1. What does the underlined word “blending” in the first hook introduction mean_________.

A. ruin                         B. break                     C. combine                  D. attempt

2. What happened to the survivors on the life boat according to the introduction?

A. Pi managed to kill those animals and finally survived

B. They worked hand in hand to get through the sea

C. They had to fight against one another in order to survive

D. Richard Parker killed other animals but was killed by Pi.

3. Five People You Meet in Heaven tells an old man’s experience in Heaven in order to reveal___.

A. the existence of Heave                          B. the mystery of death

C. human’s future life                               D. the true meaning of life

4. Who is Grogan most probably according to the introduction?

A. The author of Marley＆Me                    B. A friend of John and Jenny

C. An expert taming dogs.                         D. The previous owner of the dog

Depression(抑郁症)is a serious problem today．Depression causes workers to be unproductive，causing companies and countries to lose billion of dollars．One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread, costly and deadly”．Depression hits one person in five around the world．

   Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated，studies show that depression is a problem among everyone．Over any six-month period, between five to seven percent of the world’s population will be suffering from a serious depression．

   Suicide(自杀)rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme, or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large, and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks．People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping，getting up on time，and doing work productively.

   Depression, which researchers agree has its origin in the genes(基因)，brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate, making it possible for employees and managers to work efficiently．

   Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese’s inability to face it．Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy．Besides，there is no good treatment，with few specialists available．

   “Most patients in China just don’t get help,” a Chinese doctor says．“In my hospital，I have

to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning，and just have time to say ‘Hello，how do you feel ?…’”

   In Western countries，people are not afraid to admit that they have depression，but most do not tell it to their boss，because they fear that their boss would fire them．

   “In my experience，aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it, because they feel

the most secure about themselves, ” an American doctor says．

   Hopefully，in the near future，people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A. It is widely believed that everyone may suffer from depression．

    B. Depression brings great problems to its sufferers in their life and work．

    C. Depression is a commonly-existing problem only in rich countries．

    D. The poorer and the less educated a person is，the less he will suffer from depression．

2.Compared to normal people，depressed people are likely to be________．   

    A. very unconfident and often absent-minded  B. easy to avoid being hit by heart attacks

    C. working efficiently and productively       D. either weak or lazy

3.Depression becomes more serious in China because of_________．

    A. the understanding of the problem            B. the lack of treatment and doctors

    C. their unwillingness to tell it to their boss       D. the doctors’ careless work

4.What can we infer from the passage?

    A. People are suffering from depression because of the shortage of specialists．

    B. The aging bosses around the world dare to say they are depressed．

C. More and mote patients will turn to specialists for help

D. Western people are braver than Chinese people

Good Genes Mean Long Life
Scientists have discovered that living to the age of 100 may have nothing to do with the lifestyle you lead and everything to do with the type of genes you have.
For the lucky carriers of “Methuselah” genes, worries over smoking, eating unhealthily and not getting enough exercise may not be as necessary as to those of us without the special gene pattern (组合).
The “Methuselah” genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age such as cancer and heart disease. They could also protect people against the effects of the unhealthy lifestyles that we believe will lead us to an early death, scientists say. However, the genes are very rare.
The genes include ADIPOQ, which is found in about 10 percent of young people but in nearly 30 percent of people living past 100. They also include the CETP and the ApoC3 genes, which are found in 10 percent of young people, but in about 20 percent of people over 100 years old.
Some of those genes were discovered by a research group at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, led by Professor Nir Barzilai. The team studied the genes of over 500 people over 100 years old, and their children.
The studies show that tiny mutations (变异) in the make-up of some genes can greatly increase a person’s lifespan (寿命). Barzilai told a Royal Society conference that the discovery of such genes gave scientists clear targets for developing drugs that could prevent age-related diseases, allow people to live longer and stay healthy.
David Gems, a researcher at University College London, believes that drugs to slow ageing will become widespread.
“If we know which genes control longevity (长寿) then we can … target them with drugs. That makes it possible to slow down ageing,” he told The Times.
“Much of the pain and suffering in the world are caused by ageing. If we can find a way to reduce that, then we are obliged (义不容辞的) to take it.”
【小题1】According to the article, which of the following is the most important if a person is to live to the age of 100?

If you want to improve your child’s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.

　　Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan (核磁共振摄影扫描), a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.

　　They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill (跑步机). The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.

　　Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. “We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development,” he said. “If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can’t really fix that, and it’s not easy to do something about your economic status. But here’s something that we can do something about.”

If you want to improve your children’s result in school, ____________.

A. it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise

B. you can have their brain scanned

C. it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise

D. you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise

According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The fitness level of the children is linked to their intelligence.

B. Children who have a larger hippocampus will probably have better memories.

C. You can do something about the genes from your parents.

D. Unhealthy children will probably have a smaller hippocampus than others.

All the following factors that have some influence on one’s brain are mentioned EXCEPT ____________.

A. genetic factor    B. economic status   C. physical fitness  D. economic development

Since the gene , called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging ,immunity and resistance in humans the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits such as immunity,”said Robin May , who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace , bring potentially big challenges for health and social care systems . A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in rich world today will live to celebrate their 100^th birthday . Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend go hand in hang “ May said in an interview
May’s team compared longevity ,stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAV-16 in each of the four species and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes , which scientists believe play a role in the aging process. “The fact that subtle differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and many explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution，”May said
【小题1】In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A  Education   B  Science   C  Entertainment    D  Culture
【小题2】 According to May ,   
A resistance has a lot of to do with aging    B FOXO genes can be found in worms
C genes play the same role in difference species   D  new drugs will change the genes in older people
【小题3】From the text we know that DAF-16   
A is a gene that is only found in worms     B can make people live longer
C has an effect on aging and immunity     D  has been quite familiar to scientists