A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason this happens is because the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart, crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. This causes your body to increase your blood pressure to push the blood back to the heart. You won’t feel any immediate effects, but if you sit for long periods of time it’s important that you take note of how long you have your legs crossed for. You shouldn’t have your legs crossed for more than 15 minutes, and it’s important that you get up and walk around at least once every hour.
Crossing your legs can also lead to neck and back pain. Ideally, it’s best for our bodies to sit with our feet planted flat, hip width apart, on the floor, but it’s not easy to maintain perfect posture all day at the office. When you sit with your legs crossed your hips are in a twisted position, which can cause one of your pelvic bones to rotate. Since your pelvic bone supports your neck and spine, this can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck.
You also might notice that when you sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time your feet and legs get tingly or have the feeling of being asleep. This is because when one leg sits on top of the other it causes pressure on the veins and nerves in your legs and feet. It can cause numbness and/or temporary paralysis in the legs, ankles, or feet. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your legs until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.
1.What can be learned from the text?
A. We will feel blood pressure increased immediately after crossing legs.
B. It’s easy for us to keep correct posture all day.
C. The pelvic bone can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck.
D. Your legs will get pain with legs crossed for long periods of time.
2.Crossing your legs may cause some health problems except___________.
A. Causing the pain of neck and back.
B. Increasing the blood pressure.
C. Leading to the pain of feet and legs.
D. Resulting in the disability of arms.
3.What is suggested according to the text?
A. Do not often cross your legs while sitting.
B. Cross your legs for more than 15 minutes every day.
C. Get up and walk around at least once every other hour.
D. Cross your legs to lower your blood pressure.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Microsoft has developed a new smartphone app that interprets eye signals and translates them into letters, allowing people with ALS（渐冻症）, also known as motor neurone disease, to communicate with others from a phone.
The GazeSpeak app combines a smartphone’s camera with artificial intelligence to recognize eye movements in real time and transform them into letters, words and sentences.
For people suffering from ALS, eye movement can be the only way they are able to communicate.
“Current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS are expensive, not effective under sunlight, and require frequent re-calibration(再校正) and abundant, relatively stable setups,” said Xiaoyi Zhang, a researcher at Microsoft who developed the technology.
“To mitigate the drawbacks…we created GazeSpeak, an eye-gesture communication system that runs on a smartphone, and is designed to be low-cost, effective, and easy to carry and learn.”
The app is used by the listener by pointing their smartphone at the speaker. A chart that can be stuck to the back of the smartphone is then used by the speaker to determine which eye movements to make in order to communicate.
The chart shows four grids of letters, which each correspond to a different eye movement. By looking up, down, left or right, the speaker selects which grids the letters they want belong to. The artificial intelligence is then able to predict the word or sentence they are trying to say.
Zhang’s research, Smartphone-Based Gaze Gesture Communication for People with Motor Disabilities, is set to be presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in May.
1.The main purpose of the passage is to _________.
A. arouse people’s attention on the shortcomings of Current eye-tracking input systems.
B. introduce a new smartphone App for people suffering from ALS to communicate.
C. call for people’s awareness of helping people with ALS to communicate successfully.
D. compare the current eye-tracking input systems with the new GazeSpeak app.
2.The underlined word “mitigate” in paragraph5 probably means _________
A. ignore B. accept
C. strengthen D. weaken
3.According to the passage, which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A. There are many ways to communicate for people suffering from ALS.
B. The speaker points their smartphone at the listener when using the app.
C. The current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS need improving.
D. The new smartphone app for people with ALS has been put on the market.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
The tornado came without any sign—the sky was blue and the sun had been out. The first alert my husband, Jimmy, 67, and I, 65, got came around 9 p.m., from some scrolling text on the TV Jimmy was watching. He ran upstairs to find me in our third-floor bedroom, and we changed the channel to our local Pensacola, Florida, station.
