As we get older, most of us worry about grey hair, wrinkles and maintaining a youthful body. But people often don’t realize the voice needs looking after. Here, Mr. Rubin, a voice expert, reveals how to keep your voice youthful.
Drink more fluid and avoid spicy food
You need water for the vocal cords(声带) to vibrate(振动) well. The body must be kept hydrated enough to make the vocal cords operate well. Drinking 1.5 liters of water a day at intervals of 15 minutes is very important. Mr. Rubin advises avoiding foods with an annoying effect on the stomach, such as onions, chili, fizzy drinks and chocolate.
Rest the throat and talk regularly
The vocal cords can be scared if you use your voice during a bad cough. If you have a case of laryngitis(喉炎) with a cold, you should rest your voice for a day or two, and seek medical advice.
Simply staying sociable and using your voice is very important. “As older people get less mobile, they can become socially isolated and speak less.” says Mr. Rubin. “The elderly need to communicate with people more. By using the vocal cords, they enable the ageing process to slow down. ”
Improve your posture
Good posture is essential to keeping the voice young, so we’d better stand properly. Exercise helps you take deeper breaths as it means there is better airflow through the voice box, producing a stronger tone.
Sing in the shower
This is one of the best ways to preserve your voice, as it keeps the larynx muscles strong while the steam lubricates(使润滑) the voice box. “Singing is gymnastics for the voice,” says Mr. Rubin. Joining a choir is one of the best ways to preserve a youthful tone.
【小题1】Mr. Rubin gives us advice on ________.

A．ways to keep us from aging

B．ways to talk with other people

C．ways to keep our voice youthful

D．prevention of diseases caused by talking too much

【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE in the opinion of Mr. Rubin?

A．We should stand properly to keep our voice youthful.

B．Professional singers’ voices tend to age quickly.

C．The steam can do great harm to the voice.

D．Taking more onions can keep us healthy.

【小题3】To protect the voice, the old people should       .

A．get less mobile	B．communicate with others more
C．avoid using the voice	D．lie in bed more

【小题4】What can we learn from the text?

A．Most people have realized the importance of protecting voice.

B．It’s hard to keep the vocal cords strong through exercise.

C．Singing in the shower is among the best ways to keep our voice youthful.

D．Shouting now and then benefits our vocal cords.

As we get older, most of us worry about grey hair, wrinkles and maintaining a youthful body. But people often don’t realize the voice needs looking after. Here, Mr. Rubin, a voice expert, reveals how to keep your voice youthful.

Drink more fluid and avoid spicy food

You need water for the vocal cords(声带) to vibrate(振动) well. The body must be kept hydrated enough to make the vocal cords operate well. Drinking 1.5 liters of water a day at intervals of 15 minutes is very important. Mr. Rubin advises avoiding foods with an annoying effect on the stomach, such as onions, chili, fizzy drinks and chocolate.

Rest the throat and talk regularly

The vocal cords can be scared if you use your voice during a bad cough. If you have a case of laryngitis(喉炎) with a cold, you should rest your voice for a day or two, and seek medical advice.

Simply staying sociable and using your voice is very important. “As older people get less mobile, they can become socially isolated and speak less.” says Mr. Rubin. “The elderly need to communicate with people more. By using the vocal cords, they enable the ageing process to slow down. ”

Improve your posture

Good posture is essential to keeping the voice young, so we’d better stand properly. Exercise helps you take deeper breaths as it means there is better airflow through the voice box, producing a stronger tone.

Sing in the shower

This is one of the best ways to preserve your voice, as it keeps the larynx muscles strong while the steam lubricates(使润滑) the voice box. “Singing is gymnastics for the voice,” says Mr. Rubin. Joining a choir is one of the best ways to preserve a youthful tone.

1.Mr. Rubin gives us advice on ________.

A．ways to keep us from aging

B．ways to talk with other people

C．ways to keep our voice youthful

D．prevention of diseases caused by talking too much

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE in the opinion of Mr. Rubin?

A．We should stand properly to keep our voice youthful.

B．Professional singers’ voices tend to age quickly.

C．The steam can do great harm to the voice.

D．Taking more onions can keep us healthy.

3.To protect the voice, the old people should       .

A．get less mobile                         B．communicate with others more

C．avoid using the voice                     D．lie in bed more

4.What can we learn from the text?

A．Most people have realized the importance of protecting voice.

B．It’s hard to keep the vocal cords strong through exercise.

C．Singing in the shower is among the best ways to keep our voice youthful.

D．Shouting now and then benefits our vocal cords.

 

In the near future, people in some parts of the world will watch a new kind of television. It is called the high definition television or the HD-TV. The main difference between an HD-TV and a normal television is the picture. It is more clear and detailed. This is because the HD-TV has many more points and lines that make a television image. Every color television picture contains thousands of red, green and blue points. They all come together as an image in the eye of the person watching. The points are organized in lines that go across the television screen. There are more than five hundred lines in a normal television. The HD-TV has two times as many. To get this clear picture, you must have a big screen. Experts say people using a small screen will see little difference.

The HD-TV also has clear sound. It is like the sound on a CD. All these improvements make an HD-TV very costly. One kind in Japan now sells for more than twenty thousand dollars .A major problem with the HD-TV is its broadcast signal（传播信号.The signal is bigger than normal because it carries more electronic information.

