Yawning sends out certain messages---either “Oh, this movie is boring”or I probably need to get some sleep”. But did you know that a yawn can also help your brain to cool down when it is so overheated?
A new study, led by a research team of Princeton University, has indicated that yawning could be the brain’s natural way of regulating temperature. People yawn more often when the temperature outdoors is lower than their body temperature but are less likely to yawn when it is hotter outdoors, according to Sciencedaily.com.
The research team did an experiment on 160 people , 80 in summer and 80 in summer and 80 in winter, to examine how often they yawned at different air temperatures. The study found that people yawned more often in winter than in summer. Scientists say that when the air temperature is lower outside the body, there is heat exchange between the overheated brain and the cool air. But when the air temperature is higher than or equal to the body, people are less likely to yawn because the hot air they breathe in will make the brain even hotter.
When people yawn, their jaw is also stretched, which increases blood flow and may also help cool the brain.
The study showed that the amount someone yawned could be related to the amount of time they spent outside. The longer they spent outside in summer, the less they yawn. Nearly 40 percent of participants yawned within their first five minutes outside, but after that the percentage was reduced to less than 10 percent.
However, the result was the opposite in winter. The number of people who yawned increased when they spent more than five minutes outdoors. But the change was only slight compared to summertime.
According to Gallup, this is the first report to show that yawning frequencies change depending on season. This could help us to understand better the way our brains work. It may also help us understand the reason why frequent yawning can sometimes be a sign of brain disease.The purpose of the experiment is ________.
| A．to prove people yawn in winter and in summer equally. |
| B．to indicate brain can regulate temperature naturally |
| C．to find the frequency of people’s yawning |
| D．to show the real reason why people yawn |
The information we get from Paragraph 5 and 6 is that_______
| A．longer outdoor summertime results in more yawns. |
| B．yawning frequency changes with outdoor time |
| C．yawning frequency increases with outdoor time |
| D．longer outdoor wintertime leads to fewer yawns |
According to the text, people yawn more often________.
| A．when the air temperature is lower outside the body |
| B．when the hot air breathed in makes the brain hotter |
| C．when the air temperature is higher than the body |
| D．when the air temperature is equal to the body. |
What could be the best title for the text?
| A．Yawning is a Sign of Brain Disease |
| B．Yawning Carries Some Information |
| C．Yawning Benefits Your Body |
| D．Yawning Cools Your Brain |
Should parents ever hit their children?
Research suggests many of us are likely to respond “no”, and public support for spanking(打屁股) has been falling over the years. But surverys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once.
I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my p
arents often turned to physical punishment. And, no, I don’t feel I was damaged by it.
Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children.
But there is data to suggest that a return t
o old-school spanking isn’t the answer.
Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive.
Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades. He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers(同等的人). It may be that children with lower IQqs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterpoductive(反作用的) to their mental development, as well.
Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks(用巴掌打) on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit.
Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never spanked. There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physi punished. Gunnoe’s research suggests they don’t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spank.
There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers(脾气). But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical puishment.According to the first three paragraphs, the author was probably hit by her parents when .
| A．they were dissatisfied with her grade |
| B．she showed no respect for the elder |
| C．they cannot control their temper |
| D．their discipline turns out to be not strict enough |
According to Murray Straus, children who are physically punished .
| A．are less aggreesive toward others when they get older |
| B．have slower physical development |
| C．benefit from occasional spanking |
| D．may develop lower IQs than their peer |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．40 percent of children grow up without ever being spanked |
| B．Children who suffer less physical punishment are better students |
| C．Occasional open-handed spanking on the bottom are mentally harmful |
| D．Researchers disagree over whether smacking is mentally harmful to children |
The author seems to agree that .
| A．parents should determine whether a child needs to be smacked or not |
| B．children who have been spanked tend to behave better than those who haven’t |
| C．good parents discipline their children in a fair and reasonable way |
| D．physical punishment should be the last resort of any parent |
“There is an out – of – date idea that children grow up and leave home when they’re 18,and the truth is far from that,” says Mr．Larry Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin．Today unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents．“There is a great change in the middle class,” declares Allan Schnaiberg of Northwestern University, whose son, 19, moved back in after an absence of eight months．
Scientists show a number of reasons for this return to the nest．The marriage age is rising, a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people．A high divorce （离婚） rate and a low remarriage rate make some differences．For some, the expense of an away - from - home college education has become so great that many students now attend local schools．Even after graduation, young people find their wings tied by terrible housing costs．
Living at home, says Knighton, a school teacher, continues to give security （安全保卫） and moral（道义的） support．Her mother agreed．“Its strange for the kids to pay all that money for rent．It makes sense for kids to stay at home．” But sharing the family home requires changes for all．There are the hassles over bathrooms, telephones and privacy．Some families, however, manage the careful balancing act．But for others, it proves too difficult．Michelle Del Turco, 24, has been home three times and left three times．“What I considered a social drink, my dad considered an alcohol （酒精） problem,” she explains．“He never liked anyone I dated, so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends' houses．”
Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on? Most scientists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake．Children, can end up with a sense of defeat and failure．And aging parents,
who should be enjoying some freedom, find themselves stuck with too many things．Many agree that brief visits, however, can work well．According to the author, there w
as once a trend in the U．S．________．
| A．for young adults to leave their parents and live separately |
| B．for middle class young adults to stay with their parents |
| C．for married young adults to move back home after a lengthy absence |
| D．for young adults to get jobs nearby in order to live with their parents |
Which of the following does not lead to young adults returning to the nest?
