【正文】 people, Grimes said, but she added that it was worrying to see it happen in the younger age group. In babies and young children, hearing problems are known to slow language development. The science is less clear for teenagers, but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could affect learning, said Grimes,. The reasons for the rise are still unclear. When researchers asked teenagers about noise exposure – on the job, at school or from activities, for example – the teenagers didn’t report any change. But S hargorodsky said that might not be true. “We knew from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure – they underestimate (低估 ) it.” Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their MP3 player, for example. “There i s a difference between what we think is loud and what is harmful to the ear,” said Grimes. Although it’s not clear that the MP3 players cause teenagers’ hearing loss, Grimes said it was still a good idea to turn down the sound and take short breaks from listening. 6． According to the researchers, in a US class of 40 students, about ____ students have some degree of hearing loss. A. one B. five C. six D. eight 7． Which of the following statements is true according to the article? A. Slight hearing loss does not influence learning. B. Only a few old people have hearing problems. C. Hearing problems can slow language development. D. Noise exposure is clearly noticed by teenagers. 8． About hearing loss, it can be inferred that ________. A. the reasons for the rise have been found B. MP3 players are to blame C. listening to loud music may be a cause D. noise is the main reason 9． The article was written to ______. A. warn teenagers that loud music might be harmful B. explain what kinds of noises might affect studies C. suggest that teenagers shouldn’t listen to loud music D. show how important hearing can be for learning Last Sunday, Aron Ralston, an experienced hiker and mountaineer, set off to walk alone through the Bluejohn desert canyon (峽谷 ) in Utah. He was planning an eighthour, 21– kilometer hike. While he was climbing through a narrow part of the canyon, a big stone weighing about 400 kilos fell and trapped his right arm. When he failed to return to the mountain camp where he was staying that night, people simply thought he had decided to camp out somewhere in the canyon. When he still had not returned by Tuesday, the alarm was raised, A search party set out on Wednesday evening, but there we no sign and his family began to fear the worst. In fact, Ralston, 27, was lying trapped in the canyon. By Tuesday, he had run out of water. By Thursday, he realized that he would not survive unless he took unusual action, so he used his pocket knife to cut his arm below the elbow (肘 ). He then climbed down to the bottom of the canyon. There he met two other hikers, who helped him back to safety. He received some help at a local hospital before being carried to St. Mary’s hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado for surgery. Ralston’s ast onishing survival brought equal amounts of praise and criticism. While praising the climber for his bravery and calm, experts also pointed out he had broken the first rule of outdoor pursuits. He had failed to leave words with anyone of where he was going that day. This was in fact Ralston’s second near death experience. In February, he was buried up to the neck in snow by an avalanche (雪崩 ) while skiing in the Colorado Rockies. Ralston not only managed to dig himself out but he also rescued his skiing panion, who had been pletely buried in the snow. Ralton rescued himself and his friend in less than 15 minutes. 10． According to the passage, a “hiker” is probably someone who _______. walking short distances walking long distances rocks and mountains adventure 11． When a big stone trapped his right arm, ________. went on climbing the canyon managed to return to the mountain lodge cut off part of his arm to survive other hikers helped him out 12． Why did Ralston’s survival bring criticism? this was his second neardeath experience. he was brave and calm. he told no one where he was going when he set off. he amputated his arm below the elbow. 13． Which of the following describes what happened to Aron Ralston? large heavy stone hit him and landed on his arm. had to cut off part of his arm to get it out was going through a narrow valley. search party set out to look for him climbed down to the bottom of the canyone. A. c,a,d,b,e B. c,e,a,d,b C. c,a,b,d,e D. c,e,a,b,d What would Barbie look like if she were average? According to US artist Nickolay Lamm, she would be a brute with a rounded face and a much thicker waist． Frustrated with the unrealistic beauty standards of Barbie and her friends, Lamm took data from Disease Control and Prevention about an average 19yearold American woman, who is about 163 cm tall, with a 84cm waist． With those measurements, Lamm created a doll． The dolls tagline （口號(hào)） is “Average is beautiful ． ” “I think a realistic size doll is important because when I look at current dolls on the market, they all look like supermodels, the artist told APF． “I just had the impression that the wall of supermodels suggests that something is wrong with you if you dont look like one． So I created an alternative to suggest that it’s OK to look like a normal person． The Lammily dolls, which are 27 cm tall, have been on sale since last month． Lammily also has other features． Unlike Barbie and her friends, whose pointed legs would force her to walk on all fours if she were real, Lammily has articulated（樞接的） joints – able to walk, run, and play． The doll can even be put