There are new findings that not enough sleep may cause people to gain weight. Researchers say a lack of sleep can produce hormonal(激素的) changes that increase feelings of hunger.
In one study, researchers in the United States examined information on more than 1000 people. The people had taken part in a long-term study of sleep disorders.
Some people slept less than five hours a night. They had 15 percent higher blood levels of a hormone called ghrelin than people who slept eight hours. And they had 15 percent less of the hormone leptin. Experts say ghrelin helps make people feel hungry; leptin makes you feel full.
The scientists say these hormonal changes may be a cause of obesity in Western societies. They note the combination that sleep limitation is common and food is widely available.
The results were not affected by how much people exercised. People who are awake longer have more time to burn energy. But the researchers say loss of sleep may increase hunger especially for high-calorie foods, so people gain weight. It seems that, for survival, the body may be designed to store more fat during times with less sleep.
Researchers from Stanford University in California and the University of Wisconsin did the study. They found that the best amount of sleep for weight control is 7.7 hours a night.
The Public Library of Science published the findings in its journal Medicine . Internet users can read the full study, free of charge, at plos. org.
小題1:Not enough sleep can cause obesity by ______.

A．burning more of your energy

B．making you want to eat more food

C．keeping you from doing exercise

D．helping you feel great without food

小題2:Which would be a point supported by the reported findings?
The more you sleep, the farther away you are from obesity.
Those who don’t sleep at all are the most likely to put on weight.
Sleeping contributes more to obesity than eating.
It’s not wise to use sleep hours for exercise.
小題3:When you sleep 7.7 hours a night, you will ______ .
have your ghrelin level rise and leptin level drop
have your leptin level rise and ghrelin level drop
have your ghretin and leptin levels properly balanced
have your hunger increase and your weight decrease
小題4:The writer wrote this passage to _______ .

A．make a news report

B．offer a piece of medical advice

C．make an advertisement

D．keep a record of the old findings

小題5:You can read the findings________.

A．Only on the Internet

B．only in Medicine

C．Both on the Internet and in Medicine

D．Neither on the Internet nor in Medicine

In the United States, train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes. Most people like traveling by car or by air. Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001. The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation. They only studied trips longer than 50 miles. The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle. Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane. Two percent were traveled in a bus. And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train. Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States. In the past ten years, the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent. Although the number of passengers has increased, it is still very small now. In countries such as France, Germany, or Japan, more people use trains. There are several reasons why many people ________________________.
Firstly, Americans love to drive their own cars. On highways, cars can travel as fast as trains. These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly, many travelers like to be independent. When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel. Thirdly, many buses travel between major cities. Bus travel is less costly than train travel. In a huge country like the United States, cities are far away from each other. In some cases, travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day. Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster. People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly. For these people saving time is the most important thing.
小題1:What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 8 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題2:What does the underlined word “it” refer to? ( Please answer within 4 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題3:Fill in the blank with proper words. ( Please answer within 6 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題4:Complete the following statement according to paragraph 2.( Please answer within 6 words)
When they use their own cars they are
_____________________________________________________________________
小題5:Why American people have to travel a long time if they go from one city to another?
(Please answer within 10 words)
__________________________________________________________________ 

I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee (學(xué)費(fèi)) in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary (高等) education is a necessity in today’s workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves?
All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers.
A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass.
In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids’ tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks.
小題1:Which of the following is not the difficulty American students have to face?

A．They have to work hard to pay for the high tuition fee.

B．Many American students have a burden of a family.

C．They need a better education to get a best job.

D．They have to pass strict tests to complete their education.

小題2: Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．American students have no time to think of physical exercise.

B．Sporting activities are popular among American students.

C．American students should take part in various social activities.

D．Those who don’t participate in social and sporting activities are usually unpopular with their peers.

小題3:Compared with American students, Chinese university students __________.

A．have no difficulty in raising a family

B．live an easy life in universities

C．don’t have to take full-time jobs

D．have more duty to make greater progress

小題4:This passage mainly deals with __________.

