A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours s

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A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours straight, setting a new Guinness world record. It’s an impressive feat, to be sure, but let’s just hope he still has a voice. According to Indian newspapers, Rajesh Burbure has been told to keep silent for several days so his vocal cords (声带) can heal.
It was reported that Burbure and his family are in a celebratory mood. “It’s a proud moment for all of us,” his wife told DNAIndia.com.
I, on the other hand, am unable to share their ent

husiasm. Don’t get me wrong: I hope the 35-year-old Burbure lives forever, sells a million records and becomes an international celebrity. But his record–singing for 80 hours straight–is about as meaningful as most of the other curious but crazy feats listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Granted , I’m not qualified to speak on the subject. I’ve got no world records to my name– and I never expect to have any. Then again, maybe I am qualified to speak for those of us who have better things to do than train for years to sing an 80-hour medley (混合曲) of pop songs.
But let’s not just pick on poor Burbure. He’s not the only person chasing meaningless accolades. The Guinness Book of World Records is full of the names of people who at one time grew the longest hair, or built the biggest bicycle, or baked the largest cheesecake.
To all of these enterprising (有进取心的) souls I ask, simply, “What was it all for?”
Congratulations! For all of your painstaking effort, you becam

e a footnote in a thick book that no one reads, except for you and the person who will eventually surpass you–with one more hour of singing, a few more centimeters of steel or a few more pounds of cheese.
After all, records are made to be broken.
小题1:From the text, we can learn that the author .

A．has no Guinness records, so he admires Burbures’ fea

B．feels it is a pity he was not invited to share the happiness with the Burbures

C．thinks singing for 80 hours straight is completely meaningless

D．is quite worried about Burbure’s vocal cords

小题2:Before someone wins a Guinness record, he or she has to .

A．become an international celebrity

B．know all about Guinness record

C．practice a great deal

D．bear great stress for fear of injury

小题3:We can infer from the article that .

A．after the 80 hours of singing, Burbure could no longer speak

B．Burbure’ wife didn’t support his attempt to make a Guinness record

C．many have criticized Burbure for his stupid behavior

D．challenging a Guinness record may be harmful to the health

小题4:The author’s attitude to the Guinness world records mentioned in the passage is .

A．positive	B．impressed
C．negative	D．touched

小题5:What is the best title for the passage?

A．What Was the Point?

B．Records Are Made to be Broken

C．A New Indian Guinness Record

D．The Guinness Book Is Boring

答案

小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:A

解析

略

举一反三

As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life. Financial experts say that everyone also has his own belief of how to manage his money. According to our different values, experts put us in three catagories---the ant, the cricket(蟋蟀) and the snail.
★ The ant — work first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don"t care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save, but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
★ The cricket — fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn"t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
★ The snail — life under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans(贷款) from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford them. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.
小题1: One’s values may________.

A．be his ways of managing money

B．be his beliefs about society

C．be connected with his education

D．influence his behavior

小题2: Mr. Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards. Besides, he spends money in a very luxurious way. So_______.

A．Mr. Smith belongs to the ant type

B．Mr. Smith belongs to the cricket type

C．Mr. Smith belongs to the snail type

D．it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr. Smith is

小题3:The writer of the passage intends _______.

A．to introduce to us the three types of people with different life style

B．to show us his special attitude to the different people

C．to tell us life is full of joy and happiness all the time

D．to warn us how to live a better life in a new way

小题4:According to the passage, the most suitable title would be _______.

A．Nature of Spending

B．What Comes First

C．How to Understand Your Belief

D．Work and Fun

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Drinking a lot of water does not do any good to the body, according to two experts in the United States. In fact, they warn, drinking too much water could be, in certain cases, harmful.
In a study, Dr Stanly Goldfarb and Dr Dan Negoianu, both of the Renal, Electrolyte and Hypertension Division at the University of Pensylvania, the United States, have denied the popular belief that drinking a lot of water clears body toxins（毒素）better, improves skin, and helps reduce weight.
Dr Goldfarb and Dr Negoianu say that they found little proof to back the public opinion that drinking 8 glasses of water every day benefits health. At the same time, they fond little proof of harm in drinking 8 glasses of water every day.
It is widely believed that in some cases-such as athletes, people who live in hot, dry environments, and those with certain medical conditions-drinking a lot of water indeed helps, but no studies have been done to prove the benefits of this practice in average, healthy people, the website medheadlines.com reports.
The study at the University of Pennsylvania also examined reports that some people experienced increased headaches when their consumption（消耗）of water was low. In one small study, which the doctors reviewed, the group drinking the most water reported fewer headaches than the control group, “but the difference in the number of headaches was o small between the two groups as to be considered unimportant.”
The researchers concluded that there is no scientific proof to support that average, healthy people need to drink at least 8 glasses of water each each day.
The website medheadines.com says that, according to an Indian doctor, drinking too much water is harmful. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, problems can occur.
小题1:What’s the key message delivered in the passage?

