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 |
Let children learn to judge their own work．A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time: if corrected too much, he will stop talking．He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use．Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s．In the same way, children learning to do all the other things: they learn to do without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle, compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes．But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself．We do it all for him．We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to．Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not．
If it is a matter of right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book．Let him correct his own papers．Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer．Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, and how to know what they know or do not know．According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is by _____．
| A．listening to skilled people’s advice |
| B．asking older people many questions |
| C．making mistakes and having them corrected |
| D．doing what other people do |
Which of the following does the writer think teachers should NOT do?
| A．Give children correct answers． |
| B．Allow children to make mistakes． |
| C．Point out children’s mistakes to them． |
| D．Let children mark their own work． |
According to the writer, teachers in school should ________．
| A．allow children to learn from each other |
| B．point out children’s mistakes whenever found |
| C．give children more book knowledge |
| D．correct children’s mistakes as soon as possible |
The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are ________．
| A．different from learning other skills |
| B．the same as learning skills |
| C．more important than other skills |
| D．not really important skills |
Laptop computers are popular all over the world．People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels．These laptops connect people to their workplace．In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms．
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want．Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop．The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college．The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet．In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families．However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs．They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees-anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology , laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable．As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers．In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources．State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students．State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too．
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers．The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons．As one Westlake teacher said, “ Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we’re giving students a window on the world．They can see everything and do everything．”The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ________．
A．u se for their schoolwork |
B．access the Internet |
| C．work at home | D．connect them to libraries |
Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks（引号）?
| A．They don’t really talk． | B．They use the computer language． |
| C．Laptops have speakers． | D．None of the above reasons is correct． |
Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
| A．All teachers use computers． | B．1500 students have laptops． |
| C．It is an old college in America． | D．Students there can do everything． |
A window on the world in the last paragraph means that students can ________．
| A．attend lectures on information technology |
| B．travel around the world |
| C．get information from around the world |
| D．have free laptops |
When we can see well, we do not think about our eyes often．It is only when we can not see perfectly that we come to see how 
important our eyes are．
People who are nearsighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes．Many people who do a lot of close work, such as writing and reading, become nearsighted．Then they have to wear glasses in order to see distant things clearly．
People who are farsighted face just the opposite problem．They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length．If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses too．
Other people do not see clearly because thei
r eyes are not exactly the right shape．This, too, can be corrected by glasses．Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts．Long ago these people often became blind．Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them．
When night falls, colors become fainter to the eyes and finally disappear．After your eyes have grown used to the dark, you can see better if you use the side of your eyes rather than the centers．Sometimes, after dark, you see a small thing to one side of you, which seems to disappear if you turn your head in its direction．This is because when you turn your head, you are looking at the thing too directly．Men on guard duty sometimes think they see something moving to one side of them．When they turn to look straight at it, they can not see it any more, and they believe they were mistaken．However, this mistake happens because the center of the eye, which is very sensitive in daylight, is not as sensitive as the sides of the eye after dark．We don’t know that our eyes are of great importance until ________．
| A．we think about our eyes | B．we cannot see clearly |
| C．we wear glasses | D．we have to do much reading |
According to the passage, a ________ is more likely to be nearsighted．
| A．student | B．doctor | C．guard | D．painter |
People who are farsighted ________ ．
| A．can do a lot of close work without glasses |
| B．can only see things that are very close to their eyes |
| C．have difficulty reading a book if they hold it at arm’s length |
| D．can correct their eyes by glasses |
To see a small thing at night, it is better to look ________ ．
| A．with wide open eyes | B．with half shut or narrowed eyes |
| C．straight at it | D．in a slightly different direction |
Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy．They were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago．These violins sound better than any others．They even sound better than violins made today．Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins．But they aren’t the same．Musicians still prefer the old ones．No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer．
Some people think it is the age of the violins．They say that today’s violins will also sound wonderful someday．But there is a problem here．Not all old violins sound wonderful．Only those from Cremona are special．So age cannot be the answer．There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian violin makers．
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood．The wood of the violin is very important．It must be from certain kinds of trees．It must not be too young or too old．Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins．
But the kind of wood may not be so important．It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way．Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully．It has to be the right size and shape．The smallest difference will cha
nge the sound of the violin．Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians．Maybe they understood more than we d
o about how to cut the wood．
Size and shape may not be the answer either．Scientists measured these old violins very carefully．They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape．But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one．Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny．It also helps the sound of the instrument．No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish．So no one can make the same varnish today．
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona．Their secret may be lost forever．Young musicians today hope this is not true．They need fine violins．But there aren’t very many of the old violins left．Also, the old violins are very expensive．Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $ 300,000!This passage is about _______．
| A．making violins | B．musical instruments |
C．scientific ideas | D．the old Italian violins |
The best violins _______．
| A．are made with modern techniques | B．were lost many years ago |
| C．were made in Italy 200 years ago | D．were made by scientists． |
Some people think that modem violins ______．
| A．will sound better in the future | B．will sound worse in the future |
| C．sound wonderful naturally | D．will never be as old as those from Cremona |
Violins made today _______．
| A．look the same as the old ones |
B．sound the same as the old ones |
C．are better than the old ones |
| D．have the same varnish as the old ones |
Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours．This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact, it is quite normal．For some people, though, loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness．
The first kind of loneliness is temporary（暂时的）．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention．The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation--- for exa
mple, a family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year．The third kind of loneliness is the most severe．Unlike the second type, chronic（长期的）loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others．Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease．While temporary and situational loneliness can 
be a normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad, and sometimes dangerous condition．How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage ?
A．Talk to friends． |
B．Just ignore it． |
| C．Go to see a doctor． | D．Ask your teachers for guidance． |
“ It” in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to ______．
| A．temporary loneliness | B．situational loneliness |
| C．a new place | D．sleeplessness |
Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people ?
| A．Chronic loneliness can cause family problems． |
| B．Chronic loneliness can cause serious illness． |
| C．Chronic loneliness can not be overcome． |
| D．Such people are harmful to society． |
What is the best title for the passage ?
| A．Three kinds of loneliness | B．Loneliness and Diseases |
| C．Loneliness and Social Contacts | D．Chronic Loneliness |