Every hour spent in watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces lifespan by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years.
The research shows that a sedentary（久坐的） lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers caused by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offers for unhealthy eating.
The researchers set out to calculate the overall risk to lifespan from watching television. Their research involved more than 11,000 people over the age of 25.
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they concluded. "TV viewing time may be connected with a loss of life, which is similar to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity."
The researchers, from the University of Queensland, used information from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, together with population and death rate data.
But they said: "Although we used Australian data, the effects in other industrialized and developing countries are likely to be similar, considering the large amounts of time spent watching TV and similarities in disease patterns." In the United Kingdom, the average amount of time spent watching TV is four hours a day, compared with five hours in the United States.
Earlier this year, a separate study suggested the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, or dying early, rises by as much as 20 percent after just two hours a day in front of the box.
England's Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies, said: "Physical activity offers huge benefits and these studies back what we already know - that a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks. We hope these studies will help more people realize that there are many ways to get exercise."We can learn from the passage that .
| A．whether you watch TV or not has nothing to do with how long you will live |
| B．if an adult watches TV for six hours every day, he will probably die five years earlier |
| C．physical inactivity and obesity won't shorten your life |
| D．a sedentary lifestyle offers huge benefits. |
The passage implies that _______.
| A．The longer one watches TV every day, the shorter he lives. |
| B．The conclusion of the study is unbelievable because it's based on Australian data. |
| C．Watching TV does greater harm to health than smoking and obesity |
| D．Watching TV harms children as much as adults. |
What do we know from the last three paragraphs?
| A．People in the United Kingdom watch TV longer than those in the United States. |
| B．That a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks isn't supported by other studies. |
| C．Watching TV for two hours a day will increase the risk of illnesses or dying early by 20%. |
| D．Australian data is much different from that of other countries. |
The passage is intended to _______.
| A．inform the readers of a research on watching TV |
| B．tell the readers large amounts of people often watch TV |
| C．tell the readers watching TV is also a good way to relax |
| D．warn the readers of the harm of watching TV and hope that they do sports |
Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to _______.
| A．get to know each other | B．share the same culture |
| C．develop closer relations | D．keep each other company |
The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _________.
| A．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| B．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| C．too many words are of no use |
| D．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?
| A．By sharing different ways of life. |
| B．By recognizing different values. |
| C．By accepting different habits. |
| D．By speaking each other' s languages. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Cross-Cultural Differences |
| B．Multicultural Environment. |
| C．How to Build Up a Relationship |
| D．How to Understand Each Other. |
Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. “I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said. “He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”
He hasn’t forgotten them. He’s just decided that he’s not going to use them. She confessed (坦白) that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.This text is most probably written by ______.
| A．a doctor for mental health problems |
| B．a headmaster of a middle school |
| C．a parent with teenage children |
| D．a specialist in teenager studies |
The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the advice that parents want their children to follow |
| B．the change from good to bad that’s seen in a child |
| C．the opinion that a child has of his parents |
| D．the way that parents often blame themselves |
From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters ______.
| A．pay no attention to them |
| B．feel helpless to do much about them |
| C．have come to hate them |
| D．are too busy to look after them |
What is the author's opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?
| A．Parents should work more closely with school teachers. |
| B．Parents should pay still sore attention to the change. |
| C．Parents have no choice but to try to accept it. |
| D．Parents are at fault for the change in their children. |
A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun, according to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months.
“Having a party at home usually requires a lot of running around on the part of the parents, and often the birthday boy or girl gets lost in wild excitement. But it really doesn’t have to be that way,” said Anaclerio. Last summer, Anaclerio and her friend Jill Carlisle, a Northbrook mother of a 2-year –old, founded a home party-planning business called “A Party in a Basket.” Their goal is to help parents and children share in the fun part of party planning, like choosing the subject or making a cake, while they take care of everything.
Drawing on their experiences as mothers, they have created 10 ready-to-use, home party packages. Everything a family needs to plan a party, except the cake and ice cream, is delivered to the home in a large basket.
“Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10, ” Anaclerio said, “and they’re very interactive （互动） and creative in that they build a sense of drama based on a subject. For example, at the Soda Shoppe party the guests become waiters and waitresses and build wonderful ice cream creations.”
