Warm People Likely to Keep Cold at Bay¹

    Staying positive² through the cold season could be your best defense against getting ill，new study findings suggest. In an experiment that.exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus³, researchers found that people with a generally sunny disposition⁴ were less likely to fall ill.

    The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, build on evidence that a "positive emotional style”⁵ can help ward off the common cold and other illnesses. Researchers believe the reasons may be both objective as in happiness boosting immune function and subjective as in happy people being less troubled by a scratchy throat⁶ or runny nose.

    "People with a positive emotional style may have different immune responses to the virus，，’ explained lead study author Dr Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “ And when they do get a cold, they may interpret their illness as being less severe. ”

    Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less Susceptible to⁷ catching a cold, but some questions remained as to⁸ whether the emotional trait itself had the effect.

    For the new study, the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality traits, self-perceived health and emotional "style". Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easy-going were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy，tense and hostile had a negative style.

    The researchers gave them nasal drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus. Over the next six days，the volunteers reported on any aches，pains，sneezing or congestion they had, while the researchers collected objective data, like daily mucus production. Cohen and his colleagues found that based on objective measures of nasal woes, happy people were less likely to develop a cold.

词汇：

bay /bei/ n.绝境，穷途末路

flu /flu:/ (influenza 的简称）n.流（行性）感（冒）

 virus /"vaiarss/ n.病毒

disposition /jdisps"zijsn/ n.本性，性情

psychosomatic /jsaiksuso"maetik/ adj.心身的，身心的

boost /buist/ vt. 提高，举起

 scratchy /"skraetji/ adj.刺痛的，使人发痒的

runny /"rAni/ adj.流黏液的

Pittsburgh /"pitsbaig/ n.匹兹堡（美国城 市）

colleague /"kDliig/ n.同事

susceptible /so"septobl/ adj.易感的，敏感的

catch / kaetJ/ vt.感染到

trait /trei，treit/ n.特质；特性

perceive /po"siiv/ vt.发觉，觉察；理解

energetic /ensd3etik/ adj.精力充沛的，精神饱满的

easy-going /iizi"gsuig/ adj.随和的

tense /tens/ adj.紧张的

hostile /"hDstail/ adj.敌意的

nasal / 丨neizl/ adj.鼻的

ache /eik/ n.(长时间连续的）疼痛，酸痛

sneeze /sniiz/ vi.打喷噴

congestion /kon"dsestpn/ n.充血

mucus /"mjuikss/ n.點液

 woe /wou/ n.痛苦，苦恼；（复）灾难，苦头

注释：

1.Warm People Likely to Keep Cold at Bay:情绪乐观的人不易患感冒。warm people 原意是 “热心肠的人，情绪高昂的人” ,keep/hold.. at bay是“使……走投无路，不使……接近”的意 思，因此本题目如果直译则是“情绪高昂的人可能让感冒不能得逞”或“情绪高昂的人可能 远离感冒”或“情绪高昂的人可能拒感冒于千里之外”。

2.staying positive:保持积极向上（的情绪）

3.exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus:使健康的志愿者接触感冒（病毒）或流感病 毒。expose原意是“使暴露，使面临”，这里expose sb. to sth.是“使……接触……”的意思。

4.sunny disposition:乐观开朗的个性

5.positive emotional style:乐观情绪型，情绪积极型

6.scratchy throat ：嗓子痛

7.susceptible to:对……敏感的，容易受到……影响的

8.as to:关于，至于

Which of the following items is NOT included in the data that the researchers collected?

A:Mucus production B:Aches and pains C:Sneezing or congestion D:Blood test

The Barbie Dolls

    In the mid一1940"s, the young ambitious duo Ruth and Elliot Handler, owned a company that made wooden pictures frames. It was in 1945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company that would be known for the most famous and successful doll ever created. This company would be named MATTEL, MATT for Mattson ,and EL for Elliot ¹.

    In the mid—1950"s, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lulll was a shapely ², pretty fashion doll first made in 1955.She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter, Build.

    Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll. With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel, Barbie was born. Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson, a fashion designer, to create Barbie"s wardrobe. It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained. This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed ,shapely , beautiful ,and only 11.5 inches tall. Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, Barbie ³.

    In 1959 ,the Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers.

Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market.

    Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.

