When doctors urge overweight kids to pick up more activities,reading probably isn’t what they have in mind. Yet a new study by fatness researchers at Duke University finds that the simple act of reading—depending on the choice of material—can cause weight loss in teenage girls.
The study’s experimental group included 31 fat girls aged 9 to 13,who took part in the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke Children’s Hospital. The girls read a novel called Lake Rescue,whose protagonist (主人公) is an overweight teenager who struggles with low selfesteem,feelings of loneliness and teasing because of her size. A group of 33 girls read a different book called Charlotte in Paris,which did not have an overweight character,and another group of 17 girls read neither book.
At the end of the sixmonth experiment,all the girls who read books had lost weight,but the girls who read Lake Rescue lost more. They lowered their body mass index (BMI) by 0.71,compared with 0.33 in the Charlotte group,an average 0.05 increase among the nonreaders.
The idea behind the study,says Dr Sarah Armstrong,director of Healthy Lifestyles,was to find a way to encourage the girls without adopting the restrictive and often authoritative voice of so many other nutrition and diet programs. Lake Rescue was the perfect instrument,says Armstrong;it presents a likable character to whom the girls could relate and whom they could learn from. As the book progresses,its protagonist learns to make healthier lifestyle choices and finds an adviser to help keep her on track. Armstrong says,“She learns that she can become healthier,and the ‘I can do it’ feeling resonates (产生共鸣) with the teenage girls.”What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.There are different ways to help overweight kids lose weight. |
B.Lifestyle is important for kids. |
C.Lake Rescue is the perfect weightlosing instrument. |
D.Reading can help kids lose weight. |
How many girls took part in the experiment?
A.31. | B.33. | C.64. | D.81. |
What does the underlined word “She” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Armstrong. | B.The protagonist in Lake Rescue. |
C.A character in Charlotte in Paris. | D.A girl in the first group. |
According to the passage we can know that ________.
A.overweight girls are living unhappily |
B.reading is the best way to lose weight |
C.different reading materials play different roles in losing weight |
D.people will become fat if they don’t read |
In which part of a newspaper can we read the above passage?
A.Education. | B.Entertainment. | C.Health. | D.Advertisement. |
The desire to make explorations is born with man. Wherever his imagination goes, man also has a strong wish to go. A large part of human history is connected with the exploration of the world in which we live. Again and again people have set out with surprising courage and patience to look into unknown regions and lands to see what had not yet been seen, to make known the unknown. With kites, balloons and aircraft they left the ground to pass through the lower atmosphere. Now the outer space receives their attention.
Why should man take the trouble of exploring space? It is hard to list the specific practical benefits that will result in. But one knows, from past experience in other areas, that man will surely see and discover new things in space that will increase our scientific knowledge, and this new knowledge will find its way into valuable practical uses. What we learn about man himself, from his experience in space, and from the effects of space and the space flight environment on him, will be extremely valuable. The new techniques developed to carry out the exploration of space, and to keep man alive in space, will certainly find practical uses in everyday life in some way. The areas that will benefit are manifold. They include communication, generation of power, transportation and travel, food production, materials, fuels and many others. But to say exactly what the practical results will be is almost impossible.
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that __________.
A. man often goes wherever his dreams go
B. man desires to explore what is unknown
C. man is no longer interested in the study of the land and sea now
D. man's history is his exploration of the world
2. The word "manifold" in the second paragraph probably means ________ .
A. of value B. of use C. in a way D. in many ways
3. The author seems to be in favor of ____.
A. the exploration of space
B. doubting the necessity of the space exploration
C. exploring more in space than in sea
D. his experience in space
4. In the last sentence of paragraph 2 ,the phrase "practical results" refers to the results ______.
A. that can be made use of
B. that can be learned as knowledge
C. that are obtained from experience
D. helping us make further exploration
Welcome to the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. In order to protect the interests and rights of visitors and ensure a safe and orderly visit, the organizer of Expo 2010 has made these Terms and Conditions.
