Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. I
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
A.Take notes. |
B.Be with her. |
C.Buy medicine. |
D.Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
A.In Gift No. 1. | B.In Gift No. 2. |
C.In Gift No. 3. | D.In Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to
A.enjoy good sleep | B.be well-organized |
C.bet extra support | D.give others help |
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (归类) as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.
Here’s an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk’s mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don’t tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot lie trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk’s attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action, we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it’s started, it’s easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our ________.
A.self-respect | B.financial rewards |
C.advertising ability | D.friendly relationship |
The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to ________.
A.lying | B.stealing |
C.cheating | D.advertising |
The phrase bringing the error to the clerks attention (in Para.5) means ________.
A.telling the truth to the clerk |
B.offering advice to the clerk |
C.asking the clerk to be more attentive |
D.reminding the clerk of the charged item |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A.How to Live Truthfully |
B.Importance of Peacefulness |
C.Ways of Gaining Self-respect |
D.Happiness through Honorable Action |
Alzheimer's disease(老年痴呆症)affects millions of people around the world. American researchers say the disease will affect more than one hundred million people worldwide by the year twenty fifty. That would be four times the current number. Researchers and doctors have been studying Alzheimer's patients for a century. Yet the cause and the cure for the mental sickness are still unknown. However, some researchers have made important steps towards understanding it.
Several early signs of the disease involve memory and thought processes. At first, patients have trouble remembering little things. Later, they have trouble remembering more important things, such as the names of their children.
There are also some physical tests that might show who is at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The tests look for proteins in brain and spinal cord(脊髓) fluid. The proteins appear to be found only in people with the disease. The protein tests correctly identify the presence of the disease in about ninety percent of patients.
Now, a much simpler physical test to predict Alzheimer's risk has been developed. Researchers found that trouble with the sense of smell can be one of the first signs of Alzheimer's. Using this information, they developed a test in which people were asked to identify twelve familiar smells. These smells included cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, paint thinner, and smoke.
The study continued for five years. During this period, the same people were asked to take several tests measuring their memory and thought abilities. Fifty percent of those who could not identify at least four of the smells in the first test had trouble with their memory and thinking in the next five years.
Another study has shown a possible way to reduce a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age. Researchers in Chicago found that people who use their brains more often are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Those who read a newspaper, or play chess or word games are about three times less likely to develop the condition.
Researchers say they still do not know what causes Alzheimer's disease. But they say these findings might help prevent the disease in the future. Whats the main idea of the passage?
A.Some early signs of the Alzheimer's disease. |
B.Some physical tests about Alzheimer's disease. |
C.The research about Alzheimer's disease. |
D.The patients of Alzheimer's disease. |
Whats the current number of Alzheimers patients?
A.100 million | B.25 million |
C.400 million | D.2050 million |
What is not the early signs of the Alzheimer's disease according to the passage?
A.Poor memory |
B.Proteins exist in the brain. |
C.Trouble with the sense of smell. |
D.Less use of the brain. |
What does the underlined word it in paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Alzheimer's disease. | B.Alzheimer's patients. |
C.The cause and the cure. | D.The research. |
The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic(怀旧的) skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technologies in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful ---both in school and in life. Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete senten3ces and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active, which helps us access our vocabulary, word meanings and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas. Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
A.The absence of blackboard in classroom. |
B.The use of new technologies in teaching. |
C.The lack of practice in handwriting. |
D.The popular use of smart phones. |
Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?
A.Spelling improves ones memory of words. |
B.Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability. |
C.Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas. |
D.Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas. |
What does minds eye in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Window | B.Soul | C.Picture | D.Imagination |
What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A.Computers can help people with their choice of words. |
B.Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching. |
C.Handwriting still has a place in todays classrooms. |
D.Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade. |
Nowadays, studying abroad gains popularity in China. Many parents would rather send their children abroad to receive education than let them be educated in China.
Every coin has two sides and studying abroad is no exception(例外). There are advantages for people to attend school abroad. In the first place, he can use the foreign language in his daily life so that his ability in the second language may be greatly improved, as it is obvious that there is no better opportunity to improve second language skills than living in the country where it is spoken. While studying in a foreign country, he will mostly meet many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends with people from all over the world. This is not only exciting on the social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in his career as well. He can learn the latest knowledge in science and make use of the first-rate facilities(设备) available. In this way, there are many chances for him to widen his horizons and broaden his mind.
Of course, attending school abroad may bring about a series of problems as well. The most serious problem is language barrier(障碍). Not all of the students who plan to go abroad are good at the language spoken there. As a result, on arriving there, they will find it difficult to understand what the teachers say. Besides, for lack of knowledge of the customs of the local people, they may constantly(不断地) run into trouble in dealing with various situations. Furthermore, the tuition and the cost of living are much higher than those in our country, which may add more burdens to their family.
Therefore, given an opportunity to attend a school abroad, one must consider both its advantages and its disadvantages carefully before making up his mind.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Students life in the foreign countries. |
B.The advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad. |
C.Problems that will be met when we study abroad. |
D.The reasons why many parents sent their children abroad. |
All the following are the advantages of studying abroad EXCEPT______
A.the ability in the second language may be greatly improved |
B.you may make friends from all over the world |
C.you can learn to live an independent life |
D.you can get to know the latest knowledge in science. |
The writers attitude towards studying abroad is ________
A.Positive(肯定的) | B.Negative(否定的) |
C.Neutral(中立的) | D.Not clear |
Advice to "sleep on it" could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night's sleep a problem that couldn't be solved the night before can often appear more manageable. Researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night's sleep can improve insight(顿悟)and problem-solving ability.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures them, so that after sleep the insight increases," said Dr Jan Born, a neuroscientist, at the University. To test the discovery, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn a string of numbers into a new order. There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake. Dr Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group. "Sleep helped," Born said in a telephone interview .¨The important thing is that you have to have a memory description of the problem you want to solve in your brain and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem."
But Born admitted that he and his team don't know how restructuring of memories occurs or what controls it. Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestion that sleep can help develop creative thinking. Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reasons to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added.What is the purpose of the experiment?
A.To test problem-solving ability in sleep. |
B.To discover people's insight during sleep. |
C.To prove a good sleep helps solve problems. |
D.To discuss how to improve sleeping quality. |
How did Jan Born and his team carry out the experiement ?
A.Through comparison. | B.Through interview. |
C.Trough talking | D.Through imagination. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 2 ?
A.Sleep can help solve problems. |
B.People should sleep as long as they want. |
C.Different people have various periods of sleep. |
D.Scientists know how sleep restructures memories from now. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the experiments evidence?
A.It helps scientists control memories. |
B.It explains the role of sleep in human. |
C.It shows people's sleeping well helps a lot. |
D.It shows how to develop creative thinking. |