12) In recent years, excessive medical treatment has been as an important factor behind increasingly higher health care costs.

In recent years, there has been a steady assault on salt from the doctors: salt is bad for you regardless of your health. Politicians also got on board. "There is a direct relationship," US congressman Neal Smith noted, "between the amount of sodium a person consumes and heart disease, circulatory disorders, stroke and even early death."

Frightening, if true! But many doctors and medical researchers are now beginning to feel the salt scare has gone too far. "All this hue and cry about eating salt is unnecessary," Dr Dustan insists. "For most of us it probably doesn't make much difference how much salt we eat." Dustan' s most recent short-term study of 150 people showed that those with normal blood pressure experienced no change at all when placed on an extremely low-salt diet, or later when salt was reintroduced. Of the hypertensive subjects, however, half of those on the low-salt diet did experience a drop in blood pressure, which returned to its previous level when salt was reintroduced.

"An adequate to somewhat excessive salt intake has probably saved many more lives than it has cost in the general population," notes Dr John H. Laragh. "So a recommendation that the whole population should avoid salt makes no sense."

Medical experts agree that everyone should practice reasonable "moderation" in salt consumption. For the average person, a moderate amount might run from four to ten grams a day, or roughly 1/2 to 1/3 of a teaspoon. The equivalent of one to two grams of this sat allowance would come from the natural sodium in food. The rest would be added in processing, preparation or at the table.

Those with kidney, liver or heart problems may have to limit dietary salt, if their doctor advises. But even the very vocal "low salt" exponent, Dr Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr admits that "we do not know whether increased sodium consumption causes hypertension." In fact, there is growing scientific evidence that other factors may be involved: deficiencies in calcium, potassium, perhaps magnesium; obesity (much more dangerous than sodium); genetic predisposition; stress.

"It is not your enemy," says Dr Laragh. "Salt is the No. 1 natural component of all human tissue, and the idea that you don't need it is wrong. Unless your doctor has proven that you have a salt-related health problem, there is no reason to give it up."

According to some doctors and politicians, the amount of salt consumed______.

A．exhibits as an aggravating factor to people in poor health

B．cures diseases such as stroke and circulatory disorders

C．correlates highly with some diseases

D．is irrelevant to people suffering from heart disease

In recent years, "the Strawberry Generation" has been a hot term that is used by the mass media to refer to the young adults who are born after the 1980s. People of this generation are said to be fragile when facing pressure, just like strawberries. In fact, that is why the mass media used the word " strawberry" to describe those young adults. However, in addition to this notorious feature, people who belong to the Strawberry Generation have other common weaknesses that are worth mentioning. What do you think of their weaknesses? Write a composition of about 200 words on the following topic: The Weaknesses of the "Strawberry Generation" You are to write in three parts. In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is. In the second part, provide one or two reasons to support your opinion. In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary. Marks will be awarded for content, organization, language and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks.

In recent years, Britain has been afflicted with one scandal after another, and these have been widely publicized by media everywhere. These scandals have far-reaching consequences for its once much-admired public institutions. They reflected the falling standards in education, postal, transport, health care and social welfare services, to name a few key areas. Education is a clear example. Reduced government subsidies have led to the deliberate lowering of admission standards and easier attainment of degrees in some universities aimed at attracting more students. To bolster the funding of an ancient university, a don there offered college places to offspring of substantial donors who would not otherwise be eligible for admission. Most recently, the A-Level examination marking debacle affecting hundreds of thousands of students shocked the nation. Brain drain of its elites is becoming serious, as many have emigrated elsewhere for a better future. More will follow suit, unless effective solutions are found soon.

There have been some shocking cases of violent child abuse in Britain in recent years. To mention just two: Kristy Bamu was murdered in 2010 because his attackers thought he was a witch. He was 15. And then there was the gruesome case of the headless torso belonging to a five or six-year-old boy found in the River Thames a decade ago.

In trying to tackle the problem, the government has brought together faith leaders, charities, the police and social workers. Under its new action plan it urges closer cooperation between these groups. Those critical of the plan, while welcoming it as an important step, say more faith leaders need to acknowledge the problem of ritual killings.

