Cell phones: is there a cancer link?
Could your cell phone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worrying about the possibility that phones, power lines and Wi-Fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.
Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there’s a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia(白血病). Also there’s a greater than 90 percent chance that cell phones can cause brain tumors. “It’s apparent now that there’s a real risk, ” said Carpenter.
But others believe these concerns are unjustified. Dr Martha Linet, the head of radiation epidemiology(流行病学) at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. “I don’t support warning labels for cell phones, ” said Linet. “We don’t have the evidence that there’s much danger. ”
Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs(电磁场) and illness— so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cell phones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It’s funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cell phone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don’t suggest a strong link between cell phone use and cancer risk.
小题1:From the passage we can learn that some people are worried because _______. | A．they have evidence that the use of cell phones can lead to cancer | | B．they make a fuss over cell phone use | | C．some experts have given a warning | | D．cell phones are responsible for brain tumors |
小题2:By saying “I don’t support warning labels for cell phones, ” Dr Martha Linet has the idea that _______. | A．the worrying is unnecessary | | B．cancer-warning labels should be on cell phones | | C．there is a link between cell phones and cancer | | D．cell phones have nothing to do with cancer |
小题3:Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards the debate? | A．Optimistic. | B．Objective. | | C．Opposite. | D．Casual. ] |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B |
试题分析：文章讲述的是关于手机等辐射是否对人体有害的各方观点。
小题1:推理判断题。根据文中第二段的内容可知，有些专家明确辐射会致病，并警告人们。选C
小题2:推理判断题。根据第四段最后一句but data so far don’t suggest a strong link between cell phone use and cancer risk.可知，该专家认为没有任何证据可以证明辐射可以对人体造成伤害。所以这些担心是没有必要的，选A
小题3:推理判断题。文中作者并没有明确表明自己赞成还是反对的观点，所以是比较客观 地看待该问题。选B |
核心考点
试题【Cell phones: is there a cancer link?Could your cell phone give you cancer? Whet】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
What do former American president Bill Clinton and rock musician Pete Townshend have in common."? Both men have hearing damage from exposure(暴露，接触) to loud music, and both now wear hearing aids（助听器） as a result. As a teenager, Clinton played saxophone in a band. Townshend, who has the more severe hearing loss, was a guitarist for a band called the Who. He is one of the first rock musicians to call the public"s attention to the problem of hearing loss from exposure to loud music.
Temporary（暂时） hearing loss can happen after only 15 minutes of listening to loud music. One early warning sign is when your ears begin to feel warm while you listen to music at a rock concert or through headphones. One later is that an unusual sound or a ringing is sometimes produced in your head after the concert.
"What happens is that the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, but they"re not dead," says physician and ear specialist Dr. Sam Levine. According to Dr. Levine, if you avoid further exposure to loud noise, it"s possible to recondition the cells（细胞） somewhat. However, he adds, "Eventually, over a long period of time, hair cells are permanently damaged." And this is no small problem.
What sound level is dangerous? According to Dr. Levine, regular exposure to noise above 85 decibels (分贝) is considered dangerous. The chart below offers a comparison of decibel levels to certain sounds. Here"s another measurement you can use. If you"re at a rock concert and the music is so loud that you have to shout to make yourself heard, you" re at risk for hearing loss. That"s when wearing protective devices such as earplugs becomes critical.
The facts are pretty frightening. But are rock bands turning down the volume."? Most aren"t. "Rock music is supposed to be loud," says drummer Andrew Sather."I wouldn"t have it any other way. And neither would the real fans of rock. "
Continued exposure to loud music and the failure to wear earplugs can lead to deafness, according to Dr. Levine. He states, "There"s no cure for hearing loss. Your ears are trying to tell you something. That ringing is the scream of your hair cells dying. Each time that happens, more and more damage is done. "
Levels of Common Noises
Normal conversation 50 — 65 dB
Food blender 88 dB
Jet plane flying above a person standing outside 103 dB
Rock band during a concert 110 — 140 dB
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小题1:From Paragraph 1, we can learn that ___________ .| A．loud music is a major cause of hearing loss | | B．famous people may have hearing problems | | C．teenagers should stay away from school bands | | D．the problem of hearing damage is widely known |
小题2:In Paragraph 3, the underlined word "recondition" means__________ .| A．not to be seen | B．to fill with sound | | C．to become larger in size | D．to make good again |
小题3:The purpose of the chart at the end of the article is to show__________ .| A．a list of harmful sounds | | B．the effect of rock concerts | | C．the noise levels of sounds | | D．relationship between daily activities and hearing loss |
小题4:Which of the following statements will Dr. Sam Levine probably agree?| A．When your ears feel warm, your hair cells are dead. | | B．Drummer Andrew Sather gives good advice. | | C．Many are at the risk of losing hearing. | | D．Doctors know how to deal with hearing loss. |
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Drinking eight cups or two litres of water a day is longstanding advice. But is there any scientific basis for it, asks Dr Chris van Tulleken.
