The research carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology
Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered
most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were
viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings
or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that
beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
小題1:The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".
A．cureB．easeC．improveD．kill
小題2:How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?                    
A．4.B．5.C．6.D．7.
小題3: Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso's?
A．Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely.
B．Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.
C．Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.
D．Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.
小題4:From the last paragraph, we know that_______.
A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces
B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly
C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters.
D．some of them were art masters, while others were not.
小題5:Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
A．Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.
B．Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.
C．More research should be done in he field.
D．Latest environmental research.

小題1:B
小題1:C
小題1:D
小題1:B
小題1:A
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Health experts are calling for action to expand cancer care and control in the developing world. A medical research paper says cancer was once thought of as a problem mostly in the developed world. But now cancer is a leading cause of death and disability in poor countries as well. Experts from Harvard University and other organizations urge the international community to fight cancer aggressively, saying it should be fought in the way HIV/AIDS has been fought in Africa.
Cancer kills more than 7.5 million people a year worldwide. Almost two-thirds are in low-income and middle-income countries.
They discover cancer dills more people in developing countries than AIDS, tuberculosis (肺結(jié)核) and malaria (瘧疾) combined. But the world spends only 5% of its cancer resources in those countries.
Felicia Knaul from Harvard Medical School was one of the authors of the paper. She was in Mexico when she was found to have breast cancer. She received treatment there and her experience showed her the sharp difference between the rich and the poor in treating breast cancer.
Felicia Knaul says, “And we are seeing how this is attacking young women. It’s the number two cause of death in Mexico for women thirty to fifty-four. All over the developing world, it’s the number one cancer-related death among young women. I think we have to again say that there is much more we could do about it than we are doing about it.”
Professor Knalul met community health workers during her work in developing countries. They were an important part of efforts to reduce deaths from the cancer. They were able to persuade people to get tested to prevent the illness. The experts say cancer care does not have to be costly. For example, patients can be treated with lower-cost drugs.
小題1:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Cancer – a leading cause of death in poor countries
B．What should we do in preventing and treating cancer?
C．What makes the first killer in developing countries?
D．Experts urge more efforts to fight cancer in poor countries.
小題2:Felicia Knaul’s experience in Mexico shows that       .
A．many Mexican women suffer from breast cancer
B．there is not enough medicine for cancer there
C．many Mexican women can’t afford medical care
D．patients with breast cancer are treated differently
小題3:From what Felicia Knaul says, we can draw the conclusion that       .
A．breast cancer is a great threat to young women
B．people don’t pay enough attention to breast cancer
C．breast cancer is the second killer among women in Mexico
D．effective treatment for breast cancer is available in developing countries
小題4:Who plays an important part in preventing the cancer in developing countries?
A．The cancer patients.
B．The health experts.
C．Community health workers.
D．Young women.
小題5:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The number of cancer cases is decreasing.
B．HIV/AIDS is not being taken seriously in Africa.
C．Over 7.5 million people die of cancer every year.
D．It is very expensive to treat cancer.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Do you have a sore throat, a running nose and a headache? Do you keep coughing and sneezing? If you do, the chances are that you have a cold or perhaps flu--- but which one? Although both colds and flu are caused by viruses, they are very different illnesses.
Colds, which usually last about a week, affect the nose most. They commonly cause a runny nose and sneezing. Sometimes, they cause a headache, a cough and slightly aching muscles.
Flu is much more serious illness and is caused by different group of viruses. People with flu usually get all the symptoms described above. However, they also get a high fever, a dry cough and much worse aching. Fever is one of the typical symptoms of the flu for all ages. The symptoms also last much longer. Sometimes they don’t disappear for at least two weeks.
Flu can be a deadly disease. The elderly, who are weaker and less healthy than most younger people, can die from flu. This is one reason why old people are advised to have a flu injection before the start of winter when flu is most common. This injection is inexpensive and definitely worth it.
If you have a cold or flu, you must always deal with used tissues carefully. Don’t leave dirty tissues on your desk or on the floor. Someone else has to pick these up and viruses could be passed on. And finally, remember to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze！You don’t want to see the small drop of liquids blown out of your nose and mouth when you sneeze, do you? Disgusting, eh? Now you can understand why it’s a good idea to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze!
小題1: In paragraph 4, we learn that ______.
A．flu injection can cause deathB．most old people die from flu
C．flu is most common in summerD．flu can kill old people easily
小題2:Dealing with used tissues properly is important because ______.
A．it helps keep your classroom tidyB．people hate picking up dirty tissues
C．it prevents the spread of colds and fluD．picking up lots of tissues is hard work
小題3:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Both colds and flu last the same time.
B．Both colds and flu can be prevented by injection.
C．Both colds and flu are caused by the same viruses.
D．Both colds and flu have an aching symptom.
小題4:Which is probably the best title for the passage?
A．Cold or Flu?B．The Different Symptoms of a Cold and Flu
C．Prevention Is Better Than CureD．Cover Your Nose and Mouth When Sneezing

