Smoking is harmful. But as soon as you quit the habit, everything will be OK, right?

Wrong.

New research has found that even if you give up smoking, the damage it has done to your genes (基因) will stay there for a much longer time.In the research, a team of US scientists studied the blood of 16,000 people. Among them, some were smokers, some used to smoke, and the rest were non-smokers. Scientists compared their genes and found that more than 7,000 genes of smokers had changed--a number that is one-third of known human genes.

According to NBC News, both heart disease and cancer are caused by genetic changes. Some people may have had the changes when they were born, but most people get them in their day-to-day lives while doing things like smoking.

When you stop smoking, a lot of these genes will return to normal within five years.

This means your body is trying to heal (治愈) itself of the harmful effects of smoking. But the changes in some of the genes stay for longer. They can stay for as long as 30 years, It’s almost like leaving a footprint on wet cement (水泥)----it will always be there, even when you’ve walked away and when the cement becomes dry.

Although the study results may make people unhappy, there is a bright side: the findings could help scientists invent medicine to treat genetic damage caused by smoking or find ways to tell which people have heart disease or cancer risks.

1. The function of Paragraph 1 is to_________ .

A. introduce the topic of the passage    B. give an example

C. make an argument    D. show the main idea of the passage

2. Most genetic changes happen because of___________ .

A. people’s condition at birth    B. environmental pollution

C. people’s bad living habit    D. heart disease and cancer

3. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to__________ .

A. the footprint    B. the cement...

C. the harmful effect    D. the genetic change

4. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The findings are the fruit of more than three years’ research.

B. The findings have prevented more people from starting smoking

C. The findings offer evidence that a damaged gene can heal itself.

D. The findings help to find cures for genetic damage caused by smoking.

Do you want to be productive（富有成效的）at work or at home? Here's what you should do.

Turn off television

I used to tell myself that I needed a break. So, when the kids slept I turned on the cable and watched whatever program that caught my fancy. Often, I found myself not watching, just channel-surfing. And I didn’t end up watching a full program. I decided one day to just give up on TV as it made me sleep late and woke up exhausted（疲惫的）.

If you want to be productive, cut off TV. You are better off reading a book. Without TV, I have managed to finish many books which I have bought but never read.

Limit Internet Use

The other big distraction that can make you sleep late is the Internet. Probably because you will be checking your emails, updating your blog, watching YouTube, etc. Try limiting the use of it at home, or switch it to the morning session.

Nowadays, I check all my personal emails early in the morning. When I get into work, I find myself less tempted to check personal emails.

Know Your Priorities(优先考虑的事)

Really, it is all about the choices you make and the priorities you have. If you know it is competitive out there in the world, how can you be a better worker than the person who is also aiming for the position above you?

Rest Early, Rise Early

You want to be productive? Rise early, read more books, have more energy, be more focused and set standards for others to catch up. It’s as simple as that.

5. The passage aims to give advice on how to ________.

A. take better care of our kids at home.

B. balance our work and energy well.

C. divide time between work and family.

D. compete against others for a better position.

6. What does the author mainly use to support her theory?...

A. Ancient wisdom    B. Internet information

C. Popular beliefs    D. Personal experience

7. The author used to be in the habit of _________.

A. changing channels frequently when watching TV.

B. checking all her personal emails in the morning.

C. watching her favorite TV programs with her kids.

D. reading the books immediately after she bought them.

When we talk about stars, especially women stars, it seems that they are always young, pretty and own charming body shapes. But recently a Britain's Got Talent（英国达人）star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely.

Simon Cowell, one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyle's voice. "This lady came up, and I'm thinking, 'This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea'. That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed to Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face through -it was one of my favorite moments," Cowell said.

The performance was posted on line and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.

Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hasn't thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. "I mean, that's hardly a makeover（改头换面）," she added. Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents, "I was kind of slow at school, so getting like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence."

8. Susan Boyle is _________

A. a judge    B. a Scottish woman

C. a beautiful woman    D. a reporter

9. Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because______.

A. she was confident of her singing

B. she was satisfied with the judges

C. she was pretty and in good shape

D. she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables...

10. According to the passage, which is NOT true?

A. It was the vocal talents that built Susan's confidence

B. Susan Boyle was not good at her lesson when at school.

C. Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance.

D. Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight.

11. What can we learn from Susan Boyle's success

A. It's never too old to learn.

B. It's easier to succeed at the age of 47.

C. If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead.

D. If you have a dream, try to make it come true!

The following is a father's advice to his son or daughter, who has just graduated from high school：

First of all, congratulations on your graduation!Graduation from high school means that a new stage of life is ahead of you．At the beginning of this new stage, I have some advice for you．

Clean your own room and do your own laundry(洗衣物的活). After you have messed up(弄乱)something, you should learn to clean it up yourself．Cleanliness is indeed close to godliness(信奉上帝)．...

Don't mistake knowledge for wisdom. No matter how much information or knowledge you have gained, you'll never make sound(正确的)judgments if you don't have wisdom. Wisdom comes from imagination and reflection(反省)．If you can imagine the possible future outcomes of your present decisions and actions, you can avoid mistakes．And if you can reflect on the mistakes you have made, you can avoid making the same mistakes again and again．Such is wisdom．

Don't complain．When you take up a job, do your best to carry it out．Don't waste time complaining about it, no matter how difficult and boring it is．

Finally, be an early bird．If you get up earlier than the sun, you can watch it rising up slowly into the sky．And the sight of the rising sun will warm your heart and give you energy for the day ahead．Besides, being an early bird, you have plenty of time to take exercise or do a lot of work．

12. The father wants to give his daughter some advice, because ___

A. the father is a philosopher(哲学家)

B. another period of life lies ahead of him/her

C. he/she does not know how to behave himself/herself

D. the teacher is disappointed at his son's/daughter's performance

13. According to the father, wisdom enables one to ________．

A. avoid one's responsibilities    B. acquire(获得)a lot of knowledge

C. complain about many things    D. evaluate(评价)situations correctly

14. In the opinion of the father, complaining ________．

A. gets you nowhere    B. is a pleasant thing

C. usually leads to success    D. can be appreciated by people

15. The father says that being an early bird makes one ________．

A. sleepy and tired    B. clean and happy

C. hungry and angry    D. energetic and efficient(高效的)

Improve your memory

Some people often complain about their poor memory. Actually there are several ways to keep your memory sharp. This article will show you some simple tips.

___16___When you say these things, you begin to plant the thought in your mind and it may become true. Tell yourself you can remember anything as long as you put your mind to the task. You  will see an improvement in your memory.

___17___If you have trouble remembering phone numbers or other blocks of numbers, it can be really helpful to try this method. If you remember them in smaller groups, like two or three digits (数字), it will also be much easier to remember the numbers.

Be sure to see a doctor if you are really losing your memory. A poor memory can be a sign that you are in low spirits.___18___...

Playing games also helps improve your memory. Any type of games that involves(涉及) remembering things is wonderful.___19___Try and remember it when you have nothing better to do. A useful tip for anyone interested in games is to often work on solving word puzzles and similar types of games.___20___

Not only will your memory probably improve, but you will also have a great deal of fun.

A. Remember numbers in small groups.

B. Stop telling yourself you have a weak memory.

C. Take a right attitude.

D. If you don’t like games, you can go over a list of "to do things".

E. If so, treating it could be the key to getting your memory back.

F. If you don’t know your condition, you cannot treat it!

G. Such games use the same skills needed to remember facts and help keep the mind sharp.