Chicago, a city in the State of Illinois, is the second largest in the United States. It stretches for 29 miles along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Its splendid centre faces the lake behind a pleasant park. The Chicago River flows through the heart of the city. The city of Chicago, 713 miles west of New York and 1858 miles east of San Francisco, is located at the conjunction(连接) of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system and surrounded by the productive farmlands of the Midwest. This makes the city the crossroads of the nation and the “ bread basket” of the nation. From its beginning as a frontier fort(要塞) settlement in 1803, commerce(商业) has been the key to Chicago’s development, especially since the railroads and stockyards(牲畜围栏) were built in the 1840s and 1850s. Thousands of foreigners, attracted by the promise of steady jobs, have lived and worked there since the second half of the 19th century; thousands more come to visit its famous fairs, and millions of others cross it every day by road or railway. Chicago is the world’s biggest road and railway centre, and it should claim(要求得到身份或权利的承认) the world’s busiest airport.

66. If you go to New York from Chicago, you go _____ for _____ miles.

A. east…713   B. west…713   C. east…1858   D. west…1858

67. From the passage, we can see that there is _____.

A. a lake right in the middle of the city

B. the Mississippi River in the middle of the city

C. a park in the middle of the city

D. a lake 29 miles away from the city

68. Chicago is called the “ bread basket” of the nation because _____.

A. there is a river flowing through the city

B. it is located at the conjunction of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system

C. it is near the city of New York

D. there are rich farmlands around the city

69. _____ the city developed fastest.

A. Early in the 19th century

B. Around the middle of the 19th century

C. At the end of the 19th century

D. During the second half of the 19th century

70. Since the late 19th century thousands of people have kept coming to Chicago _____. Which of the following is wrong?

A. on business     B. for a visit

C. for better jobs   D. to claim the world’s biggest seaport

The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it’s Top of the Pops!

 Top of the Pops is an amazing 34 years old. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV programme. After 1,800 shows, it’s still the most popular pop music show in Britain. So what’s the secret?

 “We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio,” says producer Chris Cowey. “That just doesn’t happen on other shows.”

  Chris starts planning the programme over a week before it goes out. His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands.

 Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.

 Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising. Tonight’s presenter, Jo Whiley, practices too.

 First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. “We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible,” says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.

Back in the studio things are happening. The audience are practicing their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long.

31. What make(s) Top of the Pops still the most popular in Britain?

A. The live performances in the studio.

B. The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station.

C. The great fame of the bands.

D. The large numbers of pop fans in Britain.

32. When the bands receive the invitations to the performance, _________.

A. they must decide on the songs

B. they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform

C. the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on

D. they have no idea what songs they will perform

33．The underlined word “costume”（in Paragraph 7） probably means         .

    A. makeup         B. stage          C. studio       D. clothes

1. How is a music programme made at the TV station?

2. Which is the proper title for the passage?

A. More Popular, More Successful

B. A Stage for Pop Stars

C. Go Backstage of Top of the Pops.

D. A Popular Live Band.

Recently, researchers in the US have carried out a study on laughing, one of the most natural characteristics of human behavior.
Jo-Anne Bachorowsky, a psychology professor at Vandebilt University, 36  a team of researchers who   37   a total of 11 short videos to 97 young adult volunteers in the US. They found that the participants produced a   38  of sounds when they laughed, 39  grunts(呼噜声) and snorts(哼声).
The researchers found that some of the   40   were dependent   41  gender(性别). Men laughed with grunts and snorts more often than women,   42  women’s   43   was more song-like.
They also found that people’s laughter could change,   44  who they were with at the time. Whether they were with a man or a woman and   45  person was a friend or a   46   both played a part in laughter.
The researchers found that women’s laughter was very high with a   47   pitch(音高) when they were with male strangers. And women taking   48   in the study laughed more often when they were with a male friend than when they were with a(n) 49   friend or a male stranger. But men laughed more freely with friends of either sex than with strangers of either sex.
Scientists believe that the   50   consumed in laughing 100 times is   51  to 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Another 52   of laughter is 53   it improves our mental health. Laughter reduces our levels of stress. It also helps us   54   serious illness.
  55  ,we think laughter can make us feel good.

  Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders.
【小题1】How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?

This year’s World Food Prize will honor two leaders of hunger-fighting groups based  in the United States. The winners are David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International. They will share the prize of 250,000 dollars. The World Food Prize usually goes to researchers or top policy officials. This is the first time it will recognize the work of nongovernmental groups.

Heifer International provides donated animals and training to farmers in 50 countries. Jo Luck remains president until next year. Under her leadership, the group’s budget grew from less than 10,000,000 dollars to more than 130,000,000 dollars. Jo Luck, “People pass on their gifts of not just animals but also gifts of training and leadership. We have seen cases where we have been gone 5 and 10 years and we go back and they have developed roads and built schools, and they have other communities receiving the animals and the training. You just give them those resources and that training and opportunity, and you cannot hold them back.” She told the story of a woman from a poor village in Zimbabwe. A family member helped send her to school in the United States with earnings from a donated milk goat. She received a doctoral degree. Jo Luck, “That is what a goat did. That is one example. The animal is only the catalyst（催化剂）. That is the beginning of many other things that follow.”

David Beckmann became president of Bread for the World in 1991. He is an economist and a Christian clergyman（牧师）. Bread for the World organizes people from religious and non-religious groups to write, call and visit members of Congress（国会）. The purpose is to support measures to improve the lives of the poor. David Beckmann points to big increase in American development assistance. He said, “I think that would not have happened without the support of hundreds of thousands of people and churches that are part of Bread for the World and that keep the pressure on their members of Congress.” The prize committee also credited his efforts with helping to increase aid to needy families in the United States.

1.The World Food Prize honors ________.

A. people who fight against hunger

B. researchers or top policy officials

C. people from nongovernmental groups

D. people who have advanced human development

2.Why does Jo Luck receive the prize?

A. Under her leadership, people develop roads and build schools.

B. She has served Heifer International for almost 20 years.

C. Under her leadership, Heifer International helps farmers in 50 countries.

D. She makes the group’s budget grow to more than 130 million.

3.What has David Beckmann done to deserve the prize?

A. He has trained farmers in 50 countries.

B. He has made a great contribution to science.

C. He has led Bread for the World for more than 20 years.

D. He has aimed to support measures to improve the lives of the poor.