Many people who are overweight have poor digestion(消化). For the most part, poor digestion is not a habit given by our parents. We give it to ourselves through the way we eat. Eating to get less stress or anxiety is often the mistake most people will make.

  Oh, poor digestion can lead to weight problems. Here’s how: When a person feels stressed, the part of the central nervous system that connects digestion switches off. This is called the parasympathetic nervous system(副交感神经系统). At those times of stress, the body can take in food and  process some of it, but digestion doesn’t work correctly to digest all the nutritional(营养的)goodness from the food. Poor digestion is not always obvious by observing symptoms; you can get some illnesses but not always. Poor digestion can be seemingly silent.

If you eat when you are stressed, anxious, or nervous, you might as well be eating cardboard for all the nutrients your body gets. Yes, eating when stressed is a gaining situation. Now you might think, well, if I’m not digesting, the calories aren’t getting handles, so I should be losing weight. Good idea, but wrong reality. When digestion is not proper, the body starts “starving” from lack of necessary nutrients(营养物). Yes, it goes into a starvation（饥饿）problem and starts absorbing(吸收) fat and energy. It thinks it’s in a famine(饥荒). The good news is that it’s easy to make some corrections and get rid of stress at mealtimes.

If you feel stressed often, it can be helpful to take other food that contains multiple B vitamins. These help, but you could still find yourself stressed at mealtimes.

1.The author wrote the passage to tell us        .

  A. how to deal with stress at mealtimes

  B. what kind of food can be easily digested

  C. eating when you’re stressed can cause weight problems

  D. eating too much resulted in overweight problems

2.How do you understand the underlined sentence in the first paragraph?

  A. Eating is the best way to release stress.

  B. We should not release the stress by eating.

  C. Eating too much can cause anxiety.

  D. The stress problem can be solved during eating.

3. In what way do poor digestion and stress cause body problems?

  A. Poor digestion cannot absorb much nutritional goodness from the food.

  B. People with poor digestion take in food and process all of it.

  C. When people feel stressed, the parasympathetic nervous system switches on.

  D. Poor digestion will not lead to overweight problems.

4.Which is NOT the reason why people may have weight problems when eating with stress?

  A. The body does not take in what they eat.

  B. The digestion system becomes incorrect.

  C. People cannot eat much when unhappy.

  D. The body will begin to absorb too much fat.

C
A blow-fly was looking for an ideal place like rotting meat to lay her eggs so that when her little babies were born, they could feed on the meat.
As she turned a corner in the grassland, she smelt something that smells like rotten meat in the air! With a great joy she landed on it and laid her eggs. She was happy that her children would have enough food to eat.
But the fly did not know she had made a great mistake. What she had sat upon was not meat but a flower, which smells badly. It is called a carrion flower. So, when the blow-fly’s eggs hatched and the little maggots（蛆）came out, they had nothing to eat. They died of starvation.
The carrion flower is one of the many flowers which send out dirty smells to attract flies. The Rafflesia stinks like rotting meat, while the tropical Lords and Ladies flower gives out a smell like rotting fish.
They do it for a special reason. These plants cannot move from their place. But it is important for the male cell of one plant to get in touch with the female cell of another plant. Once that is done, the seed of the plant will bloom and give birth to another plant.
The plant uses its stink to attract flies. As soon as the blow-fly sits on the follower, it is captured by the flower with strong hair. When the hair falls, the fly is free to fly- but it takes some pollen（花粉） with it. And goes and sits on another plant. The male cell of one plant meets the female cell of the other. The seed gets new life.
64. Why did the fly land on something smelly?
A. She was too careless before her bearing.       B. She liked the particular smell very much
C. She hoped to find some food for her babies.    D. She couldn’t find a better place for delivery.
65. The little maggots finally died because_________.
A. they were born too weak             B. they lacked food available
C. carrion flower were poisonous         D. their mother didn’t take care of them
66. Flowers like carrion flower and Rafflesia naturally smell terrible so that_________.
A. they need insects to spread their pollen     B. they succeed in producing more seeds
C. their seeds can be carried to other places    D. they can manage to absorb more nutrients
67. What is the best title of the text?
A. Dirty Tricks        B. Smelly Plants   C. A strange Flower   D. Secrets of Nature.

One often hears that children should arrive at school “ready to learn.” For most children, the acquisition of reading and math skills starts in the first grade. In states where kindergarten is compulsory, it begins even earlier.

Many parents, teachers, and politicians maintain that preschool is the best way to prepare children to learn. There is no real consensus, however, about how this preparation should be achieved.

For some, early childhood education relates to the development of the whole child. They think that preschool should encourage exploration and discovery. Group activities teach positive social behaviors such as sharing, kindness, and patience. Time spent alone encourages independence. Learning letters and counting is important only for children who show an interest in them. Advocates of this approach stress that each child is unique and should learn at his or her own pace.

Other people refer to research showing that children are ready to absorb basic academic concepts by age 3 or 4. They claim that early introduction to letters and numbers lays the foundation for later academic excellence. Since the 1980s, many people have stressed the value of preschool and point to the success of programs -such as Head Start - that target low-income children.

Is there proof that an academic curriculum in preschool will lead to academic success? Studies have not been conclusive. In the short term, evidence suggests that middle-class children who attend preschool are ahead of their peers in maths and language skills as well as in social skills, when they enter school. However, the same studies show that the gap narrows considerably by the time children reach age 8.

