The morning for our snowmobiling (雪上汽车) adventure finally arrived, and we set off on the hour-and-a-half drive to the resort. A fresh powder had fallen the night before, and everything was frosted white. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions. The sun sparkled (闪光) on the snow, and the trails (路线) were completely empty – not another person or snowmobile in sight. We were thrilled at being the only people for miles around … until we got going.

   As we drove through the deserted wilderness (荒野), my excitement became stone-cold fear. I had no idea what I was afraid of, or why I was afraid, but suddenly every turn, every hill, every steep (陡峭的) side of the mountain scared me to death. I kept picturing us crashing headlong into a tree or falling off the side of a drop. 

   But after lunch things changed. We were the only humans who had been there since the snowfall. The peaceful place, the incredible beauty of the landscape, and the almost sacred experience of sharing a mountain with the wildlife touched my very core (核心).  My mind cleared and quieted and my muscles relaxed.

   As we drove the last leg of the run, I began to resent being afraid to drive. Deep down, I wanted to be in charge of the thing that scared me. It made me angry that fear was keeping me from something I really wanted to do. The day was coming to an end, and the resort was only a few miles away. I knew that if I didn’t take my chance now, I would regret it.

   I signaled for my husband to pull over. I wanted to drive, although my heart pounded (重击). I stared off slowly and felt the wind in my face. I smiled and sped up a little. I let out a “Yee-haw!” and went full out, taking my husband on the best ride of the day.

   We ended the day on that breathless, carefree, and I felt proud of myself – proud of overcoming my fear.

1.What is the story mainly about?

   A. What the author loves about snowmobiling.

   B. What difficulties the couple faced during their adventure.

   C. What interested the author during her time snowmobiling.

   D. How the author overcame her fear during her adventure.

2. What can be concluded from the article?

   A. The author was confident as she was driving in the deserted wilderness.

   B. The author didn’t get worried until they started to drive through the deserted wild.

   C. Aware that she and her husband were the only people around, the author became anxious.

   D. The author was so nervous that she almost crashed into a big tree.

3.According to the article, after lunch the author _____.

   A. gradually calmed down

   B. stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery

   C. saw some wildlife on the mountain

   D. was afraid to continue her journey

4.The underlined word “resent” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.

   A. consider    B. appreciate     C. hate       D. recognize

5.What message does the story convey?

   A. A person’ s biggest enemy is his or her inner self.

   B. It’s no use crying over the spilt milk.

   C. Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature.

   D. Respect and take pride in yourself.

(NEW YORK)---Scientists have discovered small signs of awareness in some vegetative(植物人的) brain injury patients and have even communicated with one of them---findings that are beneficial to how to assess and care for such people.
The new research suggests that standard tests may ignore patients who have some consciousness, and that someday some kind of communication may be possible.
In the strongest example, a 29-year-old patient was able to answer yes-or-no questions by picturing specific scenes the doctors asked him to imagine.
“We were stunned when this happened,” said one study author, Martin Monti of the Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. “I find it really amazing. This was a patient who was believed to be vegetative for five years.”
Ever since a research paper four years ago described obvious signs of awareness in a vegetative patient, families of patients have been demanding brain scans, said Dr. James Bernat, a spokesman for the American Academy for Neurology.
But experts said more study is needed before the specialized brain scans could be used in medical treatment. “It’s still a research tool,” Bernat said.
Experts also pointed out that only a few tested patients showed evidence of awareness. And they said it is not clear what degree of consciousness and mental abilities the signs imply.
They also noted that the positive signals appeared only in people with traumatic(外伤的) brain injury---not in patients whose brains had been lacking in oxygen, as can happen when the heart stops.
The new study used brain scanning called functional MRI, for 23 patients in a vegetative state and 31 that are minimally(极微地) conscious.
Patients are said to be in a vegetative state if they are tested and found unable to do such things as move on command or follow a moving object with their eyes. Minimally conscious patients show signs of awareness, but they are minimal and discontinuous.
【小题1】 What is the practical use of the research?

(NEW YORK)---Scientists have discovered small signs of awareness in some vegetative(植物人的) brain injury patients and have even communicated with one of them---findings that are beneficial to how to assess and care for such people.

The new research suggests that standard tests may ignore patients who have some consciousness, and that someday some kind of communication may be possible.

In the strongest example, a 29-year-old patient was able to answer yes-or-no questions by picturing specific scenes the doctors asked him to imagine.

“We were stunned when this happened,” said one study author, Martin Monti of the Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. “I find it really amazing. This was a patient who was believed to be vegetative for five years.”

