My alarm o’clock rings in my ears at 5:00 every morning. On hearing the ring, I will get out of bed and put on my glasses. The house is quiet as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep in peace. Instead of going for a long run as usual, today I chose my favorite exercise DVD and started moving. Sweat rolled down my face and into my eyes. My heart beat wildly as I face my body to finish each movement before a mirror. Of course I felt extremely tired towards the end, but a smile spread across my face. I smiled because the DVD was over, and there appeared a brighter smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
While some people are fond of chocolate, shopping, smoking, or work, what I need is taking exercise to pass each day. People shake their heads when they see me run with sweating heavily through the town. Some look surprised when I refuse to try just one bite of chocolate cake. They seem greatly puzzled by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to just have a vegetable salad. I have come to realize that it doesn’t matter to just say “No.” to any kind of food that I don’t want to eat.
Do you wonder what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m. every morning? What makes me refuse ice cream firmly? Commitment—I’m determined to change my life with a way which can not only free me from daily anxiety, but also increase energy and self–confidence. And above all it will surely help me to keep good body shape and maybe extend my life. This is the real reason why there’s a huge smile spreading across my face when I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit me just right and look perfectly on me. I never doubt that I cannot make a difference within myself inside and out without such commitment and sweat.
【小题1】From the text we can conclude that the author___________.

A．desires to look different from others.

B．expects to develop a good body shape.

C．has difficulty getting along with others.

D．behaves strangely every morning she gets up

【小题2】Which statement is TRUE according to Paragraph 2 ?

A．Others don’t understand the author.

B．Others help the author by offering her food.

C．The author doesn’t understand others.

D．The author hates to make others surprised.

【小题3】The underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．good health

B．firm belief

C．a habit

D．a permission

【小题4】Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?

A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully.

B．Because she finishes her favorite exercise.

C．Because she enjoys the inspiring DVD music.

D．Because she feels a sense of achievement

Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self- respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings.
Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.
【小题1】According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our ________.

A．self-respect	B．financial rewards
C．advertising ability	D．friendly relationship

【小题2】The phrase "bringing the error to the clerk's attention" (in Para.5) means ________.

A．telling the truth to the clerk

B．offering advice to the clerk

C．asking the clerk to be more responsible

D．reminding the clerk of the charged item

【小题3】How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake?

A．We'll be very excited.

B．We'll feel unfortunate.

C．We'll have a sense of honor.

D．We'll feel sorry for the clerk.

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．How to Live Truthfully

B．Importance of Peacefulness

C．Ways of Gaining Self-respect

D．Happiness through Honorable Actions

Cancer is feared by everyone. And there is more and more fear about cancer. Not the disease itself — there is no such thing as a high incidence rates(发病率) of cancer. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking, the incidence rates are not on the rise. However, some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety. The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen(致癌物). The ordinary, more or less, scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are due to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is “cleaned up.” This is not at all the meaning.
The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world — for example, the high incidence of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data show there may be specific environmental influences, but largely based on personal life-style, which determines the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities — that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere.
【小题1】According to the passage, the incidence of cancer is generally believed _____.

A．to be based on inactive life style

B．to be due to anxiety

C．to result from environmental influences

D．to be caused by heavy smoking

【小题2】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer’s opinion about the relationship between cancer and environment is _____.

A．positive

B．negative

C．neutral

D．approving

【小题3】According to the passage, the writer seems to feel that _____.

