Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit; most people don’t even notice that they’re doing it when they sit down. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.

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.

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. 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.

So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet on the floor. Not only will it help your posture and stability, but it will also save your health in the long run.

21.  Crossing legs affect your blood pressure because___________.

A.    it causes your body to push the blood back to the heart.

B.    you can’t feel any immediate effects.

C.    you don’t have enough time to walk around.

D.    it is harder for the blood to circulate.

22.  To solve the problems caused by crossing legs, you’d better_______.

       A.    sit with your feet planted flat on the floor for hours.

B.    pay attention to how long you have your legs crossed for.

C.    keep your sitting posture and stability permanently.

       D .   try to be aware of whether you are comfortable or not.

23.  Which word can’t describe the feeling when you cross your legs for a long time?

       A.    nervous               B.    tired             C.    numb            D.    painful

In the 1500’s when the Spanish moved into what later was to become the southwestern United States, they came across the ancestors of the modern-day Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni peoples. These ancestors, known variously as the basket makers, the Anasazi, or the Ancient ones, had lived in the area for at least 2,000 years. They were an advanced agricultural people who used irrigation to help grow their crops.

The Anasazi lived in houses constructed of adobe (土砖) and wood. Anasazi houses were originally built in holes and were entered from the roof. But around the year 700 A.D., the Anasazi began to build their homes above ground and join them together into groups of multistoried large buildings, which the Spanish called pueblos or villages. Separate rooms under the ground in these pueblos – known as kivas – were set aside for religious ceremonies. Each kiva had a hole that was believed to lead to the underworld. The largest pueblos had five stories and more than 800 rooms.

The Anasazi family was matrilinear (母系遗传). The holy objects of the family were under the control of the oldest female, but the actual ceremonies were conducted by her brother, or son. Women owned the rooms in the pueblo and the crops, once they were harvested. While still growing, crops belonged to the men, who, in contrast to most other Native American groups, planted them. The women made baskets and pottery; the men made cloth and jewelry.

Each village had two chiefs. The village chief dealt with land disputes (争议) and religious affairs. The war chief led the men in fighting during occasional conflicts that broke out with neighboring villages and directed the men in community building projects. The solid political and social organization of the Anasazi made it almost impossible for other groups to conquer them.

24. What do we know about the Anasazi people?

A.  They were immigrants from Spain.    B.   They were good at growing crops.   

C. They stored their crops in caves.              D. They had battles against the Spanish.

25. What does the underlined word "they"(Paragraph 3) refer to?

A. Women.         B. Pueblos.              C. Crops.   D. Rooms.   

26. What can be concluded from the text?

   A.  The Anasazi benefited from trade with the Spanish.

B.  The division of labor in Anasazi society was clear.

C.  The Spanish caused harm to Anasazi society.

D.  Constant conflicts existed in Anasazi society.

27. What can best describe the Anasazi?

A. Aggressive.           B. United.   C.  Honesty.    D. Selfish.

After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.

One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a plough and a wall. When Mrs Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.

The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.

28. The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that         .

A. he had to live in a dark and silent world

B. a terrible traffic accident happened to him        

C. he was struck by the lightning once more         

D. nobody in the world cared about him

29. What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?

A. Sheltering from the rain under a tree.              

B. Driving a car.

C Taking a walk with a stick.                   

D. Lying on the ground.

30. What did Robert see first when he regained his sight after the shock?

A.  His wife who called for help to save him.            

B. His neighbors.

C. A plough and a wall.

D. Many doctors surrounding him.

31. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Robert had been deaf and blind for nearly ten years.

B. Robert hid himself under the tree for 20 minutes.

C. Robert could hear his wife’s shouting for help when he woke up.

D. The family’s love helped Robert regain confidence to live.

It’s hard to find Alice Munro in the media. Even after she won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Canadian writer just appeared for a quick interview and then dropped out of sight. On Dec 29^th, she still didn’t seek the spotlight when she was named one of the five Women of the Year by the Financial Times.

In Munro’s eyes, ordinary lives always hide larger dramas. So she records what we casually think of as the everyday actions of normal people. She often focuses on life in her hometown, a small village in Ontario which she is most familiar with. She writes about the ordinary things in the village — trees in the Ontario wilderness, poor country schools and long last illnesses. Above all, she talks about girls and women who have seemingly ordinary lives but struggle against daily misfortune.

She has a special talent for uncovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. These are ordinary people, ordinary stories, but she has the magic. Her precise language, depth of detail and the logic of her storytelling have made her stories inviting.

    Runaway, one of Munro’s representative works, is a good example of her writing style. One of the stories centers on the life of an ordinary woman Carla, who lives in a small Canadian town with her husband Clark. The story slowly forms a picture of Carla, trapped in a bad marriage, her unhappiness building into desperation until she decides to flee. The story of Carla is a story of the power and betrayals of love. It is about lost children and lost chances that we can all find in life. There is pain beneath the surface, like a needle in the heart.

    Since she published her first collection of short stories in 1968, Munro has won many awards, with the Nobel Prize being her biggest honor. On Oct 10^th, 2013, the Nobel Prize committee named Munro the “master of the contemporary short story”.

32. We learn from Paragraph 1 that Alice Munro          .

A. didn't get on well with the media

B. was surprised at winning the Nobel Prize

C. remained modest though very successful

D. didn't value the title of Women of the Year

33. Many of Alice Munro’s works         .

A. focus on everyday life of ordinary people

B. center on the happy life of country women

C. are about betrayals of love and violence

 D. are romantic stories setting in her hometown

34. What makes Alice Munro’s stories fascinating according to the text?

A. The complicated plots.  

B. Her rich imagination.

C. The humorous language.

D. Her writing techniques.

35. What is the text mainly about?

A. Alice Munro and her hometown.  

B. Alice Munro and her writing style. 

C. Alice Munro's representative works.   

D. The awards Alice Munro won.

  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 are.

1. __36__. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world. Remember that the point of life is for you to enjoy it. Be happy, and life will reward you.

2. Choose your friends wisely. __37_In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends. 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.

3. Keep your grades up. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).__38__ You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

4. 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. _39___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 .

5. Do well in school. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't slack off in school. __40__Plus, doing well means no angry parents.

A. It will pay off in the end.

B. You should also find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.

C. This also sets you up to get into a better college you want to go to improve your quality of life in the future.

D. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

E. Learn to appreciate small things.

F. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular.

G. If you are not good at sports, join a band or choir.