Imagine your body is like the house you live in．Every day, your family creates rubbish．The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection．

         Now, say you put three bags of garbage out．but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected．You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week．The following week you put on another three bags．plus the leftover bag from last week．But again, only two bags are collected．Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks．

         This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys （肾脏） don't work efficiently．Your body is nol thoroughly emptied of waste products．Other areas of the bodv such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins．

         It's not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before deveoping any symptoms．There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection （诊查）difficult．

         Kidney's main job is to remote toxins（毒素） and unwanted water from our blood．Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood．Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no apparent pain．

         Research shows that more than 35% of the patients requiring dialysis （透析）do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so．Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage．Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes （糖尿病）and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades．Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential risk factors for the kidney disease．

66．The author gives the example of the house we live in to indicate that ______．

         A．it doesn't matter much if the waste in our body is not emptied in time

         B．our body will not produce any waste if our kidneys work efficiently

         C．it's important for our body to empty the waste in time every day

         D．it's safe and harmless for our body to keep some waste

67．The underlined word “insidious” in Paragrap 3 means          .

         A．smooth and safe                 B．apparent and fast

         C．gradual and unnoticed       D．long and painful

68．We can infer that when we find some symptoms related to our kidneys,          .

         A．the kidney failure begins

         B．the kidneys can still work properly

         C．we have lost about 10% of kidney function

         D．the kidneys may have been seriously damaged

69．How many risk factors of kidney disease are mentioned in the passage?

         A．Six.     B．Five.  C．Four.  D．Two.

70．Which of the following helps prevent kidney damage most effectively?

         A．Go to see a kidney specialist shortly before dialysis starts.

         B．Take enough exercise and make early detection of kidney disease.

         C．Try to keep low blood pressure and a stable lifestyle.

         D．Go to hospital whenever you find any warning signs.

Mobile phones should be banned from cars altogether, according to Dr Hole, senior lecturer in psychology, Dr Hole has emphasized the worrying combination of mobile phones and cars in his new book, The Psychology of Driving.

Mobile phones, fatigue（疲劳）, eyesight, drugs and age are among the issues considered by Dr Hole as he examines the factors that influence on driving. The book explores the role of each of these elements in increasing the chances of an accident and was inspired by the author’s conversations with road safety experts across the country.

He says: “The government should have banned mobile phones in cars altogether. It has sent out the wrong message by forbidding hand-held phones because this gives the impression that hands-free phones are safe. The problem with mobile phones is not vehicular（车辆的）control and only having one hand on the wheel, but rather it is taking away attention from what is happening outside the car.” 

Myths（荒诞的说法）about older people making worse drivers and claims（说法）about an improved reaction time among younger people are explored in the book. Questions about how drivers decide what to attend to while driving, the role of a driver’s expectations in determining what they see and how they respond to the road are among the areas covered in the book. Satellite navigation systems and new design aimed at transforming cars into a mobile office, are among the modern developments which he says now compete for driver’s attention behind the wheel.

Dr Hole says: “We need to be very careful about how we go about handling modern technology in cars, because we are opening a Pandora’s Box. When anyone is driving there is a lot of information outside the car and if there is too much going on inside, then there is a danger of overloading the driver.”

1. Dr Hole’s strong belief that mobile phones should be banned from cars lies in___________. 

  A. the inconvenience of having only one hand on the wheel caused by mobile phones

  B. the correct message of getting rid of hand-held phones sent out by the government

  C. the increase of chances of accidents

  D. the advice given by some road safety experts

2. Which of the following is not included in his book?

  A. Hand-free phones are safer than hand-held phones.

  B. What drivers have to attend to while driving.

  C. Whether older age and slower reaction is related.

  D. Bad eyesight is one of the factors of causing an accident.

3. Which of the following is true?

  A. Older people are better at preventing accidents.

  B. younger drivers’ reaction time is relatively shorter.

  C. It is a myth that some old people can still drive.

  D. A driver’s expectations are not covered in the book.

4. What can we know from the underlined sentence?

  A. What is going on outside is of equal importance to what inside.

  B. Modern developments call for drivers’ attention behind the wheel.

  C. Satellite navigation systems require more cars as mobile offices.

  D. Modern technology is responsible for the distraction（分心）of one’s attention while driving.

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.

