Many Western people are not used to sitting on the floor any more. In Japan, however, sitting upright on the floor is common in different situations. For example, meals are traditionally had when people sit on the tatami (榻榻米) loor around a low table. Also during the tea ceremony and other traditional events, one sits on the floor.
The formal way of sitting for both men and women is kneeling upright. People who are not used to sitting in this style may feel uncomfortable after a few minutes, and their legs may go numb. However, foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in this style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves aren’t able to do so, owing to a more westernized lifestyle.
In other situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women sit on their knees laying both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered wholly male, while the latter is considered completely female.
The most important guest sits on the honored seat which is set farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma (壁龛) in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or the least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance. Of course, there are other things to be considered in each particular case.
1. Which of the following situations is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. When men and women meet.
B. When a tea ceremony is held.
C. When traditional events are held.
D. When meals are traditionally had.
2. According to the passage we can learn that ______.
A. more and more Japanese sit in the formal way
B. foreigners should always sit in the formal style in a Japanese home
C. men shouldn’t sit on their knees laying both legs to one side
D. men and women in Japan sit in the same informal way
3. When some guests are in a Japanese home, _______ should sit nearest to the entrance.
A. the host himself
B. both the host and the hostess
C. the host or the least important person
D. the most important guest
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How foreigners should sit in Japanese homes.
B. How foreigners should behave in Japanese homes.
C. Where to sit in Japanese homes.
D. How and where to sit in Japanese homes.

Many Western people are not used to sitting on the floor any more. In Japan, however, sitting upright on the floor is common in different situations. For example, meals are traditionally had when people sit on the tatami (榻榻米) loor around a low table. Also during the tea ceremony and other traditional events, one sits on the floor.

    The formal way of sitting for both men and women is kneeling upright. People who are not used to sitting in this style may feel uncomfortable after a few minutes, and their legs may go numb. However, foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in this style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves aren’t able to do so, owing to a more westernized lifestyle.

    In other situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women sit on their knees laying both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered wholly male, while the latter is considered completely female.

    The most important guest sits on the honored seat which is set farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma (壁龛) in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or the least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance. Of course, there are other things to be considered in each particular case.

1. Which of the following situations is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. When men and women meet.

B. When a tea ceremony is held.

C. When traditional events are held.

D. When meals are traditionally had.

2. According to the passage we can learn that ______.

A. more and more Japanese sit in the formal way

B. foreigners should always sit in the formal style in a Japanese home

C. men shouldn’t sit on their knees laying both legs to one side

D. men and women in Japan sit in the same informal way

3. When some guests are in a Japanese home, _______ should sit nearest to the entrance.

A. the host himself

B. both the host and the hostess

C. the host or the least important person

D. the most important guest

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. How foreigners should sit in Japanese homes.

B. How foreigners should behave in Japanese homes.

C. Where to sit in Japanese homes.

D. How and where to sit in Japanese homes.

The whole body is covered with skin.The surface of the skin is dead(like the hair and the nails),but it is made from a living layer(层)just under the surface.The outside dead layers wear off(磨损)all the time,with new ones replacing them,and the body forms a totally new skin every three weeks.

The skin protects the body from the outside world and it passes information from the outside.It helps to keep water in the body and to keep the body at the same temperature.Becteria(细菌)can’t get in through the skin unless it is damaged.

If the weather is cold,the blood vessels(血管)in the skin squeeze down,or contract(收缩),so that as little blood as possible comes near the surface.This means that less warmth is lost to the outside.This makes the skin look pale,or even “blue”.At the same time,the hairs on the skin are pulled upright by tiny muscles.

When it is hot,the blood vessels expand(扩大),or get wider again,to allow plenty of blood to run near the surface of the skin.This helps the body to lose heat,and the skin may look red.At the same time,the sweat glands(汗腺)produce more sweat,which cools the skin.

If your skin has ever been numb(麻木的),you will realize how important the feeling from the skin is.Nerves(神经)in the skin are sensitive(敏感的)to heat and cold,sharpness,hardness and softness,wetness and dryness and pain.If one is not able to feel these things,which can act as warnings,he is likely to be burned,cut or hurt in other ways.

The colour of the skin depends on special colour cells(细胞).These are just below the top layers of the skin.They are needed as protection from some harmful ray of the sun.The stronger the sun is,the more important it is to have a dark skin.People with pale skins may “tan”(晒黑)in the sun.This happens when the body produces extra colour cells in the skin for protection.In the sun,the skin produces a vitamin(vitamin D)which is needed for strong bones.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A.Our hair and nails are dead like the surface of the skin.

B.There is skin all over our body.

C.The skin of our bodies will be completely different in three weeks.

D.The surface of the skin is made of a living layer.

The second paragraph mainly tells us about______.

A.the functions of the skin

B.the information from the outside

C.the water in the body

D.the temperature of the body

Bacteria will get in through the skin______.

A.when one’s skin is numb

B.when one is ill

C.when the skin is cut

D.when the sweat glands produce more sweat

When the weather is cold,the skin will contract in order to______.

A.allow more blood near                                     B.make the skin look blue

C.keep warmth                                              D.help the body lose heat

The colour of the skin is determined by______.