A．part-time jobs chosen by American students

B．the high fees of American universities

C．difficult lives American students have to face

D．different opinions on American universities

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸鹽)on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground；it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it removes the to player of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island or Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem—their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．
小題1:What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru's problems．

B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war．

C．To show the importance of money

D．To give a warning to other countries

小題2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
APeaceful and attractive             B．Modern and open
C．Rich and powerful                       D．Greedy and aggressive
小題3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from

A．soil pollution	B．phosphate overmining
C．farming activity	D．whale hunting

小題4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?

A．Its phosphate mining cost much money

B．It spent too much repairing the island

C．Its leaders misused the money

D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.

小題5:What can we learn about Nauru from me last paragraph?

A．The leaders will take the experts' words seriously

B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans

D．The phosphate mines were destroyed

WASHINGTON—US President Barack Obama said Thursday that he had known about NBA star Jeremy Lin’s talent long before the“Linsanity”phenomenon swept the sport.
“I knew about Jeremy before you did because Arne Duncan, my secretary of education, was captain of the Harvard team,”O(jiān)bama told the famous US sportswriter Bill Simmons in an interview.
“When Arne and I were playing, he said,‘I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard.’And then when one of my best friends, whose son is a freshman at Harvard, went for a recruiting(招募) trip he saw Lin in action, so I’ve been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon(時(shí)尚) for a while,”said the president, who is a Harvard Law graduate.
Lin, the New York Knicks’ point guard, though he was cut twice in December 2011, had had a sudden rise in the past month to high points scoring stardom in Madison Square Garden, the world’s biggest basketball stage.
He is the first Chinese-American player in the NBA. He has already developed a devoted following among many Asian-Americans and in China, Taiwan, the Philippines and other countries.
Clicks to the NYKnicks. Com website surged as basketball fans from around the world search for Lin’s news and highlights.
“He seems like a wonderful young man. It elevates(提升) this great sport all round the world,”said Obama, a Chicago Bulls fan.“And what’s been encouraging is to see how fast the sport has bounced back(恢復(fù)) recently.”But he sounded a note of caution on how much basketball costs to watch.
“It’s really important for professional athletes and sports owners to just remember you got a whole bunch of folks out here, all across the country, who invest so much in their teams. All they ask is not to be so selfish that you’re not looking out for your fans,”O(jiān)bama said.
小題1:President Obama learned about Jeremy long before through      .

A．news reports

B．a(chǎn) friend

C．Bill Simmons

D．Arne Duncan

小題2:The underlined word“surged”in Paragraph 6 probably means     .

A．moved suddenly and quickly	B．stopped gradually
C．moved slowly	D．suddenly broke down

小題3:President Obama finds it encouraging that      .

A．Chicago Bulls is playing wonderfully

B．Jeremy Lin is becoming more popular

C．NBA matches have returned to normal

D．a(chǎn)udience is concerned about basketball

小題4:Both athletes and sports owners should care about folks because      .

A．they have made contributions to charities

B．a(chǎn)ll teams are in need of support from fans

C．they pay to watch their favorite teams play

D．they can decide the result of a game

Briana, a student at John Fenwick School in Salem County, US, has a lot of free time. The 13-year-old girl used to hang out on the streets after school. “I know it wasn’t good, but I really had nothing else to do,” Briana said.
Briana was not alone. Many kids in her city had too much free time and nothing to do. To solve this problem, four school districts in Salem began a program called Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The program helps students make good use of their after-school time. Big Brothers/Big Sisters invites mentors to help students in grades 6 to 8 build healthy relationships and take part in productive activities.
The “Littles” and the “Bigs” are nicknames (昵稱) for students and mentors. Most mentors are teachers. The “Bigs” and “Littles” usually meet once a week. They play games, share stories and go on trips.
The program has already helped many Salem students.
Briana’s mentor is the school principal (校長(zhǎng)), Syeda Woods. Woods took Briana ice-skating, to pizza parties and for a visit to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. “When I got out, I saw that Salem is a very small place,” Briana said. “The program helps me experience the outside world and see many new things.”
Kathy Jennings, 13, said she was very shy before, but now is much more open.
“In the program, I see my mentor as a big sister, not a teacher. I can tell her anything,” Jennings said. “And she has taught me a lot about making good decisions. I think it will make a big difference in my life.”
小題1:The program of Big Brothers/Big Sisters is designed for          .