No sooner had we found coverage of the tornado than it was on top of us. The bones of the house shook, and the power went out. Pink insulation（绝缘材料） flew into the room from a trapdoor to the attic, and the wind began to roar through the house. We had three flights of steps to navigate to get to the relative safety of the first floor. Because the closet down there is wedged （塞进） underneath a brick staircase, it seemed like the sturdiest(坚固的) place in our town house to wait things out.
I didn’t know how or if we would make it down the steps. It felt as if there were no floor underneath me as the wind lifted me off my feet. I gripped the banister(楼梯扶手) and tried to move forward, but this intense pressure held me in place. In those seconds of stillness, I could hear everything around me rattling.
As we reached the last flight of steps, our front door blew out. Shards of glass that looked like broken ice flew everywhere. Suddenly, a three-foot-long tree branch whipped through the doorframe. It flew over our heads, missing us by inches. Had we been one step up, it would have impaled us. The back wall of the house followed suit and tore off into the darkness outside.
Instantly I reached the closet, Jimmy pushed me down to the closet floor, but he couldn’t get inside himself because of the wind. I gripped Jimmy’s arm as the tornado sucked the door open and tried to bring Jimmy with it. My knees and scalp were full of glass, but in that moment, I felt no pain. If I had let go, Jimmy would have flown right out and into the bay. “Hold on! Hold on!” he yelled. But there was nothing in this closet to hold on to.
All of a sudden, Jimmy lifted off his feet like people in tornadoes do in the movies. I thought he was gone. And then everything stopped. He landed on his feet. In those first quiet moments, I couldn’t believe it was over. Jimmy said he’d go outside to check. “No,” I said. “Don’t leave me.”
Our neighbor says the storm lasted four minutes. In that time, four of the twelve town houses in our unit were completely destroyed. Of the houses left standing, ours suffered the most damage. Amazingly, none of us were severely injured.
1.Paragraph 2—4 mainly tell us______.
A. the tornado was on top of us
B. the tornado caused great damage
C. the coverage of the tornado became a reality
D. the tornado was so strong that it lifted the author off her feet
2.The underlined words “this intense pressure” in Paragraph 3 refer to______.
A. the author’s nervousness about the tornado
B. the force from the tornado on the author
C. the stress the author felt from her life
D. the pressure the banister gave the author
3.From the passage we can know that ______.
A. Neither the author nor her husband was injured.
B. the author’s house was completely destroyed.
C. they were aware of the tornado before it came.
D. it became dark outside when the tornado hit the town
4.The author wrote the passage to _______.
A. share with us her experience of surviving a tornado
B. warn us of the danger caused by tornados
C. show us how to fight against a tornado
D. tell us tornados are dangerous and how to protect us from them
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
How to Enjoy Life As a Teen
The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days. Here are some tips for you.
Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on and the family that loves you.1. ．Be happy, and life will reward you..Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.
Choose your friends wisely. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends. 2. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.
Play a sport or work out. 3. If you are not good at sports, join a band. Being confident in your appearance makes you more confident in other areas.
4. Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.
You can pursue interests you enjoy. Video games, for example, are good if you're the type who can get into that kind of thing. 5. Use your "hobby time" to either A) Volunteer (to gain practical skills for college apps, job resumes, and scholarships) B. Learn an instrument, or get into something else in the creative field like painting or dance, because this is the time to start developing and uncovering passions that might otherwise lie dormant.
A. Be sociable.
B. Working is a great way to gain experience and to meet other people.
C. You should also find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.
D. Having a healthy body leads to a healthy and happy mind.
E. Remember that the point of life is for you to enjoy it.
F. Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that.
G. About 90% of the girls or guys you talk to will like you back, only about 10% probably will reject or badmouth you.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
I was walking around in a store _______ I saw a Cashier talking to a boy less than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, “I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.” Then the little boy _______ me and asked, “Uncle, are you sure I don’t have enough money?”
I counted his cash and nodded. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. Out of _______, I asked him who he presented the doll to. “It’s the doll that my sister loved most and longed for it so much. I wanted to _______ her for her Birthday. I have to give the doll to my mommy _______she can give it to my sister when she goes there.” His eyes were so _______ while saying this.
