Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful
as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed.
They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often
new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad
effects on the health of the workers.
     Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which
showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes
produced information that governments could not ignore. At such times, there were inquiries into the causes
of the disasters or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however,
the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill.
     Today many governments have special departments that protect customers and workers. In the U.S., for
example, there is a department that tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also
makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that
companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that
are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments
and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results. Our work places
are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars that we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking
more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that in the past ____.

A. workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions
B. companies were free to put out any products they wanted to
C. many people were killed by dangerous products
D. industries were as careful in management as they are today

2. As can be seen in the passage ____.

A. governments and companies had different opinions about the safety of products
B. scientists also helped improve the safety and health of workers and customers
C. government officials often did not listen to scientists
D. governments paid no attention to the safety of products at all 

3. From the passage, we know that some years ago safety rules ____.

A. were put forward due to scientists' recommendations
B. came into being as a result of the workers' demands
C. were introduced because quite a number of people were killed or seriously injured
D. were effective enough to protect workers and customers

4. The special departments protect customers and workers in many ways EXCEPT by ____.

A. testing new products
B. designing new products
C. controlling the sale of products
D. inspecting work places

1. _____
     With the development of society, unwanted sound is the most widespread nuisance (厭惡的事) in America.
But noise is more than just a nuisance. It constitutes a real and present danger to people's health. Day and night,
at home, at work, and at play, noise can produce serious physical and psychological stress. No one escapes
being affected by this stress. Though we seem to adjust to noise by ignoring it, the ear, in fact, never closes
and the body still responds-sometimes with extreme tension, as to a strange sound in the night.
2. _____
     The annoyance we feel when faced with noise is the most common outward symptom of the stress building
up inside us. Indeed, because irritability (易怒) is so obvious, legislators (立法人員) have made public
annoyance the basis of many noise limit programs. But the more unnoticeable and more serious health hazards
(harm and danger) associated with stress caused by noise traditionally have been given much less attention.
3. _____
     Nevertheless, when we are annoyed or made irritable by noise, we should consider these symptoms fair
warning that other things may be happening to us, some of which may be damaging to our health. Of many
health hazards to noise, hearing loss is the most clearly observable and measurable by health professionals. The
other hazards are harder to pin down (說清). For many of us, there may be a risk that exposure to the stress of
noise increases susceptibility to disease and infection. The more susceptible among us may experience noise as
a complicating factor in heart problems and other diseases. Noise that causes annoyance and irritability in health
persons may have serious consequences for these already ill in mind or body.
4. _____
     Noise affects us throughout our lives. For example, there are indications of effects on the unborn child when
mothers are exposed to industrial and environmental noise. During infancy and childhood, youngsters exposed
to high noise levels may have trouble falling asleep and obtaining necessary amounts of rest.
5. _____
     Why, then, is there not greater alarm about these dangers? Perhaps it is because the link between noise and
many disabilities or diseases has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Perhaps it is because we tend to
dismiss annoyance as a price to pay for living in the modern world. It may also be because we still think of
hearing loss as only an occupational hazard.

A. Noise affects us from birth even embryo (胚胎) to death.
B. Less attention to more unnoticeable and serious hazards in spite of the most common annoyance caused by
    noise.
C. The reasons for there being no greater alarm about these dangers.
D. Noise is more a real and present danger than a nuisance to people's health.
E. How much do we know about annoyance caused by noise?
F. How much do we know about the possible hazards to people's health caused by noise?

     Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word "diet"
everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet
products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for
products that harm us psychologically and physically (身體上).
     Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain
to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption
of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go
straight for the scale (秤) instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word"diet" in food
labels.
     On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie
drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results. Diet
products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and
struggle.
     The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the
physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead
of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients (營養(yǎng)成分). Diet foods
and diet pills contain zero calories only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these
wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are
potentially dangerous.
     Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about
buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this,
we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes
from using them.

1. From Paragraph 1, we learn that _____.

A. diet products fail to bring out people's potential
B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C. diet products are misleading people
D. people are fed up with diet products

2. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _____.

