Life on the Farm

Life on a farm is always changing. New technologies and a rising interest in healthier and organic eating 

have had a huge impact on how farms do business. At the same time, a growing population has put more 

demands on farmers. They need to find ways to increase their production levels. The small family farms 

that used to produce most of the products have been largely replaced by factory farms. Small family 

farms that are still operating are struggling to keep up.

Technology has made most aspects of farm life easier than it has ever been before. Bigger and more 

efficient equipment makes work such as plowing up fields and sowing the seeds easier. Such tasks used 

to take two or three times as long. These advances have allowed farmers to work faster and more 

efficiently than ever before. In addition to newer technology, factory farms produce more products for 

less money than traditional farming would require.

Modern farm life，despite the introduction of new technologies, has not changed much from what it has 

always been. Farmers still wake up early, and spend their days doing hard work. There are still animals 

to feed，cows to be milked, and fields to be plowed. Farm life still requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

The main change in modern farm life is in the way farms are run. It is common for even small farms to 

have several hired workers and even an animal manager. Family-run farms are becoming rarer. Factory 

farms, with other larger farm corporations, are becoming the norm. Although there are still many 

traditional family farms, they are quickly dying as modern practices change farm life forever.

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

A.True

B.False

C.Not Given

　The World Cup

　　This summer’s World Cup competition will see teams competing to play the world’s best football. But the football they play will not all be of the same kind. The fans expect different styles of play from Brazil, Germany, or Italy.

　　What makes Brazilian football Brazilian? Our style of playing football contrasts with the Europeans because of a combination of qualities of surprise, accuracy and good judgment. This style has won Brazil five world cups. Yet many Brazilian fans only count four of these victories. In 1994, the team abandoned this style for modern, scientific training and tactics.The team won the cup, but in a boring way.

　　The Italians think differently. "To many Italians, the score 0-0 has a glorious quality suggesting perfection, "says the British football writer Simon Kuper. In the Italian culture the idea of face is very important. This is why Italian teams are traditionally built around strong defences. The Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff once said that Italian teams never exactly beat you. It’s just that you often lose to them.

　　In Holland, there is a tradition of decision making through argument and discussion. It is a society where everybody is expected to have a point of view. "Every Dutch player wants to control the game, "says Arnold Muhren. "You play football with your brains and not your feet."

　　"A Dutch player argues," says Simon Kuper. " An English player obeys his superior. He is a soldier. " The qualities valued in English football are military—strength, aggression and courage. This can make for exciting football. But it also means that the English find it difficult to use skillful players. David Beckham is usually criticized for his failure to defend—despite the fact that he is an attacker.

　　If the English like to fight. the Germans like to win. In recent years, Germany has tried to change its image as a country of ruthless efficiency and a desire for victory at all costs. But Germans are quite happy for these qualities to remain in their national football team. "Foot-ball is a simple game," Gary Lineker once said. "You kick a ball about for ninety minutes and in the end the Germans win."

　　It"s difficult to predict who will win this year’s World Cup. There is no strong favorite.But a look at the track record of previous winners shows that it is the nations with the strongest national characteristics in the football that perform best. It seems that you need to know where you come from if you want to get to the top.

A.Accuracy

B.Surprise

C.Good judgment

D.Ruthless efficiency

A.Because it makes no one lose face

B.Because the Italian team is not very strong

C.Because Italians are nice people

D.Because that score is what their team could obtain

A.To play football

B.To express his or her opinion freely

C.To make a fuss about nothing

D.To beat his or her opponents ruthlessly

A.They are aggressive

B.They are courageous

C.They play football for friendship

D.They obey their superiors

A.The Brazilian team

B.The Italian team

C.The German Team

D.It is unpredictable

1.Team Work in Sports

①Teams that win in team sports are often those that work well together. Learning to cooperate with

others towards a common goal in sports is what builds character, friendship and important life skills for 

players.

②Working towards a common goal will keep the team firmly together. Entering into a new season in

sports, you might only know a few of the players on your team. Some of the players may be people you 

do not like. But when your team decides to be the winner of the season, personal differences are often 

set aside for the common good of the team. By the end of the season, players who have fought through 

the whole season may become good friends, much like brothers.

③For kids and young adults, team sports offer a way for them to get out and meet with friends. This can

help them avoid spending too much time at home watching television and playing video games. Team 

work teaches people how to help each other and encourage each other. It can also give players a greater 

respect for one another and can build friendships that last a lifetime.

④Team work in sports offers a way for people to compete for something together. It is important to

know that winning is not everything in sports and healthy competition can be good for people. Working 

towards a goal can teach people the value of hard work, commitment and devotion. Team sports are a 

great way to learn these values.

⑤Team work in sports can help young people develop stronger communication skills. As every member

must work for the same goal, they learn how to work with one another successfully.

Self-Esteem and Body Image Healthy Self-Esteem__26__ This healthy attitude allows you to explore other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, growing more independent from your parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally. __27__

A positive, optimistic attitude can help people develop strong self- esteem. For example, saying, " Hey, I ’ m human" instead of "Wow, I ’ m such a loser" when you’ve made a mistake, or not blaming others when things don’ t go as expected.

Knowing what makes you happy and how to meet your goals can help you feel capable strong and in control of your life. __28__ Tips for Improving Your Body Image Some people think they need to change how they look or act to feel good about themselves. __29__ The first thing to do is recognize that your body is your own no matter what shape, size, or color it comes in. If you ’ re very worried about your weight or size, check with your doctor to verify that things are OK.

But it’s no one’s business but you r own what your body is like. Ultimately you have to be happy with yourself. __30__ Everyone (even the most perfect-seeming celeb) has things about themselves that they can ’ t change and need to accept, like their height ,for example, or their shoe size.

A. A positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle (such as exercising and eating right) are a great combination for building good self-esteem.

B. Developing these parts of yourself can help boost your self-esteem.

C. Meeting a challenge you set for yourself is a great way to boost self-esteem !

D. Next identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change and which you can’ t.

E. If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself

the way you are.

F. But actually all you need to do is change the way you see your body and how you think about yourself. 

请在第 __26__处填上正确答案。

请在第 __27__处填上正确答案。

请在第 __28__处填上正确答案。

请在第 __29__处填上正确答案。

请在第 __30__处填上正确答案。

Mental Activities Help Save Memory

  Doing mental activities is helpful. Reading books and writing at any age may save memory, a new _____（31）finds.

  The study was conducted by some American neurologists（神经病学家）. It _____（32）294 people.

  They were given _____（33）on memory and thinking. They had the tests once a year for six years. They were also asked to talk about their mental activities during childhood, in their youth, during middle age and at their _____（34）age.

  Some of those people did mental activities both _____（35） and late in life They had a slower_____（36）of decline in memory than the others. The others _____（37） did such activities. Their rate of decline in memory was 48% _____.

  "Mental activities like reading and writing are great. They _____（39）bring benefits. We shouldn't _____（40）their effects on our children, ourselves and our parents," said Robert Wilson, lead author of the study.

A．early B．tests C．seldom D．taught

E．faster F．produce G．study H．current

I．involved J．neglect K．rate L．really