My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.

Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.

Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.

Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.

1.The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．tremble           B．complain          C．speed up          D．slow down

2.Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.

B．People are wise to pay to go to the gym.

C．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.

D．People’s attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed.

3.By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “________”.

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

C．If you venture nothing, you will have nothing.

D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

4.Following this passage, the author will further talk about ________.

A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced

B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face

C．what great people have in common

D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity

5.Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Face adversity with a smile

B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Life is full of adversity

  With its budget of $80 million , John Woo as director, and an all-star cast（明星云集的演员阵容）, Red Cliff is the most expensive and ambitious Asian-financed film ever. Last week I saw the release of the second part, and boy oh boy does it shows.

    But watching the film as a foreigner I felt I was missing out on something. Not knowing my Cao Cao's from my Zhou Yu's, I was not even sure whom I wanted to win. Certainly after the opening scene, in which Cao Cao is seen watching a game of Cuju, an ancient Chinese variation of football, I knew who had my support. After all, any man who enjoys his football is someone after my own heart. But after Cao Cao resorted to some evil strategies against his enemies in the south, I wasn't so sure he was the man I should be rooting for.

And there is a lot more to Red Cliff 2 than just extravagant battle scenes. The film does not take itself too seriously. Conversations between leaders are littered with one-liners, many of which had the audience in laughter. There is even enough to keep fans of more romantic entertainment happy too. This includes a charming relationship between a southern spy（侦探）and an innocent northern soldier. The characters' interaction provides some genuinely heart-warming moments in the middle of the battle.

    Clocking in at（结束于）around two hours, the film certainly does justice to the history story. When I walked out the cinema, I felt as drained（精疲力竭） as Cao Cao's soldiers must have 1,800 years ago.

By expressing “boy oh boy” in the first paragraph, the author seems to show that _______.

A．the film characters are like boys who are childish.

B．the film provides amazing and surprising scenes for audience.

C．the film is suitable for younger boys to watch.

D．the film scene is so bloody that boys shouldn’t watch it.

When did the author change his attitude toward Cao Cao?

A．When he read the history story about Cao Cao.

B．When he saw Cao Cao was watching a game of Cuju,

C．When he realized that Cao Cao took some bad measures to beat his enemies.     

D．When he saw the romantic love story of Cao Cao and a southern spy.

The following factors of the film are all mentioned in the passage except_______.

A．high budget     B．leading roles    C．actors and actress     D．conversations

From the passage we can infer that_______.

A．the author is a football fan in a foreign country.

B．Cuju is the name of an ancient Chinese variation of football.

C．the film Red Cliff 2 lasts about two hours.    

D．the author was very tired after about two hours’ battle.

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle t miles to my company, but unfortunately there is a big hill on my way. He replied, “You are    1   .” He explained that I should be thankful for the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to    2   as I approached it, but now I think that this hill will exercise my heart and lungs and it will    3   me to lose weight and get fit. This hill is my friend. I even feel sorry for those who    4   to go to a gym and sit on exercise bicycles    5   I can get the same value for free.
We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university    6  . She wrote, “Character cannot be developed    7   . Only through experiences of trial and    8    can the soul be strengthened, ambition    9    and success achieved.”
One of the main factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境).    10  we face hardships, problems and difficulties. We cannot    11   the adversity, but we can choose our attitude towards it. Douglas Bader was twenty-one when he had both legs cut off following a flying     12  . He was determined to fly again and became one of the leading    13   in Britain. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone    14    tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Make up your mind, and you’ll succeed.”
Great people rise from adversity. Their common quality is that they did not become    15   in face of adversity. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge and they won.
【小题1】