Our bodies are wonderfully skillful at keeping balance.When the temperature jumps, we sweat to cool down.When our blood pressure falls, our hearts can do something.As it turns out, though, our natural state is always changing.Researchers are finding that everything from blood pressure to brain function changes regularly with the cycles of sun, moon and seasons.And their insights (洞察力) are getting new ways for keeping away such common killers as heart disease and cancer.Only one doctor in 20 has a good knowledge of the scientific use of time in medicine.But according to a new American Medical Association, three out of four are eager to change that.“The field is exploding,” says Michael Smolensky.“Doctors used to look at us like, What spaceship did you get off ? Now they're thirsty to know more.”

    In medical school, most doctors learn that people with chronic  conditions should take their medicine regularly.“It’s a terrible way to treat disease,” says Dr Richard Martin.For example, asthmatics (气喘患者) are most likely to suffer during the night.Yet most patients try to keep a constant level of medicine in their blood day and night, whether by breathing in on an inhaler (吸入器) four times a day or taking a pill each morning and evening.In recent studies, researchers have found that a large mid afternoon dose of a bronchodilator (支气管扩张剂) can be as safe as several small doses, and better for preventing nighttime attacks.

    If the night belongs to asthma, the dawn belongs to high blood pressure and heart disease.Heart attacks are twice as common at 9 a.m.as at 11 p.m.Part of the reason is that our blood pressure falls at night, then rises as we start to work for the day.“Doctors know that,” says Dr.Henry Black of Chicago's Medical Center, “but until now, we haven't been able to do anything about it.” Most blood - pressure drugs provide 18 to 20 hours of relief (减缓).But because they’re taken in the morning, they're least effective when most needed.“You take your pill at 7 and it's working by 9,” says Dr.William White of the University of Connecticut Health Center “But by that time you've gone through the worst four hours of the day with no protection.” Bedtime medicine would prevent high blood pressure, but it would also push blood pressure to dangerously low levels during the night.

Researchers are finding that _________ .

    A.heart disease and cancer are the most common killers of human beings

    B.only blood pressure and brain function are decided by cycles of sun, moon and seasons

    C.the functions of human bodies have much to do with nature

    D.any change in human bodies goes with changes in the surroundings

According to the author, it is best for asthmatics to take their medicine _________ .

    A.at certain time

    B.each morning and evening

    C.when the disease occurs

    D.at midafternoon

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

    A.Doctors know more about illnesses than before.

    B.Doctors in the U.S.used to be thirsty to know more about the new medical field.

    C.The researchers' insights are providing new methods to prevent common killers.

    D.The correct use of time in medicine attracts more attention in medical circle in the U.S.A.

The suggested title for this passage might be _________.

    A.Medicine Is Everything   B.Treatment Is Everything

    C.Timing Is Everything     D.Prevention Is Everything

What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is it the same all over the world? That’s an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that’s why they are fond of the expression, “Time is money.”

Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to keep and manage it. People in the US often attend conferences or read books on time management. It seems they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners(计划书) — some in electronic form — to keep track of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to press more life out of their time.

To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing respect for other people’s time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don’t try that at work.

American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost an emergency to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is convenient. Only very close friends will just “drop by” unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may vary, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 pm.

Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time, like money, slips all too easily through our finger. And time, like the weather, is very hard to predict. However, time is one of life’s most precious gifts.

The main idea of the passage is _______.

A. time is money                                       B. different attitude toward time in the world

C. how to save time                                   D. how Americans treat time

In the fourth paragraph, the writer mainly tells us that _________.

A. Americans respect others’ time in daily life

  B. Americans seldom call after 10:00

C. Americans inform before paying a visit to their friends               

D. when planning an event, Americans usually fix time ahead of time

The underlined phrase “think twice” (in Paragraph 4) probably means “_______ “.

A. think for a second time                   B. be careful

C. be afraid                         D. pay attention

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Americans like time better than anything else     

B. generally speaking, Americans respect their time 

C. on the whole, Americans treasure their time        

D. Americans consider their time is difficult to master and predict

  Americans usually make allowance(宽容) for non-native-speakers who have some trouble understanding English. But they become annoyed when a person pretends to understand but doesn’t really and then creates problems because of misunderstanding what is said. No one wants soap when he asks for soup. So if you don’t understand what is said to you, admit it and politely ask the person to repeat or explain.

  Second, it is quite rude to talk with a friend in your native language and leave your American friends standing there feeling stupid because they can’t understand the conversation. The Americans may also feel that you are talking about them or saying something you don’t want them to hear. If you must turn to your native language to explain something to a non-English-speaking friend, at least translate for your American friends so they don’t feel left out.

  Learn just a few more polite English expressions, and you’ll be ready to face the world of Americans with confidence. The polite answer to a compliment(赞扬) about your looks or your works is “Thank you.” (A smile and a nod is not enough.) The response to “Thank you.” is, of course, “You’re welcome,” if someone asks “How are you?” don’t give your medical history. Just say “Fine, thanks. How are you?” Finally, what should you say when someone sneezes(打喷嚏)? It may not seem logical, but the correct response is “God bless you.” That’s about all there is to it. Now that you’ve learned this general knowledge of manners, in the U. S. A., you’ve ready to be polite in English. Let’s hope your American friends will be just as polite.

In the first paragraph, the underlined word “annoyed” means      .

A. rather angry          B. very impolite       C. quite unfriendly        D. fairly pleased

The passage is mainly about      in the U. S. A.

A. the importance of good manners          B. the general knowledge of English

C. the skill in daily conversations           D. the good manners in communication

When you talk with someone in your native language, your American friend may feel     .

A. he should learn the language             B. you try to keep some secrets from him

C. you are angry with him                 D. he becomes a fool

After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic, so mostly I just lied a lot to appear to be skilled at dealing with people. At least I never needed the map.
One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she gossiped about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.
We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me from across the room.
It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.
They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't staring at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an over interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught and held my attention.
I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all extremely, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine, or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful -- maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze-haired boy.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “diplomatic” mean?

A.smoothB.cleverC.honestD.delight
【小题2】From the passage, we can infer that _______________.
A.“I” was really liking the new place.
B.“I” was not interested in what the girl said.
C.“I” had a bad memory, so it’s hard to remember names.
D.“I” was good at making friends.
【小题3】 According to the last two paragraphs, why did “they” catch “my” attention?
A.Because “they” weren’t talking.
B.Because “they” sat in the corner.
C.Because “they” didn’t eat the food.
D.Because “they” looked incredibly beautiful.
【小题4】According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
A.The girl walked with “me” was a little short.
B.“I” saw the five students for the first time.
C.Those students sitting in the corner had finished their food.
D.“I” probably wanted to know more about those five students.

I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady near my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.

My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.

It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.

I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.

But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.

I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have – a great family, nice friends.”

It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.

1.

Why did the mother apologize to the author?

A. Because the boy ran into the author.

B. Because the boy laughed at the author.

C. Because they boy said the author was fatter than him.

D. Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.

2.

When did the author realize that she was too short?

A. When she grew up.

B. When she was 47 years old.  

C. When she began to go to school.

D. When she met the boy in the supermarket.

3.

Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?

A. doubted        B. increased        C. decreased        D. improved

4.

.How does the author feel about people’s stares now?

A. Angry       B. Calm      C. Painful     D. Discouraged

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网