Why We Need Vacations

There's more to a vacation than can be described in travel books. We certainly need breaks from work. But there is even more to be said for a get-away break, leaving all daily work behind and living a different life for a short time.

The benefits of taking a vacation start long before the suitcases are packed. A vacation is something to look forward to. It gives us the sense that whatever is happening at the moment will end soon.

Companies sometimes use away-breaks to restore (恢复) motivation and team relationships. If you' re able to switch off and leave your daily work behind, when you come back, you often view old situations with fresh eyes and see them in a new way.

People don't disappear while on vacation. We're still thinking and feeling the whole time we're away. What really makes the difference is not simply getting away from the daily work; it's being able to do something else instead. We might speak to people we wouldn't normally meet, try sports we'd not do otherwise, and discover interests we never knew we had.

Vacations also allow us to focus on the present in a way that's hard to do at home. When you're in a new environment for a short time, your attention tends to be on what's happening right now and in the next few days. Being "in the moment" is in itself one of the keys to getting relaxed, and this happens more naturally on vacation.

Every vacation is an adventure full of potential discoveries. Perhaps more than anything else, vacations enable us to raise our eyes from familiar paths so that we can look around and see that there's a world out there.

1. People need to explore more about the meaning of a vacation.（ A ）

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

2. We begin to feel the benefits of a vacation after we start to pack our suitcases. （ B ）

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

3. People expect that a vacation ahead will put an end to what is happening now. （ A ）

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

4. Companies do not pay their employees when they are on vacation. （ C ）

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

5. A vacation may enable us to look at old things in a new way. （ A ）

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

6. On vacation, we don't try new sports. （ B ）

    A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

7. We may find out our hidden interests during vacations. （ A ）

    A. True              B. False              C. Not Given

8. People on vacation often buy gifts for each other. （ C ）

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

9. One of the keys to getting relaxed is to focus on the present. （ A ）

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

10. Adventures are more important than discoveries for a vacation. （ C ）

   A. True               B. False              C. Not Given

On board the Central America, a ship on her way from Havana to New York, were no fewer than 491 passengers. Most of them were miners (矿工)returning with their gold to their homeland. At the start of the voyage, the sky had been cloudless and the wind fair. Three days later, however, the ship was rolling in a storm.

Soon water poured in the engine-room and put out the fires. This left the ship helpless, with her engines stopped. In spite of all efforts, the depth of the water down below slowly increased. It became clear to all that nothing could save the ship, and that she would soon go to the sea bottom.

Just at that moment, a strange sight was seen on board. Some of the miners collected their gold and stored it in their belts. They hoped to take it with them wherever they were going. But others knew that the ship would sink and didn't want to weigh themselves down with the heavy metal. So they threw it onto the floor.

Unusual courage was shown by nearly all on board. The captain moved about the ship encouraging all. He sometimes gave orders in attempts to save his ship, and sometimes kept silent, always determined. But all his efforts failed.

Fortunately, when all hope had gone, another ship, the Marie of Boston, appeared on the scene. The Marie had also suffered heavily in the storm, but her captain immediately arranged to move the people in boats from the Central America to his own ship. The huge waves made the work painfully slow, but there was no disorder: Everyone waited patiently. Finally, all passengers were saved.

11. The word "fair" (Line 4, Para. 1) most probably means  A  。

    A. mild         B. wet          C. warm        D. high

12. Some miners threw their gold onto the floor because they  B   。

    A. didn't know what to do with it

    B. didn't want it to weigh them down

    C. wanted to store it together

    D. wanted to give it away to other passengers

13. When faced with the danger, the captain of the Central America  C  。

   A. got angry and wild              B. remained silent all the time

   C. appeared calm and brave          D. decided to give up the ship

14. The rescue work was made painfully slow mainly because  D  。

   A. the Marie also suffered heavily    B. there were too many passengers

   C. the passengers rushed onto the boats D. the waves of the sea were too high

15. The text is mainly about  D   。

   A. the hardship of traveling at sea

    B. the history of gold mining in the US

    C. the long journey of the two American ships

    D. the effort of saving the passengers in a storm

                              Men and Women Drivers

①  Men take more risks. In studies, men as a whole show less careful behavior than women. They drive at higher speeds and closer to other cars. They don't wear seat belts, and drive while drunk more often. They even make riskier turns and take less time when parking.

②  But, how someone drives doesn't necessarily equal how well he drives. Men do seem to be more skillful than women at certain driving tasks. However, this slight advantage in ability doesn't tam into better driving records. The kinds of accidents men get into are generally the result of their riskier behavior. According to one study, men are more than three times as likely to be fined for "aggressive driving" than women, and more than 25% as likely to be at fault in an accident.