Children living in poverty are a different matter. Those enrolled in programs such as Head Start seem to do better than impoverished children who do not attend a preschool. For instance, youngsters in one group enrolled in the program, tracked until the age of 21, earned higher scores on intelligence tests, were more likely to graduate from high school, and demonstrated more interest in higher education.

The idea of public preschool raises many issues. Providing Head Start for all children would be a financial burden on communities that already struggle to fund current school programs. Also, where would a sufficient number of teachers trained in early childhood development be found?

1.

 Advocates of the development of the whole child believe school readiness is______ .

A. showing eagerness in exploration and discovery

B. learning basic skills, such as knowing letters and counting

C. showing great interest in basic academic concepts

D. demonstration of intellectual , social and emotional skills

2.

 According to the passage, Head Start is most probably______ .

A. a preschool program that supports disabled children

B. a program that helps impoverished children attend a school

C. an organization that aims to improve current school programs

D. a program that helps design the academic curriculum in preschool

3.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Preschool benefits middle-class children more than poor children.

B. Most children start school with similar language and social skills.

C. Providing Head Start for all children has encountered great difficulties.

D. All children are ready to absorb basic academic concepts by age 3 or 4.

4.

Which of the following may best summarize the main idea of the passage?

A. An academic curriculum in preschool will lead to academic success.

B. Preshool is helpful, despite the disagreement about what it should offer.

C. Children enrolled in preschool demonstrate more interest in learning.

D. Preschool education shouldn't be a financial burden on communities.

Mom noticed that something was wrong when I started getting so thirsty. I’d have a lot to drink before bed, which was unusual for me. One time, I opened a big container of apple juice and kept refilling my glass. Before I knew it, I’d drunk the entire container! My mom called my doctor. I then had a few blood tests, and the results were certain — I had diabetes (糖尿病), which meant that the amount of sugar in my blood was very high. That can be dangerous, so I had to learn how to control my blood-sugar level.

    My eating habits had to change in a big way. With diabetes, I can’t eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates (碳水化合物). I have to figure out exactly how much sugar I plan to eat, and then I get an injection of insulin (注射胰岛素) before the meal to help my body process the food. Also, I test my blood-sugar level often. I’m always trying to keep my blood sugar at a healthy level. The level can drop when I exercise, but that doesn’t keep me out of gym class or off the basketball court — I just keep some juice boxes around to boost my blood sugar if I need to.

    It’s a lot of work — and not a lot of fun — to keep track of everything, but I’ve gotten used to my new habits. I was a little scared at first because I wasn’t sure how my life would change. Once I knew what I needed to do, though, it wasn’t a big deal. My life is different now from what it was before, but it has become completely regular to me.

1.The first paragraph is mainly about _____.

    A. who found the author had diabetes

    B. the author’s life before having diabetes

    C. how the author was found to have diabetes

    D. the author’s eating habits before having diabetes

2.What did the author do after knowing she had diabetes?

    A. She stopped playing basketball in the gym.

    B. She controlled her blood-sugar level strictly.

    C. She stopped eating food with natural sugar.

    D. She tested her blood-sugar level before every meal.

3.What does the underlined word “boost” in Paragraph 2 mean?

    A. Increase.      B. Control.      C. Absorb.     D. Test.

4.What’s the author’s attitude toward her having diabetes now?

A. Worried.     B. Frightened.    C. Pessimistic.  D. Positive.

第三部分：任务型阅读（共10小题，每小题1分，共10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

How to be a good listener

Everyone loves a good listener. But there are more reasons to develop the skill of listening than to win hearts or popularity contests.

Listening heals hurts and builds bridges. It gives us the ability to understand and empathize, to view the world from our own point. It can bring us wisdom over and above mere intelligence. But most importantly, it allows us to give the people around us the gifts they crave (渴望) most—a sense of worth.

As it turns out, there’s more to good listening than just keeping quiet and allowing someone to speak. Effective listening is actually a combination of two key communication skills: listening and verifying (确认).

Even when we’ve managed to hear a person’s entire message, we often interpret it wrong—according to our own understanding, experience, or prejudice.

As an effective listener, your goal is to hear and absorb what another has to say……in exactly the way they mean it to be understood. Only then can you respond properly.

This is much easier read than done, so here are a few helpful tips:

1.Give the speaker your full attention.

Stop talking and remove all distractions. Turn off the TV, your phone, or computer. Watch your body language. The way you look at the speaker, or the way you stand or sit, makes a huge difference. The right listening body language communicates that we are listening openly and attentively, and puts the other person at ease.

2.Be patient.

Not everyone is a gifted speaker. Some people take longer to find the right word to make a point. Others are too worried to get their message across properly. If necessary, ask the speaker to explain further. It will help him / her speak more exactly and it will help you hear and understand better.

3.Keep your emotions in check.

If what someone is saying creates an emotional response in you, make an extra effort to listen carefully. When we’re angry, frightened or upset, we often miss key parts of what is being said.

4.Hold your fire.

Don’t jump to conclusions immediately. A good listener doesn’t react until comprehension is complete. If you respond in a way that makes the other person defensive, even if you “win” the argument, you may lose something far more valuable.

5.Even if you think you understand. VERIFY.

Never assume you got the message right. Pause, think about what was said, and then ask “Is this what you meant?” or “Am I understanding this right?”

6.Empathize

Take a moment to stand in the other person’s shoes, to look at the situation from his / her point of view……especially when you’re being told something personal or painful, or something you strongly disagree with. The more shoes you are able to successfully stand in within your life time, the less puzzled you’ll find your life and relationships to be.