PALO ALTO, California----"Switching off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter---- even if they do not change their diet or increase the amount they exercise," US researchers said last week.
A study of 192 third and fourth graders, generally aged eight and nine, found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television gained nearly two pounds(0.9kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.
"The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity," said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician(儿科专家) at Stanford University.
"American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing video games, and rates of childhood being very fat have doubled over the past 20 years," Robinson said.
In the study, presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies‘ annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third.
Children watching fewer hours of television showed a significantly smaller increase in waist size and had less body fat than other students who continued their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet or took part in any extra exercise.
"One explanation for the weight loss could be the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around more and burning off calories," Robinson said.
"Another reason might be due to eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more," Robinson said.The author tries to tell us in the first two paragraphs that ________.
A.children will get fatter if they eat too much |
B.children will get thinner if they eat less |
C.children will get fatter if they spend less time watching TV |
D.children will get fatter if they spend more time watching TV |
According to the passage, the time American children usually spend on watching TV_____.
A.is more than four hours a day |
B.is less than four hours a day |
C.doubled in the last twenty years |
D.is more than on any other activities |
The time children spend on TV viewing every day is suggested to be about
A.six hours | B.eight hours | C.three hours | D.one hour |
Why can watching TV increase kids’ weight according to the passage?
A. They usually eat more while watching TV.
B. They burn off fewer calories.
C. They change their diet while watching TV.
D. Both A and B.
A British woman who won a S1 million prize after she was named the World's Best Teacher will use the cash to bring inspirational figures into UK schools.
Andria Zafirakou,a north London secondary school teacher, said she wanted to bring about a classroom revolution (变革). "We are going to make a change,"she said."I've started a project to promote the teaching of the arts in our schools."
The project results from the difficulties many schools have in getting artists of any sort - whether an up-and-coming local musician or a major movie star - into schools to work with and inspire children.
Zafirakou began the project at Alperton Community School, her place of work for the past twelve years. "I've seen those magic moments when children are talking to someone they are inspired by - their eyes are shining and their faces light up," she said. "We need artists . more than ever in our schools."
Artist Michael Craig-Martin said: "Andria's brilliant project to bring artists from all fields into direct contact with children is particularly welcome at a time when the arts are being downgraded in schools." It was a mistake to see the arts as unnecessary, he added.
Historian Sir Simon Schama is also a supporter of the project. He said that arts education in schools was not just an add-on. "It is absolutely necessary. The future depends on creativity and creativity depends on the young. What will remain of us when artificial intelligence takes over will be our creativity, and it is our creative spirit, our visionary sense of freshness,that has been our strength for centuries."
8.What will Zafirakou do with her prize money?
A. |
Make a movie. |
B. |
Build new schools. |
C. |
Run a project. |
D. |
Help local musicians. |
9.What does Craig-Martin think of the teaching of the arts in UK schools?
A. |
It is particularly difficult. |
B. |
It increases artists' income. |
C. |
It opens children's mind. |
D. |
It deserves greater attention. |
10.What should be stressed in school education according to Schama?
A. |
Moral principles. |
B. |
Interpersonal skills. |
C. |
Creative abilities. |
D. |
Positive worldviews. |
11.Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. |
Bring Artists to Schools |
B. |
When Historians Meet Artists |
C. |
Arts Education in Britain |
D. |
The World's Best Arts Teacher |
I have worked as a keeper at the National Zoo.paris for 11 years. Spot and Stripe are the first tiger cubs(幼兽)that have ever been born here. Globally, a third of Sumatran cubs in zoos don't make it to adulthood, so I decided to give them round-the-clock care at home.
I've got two children - the younger one, Kynan, was extremely happy about the tigers arriving - but all of us really looked forward to being part of their lives and watching them grow. I wasn't worried about bringing them into my home with my wife and kids. These were cubs. They weighed about 2.5 kg and were so small that there was absolutely no risk.
As they grew more mobile, we let them move freely around the house during the day, but when we were asleep we had to contain them in a large room, otherwise they'd get up to mischief. We'd come down in the morning to find they'd turned the room upside down, and left it looking like a zoo.
Things quickly got very intense due to the huge amount of energy required to look after them. There were some tough times and I just felt extremely tired. I was grateful that my family was there to help. We had to have a bit of a production line going, making up "tiger milk", washing baby bottles, and cleaning the floors.
When Spot and Stripe were four months old, they were learning how to open doors and jump fences, and we knew it really was time for them to go. It was hard for us to finally part with them. For the first few days, Kynan was always a bit disappointed that the cubs weren't there.
I'm not sad about it. I'm hands-on with them every day at the zoo, and I do look back very fondly on the time that we had them.
4.Why did the author bring the tiger cubs home?
A. |
To ensure their survival. |
B. |
To observe their differences. |
C. |
To teach them life skills. |
D. |
To let them play with his kids. |
5. What do the underlined words "get up to mischief' mean in paragraph 3?
A. |
Behave badly. |
B. |
Lose their way. |
C. |
Sleep soundly. |
D. |
Miss their mom. |
6.What did the author think of raising the tiger cubs at home?
A. |
Boring. |
B. |
Tiring. |
C. |
Costly. |
D. |
Risky. |
7.Why did the author decide to send Spot and Stripe back to the zoo?
A. |
They frightened the children. |
B. |
They became difficult to contain. |
C. |
They annoyed the neighbours. |
D. |
They started fighting each other. |
Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer
Harrogate Music Festival
Since its birth,Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength.This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti,presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.
