We have met the enemy, and he is ours. We bought him at a pet shop. When monkey-pox, a disease usually found in the African rain forest, suddenly turns up in children in the American Midwest, it’s hard not to wonder if the disease that comes from foreign animals is homing in on human beings. “Most of the infections (感染) we think of as human infections started in other animals,” says Stephen Morse, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Columbia University.

It’s not just that we’re going to where the animals are; we’re also bringing them closer to us. Popular foreign pets have brought a whole new disease to this country. A strange illness killed Isaksen’s pets, and she now thinks that keeping foreign pets is a bad idea. “I don’t think it’s fair to have them as pets when we have such a limited knowledge of them,” says Isaksen.

 “Laws allowing these animals to be brought in from deep forest areas without stricter control need changing,” says Peter Schantz. Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call. Researchers believe infected animals may infect their owners. We know very little about these new diseases. A new bug (病毒) may be kind at first. But it may develop into something harmful. Monkey-pox doesn’t look a major infectious disease. But it is not impossible to pass the disease from person to person.

56. We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may _________.

A. come from Columbia            B. prevent us from being infected

C. enjoy being with children         D. suffer from monkey-pox

57. Why did Isaksen advise people not to have foreign pets?

A. They attack human beings.         B. We need to study native animals.

C. They can’t live out of the rain forest.  D. We do not know much about them yet.

58. What does the phrase “the wake-up call” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A. a new disease           B. a clear warning   C. a dangerous animal     D. a morning call

59. The text suggests that in the future we _______.

A. may have to fight against more new diseases   B. may easily get infected by diseases from dogs

C. should not be allowed to have pets           D. should stop buying pets from Africa

60. The last paragraph means _________.

A. we should have laws to stop having pets at home 

B. wild animals shouldn’t adopted as pets

C. laws should be passed to avoid pets’ diseases spreading 

D. people with pets should be stayed at home

When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them .We always felt better when she was around.

One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, ”Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she lovely everyone.

Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.

1.What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?

A.Look at them sadly.

B.Touch them gently.

C.Play games with them.

D.Keep them company.

2.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie__________.

A.world eat anything when hungry

B.felt sorry for her mistake

C.loved playing hide-and-seek

D.disliked the author’s dad

 

“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”

“Two full inches in the first three days!”

These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new look to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.

Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.

To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.

One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.

Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.

1.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.

A.objective

B.costly

C.unbelievable

D.illegal

2.The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.

A.a product which was designed to produce electricity

B.a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case

C.a successful advertisement of a beauty product

D.an example of a quality beauty product

3.The author intends to______.

A.make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise

B.show the weakness of the law on product safety

C.give advice on how to keep young and beautiful

D.introduce the organization of FDA

4.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.

B. New products are more likely to be questionable.

C. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.

D. The promoters usually just care about profits.

 

“I’m seventy years old,” says the gray-haired lady proudly to the entertainer at her Community Club dinner.

“Did you hear that, everyone?” says the entertainer. “This lovely lady is just seventy years young! And she doesn’t look a day over fifty.” He has been careful not to use the word “old”. In a society where youth is so admired, old age is often seen as something sad, something to fight against. Americans prefer not to say “old” people. They use the expression “senior citizens”. They do not talk about “old people’s” homes, but “retirement” homes.

In fact, the entertainer is not so wrong. Seventy is not very old these days. People in the US are living longer and longer. In1980, 12 percent of Americans were over sixty-five years old. By 2030, 21 percent will be over sixty-five. One reason for this is that families are getting smaller. The average couple now has only 1.8 children. At the same time, improved medical care means that people are living longer.

This change in the age of Americans is going to have serious results. For one thing, medical costs are rising. The government is unable to pay the elderly people’s medical bills that have gone up very much. Some old people have to leave hospital “sicker and quicker” than they should, before they are really better.

More fortunate senior citizens, though, who still have good health, want new laws to be passed to allow them to stay at work. In the past, the retirement age was sixty-five, but that is changing now. Older people are stronger and more energetic than ever before. Many of them refuse to stop working just because they have reached a certain age.

There is a change, too, in the way in which elderly people see themselves. Many are no longer happy to accept the gray hair, bald heads, and boring clothes of their own parents. They like to wear younger-looking clothes and bright makeup(化妆品).American women spend millions of dollars a year on operations to lift their faces and make those ugly wrinkles disappear. Men are prepared to spend even more on operations to plant new hair on their bald spots. It’s worth any money to look younger.

60. In America people try to avoid using the word “old” because    ____.

A. the old age is seen as something that isn’t admired

B. it is now believed to bring bad luck to elderly people

C. the standard of getting old has changed  

D. the change in the age has caused a healthy problem

61. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT describe the American society correctly?

A. People live longer because of improved medical care.

B. The government finds it difficult to afford the medical bills of the elderly.

C. People use polite expressions when talking about old age.

D. The old patients’ time in hospital is strictly limited.

62. Which of the following is not the result of the changing in the age of Americans?

A. Medical costs are rising.          

B. The family becomes smaller.

C. The retirement age needs changing. 

D. Elderly people spend a lot on keeping young.

63. This passage is most probably taken from        .

A. a travel booklet     B. a magazine   

C. an advertisement     D. a medical report 

 

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