The standard $ 200 package for eight children includes a basket filled with invitations, gifts, games and prizes, paper goods, a party planner and the like. For more information, call Anaclerio at 708-864-6584 or Carlisle at 708-205-9141.The main purpose of writing this text is ________.
| A．to share information about party planning |
| B．to introduce the joys of a birthday party |
| C．to announce a business plan |
| D．to sell a service |
The most important idea behind the kind of party planning described here is that ________.
| A．parents are spared the trouble of sending invitations |
| B．guests play a part in the preparation of a party |
| C．it brings parents and children closer together |
| D．it provides a subject of conversation |
What does the underlined word “hassle”(paragraph 1) probably mean ?
| A．a situation causing difficulty or trouble |
| B．a plan requiring careful thought |
| C．a party designed by specialists |
| D．a demand made by guests |
Which of the following is most likely to be a party planner?
One period of our lives when better results are demanded of us is, strangely enough, childhood. Despite being young we are expected to achieve good grades, stay out of trouble, make friends at school, do well on tests, perform chores (杂务)at home and so on. It’s not easy.
Likeable children enjoy many advantages, including the ability to deal more easily with stresses of growing up.In her book Understanding Child Stress, Dr. Carolyn Leonard states that children who are likeable and optimistic are able to gain support from others. This leads to focus and resilience（适应力）, the ability to recover from or adjust early to life stress. Much research shows that resilience has enabled children to succeed in school, avoid drug abuse, and develop a healthy self-awareness(自我意识).
Why does a likeable child more easily handle stress and do better in his or her life? Because likeability helps create what’s known as a positive feedback loop(回馈圈). The positive feelings you want to see in other people are returned to you, creating constant encouragement and motivation to deal with the daily stress of life.
This feedback loop continues into adulthood. To return once again to the example of teaching, learning becomes easier with a likeable personality. Michael Delucchi of the University of Hawaii reviewed dozens of studies to determine if likeable teachers received good ratings because of their likeability or because they in fact taught well. Delucchi found that “Students who perceive(察觉) a teacher as likeable, in contrast to(比照) those who do not, may be more attentive to the information that the teacher delivers and they’ll work harder on assignments, and they will learn more.”
You may have noticed this pattern in your own life when you try to give some advice. The more positive your relationship with that person, the more he or she seems to listen, and the more you feel certain that that person has heard you and intends to act on your words.The writer implies in the first paragraph that __________.
| A．life is not easy for every one of us |
| B．children are expected much than we usually think |
| C．better education results in smarter children |
| D．to be a likable child is almost impossible |
According to Dr. Leonard, likeable children __________.
| A．will work harder on assignments and learn more |
| B．can deal more easily with stress independently |
| C．can achieve more and understand themselves better |
| D．are always optimistic and ready to help those in need |
The main purpose of the studies done by Michael Delucchi is to find __________.
| A．how a likeable teacher’s teaching style is formed |
| B．how a teacher’s likeability gains popularity |
| C．if a likeable teacher draws more attention |
| D．if a likeable teacher has a positive personality |
The passage aims at proving that __________.
| A．likeable people give better advice |
| B．likeable people do better in their childhood |
| C．social creatures enjoy more advantages |
| D．likeable people do better in life generally |
The royal family is a part of British history and cultural identity.
Up until the 17th century, people believed that the British king or queen had a “divine(天赐的)right” to rule. This was the idea that God chose the king or queen and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea was challenged during the English Civil War, when King Charles the First was put in prison and then killed in 1649.
So what role does the British royal family have today?
The Queen is head of the UK and the Commonwealth. She has important formal duties that go with her different titles. As Head of State, for example, she represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK；as Head of the Armed Forces in name, only she can declare when the UK is at war or when a war is over. She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.
Although the royal family does the work for the UK, there are British people called“anti-monarchists(反君主制者)”who do not believe there should be a royal family. One criticism(批评意见)is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal family with their taxes(税).
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关的)in the modern world. The Queen still gives a speech to the nation on television at Christmas, but it gets less and less formal every year；now it is even available as a podcast(播客).
In 2005, after graduating from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many ordinary young British people do in their gap years. What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The British king or queen is considered above the law. |
| B．The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649. |
| C．The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right. |
| D．The royal family didn’t play an important role in Britain in the 17 th century. |
Which of the following is among the formal duties of the Queen?
| A．Traveling around the UK. |
| B．Declaring when the world is at war. |
| C．Inviting other leaders to have dinner with her. |
| D．Signing Commonwealth documents every day. |
With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show that.
| A．Prince William is very popular in the UK |
| B．the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary people |
| C．Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admiration |
| D．many young British people do voluntary work |
It can be inferred from the passage that ___________.
| A．the royal family doesn’t have to pay taxes |
| B．the British people are all in favor of the royal family |
| C．the British people can talk to the Queen through a podcast |
| D．the royal family attacks republicans through media and press |