B

Two new studies suggest that modern running shoes could increase the risk of injuries to runners.

One study involved sixty-eight healthy young women and men who ran at least twenty-four kilometers a week. The runners were observed on a treadmill machine. Sometimes they wore running shoes. Other times they ran barefoot.

Researchers from the JKM Technologies Company in Virginia, the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado did the study.

They found that running shoes create more stress that could damage knees, hips and ankle joints than running barefoot. They observed that the effect was even greater than the effect reported earlier for walking in high heels.

The study appeared in the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine.

The other study appeared in the journal Nature. It compared runners in the United States and Kenya. The researchers were from Harvard University in Massachusetts, Moi University in Kenya and the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

They divided the runners into three groups. One group had always run shoeless. Another group had always run with shoes. And the third group had changed to shoeless running.

Runners who wear shoes usually come down heel first. That puts great force on the back of the foot. But the study found that barefoot runners generally land on the front or middle of their foot. That way they ease into their landing and avoid striking their heel.

Harvard’s Daniel Lieberman led the study. He says the way most running shoes are designed may explain why those who wear them land on their heels. The heel of the shoe is bigger and heavier than other parts of the shoe, so it would seem more likely to come

down first. Also, the heel generally has thick material under it to soften landings.

60. How many organizations are involved in the two studies?

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

61. What can we learn from the text?

A. Most running shoes are designed improperly.

B. The design of high heels is better than that of running shoes.

C. No one will run with running shoes in the future.

D. Both of the studies are done in America.

62. Why do running shoes increase the risk of injuries to runners?

A. They could create stress. 

B. They’re too big and heavy.

C. They can affect the way the runners land.   

D. Their heels can soften landings.

63. How did the researchers do the two studies?

A. By practising.         B. By comparing.      C. By questioning.     D. By reasoning.

B

Two new studies suggest that modern running shoes could increase the risk of injuries to runners.

One study involved sixty-eight healthy young women and men who ran at least twenty-four kilometers a week. The runners were observed on a treadmill machine. Sometimes they wore running shoes. Other times they ran barefoot.

Researchers from the JKM Technologies Company in Virginia, the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado did the study.

They found that running shoes create more stress that could damage knees, hips and ankle joints than running barefoot. They observed that the effect was even greater than the effect reported earlier for walking in high heels.

The study appeared in the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine.

The other study appeared in the journal Nature. It compared runners in the United States and Kenya. The researchers were from Harvard University in Massachusetts, Moi University in Kenya and the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

They divided the runners into three groups. One group had always run shoeless. Another group had always run with shoes. And the third group had changed to shoeless running.

Runners who wear shoes usually come down heel first. That puts great force on the back of the foot. But the study found that barefoot runners generally land on the front or middle of their foot. That way they ease into their landing and avoid striking their heel.

Harvard’s Daniel Lieberman led the study. He says the way most running shoes are designed may explain why those who wear them land on their heels. The heel of the shoe is bigger and heavier than other parts of the shoe, so it would seem more likely to come

down first. Also, the heel generally has thick material under it to soften landings.

60. How many organizations are involved in the two studies?

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

61. What can we learn from the text?

  A. Most running shoes are designed improperly.

  B. The design of high heels is better than that of running shoes.

  C. No one will run with running shoes in the future.

  D. Both of the studies are done in America.

62. Why do running shoes increase the risk of injuries to runners?

  A. They could create stress. 

  B. They’re too big and heavy.

  C. They can affect the way the runners land.   

  D. Their heels can soften landings.

63. How did the researchers do the two studies?

  A. By practising.         B. By comparing.       C. By questioning.     D. By reasoning.

    One day while a girl was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small (1)_______. She cared them and felt great love for the birds.

　　One the (2)_______ and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. Therefore , (3)_______ he flew close, she grasped him (4)_______. She felt glad, but suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her hand and (5)_______ in horror at the dead bird.

　　She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for (6)_______. She lifted him from the cage and (7)_______ him softly into the air. The bird circled once, twice, three times.

　　The girl watched delightedly at the bird's enjoyment. Her heart was no longer (8)_______ with her loss. Suddenly the bird flew closer and (9)_______ softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody that she had ever heard.

　　The fastest way to (10)_______ love is to hold on it too tightly, the best way to keep love is to give it WINGS!

1. A. cage                     B. box                   C. tank                  D. room

2. A. weaker                 B. taller                 C. larger                D. shorter

3. A. Because         B. As                     C. If                     D. Since

4. A. gently                   B. freely                C. elegantly            D. wildly

5. A. stared                   B. glared         C. glanced             D. shouted

6. A. freedom         B. food                  C. love                  D. space

7. A. dropped         B. pulled         C. seized        D. tossed

8. A. packed                 B. concerned  C. marked             D. lined

9. A. landed                  B. sat                    C. slept                 D. stood

10. A. gain                    B. give                  C. lose                  D. show

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist.And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10Kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he managed to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he could survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.  
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have managed to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.
However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.
They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs(跃入)mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum (石油) products and so have many pollution issues.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the article?