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Most schools forbid chewing gum(嚼口香糖), but in a few years they might consider changing that rule. Why? Scientists are finding evidence that gum chewing may be good for your health. It may even help improve your test scores. This exciting research is just beginning. And in the meantime, companies are also experimenting with adding vitamins, minerals, medicines, and other substances that could give gum the power to cure headaches and fight everything from serious diseases to bad breath.
Other researchers are finding that gum might work better than a pill to deliver medicines and other substances into the bloodstream. That’s because the lining (膜) of our cheeks can absorb certain substances more quickly than our stomachs and intestines (腸) can. That discovery could help other researchers develop medicine-containing gums that fight colds, ease headaches, battle nervousness, and
more. Scientists might even create anti-microbial (抗菌的) gums that cure bad breath.
Those projects may take years, but gum scientists have already had at least one recent success: They’ve created a gum that could help us stay awake. Researchers have produced a gum called Stay Alert. Each stick has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. It can take an hour for the caffeine in coffee to have its full effect, but the caffeine in Stay Alert hits in just a few minutes. The gum is easy to transport and it’s stable in cold and hot climates. Unlike a pill, it doesn’t require water to swallow. Those qualities make it easy for soldiers to use. For now, Stay Alert is available only to the military (軍隊(duì)). The manufacturer may one day offer it for sale to the public. People who work at night, such as truck drivers and medical personnel who ride in ambulances, might benefit from a product like Stay Alert.
小題1:The passage mainly talks about _____.
A．the rule of forbidding chewing gum in school
B．new research on chewing gum
C．different kinds of chewing gum
D．the relationship between chewing gum and medicine
小題2:What does the underlined word “hits” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A．Touches. B．Attacks.C．Takes effect. D．Affects badly.
小題3:According to the passage, Stay Alert is a gum which can help people _____.
A．stay awakeB．fight colds
C．cure headachesD．overcome nervousness
小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A．stay Alert is not easy to store
B．stay Alert needs water to swallow
C．stay Alert is available to the public now
D．we can’t buy gums which cure bad breath now

