FDA proposed the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more cautious in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe (瓜），and leafy greens.
The long-overdue regulations are aimed at reducing the estimated 3,000 deaths a year from foodbome illness. Just since last summer, outbreaks of listeria (李氏桿菌）in cheese and salmonella(沙門氏菌）in peanut butter, cantaloupe and mangoes have been linked to more than 400 illnesses and as many as seven deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The actual number of those sickened is likely much higher.
The FDA’s proposed rules would require farmers to take new precautions against contamination (污染）,to include making sure workers5 hands are washed, irrigation (灌溉） water is clean, and that animals stay out of fields. Food manufacturers will have to submit food safety plans to the government to show they are keeping their operations clean.
Many responsible food companies and farmers are already following the steps that the FDA would now require them to take. But officials say the requirements could have saved lives and prevented illnesses in some of the large-scale outbreaks that have hit the country in recent years.
In a 2011 outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe that claimed 33 lives ，for example, FDA inspectors found pools of dirty water on the floor and old, dirty processing equipment at the Colorado farm where the cantaloupes were grown. In a peanut butter outbreak this year linked to 42 salmonella illnesses ，inspectors found samples of salmonella throughout a New Mexico peanut processing plant and multiple obvious safety problems ，such as birds flying over uncovered trucks of peanuts and employees not washing their hands.
Under the new rules, companies would have to lay out plans for preventing those sorts of problems and how they would correct them.
“The rules go very directly to preventing the types of outbreaks we have seen/，said Michael Taylor, FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods.
小題1:The main task of FDA is probably______

A．to protect and promote the public health

B．to help those sickened recover

C．to research on food safety measures

D．to deal with water pollution

小題2:According to the passage, the new rules focus on_____.

A．inspecting the whole process of food production

B．improving food processing equipment on farms

C．preventing water pollution in food production

D．urging food companies to lay out plans

小題3:What does the word “they” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Inspectors.	B．Farmers
C．Manufacturers.	D．Workers.

小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The new regulations should have come into practice earlier.

B．The 2011 outbreak of listeria is the most serious ever.

C．Farmers and food companies are strongly against the new rules.

D．Colorado and New Mexico are worst hit by food pollution.

Cutting global warming pollution would not only make the planet healthier, it would make people healthier too, new research suggested.
Cutting carbon dioxide emissions could save millions of lives, mostly by reducing preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases, according to studies released Wednesday and published in a special issue of The Lancet, a British medical journal.
　　"Relying on fossil fuels leads to unhealthy lifestyles, increasing our chances of getting sick and in some cases takes years from our lives," US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a telecast briefing from her home state of Kansas. "As greenhouse gas emissions go down, so do deaths from cardiovascular（心血管） and respiratory（呼吸道） diseases. This is not a small effect."
　　Instead of looking at the health ills caused by future global warming, as past studies have done, this research looks at the immediate benefits of doing something about the problem, said Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
　　Some possible benefits seemed highly speculative, the researchers conceded, based on people driving less and walking and cycling more. Other proposals studied were more concrete and achievable, such as reducing cook stoves that burn dung（糞便）, charcoal and other polluting fuels in the developing world.
　　And cutting carbon dioxide emissions also makes the air cleaner, reducing lung damage for millions of people, doctors said.
　　"Here are ways you can attack major health problems at the same time as dealing with climate change," said lead author Dr. Paul Wilkinson, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
　　Wilkinson said the individual studies came up with numbers of premature deaths prevented or extra years of life added for certain places.
　　For example, switching to low-polluting cars in London and Delhi, India, would save 160 lost years of life in London and nearly 1,700 in Delhi for every million residents, one study found. But if people also drove less and walked or biked more, those extra saved years would soar to more than 7,300 years in London and 12,500 years in Delhi because of less heart disease.
小題1:What does the passage mainly talk about? _______.

A．How can people live longer?

B．Cutting carbon dioxide emissions saves lives.

C．Global warming threatens people’s lives.

D．People should stop relying on fossil fuels.

小題2:The new research differs from past studies in that _______.

