A baby can quickly damage a new mother’s well-laid plans for getting back to pre-pregnancy(孕前的) weight and shape.
The constant demands, together with the exhausting effects of interrupted sleep, can make it hard to find the time and energy to exercise or prepare healthy meals.
Here are some tips for common problems new moms face:
Problem: No time to cook proper meals. When you’re caring for a baby, cooking proper meals seems like a luxury. Instead you rely on convenience meals and processed foods.
Solution: Try to get more support. Friends, family members, and neighbors are often delighted to help, so don’t feel you have to do everything yourself. Use the extra time to prepare some healthy meals. Follow the basic rules of cutting down on fat and increasing fruit and vegetable intake.
Problem: Sugary or high-fat snacks(零食). Tiredness can leave you feeling sleepy, run-down, and in need of an immediate help from sweets and high-fat snacks.
Solution: Turn snacking to your advantage. Eat high-fiber, low-fat, low-sugar snacks; these will fill you up without adding too many calories. For an energy boost, eat a banana, which is high in potassium -- a mineral essential for muscle and nerve function -- or try a handful of raisins, which are high in iron but low in fat.
Problem: No time or energy to exercise. A baby is a constant demand on your time, so you’re too tired or busy to exercise.
Solution: Increasing activity levels will help you obtain a net calorie loss, while toning exercises will tighten your muscles. Though you may feel too tired to do any exercise, it is worth persevering because in the long run your energy levels will increase. Involve your baby in your postnatal(产后) exercises; start by walking with the child in a carriage or sling. Swimming is another aerobic exercise that you can both enjoy by joining a mother and baby class. Many pools have childcare facilities, so you can swim a few laps on your own.
Problem: Lack of sleep. The new baby interrupts your sleep, depleting your energy and leaving you tense and exhausted.
Solution: Practice some relaxation techniques whenever you have a few free moments. Meditation, visualization, or yoga can help your body recover and give you more energy.
WASHINGTON—It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.
When people or animals get hurt,they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along,but for robots,even slight damage can make them stumble and fall.However,a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability:it can heal its own damage.
The new robot,which looks like a splay-legged,four-footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt.That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines.Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places.“There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard,a professor in the University of Vermont,who is one of the device’s creators.“Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”
A typical robot functions according to a computer program,but the new robot works differently.First,sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built-in computer.From the formation it collects,the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations.For example,when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs,the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking—it used three legs instead of four.
The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work.One pellicle spot is the ocean floor.That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish.“We never officially named the robot,but we usually refer to it as the Starfish,even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,”says Bongard.“Also,a real starfish is much better than our robot at recovering from injury,because it can actually grow its legs again.”Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways:by exploring space,fighting fires,and even performing surgery.
1.The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it _________ .
A.can communicate with people on the earth about their problems
B.works according to a certain computer program
C.can find its problems and solve them automatically
D.can explore unfamiliar places
2.An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot_________.
A.is used to create new programs
B.has typical robot functions
C.has sensors to observe its movements
D.can gather information and adapt to new conditions
3.The underlined word“resilient”in the last paragraph means the robot is_________.
A.creative B.newly made C.able to recover D.informative
4.Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?
A.It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability
B.It will stumble and fall if damaged.
C.It can grow its legs again once they are broken.
D.It has started to work on the ocean floor.
5.What might be the best title of the passage?
A.How does the Starfish Robot work B.Do-It-Yourself Robot Repair
C.Robots Designed to Work on Other Planets D.New Robot Helping Us in Many Ways
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact,it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you.Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse,a girlfriend,a marketing company,a boss,a cop or a criminal.Whoever it is,they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy,and that it’s important to reveal to friends,family and lovers at appropriate times.But few boundaries remain nowadays.The digital bread crumbs(碎屑)you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are,where you are and what you like.In some cases,a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind.Like it or not,increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is:Does that matter? For many Americans,the answer apparently is“no”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy,most of them say they are really concerned about losing it.And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away,and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another.Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy.Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站)to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements.Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number,address,or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠券).But privacy does matter—at least sometimes.It’s like health;when you have it,you don’t notice it.Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.Without privacy,one will be naked in front of others.
1.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
A.Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B.Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C.There should be a distance even between friends.
D.There should be fewer quarrels between friends.
2.Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
A.Modern society has finally developed into an open society.
B.People leave traces around when using modern technology.
C.There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.
D.Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.
3.What do most Americans do about privacy protection?
A.They change behavior that might disclose their identity.
B.People turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system.
C.They rely more and more on advanced technology.
D.They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
4.According to the passage,privacy is like health in that _________ .
A.people will make every effort to keep it B.its importance is hardly understood
C.It is something that can easily be lost D.people don’t value it until they lose it
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.No privacy,no health.
B.Treasure your privacy.
C.Boundaries are important between friends.
D.The information age has its own shortcomings.
We often don' t give importance to minor things thinking they won' t matter. But at times, some things look very minor but their result can be really powerful. Here are some of the efforts which can change the relationship between parents and children.
Pat your child when he loses:May it be failure in the class, or on the field, speak words of encouragement to your child. The trust and confidence in your relationship will go to another level. After all, words of encouragement during failure are more valuable than words of praise after success.
Give him importance, like a member of the family:Hang his painting in your room or in the office, take his opinion when you are buying furniture for the house. Your child will believe in himself and be a winner throughout.
Share your own experience when your child makes a mistake:When you see your child lying or stealing, share with him the mistakes you made in your life. He' 11 know it is all right to make mistakes and that he can share with you anything.
Appreciate at least one quality in your child every day:Each day look at what qualities your child possesses and appreciate him, maybe for his caring attitude, his dance skills or his observation power. Tell him how proud you are of him because of those qualities.
