With big handbags becoming a key fashion accessory(配饰) for working women, health experts are warning they can also become a key health concern.
Bags for women have become bigger and heavier as designers combine briefcases with handbags and straps have become longer, resulting in many users complaining of neck, shoulder and back problems.
“I see so many women with neck pains and headaches and what I usually do is look for their purse and pick it up,”said Jane Sadler, a family practice physician at Baylor Medical Center in Garland, Texas.“We take it over to the scale and weigh it and usually they’re anywhere from 7 to 10 pounds. We’re really going to see women with more and more problems later on if we continue the big purse craze.”
William Case, a physical therapist(临床医生)in private practice in Houston, Texas, urged designers“to place a cute, educational caution tag(标签) on all bags to inform buyers of potential neck and shoulder dangers.”Above all, he suggested correct posture while carrying big purses, keeping the head and shoulders upright. Patients should also often change the size and weight of purses carried.
“The extra-large purses are quite extraordinary. They look beautiful when the women wear them, but I don’t know how aware they are of the potential problems,”Case said.
Placing objects on one shoulder was one of the least efficient(高效率的) ways of carrying a load, according to a professor from Cornell University in New York State.“This causes a great imbalance,”he said.“If a big bag is a fashion accessory, then occasional and symbolic use is fine. If not, then keep it light.”Jane Salder would“look for their purse and pick it up”in order to see whether the purses .
| A．contained enough | B．were worth a lot of pounds |
| C．were too heavy | D．were too large |
Which correctly explains the meaning of the underlined word“posture”in the 4th paragraph?
| A．The way you position your body. |
| B．The part of your body where you place a weight. |
| C．The strength you use to carry a weight. |
| D．The height of the weight you carry. |
None of the experts advised big bag users to .
| A．be aware of the big-bag problems |
| B．wear big bags in the right way |
| C．avoid using big bags very often |
| D．give up the fashion to keep fit |
Children in the United States eat too much pizza that some researchers now argue the food should join the ranks of sugary drinks and fast food for the harm they do to health．
In a new study, the researchers found that pizza is a large source of calories, saturated fat(饱和脂肪)and salt in children’s diets．Children should not eat more than two slices of pizza for a meal．and should pair that with salad, rather than with another high-calorie food，the researchers concluded．
“Parents should aim to control pizza consumption(消费), particularly as a snack where it was shown to have a very adverse impact on children, and they should put their pizza dollars toward healthier brands．” said Lisa Powel, director of the Illinois Prevention Research Center．
Pizza has become a matter of focus in recent years for researchers who look at the meals children eat, rather than the nutrients within them．Studies have found pizza is among the greatest sources of calories for children．
“Since pizza remains a common part of children’s diet, we need to make ‘healthy’ pizza．”Powel said．To make pizza healthier, food producers should reduce its saturated fat and salt, and increase its whole grain content，she said．
Whether or not pizza is harmful enough to be picked out as an unhealthy food, the study attracts attention to a larger issue with the modern American lifestyle, said Alexis Tindall, who was not involved in the flow research．Many foods arc eaten too frequently and in large sizes．said Tindall．To solve the problem, people don’t have to give up eating pizza, but instead, they can eat smaller and healthier pizza，she said．
“Make it at home, instead of ordering it out where you don’t have any control over how it’s made．”Tindall said. “When we make it at home, we can choose healthier ingredients，increase the vegetables．reduce fat, and put in less cheese．Pizza doesn’t have to be just pepperoni(意大利辣香肠)and cheese．”According to the research．children shouldn’t eat ．
| A．more than two slices of pizza in a day |
| B．two slices of pizza for a meal |
| C．more pizza with French fries |
| D．pizza along with salad |
Powel suggests healthier pizza should be made ．
| A．with less salt | B．with more ingredients |
| C．in smaller sizes | D．at home |
The last sentence of the passage implies that pepperoni and cheese ．
| A．are not necessary ingredients of pizza |
| B．should be reduced by adding healthier ingredients． |
| C．should all be replaced with healthier ingredient． |
| D．are not the only healthy ingredients of pizza |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Pizza—a real junk food! |
| B．How to prepare better meals for your kids? |
| C．Bring in healthier pizza for Americans |
| D．Discover the harm of eating pizza |
As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know how the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.What can we learn about the first experiment?
| A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The first group didn’t know where the information is. |
| C．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| D．The second group had a better memory of the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
| A．know how to access huge amounts of information later. |
| B．learn how to organize small amounts of information. |
| C．organize huge quantities of information like a computer. |
| D．bear huge quantities of information in mind. |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
| A．We are becoming more intelligent. |
| B．We are using memory differently. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to access information. |
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package, free accommodation with utilities paid for, 90 per cent medical reimbursement, a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must：
assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them；
be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff；
ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails；
have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must：
work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions；
have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must：
be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions；
be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must：
have excellent skills in information graphics；
be good at illustrations and freehand drawings；
be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts；
have a good sense of typography；
have good news judgment；
be well-versed with Macintosh software, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop；
be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn.What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| B．To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| C．To tell you how to become part of this group. |
| D．To advertise for recruiting some good employees. |
What is NOT required about Graphic Designer?
| A．Be well-versed with Photoshop. |
| B．Writing snappy headlines and captions. |
| C．Having a good sense of typography. |
| D．Have excellent skills in information graphics. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Free accommodations are available to the workers. |
| B．The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay. |
| C．The employees have the right to enjoy eleven-day public holidays. |
| D．The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals. |
Exhausted and unhappy, you still have to squeeze a smile to your friends, or teachers. That’s just life, you may think. But new research suggests that putting on a fake smile can worsen people’s mood and even lower work efficiency.