Despite the differences of opinion which exist, the government says it will now help provide support to those who witness such activity. It also says it wants to appoint mentors – people who can listen to members of affected communities. But the government admits that more research is needed for the problem to be properly eradicated.

31. Who was Kristy Bamu according to the passage?________

A. He was a witch.

B. He was a boy violently attacked to death.

C. He killed some witch.

D. He was killed by his relatives.

32. What was found in the Thames 10 years ago? ________

A. The incomplete body of a young boy.

B. Five or six young boys’ bodies.

C. The body of Kristy Bamu.

D. The body of a witch.

33. Which of the following is not included in the meetings arranged by the government?__________

A. Charity workers.

B. Police.

C. Educators.

D. Religious people.

34. What does the word ‘eradicated’ mean?________

A. Cured

B. Fired.

C. Uprooted.

D. Completed.

35. Which of the following is NOT correct?__________

A. A serious child abuse problem exists in the United Kingdom.

B. Mentors have been designated to children subject to abuse.

C. Children might become victim to some religious belief.

D. More faith leaders should acknowledge ritual killings.

In recent years, there has been a ______ call for a rise in miners’ wages.

A. existent B. constant

C. resistant. D. assistant

There has been a boom in economy in recent years.

A．fall

B．mistake

C．growth

D．flaw

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants--and the litigants, or parties, have to wait sometimes many years before having their day in court. Many suggestions have been made concerning methods of improving the situation, but as in most branches of government, changes come slowly.

One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the system is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a workload. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their lawyers in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents' evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study has shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements.

Many states have now established another method, small-claims courts, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading--the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of court, the plaintiff(原告) gives up any right to a jury trial and the right to appeal the decision.

In coming years, we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to correct a situation which must be corrected if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be able to have their day in court.

The pretrial conference, in theory, is supposed to do all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A．narrow the issues

B．cause early settlements

C．save judicial time

D．increase settlement costs

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants and, the litigants, or parties, have to wait sometimes many years before having their day in court. Many suggestions have been made concerning methods of ameliorating the situation but, as in most branches of government, changes come slowly.

One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the systems is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents' evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study had shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements.

Many states have now established another method, small-claims courts, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading—the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of courts, the plaintiff waives any right to jury trial and the right to appeal the decision.

In coming years, we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to remedy a situation which must be remedied if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be able to have their day in court.

The word "litigants" in Paragraph 1 refers to______.

A．judges

B．attorneys

C．persons concerned in a lawsuit

D．government officials

1：阅读理解 In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants and, the litigants, or parties, have to wait sometimes many years before having their day in court. Many suggestions have been made concerning methods of ameliorating the situation but, as in most branches of government, changes come slowly. One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the systems is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents' evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study had shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements. Many states have now established another method, small-claims courts, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading—the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of courts, the plaintiff waives any right to jury trial and the right to appeal the decision. In coming years, we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to remedy a situation which must be remedied if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be able to have their day in court. The word "litigants" in Paragraph 1 refers to______.

A.judges

B.attorneys

C.persons concerned in a lawsuit

D.government officials

In recent years, teachers of introductory courses in Asian American studies have been facing a dilemma nonexistent a few decades ago, when hardly any texts in that field were available. Today, excellent anthologies and other introductory texts exist, and books on individual Asian American nationality groups and on general issues important for Asian Americans are published almost weekly. Even professors who are experts in the field find it difficult to decide which of these to assign to students; non-experts who teach in related areas and are looking for writings for and by Asian American to include in survey courses are in an even worse position. A complicating factor has been the continuing lack of specialized one-volume reference works on Asian Americans , such as biographical dictionaries or desktop encyclopedias. Such works would enable students taking Asian American studies courses(and professors in related fields)to look up basic information on Asian American individuals, institutions, history, and culture without having to wade through moun- tains of primary source material. In addition, give such works, Asian American studies professors might feel more free to include more challenging Asian American material in their introductory reading lists, since good reference works allow students to acquire on their own the background information necessary to interpret difficult or unfamiliar material.

The author of the passage is primarily concerned with doing which of the following?

A．Recommending a methodology.

B．Describing a course of study.

C．Discussing a problem.

D．Evaluating a past course of action.

E．Responding to a criticism.