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed because

A. she felt sorry that she couldn't do the old man a favor

B. she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt

C. it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was

D. the old man was like an angel in the writer's eyes

【3The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because

A. the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the road

B. the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport

C. the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes

D. the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then

【4By calling the old man the writer's Christmas Man, the writer's supervisor implied that

A. the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas

B. the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas

C. the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas

D. the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas

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