Become his age before bedtime:Jump on the bed, have pillow fights, act silly, dance—become a child with your child for sometime. You' 11 forget all your day's stress.
Try these minor things; you' 11 see the love deepen and the relationship blossom.
1.According to the first paragraph, ______.
A.we should pay attention to powerful minor things
B.we should make efforts to become strict parents
C.minor things in daily life shouldn't be ignored
D.parents and children should respect each others
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Children should be patted when they lose something.
B.Children should be encouraged if they are in trouble.
C.Both failure and mistakes should be ignored.
D.Children should help parents buy furniture for the house.
3.The passage suggests the following things except ____.
A.painting your room or office
B.encouraging them during failure
C.helping them to be self - confident
D.appreciating your children' s qualities
4.The writer introduces his opinion with ____.
A.facts B.arguments C.examples D.stories
5.What' s the writer' s purpose of writing this passage?
A.To tell the parents how to do help their children out of trouble.
B.To help the parents appreciate one quality in their children.
C.To help people forget all the stress of daytime and become younger.
D.To help improve the relationship between parents and children.
A recent Auburn University study provides some real numbers to back a theory we’ve all known was true for some time—planting a shade tree near your home reduces energy bills significantly in the spring and summer months. The study, conducted in Auburn,
Alabama, included 160 homes with different levels of shade. Each home’s energy usage was monitored and compared to other houses with similar energy— using patterns, size, type of cooling system, etc. Here are some highlights from the study:
Houses with trees on the west side of their home had a “much lower power bill”.
Older homes had the most shade coverage, because people did not use to rely on air conditioning as much to keep them cool.
Children under age 12 consume the most power in a home as they watch television, play games and frequently leave lights on.
Fall and early winter are the perfect seasons to plant a tree. This time of year many nurseries(苗圃)are trying to reduce their inventory of trees heading into the winter, so you may find a deal on trees easily to plant around your lot.
While you have the spade out, consider planting a tree near your outside air conditioning unit. The shade will keep the unit cooler and help it operate more efficiently. Be sure to plant far enough from the unit to allow proper airflow, and account for the tree’s growth over time.
It actually hurts to watch the trees being knocked over when land developers plan neighborhoods because trees could provide much needed shade to new homeowners, reducing their electric bill and the amount of energy they consume. Hopefully this study, and more like it in the future, will encourage developers and builders to plan around trees as much as possible to offer homeowners a shaded lot.
1.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.A new study about planting trees.
B.Planting trees to reduce your power bill.
C.Houses with trees on the west side.
D.Don't cut trees down when planning neighborhoods.
2.The underlined word "inventory" in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.invention B.volume C.list D.type
3.According to the passage, ____ might spend more energy cost.
A.houses with trees on the west side of their home
B.older houses with the most shade coverage
C.houses with different levels of shade
D.houses with the children under age 12
4.Which is NOT the benefit of planting a tree near the outside air conditioning unit?
A.The shade will keep the unit much cooler.
B.The shade helps the unit operate more efficiently.
C.The trees stops the unit having proper airflow.
D.The shade prevents the sunlight from shining on the unit.
5.What can we learn from this study?
A.The study is carried out by the students at Auburn University, Alabama.
B.While planning new neighborhoods, developers often cut down the trees there.
C.Houses with trees on the east side of their house had a lower power bill.
D.The study will prevent developers and builders from planning more trees.
I've tried to explain compound interest to my eight - year - old daughter. When I have finished it, she summarizes back to me, "So, you are saying if I put $ 100 in the bank, when I turn sixteen the bank will give me $ 200?" She has already grasped more of the concept than I understood at her age, but she couldn't clearly understand that until she sees them in action.
One day I gave her a Ziploc bag with a handful of pennies and told her over the course of a week I wanted her to give me a penny a day. I would deposit the penny in " The Bank of Dad" and compound interest would begin to accumulate the day she deposited the penny. At the end of the week we would check her bank balance.
Each day my daughter handed over one penny at the breakfast table and I deposited it in her bank. I gave her a "receipt" for her deposit and explained that she needed to keep up with the receipts to see how much money she had added to her account. In an effort to make this a little more realistic, I deposited a penny from my own piggy bank every other day to give her an additional four pennies at the end of the week.
On Sunday evening we gathered receipts and confirmed she had deposited seven pennies in "The Bank of Dad. " Then I opened the old film container and counted out its contents—all eleven pennies. "Hey, there are four extra pennies in there!" I explained that her original seven pennies had grown to eleven pennies because every couple days the bank paid her a penny for letting them use her money—that's interest. She paused and asked, "Dad, what would happen if you deposited like a hundred million pennies in the bank?
1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ____.
A.the writer' s daughter understood compound interest better than him
B.the writer wanted her daughter to understand compound interest
C.the writer' s daughter understood compound interest very well
D.the writer' s daughter grasped the exact meaning of compound interest
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 2?
A.The writer' s daughter got a handful of pennies from her father.
B.The writer got compound pennies from "The Bank of Dad".
C.The writer placed one penny in "The Bank of Dad" each day.
D.Compound interest would begin to increase at the end of the week.
3.Each day the writer’s daughter ____.
A.got a penny from her father B.received interest from her father
C.deposited a penny in her piggy bank D.handed over one penny to her father
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A."The Bank of Dad" paid the girl a penny each day as interest.
B.The father used a good way to show his daughter about interest.
C.There were eleven pennies in the old film container in total.
D.The writer's daughter was very puzzled with compound interest.
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.How to Deposit Pennies in "The Bank of Dad".
B.Welcome to Deposit Money in the Bank.
C.How to Teach Compound Interest to Kids.
D.A Good Relationship between Father and Kid.