A．the risk of catching cancer is on the rise

B．the whole earth is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen

C．the risk of catching cancer isn’t so great as people think

D．cancer can be cured if the environment is cleaned up

【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cancer and Environment

B．The Fear Caused by Cancers

C．Data on Cancer Incidence

D．Cancer and its Investigation

It is common and usual to see people freak out when they face challenges in their life. We all pass in different life problems and challenges. No one is free of life problems. Only a dead man faces no problem. As long as you are alive, challenges are everywhere.
How do you face problems and challenges in your life? Problems and challenges are the building blocks of your personality. They make you who you are. Besides, whether what happened in your life builds or destructs you depends on how you look at it. If you take your problems as troubles, they will be troubles and may cause destruction. If you take them as constructive tools, you are going to be built up on them.
Problems are everywhere. No one can avoid them. And they are good too. They open up a different look and opportunity if you are willing to see. When you face troubles, do not frustrate or freak out. Just cool yourself to think in a different direction. Think in a positive way. Every problem has its own good as well as bad sides. Focus on the good one. Look at the bright side.
Besides, there is always a good person, perhaps your mom or dad, or one of your friends, right beside you who can turn everything into your best if you are willing to turn to them. No matter what happens­, they will be there to help you. Trust them and they will never let you down. All you need to know is that you are loved wherever you are.
【小题1】What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “freak out” in Paragraph 1?

A．Feel shy.

B．Stay calm.

C．Keep up.

D．Feel upset.

【小题2】In Paragraph 2, the writer implies that ______.

A．problems cause troubles

B．attitude is everything

C．challenges can be avoided

D．personalities are built on failures

【小题3】According to the last paragraph, when we're in trouble, we ______.

A．can only depend on our parents

B．are not alone

C．should only believe ourselves

D．are not confident

【小题4】What’s the writer’s purpose to write the passage?

A．To encourage.

B．To compare.

C．To prove.

D．To explain.

Science can’t explain the power of pets，but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure(血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack，reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer．
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings．For some．an animal provides more comfort than a husband／wife．A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress(紧张)1evels and blood pressure in people－half of them pet owners－while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic(算术)or held a hand in ice water．Subjects completed the tasks alone，with a husband／wife，a close friend or with a pet．People with pets did it best．Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates．With pets in the room，people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions．It seems people feel more relaxed(放松)around pets，says Allen，who thinks it may be because pets don’t judge．
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits．Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs；a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program．On average，people lost about 11 pounds，or 5％ of their body weight．Their dogs did even better，losing an average of 12 pounds，more than 15％of their body weight．Dog owners didn’t lose any more weight than those without dogs but，say researchers，got more exercise overall－mostly with their dogs--and found it worth doing．
【小题1】What does the text mainly discuss?

A．What pets bring to their owners．

B．How pets help people calm down．

C．People’s opinions of keeping pets．

D．Pet’s value in medical research．

【小题2】We 1earn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if        ．

A．he has a pet companion

B．he has less stress of work

C．he often does mental arithmetic

D．he is taken care of by his family

【小题3】According to Allen，why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?

A．They have lower blood pressure．

B．They become more patient．

C．They are less nervous．

D．They are in higher spirits．

【小题4】The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that       ．

A．people with dogs did more exercise

B．dogs lost the same weight as people did

C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did

D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful

A blocked airway(呼吸道) can kill someone in three to four minutes, but it can take more than eight minutes for an ambulance to arrive. So a simple procedure such as opening someone's airway can save their life while they're waiting for emergency medical help. This means you're more likely to give first aid to someone you know than a stranger.
There are many misconceptions(误解) surrounding first aid. Below are the ‘most popular’ ones with details of what you should do.
You should put butter or cream on a burn. The only thing you should put on a burn is cold water - keep the butter for cooking. Put the affected area under cold running water for at least ten minutes.
The best way to treat bleeding is to put the wound under a tap. If you put a bleeding wound under a tap you wash away the body's clotting agents(凝血剂) and make it bleed more. Instead put pressure on the wound with whatever is available to stop or slow down the flow of blood. As soon as possible call 999. Keep pressure on the wound until help arrives.
Nosebleeds are best treated by putting the head back. If you put the head back during a nosebleed, all the blood goes down the back of the airway. Instead advise them to tilt(倾斜) their head forwards and ask the person to pinch(捏) the end of their nose and breathe through their mouth.
You need lots of training to do first aid. You don’t - what you mostly need is common sense. You can learn enough first aid in a few minutes to save someone's life – whether it’s from a book, attending a course or watching videos online.
Remember: anyone can save a life
【小题1】The most important point to save a person’s life is to ensure _____.

