The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food, minerals, and treasure. For thousands of years, he could sail on it. But he could not go far beneath its surface.
Man wants to explore deep into the sea. However, he is not a fish. He must breathe air, so he can’t stay under the water’s surface for any length of time. To explore deep water, man faces even more dangers and problems.
A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above. He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a hose(软管) and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Tons of water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. His body is under great pressure.
When a diver is under great pressure, his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to surface, the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly, the gases in his blood form bubbles(气泡). The diver is then suffering from the bends(潜函病). The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. They can even kill him.
【小题1】 On the whole, this text is about _________.

A．deep-sea divers should be in good health.

B．divers explore the deep sea only for treasure.

C．there is a special mixture of gases under the sea.

D．diving under the water too quickly causes a kind of illness.

Below is a selection from a popular science book.

1.What is the color of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?

A. Blue         B. Light yellow

C. Red                 D. Dark reddish purple

2.Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?

A. Because their spine is in active use.

B. Because they are more easily affected by gravity.

C. Because they keep growing backwards.

D. Because their spine becomes more bent.

3.Which of the following statements about our brain is true?

A. In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart.

B. When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy.

C. The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans.

D. Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain.

4.What is the main purpose of the selection?

A. To give advice on how to stay healthy.

B. To provide information about our body.

C. To challenge new findings in medical research.

D. To report the latest discoveries in medical science.

I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?

“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?

“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?

1. We can learn from this passage ________.?

2. Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .?

3. It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.?

4.The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .

5. As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?      ??

Below is a selection from a popular science book.

If blood is red, why are veins（静脉） blue?

Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish color. Although blood looks red when it’s outside the body, when it’s sitting in the vein near the surface of the skin, it’s more of a dark reddish purple color. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.

Which works harder, you heart or your brain?

That kind of depends on whether you’re busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you’re sitting still your brain is using twice as much energy as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.

Why do teeth fall out, and why don’t they grow back in grown-ups?

Baby (or “milk”) teeth do not last long; they fall out to make bigger room for bigger, stronger adult teeth later on. Adult teeth fall our when they become damaged, decayed and infected by bacteria. Once this second set of teeth has grown in, you’re done. When they’re gone, they are gone. This is because nature figures you’re set for life, and what controls regrowth of your teeth switches off.

Do old people shrink as they age?

Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn’t because they’re shrinking all over. They lose height as their spine（脊柱） becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effect of gravity(重力). Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose and average of 3-4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again? No, because old people don’t really shrink! It is not that they are growing backwards ----- their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it’s because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.

Why does spinning make you dizzy（眩晕的）?

Because your brain gets confused between what you’re seeing and what you’re feeling. The brain senses that you’re spinning using special gravity-and-motion-sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision balance stable. But when you suddenly stop spinning the system goes out of control, and your brain thinks you’removing while you’re not.

Where do feelings and emotions come from?

Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area ----- from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other, newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animal on this planet.

If exercise wears you out, how can it be good for you?

Because our bodies adapt to everything we do to them. And as far as your body is concerned, it’s “use it, or lose it”! It’s not that exercise makes you healthy, it’s more that a lack of exercise leaves your body weak and easily affected by disease

1.What is the color of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?

A．Blue                                 B．Light yellow

C．Red                                  D．Dark reddish purple

2.Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?

A．Because their spine is in active use.

B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity.

C．Because they keep growing backwards.

D．Because their spine becomes more bent.

3.Which of the following statements about our brain is true?

A．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart.

B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy.

C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans.

D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain.

4.What is the main purpose of the selection?

A．To give advice on how to stay healthy.

B．To provide information about our body.

C．To challenge new findings in medical research.

D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science.

B
Many people catch a cold in the springtime or fall. It makes us wonder. If scientists can send a man to the moon, why can’t they find a way to deal with the common cold? The answer is easy. There are actually hundreds of kinds of cold viruses out there. You never know which one you will get, so there isn’t a cure for each one.
When a virus attacks your body, your body works hard to get rid of it. Blood rushes to your nose and brings congestion（拥塞）in it. That is to say, you cannot breathe well. As a result, you feel terrible. However, your body is actually “eating” the virus. Your temperature rises and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is also killing the virus. Besides, you have a runny nose to stop the virus from getting into you. You may feel terrible, but in fact your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold.
Different people have different ways to deal with common colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might eat chicken soup to feel better. Some people take hot baths; some drink warm water, milk, or things like that; other people take medicine to stop the fever, congestion, and runny nose.
Some scientists suggest you should not take medicine when having a common cold, saying that it is bad for you to do that. If you take medicine, your body will stop reacting to the virus and thus won’t have a way to fight it and kill it, which makes the virus stay in you longer. Bodies can do an amazing job on their own.
56. According to the passage, what makes us wonder?
A. Why we never know which cold we will get.
B. Why scientists are able to send a man to the moon.
C. Why scientists cannot find a cure for the common cold.
D. Why there are hundreds of kinds of cold viruses out there.
57. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage when we are suffering from colds?
A. Fever.       B. Headache.      C. Runny nose.       D. Congestion.
58. When you have congestion in your nose, ________.
A. you will not be able to breathe well
B. your temperature is going to rise
C. your blood is running too fast
D. you will have a runny nose
59. According to the passage, people may deal with common colds in different ways EXCEPT ________.
A. taking medicine   B. taking hot baths   C. eating chicken soup   D. drinking alcohol
60. Some scientists advise you not to take medicine when you have a common cold because _______.
A. your body will fight and kill the virus on its own
B. your body will probably react too much to the virus
C. it will take longer time for your body to get over the virus
D. it will not be able to stop the fever, congestion or runny nose