Lead researcher Brent Scott with other researchers studied a group of bus drivers for two weeks. They tried to find out what happened when the drivers were involved in “surface acting” or fake smiling, and the opposite, “deep acting” which means people put on real smiles by recalling pleasant memories or thinking about their current situation more positively.
The results showed that on days when drivers were forced to smile, they felt depressed and didn’t want to work. On days when they smiled due to positive thoughts, their mood improved a lot as well as their work efficiency.
The research goes against the popular belief among companies that employees should be cheerful to customers at all times. They include employees of shops, banks, call center workers and others who have face-to-face contact with members of the public. “Smiling for the sake of(为了) smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion and coldness, and that’s bad for the organization,” Scott told the Daily Mail.
The study also showed that women were harmed more by fake smiling than men. Their mood and work performance both worsened more. But they were helped more by deep acting — their mood became better and they worked more efficiently.
However, while deep acting seemed to improve mood in the short term, Scott says it’s not a long-term solution for unhappiness.
“There have been some suggestions that if you do this over a long period that you start to feel inauthentic(不真实的),” Scott said. “You may be trying to cultivate positive emotions, but at the end of the day you may not feel like yourself anymore.”Brent Scott and others’ experiments on bus drivers suggest that ______.
| A．depression among bus drivers is common |
| B．thinking in a positive way helps with work efficiency |
| C．bus drivers with pleasant memories tend to be less efficient |
| D．the bus drivers’ work efficiency is determined by their mood |
According to the article, which of the following statements about “fake smiling” is TRUE?
| A．It is good for the business but bad for the employees. |
| B．It doesn’t work on people who are emotionally expressive. |
| C．It is a widely accepted cultural practice in the US. |
| D．It causes more harm to women than men. |
We can conclude from the article that the researchers think that ______.
| A．people should be true to their feelings |
| B．smiling helps to put people in a good mood and become more efficient |
| C．it is unnecessary to cultivate positive emotions |
| D．deep acting can improve mood in the long run |
The article is mainly about ______.
| A．the importance of smiling during face-to-face contact |
| B．a new study on fake smiling and its influence on people |
| C．suggestions on improving work efficiency |
| D．how to cheer up when you are exhausted |
In many sports, physical contact(身体接触) is part of the game. But when athletes hit their heads, the hit can cause concussions(脑震荡).
Concussions have long been a concern for professional athletes, but they’ve become more common among young players too. Between 2001 and 2009, the number of kids under 19 visiting doctors for concussions each year increased by 62 percent.
Engineers are developing new helmets(头盔), and new rules are limiting physical contact in some sports. But are these efforts enough to protect kids’ brains?
Concussions can happen during many types of activities. But sports like football and soccer are especially risky. When you run or jump, your body is moving at an increased speed. A sudden hit causes you to move faster in a different direction.
“It’s like when you’re in a bus and it makes a sudden stop,” says Dr. Kevin Crutchfield, an expert at a sports concussion center in Baltimore, Maryland. “You hit the inside of the bus.”
This hit damages the brain. It affects the way the brain functions. So some sports require athletes to wear helmets. Helmets help reduce the force of a hit. The hard outer shell spreads the force of larger area. Inside a helmet, a plastic or air-filled lining also helps soften the blow.
Steve Rowson is an engineer at Virginia Tech. In his lab, he tests how helmets hold up against different types of hits. No helmet can prevent concussions completely, says Rowson. But he’s found that when wearing a newer football helmet, the player’s head doesn’t gain speed as much after a hit. That lowers the risk of concussions.
Many youth sports teams have set limits on physical contact to reduce the risk of concussions. In soccer, most concussions happen as a result of headers—shots or passes made with the head. That’s why many people think kids shouldn’t head the ball until high school.
These efforts should help, says Crutchfield. But the best way to prevent long-term brain injuries, he says, is to stop playing immediately if you suffer concussion. “Protect yourself today so you can play again tomorrow.”Concussions among young players ______.
| A．are rare before 2001 |
| B．seem extremely worrying |
| C．cause kids to lose interest in sports |
| D．are mostly caused by wearing no helmets |
The author mentions the sudden stop of the bus to _____.
| A．stress it’s dangerous to ride buses |
| B．show human brains are easily damaged |
| C．give a better explanation of concussions |
| D．remind people to wear helmets while playing sports |
What does Steve Rowson think of the newer football helmets?
| A．They vary a lot in size. |
| B．They work better than the old ones. |
| C．They slow down the player’s running speed. |
| D．They allow the players to move their heads more freely. |
Dr. Crutchfield suggests that after receiving a concussion, young players should__.
| A．never head the ball |
| B．avoid dangerous sports |
| C．play other kinds of sports |
| D．stop playing the sport for a while |