Article 1 Scope of Application
These Terms and Conditions are applicable to (适用于) all visitors to Expo 2010, including those who enter the Expo Site with valid tickets and children at or below 1.2m at the time of entry, who are suitable for free admission.
Article 2 Operation Time
The operation time of the Expo Site shall be 9:00 ~ 24:00. The opening hours of the exhibitions shall be 9:30 ~ 22:30. Visitors shall enter the Expo Site before 21:00 and leave before 24:00 on the day of admission. Those with evening admission tickets may enter the Expo Site between 17:00 and 21:00.
Article 3 Orderly Entry
Visitors shall go through ticket pre-check, security check and ticket confirmation in an orderly fashion before entering the Expo Site. Those who refuse to cooperate may be denied entry by the Organizer.
Children suitable for free admission and other visitors with mobility difficulties may only enter the Expo Site when accompanied by adults. Those under the influence of alcohol and the persons suffering from mental disorders are not allowed to enter.
Article 4 Exhibitions and Performances
Visitors may visit exhibitions and watch performances in the Expo Site at no additional charge.
1. Which of the following statement is true according to the text?
A. At the time of entry ,children below 1.2m needn’t buy tickets to enter the Expo Site.
B. Visitors must pay additional fee to watch performances in the Expo Site
C. Children below 1.2m can enter the Expo Site by themselves.
D. Before entering the Expo Site, visitors shall go through ticket pre-check and security check.
2. Mr.Wang has got an evening admission ticket , how long can he stay in the Expo Site at most?
A. 15 hours. B. 13 hours. C. 7 hours. D. 4 hours.
3. What does “Those under the influence of alcohol " mean?
A. Visitors with mobility difficulties.
B. The persons who are drunk.
C. Visitors who refuse to cooperate.
D. The persons who sell alcohol.
The Food and Drug Administration is, again, threatening to impose(征税) milk and meat from cloned animals on a public that opposes the technology and its products.
Respected polls report that more than 60% of Americans think animal cloning is immoral, and that most people said they wouldn’t knowingly eat the products even if the FDA approved them. But because the FDA would allow cloned meat and milk to be sold without identifying labels, consumers wouldn’t be able to avoid them. The FDA has consistently tilted toward those who want cloned milk and meat in our food. Agency officials have repeatedly asserted that science shows cloned milk and meat are safe for humans. But the FDA has never published the complete scientific studies it says support that claim.
The argument that cloning is safe for animals is unconvincing. Cloned meat and milk offer no public economic benefits. Having cloned cows produce more milk wouldn’t reduce milk prices. US farmers produce more milk than we drink, and the government is required to buy the surplus. Since 2000, dairy support programs have cost taxpayers more than $ 5 billion.
Most important, this first decision to advance animal biotechnology raises ethical issues beyond the FDA’s expertise(专家意见). Techniques used to clone animals will advance the ability to clone humans-and create animals with human genes. Neither the agency nor animal scientists are qualified to tell us whether and when it is ethically acceptable for humans to alter the essential nature of animals. We need a national discussion, including ethicists and religious leaders, to consider the wisdom of cloned and transgenic animals. Given the risk of unintended consequences, we should proceed cautiously. The president should halt further FDA action on cloning and set in motion(运作) a process for beginning this broader discussion.
1. The author’s attitude towards cloning is __________.
A. standing in the middle B. opposed C. approving D. supportive
3. In US many people buy cloned foods __________.
A. to support the new technique
B. because FDA approved them
C. because they cannot tell which is cloned food
D. because they cannot read the labels.
3. From the text we know that cloning technique ___________.
A. developed well enough to clone human beings
B. may cause unintended bad results to human beings
C. will bring more unexpected economic benefits
D. is supported by ethicists and religious leaders
4. What’s the best title of this passage?
A.Public Is Against Cloned Food B.Benefits of Cloned Food
C.Cloned Food Is Illegal D.Technique in Cloned Food
Chinese mainland's star-making reality TV show "Happy Boy" will not be open to male applicants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau or other foreign cities, said the country's top TV industry committee yesterday.