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A growing number of health, hunger, and sustainable （可持續(xù)的）agriculture groups today announced plans for Food Day-a nationwide campaign to change the way Americans eat and think about food．Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to “eat real” and support healthy, affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way．
Organizers hope Food Day will inspire Americans to hold thousands of events in schools, college campuses, houses of worship and even in private homes aimed at fixing America’s food system．A Food Day event could be as small as a parent organizing a vegetable identification contest at a kindergarten class-or as massive as a rally（集會(huì)）in a city park, with entertainment and healthy food．Health departments, city councils and other policy makers could use Food Day to launch campaigns, hold hearings, or otherwise address communities food problems．
The campaign will advocate progress toward five central goals:
·Reducing diet-related disease by promoting healthy foods．The American diet is too low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and too high in fatty meat, soft drinks and salty packaged and restaurant foods-contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year．
·Supporting sustainable farms and stopping subsidies to agribusiness．Billions of federal dollars a year would be better spent helping environmentally conscious family farmers than hugeagribusiness operations．
·Expanding access to food and alleviating hunger．Far too many Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or have access to fresh produce in their neighborhood．
·Reforming factory farms to protect animals and the environment．Farming of animals can and should be done without cruelty, and without degrading the quality of life．
·Curbing junk-food marketing to kids．Food companies should not be targeting children with foods that promote tooth decay, obesity and other health problems．
小題1:What is the best title of the text?
A．Food Day CampaignB．Eat Real and Keep fit
C．How to Observe Food DayD．Food Problems in the USA
小題2:What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A．Food problems are not easy to deal with．
B．Food Day events should be held in public places．
C．Kindergarten kids are unable to identify vegetables．
D．People are invited to create their own Food Day events．
小題3:One of the aims of Food Day is to ____．
A．target children with junk foodB．operate more agribusiness
C．increase access to foodD．cancel a series of events
小題4:The underlined word "curbing" in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “          ”．
A．controllingB．enlargingC．evaluatingD．providing
小題5:We can infer from the text that _____．
A．Food Day will not help preserve natural resources．
B．Food Day can be an opportunity to solve food problems．
C．Food Day has so far achieved all the central goals．
D．there are different ideas and views about Food Day．

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many of us believe that a person’s mind becomes less active as he grows older．But this is not true，according to Dr．Lissy F．Jarvik，professor of psychiatry(精神病學(xué))at the University of California，Los Angeles，and a board member of the New Center for Aging at the Veterans Hospital．She has studied the mental functioning of aging persons for several years.For example，one of her studies concerns 136 pairs of twins, who were first examined when they were already 60 years old．As Dr．Jarvik continued the study of the twins into their 70s and 80s，their minds did not generally decline(下降)as was expected．
However，there was some decline in their psycho-motor(精神運(yùn)動(dòng)的)speed． This means that it took them longer to accomplish mental tasks than it used to．But when speed was not a factor，they lost very little intellectual (智力的) ability over the years.In general，Dr．Jarvik’s studies have shown that there is no decline in knowledge or reasoning ability．This is true not only into the 30s and 40s，but into the 60s and 70s as well．
As for learning new things，and ability to remember，studies by Dr．Jarvik and others show that the old are equal to the young．It is true that older people themselves often complain that their memory is not as good as it once was．However，much of  what we call“l(fā)oss of memory”is not that at a11．
In the cases where the older person’s mind really seems to decline，it is not necessarilv a sign of a decay due to becoming old or“senility”．Often it is simply a sign of a depressed emotional state．This depression usually can be got rid of by counseling(咨詢(xún))with a psychologist，or medicine which fights depression.
In American society，when an older person loses something，we tend to call him or her“senile”．But notice that when a younger person loses something，he does not blame it on senility or loss of memory．He finds some other excuse!
小題1:A long-term study of 136 pairs of twins showed that the only factor that declined over the years was  .
A．mental healthB．intellectual ability
C．the amount of knowledgeD．psycho-motor speed
小題2:According to Dr．Jarvik’s studies，middle-aged and older persons should expect to     .
A．reason betterB．learn fewer new things
C．remember lessD．1ose little ability to remember
小題3:The word“senility”most likely means       .
A．excellent healthB．weakness in body and mind because of old age
C．occasional forgetfulnessD．giving up one’s life
小題4:Both younger and older persons should realize that          .
A．a(chǎn) sign of a decay due to old age or“senility’’is a common thing
B．older persons are wiser than younger ones because of different knowledge amount
C．senility or mental decay due to aging is much less common than most of us believe
D．a(chǎn) sign of a depressed emotional state is not a reason of decay