A. try out a variety of diet foods
B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits
D. watch their weight rather than their diet

3. In Paragraph 4, "gain comes without pain" probably means _____.

A. losing weight is effortless
B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain
D. diet products are free from calories

4. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products _____.

A. are over-consumed
B. lack basic nutrients
C. are short of chemicals
D. provide too much energy

     About 97% of the world's water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can't drink
seawater, how can it be important?
     Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different
ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food.
These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon
dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe.
How important seawater is!
     Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in
large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. These food chains
are delicately balanced.
     The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People
once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn't matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught
huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans
have started to drop.
    Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international
agreements to protect marine habitats (海域). Most countries have introduced fishing restrictions (限制)
to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to deal with pollution. Finally,
the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a
long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important
part of the human diet. How important seawater is!

1. Which of the following is the proper order of the food chain?

A. small animals→algae→microscopic animals→large animals man
B. algae→microscopic animals→large animals→larger animals→man
C. small animals→algae→large animals→microscopic animals→man
D. microscopic animals→algae→large animals→larger animals→man

2. People used to think that the rubbish thrown into the sea ____.

A. wouldn't harm the fish in the sea
B. would change the balance of the food chain
C. would be broken down in the sea
D. wouldn't do much harm to the sea

3. From the passage, we learn that ____.

A. most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas
B. it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain
C. too much fishing has caused the decrease in fish stocks
D. it won't be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved

4. Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?

A. The use of international agreements.
B. Forbidding fishing to protect fish stocks.
C. The use of new techniques.
D. Raising people's awareness of the need to protect oceans.

5. What would be the best title of the passage?

A. The importance of seawater.
B. Life in the oceans.
C. How to protect food chains.
D. How to deal with seawater pollution.

     Human activities have great effect on the environment. Everyone can make small life changes toward
a low-carbon (低碳) life. Such changes can not only make a difference for the environment, but also have
great health benefits for you.
     ● Burn less gas. Try walking or bicycling to work a few times a week and get a healthy exercise on the
way. Encourage children to walk to school. Cutting down on driving and using your own two legs helps
cut global warming pollution and helps deal with weight problems over time.
     ● Eat more thoughtfully. Eat less meat and more grains and vegetables, which helps reduce the need to
change forests or grasslands to pasturelands (牧場). Replace one or more of your weekly meals with a
meatless meal.
     ● Drink tap water rather than buy bottled water. Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic
waste per year. Bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap water, and tap water is cheaper.
     ● Reduce the use of paper. Think twice before you print. If you must print, try printing on both sides.
     ● Reduce the amount of water you use in your home. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and
turn off the shower after soaping up. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a basin of water instead of running
water from the tap.
     ● Use energy-saving lamps to save money, use less energy and create less pollution. These lamps are easily
available and have various styles and brands.

回答下面問題，在相應(yīng)題號后的橫線上寫下相關(guān)信息（不多于五個單詞）。
1. How can we eat more thoughtfully?
    __________________________________________________________________________
2. If we have to print something, what should we do?
    __________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the passage mainly about? 
    __________________________________________________________________________

                                         Our Fears Can Change the Reality of the Situation
     At times, our worries and anxieties can defeat us. In addition, our worries can change our understanding
of what is reality and what is not. Here is a brief list of techniques that you can use to help gain a better
viewpoint on things during your anxious moments. 
     1_____ A person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their
mind off the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give
them a fresh perspective on things.
     Remember that our fearful thoughts are made to seem worse and can make the problem worse. 2_____
When unexpectedly having thoughts that make you fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking
yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.
     Be smart in how you deal with your fears and anxieties. Do not try to deal with everything all at once.
When facing a current or upcoming task that makes you anxious, break the task into a series of smaller steps.
3_____ 
     Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. Most of what we worry about never
comes true. 4_____ Everything else you can leave in the hands of God.
     It is not easy to deal with all of our fears and worries. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you,
try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is do your
best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it easy. 5_____

A. Take it one step at a time and things will work out.
B. When feeling anxious, stop what you are doing and try to do something relaxing.
C. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety.
D. Instead of worrying about something that probably won't happen, concentrate on what you are able to do.
E. The next time you feel depressed, review your list and think about the good things that you have in your life.
F. A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and
    realistic thinking.
G. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your 
    chances of success.