A．students aged 16 to 18	B．students aged 8 to 16
C．students in senior high school	D．students in grades 6 to 8

小題2:The underline word “mentors” in the second paragraph most probably means “          ”.

A．wise and trusted teachers	B．experienced police
C．community volunteers	D．careful parents

小題3:The purpose of the program is to help students         .

A．live a full life after school

B．learn tips on shopping

C．have more free time

D．know more about the streets

小題4:The writer uses the examples of Briana and Kathy to show          .

A．Syeda is an amazing principle

B．the success of the program

C．the colourful life in Salem

D．Briana was once very shy

Bringing Art into Hospitals
The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to get better.
As part of nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places,　some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages, waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s.He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society,　and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience(觀眾).
A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5 000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art!　Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the out—patient’s waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975.Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist. Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.
The effect is striking. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colours, playful images(形象)and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
小題1: Some best artists of Britain have been called in to__________.

A．set up new hospitals

B．make the corners of the hospital collect paintings

C．bring art into hospitals

D．help patients recover from serious illnesses

小題2:After the improvement of the hospital environment,__________.

A．patients no longer take drugs to kill their pains

B．patients don’t have to stay long in hospital

C．patients need fewer pain killers when they suffer from an illness

D．patients feel happy in hospital

小題3:It can inferred from the passage that__________.

A．the role of hospital environment is important.

B．hospital artists have done more than doctors

C．exhibitions attract more audience in hospitals than in museums

D．the hospital is a better place for people.

Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns(客棧)instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private(私人的)homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms; others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.
Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.
小題1:Americans take a holiday trip_________.

A．a(chǎn)ll the year round	B．for years
C．every year	D．every other year

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Some Americans like to stay at bed-and-breakfast homes instead of at hotels.

B．The bed-and-breakfast inns are private homes open to vacationers.

C．The bed-and-breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time.

D．The bed-and-breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night.

小題3:Staying at the bed-and-breakfast inns, __________.

A．the travelers needn’t pay anything

B．the travelers don’t have to pay for the telephone or television

C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people

D．the owners will show the travelers around the area

小題4:Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A．European and American vacationers like staying at bed-and-breakfast inns.

B．All Americans enjoy traveling.

C．These bed-and-breakfast inns are all old historic buildings.

D．Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is just like at the traveler’s home.

A 37-year-old man in Australia’s Northern city Darwin ,Norm Pethrick, was praised for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (撲), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater. Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free. Ms Pethrick was later taken to Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (傷口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report. He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”. Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three more days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (細(xì)菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.
小題1: This passage is most likely to be found in _____.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．a(chǎn) travel guide

C．a(chǎn) textbook

D．a(chǎn) novel

小題2:The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.

A．swimming in the river	B．watching the crocodile
C．standing on the river bank	D．fishing in the water

小題3:According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.

A．brave

B．diligent（勤勉的）

C．quick

D．humorous

小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The husband should save the wife

B．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws

C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine

D．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes

As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend (趨勢(shì)) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture(家具) for our living room.” Says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to afford it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $ 420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
小題1:We can learn from the text that many newly married people _______.

A．find it hard to pay for what they need

B．have to learn to make their own furniture.

C．take DIY courses run by the government.

D．seldom go to a department store to buy things

小題2:John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _____

A．run a DIY shop	B．make or repair things
C．save time and money	D．improve the quality of life.

小題3: When the writer says Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ____

A．makes shoes in his home	B．does extra work at night
C．does his own car and home repairs	D．keeps house and looks after his children