ThepositionofchildreninAmerica-优题课

Elderly people who drink several cups of green tea a day are less likely to suffer from depression, probably due to a "feel good" chemical found in this type of tea, Japanese researchers said.
Several studies have 1drinking green tea to lessening psychological problems and Kaijun Niu, of Tohoku University Graduate School, and colleagues found people 270 and older who drank four or more cups of green tea daily were 44 percent 3likely to experience depression.
Green tea is widely4in many Asian countries,5China and Japan.
Niu's team61,058 relatively healthy elderly men and women. About 34 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women had symptoms of 7 , according to the study that was8in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
A total of 488 participants said they 9four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups 10and the rest reported having one or fewer cups daily.
According to the researchers, the 11effect of drinking more 12tea on alleviating symptoms of depression did not 13after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems and 14 of antidepressants.
There was no 15between consumption of black or oolong tea, or coffee, and 16symptoms of depression.
A green tea component, the amino acid thiamine（硫胺素）, which is17to have a tranquilizing（镇静的） 18on the brain, may19 the "potentially beneficial effect" shown in the current study, Niu noted, 20that more study is needed.
() 1. A. linked B. taken C. considered D. regarded
() 2. A. aging B. aged C. years D. age
() 3. A. more B. little C. less D. much
( ) 4. A. sold B. planted C. spread D. consumed
( ) 5. A. including B. concluding C. containing D. considering
( ) 6. A. looked for B. checked C. investigated D. asked
( ) 7. A. optimism B. happiness C. bitterness D. depression
( ) 8. A. published B. come out C. appeared D. showed
( ) 9. A. ate B. drank C. swallowed D. chewed
( ) 10. A. weekly B. daily C. monthly D. yearly
( ) 11. A. apparent B. light C. huge D. gentle
( ) 12. A. black B. oolong C. coffee D. green
( ) 13. A. fade B. disappear C. run D. decease
() 14. A. influence B. effect C. use D. result
( ) 15. A. association B. use C. comparison D. difference
( ) 16. A. lower B. increase C. strengthen D. cause
( ) 17. A. assumed B. thought C. imaged D. hoped
( ) 18. A. effect B. affect C. effort D. outcome
( ) 19. A. report B. confirm C. complete D. explain
( ) 20. A. adding B. addressing C. speaking D. saying

The Chinese New Year is a great holiday to choose to celebrate Chinese culture with your child. Here are few fun ways to bring a bit of fun and1into your home through the festivities of the Chinese New Year.
1.Add a lucky red door. Red is a traditional color of 2. It's an important part of the Chinese New Year to 3on doing what one can to bring about good luck for the New Year. If you don't want to 4the door red, how about wrapping it up like a present with red wrapping paper. If changing your front door's color is not workable, how about the door to your child's bedroom?
2.Eat. A huge part of most cultures is that of food and the Chinese New Year is not 5, it's eating jiaozi at midnight on New Year's Eve, or longevity noodles on day seven of the festivities to 6long life. The Chinese New Year celebrations mean many fancy meals that your child will 7.
3.Create a lantern. Sara Naumann, the Guide to China Travel, shares a bit about the legend of the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao, which occurs on the 8day of the Chinese New Year festivities. It's a 9that includes an emperor, a young woman who misses her family, and tricking the God of Fire. Your kids should love this story. After 10it with them, or while reading the story, enjoy making your own paper lantern to display.
4.Give lucky money. The Guide to Mandarin Language shares that another very popular 11during the Chinese New Year is that of the gift of red envelopes with 12in them. These gifts are given to children and usually follow a bit of superstition（迷信） in that the money needs to be given in even amounts and never contain 13numbers, such as four. Therefore, four dollars is not a good gift. The envelopes are also decorated with lucky symbols and New Year 14.
5.Give a small gift. The giving of simple gifts is also an appropriate way to 15the Chinese New Year. What better gift than that of a children's book about the Chinese New Year or the Chinese Culture.
6.Make some noise. Just like in America, the Chinese use 16in ringing in their New Year. In the Chinese culture it began as a way to 17away any demons（鬼） that threaten to bring a profitable and lucky New Year, but today it's also about excitement and 18 . Consider setting off a few firecrackers of your own, if allowed in your area. If not, make a cute firework picture with a bit of glitter and glue. A pretend firecracker is another great craft that could also be considered a festive way to decorate your New Year table.
7.Sing Happy Birthday to your dog. The second day of the Chinese New Year is 19the birthday of all dogs. Why not 20your child to throw Fido a birthday celebration? Perhaps an extra ride in the car or new chew toy is in order? I know my dog would appreciate a few extra belly rubs too.
( ) 1. A. tradition B. culture C. civilization D. habit
( ) 2. A. wealth B. disaster C. belief D. luck
( ) 3. A. focus B. accuse C. adapt D. mind
( ) 4. A. boil B. paint C. wash D. purchase
( ) 5. A. same B. similar C. common D. different
( ) 6. A. come about B. take about C. bring about D. get out
( ) 7. A. bore B. destroy C. enjoy D. absorb
( ) 8. A. last B. first C. second D. next
( ) 9. A. play B. story C. novel D. history
( ) 10. A. sharing B. listening C. reading D. making
( ) 11. A. invention B. story C. race D. tradition
( ) 12. A. food B. clothes C. money D. jewels
( ) 13. A. unclear B. unlucky C. unfair D. uncertain
( ) 14. A. wishes B. signs C. presents D. happiness
( ) 15. A. spend B. envy C. buy D. celebrate
( ) 16. A. firecrackers B. songs C. dances D. goods
( ) 17. A. take B. scare C. get D. burn
( ) 18. A. fun B. relax C. sleep D. travel
( ) 19. A. fixed B. named C. considered D. marked
( ) 20. A. order B. accompany C. tease D. allow

Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be 1for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it 2.
Research is preliminary, but several studies 3people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
In an editorial 4this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define 5activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.
While health officials have issued guidelines 6minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated 7 .
"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send 8signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucoseand fat in the 9start to shut down.
Even for people who 10, spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day — 11still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, 12in a single bout.
That wasn't 13news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting 14a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art 15wrestling, and also does Thai boxing.
"I'm sure there are some detrimental 16of staying still for too long, but I hope that being 17when I can helps," he said. "I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be 18dangerous."
Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat 19had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.
Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.
Experts said more research is needed to 20just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.
( ) 1. A. bad B. good C. mean D. dead
( ) 2. A. does B. occurs C. matches D. dies
( ) 3. A. advise B. talk C. suggest D. say
( ) 4. A. thrown B. caught C. seen D. published
( ) 5. A. biological B. physical C. psychological D. logical
( ) 6. A. commending B. mending C. recommending D. communicating
( ) 7. A. stand B. state C. post D. position
( ) 8. A. harmful B. careful C. wonderful D. skillful
( ) 9. A. head B. arm C. body D. foot
( ) 10. A. sleep B. rest C. walk D. exercise
( ) 11. A. and B. so C. but D. then
( ) 12. A. rather than B. other than C. more than D. less than
( ) 13. A. bad B. harmful C. disadvantage D. welcome
( ) 14. A. behind B. back C. in front of D. forward
( ) 15. A. referring B. involving C. taking D. bringing
( ) 16. A. effects B. prefects C. affects D. offers
( ) 17. A. inactive B. active C. interactive D. positive
( ) 18. A. such B. little C. lot D. that
( ) 19. A. less B. fewer C. more D. further
( ) 20. A. leave out B. bring out C. hold out D. figure out