     It's happened to all of us: we sleeplessly toss (翻轉(zhuǎn)) and turn while the person next door snores (打呼嚕)
his way through the night.
     "Millions of people snore, most of whom are men over the age of 20," said Robert Bone, chief of Head and
Neck Surgery at Scripps Clinic in San Diego."As many as 45 percent of people snore, and as many as 25
percent are chronic (慢性的) snorers. Male snorers far outnumber women who snore."
     To help chronic snorers get a good night's sleep, Dr. Bone treats his patients with Somnoplasty, a
now-proven procedure that he created at Scripps Clinic six years ago. "If you snore loudly and frequently and
do not have other breathing disorders, Somnoplasty may be the solution for you," he said.
     Somnoplasty uses low-temperature radio waves to treat a well-defined area in the soft palate (鄂). A small
prong is inserted into the mouth toward the back of the throat. Then radiofrequency energy is delivered beneath
the surface of the soft palate. The treated part is heated just enough to create an area of coagulation(凝結(jié)物).
Over the next four to six weeks, the body naturally tears off the treated part, reducing volume and solidifying
the area that is responsible for snoring.
     The procedure takes place in the doctor's office, and typically lasts no longer than 15 to 20 minutes.
Patients need two to four treatments, and the procedure is 80 percent effective. Treatment costs only $200 to
$300 and is covered by some insurance. Dr. Bone treats about 800 patients a year.
     "Somnoplasty is the state-of-the-art procedure for snoring," Dr. Bone said. "It can provide much-needed
relief to chronic snorers and their families."
     For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (858) 554-8964.

1. Which of the following is true about the snorers according to Robert Bone?

 A. 45% of the snorers are men who are over the age of 20.
B. Most people in the word are chronic snorers.
C. People who toss and turn sleeplessly will never snore.
D. There are far more male snorers than female snorers.

2. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. the procedure of Somnoplasty takes place easily and doesn't take much time
B. the procedure of Somnoplasty is totally safe
C. almost every snorer can be cured with Somnoplasty
D. Dr. Bone may be very rich

3. The fifth paragraph aims to tell us _____.

A. the causes of snoring
B. the suffering of the treatment
C. the complexity of the treatment
D. the procedure of Somnoplasty

4. From what Dr. Bone said at the end of the passage we can learn that ______.

A. he is introducing this procedure to some experts
B. he is quite satisfied with the treatment of Somnoplasty
C. he is good at making ad.
D. Somnoplasty is the best way to treat snoring

5. Where can we possibly find the passage?

A. In a science magazine.
B. In a medicine advertisement.
C. In a health magazine.
D. From a TV talk show.

     Could you stand the noise of a street-sweeping truck going up and down the street outside of your house
three times a week at 4 a.m.? The noise-described by Blomberg as "loud as a NASCAR (全國運(yùn)動汽車競賽
協(xié)會) race car but at a speed of 5 miles per hour-annoyed him so much that he tried to persuade the city to
rearrange for street sweeping to begin at 6 a. m. He also founded the non-profit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse,
an organization that provides research and information to others whose request for quiet might otherwise fall
on deaf ears.
      Hearing loss is the most obvious medical consequence of noise pollution, but it is hardly the only one,
explains environmental psychologist Airline Bronzaft. In her research, Bronzaft found that constant noise
exposure can reduce children's learning ability and cognitive (認(rèn)知的) development."Most importantly, each
day, you've got to take a break from sound regularly." says Bronzaft.
     "The bad news," says Blomberg, "is that the last century was the noisiest in history. The good news," he
continues, "is that the greener we get, the quieter we'll also get." Electric cars and lawn equipment make less
noise, just as more fuel-efficient vehicles. Improved technology can also provide measures to make the
problem less serious. Police cars could replace those loud sirens (警報器) with models that better aim the
sound in one direction.
     "I don't think you can name a noise source that I can't find a way to make it quieter," says Blomberg. But
the real challenge is to change people's attitudes." In the 1960s, we made it unacceptable to throw litter out of
the window of your car," he says. Today it's time to recognize that"noise is to the soundscape as rubbish is
to the landscape." The goal is to "create a culture where you do not throw your 'noise' litter out of the
window."