A．his smooth breath

B．ambulances’ arriving time

C．the quiet surroundings

D．emergency medical help

【小题2】If a person is burnt, what you should do immediately is to _____.

A．put some cream on the burn area

B．cook some butter for the burn

C．place the burn under cold running water

D．wash the affected area for a long time

【小题3】If a bleeding wound is put under a tap, what should happen?

A．It will help the bleeding stop at once.

B．It will help produce more clotting agents.

C．It will produce more pressure on the wound

D．It will bleed more and hard to stop

【小题4】Which of the following statement is RIGHT?

A．When a person’s nose bleed, please put the head back.

B．You can learn first aid in quickly in different ways.

C．When a person is burnt, crap the burn until help arrives.

D．Not everyone can do first aid to save a life.

【小题5】The passage mainly tells us _____.

A．how to learn first aid by yourself

B．some misunderstanding about first aid

C．the importance of first aid

D．how to help medical team save a life

If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said.
Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study. Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You’re a great vegetable taster,” did not work as well.
The study found t hat when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes. The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables-either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas-in laboratory taste tests, the study said.
Researchers randomly assigned（分派）173 families to one of these groups. In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable. A second group of parents used verbal praise. The third group, where parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”.
Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day of 12 days, Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables-and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience. The turnaround also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once disliked vegetable three months later.
Why didn’t the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents’ words may have seemed “insincere” to their children.
【小题1】The purpose of writing the passage is       .

A．to introduce a practical method of making children eat vegetables

B．to show the procedure of an experiment on children’s diet

C．to explain why children hate to eat vegetables

D．to present a proper way of vernal praise to parents

【小题2】The underlined word “backfire” in Paragraph 2 probably means “           ”.

A．shoot from behind the back

B．make a lire in the hackyard

C．produce an unexpected result

D．achieve what was planned

【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Most children are born to dislike carrots or celery.

B．It remains a question whether rewarding is a good way to get children to eat vegetables.

C．Oral praise wokrs quite well in encouraging children to eat vegetables.

D．Children in the sticker group will never lose interest in eating vegetables.

【小题4】How did the researchers get their conclusion from the experiment?

A．By comparison.	B．By asking questions.
C．By giving examples,	D．By discussion.

【小题5】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Children like rewards, not verbal praise.

B．Parents should praise their children in a sincere tone.

C．Children are difficult to inspire.

D．Parents should give up verbal praise.

Young people looking for a job with good pay, flexible hours and job security should consider working in health care, according to a list of the top 15 best jobs in the US for young people.
Health care is the fastest growing sector of the US economy and nearly half of what are considered the top jobs for young people are in the sector, Forbes.com said.
With a medium annual salary of $33,470, dental assistants topped the ranking, while medical assistants, who earn about $28,860, came in No. 3, followed by physical therapist assistants who make a medium salary of nearly $50,000 and health aides who earn $20,560.
Teachers of self-enrichment courses such as pottery and art, were the only non-health job in the top five.
"Almost every one of these requires physical contact," Laurence Shatkin, the author of the book "150 Best Jobs for Your Skills," told Forbes. com. "You have to show up to do them, so you're not being shipped overseas, and they can't be done by a robot."
Shatkin studied which jobs have the highest concentration of 16 to 24 year olds, pay well and have opportunities for entry level positions. He based the ranking on annual salary and openings and projected growth. Many of the jobs do not require a college degree.
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors, pharmacy technicians and surgical technologists were also among the top 10 jobs for young people.
Because many of the jobs can be done on a part-time basis, they offer the flexibility for people to continue their education while doing them. Some of the jobs offer career prospects and advancements.
"Young people may not have figured out what their priorities are yet," Shatkin told Forbes.com.   "They may use these jobs to discover what they like and where they fit in."
【小题1】From the passage, we know that health care is a sector where people in the USA can ________.

