A warm blanket is the ideal sleep aid for a freezing winter night. The right blanket can warm your bones but the wrong one can affect your sleep. I asked experts for advice on picking the perfect blanket for a good night’s sleep. Here’s what they told me.
When it comes to sleep temperature, experts recommend following the principle: not too cold, not too hot, but just right. “People seem to sleep best at temperature between 62 and 70 degrees F,” says Dr. Alice Hoagland. When the surrounding temperature falls too low, it can rouse you from sleep. A good blanket helps drive the coldness away.
At the other extreme, overheating yourself can affect your sleep as well. “Core body temperature typically drops during the first four hour’s of sleep,” says Dr. Hoagland. This decline in body temperature helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
“In medical care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly losing control,” says Dr. Karen Moore. These special blankets are filled with weighted pellets. Weighted blankets are also marketed for general use as an aid to sleep and relaxation. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel safe.” This is the reason why many people like to sleep under a blanket even in summer.
“If you want to try this type of blanket, the best weight depends on your body size and personal preference. However, 15 to 30 pounds is typical for adults,” Moor says. She adds that weighted blankets are not recommended for those recovering from surgery.
“People can also have serious preferences for a particular blanket,” says Dr. Hoagland. “Regularly using a favorite blanket for sleep can help to develop a conditioned response so that sleep is quicker.” In fact, many sleep centers ask patients to bring their own blanket and pillow from home, which helps them fall asleep more easily.The author wrote the passage mainly to tell us _____.
| A．the importance of blankets |
| B．how to choose the perfect blanket |
| C．different materials used to make blankets |
| D．the history and usage of blankets |
The underlined word “rouse” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “______”.
| A．wake up | B．take up | C．make up | D．pick up |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Body temperature rises when we fall asleep |
| B．The perfect sleep temperature should be above 70 degrees F. |
| C．Weighted blankets should be at least 30 pounds. |
| D．People are advised to use their own blankets. |
Chinese netizens who like to create and use cyber words such as "geilivable" might find a new regulation very "ungeilivable"． The new regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication last week banned the use of Chinglish words created by netizens for publishing in the Chinese language．
"Geilivable", combining the pinyin geili （giving strength） with the English suffix （后缀） for adjectives, literally means "giving power" or "cool"． Different suffixes and prefixes were then added to the word． "Hengeilivable" means "very cool", and "ungeilivable" means "dull, not cool at all"．
Cyber language is popular among Chinese netizens, who create Chinglish words to reflect phenomenon in society． One example is "antizen", which refers to college graduates who earn a meager salary and live in small rented apartments, like tiny and laborious ants．
David Tool, a professor with the Beijing International Studies University, said it's very interesting to combine Chinese with English to create new words． "English is no longer mysterious to the Chinese people． They can use the language in a flexible way according to their own experiences," Tool said．
At the announcement of the regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication, netizens expressed their concern．
"The administration is totally 'ungeilivable'," said a netizen named laoda1713． "I know other netizens will shed tears with me．．． it is a good chance to enrich our language"．
"Language is always developing," said a columnist, Wang Pei． "It needs to be updated to absorb foreign culture and folk wisdom．"
But an unnamed official with the administration said that, in fact, many senior staff from news media who supported the regulation were worried that years later, the younger generation would forget how to use formal Chinese expressions． The official also pointed out that the regulation was only for formal publications in Chinese language, and it only banned Chinglish words in the publication． The new regulation by the General Administration of Press and Publication may be aimed at ．
| A．simplifying the Chinese language | B．limiting the development of language |
| C．banning the use of Chinglish | D．making the netizens more serious |
The underlined word meager in the third paragraph probably means．
| A．poor | B．flexible | C．high | D．plentiful |
From this passage we can infer that ．
| A．the Chinese people like their own language only |
| B．the English words are considered informal in China |
| C．nobody in China will support the new regulation |
| D．"geilivable" will be popular among Chinese netizens |
Which may be the title of this passage?
| A．New regulation is announced |
| B．Cyber words make language lively |
| C．Different views about cyber language |
| D．New phenomenon in China |
On which column of China Daily can you find this passage?
