Let's face it．No one drinks diet soda for the taste．People drink diet soda in the hope that it will help them lose weight or at least keep them from gaining it．Yet it seems to have exactly the opposite effect, according to a new study．
Researchers from the University of Texas said those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had waist size increases that were six times greater than those who didn't drink diet soda．"What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drank, the more weight they were likely to gain," said Sharon Fowler．
The study was based on data from 474 participants in a large, ongoing research project, where the participants were followed for nearly l0 years．
While the findings are surprising, they also offer some explanations．
Nutrition expert, Melanie Rogers, who works with overweight patients in New York, has found that when patients are switched from regular to diet soda, they don't lose weight at all．"We weren't seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us," said Rogers．
So why would diet soda cause weight gain? No one knows for sure yet, but it could be that people think they can eat more if they drink diet soda, and so over-compensate for the missing calories．
A related study found some sweeteners （甜味剂） raised blood sugar levels in some mice．"Data from this and other potential studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may be risky," said Helen P．Hazuda, professor at the University of Texas's school of medicine．"They may be free of calories, but not of consequences．"People drink diet soda to _____．
| A．enjoy its taste | B．achieve weight loss |
| C．stay in fashion | D．gain more energy |
The new study suggests that drinking diet soda _____．
| A．causes people to become heavier | B．helps people to be healthier |
| C．makes people much thinner | D．offers people more calories |
We can learn from the passage that _____．
| A．regular soda makes people lose more weight |
| B．diet soda does help reduce calories |
| C．diet soda drinkers tend to eat more food |
| D．most blood diseases come from diet soda |
The underlined word "They" in the last paragraph probably refers to _____．
| A．sweeteners |
| B．diet soda drinkers and sweetener takers |
| C．sodas |
| D．diet sodas and artificial sweeteners |
Every school has an ugly girl. In my primary school, it was me.
From first grade through fourth, I had to wear heavy orthopedic(整形外科的)shoes because of my weak ankles. I sounded like overweight elephant wearing bricks whenever I took a single step.
“Hey, Bigfoot!”
“Geez, you’re going to start an earthquake!”
Then in sixth grade I had to start wear glasses. Mom asked for the least expensive ones and that made me look like a fool.
“Four eyes!”
“Couldn’t you cover up more of your faces? Why stop at the eyes?”
In Seventh, I started competing on the city swim team, thinking that if I got a killer body, nobody would notice my face. Wrong again. I loved being fast and winning ribbons now and then, but now I had red, wet eyes from the chlorine(氯) in the pool. I also did not develop a killer body.
I changed my strategy at Eighth grade, the last year of middle school. I offered my help to anyone who needs. I worked for other girls, so they could hang out with their friends. My new program began to work. People who would never have acknowledged my existence before were suddenly seeking me out.
I’d been feeling pretty good until one day I went to Christine’s house to help her fill envelopes. Going into each envelope was invitation to Christine’s birthday party; it was a big event at a fancy hotel. Complete with dinner. She asked me to help her address these envelopes. There was no envelope for me.
My heart was broken. I tried to escape from all the eyes. High school had to be better, right？ Yes and no. Now that I’m here, I know there are still lots of shallow people judging you on what you’re wearing or how cool your hair is , but there are also kids who talk to you because they liked your answers or just as you’re kind, honest, and a good friend.
I still do kind things because I like the feeling I get when I am helping people. I, with my friends, went to Children’s hospital, playing games and reading to the sick kids.
I still had wet red and not a smart look, but you cannot tell me I am not beautiful. Every time I visit hospital, five-year-old Terry grasps my hand, “Morri, you are so nice. I want to grow up to be just like you.”Why was Morri laughed at by her classmates when she was in primary school?
| A．She had weak ankles and eyesight. |
| B．Her glasses couldn’t cover up her face. |
| C．She couldn’t get along well with them. |
| D．She looked like an overweight elephant. |
Which of the following is the real reason for Morri competing on the city swim team?
| A．To win more ribbons. |
| B．To shift others’ attention from her face. |
| C．To develop a killer body. |
| D．To have red wet eyes. |
From what Morri experienced in the last year of middle school, we can learn that __________.
| A．her classmates thought highly of her |
| B．she was popular among her classmates |
| C．she was often cheated by her classmates |
| D．her classmates just made use of her |
The passage is intended to encourage people to __________.
| A．address as many as invitation envelopes as possible |
| B．take more sport activities including swimming |
| C．take others’ comments into careful consideration |
| D．take positive attitude towards disadvantages in life |
A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation（诱惑）early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and inflexible.
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as “character”.
EQ is not the opposite(相反) of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one’s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients(要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ makes up about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse. The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that .
| A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment |
| B．emotional intelligence won’t show up until adolescence |
| C．the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success |
| D．candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence |
The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．kind | B．floating | C．excited | D．cheerful |
Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?
| A．To amuse both the children and readers. |
| B．To prove the scientist’s wisdom. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| D．To show us how to do an IQ test. |
What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Information about famous people with high EQ. |
| B．Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ. |
| C．Some reasons why EQ is a relatively new field. |
| D．Strong demand for basic emotional education. |
Chinese New Year for Kids
‘Chinese New Year for Kids’ is a full color paperback book with beautiful Chinese illustrations (插图). This is a hands-on workbook for parents and teachers, written for children from ages 3 to 12 years old, for use in the classroom or at home. Music, physical movement, art, and food all add to the atmosphere of taking an imaginary trip to China during the Chinese New Year.