A.the rays of the strong sun                                 B.colour cells

C.top layers of the skin                                       D.vitamin D

The whole body is covered with skin.The surface of the skin is dead(like the hair and the nails),but it is made from a living layer(层)just under the surface.The outside dead layers wear off(磨损)all the time,with new ones replacing them,and the body forms a totally new skin every three weeks.

The skin protects the body from the outside world and it passes information from the outside.It helps to keep water in the body and to keep the body at the same temperature.Becteria(细菌)can’t get in through the skin unless it is damaged.

If the weather is cold,the blood vessels(血管)in the skin squeeze down,or contract(收缩),so that as little blood as possible comes near the surface.This means that less warmth is lost to the outside.This makes the skin look pale,or even “blue”.At the same time,the hairs on the skin are pulled upright by tiny muscles.

When it is hot,the blood vessels expand(扩大),or get wider again,to allow plenty of blood to run near the surface of the skin.This helps the body to lose heat,and the skin may look red.At the same time,the sweat glands(汗腺)produce more sweat,which cools the skin.

If your skin has ever been numb(麻木的),you will realize how important the feeling from the skin is.Nerves(神经)in the skin are sensitive(敏感的)to heat and cold,sharpness,hardness and softness,wetness and dryness and pain.If one is not able to feel these things,which can act as warnings,he is likely to be burned,cut or hurt in other ways.

The colour of the skin depends on special colour cells(细胞).These are just below the top layers of the skin.They are needed as protection from some harmful ray of the sun.The stronger the sun is,the more important it is to have a dark skin.People with pale skins may “tan”(晒黑)in the sun.This happens when the body produces extra colour cells in the skin for protection.In the sun,the skin produces a vitamin(vitamin D)which is needed for strong bones.

61.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A.Our hair and nails are dead like the surface of the skin.

B.There is skin all over our body.

C.The skin of our bodies will be completely different in three weeks.

D.The surface of the skin is made of a living layer.

62.The second paragraph mainly tells us about______.

A.the functions of the skin

B.the information from the outside

C.the water in the body

D.the temperature of the body

63.Bacteria will get in through the skin______.

A.when one’s skin is numb

B.when one is ill

C.when the skin is cut

D.when the sweat glands produce more sweat

64.When the weather is cold,the skin will contract in order to______.

A.allow more blood near                                          B.make the skin look blue

C.keep warmth                                                 D.help the body lose heat

65.The colour of the skin is determined by______.

A.the rays of the strong sun                               B.colour cells

C.top layers of the skin                                           D.vitamin D

I’m a skeptic(怀疑论者) when it comes to the benefits of taking vitamins and other supplements. We swallow far more than any other country- yet we’re not the healthiest folks by far, nor do we live the longest.

There’s more bad news for vitamins this week: Turns out that takig folic acid(叶酸) and vitamin B12 supplements doesn’t prevent heart attacks or death, according to a major new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was hoped they would, since the vitamins do reduce levels of homocysteine(高半胱氨酸), an amino acid(氨基酸) that is higher in the blood of people who have a higher risk of heart disease. In fact, homocysteine was reduced 30 percent after one year of treatment in the participants who took both vitamins. But in the following three years, just as many vitamin takers died as those who didn’t take the vitamins. Even worse, the study was stopped early because another similar study suggested that there may be an increased risk of cancer from taking B vitamins.

I had been taking a health-food store monster multivitamin(综合维生素剂) for months. Coincidentally, I had been experiencing some strange numbness in my legs that was starting to scare me. I remember sitting in a long meeting with my ankles crossed, and when I tried to stand up I crumpled on the floor and hit my chin on the glass coffee table because my leg had gone completely numb and worthless. As I sat there and shook my leg, I got that “pins and needles” feeling and soon was OK. But it scared me enough to make an appointment with a neurologist, who suggested an MRI to rule out multiple sclerosis, stroke, or a brain tumor(肿).

While I’ll never know for sure if the vitamins caused my problem, many, many studies have reminded us that pill forms of vitamins and minerals don’t provide the same benefit as getting them from food. There’s a lot we don’t know about how the human body works. Until we know more, I’m getting most of my vitamins from the farmer’s market.

49. What can we know from the last paragraph?

  A. The writer is getting most of pill forms of vitamins from the markets.

  B. The writer continues to take vitamins in great quantities.

  C. The writer is getting vitamins from food, which can provide more benefits.

  D. The writer will never take pill forms of vitamins and minerals.

50. Why do people take folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements?

They want to stop heart

 attacks or live longer.

  B. They want to live longer.

  C. They want to increase risk of cancer.

  D. They want to experience some strange numbness.

51. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

  A. It was the multivitamin he took that caused the writer to get the “pins and needles” feeling.

  B. Taking more vitamins will not make a man healthier or live longer.

  C. The vitamins can reduce levels of homocysteine in our body.

  D. The less homocysteine in our blood, the less chance we’ll have heart attacks.

52. The best title of the passage can be _________.

  A. Vitamins: Benefit Us a Lot               B. Vitamins: No Help for Your Heart

  C. Vitamins: Bad for the Brain, Too           D. Some Bad News About Vitamins.