You know those ads that remind us that even a small drop in hydration（水合作用） levels can massively affect performance so you need to keep hydrated with whatever brand of super drink they"re selling?
They seem pretty scientific don"t they? Man in white coat, athlete with electrodes attached and so on. And it"s not a hard sell because drinking feels right - you"re hot and sweating so surely replacing that fluid must be beneficial.
Well earlier this year sports scientists in Australia did an extraordinary experiment that had never been done before.This group wanted to find out what happened to performance after dehydration. So they took a group of cyclists and exercised them until they lost 3% of their total body weight in sweat.
Then their performance was assessed after rehydration with either 1) nothing, 2) enough water to bring them back to 2% dehydration or 3) after full rehydration.
So far nothing unusual, but the difference between this and almost every other study that"s ever been done on hydration was that the cyclists were blind to how much water they got. The fluid was given intravenously without them knowing the volume.
This is vital because we all, and especially athletes, have such an intimate(密切的)psychological relationship with water consumption.
Remarkably, there was no performance difference between those that were fully rehydrated and those that got nothing. This study was part of a growing movement to "drink to thirst" which hopes to persuade athletes not to over hydrate with the potentially fatal consequence of diluting your sodium level, causing hyponatraemia.
Perhaps the result shouldn"t be so surprising. Humans evolved doing intense exercise in extreme heat and dryness. We are able to tolerate losses in water relatively well whereas even slight over hydration can be far more dangerous. In simple terms, being too watery is as bad for you as being too concentrated.
小题1:What’s the main idea of the passage?| A．There is no scientific basis for drinking eight cups of water a day | | B．People used to drink eight cups of water a day | | C．An experiment about whether people should drink eight cups of water. | | D．People shouldn’t believe longstanding advice. |
小题2:what does the word“dehydration ”in paragragh 4 mean？| A．doing exercise | B．losing water | | C．drinking water | D．having a rest |
小题3:What is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．Drinking too much water is bad for us | | B．Sports scientists in Australia did an extraordinary experiment for the first time. | | C．Those that were fully rehydrated and those that got nothing performed differently. | | D．The cyclists didn’t know how much water they got. |
小题4:What can we learn from the last paragragh?| A．Humans can bear losing water relatively well | | B．It’s dangerous to drink water. | | C．Athletes should drink more water than others. | | D．This study was part of a growing movement to "drink to thirst". |
小题5:what is Dr Chris van Tulleken’s attitude towards the. longstanding advice？| A．positive | B．doubtful | C．supportive | D．indifferent |
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Some kinds of mental skills naturally decrease as people get older. Yet research seems to show that some training can improve such skills. A recently published study also appears to demonstrate that the good effects of training can last for many years after that training has ended.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland wanted to learn how long memory and thinking skills would last in older people who trained to keep them. The people were part of the ten-year research project. They were taught methods meant to improve their memory, thinking and ability to perform everyday tasks.
More than 2,800 volunteered for the study called ACTIVE - short for Advanced (Cognitive) Training for Independent and Vital Elderly. Most studied when they were more than 70 years old.
The volunteers took one of several short training classes meant to help them keep their mental abilities. One class trained participants in skills including how to remember word lists. Another group trained in reasoning. A third group received help with speed-of-processing - speed of receiving and understanding information. A fourth group - the control group did not get any training.
Earlier results had established that the training helped the participants for up to five years. Now, lead study writer George Rebok says, the research showed most of the training remained effective a full ten years later.
Professor Rebok and his team found that the people trained in reasoning and speed-of-processing did better on tests than the control group.
"We are wondering whether those effects which endured over time would still be there ten years following the training, and in fact, that"s exactly what we found."
The effect on memory, however, seemed not to last as long. Still, the old people in any of the three classes generally reported less difficulty in performing daily activities than the control group. The total training time for the older people was between 10 and 15 hours.
小题1:Which statement is true according to the text？| A．This kind of training can only have effect on people for a few years。 | | B．The people were trained during a period of ten years. | | C．All the people who were studied were more than 70 years old. | | D．The second group were trained how to remember word lists. |
小题2:What can be inferred from the passage？| A．There were four groups being trained. | | B．The old people trained can remember words better. | | C．The second and third group improved their skills better than the first one. | | D．The research showed that the effect of the training could absolutely last 10 years. |
小题3:What’s the main idea of the fourth paragragh?| A．What was the meaning of the research? | | B．How was the research conducted? | | C．Why was the mental training effective? | | D．How long did the research last? |
小题4:What is the best title of the passage？| A．Mental Training Helped Elderly Stay Sharp for Years | | B．How to improve our mental health | | C．Four groups of old people were trained mentally. | | D． The result of a ten-year research |
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When I entered Berkeley, I hoped to earn a scholarship. Having been a Straight-A student, I believed I could tough subjects and really learn something. One such course was World Literature given by Professor Jayne. I was extremely interested in the ideas he in class.