Dates:1 June-31 July
Tickets:£12-£96
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes
As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor,on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.
We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May,at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required(info@middletonlodge.co.uk.paris)
Dates:23 May-11 July
Tickets: £7.50 per session
Felt Picture Making
Working from an inspirational picture,this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.
We will also discuss the origins of felt(毛毡),what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.
Dates: 12 June-12 July
Tickets: £40 including materials
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math
A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid,and much more.Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.
Dates:7 May-10 June
Tickets:Free
1.What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie's fitness classes?
A. |
Join a fitness club. |
B. |
Pay a registration fee. |
C. |
Make a booking. |
D. |
Hire a personal trainer. |
2. How much is the ticket for Felt Picture Making?
A. |
£7.50. |
B. |
£12. |
C. |
£40. |
D. |
£96. |
3.Which of the following starts earliest?
A. |
Harrogate Music Festival. |
B. |
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes. |
C. |
Felt Picture Making. |
D. |
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math. |
Recent research suggests that if an argument gets resolved,the emotional response tied to it is significantly reduced or almost completely erased.Thus,it may be worth bringing up issues with your friends, family members,or classmates rather than holding them back.
There is a difference between arguing and fighting.Arguing is that you and your opponent present your concerns and discuss the feelings and issues related to those concerns.You can engage in an argument respectfully without stirring up(激起) anger.Fighting,however,usually involves personal attacks,raising of voices, and storming out.Discussing your issues and resolving them instead of stuffing them down can improve your emotional health.In a study,2.000 people were asked to record their feelings and experiences for eight days in a row.When people had an argument that they considered resolved, they had half the reactivity (情绪反应) of those who avoided an argument.Reactivity is an increase in negative emotions or a decrease in positive emotions.In other words,resolving an argument cuts your negative feelings by half.One day later, people who had a resolved argument reported no increase of negative emotions compared with those who avoided an argument. This means that resolving an argument can feel like you have reached a state of resolution-and you are less likely to be annoyed.
Moreover,the older you are,the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument.This may be because more life experience usually leads to more defined priorities.You are more likely to distinguish between what matters and what does not.
It is easier to avoid a discussion,but risking talking about it may eventually lead to a better outcome.
40. According to this passage,what is arguing?
41. Why is it that "the older you are, the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument"?
42. Please decide which part is false in the following statement,then underline it and explain why.
Resolving arguments can improve your emotional health,because it increases your reactivity and reduces the chance of you getting angry.
43. In addition to improving emotional health,what do you think are some other benefits of resolving an argument? (In about 40 words)
Early fifth-century philosopher St.Augustine famously wrote that he knew what time was unless someone asked him.Albert Einstein added another wrinkle when he theorized that time varies depending on where you measure it.Today's state-of-the-art atomic(原子的) clocks have proven Einstein right.Even advanced physics can't decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you're asking.
Forget about time as an absolute.What if,instead of considering time in terms of astronomy, we related time to ecology?What if we allowed environmental conditions to set the tempo(节奏) of human life?We're increasingly aware of the fact that we can't control Earth systems with engineering alone,and realizing that we need to moderate(调节)our actions if we hope to live in balance.What if our definition of time reflected that?
Recently,I conceptualized a new approach to timekeeping that's connected to circumstances on our planet,conditions that might change as a result of global warming.We're now building a clock at the Anchorage Museum that reflects the total flow of several major Alaskan rivers,which are sensitive to local and global environmental changes.We've programmed it to match an atomic clock if the waterways continue to flow at their present rate.If the rivers run faster in the future on average,the clock will get ahead of standard time.If they run slower,you'll see the opposite effect.
The clock registers both short-term irregularities and long-term trends in river dynamics.It's a sort of observatory that reveals how the rivers are behaving from their own temporal frame(时间框架),and allows us to witness those changes on our smartwatches or phones.Anyone who opts to go on Alaska Mean River Time will live in harmony with the planet.Anyone who considers river time in relation to atomic time will encounter a major imbalance and may be motivated to counteract it by consuming less fuel or supporting greener policies.
Even if this method of timekeeping is novel in its particulars,early agricultural societies also connected time to natural phenomena.In pre-Classical Greece,for instance,people"corrected"official calendars by shifting dates forward or backward to reflect the change of season.Temporal connection to the environment was vital to their survival.Likewise,river time and other timekeeping systems we're developing may encourage environmental awareness.
When St.Augustine admitted his inability to define time, he highlighted one of time 's most noticeable qualities:Time becomes meaningful only in a defined context.Any timekeeping system is valid,and each is as praiseworthy as its purpose.
31. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A. |
Timekeeping is increasingly related to nature. |
B. |
Everyone can define time on their own terms. |
C. |
The qualities of time vary with how you measure it. |
D. |
Time is a major concern of philosophers and scientists. |
32. The author raises three questions in Paragraph 2 mainly to__________.
A. |
present an assumption |
B. |
evaluate an argument |
C. |
highlight an experiment |
D. |
introduce an approach |
33. What can we learn from this passage?
A. |
Those who do not go on river time will live an imbalanced life. |
B. |
New ways of measuring time can help to control Earth systems.. |
C. |
Atomic time will get ahead of river time if the rivers run slower. |
D. |
Modern technology may help to shape the rivers' temporal frame. |
34. What can we infer from this passage?
A. |
It is crucial to improve the definition of time. |
B. |
A fixed frame will make time meaningless. |
C. |
We should live in harmony with nature. |
D. |
History is a mirror reflecting reality. |