A．it focuses on the immediate benefits of cutting carbon dioxide emissions

B．it studies the bad effects arising from future global warming

C．it is believed by more people

D．it mainly targets at developing countries

小題3:According to Kathleen Sebelius, _______.

A．sometimes it takes years to see the bad effects caused by consuming fossil fuels

B．without greenhouse gas emissions, people would not die of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases

C．the main reason why people get sick is that they rely on fossil fuels

D．deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are closely related to greenhouse gas emissions

小題4: Which of the following is the most practical way to cut carbon dioxide emissions according to the passage? _________.

A．Driving less

B．Walking and cycling as much as possible.

C．Stopping using fossil fuels

D．Reducing the use of polluting fuels to cook.

小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A．London and Delhi have already benefited from reducing greenhouse gas emissions

B．switching to low-polluting cars would save 160 lives in London each year

C．walking and biking instead of driving will reduce the chance of heart disease

D．a(chǎn)ttacking health problems and dealing with climate change are contradictory

In today's fast-paced (快節(jié)奏) society, few people take time to enjoy the midday meal．Most of us just rush right through it. We grab a quick salad, or buy a sandwich and eat at our computers, Sometimes, if there is a deadline around the corner, we just skip lunch．
The development of technology hasn't done our eating habits much good either．We are constantly distracted by e-mail, social media, and 24 - hour news．Even when we do sit down for lunch, we are more connected to our hand - held electronic devices．
Long working hours can cause all kinds of health problems, and many developed countries have put in place labor laws specifically regarding the lunch break．These laws give employees the right to take a break during a long work shift, but it's up to them whether they do so or not．
Frank Partnoy, a former Wall Street trader, says that employers should encourage workers to take time off for lunch．This is because long lunch breaks can benefit both individuals and society.
Writing in The Guardian, Partnoy says that one obvious reason to take a lunch break is to slow down and gain some perspective（認識）． A break from work allows us to think strategically and outside the box．It also puts our daily tasks into a broader context（背景）．
What we eat at lunch is also important．In Partnoy' s opinion, a fast food lunch is more harmful than not having lunch at all．  And it's not just about calories and unhealthy food．Recent studies show that fast food also has negative effects on how we think．
However, if we sit down at a proper restaurant and chat leisurely with colleagues, we are more likely to slow down, something that hardly can be achieved in a noisy and over — packed fast food chain．
Despite these benefits, some employees might still be unwilling to take time off for lunch．Partnoy's suggestion? Make skipping lunch difficult: Employers could ask workers to fill out a form stating their reasons for skipping the meal．
小題1:What does the underlined phrase "skip lunch" mean in the first paragraph?

A．have a quick lunch	B．don't have lunch
C．work while having lunch	D．take a lunch break

小題2:Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．Modern technology results in good diet habits．

B．Electronic devices make our life comfortable．

C．Many people are too busy to have a good lunch．

D．Laws have passed to make workers have lunch．

小題3:According to Frank Partnoy, long lunch breaks            .

A．a(chǎn)re time for the workers to relax their mind

B．make the employees work longer hours

C．a(chǎn)re for employees to have a quick lunch

D．make the workers eat a proper lunch at home

小題4:In Partnoy's opinion, a fast food lunch                .

A．saves a lot of time for a rest

B．a(chǎn)ffects people's way of thinking

C．is better than having no lunch

D．makes workers sit down and think

小題5:What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To warn us not to eat fast food．

B．To introduce Frank Partnoy's opinion．

C．To encourage us to work more efficiently．

D．To show the importance of a proper lunch．

Every hour spent in watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces lifespan by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years.
The research shows that a sedentary（久坐的） lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers caused by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offers for unhealthy eating.
The researchers set out to calculate the overall risk to lifespan from watching television. Their research involved more than 11,000 people over the age of 25.
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they concluded. "TV viewing time may be connected with a loss of life, which is similar to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity."
The researchers, from the University of Queensland, used information from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, together with population and death rate data.
But they said: "Although we used Australian data, the effects in other industrialized and developing countries are likely to be similar, considering the large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns." In the United Kingdom, the average amount of time spent watching TV is four hours a day, compared with five hours in the United States.
Earlier this year, a separate study suggested the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, or dying early, rises by as much as 20 percent after just two hours a day in front of the box.
England's Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies, said: "Physical activity offers huge benefits and these studies back what we already know - that a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks. We hope these studies will help more people realize that there are many ways to get exercise."
小題1:We can learn from the passage that       .