1. What is the main difference between an HD-TV and a normal television?  It is        .

A．the picture        B．the shape         C．the voice          D．the weight

2. What is a color TV image?

A．It is made up of thousands of red, green, and blue points.

B．Points are organized in lines that go across the TV screen.

C．It is a black and white picture

D．Both A and B

3. How many lines does an HD-TV have?

A．Over 250                             B．More than 500

C．More than 1,000                        D．About 250

4. What should you do if you want to get a clear and detailed picture from an HD-TV?

A. You must have the bigger signal for the HD-TV. 

B. You have to get a big screen.

C. You should have a compact disc player.     

D. Both A and B.

 

At 4:00 A.M. on Sunday morning, my friend, Tim, awoke me. He was sleeping in the living room right next to the front door and said there was a man pounding on my front door and screaming. At first, I was like, "Shut up and leave me alone," but then I heard one of the scariest voices of my life. The man sounded of Spanish descent (血统), older, and in pain.

I was home alone for the week, so I had two guns loaded with bullets. I had a rifle (步枪) next to my bed and a shotgun next to my front door. I grabbed my rifle. Tim asked me, "What are you doing?"

"Getting my gun, what do you think I'm doing?" I asked.

As I headed down the hall towards the front door, I remembered Chad, my older brother, telling me to protect myself when he left. Immediately, I grabbed the shotgun and gave it to Tim. Thinking that it might scare the person off, I went to my back door and shot my rifle into the dark cold sky. However, this did not work. "Protect yourself, Sarah," kept going through my head. The man kept yelling and pounding on my door. I would have just opened the door, but I watched too many "America's Most Wanted" shows, where that is how they get the little girls to open the door. So, I then called 911 myself.

The operator said, "911. What is your emergency?"

I replied, "My name is Sarah Miller and I am at Juniper Lane in Hotchkiss and there is a man beating on my front door and telling me to let him in." That was the start of all the excitement. I continued to tell her what was going on and what had already gone on. Our conversation was still going when I heard the man walk off my door. During this time, the police were having a discussion of whether they should respond to the call. When I heard the man walk off my door, I thought that he was going to leave.

I was still on the phone when I heard the man in my basement. "Protect yourself, Sarah," went through my head again. The basement stairs lead right up to a door entering our house. We leave our garage door open to cool off our house when the weather is good. The man was yelling, "Help me" from the bottom of the stairs. I walked over and made sure the door was locked and made sure there was a bullet in the rifle. I stood there with the phone in one hand and my trusty old rifle in the other just waiting for him to start coming up the stairs.

My conversation with the operator went from "Hi, how are you now?" to "What are you doing to help me here?" About this time, the operator told me that the policeman should be at the bottom of my driveway, so I turned on all of the lights, inside and outside. I still had my rifle in my hands when the policeman walked up the stairs to my front door. "Did you see an older Spanish man walking down my driveway by any chance?" I asked him.

"Um, no," he answered. I then asked him if he had seen anyone in the basement, and again he said, "No". So at this time, he went back down the stairs and approached my garage. For some reason, I knew that there was still someone in there. I crouched (猫着腰) down to where I could see into the garage / basement area. As the policeman approached the basement, he yelled, "Whoa, put your hands up. Freeze."

"I’ve got you," were the first words out of my mouth; I don't know what I was thinking. After this happened, I realized that those words weren't exactly the smartest choice of words. About this time, another policeman pulled into my driveway with his lights on followed by a police officer. As I approached the basement with my rifle, I was worried about what I would see. What I saw will always stick with me forever. A poor twenty-nine year old Spanish man was crapping (拉屎) there, and I almost shot him because he was coming to my house to find help. His face was all bloody, his nose was broken, his clothes were torn, and worst of all, he didn't speak English, and none of the policemen who were there spoke Spanish. I had taken three years of Spanish before, so I translated what the Spanish guy, Jose, was saying to the policemen. About this time an ambulance came up my driveway with its lights on. So, I had three police cars and an ambulance, all with their lights on, in my driveway. I'm sure my neighbors all came out, since nothing had ever happened in my small community.

I did protect myself that night. My brother was right when he said that you could never be too careful. "Wake up Sarah. It's time for school," my mom said a couple of mornings later. That is how I prefer to be woken up. I will always have a loaded gun next to my bed after this incident.

55. The moment Tim awoke her, the author ______.

A. screamed            B. felt annoyed     C. heard the voice           D. grabbed the rifle

56. Why did the author go to the back door and shot into the sky?

A. Because she wanted to scare the man off.   B. Because she wanted to kill the man.

C. Because she wanted to call for help.       D. Because she wanted to remind the police.

57. The Spanish man pounded the author’s door so early ______.

A. to practise speaking English                            B. to meet his old friend

C. to seek help                                            D. to hide himself

58. By saying “That was the start of all the excitement”, maybe the author ______.

A. thought they talked too much exciting things

B. was excited that she could talk with the operator

C. was sure that the police would come

D. wanted to say their conversation lasted a long time

59. What did the author learn from the incident?

A. She regretted what she had done to the Spanish

B. She felt it fortunate to know a little Spanish

C. She thought it couldn’t be too careful about her safety.

D. She would never live alone in a big house.

60. Which of the following can be used as the title of this passage?

A. Make ends meet      B. As busy as a bee    C. A piece of cake    D. A false alarm