A．Drinking too much water might bring harm.

B．Whether to drink enough water makes no difference.

C．Drinking too much water may cause headaches.

D．Average, healthy people should drink more water.

小题2:We can learn from the passage that 8 glasses of water every day_______ .

A．proves good for the body	B．has scientific proof of harm
C．is sure to reduce headaches	D．is generally considered necessary

小题3:Who may agree that drinking lots of water helps to lose weight?

A．The two experts.	B．The Indian doctor.
C．The general public.	D．The website.

小题4:According to the passage, we know that_______.

A．the website medheadlnes.com is developed by an Indian doctor

B．the study was carried out by two experts with an Indian doctor

C．the two experts performed the study at the University of Pennsylvania

D．drinking 8 glasses of water every day can cure certain diseases

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When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes． Think about the kind of clothes you really need． Then look for those clothes you really need． Then look for those clothes on sale．
There are labels(标签) ins

ide all new clothes． The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes． The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water． A sweater l

abel may tell you to wash in cold water． The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat． If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned． Dry cleaning is expensive． When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned． You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made． Well-made clothes last longer． They look good even after they have been washed many times． Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(不一定) better made． They do not always fit better． Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．
小题1:If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __ ．

A．don’t fit you	B．don’t last long
C．need to be dry cleaned	D．can be washed

小题2:The labels inside the clothes tell you______．

A．how to keep them looking their best	B．how to save money
C．whether they fit you or not	D．where to get them dry cleaned

小题3:The first thing for you to do before you buy clothes is __ ．

A．to look for well-made clothes

B．to see how much money you can spend on it

C．to know how to wash them

D．to read the labels inside them

小题4:We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes __ ．

A．are always worse made	B．must be dry cleaned
C．can not be washed	D．can sometimes fit you better

小题5:The best title for the passage should be __ ．

A．Buy Less Expensive Clothes

B．Taking Enough Money When Shopping

C．Being a Clever Clothes Shopper

D．Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes

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How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents. He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
小题1: According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that __.

A．life for a child is comparatively easy

B．a child is always loved whatever he does

C．if much is given to a child, he must do something in return

D．only children are interested in life

小题2:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．People are often satisfied with their life.

B．Life is less interesting for old people.

C．Adults are free to do what they want to do.

D．Adults should no longer rely on others.

小题3:The underlined word "responsibilities" in the second paragraph means__________.

A．duties

B．jobs

C．suggestions

D．desires

小题4:The main idea of the passage is _________ .

A．life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains

B．young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard

C．childhood is the most enjoyable time in one"s life

D．one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life

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Happiness is for everyone. You don’t need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or those who have nice cars and a lot of money and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads in their free time.
In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you; when you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health; when you get a success, your friends will say congratulations to you; when you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct it. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too. All these are your happiness. If you notice a bit of them, you can see that happiness is always around you.
Happiness doesn’t mean money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something that can’t be bought with money. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy, because you have more chances to challenge yourself. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving（旋转的）door. When it closes, it also opens. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person.
小题1:When you do something wrong , people around you will .

A．quarrel with you	B．help you correct it
C．do something wrong like you	D．laugh at you

小题2:What will your friends say when you make great progress?

A．Oh, so do I	B．Congratulations!
C．Good luck!	D．Just so-so

小题3: Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．People who have cars would never like to walk in the open air.

B．You can get help from others when you are in trouble.

C．You can still be a happy person even if you have little money.

D．Happiness is always around you though difficulties come towards you.

小题4:The passage mainly tells us .

A．parents always care for our life and health

B．we’re not happy if we meet with difficulties

C．happiness is always around us

D．life is colorful

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