A．whether you watch TV or not has nothing to do with how long you will live

B．if an adult watches TV for six hours every day, he will probably die five years earlier

C．physical inactivity and obesity won't shorten your life

D．a(chǎn) sedentary lifestyle offers huge benefits.

小題2:The passage implies that _______.

A．The longer one watches TV every day, the shorter he lives.

B．The conclusion of the study is unbelievable because it's based on Australian data.

C．Watching TV does greater harm to health than smoking and obesity

D．Watching TV harms children as much as adults.

小題3:What do we know from the last three paragraphs?

A．People in the United Kingdom watch TV longer than those in the United States.

B．That a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks isn't supported by other studies.

C．Watching TV for two hours a day will increase the risk of illnesses or dying early by 20%.

D．Australian data is much different from that of other countries.

小題4:The passage is intended to _______.

A．inform the readers of a research on watching TV

B．tell the readers large amounts of people often watch TV

C．tell the readers watching TV is also a good way to relax

D．warn the readers of the harm of watching TV and hope that they do sports

People who cannot tell all colors apart are said to be color-blind. Most color-blind people can see yellows and blues, but confuse reds with green. It is very rare for a person to be blind to all colors, but they may see everything in shades of black, white and gray.
It is interesting to point out that many color-blind people don’t even realize that they are color-blind, they don’t know that the colors they are seeing and naming are not the actual colors that people with normal vision can see. This can be dangerous when a color-blind person confuses the red and green of a traffic light.
Color blindness is thought to be inherited（遺傳）and although doctors have tested color blindness, there is no cure to treatment for it.
小題1:There are four cards here, and each has two colors. Which card’s colors do you think a color-blind person can tell correctly?

A．Red, Green

B．Green, Yellow

C．Red, Brown

D．Brown, Yellow

小題2:A color-blind person______.

A．a(chǎn)lways knows how color-blind he is

B．often gives the wrong name of colors

C．see everything as the same color

D．can hardly see something of strong colors

小題3:It’s especially dangerous for a color-blind person to cross a street when_____

A．it is crowded

B．it is a dark night

C．there are no traffic lights at the cross of the streets

D．the traffic light turns red

小題4:A person who is color-blind is believed to have something to do with_____.

A．his old age

B．his poor eyesight

C．his parents or grandparents

D．his living condition

小題5:Up to now, doctors______.

A．have found a way to prevent a person from getting color-blind

B．have found a way to free a person from his color blindness

C．have been able to tell whether a person is color-blind or not

D．have made it quite clear the cause of color blindness

Different exercise types have different purposes and different benefits. One type of exercise may not accomplish all goals of being physically fit: a healthy heart, strong muscles and bones, and safety from injury. As a result, it is important to do enough types of exercise to have all the physical benefits. Here is a quick check sheet.
Aerobic Exercise: To have a strong and healthy heart, you need to do aerobic exercise. This means that you need to exercise yourself enough so that your heart rate, while exercising, is 65 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you don’t get your heart rate up within this level—you just aren’t working hard enough. Whatever you do, your heart rate needs to be 65 percent to 85 percent of your MHR for 20 to 30 minutes, at least 3 times a week. Typical types include:
* Running
* Walking (at least 4 to 4.5 mph)
* Swimming
* Biking
* Elliptical Training (橢圓運動)
* Yoga
Strength Training: To keep your muscles and bones strong, you need to do strength training. This comes in a variety of forms. Whatever you do, however, you need to train your muscles enough so that they are really tired by the end of each session. To see real benefits, make sure you are strength training 2 to 3 times a week for about 30 to 40 minutes. Typical types of strength training include:
* Weight Training
* Yoga
* Resistance Training
* Plyometrics（肌肉增強訓練）
Flexibility Training: To keep your body flexible, reducing risk of injuries and pain in your joints and muscles, you need to do flexibility training. You should always aim to stretch every muscle after any exercise routine. Typical types of flexibility training include:
* Stretching
* Yoga
* Pilates（普拉提課程）
So next time you think that yoga 5 times a week will be enough, think about what it is really doing. Is it getting your heart rate up? Are you making up your strength? Are you keeping your muscles flexible?
小題1:If your purpose is to _______, you can choose swimming as your exercise form.