Happy Boy is the male version of Super Girl, which is regarded as the Chinese version of American Idol. The girl's event, operated by central China's Hunan TV, drew an audience of 400 million for the final match in 2005. The country's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television approved the male version earlier this month. However, the regulation that only mainland's male applicants are allowed to register was released just days before the application procedure began on Wednesday in Changsha, one of the five mainland cities to hold the contest. The other four includes Chengdu and three undecided cities.
The regulation spoiled Hunan TV's ambition to extend the series to the overseas market, an official with the TV station told the Hunan-based Xiaoxiang Morning yesterday. "My Hero," another star-making reality show by Shanghai's SMG Dragon TV, said it was not informed of the regulation, and it is still receiving foreign applicants, said an official with Dragon TV. A previous regulation by the administration has made clear that televised talent shows can't run for more than six weeks at a time. While the first "Happy Boy" may last for five months, according to a previous report.
Last year there were about 10 influential star-making TV shows across the country, among which those from CCTV, Hunan Satellite TV and SMG's Dragon TV, were the most popular. "Super Girl" ran for almost five months and "My Hero" lasted four months. While the shows have proven popular, they have also earned many complaints from people who say they are crude and not satisfactory.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. Male applicants from Hong Kong won’t be accepted to attend Happy Boy show.
B. It was Hunan TV that made the regulation that they couldn’t accept foreign applicants.
C. American Idol was started earlier than Super Girl.
D. Audience love American Idol better than Happy Boy.
2. Which of the following may best explain the underlined word spoiled in paragraph 3?
A. preventedB. gaveC. encouragedD. affected
3. We can safely draw the conclusion that ________.
A. Hunan TV will obey the regulations issued by the administration.
B. not all of the audience think highly of the shows.
C. there were about 10 popular TV shows across the country.
D. Dragon TV broke the regulations on purpose.
4. The relationship between State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and Hunan TV is possibly close to _______.
A. teacher and student B. coach and sportsmen
C. father and sonD. police and criminal
Successful people in international business understand the cultures of other countries and learn to change their practices in different cultures. They understand the importance of avoiding business decisions based on misconceptions—mistaken ideas.
One cause of misconceptions is ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s own culture’s way of doing things is better than the way of other cultures. It’s ethnocentrism that leads to failure in international business. To avoid ethnocentrism, it’s necessary to study the different elements(组成部分)of culture: language, values and attitudes, and customs and manners.
Language
A knowledge of the local language can help international business people in four ways. First, people can communicate directly. Second, people are usually more open in their communication with someone who speaks their language. Third, an understanding of the language allows people to infer meanings that are not said directly. Finally, knowing the language helps people to understand the culture better.
Values are people’s basic beliefs about the difference between right and wrong, good and bad . An attitude is a way of thinking or acting. Values and attitudes influence international business. For example, many people in the United States believe that chocolate from Switzerland is better than chocolate from other countries, and they buy a lot of it.
Customs and manners
Customs are common social practices. Manners are ways of acting that the society believes are polite. For example, in the United States, it is the custom to have salad (色拉) before the main course at dinner, not after. It’s not acceptable to talk with food in mouth at table. Failure to understand the customs and manners of other countries will bring difficulty selling their products. Orange juice as a breakfast drink of an American company in France doesn’t sell well because the French don’t usually drink juice with breakfast.
1. A knowledge of the local language allows international business people _________.
A. to communicate without outside help
B. to be more open with their customers
C. to express their thoughts indirectly
D. to have a better idea of their own culture
2. The act of many people buying chocolate of Switzerland shows the role of ________.
A. attitudes B. values C. manners D. customs
3. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Misconceptions in Business B. Basic Beliefs in Business
C. International Business Culture D. Successful International Business
4. The author’s purpose of writing this article is to tell people ___________.
A. how to take a right attitude in business
B. how to act politely and properly in business
C. how to use a local language in business
D. how to avoid misunderstandings in business