③  Despite the research, it's difficult to decide whether men are truly born better drivers than women. It is also not clear if men are simply more confident in their driving because they're thought to be better, and thus show better skills. Similarly, the traditional view that women are weaker drivers may affect their driving performance.

④  Women are catching up, which isn't necessarily good news. Men may be responsible for more accidents than women, but the gap is getting smaller. Today, more women drive and drive more than ever before. Unfortunately, this leads to an increase in speeding, aggressive driving, and even very serious accidents among women.

⑤ So, are men better drivers than women? According to the interesting data from researchers, the answer is yes.., and no. Therefore, the tips for both men and women drivers are: Learn from the strengths of both sexes, drive confidently and carefully, and don't forget to wear the seat belt.

Task 1

A. Men's driving record

B. Tips for safer driving

C. Men's driving behavior

D. Possible reasons for driving performance

E. Women's driving behavior today

F. Physical differences between drivers

16. Paragraph ①: （ C ）

17. Paragraph ②: （ A ）

18. Paragraph ③: （ D ）

19. Paragraph ④: （ E ）

20. Paragraph ⑤: （ B ）

Task 2

21. Men drivers have poorer records because they drive  B   。

22. There is no evidence that men are born to be  A  。

23. People's traditional view may influence  F   。

24. Nowadays women drivers are showing  D   。

25. All drivers are suggested to drive  E   。

A. better drivers

B. less carefully

C. better skills

D. more risky behavior

E. confidently and carefully

F. drivers' performance

                     Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep, we all love it, especially when we wake up from a great night's sleep.   26   But nowadays we are beginning to understand the importance of sleep to overall health.

People working the night shift have a higher risk of cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin (褪黑素) in people who are exposed to light at night.   27   Melatonin makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Be sure that your bedroom is dark to help your body produce the melatonin it needs.

When your body is short of sleep, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions give you an alarm which causes an increase in blood pressure.   28  Learn to relax to reduce the effects of stress.

Researchers have also found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be fat.   29   So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, don't forget to pay attention to getting a good night's sleep.

Sleeping during the day will protect your health and make you more productive. A study of Greek adults showed that people who slept during the day several times a week had a lower risk of dying from heart disease.   30   

A. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks.

B. It is thought that the lack of sleep affects appetite.

C. In the past, sleep was often ignored by doctors and surrounded by myths.

D. Exposure to light during early waking hours helps to set your body clock.

E. Short-time sleep also improves memory, learning ability and mood.

F. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin.

26、C      27、F     28、A      29、B      30、E

                                 Winston Churchill

Churchill is considered not only a great British leader, but also a great world leader. Many people believe that Churchill's strength as a leader helped Britain stand the   31   German attack. He kept his country strong   32   to finally win the war. He made such a wise   33   about Britain's military strategy. However, Churchill is most   34   for his ability to call on the citizens of Britain to   35   for their country. He gave many speeches to   36   his people to fight hard and never give up. In one speech, he   37   his people that they would fight anywhere. Churchill will always be remembered as a great Prime Minister for his country. He will also be regarded as a   38   for other leaders around the world. What he did during the war helped Britain and other   39   win victory. In addition, he was a great writer and speaker, for which he was   40   the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

A. told                E. decision            I. members

B. countries            F. hard               J. fight

C. model              G. famous             K. encourage

D. terrible             H. enough             L. awarded

31、D      32、H     33、E     34、G      35、J      36、K      37、A       38、C

39、B      40、L

                             Mental Health and Aging

Mental or psychological (psychology) health problems can increase with age. There are various   41   (reason). One is biological change which can interfere with the brain's ability to deal with   42   (inform). Another is social change such as   43   (retire) which can lead to a   44   (feel) of uselessness.

Mental health problems can have a serious influence on an older person's ability. They may affect their ability to carry out many basic   45   (activity) of daily living, from getting up to   46   (manage) financial affairs.

But problems often go without being   47   (solve). Many older people struggle on without the right help  or any help at all. Understanding how mental   48   (iii) tends to affect the elderly is vital in   49   (help) them to manage their problems   50   (effective) and reduce the risk of serious harm.

41. reasons        42. information    43. retirement     44. feeling

45. activities      46. managing      47. solved         48. illness

49. helping       50. effectively

假设你新近结识了一位英语朋友John，为了增进彼此的了解，请给他写一封电子邮件，介绍一下自己最喜欢的业余爱好。内容包括：

● 这项爱好是什么；

● 你喜欢它的原因；

● 它给你带来的乐趣。

请以LiKe署名。