Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be   1  for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it   2   .

Research is preliminary, but several studies   3  people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.

In an editorial   4  this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define   5  activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.

While health officials have issued guidelines   6  minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated   7  .

"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send   8  signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucoseand fat in the   9  start to shut down.

Even for people who   10   , spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day —   11  still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day,    12  in a single bout.

That wasn't   13  news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting    14   a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art  15  wrestling, and also does Thai boxing.

"I'm sure there are some detrimental   16  of staying still for too long, but I hope that being   17  when I can helps," he said. "I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be   18  dangerous."

Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat   19  had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.

Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.

Experts said more research is needed to    20  just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.

(   ) 1. A. bad                    B. good               C. mean               D. dead

(   ) 2. A. does                  B. occurs              C. matches            D. dies

(   ) 3. A. advise               B. talk                  C. suggest             D. say

(   ) 4. A. thrown                      B. caught              C. seen                 D. published

(   ) 5. A. biological           B. physical            C. psychological    D. logical

(   ) 6. A. commending      B. mending           C. recommending D. communicating

(   ) 7. A. stand                 B. state                 C. post                 D. position

(   ) 8. A. harmful             B. careful             C. wonderful        D. skillful

(   ) 9. A. head                  B. arm                  C. body               D. foot

(   ) 10. A. sleep               B. rest                  C. walk               D. exercise

(   ) 11. A. and                  B. so                    C. but                   D. then

(   ) 12. A. rather than               B. other than        C. more than        D. less than

(   ) 13. A. bad                  B. harmful            C. disadvantage     D. welcome

(   ) 14. A. behind             B. back                 C. in front of               D. forward

(   ) 15. A. referring          B. involving          C. taking              D. bringing

(   ) 16. A. effects              B. prefects            C. affects              D. offers

(   ) 17. A. inactive            B. active                   C. interactive               D. positive

(   ) 18. A. such                 B. little                 C. lot                   D. that

(   ) 19. A. less                  B. fewer                      C. more               D. further

(   ) 20. A. leave out          B. bring out          C. hold out           D. figure out

Books are not Nadia Konyk's thing. Her mother brings them home from the library, but Nadia rarely shows interest. Instead, like so many other teenagers, Nadia, 15, is addicted to the Internet. She regularly spends at least six hours a day in front of the computer, spending most of her time reading and commenting on stories written by other users. Her mother, Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia read books for a change.

As teenagers' scores on reading tests have declined, some argue that the hours spent surfing the Internet are the enemy of reading—destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books. Critics have warned that electronic media would destroy reading.

Others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write. What is different now, some literacy experts say, is that spending time on the Web engages viewers with text.

Web supporters believe that strong readers on the Web may eventually surpass those who rely on books. Reading five Web sites, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book. "It takes a long time to read a 400-page book," said Spiro. "In a tenth of the time," he said, the Internet allows a reader to "cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view."

Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem. "Kids are using sound and images so they have a world of ideas to put together," said Donna Alvermann, a professor of literacy education at the University of Georgia. "Books aren't out of the picture, but they're only one way of experiencing information in the world today."

Next year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which gives reading, math and science tests to 15-year-old students in more than 50 countries, will add an electronic reading component（软件）. The United States says it will not participate because an additional test would overburden schools.

Why are books not the thing of Nadia Konyk?

       A. She does reading mainly through electronic media.

       B. Her mother doesn’t provide her with enough books.

       C. She has become addicted to playing games on the web.

       D. Like many youngsters, she has lost interest in reading.

How many hours does Nadia spend in front of the computer in a week?

       A. Exactly forty-two hours                      B. Usually fifty hours

       C. More than forty hours                           D. At most thirty-six hours

Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?

       A. To search for information on the web engages viewers without text.

       B. To explain videos is a technique more important than analyzing a novel.

       C. Children using sound and images may lose their interest in movies.

       D. People reading well online may surpass those who rely on books.

Why did the US refuse to participate in the tests with an added electronic reading component?       It is because ______.

       A. the teachers and students considered it useless

       B. such a test would give schools more extra work

       C. they thought reading was the only way to get information

       D. none of them showed interest in such an additional test

The form cannot be signed by anyone ______ yourself. 

