Say sorry to your wife---it may help her live longer, according to scientists.
“Sorry” may be the hardest word, but scientists say it could be one of the healthiest. Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and possible damage to their heart than those who don’t.
It is said that the heartbeat of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed “sorry” than without it. But for men, their heartbeat takes longer to recover, according to the research.
The research was undertaken by American scientists using 29 men and 59  women whose diastolic blood pressure was measured throughout an experiment. Diastolic blood pressure
is a measure of pressure in the blood vessels( 血管 ) between heartbeats---if it is continuously high it can increase the chances of heart attacks.
The men and women were asked to undertake a difficult mathematical task. They were told they had five minutes to complete it but were disturbed after a minute and told rudely to carry out the task more quickly. They were disturbed twice more before five minutes had passed and told to speed up. Finally they were told, “ You’re obviously not good enough.” Two minutes later researchers said sorry to half of the men and women.
The researchers found that, on average, the women’s diastolic blood pressure dropped back to normal 20 percent---quicker if they received an apology from the researchers, while the men’s took 20 percent longer to return to normal. One of the researchers said, “Results indicates that the effects of apology and forgiveness on women are greater.”
【小题1】The term “sorry” is considered as one of the healthiest words because it _________.

The peoples of the Scandinavian countries share a lot in common for geographical reasons. But there are more of differences than similarities between them in all ways，including their drinking customs.

A superficial① observer might think that no one in Norway drinks wine. Meals eaten in restaurants or at home are usually washed down with tea, coffee or milk. Occasionally however，pale or dark ale② is drunk. It can be ordered only in restaurants, where it is served only with food.

Excellent quality beers are made in Jutland and consumption is high. After beer, brandy is the favorite drink. Aalborg schnapps made from corn and potatoes, is famous for its high alcoholic content. For the Danes, brandy is also an aperitif③ and is often drunk before meals. For a foreigner, the practice of surrounding toasts here can be uncomfortable. If he accepts one toast then he will have to accept all others, and it is difficult to drink six or seven glasses of brandy unless one is used to it. Ladies are fortunately excluded from these rounds and they drink only a grape juice with almost no alcoholic content.

It is milk instead of liquor that is the principal④ Finnish table drink. More milk is drunk by the Finnish people than in any other nation. In Finland the sale of alcohol is a state behavior and a check is kept on consumption by recording purchases on special card issued to all customers.

As there is a difference between Swedish cooking in the south and that in the north because of the difference in soil and climate, their drinking habits are also different. In the north alcoholic beverages⑤ are considered a necessity because they keep out the cold. While in the south people have milder drinks. But generally speaking, too much drinking is rare in Sweden, partly because it is against the law.

Sale of spirits is controlled, the Swedes drink much coffee and tea. Many people still prefer the old-fashioned coffee served in large cups with cakes. Tea is so popular in Sweden that it has been called the Swedish national drink.

Notes:

① superficial  adj.  表面上的

② ale  n.  麦牙酒

③ aperitif  n.  开胃酒

④ principal  adj.  最重要的；主要的

⑤ alcoholic beverage   n.  烈酒

1. The passage mentions the following subjects EXCEPT ______.

  A. drinking habits      B. table manners     C. sales of spirits     D. drinking time

2. According to the passage, which of the following is the Swedish national drink?

  A. Tea.       B. Brandy.       C. Aperitif.      D. Grape juice.

3. Which of the following people like milk more than other drinks?

  A. The German people.              B. The American people.

C. The Finish people.                D. The French people.

4. It can be inferred that if a foreigner isn’t good at drinking brandy, he ______.

  A. would like to invite ladies to have a party

  B. is unwilling to have a surrounding toast

  C. would like to accept others’ toasts

  D. will often drink milk instead of brandy

Say sorry to your wife---it may help her live longer, according to scientists.
“Sorry” may be the hardest word, but scientists say it could be one of the healthiest. Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and possible damage to their heart than those who don’t.
It is said that the heartbeat of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed “sorry” than without it. But for men, their heartbeat takes longer to recover, according to the research.
The research was undertaken by American scientists using 29 men and 59  women whose diastolic blood pressure was measured throughout an experiment. Diastolic blood pressure
is a measure of pressure in the blood vessels( 血管 ) between heartbeats---if it is continuously high it can increase the chances of heart attacks.
The men and women were asked to undertake a difficult mathematical task. They were told they had five minutes to complete it but were disturbed after a minute and told rudely to carry out the task more quickly. They were disturbed twice more before five minutes had passed and told to speed up. Finally they were told, “ You’re obviously not good enough.” Two minutes later researchers said sorry to half of the men and women.
The researchers found that, on average, the women’s diastolic blood pressure dropped back to normal 20 percent---quicker if they received an apology from the researchers, while the men’s took 20 percent longer to return to normal. One of the researchers said, “Results indicates that the effects of apology and forgiveness on women are greater.”

