Meet big brother Blue and his sisters Meadow and Little Willow, a family of three blind cats that got adopted by the family Catherine Magno.

Their story starts just before the Christmas of 2014 when the kittens (小猫) were found in an abandoned house in Dubai. By then they had already lost their sight due to a cat flu that was left untreated by their previous (先前的) owner. After that they came to an animal home. At some point, brother Blue almost got adopted by the previous owner’s neighbor, but the poor confused cat couldn’t bear living without his sisters and cried all night while searching for them. Soon they were all united in the animal home until the important night of 19 February 2015, when Catherine took under her wing.

“I had zero experience having adopted my first ever rescue kitten just a couple of months ago,” Catherine said. “But their story touched my heart so much that I couldn’t bear the thought of them being put in a cage for a very long time or even worse.”

Catherine was worried about the special needs of her new pet friends: “My worry was that it's going to not only be challenging but also require a lot of adjustments on my part,” but apparently it wasn’t that much different. “The only adjustment early on was keeping everything where it was but they are soon adaptive(适应的).” And as she wonderfully put it: “Blind pets see through their hearts.”

21. What caused the three cats to be blind according to the passage?

  A. Because of a certain kind of disease.           B. Because of a serious car accident.

  C. Because of some bad persons hurting them.      D. The passage didn't mention it.

22. What does the underlined word “them” mean in Paragraph 2?

  A. The owner and his neighbor.                        B. Meadow and Little Willow.

  C. Catherine Magno and her family.                  D. All the other blind pets in the animal home.

23. What kind of person is Catherine?

  A. Hard-working.                   B. Selfish.            C. Kind.                       D. Rude.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. While that might not be the case for every invention, most of coolest inventions are definitely useful.

The levitating Lightbulb

The US artist and scientist Simon Morris got the idea of making lightbulb float from hoverboards(悬浮滑板). But the floating is not the most amazing part. It was done simply by putting magnets in the bottom of the bulb and in the wooden base. The rejection force between the opposite ends of the magnets does the job.

What’s new here is a technology called induction(电磁感应). It allows the ligtbulb to get power from the base even when they aren’t in contact.

Shoes that tie themselves

They’re not what you think-shoelaces that tie themselves in the way we tie them. Instead, the new shoes have small motors that control their laces. When you step in them, your feet will hit a sensor in the shoes and the motor will automatically tighten the laces. There are also two buttons on side of the shoes to tighten and loosen them so you can control the laces by yourself. They could actually give athletes an advantage during competitions. They are also useful for people who cannot move their arms or fingers easily.

The no-touch thermometer

Maybe, it’s an impossible task for little kids putting a thermometer in their armpits and staying still for minutes.

Now, using infrared(红外线) technology，scientists have invented thermometers that take the body’s temperature without contacting the body. Users can simply put the thermometer 2.5 centimeters form a patient’s forehead and press the button, and it can get the reading in two seconds.

Not touching the body also means cleaner processes, since patients needn’t worry about whether someone else has used the thermometer before.

24. Which of the following about the levitating Lightbulb is true?

  A. It runs only by contacting the base.

  B. It gets power by floating from hoverboards.

  C. It works by the rejection force from magnets.

  D. It operates by using infrared technology.

25. Who do you think possibly use self-tying shoes?

  A. Coaches participating in the sports meeting.         B. The elderly whose fingers cannot move.

  C. Athletes who cannot run fast enough.             D. Persons who are injured in feet.

26. When used, the no-touch thermometer is         .

  A. quick and clean                                    B. modern but complex

  C. neat but inconvenient                              D. portable and fashionable

27. What page of a magazine does the passage come from?

  A. Culture.            B. Life.             C. Medicine.          D. News.

 “Freelance retail consultant” refers to daigou in Chinese, or overseas people who buy goods for customers in the Chinese mainland.

It’s estimated that there are 40,000 daigou in Australia, most of whom are young migrants or international students looking for ways to help cover their rent and university cost.

These freelance retail consultants have created thousands of trading routes, both small and big, into China.

Shops in Australia sold out of instant formula(婴儿配方奶粉)，leaving many Australia parents unable to buy their preferred brands. The Sydney Morning Herald reported last year that half of Australia’s infant formula sold went to China through customers selling to other customers.

Because of this, daigou have received criticism from Australia media. The Sydney Morning post even suggested that the Australia government should put a limit on instant formula exports.

However, not everyone dislikes daigou. “We think daigou are good for both the local economy… and they are very good for our business,” Peter Nathan, the chief executive of A2 Milk, a New Zealand infant formula maker, told Reuters. “We clearly believe they are a positive force.”

Others agree that nothing is wrong with the practice. “People are buying these products legally on the Australia market… they’re not illegally being exported to China,” Tim Foulds, head of research at Euro monitor Australia and New Zealand, told The Washington Post.