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Beginning in October, more than 13,000 McDonald’s (麥當(dāng)勞)restaurants in America will use a new variety of cooking oil. McDonald’ s aims to make its French fries (油炸食品) and other fried foods healthier.
The change will not affect the taste or the number of calories in the food. But by changing the cooking oil, McDonald’s says, it hopes to cut by nearly half the amount of trans fatty acids (轉(zhuǎn)換脂肪酸) in French fries and reduce the amount of saturated fats(飽和脂肪) by 16 percent. Scientists believe that trans fatty acids and saturated fats raise cholesterol(膽固醇) levels and increase the risk of heart disease.
McDonald’s new step is important because McDonald’s is an industry leader and other fast-food chains and food processors may follow the lead.
For McDonald’s ,the action comes at a time when Americans are becoming more and more concerned about; obesity (肥胖) and are increasing pressure on food companies to offer healthy and nutritious (有營(yíng)養(yǎng)的) food to consumers.
After three years of study, McDonald’s officials say they are switching oil that is lower in saturated fats and trans fatty acids. McDonald’s says the change will not cause higher price for consumers.
Though there is some change, scientists say that the amount of trans fat in foods at McDonald’s and at other fast-food companies is still important.
小題1:More than 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants in America will use a new kind of cooking oil to ______________.
A．lower the costs of the products
B．maker its food taste hatter than ever before
C．cure (治愈) the heart disease
D．do good to the health of consumers
小題2:The underlined ward "switching" here has the same meaning as "   _______ ".
A．turning onB．turning offC．changingD．studying
小題3:The main idea of the passage is    __________ .
A．McDonald’s is a pioneer in food products
B．McDonald’s is enlarging its restaurants in the world
C．fried foods can’t keep up with the development of modem society
D．McDonald’s is to use new cooking oil
小題4:When a new kind of cooking oil is used in McDonald’s,     ________ 
A．the prices of McDonald’s foods will be a tot higher
B．consumers will find the taste of McDonald’s foods different
C．many other food companies will do what McDonald’s does
D．obesity will disappear in American society sooner or later

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressures even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others.
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if it means they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone(對(duì)苯二酚).
Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries. This chemical has been connected to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers –to-be use it during pregnancy.
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. They could even make some skin darker.
The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier（障礙）to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolored. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent（永久的）skin damage.
And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was.
小題1:What is the text mainly about?
A．The advantages of light skinB．Introducing skin lightening products
C．The harmfulness of HydroquinoneD．The health risks of bleaching
小題2:What does the underlined word “bleaching” refer to?
A．The process of removing the color
B．The process of making the skin whiter
C．The chemicals that make things white
D．The chemicals that protect skin against sunlight
小題3:Why do people want to make their skin lighter?
A．Because they all want to look more beautiful.
B．Because they all want to marry into better families.
C．Because they want to find better jobs.
D．Because they want to improve their lives.
小題4:Skin bleaching may cause the problem of ______.
A．emotional problems B．kidney cancerC．lighter skin D．low birth rate
小題5:The author holds a/ an ______ attitude towards skin lightening.
A．positiveB．negativeC．supportiveD．optimistic

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Smoking, which may be a pleasure for some people, is a series of discomfort for their fellows. Medical scientists have expressed their concern about effect of smoking on the health not only of those who smoke but also those who do not smoke. In fact, non-smokers who take in the air polluted by tobacco smoke suffer more than the smokers themselves. A great number of students are trying to persuade the university to forbid smoking in classrooms. Believe they are completely right in their aim. However, I think it more important to achieve this by calling on the smokers to use good judgment and to show concern for others. Smoking is not allowed in theaters, cinemas and in other public places. Therefore, smoking must be forbidden in our classroom. Although many people have passed away for having smoked a lot and we call on people to give up smoking, yet many more that are following will turn down what we say every day, above all, the young people smoke a lot more.
小題1: In the writer’s opinion, smoking does good to ________.
A．nobodyB．some peopleC．smokersD．young people
小題2: The phrase “pass away” probably means ________.
A．leave one’s homeB．lose one’s lifeC．pass byD．go away
小題3:According to the selection, which of the following is true?
A．Smokers suffer from the polluted air more than the non-smokers.
B．Non-smokers suffer from the polluted air more than the smokers.
C．Non-smokers suffer as much from the polluted air as the smokers.
D．Non-smokers don’t suffer so much from the polluted air as the smokers.

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