Unhappy people glue（使粘牢） themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.
The finding, announced on Thursday, 1 from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.
2 happy people reported watching an 3of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after 4 into account education, income, age and marital status.
In addition, happy individuals were more socially 5, attended more religious services, voted more and 6a newspaper more often than their less-chipper（没有精神的） counterparts.
The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness 7more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.
In fact, people say they like watching television: Past research has shown that when people watch television they 8 it. In these studies, participants reported that on a 9from 0 (dislike) to 10 (greatly enjoy), TV-watching was nearly an 8.
But perhaps the high from watching television doesn't10 .
"These conflicting data 11 that TV may provide viewers with short-run 12, but at the expense of long-term malaise(精神欠爽)," said researcher John Robinson, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, College Park.
In this case, even the happiest campers could turn into Debbie-downers if they continue to 13at the TV. The researchers suggest that over time, television-viewing14push out other activities that do have more lasting 15. Exercise and sex come to mind, as do parties and other forms of socialization known to have psychological benefits.
Or, maybe television is simply a refuge(慰藉物) for people who are already16.
"TV is not judgmental 17difficult, so people with18social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," Robinson and UM colleague Steven Martin write in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.
They add, " 19 , chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating（使人衰弱的） and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively 20by a TV."
The researchers say follow-up studies are needed to tease out the relationship between television and happiness.
( ) 1. A. comes B. arrives C. differs D. results
( ) 2. A. When B. As C. While D. Therefore
( ) 3. A. average B. amount C. number D. effort
( ) 4. A. speaking B. talking C. taking D. getting
( ) 5. A. active B. positive C. crazy D. cozy
( ) 6. A. look B. read C. see D. take
( ) 7. A. builds up B. cuts down C. leads to D. tends to
( ) 8. A. hate B. enjoy C. adopt D. adapt
( ) 9. A. fashion B. group C. scale D. rate
( ) 10. A. last B. decrease C. widen D. disappear
( ) 11. A. report B. suggest C. improve D. admit
( ) 12. A. excitement B. pleasure C. suffering D. sadness
( ) 13. A. glare B. look C. stare D. fix
( ) 14. A. should B. must C. could D. need
( ) 15. A. comforts B. laughter C. pressures D. benefits
( ) 16. A. tired B. lonely C. bored D. unhappy
( ) 17. A. and B. neither C. nor D. but
( ) 18. A. few B. little C. many D. quantity
( ) 19. A. Therefore B. Furthermore C. However D. Yet
( ) 20. A. controlled B. transformed C. persuaded D. entertained

Cutting meat production and consumption by 30 percent would help to reduce carbon emissions(排放) and improve health in the most meat-loving nations, scientists said on Wednesday.
Using prediction models, British and Australian researchers1that improving efficiency, increasing carbon capture and 2fossil fuel dependence in farming would not be enough to3emissions targets.
But combining these steps 4a 30 percent reduction in livestock（家畜） 5in major meat-producing nations and a similar 6in meat-eating, would lead to "substantial population health benefits" and cut emissions, they said.
The study found that in Britain, a 30 percent 7 intake of animal-source saturated（饱和的） fat by adults would reduce the 8of premature（过早的） deaths from heart disease by some 17 percent -- equivalent to 18,000 premature deaths reduced in one year.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, it could mean as 9as 1,000 premature deaths reduced in a year, they said.
10the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are from meat production and experts say rising 11for meat, particularly in countries with growing economies, could 12livestock production up by 85 percent from 2000 levels 132030.
The scientists said global action was needed to maximize the benefits of cutting meat production and 14 , and that the environmental 15"may apply only in those countries that currently have high production levels."
The study was 16in The Lancet medical journal as part of a series in climate change and health 17the Copenhagen global climate summit scheduled next month.
In a second study, British scientists found that increased walking and cycling, and 18cars, would have a much greater impact on health 19low-emission vehicles in rich and middle-income countries.
Andrew Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and head of the research series, said delegates at Copenhagen needed "to understand the potential 20impacts of their plans."
( ) 1. A. invented B. experimented C. found D. proved
( ) 2. A. increasing B. speeding C. stopping D. reducing
( ) 3. A. meet B. change C. break D. adapt
( ) 4. A. by B. with C. to D. in
( ) 5. A. sale B. eating C. production D. use
( ) 6. A. cut B. increase C. addition D. consumption
( ) 7. A. lower B. higher C. more D. less
( ) 8. A. amount B. number C. quantity D. deal
( ) 9. A. much B. many C. few D. little
( ) 10. A. According to B. Apart from C. As well as D. In addition to
( ) 11. A. resistance B. fear C. demand D. anxiety
( ) 12. A. weaken B. strengthen C. drive D. broaden
( ) 13. A. in B. by C. from D. after
( ) 14. A. evaluation B. consumption C. process D. store
( ) 15. A. advantage B. disadvantage C. pollution D. improvement
( ) 16. A. written B. claimed C. delivered D. published
( ) 17. A. along with B. from behind C. ahead of D. in front of
( ) 18. A. more B. fewer C. no . none
( ) 19. A. then B. as C. that D. than
( ) 20. A. health B. body C. spirit D. emotion