A．work the shortest time

B．make the most money

C．enjoy its safest working conditions

D．experience its fastest development

【小题2】After reading the passage, we can infer that _________.

A．teachers of self-enrichment courses are No.2 among the top five jobs

B．dental assistants are listed as the best job due to their highest salary

C．people still need to go to college to get a good job

D．good jobs are those that can be done part-time

【小题3】What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Health Care among Top Jobs for Young People

B．Factors for People to Consider while Seeking Jobs

C．Results from Forbes.com on Best Jobs

D．The Higher the Pay Is, the Better the Job Is

In the face of tragedy(悲剧), you must of course let yourself feel: Cry without holding back, tremble with fear, yell out in anger, accept and follow your feelings. This is part of the wise approach to tragedy: The Upward Path – the feeling of emotions(情感), the acceptance of them, and the coupling of the emotional mind with wisdom. Along this path, you’ll take the experience – no matter how sad or upsetting – as a learning event, just as all other points on your journey will prove to be. While tragic, you must recognize this is still a chance for all involved to grow. You should let both sadness and joy, fear and courage, dark and light fill your world, and learn to find your steady, calm center in the midst of the opposing forces. This is the Upward Path. Use the event as a chance to gain balance and discover wisdom – the wisdom of love and of letting go, of non-attachment and non-resistance, and using this experience to eventually help others in need of guidance.
Being able to relate to others who have also experienced tragedy and inspire in them hope – of recovery, and of moving forward – is perhaps the greatest gift you can receive from tragedy. Turn the negative into positive, the pain into connection. After you’ve taken appropriate time to be sad, to feel your own pain, you should make it your work, your goal, your purpose to connect with others who need help. Show them how you’ve experienced feelings, achieved balance, and gained wisdom that you would never have otherwise had the chance to learn.
Feel, but do not Feed on tragedy. Rather, let it inspire you to go beyond the person who you were before. With demise comes renewal, so let this loss be also your rebirth. No matter how hopeless it seems, no matter how difficult this becomes, you have the power to transform yourself into someone greater than you ever knew you could be. 
【小题1】When following the Upward Path, the person facing tragedy should _______.

A．free his emotions

B．hold back all his feelings

C．fill his world with positive ideas

D．give in to tragedy and all opposing forces

【小题2】According to the author, the greatest gift one gets from tragedy is being able to _______.

A．seek solutions from others	B．understand and help others
C．stay calm and resist change	D．forgive others and move on

【小题3】The underlined word “demise” in the last paragraph probably means _______.

A．sorrow

B．problem

C．difficulty

D．death

【小题4】The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．analyze the causes of tragedy

B．tell people how to prevent tragedy

C．suggest a way of dealing with tragedy

D．encourage people to build friendship after tragedy

Everyone knows that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. Doctors say it is good for us. It makes your heart and body strong. Children who often exercise are more alert (灵活). This means they do better in tests and schoolwork than those who don’t exercise.
There are many ways to exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. Make sure you exercise in the following ways; you have to like what you’re doing. Exercise enough— but not too much. It’s best to exercise twice each week, Thirty minutes each time is enough. Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports that feel right for you.
You can exercise at fitness centers. They have a lot of equipment（设备）there. The equipment will help to exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you fit. Some people buy equipment for their homes. But it is very expensive.
Exercising can be fun. Friends can exercise together at a fitness center or they can play sports together. How do you exercise?
【小题1】In the text, the writer tells us that we all need to         .

A．drink

B．sleep

C．exercise

D．work

【小题2】Which of the following sports is not mentioned (提到) in the next?

A．Fishing

B．Running

C．Swimming

D．Walking

【小题3】The words “fitness centers” in the next mean         .

A．商务中心

B．健身中心

C．购物中心

D．医疗中心

【小题4】The sentence, Children who often exercise are more alert, tells us that people who often exercise can do better in         .

A．running

B．skate

C．swim

D．studies

【小题5】Exercising can be fun, because         .

A．it makes your heart and body strong

B．it makes you study better

C．people can buy equipment for their home

D．friends can play sports together