D
When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety…But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm．These people are willing to risk (冒…危险) being killed by floods or 100-Kilometer- an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up．
“Storm chasing (追逐)”is becoming an increasingly popular hobby (喜好) ，especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July．A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to l,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop．
Although anyone can do it，storm chasing is extremely dangerous．The power of a big storm  can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds．Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain．If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm - chasing vacations during the storm season．
Even then，storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement．“Storm chasing is 95％driving，”says Daniel Lynch，who spends most of his summer storm-chasing．“Sometimes you
Can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen，and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However，for storm chasers，it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm，it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life，”says Jasper Morley．“Every storm is an example of the power of nature．It is the greatest show on Earth．”
57．For storm chasing，the first thing storm chasers do is to       ．
A．head straight for the center of the storm   
B．get into the car for safety
C．wait patiently for the storm to develop
D．collect information about a coming storm
58．Beginners of storm chasing are advised_______
A．not to drive in a heavy rain   
B．to do it in an organized way
C．not to get too close to a storm
D．to spend more time on it in summer
59．By saying“it is all worth it”in the last paragraph，the author means that______
A．storm chasing costs a lot of money
B．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting
C．efforts in storm chasing are well paid
D．a storm presents the greatest show on Earth
60．What can we learn from the text?
A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment． 
B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms．
C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world．
D．Storm chasing is only fit for young people

A recent online poll (民意调查) asked kids what they hated most about school. “Classes are boring” came in first. “Too much homework” was a close second. Since all activities remain interesting for only so long, too much homework can lead to ennui. So, why are some kids getting homework overload? Teachers give two reasons. First, they say, the government now requires schools to meet higher-than-ever achievement goals for students. If students don’ t succeed, the school faces punishment. Second, many parents want their children to be able to get into the best colleges and universities. These parents believe homework is a way to ensure that students are learning as much as possible.
People who favor homework argue that it can have many beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits. Homework can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. It can help develop their independent learning and responsible character traits(性格特征).
But studies show that middle school students doing 60 to 90 minutes of homework a night are doing just as well in school as those doing more than 90 minutes. And homework can have negative effects. Homework can deny students access to leisure(休闲) activities that also teach important skills. For example, sports teams teach cooperation and leadership, in addition to helping kids stay physically active. Another problem with too much homework is that parents can get too involved. They can put too much pressure on their kids.
So what should be done? Good homework assignments in the proper amount will have positive effects. Too much homework, however, will have negative effects. The bottom line: Students in grades three through six should do no more than 30 to 60 minutes of homework each night.
【小题1】The underline word “ennui” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “______” .

C
Michelle Obama has just started a campaign against childhood obesity（肥胖）with the admission that she put her girls Malia and Sasha on a diet because they were getting fat．Clearly，childhood obesity must be solved urgently．But is it a good idea for mothers to put their daughters on diets?
Studies show that the more children diet，the more likely they are to become obese as adults．
Research also shows that gifts are highly influenced by their mothers when it comes to eating habits and body image．
This was the case for Carly，40，who blames her mother for her lifelong struggle with weight．“My mother was on a diet the whole time I was growing up，”she says．“And she put me on my first diet when I was 10．I lost puppy fat，gained her approval and never ate normally again.” 
America’s First Lady clearly has a vital healthy eating message to convey．But could this be damaging for Malia and Sasha? Could they develop eating disorders because of it?
“It’s wrong just to blame mothers for their daughters’eating disorders，”says Susan Ringwood，chief executive of the eating disorders charity，Beat．“There is a genetic（基因的）component to eating disorders．However，“We do know that parents have a very strong influence over a child’s eating．It's important to realize that you are your daughter’s role model．Girls idolize their mothers．”says Ringwood．
“No food should ever be‘good’ or‘bad’，” Ringwood says．Instead，“You have to make it clear that food is a sociable，healthy and fun part of life，not something to be feared．”
“Talk to her about body image，”Ringwood says．“Talk about how curves are an important and exciting part of being a woman．Show her that anorexic（厌食的）fashion models are not sexy，but ill．The pressure on girls today is immense，”she says．“But don’t forget that you are the authoritative voice，too．”
66．Michelle Obama has started a campaign to_________．
A．solve childhood obesity across the country    B．attract the attention of the world
C．show her first lady identity                D．please the public
67．The author mentions Carly in Paragraph 3 to show that___________．
A．mothers have a great influence on girls’ eating habits
B．the more you diet，the more weight you will put on
C．mothers are to blame for the unbalanced diet
D．side effects of dieting are hard to avoid
68．According to Ringwood，_____________．
A．food is considered something fearful
B．food can be recognized as“good”or“bad”
C．only slim mothers are role models of their daughters
D．eating disorder has something to do with genetic component
69．The passage tells us that_____________．
A．mothers’ lead is of great importance
B．daughters are victims of mothers’authority
C．dieting teenagers can't turn into obese adults
D．experts have arguements about eating disorder
70．It can be concluded that_______________.
A．eating disorder always goes hand in hand with being slim
B．girls are more concerned about body shapes than boys
C．daughters tend to have a lifelong struggle with weight
D．the author is against children’s dieting

A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.
Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.
Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.
“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.
Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.
“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said.
These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.
These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.
Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.
The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Independence leading to family breakup

B. Women’s easy and convenient life in USA

C. No marriage for many people nowadays

D. Average American families getting small

E. Full freedom for young women

F. Divorce--- a social problem in USA

1._________

Marriage, like other social instructions, is showing the strains of modern life. While more Americans are getting married today than ever before, the divorce rate is also disturbingly on the rise (one divorce for every three marriages last year). Why should this be so, and what, if anything, can we do to reverse this trend?

2.__________

For most people, life is easier and more comfortable than ever before. Convenience foods from the supermarket simplify shopping and cooking. Household appliances like the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine have made housework much easier to do. Released from these household chores, many wives have found jobs outside the home. Women are achieving economic independence.

3._______

Families, too, are simpler today. In American, it is not customary for parents to live with their married children. With our greater mobility, relatives have scattered, the parents retiring to Florida or Arizona and the young people, after they marry, going wherever their jobs or their interests take them.

4.________

Young adult women have new freedom, too. While attending college, they often live away from home, sometimes far from their parents or their relatives. After college, they move to the city, find a job, and set up “bachelor” apartment. This is the era of women’s liberation.

5.________

But all this freedom and affluence have had an unforeseen and in some respects a devastating effect on marriage. Men and women, no longer dependent on each other for food and maintenance, find it harder to accept the responsibilities and restraints or endurance the misunderstandings of married life. When happiness becomes misery, many couples decide to terminate their marriage through divorce. On the other hand, there is a growing trend today for couples in trouble to try to save their marriage by consulting a professional counselor. He listens patiently while they talk, knowing that only through self-understanding can they solve their problems.