A．build a strong and healthy heart

B．keep muscles and bones strong

C．keep body flexible

D．reduce risk of injuries and pain in joints and muscles

小題2:After reading this passage, we know that ________.

A．Yoga is really better for people than running

B．The more exercise you do, the better

C．Flexibility training helps you build up your muscles

D．The three kinds of training have links with one another

小題3:Which of the following is closest in meaning to “session” in Paragraph 3?

A．meeting

B．gathering

C．period

D．term

小題4:The paragraph following this article may discuss_______.

A．how to find a good workout dealing with two or three of these goals

B．how to choose an exercise type

C．how to build up our strength

D．how to be more flexible

“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine，newspaper，radio and television ads，promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs，slim the face，smooth wrinkles，or in some other way to add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money­making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable，and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public，it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug，F(xiàn)DA(Food and Drug Administration)can require proof under the Food，Drug，and Cosmetic Act that is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device，F(xiàn)DA has no authority to require the proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health，F(xiàn)DA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily，or it can take legal action，including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor，which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously，most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律訴訟)，and new devices appear continually. Before buying，it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
小題1:It can be inferred that the ads mentioned in the text are________.

A．objective

B．costly

C．unreliable

D．illegal

小題2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.
B．New products are more likely to be questionable. 
C．The production of a device must be approved by FDA.
D．The promoters usually just care about profits.
小題3:FDA can ask for the proof of safety and effectiveness of a product________.

A．if it is a drug

B．if it is a device

C．if its consumers make complaints

D．if its distributors challenge FDA's authority

小題4:The Relaxacisor is mentioned as________.

A．a(chǎn) product which was designed to produce electricity

B．a(chǎn) product whose distributor was involved in a legal case

C．a(chǎn) successful advertisement of a beauty product

D．a(chǎn)n example of a quality beauty product

Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods (天然健康食品) ? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid (酸) accumulation in your body.
Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes (酶) that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. In both instances, the result is overweight. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body grows fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive system, where it becomes increasingly acidic. To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body changes the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.
Processed foods (加工食品) contain chemical elements, which might confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat; as a result, people often overeat. Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste, which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body’s cells. The body’s metabolism (新陳代謝) becomes inactive, and the result is weight gain and obesity.
The accumulation of acid in the digestive system makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more common.
To stop this vicious circle in its tracks, people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize the acid already accumulated in body. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help. It’s also important to restore your enzyme balance. You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself, you need to take an active approach. One effective way is to choose raw and whole foods appropriately according to your health conditions and personal preferences.
小題1:It can be inferred from Para. 2 that __________.

A．we’d better be cautious about raw and whole foods

B．foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit

C．it is important for people to protect their vital organs

D．giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle

小題2:Processed foods are unhealthy because they __________.

A．destroy body’s cells	B．harm your stomach
C．may lead to obesity	D．stop body’s natural function

小題3:What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To warn people of the problem of overweight.

B．To inform people of the harm of processed foods.

C．To advocate eating more raw and whole foods.

D．To tell the differences between raw and processed foods.

小題4:What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?

A．Different causes of acid accumulation.

B．Correct ways to cook raw foods.

C．Active approaches to avoid acid.

D．Suitable types of raw and whole foods.

