A white shark shipped from New York and placed into an outdoor pool for a Kmart commercial in Los Angeles died after showing signs of distress, an official from the animal welfare group that monitored the production said on Thursday.

The American Humane Association (AHA), which certifies film and TV productions with animals, says everything possible was done to ensure the 1.5 meter shark's safety.

The shark's death follows lots of criticism of the use of animals in Hollywood productions. The animal rights group, people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said it received details on the shark's death from two whistleblowers(揭发者), criticized the AHA in a letter over the shark's death."Sharks are sensitive animals who, in captivity(囚禁), require a highly specialized and controlled environment," the PETA letter read. "Given the delicate nature of this species, why would the AHA approve the transport and use of this animal?"

The shark was placed into a 227- liter outdoor tank in the Van Nuys suburb of Los Angeles, said Karen Rosa, a senior adviser of the AHA. She added that was a good amount of water for it. "We honestly don't know why the animal died. It was not being mistreated. It was not being harmed," Rosa said.

Early in the day, the shark seemed to be in good condition, but at one point they noticed it showed signs of distress. "As far as I know, it was immediately insisted upon that the animal receive specialized aquatic veterinarian(兽医) care," she said.

Oxygen was pumped into the tank and the shark was given a shot to try to stabilize it before it was transferred to an aquatic compound for care, where it died the same day, Rosa said.

The shoot was for a Kmart commercial, but a representative for the retailer could not disclose any details."We take this matter seriously and safety is always our first concern," the spokesman for Kmart said in a statement.

21. The shark was shipped to Los Angeles for________.

A. a study by the AHA              

B. a business activity

C. a film about animals             

D. a project by an animal welfare group

22. From the passage, we can learn that PETA ________.

   A. monitor films and TV productions that have animals

B. sent a representative to the scene of the shoot

C. believed the shark received specialized care

D. didn’t think the shark was transferred very well

23. What does Karen Rosa think of AHA?

   A. It had done all that it needed to do.            B. It was against the rights of the animals.

C. It had found out the reason why the shark died.  D. It should be responsible for the shoot.

24. What is the best title for the passage?

 A. Sharks Should be Forbidden for Commercial  

B. PETA Tries to Stop Shooting With Animals

C. Sharks Are Sensitive Animals in Captivity

D. Shark Brought to Los Angeles for Commercial Dies

   Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

       My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or  something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

       I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

       I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

25. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?

   A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

   B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

   C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

   D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.

26. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ______.

A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor

B. meet her father who was already an old man

C. join in the holiday celebration of the company

D. finish her work before the deadline approached

27. The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

   A. avoided          B. lacked                    C. abandoned                D. took

28. What is the best title for the passage?

A.The Emotional Well-being          B.The Two Saddest Words

C.The Most Useful Rule               D. The Peace of Mind

    We know that hugs make us feel cosy inside. And this feeling could actually ward off stress and protect the immune (免疫) system, according to a new research from Carnegie Mellon University.

It’s a well-known fact that stress can weaken the immune system. In this study, the researchers sought to determine whether hugs could protect individuals from the increased sensitivity to illness brought on by the particular stress that comes with interpersonal conflict.

“We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety, ” the study’s lead author, psychologist Dr. Sheldon Cohen , said in a statement. “We have tested whether awareness of social support is equally effective in protecting us from sensitivity to infection caused by stress and also whether receiving hugs might partially account for those feelings of support and thus protect a person against infection.”

In the experiment, over 400 healthy adults filled out a questionnaire about their perceived (感知到的) social support and also participated in a nightly phone interview for two weeks. They were asked about the frequency that they engaged in interpersonal conflict and received hugs that day.

Then, the researchers exposed the participants to a common cold virus, and monitored them to assess signs of infection. They found that both perceived social support and more frequent hugs reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing interpersonal conflict. Regardless of whether or not they experienced social conflicts, infected participants with greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs had less severe illness symptoms.

“This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the effects of stress,” Cohen said. “The apparent protective effect of hugs may result from the physical contact itself or hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and closeness. Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection.”

If you need any more reason to wrap your arms around someone special, consider this: hugs also lower blood pressure, reduce fears, improve heart health and decrease feelings of loneliness.

29. In Paragraph 1, the underlined words “ward off “can be replaced by ____.

A. produce           B. increase         C. prevent          D. support

30. Dr. Sheldon Cohen’s experiment shows that ____.

A. hugs can hide serious illness symptoms

B. social conflicts can monitor signs of infection

C. social support can reduce the risk of having a cold

D. depression and anxiety result from less social support

31.The passage aims to convey that ____.

   A. hugs can have protective effects           B. social support can cure diseases 

   C. interpersonal conflicts cause infections     D. stress can weaken our immune system

32. The passage is most likely to be found in ____.

   A. a social science magazine                B. a commercial brochure 

   C. a medical report                        D. an academic essay

Welcome to your future life!

You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!

You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes’ color or pattern.

You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says,” You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk , and it knows the milk is old . In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.

It’s time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.

So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli, “it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example. What will be the next?

33.We can learn from the text that in the future          .

     A .people will never get old

B.   everyone will look the same

C.  red will be the most popular color

D.  clothes will be able to change their pattern

34.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A.  Milk will be harmful to health.

B.   More drinks will be available for sale.

C.  Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information.

D.  Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer.

35.Which of the following is mentioned in the text?

E.   Nothing can replace the Internet.

F.   Fridges will know what people need.

G. Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide.

     D.Cars will be able to drive automatically.

Americans use many expressions with the word “dog”. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well.    36   However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world.   37   They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

  38   This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

  39   People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.

Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard.   40    

A. Still, people say every dog has its day.

B. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

C. Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways.

D. Dogs are their best friends and they are loyal to people.

E. There are many other expressions waiting for you to explore.

F. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.

G. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical  

  care.