Over the years, Americans have become used to salt.Most people have no idea how much salt they consume-on average, about 9 to 12 gram per person per day, according to the American Heart Association.That's twice the amount recommended by the government.
A new study last week showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart.The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes(中风), four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease.
Researchers also found that the benefits would be greatest for African Americans and women.As a group, African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure than the general population, and "many studies suggest that they may be more sensitive to salt," says Dr.Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist(流行病学家)at the University of California, San Francisco.Her analysis found that a reduction of 3 gram of salt per day would reduce heart attacks 8% on average; among African Americans, that rate would drop 10%.A similar result was found in women, whose stroke risk dropped 8% with a 3-g reduction in salt intake; in men, the risk fell 5%.
They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt.
However, other scientists say such a campaign is an experiment with the health of millions of people.
Michael Alderman, a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure.But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes.
“Salt has other biological effects. Calling for reductions in the national diet could have good effects, as well as harmful results. There is not enough evidence either way,”said Michael Alderman.Eating too much salt may lead to the following EXCEPT .
A.stroke | B.heart disease | C.high blood pressure | D.lung cancer |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Most Americans take more salt than advised. |
B.African women eat more salt than Americans. |
C.One's origin determines how much salt he can eat. |
D.Good health is just on the basis of having less salt. |
The author's attitude toward the study is .
A.cold | B.objective | C.subjective | D.doubtful |
What's the best title of the passage?
A.The Benefits of Eating Less Salt. |
B.A New Study on Salt and Diseases. |
C.An Argument Over Salt and Health. |
D.The Harm Caused by Too Much Salt. |
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled(贴标签)everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming. “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled(爬)under her covers, sobbing.
Obviously, that was not something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.What made Kate so angry one evening?
A.She couldn’t find her books. |
B.She heard the author shouting loud. |
C.She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
D.She saw the author’s shoes beneath her bed. |
The author tidied up the room most probably because _______.
A.she was scared by Kate’s anger |
B.she hated herself for being so messy |
C.she wanted to show her care |
D.she was asked by Kate to do so |
How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
A.By analyzing causes |
B.By showing differences |
C.By describing a process |
D.By following time order |
What might be the best title for the story?
A.My Friend Kate |
B.Hard Work Pays Off |
C.How to Be Organized |
D.Learning to Be Roommates |
Every day we are adding more and more vacation ideas,destinations,tours, and articles.As you explore our website,you will find there is an ever-growing collection of things that will help make your vacation easier and more affordable.
We change our featured destinations very frequently so be sure to keep coming back to see what new ideas we have for your family vacation.We feature a different state,park, and city destination on the front page of the website.These change frequently, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you can be sure to keep up with all the new information.
Another great feature we are offering is Guest Articles.These may come from a travel professional,author, parent or child about their travel ideas or offers.These informative articles are great to read and are perfect for discovering valuable tips and tricks for malting travel less stressful.Plus,in many articles you will discover some hidden gems(珍品)that you probably miss if you did not know about them.
One of the best things about our website is our ability to get you discounted Tours and Attraction Passes to the places you want to go most.This is a fantastic way to plan ahead and have your tours and passes paid for and pick them up before you leave your home.Now that is a helpful way to go.These programs can save you over 50%of what you could expect to pay when you arrive.And,we are adding new tours and programs every week.Be sure to check it out.
You can be sure we are working hard for you so that you can relax on your vacation. Let us do all the leg work for you so you can simply enjoy your family vacation!What does the writer want to do by writing this text?
A.To give people tips on family vacations. |
B.To offer travelers featured destinations. |
C.To attract readers to surf a tourist website. |
D.To introduce hidden gems for traveling. |
Why does the writer suggest surfing the website-frequently?
A.Because the featured destinations are changeable. |
B.Because the front page is quite unique |
C.Because it can attract more advertisements. |
D.Because it helps to sell more newsletters. |
What can we learn from Guest Articles?
A.steps to sign up for the family vacation website. |
B.Tips on keeping up with new travel information. |
C.Tips and tricks for a comfortable trip. |
D.Tricks for enjoying a free family vacation. |
Which isn’t the benefit that the website brings to us?
A.We can get discounted Tours and Attraction Passes |
B.We can get some information of new tours and programs |
C.We can have our Passes in hand when starting off. |
D.We can enjoy a family vacation with leg work. |
Which of the following shows the organization of the text?(P=Paragraph)
The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放)by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率),which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher,‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words,old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information,it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈) facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors,could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面),suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted 一 whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
A.zero-carbon homes |
B.the behaviour of building users |
C.sustainable building design |
D.the reduction of carbon emissions |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to”________.”
A.the ways |
B.their homes |
C.developments |
D.existing efforts |
What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
A.The importance of changing building users, habits. |
B.The necessity of making a careful building design. |
C.The variety of consumption patterns of building users. |
D.The role of technology in improving energy efficiency. |
The information gap in energy use _______.
A.can be bridged by feedback facilities |
B.affects the study on energy monitors |
C.brings about problems for smart meters |
D.will be caused by building users’ old habits |
What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
A.The social science research is to be furthered. |
B.The education programme is under discussion. |
C.The behaviour of building users is unpredictable. |
D.The behaviour preference of building users is similar. |
A typical lion tamer (驯兽师) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭子)and a chair .The whip get all of the attention , but it’s mostly for show .In reality , it’s the chair that does the important work .When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time .With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next .When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion ? How often do you have something you want to achiever (e,g. lose weight , start a business , travel more ) –only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress ?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best , the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information .The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things , and so we take less action , make less progress , and stay the same when we could be improving .
It doesn’t have to be that way .Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this :All you need to do is focus on one thing .You just need to get started .Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people .If you have somewhere you want to go , something you want to accomplish , someone you want to become ….take immediate action .If you’re clear about where you want to go , the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out the way .Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
A.To trick the lion. |
B.To show off his skill . |
C.To get ready for a fight. |
D.To entertain the audience. |
In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
A.They feel puzzled over choices. |
B.They hold on to the wrong things. |
C.They find it hard to make changes. |
D.They have to do something for show. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.Tolerant |
B.Doubtful |
C.Respectful |
D.Supportive |
When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to_____.
A.wait for a better chance |
B.break your old habits |
C.make a quick decision |
D.ask for clear guidance |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition . Some value it highly , believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity . Others say that competition is bad ; that it sets one person against another ; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people .
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills . For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit ( 追求)of success , the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten .
However ,while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed , others take an opposite attitude .In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players , they strongly blame competition . Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society . Teaching these young people . I often observe in them a desire to fail . They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success . By not trying , they always have an excuse : “I may have lost . but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try . “What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot . Such a loss would be a measure of their worth . Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves . Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others . Both are afraid of not being valued . Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition .What does this passage mainly talk about ?
A.Competition helps to set up self-respect . |
B.Opinions about competition are different among people |
C.Competition is harmful to personal quality development . |
D.Failures are necessary experiences in competition |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage ?
A.It pushes society forward . |
B.It builds up a sense of duty . |
C.It improves personal abilities . |
D.It encourages individual efforts |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means .
A.those who try their best to win |
B.those who value competition most highly |
C.those who are against competition most strongly |
D.those who rely on others most for success |
Which point of view may the author agree to ?
A.Every effort should be paid back . |
B.Competition should be encouraged . |
C.Winning should be a life-and-death matter . |
D.Fear of failure should be removed in competition |