| A．Entertainment | B．Business | C．Travel | D．Opinion |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day． "I was a clothes addict, "he jokes．" I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled．" Today David wears casual clothes – khaki pants and sports shirt – to the office． He hardly ever wears a necktie． "I'm working harder than ever," David says, "and I need to feel comfortable．"
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work． In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual． In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday． This became known as "dress-down Friday" or "casual Friday．" "What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing．" said business consultant Maisly Jones．
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it's easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code． "A lot of young people don't want to dress up for work," says the owner of a software company, "so it's hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code．" Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes． In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale （士气）． Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity． Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money． "Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day," one person said． "For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes．"David Smith refers to himself as having been "a clothes addict," because．
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn't stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn't want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because．
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don't like a conservative dress code． |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive． |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees． |
| D．All the employers in the U．S． are for casual office wear． |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago． |
| B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s． |
| C．"Dress-down Friday" was first given as a favor from employers． |
| D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people． |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except ．
| A．saving employees' money | B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees' motivation | D．making employees happier |
When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses． This phenomenon is referred to as the bystander effect．
The bystander effect is also called the Genovese effect, which is named after Catherine “Kitty" Genovese, a young woman who was cruelly murdered on March 13, 1964． Early in the morning, 28-year-old Genovese was returning home from work． As she approached her apartment entrance, she was attacked and stabbed （刺） by a man later identified as Winston Moseley． Despite Genovese's repeated cries for help, none of the dozen or so people in the nearby apartment building who heard her cries called police for help． The attack first began at 3:20, but it was not until 3:50 that someone first contacted police．
Many psychologists were set thinking by the incident, as well as most Americans． As the conclusion, the bystander effect came out and later proved by a series of studies and experiments．
There are two major factors that contribute to the bystander effect． First, the presence of other people creates a division of responsibility． Because there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action, since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among all of those present． The second reason is the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways． When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate．
Other researchers have found that onlookers are less likely to take action if the situation is ambiguous． In the case of Kitty Genovese, many of the 38 witnesses reported that they believed that they were witnessing a "lovers' quarrel", and did not realize that the young woman was actually being murdered．The bystander effect is also called the Genovese effect because a woman surnamed Genovese．
| A．it somehow caused the murder of |
| B．its discovery resulted from the murder of |
| C．it was actually discovered by |
| D．it always makes people think of |
Genovese was murdered ．
| A．while she was going out | B．in her apartment |
| C．halfway home | D．near her apartment |
Which can NOT have been a possible reason for the neighbors NOT offering Genovese help?
| A．They believed in the bystander effect． |
| B．They thought someone else might help her． |
| C．They didn't think they should help． |
| D．They didn't think she needed help． |
Before deciding to offer help, observers may , according to the psychologists．
| A．wait for sort of a signal |
| B．hesitate and estimate the risk of getting hurt |
| C．want to be sure it's appropriate to react |
| D．wonder if the victim is worth helping |
The article seems to suggest that, if there had been observers, Genovese might not have been murdered．
| A．no | B．fewer | C．more | D．braver |
WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow． It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers．
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society． Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （骗过） his high school's monitoring system． This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life．
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge． Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison． There he is treated as a possible terrorist． He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears．
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists． While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen．
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself． He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously （匿名地）．
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story． As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society． What kind of article does this passage belong to?
| A．A fascinating story． | B．A book review． |
| C．News report | D．A TV programme |
The underlined word destruction in the passage means ．
| A．damage | B．reward | C．ruin | D．protection |
Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because ．
| A．he killed his friend |
| B．he bombed a military vehicle |
| C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do |
| D．his injured friend disappeared |
From the second paragraph we can infer that ．
| A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society |
| B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life |
| C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life |
| D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world |
In the end of the book, Marcus Yallow ．
| A．is supposed to be more irresponsible |
| B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society |
| C．presents a young man who is irresponsible |
| D．plays a popular online game in real life |
In many parts of the world cars play an essential role in daily life and many societies would stop to function without them. So the claim that in 20 years’ time no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously not only by governments but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean extremely large fuel savings, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself and it will not be owned by on individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis, who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture ,which had blocked up our cities, polluted our air and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says cars will be fitted with intelligent cruise control devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. Brakes and accelerators (加速器) will become redundant（多余的） because the car will automatically speed up or slow down to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.
By 2010 Dr. David Davis believes car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road whatever the weather conditions by projecting an image of the road ahead onto the car’s windscreen. And by 2020 cars will travel in convoy linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow(牵引) bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the ordinary fuel” says Davis. “But all the 
others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.We know from the passage that governments and car manufactures ________.
| A．don’t believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020. |
| B．are devoted to the technological innovation (创新) in car industry. |
| C．consider the predictions made by the researchers seriously. |
D．have put the super-intelligent car into mass production. |
Which of the following will NOT be the characteristics of the cars of 2020 ?
| A．There will be no brake and accelerator in cars. |
| B．We will own as many cars as we want . |
| C．All cars will be driven by computers. |
| D．Car accident will no longer happen. |
The expression closest in meaning to the underlined phrase “ in convoy”(Para 5) is ______.
| A．in line | B．sidelong | C．side by side | D．next to one another |
What will happen if cars are linked to each other electronically in 2020 ?
| A．Motorists will get a clear view of the road. |
| B．The weather conditions won’t have effect on motorists. |
| C．There will be a decrease in the pollution caused by car . |
| D．All trains will burn less fuel than present. |