词汇：

duo /"dju:əu/n．一对艺人；一对

shapely /ʃeipli/adj．样子好的，形状美好的

fashion/"fæʃən/ vt．把……塑造成n．新式样，时尚

newsletter/"nju: z,letə(r)/n．时事通讯;业务通讯

makeup/"meikʌp/n．化妆；化妆品；组成；构造

appeal/ə"pi: l/n．恳求，吸引力vt．呼吁，恳求

注释：

1.This company would be named MATTEL, MATF for Mattson ,and EL for Elliot．这家公司命名为MATTEL（麦特尔）, MATT代表麦特森（Mattson), EL代表埃利奥特（Elliot)。

2.shapely：是形容词，这一点特别提请注意。She has shapely legs．她大腿的线条很美。

Who owned MATTEL?

A:Mattson. B:Elliot. C:Harold Mattson. and Elliot Handler. D:Harold Mattson, Ruth and Elliot Handler.

The Sahara

    The nameSaharaderives from the Arabic word for "desert" or "steppe". At 3. 5 million square miles，an area roughly the size of the United States，the Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest desert in the world. lt spans the continent from theAtlantic Oceanto theRed Sea. Daytime temperatures can reach as high as 130°F. The humidity sometimes gets into the teens. But it can also be as low as 2. 5 percent，the lowest in the world. Most of the Sahara receives less than five inches of rain per year，while large areas sometimes have no rainfall at all for years.

    At the heart of the Sahara is the landlocked north African country ofNiger. Here the sand dunes can be 100 feet tall and several miles long. Here sand plains stretch over an area larger thanGermanywhere there is neither water nor towns. Yet sitting in the midst of the surrounding desert is the town ofBilma. Suddenly there are pools of cIear water. Surprisingly，there are groves of date palms. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. ¹Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. ²  Corn，cassava，tea，peanuts，hot peppers，and orange，lime，and grapefruit trees grow in these fields. Donkeys and goats graze on green grass. ³

    The Sahara of Niger is still a region where you can see a camel caravan of 500 camels tied together in loose lines as long as a mile，traveling toward such oasis towns. There a caravan will collect life-sustaining salt，which is mined from watery basins，and transport it up to 400 miles back to settlements on the edges of the desert. The round trip across the vast sands takes one month.

词汇:

Humidity / hju:ˈmɪdəti / n. 湿度

irrigate / " lrlgelt/ v. 灌溉

stretch / stretʃ / v. 伸展

camel / "kæml / n. 骆驼

date palms n. 椰枣树

注释:

1. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. 在干河床和洼地处可找到充足的地下水资源或者绿洲来支持灌溉农业。

2. Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. 灌溉沟渠通过一条小溪到达水田中。

This passage is mostly about _______.

A:life in the Sahara B:the deserts of Africa C:Bilma D:how camels travel in the desert

The Sahara

    The nameSaharaderives from the Arabic word for "desert" or "steppe". At 3. 5 million square miles，an area roughly the size of the United States，the Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest desert in the world. lt spans the continent from theAtlantic Oceanto theRed Sea. Daytime temperatures can reach as high as 130°F. The humidity sometimes gets into the teens. But it can also be as low as 2. 5 percent，the lowest in the world. Most of the Sahara receives less than five inches of rain per year，while large areas sometimes have no rainfall at all for years.

    At the heart of the Sahara is the landlocked north African country ofNiger. Here the sand dunes can be 100 feet tall and several miles long. Here sand plains stretch over an area larger thanGermanywhere there is neither water nor towns. Yet sitting in the midst of the surrounding desert is the town ofBilma. Suddenly there are pools of cIear water. Surprisingly，there are groves of date palms. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. ¹Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. ²  Corn，cassava，tea，peanuts，hot peppers，and orange，lime，and grapefruit trees grow in these fields. Donkeys and goats graze on green grass. ³

    The Sahara of Niger is still a region where you can see a camel caravan of 500 camels tied together in loose lines as long as a mile，traveling toward such oasis towns. There a caravan will collect life-sustaining salt，which is mined from watery basins，and transport it up to 400 miles back to settlements on the edges of the desert. The round trip across the vast sands takes one month.

词汇:

Humidity / hju:ˈmɪdəti / n. 湿度

irrigate / " lrlgelt/ v. 灌溉

stretch / stretʃ / v. 伸展

camel / "kæml / n. 骆驼

date palms n. 椰枣树

注释:

1. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. 在干河床和洼地处可找到充足的地下水资源或者绿洲来支持灌溉农业。

2. Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. 灌溉沟渠通过一条小溪到达水田中。

In this passage caravan means _______.