“My Sister _______ to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could give it to my sister.” My heart _______ stopped. Then he showed me a very nice photo _______ him, where he was laughing. He looked up at me, ________: “I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won’t ________ me, I love my mommy and I wish she doesn’t have to leave me, but daddy says that she ________ my little sister.”
Then he looked again at the doll with grieved eyes, very quietly. I quickly ________ for my wallet and said to the boy. “ ________ we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?” He stared at me ________. I added some of my money to his without his ________ . There was enough for the doll and even some ________ money.
With eyes wide open, the little boy said excitedly, “Thank you God for giving me enough money! I prayed to God to ________ I had enough money to buy this doll. He heard me! I also wished to have some to buy a white rose for mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask ________ . But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.”
Two days later, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away. But the ________ that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine.
1.A. when B. while C. since D. though
2.A. went after B. looked after C. turned to D. adjusted to
3.A. excitement B. curiosity C. defense D. confusion
4.A. pass B. give C. hand D. gift
5.A. as if B. so that C. ever since D. in case
6.A. relieved B. grieved C. relaxed D. satisfied
7.A. has gone B. is going C. had gone D. was going
8.A. closely B. almost C. nearly D. just
9.A. in B. to C. by D. of
10.A. adding B. asking C. replying D. suggesting
11.A. doubt B. trust C. forget D. leave
12.A. accompanies B. supports C. visits D. misses
13.A. regained B. reached C. offered D. took
14.A. Suppose B. Imagine C. Considering D. Given
15.A. weakly B. worriedly C. excitedly D. hopefully
16.A. notice B. consent C. praise D. look
17.A. useful B. hidden C. spare D. extra
18.A. ensure B. guarantee C. promise D. commit
19.A. less B. more C. a bit D. a few
20.A. memory B. preference C. interest D. love
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In today’s 1.(globe) economy, English is the international 2. of business. To put it 3.(simple), if you wan tot be 4. success in the business world, you need a high level of English competence. New Future Language School is offering an 5.(excite) course, 6. focuses on English Language skills 7.(use) in areas such as marketing and advertising. A useful overview of different English varieties is also 8.(offer). The 9. of one session is RMB1500, but if you pay 10. advance, you will receive a discount.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
今天早上，你接到了一个通知你的室友Lily参加社团面试的电话，请你给她写一封便条， 告诉她这件事。 便条的主要内容有：
1.电话的内容；
2.提醒她别忘记。
注意：1. 词数80字左右；
2.可以适当发挥；以使行文连贯。
Sept. 9th
Dear Lily,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Wendy
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
To pollute or not to pollute That is the question. In order to survive, we all need to cause pollution. Factories that process the food we eat, clothes we wear, and cars we drive have to cause pollution. The environment has the ability to absorb our waste or the pollution, but its absorption ability has its limits. If the pollution level is higher than what the environment can cope with, then that's the time when pollution is bad. If the pollution level becomes too high, human health can be affected badly. Then, the productivity level of the sick people is low and the economy suffers. The economy suffers not only because of the lost productivity of the people, but also because the government must pay for the damage the pollution has done to its people. This is the reason why the government prefers taxation policy. Imposing（征收）a tax on firms that pollute the environment can be considered a good strategy, as long as the tax covers all the external costs or the cost of the damage the firm has created during production. Taxation, if enforced（执行）really well, can make firms create a technology that may reduce pollution, if they find out that it will be cheaper than continuously paying the tax. The disadvantage of this policy, however, lies in the possibility that some big firms will find the tax cheap and then they will just produce more and pollute the environment more. If other small firms find the tax expensive, thus closing down, their production will be eaten up by those firms which can afford the tax. Therefore, it is important that lawmakers in each country, when deciding to impose a tax on pollutant emissions, first review and analyze very carefully the real cost of the damage.（307words）
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 困难查看答案及解析