1. 1.

   The term “sorry” is considered as one of the healthiest words because it _________.

   1. A.
      is the most powerful
   2. B.
      can cure heart disease
   3. C.
      helps people forget hurtful behavior
   4. D.
      can reduce pressure and damage to the heart
2. 2.

   We can know from Paragraph 3 _________.

   1. A.
      women’s hearts beat faster than men’s
   2. B.
      women are quicker at making apologies
   3. C.
      men can forgive others’mistakes more easily than women
   4. D.
      men stay angry for a longer time than women after receiving an apology
3. 3.

   Which of the following is the RIGHT time order for events in the study?
   a. Half of them received apologies.
   b. They were disturbed a minute later.
   c. They were told that they weren’t good enough.
   d. They were asked to finish a math task in five minutes.
   e. They were disturbed two more times during the study.

   1. A.
      d-b-c-e-a
   2. B.
      d-c-b-a-e
   3. C.
      d-b-e-c-a
   4. D.
      d-c-b-e-a
4. 4.

   The research confirmed (证实) that _________.

   1. A.
      men are unwilling to apologize to others for their mistakes
   2. B.
      men’s chances of getting heart attacks are higher than women’s
   3. C.
      women can benefit more from receiving apologies than men
   4. D.
      people can also get healthy benefits from giving apologies

Scientists are trying to make the deserts ,which get very little rain, into good land again. They want to bring water to the deserts，so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about the deserts. But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time. Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．
Why is more and more land becoming desert？Scientists think that people make deserts．People are doing bad things to the earth against the scientists’ wish．
Some places on the earth don’t get much rain. But they still don’t become deserts．This is because some green plants are growing there．Small green plants and grass are very important to dry places．Plants don’t let the sun make the earth even drier． Plants do not let the wind blow the dirt away．When a bit of rain falls，the plants hold the water. Without plants, the land can become desert more easily．
【小题1】Deserts ____________ ．

Passage Seventeen (On the President’s Program)
President Arling has put his long awaited economic restructuring program before the Congress. It provides a coordinated program of investment credits, research grants, education reforms, and tax changes designed to make American industry more competitive. This is necessary to reverse the economic slide into unemployment, lack of growth, and trade deficits that have plagued the economy for the past six years.
The most liberal wing of the President’s party has called for stronger and more direct action. They want an incomes policy to check inflation while federal financing helps rebuild industry behind a wall of protective tariffs.
The Republicans, however, decry even the modest, graduated tax increases in the President’s program. They want tax cuts and more open market. They say if federal money has to be injected into the economy, let it through defence spending.
Both these alternatives ignore the unique nature of the economic problem before us. It is not simply a matter of markets or financing. The new technology allows vastly increased production for those able to master it. But it also threatens those who fail to adopt it with permanent second-class citizenship in the world economy. If an industry cannot lever itself up to the leading stage of technological advances, then it will not be able to compete effectively. If it cannot do this, no amount of government protectionism or access to foreign markets can keep it profitable for long. Without the profits and experience of technological excellence to reinvest, that industry can only fall still further behind its foreign competitors
So the crux is the technology and that is where the President’s program focused. The danger is not that a plan will not be passed, it is that the ideologues of right and left will distort the bill with amendments that will blur its focus on technology. The economic restructuring plan should be passed intact. If we fail to restructure our economy now, we may not get a second chance.
1.The focus of the President’s program is on
A.investment.
B.economy.
C.technology.
D.tax.
2.What is the requirement of the most liberal wing of the Democratic-party?
A.They want a more direct action.
B.They want an incomes policy to check inflation.
C.They want to rebuild industry.
D.They want a wall of protective tariffs.
3.What is the editor’s attitude?
A.support.
B.distaste.
C.Disapproval.
D.Compromise.
4.The danger to the plan lies in
A.the two parties’ objection.
B.different idea of the two parties about the plan.
C.its passage.
D.distortion.
5.The passage is
A.a review.
B.a preface.
C.a advertisement.
D.an editorial.