When I took the first exam, I was to find a 77, C-plus, on my test paper, English was my best subject. I went to Professor Jayne, who listened to my arguments but remained . I decided to try harder, although I didn’t know what that because school had always been easy for me. I read the books more carefully, but got another 77. Again, I with Professor Jayne. Again, he listened patiently but wouldn’t change his . One more test before the final exam. One more to improve my grade. So I redoubled my efforts and, for the first time, the meaning of the word “thorough”. But my did no good and everything as before.
The last hurdle(障碍) was the final. No matter what I got, it wouldn’t cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss the goodbye. I stopped working hard. I felt I knew the course material as well as I ever would. The night before the final, I even myself to a movie. The next day I decided for once I’d have with a test. A week later, I was surprised to find I got an A. I hurried into professor Jayne’s office. He to be expecting me. “If I gave you the As you , you wouldn’t continue to work as hard.” I stared at him, that his analysis and strategy(策略) were correct. I had worked my head , as I had never done before. I was speechless when my course grade arrived: A-plus. It was the only A-plus given. The next year I received my scholarship. I’ve always remembered Professor Jayne’s lesson: you alone must set your own standard of excellence.
| 小题1: | | A．take | B．discuss | C．cover | D．get |
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| 小题2: | | A．sought | B．presented | C．exchanged | D．obtained |
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| 小题3: | | A．shocked | B．worried | C．scared | D．anxious |
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| 小题5: | | A．unchanged | B．unpleasant | C．unfriendly | D．unmoved |
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| 小题6: | | A．reflected | B．meant | C．improved | D．affected |
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| 小题7: | | A．quarreled | B．reasoned | C．bargained | D．chatted |
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| 小题8: | | A．attitude | B．mind | C．plan | D．view |
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| 小题9: | | A．choice | B．step | C．chance | D．measure |
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| 小题10: | | A．memorized | B．considered | C．accepted | D．learned |
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| 小题11: | | A．ambition | B．confidence | C．effort | D．method |
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| 小题12: | | A．stayed | B．went | C．worked | D．changed |
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| 小题13: | | A．grade | B．answer | C．lesson | D．comment |
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| 小题14: | | A．scholarship | B．course | C．degree | D．subject |
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| 小题15: | | A．helped | B．favored | C．treated | D．relaxed |
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| 小题16: | | A．fun | B．luck | C．problems | D．tricks |
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| 小题17: | | A．happened | B．proved | C．pretended | D．seemed |
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| 小题18: | | A．valued | B．imagined | C．expected | D．welcomed |
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| 小题19: | | A．remembering | B．guessing | C．supposing | D．realizing |
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Going on holiday not only makes you feel good while you’re there, you also gain the health benefits for months, new research shows．
Jetting off to destinations such as the Maldives cuts your blood pressure, helps you sleep better and bounce back from stress, it found．The benefits last at least a fortnight longer than the vacation and can be felt for months in some cases where it is claimed．Experts say workers should always take their full holiday entitlement（权利）each year, but as many as one in three don’t．
The study compared key health markers in holidaymakers visiting Thailand, Peru or the Maldives, with people who stayed at home and continued working．The average blood pressure of those on holiday dropped by six percent while the workers saw their blood pressure rise by two percent over the same period．The sleep quality of holidaymakers improved by 17 percent while that of the non-holidaymakers deteriorated by 14 percent．
The study also found the ability of vacationers to recover from stress, known as the stress-resilience test improved by 29 percent．There was a 71 percent fall in stress resilience scores among workers．Tests showed a fall in blood glucose levels, reducing the risk of diabetes （糖尿病）, trimmer waistlines and improved mood and energy levels, with the effects sustained for at least two weeks after returning home．
The Holiday Health Experiment was conducted by tour operator Kuoni and Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity．
小题1:According to the passage, how many people go on holiday? | A．Two thirds． | B．One third． | | C．17 percent． | D．A quarter． |
小题2:Which of the following can we infer from the passage?| A．The further you go, the better you get the benefits． | | B．Most people like to stay at home during the holiday． | | C．The result of the study is mostly based on the description from the people involved． | | D．Holiday makers are more adaptable than non-holidaymakers． |
小题3:The author intends to tell us that ________．| A．we have to go on holiday as much as possible | | B．you’ll certainly get depressed if you don’t go on holiday | | C．we had better go on holiday for the benefits of health | | D．it is best to go to foreign countries like Maldives |
小题4:The best title of the passage is ________．| A．A Holiday Health Experiment | | B．Health Benefits from Holiday | | C．Health Problems of Having Holiday | | D．Key Health Markers in Holidaymakers |
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