WASHINGTON－School lunches have been called many things, but a group of retired military officers is giving them a new label: national security threat.
That's not a reference to the mystery meat served up in the cafeteria line either. The retired officers are saying that school lunches have helped make the nation's young people so fat that fewer of them can meet the military's physical fitness standards, and recruitment will be difficult.
A new report being released Tuesday says more than 9 million young adults, or 27 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24, are too overweight to join the military. Now, the officers are advocating for passage of a wide­ranging nutrition bill that aims to make the nation's school lunches healthier.
The military group acknowledges that other things keep young adults out of the armed services, such as a criminal record or the lack of a high school diploma. But weight problems that have worsened over the past 15 years are now the leading medical reason that recruits are rejected.
Although all branches of the military now meet or exceed recruitment goals, retired Navy Rear Adm. James Barnett Jr., a member of the officers group, says the obesity trend could affect that.
“When over a quarter of young adults are too fat to fight, we need to take notice，” Barnett said. He noted that national security in the year 2030 is “absolutely dependent” on reversing child obesity rates.
This isn't the first time the military has gotten involved in the debate over school lunches. During World War Ⅱ， military leaders had the opposite problem, reporting that many recruits were rejected because of stunted growth and inadequate nutrition. After the war, military leaders pushed Congress to establish the national school lunch program so children would grow up healthier.
Today, the group is urging Congress to eliminate junk food and high­calorie beverages from schools, put more money into the school lunch program and develop new strategies that help children develop healthier habits.
小題1:What is the main problem of the lunches in schools according to the military officers?

A．The meat in the lunches is mysterious.

B．The lunches are too expensive.

C．The lunches contain too much fat.

D．There is inadequate nutrition in the lunches.

小題2:The underlined word “obesity” in Paragraph 5 means ________.

A．slow in mind	B．state of being fat
C．quick in movement	D．lack of confidence

小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The lunches in American schools are not very healthy.

B．During World War Ⅱ，many people could not join the army because of overweight.

C．According to the author , overweight was the key reason why many recruits were rejected.

D．By now, Congress hasn't eliminated junk food and high­calorie beverages from schools.

小題4:Which of the following is the best title for the article?

A．School lunches: a national security threat?

B．National security in danger ?

C．Retired officers tired of school lunches

D．The recruitment of 2030

The World Health Organization (WHO) planned to study the relationship between the eating habits of the people and the disease. Two doctors were chosen to make the study. They flew to Africa south of the Sahara and during the next two months visited ten countries. They found that serious diseases of poor eating, often mistaken for other diseases, existed in all parts of Africa. The diseases were similar and could therefore all be named kwashiorkor. The diseased children are usually from one to four years old. As the illness progresses, the child’s stomach becomes swollen by liquid collecting in the body. The skin changes color and may break out in open sores（疼痛）. The hair changes color and starts to fall out. The patient loses all interest in his surroundings and even in food, and becomes so weak that he wants to lie down all the time. Stomach liquids are no longer produced.
The doctors reasoned that kwashiorkor was found in the young children of this age in many parts of Africa because of lack of milk or meat. Their mothers, after stopping their breastfeeding, gave them foods full of starches（淀粉）instead of greatly needed proteins. They found that the addition of milk to the food of the children suffering from kwashiorkor saved many lives.
The unbelievable thing about kwashiorkor is that the very existence of the disease—which has been killing thousands of children for centuries—was not even recognized in Latin America as recently as ten years ago. The deaths of those children were mistakenly listed as due to other diseases. It was the WHO’s work in Africa that led to the discovery of the problem in Central America.
小題1:From the passage we learn that kwashiorkor is a disease caused by __________ .

A．poor living conditions	B．lack of proteins in food
C．breastfeeding	D．lack of food

小題2: It is difficult to discover kwashiorkor because ____________________ .

A．it has no symptoms at all

B．it is hard to identify signs of it

C．it doesn’t last long enough for careful observation

D．it is hardly different from other diseases

小題3:What is mentioned as a simple but reasonable way of curing this disease?

A．Taking a special medicine.

B．Avoiding any food containing starch.

C．Having more meat or milk.

D．Taking medicine full of proteins.

小題4:What’s the best title for the article?

A．Milk and Meat Are Daily Necessities

B．Kwashiorkor and Improper Eating Habits

C．A New Form of Illness in Africa and Latin America

D．A Case of Eating Habits