28. Why do most daigou in Australia buy goods for Chinese customers?

  A. To improve living conditions.               B. To satisfy import demand.

  C. To pay their expenses.                   D. To get sales experience.

29. According to the passage, which of the following is right?

  A. Australian parents criticize daigou.

  B. Consumers prefer milk made in Australia.

  C. Australian government has limited exports.

  D. Different ideas about daigou exist in Australia.

30. We can infer from the last two paragraphs that           .

  A. the practice of daigou will balance supply and demand

  B. daigou will probably be welcomed in New Zealand

  C. infant formula will grow in popularity in China

  D. daigou will be a legal job in Australia soon

31. What’s the attitude of the author to Daigou?

  A. Supportive.       B. Doubtful.              C. Negative.              D. Objective.

    People with an impulsive personality refer to those who tend to do things without considering the possible dangers or problems first. According to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia, such people may be more likely to have food addiction. The study found that people exhibiting impulsive behavior weren’t necessarily overweight, but impulsiveness was related to a direct relationship with food, and therefore, less healthy weight.

Food addiction has been compared to addictive drug use. Studies have linked the dopamine (多巴胺) release that occurs after tasting delicious food to the dopamine release that happens when people consume other addictive substances.

    Impulsive behavior involves several personality traits (特点). Two of these traits, known as negative urgency and lack of perseverance, were particularly associated with food addiction and high BMI (身体质量指数) during the study.

    Negative urgency is characterized by the tendency to behave impulsively when experiencing negative emotions. Some people might drink alcohol or take drugs. For others, it could mean eating to feel better. Lack of perseverance is when a person has a hard time finishing hard or boring tasks. People with a lack of perseverance might have difficulty attempting to change addictive eating behavior, which could also cause obesity.

    “Impulsiveness might be one reason why some people eat in an addictive way despite motivation to lose weight,” said Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist. He was involved in developing the Yale Food Addiction Scale in aid of those people. “We are theorizing that if food addiction is really a thing, then our measure, the Yale Food Addiction Scale, should be related to helping control impulsive action,” said Gearhardt.

    Clinical psychologist Dr. James MacKillop, whose lab was conducting the study, believes that therapies used to treat addictive drug behavior could help people who suffer from addictive eating habits.

    “Most of the programs for weight loss at this point focus on the most obvious things, which are clearly diet and exercise,” MacKillop said. “It seems that managing strong desires to eat would naturally fit in with the skills a person would need to eat healthily.”

32.According to Paragraph 1, the result of food addiction is ________.

A. less healthy weight                                    B. motivation to lose weight

       C. negative emotions                                     D. taking alcohol or drugs

33. How does the author introduce the two personality traits in Paragraph 4?

       A. By making comparisons and conclusions.       B. By giving definitions and examples.

       C. By presenting questions and answers.           D. By explaining causes and effects.

34. What can be inferred about the Yale Food Addiction Scale from the text?

       A. It has been successfully carried out among overweight people.

       B. It might help some impulsive people with food addiction to lose weight.

       C. It will prove whether food addiction is a problem to impulsive people.

       D. It is theoretically a proper treatment for addictive food and drug behavior.

35. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

       A. Impulsive personality linked to food addition 

       B. Food addiction compared to drug use

       C. Dopamine release caused by food addiction     

      D. Food addiction contributing to obesity    

Making the Most of the Body’s Clock

Want to know when the best time is to do your homework and study for your exams? Then just take advantage of your body’s clock, and you can work more efficiently (效率高地) and more happily.   36     

Morning

Research shows that in the morning your body can take fatty foods more easily, so don’t worry too much about having a big breakfast.   37   So if you need to go to the doctor’s for an injection(注射), this is the best time to go!

Did you know that the best time for the brain to work well is between 10:00 am and noon? Therefore, that’s the time when you should be listening to your teachers the most attentively(专心地).

Lunch-time.

Between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm is the best time for eating. The body clock tells your body to help you digest your food at this time, so you have less chance of suffering from stomachache.

Early Afternoon

  38   There is a slowdown in the speed your brain works, so it’s not the best time to solve difficult maths problems.

Late Afternoon

After three o’clock, the body clock starts to tell your body to start working again.  39  . So why not try to start and finish your homework during this time period?

Late evening

Between 8 pm and 10 pm is the time people are most likely to feel lonely.  40   Another problem students have at night time is difficulty in sleeping. If you want a good night’s sleep, just take a warm bath and don’t do any exercise before you sleep. Avoid staying up late.  

A. Everyone’s body clock is slightly different.

B. From 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm your body is at its fittest.

C. A good sleep helps to clear your brain and relax your mind.

D. Let’s now find out what activities are best for us at different times of the day.

E. The body is best at fighting pain between the hours of 9:00am and 10:00 a.m.

F. This may be one reason why students like to phone or meet their friends at this time.

G. The body’s temperature usually drops at this time and all the body systems slow down.