| Author:Cindy Roberts |
| Date: 2002-10-01 |
| List Price: $ 9.95 |
| Price: $ 8.95 Buy it On Amazon.com |
The Polar Express
One couldn’t select a more delightful and exciting premise (前提) for a children’s book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. And one couldn’t ask for a more talented artist and writer to tell the story than Chris Van Allsburg.
| Author:Chris Van Allsburg |
| Date: 1985-10-28 |
| List Price: $18.95 |
| Price: $ 12.89 Buy it On Amazon.com |
The Secret of Saying Thanks
Perhaps you’d like to know a secret, one of the happiest ones of all. You’ll discover it all on your own, maybe when you least expect. If you’ve not yet discovered the secret of saying thanks, it’s waiting for you. The secret can be found in the sunrise that offers promises for the day ahead, or in the gentle shade of a tree sheltering you from the hot rays of the sun.
| Author:Douglas Wood |
| Date: 2005-9-27 |
| List Price: $ 16.95 |
| Price: $ 11.53 Buy it On Amazon.com |
The Runaway Pumpkin
When Buck, Billy and their little sister Lily spy the biggest pumpkin they’ve ever seen, they can’t resist (抵制). Buck and Billy try to roll the pumpkin down the hill to show everyone, but it’s too big! Before they know it, it’s rolling out of control down the hillside. It knocks over Grandpa Baxter and makes him think of pumpkin soup. And when Poppa Baxter finally stops, all he can think of is pumpkin bread.
| Author:Kevin Lewis |
| Date: 2003-09-01 |
| List Price: $ 15.95 |
| Price: $ 6.38 Buy it On Amazon.com |
We can infer from the passage that Chinese New Year for Kids ________.
| A．is very popular with readers all over the world |
| B．is helpful to foreigners to travel to China. |
| C．helps readers to learn about Chinese culture |
| D．introduces a lot of outdoor activities. |
If you buy a copy of The Runaway Pumpkin on Amazon. Com, you can save ________.
| A．30% | B．60% | C．40% | D．70% |
The author wrote the passage mainly to ________.
| A．offer us some advice on shopping |
| B．tell us some interesting stories |
| C．introduce some children’s books |
| D．compare some books’ information |
It’s not easy being a teenager nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager．You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself．It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you．
Expect a lot from your child，just not everything．Except for health and safety problems，such as drug use or careless driving，consider everything else open to discussion．If your child is unwilling to discuss something，don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind．The more you insist， the more likely that he’ll clam up．Instead，let him try to solve things by himself. At the same time，remind him that you’re always there for him if he seeks advice or help．Show respect for your teenager’s privacy(隐私)．Never read his mail or listen in on personal conversations．
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long，tell him he can talk for l5 minutes，but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time．This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls，but teaches your teenager moderation(节制).Or if you are open to the idea，allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job． The main purpose of the text is to tell parents．
| A．how to get along with a teenager |
| B．how to respect a teenager |
| C．how to help a teenager grow up |
| D．how to understand a teenager |
What does the phrase "clam up" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．become excited | B．show respect |
| C．refuse to talk | D．seek help |
The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager ________.
| A．to use the phone in a proper way |
| B．to pay for his own telephone |
| C．to share the phone with friends |
| D．to answer the phone quickly |
What should parents do in raising a teenager according to the text?
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs. |
| B．Give him advice only when necessary. |
| C．Let him have his own telephone. |
| D．Not talk about personal things with him. |
Anyone who has ever volunteered for any cause can tell you that in the end, they felt that they gained more from the experience than they gave. This is true for most examples of reaching out to help others. We find that we gain new understanding about not only those we help, but ourselves as well. Stressing the importance of helping others in martial arts students will benefit them both inside and outside of the class.
Helping others strengthens families. Families that practice the belief of working together and helping each other prepare their children for the concept of teamwork outside of the home environment. By learning to help around the house through activities such as household jobs, baby-sitting and keeping a tidy bedroom, children learn valuable lessons that they carry with them to their future relationships.
By helping others outside of the home environment, valuable friendships can be developed. When we learn to reach out to others and give off our time and talents we find that our friendships grow, which in turn is a benefit to our lives. Martial arts training supports this by exposing students to people of various backgrounds and beliefs that gather for a common goal and to help each other. Any time a group of people are working toward a common goal, team spirit surely forms. When we help each other in the martial arts setting and in every area of our lives, a friendship is formed that promotes teamwork.
The most important thing to realize is that it does not take a lot to make a lot happen. Little things can make a big difference in the area of helping others. Simple gestures of kindness and support given frequently can build a strong base for the growth and development of each individual which leads to the success of all. Any volunteer will benefit from the experience because _______.
| A．they will be admitted to a martial arts class for free |
| B．they can also have a better understanding of themselves |
| C．they can understand the importance of martial arts better |
| D．they will be paid off by those who are helped sooner or later |
Household jobs are mentioned in Paragraph 2 in order to show that such activities _______.
| A．benefit children outside the classes |
| B．prepare children for the future |
| C．help children form good habits |
| D．strengthen children’s understanding of society |
According to the author, martial arts training is valuable in that it _______.
| A．promotes students’ team spirit |
| B．develops students’ talents |
| C．benefits students’ lives |
| D．exposes students’ background |
Which of the following proverbs can be used to summarize the last paragraph?
| A．Many drops make a shower. |
| B．Strike the iron while it is hot. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．Success belongs to the persevering. |