Have you winterized your horse yet? Even though global warming may have made our climate more mild, many animals are still hibernating(冬眠)．It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate．In fact, as a species, we almost did．

Apparently, at times in the past, peasants in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation．So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French peasants．As soon as the weather turned cold people all over France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months on end．

In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed fundamentally since the invention of artificial(人造的) lighting and the electric bulb．

When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though．Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods．The business of eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep is a modern invention．

In the past, without the artificial light of the city to bathe in, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves around midnight．The late night period was known as ”The Watch” It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbours ．

According to some sleep researchers, a short period of insomnia(失眠) at midnight is not a disorder ．It is normal．Humans can experience another state of consciousness around their sleeping, which occurs in the brief period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning．This period can be an extraordinarily creative time for some people．The impressive inventor, Thomas Edison, used this state to hit upon many of his new ideas．

Playing with your sleep rhythms can be adventurous, as anxiety may set in．Medical science doesn’t help much in this case．It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need．

1.The example of the French peasants shows the fact that________．

 A．people might become lazy as a result of too much sleep

 B．there were signs of hibernation in human sleeping habits

C．people tended to sleep more peacefully in cold weather

D．winter was a season for people to sleep for months on end

2.The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people_______．

 A．to set traps to catch animals        B．to wake up their family and neighbours

 C．to remind others of the time       D．to guard against possible dangers

3.What does the author advise people to do?

 A．Sleep in the way animals do．    B．Consult a doctor if they can’t sleep．

 C．Follow their natural sleep rhythm．D．Keep to the eight-hour sleep pattern．

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To give a prescription for insomnia．   

B．To urge people to sleep less．

C．To analyze the sleep pattern of modern people．  

D．To throw new light on human sleep．

 

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing    1.  .

For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the 15^th  century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed.   2.  . By the 18^th century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

About 100 years ago. Greenhorn was a popular expression in the west of America.   3.   The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough country.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb.   4.  A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”.   5.  A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.

A．The plants produced much larger crops．

B．The expression comes from the early 1900s

C．Sometimes, it describes something that is nit yet ripe or finished

D．Later, it meant a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle.

E．It was used to describe a man who adjust arrived from one of the big cities．

F．It was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs．

G．It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants.

 

“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a typical _36__ of Chinglish.

Obviously it is a word-by-word literal（字面上的）translation of the Chinese greetings with a 37  English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American 38  .I was too delighted to believe her. Her words could not  39  me at all. So I did a  40 on Google. Com.. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages  41  “Long time no see”. This sentence has been 42 used in emails, letters, newspapers, moves, or any other possible place. Though it is 43   informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. 44  , if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the 45  will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected.

Nobody knows the  46  of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully 47 a world wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan liked to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom 48 quoting (引用) Confucius. “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon “Long time on see” became a   49   phrase in America 50   the popularity of these movies.

    Some people 51  America to a huge melting pot (熔炉). All kinds of culture are 52 in the pot together, and they 53   the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minority ethnic group in the United States, is also 54 some changes to be 55 in the mixed pot.

1.A.example        B. sign            C. word         D. change

2.A.damaged       B. perfected        C. learned      D. ruined

3.A.custom         B. greeting         C. habit       D. proverb

4.A.persuade        B. encourage       C. convince    D. believe

5.A.job              B. research        C. survey      D. search

6.A.containing        B. printing        C. publishing    D. expressing

7.A.widely            B. hardly         C. seldom       D. search

8.A.lots of             B. plenty of      C. lots of        D. sort of

9.A.Unfortunately     B. Luckily         C. However      D. Suddenly

10.A.hardware         B. software         C. operator     D. speaker

11.A.use              B. origin           C. expression     D. meaning

12.A.created          B. published        C. did          D. discovered

13.A.by                B. in              C. with         D. of

14.A.ordinary           B. rare           C. modern       D. popular

15.A.because           B. as to           C. thanks to     D. but for

16.A.compare          B. add             C. join          D. owe

17.A.joined            B. mixed            C. compiled     D. done

18.A.improve           B. change           C. lower       D. promote

19.A.owing             B. putting           C. taking      D. contributing

20.A.influenced         B. mentioned        C. used        D. considered

 

Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow yourself to make your life happen.

Successful and happy people have a vision of how their life should be and they set lots of goals to help them reach their vision. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which is laid out for her on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, just using up gas and oil. Which driver do you want to be?

Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. Winners decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set, and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals, ideals and visions really are. You are the one who must decide what to pursue and in what direction to aim your life.

Research tells us when we write a goal down, we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget.

Also when you write your goals in a particular fashion, you are able to stimulate yourself to be continuously alert to situations that will further your goals. 

1. The example of the two drivers is given to show_____________.

A．the importance of having a map and right direction

B．the significance of setting goals

C．the foolishness of the second driver

D．the foolishness of the first driver

2. If people want to reach their goals, they should _______________.

A．note down their goals	B．discuss with others and ask for their help
C．face the difficulties in front of them	D．sign a contract with other people

3. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Failure always accompanies the people who gives up easily.

B．Whenever you set goals, you will succeed.

C．Winners never stop their efforts for success.

D．Success is possible only when a person has set his or her goal clearly.

 

Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.

When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colours and often gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says holding on to anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.

The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.

So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.

Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past.

 

1.The example of the cartoon book characters is taken in the passage to______.

   A. support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health

   B. introduce a famous expert

   C. let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces

   D. show how to control one’s temper

2.The underlined phrase“holding on to”in this passage possibly means“______”.

   A. removing    B. keeping up    C. getting rid of    D. learning about

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this passage?

   A. People who are able to forgive feel less stress.

B. People who are able to forgive feel less depression.

C. People who are able to forgive have fewer problems on sleeping.

D. People who are able to forgive feel less tired.

4. The best title for this passage is probably _______.

   A. Forgiveness                        B. Forgiveness Is Good for Health

C. A Secret to Keeping Health            D. Anger Is Bad for Health