A. rather than          B. better than         C. more than       D. other than

At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can  36   biases (偏见) from the process will surely gain a big advantage  37  his opponents.
As a manager, Miss Tiffany is  38  for interviewing applicants for some of the  39  with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the  40  never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and a little  41  because she liked the person on the whole.
He had a perfect resume and gave good  42  to her questions,  43  the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy”. Several days later, she decided to offer the job to her  44  choice. “It wasn’t until I  45  a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person,” Tiffany says. What she hadn’t known at that time was that that person behaved  46  was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American  47  in a household where  48   for those in authority was shown by averting (避开) your eyes.
“Attending the diversity workshop helped me  49  how much I could learn by simply asking questions and  50  dialogues with employees,  51  making assumptions and trying to be a know-it-all,” Miss Tiffany admits. “The biggest thing I  52  from the workshop is learning how to be more ‘inclusive(包容的)’ to  53 .”
“I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact; not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”
Many of us have had similar problems with  54  we consider as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming necessary to  55  our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions.
36. A. replace  B. remove                           C. refresh                                     D. recover
37. A. of                              B. above                              C. over                                 D. on
38. A. desperate                         B. responsible                    C. ready                               D. punctual
39. A. positions                           B. businesses                     C. conditions                      D. trades
40. A. girl                             B. opponent                        C. client                               D. candidate
41. A. disappointed                    B. excited                            C. worried                           D. annoyed
42. A. suggestions                     B. responses                      C. impressions                            D. comments
43. A. so                                        B. and                                   C. or                                      D. but
44. A. first                                    B. immediate   C. second                                      D. careless
45. A. closed                                B. started                  C. attended                        D. organized
46. A. politely                              B. carelessly    C. skillfully                           D. differently
47. A. raised                                B. found                               C. treated                                     D. adopted
48. A. concern                             B. envy                        C. respect                                     D. sympathy
49. A. imagine                             B. realize          C. predict                                      D. expect
50. A. creating                                      B. continuing C. practising                       D. directing
51. A. other than                        B. rather than           C. more than                      D. less than
52. A. cut away                           B. put away                        C. gave away                      D. took away
53. A. misunderstandings        B. shortcomings                C. faults                               D. mistakes  
54. A. behaviors                          B. words                              C. habits                              D. thoughts
55. A. ignore                                B. express                           C. limit                                 D. expand

Sharks have gained unfair reputation for being large fierce sea animals. That humanity’s unfounded fear and hatred of these ancient creatures are leading to a worldwide slaughter (大屠杀) may result in the extinction of many larger, coastal shark species. The shark is the victim of a warped (有偏见的) attitude of wildlife protection; we strive (努力) only to protect the beautiful, non-threatening parts of our environment. And, in our efforts to restore only non-threat parts of our earth, we ignore other important parts.

A perfect illustration of this attitude is the contrasting attitude towards another large sea animal, the dolphin. During the 1980s, environmentalists in the United States objected to the practice of hunting tuna (金枪鱼) in the Pacific Ocean since these nets also caught dolphins. The environmentalists generated enough political and economic pressure to prevent tuna companies from buying tuna that had been caught in drift nets. In contrast to this effort, the populations of sharks in the Pacific Ocean have decreased to the point of extinction and there has been very little effort by the same environmentalism to save this important species of wildlife in water. Sharks are among the oldest creatures on earth, having survived in the seas for more than 350 million years. They are extremely efficient animals, feeding on wounded or dying animals, thus performing an important role in nature of knocking out the weaker animals in a species. Just the fact that species such as the Great White Shark have managed to live in the oceans for so many millions of years is enough proof of their efficiency and adaptability to changing environment. It is time for humans, who may not survive another 1,000 years at the rate they are damaging the planet, to cast away their fears and begin considering the protection of sharks as creatures that may provide us with an insight into our own survival.

The best summary of the passage is __________.

   A. sharks have such a bad reputation

   B. how sharks become some of the oldest creatures on earth

   C. sharks should be put under wildlife protection

   D. the campaign to save dolphins was not extended to save sharks

How long have sharks been living on the planet?

   A. More than 25 million years.

   B. More than 150 million years.

   C. More than 350 million years.

   D. More than 500 million years.

Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?

   A. Specific(细节) to general.                B. Cause and effect.

   C. Statement and example.                  D. Time order.

How did environmentalists manage to protect dolphins?

   A. They prevented fishermen from selling them for meat.

   B. They pressured fishermen into protecting dolphins by law.

   C. They created shelters where dolphin fishing was not allowed.

   D. They brought political pressure against tuna companies.