| A．Young adults find housing costs too high． |
| B．Young adults are not old enough． |
| C．Young adults look for parental comfort and support． |
| D．Quite a number of young adults attend local schools． |
The underlined word “hassles” in the passage probably means _________．
| A．agreements | B．worries |
| C．disadvantages | D．quarrels |
According to the passage what is the best for both parents and children?
| A．They should share the family expenses． |
| B．Children should leave their parents when they are grown up． |
| C．Adult children should live away from their parents and visit their parents from time to time． |
| D．Parents should support their adult children when they are in trouble． |
．One of the disadvantages of young adults returning to slay with their parents is th
at ______．
| A．there will certainly be inconveniences in even-day life |
| B．most parents find it difficult to keep a bigger family going |
| C．the young adults try to be overprotected by their parents |
| D．public opinion is against young adults staying with their parents |
Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers．Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men or women? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place．It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing．
Another problem is of course money．In many countries money for training is available from government for the best young sportsmen and sportswomen．If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc．All can be expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age．Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed．Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person．It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training．Where can we most probably find this passage?
| A．An advertisement. | B．A diary. |
| C．A newspaper. | D．A notice board. |
What does the underlined phrase “to take a second place” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．To become less important. |
| B．To put it at another place. |
| C．To happen again. |
| D．They are the most important of all the things. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．It’s easy to make a decision when your children want to take up sports. |
| B．Most of the students may become top sports men after a long period of training. |
| C．Early training may damage young muscles |
D．It’s not very expensive for parents to support t heir children’s development in sports. |
Our bodies are wonderfully skillful at keeping balance．When the temperature jumps, we sweat to cool down．When our blood pressure falls, our hearts can do something．As it turns out, though, our natural state is always changing．Researchers are finding that everything from blood pressure to brain function changes regularly with the cycles of sun, moon and seasons．And their insights （洞察力） are getting new ways for keeping away such common killers as heart disease and cancer．Only one doctor in 20 has a good knowledge of the scientific use of time in medicine．But according to a new American Medical Association, three out of four are eager to change that．“The field is exploding,” says Michael Smolensky．“Doctors used to look at us like, What spaceship did you get off ? Now they're thirsty to know more．”
In medical school, most doctors learn that people with chronic conditions should take their medicine regularly．“It’s a terrible way to treat disease,” says Dr Richard Martin．For example, asthmatics （气喘患者） are most likely to suffer during the night．Yet most patients try to keep a constant level of medicine in their blood day and night, whether by breathing in on an inhaler （吸入器） four times a day or taking a pill each morning and evening．In recent studies, researchers have found that a large mid afternoon dose of a bronchodilator （支气管扩张剂） can be as safe as several small doses, and better for preventing nighttime attacks．
If the night belongs to asthma, the dawn belongs to high blood pressure and heart disease．Heart attacks are twice as common at 9 a．m．as at 11 p．m．Part of the reason is that our blood pressure falls at night, then rises as we start to work for the day．“Doctors know that,” says Dr．Henry Black of Chicago's Medical Center, “but until now, we haven't been able to do anything about it．” Most blood - pressure drugs provide 18 to 20 hours of relief （减缓）．But because they’re taken in the morning, they're least effective when most needed．“You take your pill at 7 and it's working by 9,” says Dr．William White of the University of Connecticut Health Center “But by that time you've gone through the worst four hours of the day with no protection．” Bedtime medicine would prevent high blood pressure, but it would also push blood pressure to dangerously low levels during the night．Researchers are finding that _________ ．
| A．heart disease and cancer are the most common killers of human beings |
| B．only blood pressure and brain function are decided by cycles of sun, moon and seasons |
| C．the functions of human bodies have much to do with nature |
| D．any change in human bodies goes with changes in the surroundings |
According to the author, it is best for asthmatics to
take their medicine _________ ．
| A．at certain time |
| B．each morning and evening |
| C．when the disease occurs |
| D．at midafternoon |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．Doctors know more about illnesses than before．
B．Doctors in the U．S．used to be thirsty to know more about the new medical field．
C．The researchers' insights are providing new methods to prevent common killers．
D．The correct use of time in medicine attracts more attention in medical circle in the U．S．A．The suggested title for this passage might be _________．
| A．Medicine Is Everything | B．Treatment Is Everything |
| C．Timing Is Everything | D．Prevention Is Everything |
Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television．And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style．But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey shows．
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "rubbish talk"．The topics on his show are as surprising as can be．For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level．Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people's lives．
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes the TV talk show to its top．But Oprah goes in the opposite direction．The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life．Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors．
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society．Jerry ends every show with a "final word"．He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show．Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable．
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone．The show's main audience are middle-class Americans．Most of the people have the time, money and ability to deal with life's tough problems．Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society．These
are 18-to 21year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug．They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show's exploitation．Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are____．
| A．more interesting | B．unusually poplar |
| C．more detailed | D．more formal |
Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the shows ______．
| A．remain interested in them |
| B．are ready to face up to them |
| C．remain cold to them |
| D．are willing to get away from them |
Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
| A．A new type of robot． | B．National hatred． |
| C．Family income planning． | D．Street accident． |
We can learn from the passage that
the two talk shows ____．
| A．have become the only ones of its kind |
| B．exploit the weaknesses in human nature |
| C．appear at different times of the day |
| D．attract different people |