Ever since a research paper four years ago described obvious signs of awareness in a vegetative patient, families of patients have been demanding brain scans, said Dr. James Bernat, a spokesman for the American Academy for Neurology.

But experts said more study is needed before the specialized brain scans could be used in medical treatment. “It’s still a research tool,” Bernat said.

Experts also pointed out that only a few tested patients showed evidence of awareness. And they said it is not clear what degree of consciousness and mental abilities the signs imply.

They also noted that the positive signals appeared only in people with traumatic(外伤的) brain injury---not in patients whose brains had been lacking in oxygen, as can happen when the heart stops.

The new study used brain scanning called functional MRI, for 23 patients in a vegetative state and 31 that are minimally(极微地) conscious.

Patients are said to be in a vegetative state if they are tested and found unable to do such things as move on command or follow a moving object with their eyes. Minimally conscious patients show signs of awareness, but they are minimal and discontinuous.

What is the practical use of the research?

A. It leads to studying how to cure vegetative patients.

B. It attracts society to pay more attention to vegetative patients.

C. It helps doctors know whether patients are vegetative or not.

D. It drives the government to care about vegetative patients.

What does the underlined word “stunned” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A. Relaxed           B. Amazed              C. Excited             D. Worried

One is considered vegetative if _______________.

A. his eyes can’t follow a moving thing           B. his brain only has a little oxygen

C. he has a traumatic brain injury                D. his heart stops beating

The passage mainly deals with ________________.

A. how to recognize a vegetative patient           B. the significance of a new scientific finding

C. how family members look after a vegetative patient

D. the latest findings on awareness in some vegetative patients

Seven Health Facts about Coffee
When you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind:
1. Coffee Reduces Your Risk of Diabetes (糖尿病)
In a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day. And if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.
2. Coffee Fights Free Radicals (自由基)
We often forget that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.
3. Coffee Improves Memory and Cognition
Researchers reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. Coffee can also improve cognitive function as we age. One study found that combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.
4. Coffee Can Increase Osteoporosis (骨质疏松)
It’s true that coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. We don’t want the body to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. According to The Diet Channel, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per every six ounces of coffee consumed. But these calcium losses can be counter balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.
5. Coffee Causes Wrinkles
Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration (脱水) which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. Even better, add one tablespoon of chia seeds to your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. The chia seeds keep you even more hydrated than regular water.
6. Coffee Can Actually Cause Weight Gain
The blood sugar changes that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to a strong desire for it, according to iVillage. Coffee is also socially connected to food. For example, we pair coffee with dessert or that morning powdered doughnut. Additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.
7. Conventional Coffee Is Laden with Pesticides (杀虫剂)
The coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It’s coated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be swallowing. If you do drink coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.
If you switch to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine (咖啡因) is removed in a natural way without the use of chemicals to do it. Often times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals than regular.
【小题1】   If you want to decrease the risk of diabetes by 35%, you need to take at least _____ cups of     coffee every day.

Seven Health Facts about Coffee

When you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind:

1. Coffee Reduces Your Risk of Diabetes (糖尿病)

In a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day. And if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.

2. Coffee Fights Free Radicals (自由基)

We often forget that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.

3. Coffee Improves Memory and Cognition

Researchers reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. Coffee can also improve cognitive function as we age. One study found that combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.

4. Coffee Can Increase Osteoporosis (骨质疏松)

It’s true that coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. We don’t want the body to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. According to The Diet Channel, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per every six ounces of coffee consumed. But these calcium losses can be counter balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.

5. Coffee Causes Wrinkles

Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration (脱水) which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. Even better, add one tablespoon of chia seeds to your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. The chia seeds keep you even more hydrated than regular water.

6. Coffee Can Actually Cause Weight Gain

The blood sugar changes that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to a strong desire for it, according to iVillage. Coffee is also socially connected to food. For example, we pair coffee with dessert or that morning powdered doughnut. Additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.

7. Conventional Coffee Is Laden with Pesticides (杀虫剂)

The coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It’s coated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be swallowing. If you do drink coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.

If you switch to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine (咖啡因) is removed in a natural way without the use of chemicals to do it. Often times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals than regular.

1.   If you want to decrease the risk of diabetes by 35%, you need to take at least _____ cups of     coffee every day.

2.If you are a heavy drinker of coffee, a far better way to avoid wrinkling of your skin is to drink water _____.

3.   Which of the following statements is wrong?

4.   The author has a/an _____ attitude towards drinking of coffee.