A:traveling circus B:group traveling together through difficult country C:railroad train D:a small，fast sailing ship

The Family

    The structure of a family takes different forms around the world and even in the same society. The family"s form changes as it adapts to changing social and economic influences. Until recently, the most common form in North America was the nuclear family，consisting of a married couple with their minor children. The nuclear family is an independent unit. It must be prepared to fend for itself. ¹ Individual family members strongly depend on one another. There is little help from outside the family in emergencies. Elderly relatives of a nuclear family are cared for only if it is possible for the family to do so. In North America，the elderly often do not live with the family ; they live in retirement communities and nursing homes. ²  

    There are many parallels between the nuclear family in industrial societies，such as North America，and of families in societies such as that of the Inuits，who live in harsh environments. The nuclear family structure is well adapted to a life of mobility. In harsh conditions，mobility allows the family to hunt for food. ³ For North Americans，the hunt for jobs and improved social status also requires mobility.

    The nuclear family was not always the North American standard. In a more agrarian time，the small nuclear family was usually part of a larger extended family. This might have included grandparents，mother and father，brothers and sisters，uncles，aunts，and cousins. In North America today，there is a dramatic rise in the number of single-parent households. Twice as many households in the United States are headed by divorced，separated，or never-married individuals as are comprised of nuclear families. The structure of the family，not just in North America, but throughout the world，continues to change as it adapts to changing conditions.

词汇:

nuclear [ˈnju:kliə(r)] adj. 原子核的，中心的

harsh [hɑ:ʃ] n. 严酷的

emergency [ɪ"mɜ:dʒənsɪ] n. 紧急状况

agrarian [əˈgreəriən] adj. 土地的，耕地的

注释:

1. lt must be prepared to fend for itself. 它必须能够照料自己。

2. In North America，the elderly often do not live with the family; they live in retirement communities and nursing homes. 在北美洲，老人很少和家人一起生活;他们一般住在退休社

区和养老机构。

A nuclear family is defined as_____.

A:a married couple with their minor children B:a single father with，minor children C:parents，grandparents，and children D:parents，children，and aunts and uncles

Tales of the Terrible Past

    It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. ¹Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.

    Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrisons scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.

    Charles Johnsons Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne’er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo" ². Put to work after he is discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.

Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience.

词汇:

interpret [ɪn"tɜ:prɪt] v. 解释，翻译

desperation [ˌdespəˈreɪʃn] n. 绝望的境地

recount [rɪ"kaʊnt] v. 叙述

capture ["kæptʃə(r)] v. 俘获

slavery [ˈsleɪvəri] n. 奴隶制度

注释:

1. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. 然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家可以将早期时代重现，并引起读者的重视。

Beloved is set__________.

A:on a slave ship B:on a plantation before the Civil War C:in Ohioafter the Civil War D:in an African town

The Barbie Dolls

    In the mid一1940"s, the young ambitious duo Ruth and Elliot Handler, owned a company that made wooden pictures frames. It was in 1945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company that would be known for the most famous and successful doll ever created. This company would be named MATTEL, MATT for Mattson ,and EL for Elliot ¹.

    In the mid—1950"s, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lulll was a shapely ², pretty fashion doll first made in 1955.She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter, Build.

    Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll. With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel, Barbie was born. Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson, a fashion designer, to create Barbie"s wardrobe. It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained. This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed ,shapely , beautiful ,and only 11.5 inches tall. Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, Barbie ³.

    In 1959 ,the Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers.

Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market.

    Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.

词汇：

duo /"dju:əu/n．一对艺人；一对

shapely /ʃeipli/adj．样子好的，形状美好的

fashion/"fæʃən/ vt．把……塑造成n．新式样，时尚

newsletter/"nju: z,letə(r)/n．时事通讯;业务通讯

makeup/"meikʌp/n．化妆；化妆品；组成；构造

appeal/ə"pi: l/n．恳求，吸引力vt．呼吁，恳求

注释：

1.This company would be named MATTEL, MATF for Mattson ,and EL for Elliot．这家公司命名为MATTEL（麦特尔）, MATT代表麦特森（Mattson), EL代表埃利奥特（Elliot)。

2.shapely：是形容词，这一点特别提请注意。She has shapely legs．她大腿的线条很美。

Who owned MATTEL?

A:Mattson. B:Elliot. C:Harold Mattson. and Elliot Handler. D:Harold Mattson, Ruth and Elliot Handler.