WELLINGTON, September 19 (Xinhua) -- If your teenage son won't get out of bed in the morning, then take comfort from the fact that he might be sleeping his way to a healthier future, according to a new research from New Zealand.
Researchers in human nutrition at the University of Otago have found that teenage boys who sleep less have more body fat when compared to girls, for whom lack of sleep has no noticeable effect on their body fat ratios.
The study of 386 boys and 299 girls aged 15 to 18 found that average-sized 16-year-old boy weighing 69.5 kg and 176 cm tall, who slept for eight hours a day, had a waist size l.8 cm bigger and l.6 kg, or 9 percent, more body fat than the average-sized boy who slept 10 hours a day.
"The boys who slept eight hours a day would also have l.8 kg more lean (bone and muscle) mass compared to the boys who slept 10 hours, but that's only a 1.4-percent increase, compared to the 9- percent increase seen in body fat," said lead researcher from the Department of Human Nutrition, Dr. Paula Skidmore.
"Our results suggest that for older teenage boys, making sure that they get enough sleep may help to maintain a healthier body. It seems to be that, within reason, the more sleep the better for boys," Skidmore said in a statement Thursday.
"It was unexpected that we did not find the same result in girls, who may actually be more aware of their diet and more in tune with a healthier lifestyle."
The researchers ruled out the effects of food choice and number of screens, such as televisions, games and consoles, which the teenagers had in their bedrooms.What's the research really about?
| A．Boys and girls. | B．Food and weight. | C．Sleep and health. | D．Screens and fat. |
What's the result of less sleep for teenage boys?
| A．Bigger waist and more fat in the body. |
| B．An increase in weight and height. |
| C．More concerned with their diet. |
| D．A decrease in bone and muscle. |
From the sixth paragraph we can infer that ______.
| A．girls usually sleep less and have healthier lifestyles than boys |
| B．the researchers expected to see the same result in girls |
| C．peoples' diet has a great effect on their health |
| D．boys are usually lazier than girls |
Who would be the most pleased to hear the news?
| A．Teachers. | B．Girls. | C．Parents. . | D．Boys. |
For Canaan Elementary's second grade in Patchogue， N．Y．，today is speech day ，and right now it's Chris Palaez's turn． The 8﹣year﹣old is the joker of the class． With shining dark eyes， he seems like the kind of kid who would enjoy public speaking．
But he's nervous．"I'm here to tell you today why you should …should…"Chris trips on the"﹣ld，"a pronunciation difficulty for many non﹣native English speakers． His teacher ，Thomas Whaley ，is next to him， whispering support．"…Vote for …me …"Except for some stumbles， Chris is doing amazingly well． When he brings his speech to a nice conclusion ，Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him．
A son of immigrants， Chris started learning English a little over three years ago． Whaley recalls（回想起）how at the beginning of the year，when called upon to read，Chris would excuse himself to go to the bathroom．
Learning English as a second language can be a painful experience． What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes． "It takes a lot for any student，" Whaley explains，"especially for a student who is learning English as their new language，to feel confident enough to say，'I don't know，but I want to know．'"
Whaley got the idea of this second﹣grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president． The answer broke his heart． Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public． He wants these kids to learn to boast（夸耀）about themselves．
"Boasting about yourself，and your best qualities，" Whaley says，"is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident．"
（1）What made Chris nervous？
A． Telling a story．
B． Making a speech．
C． Taking a test．
D． Answering a question．
（2）What does the underlined word "stumbles" in paragraph 2 refer to？
A． Improper pauses．
B． Bad manners．
C． Spelling mistakes．
D． Silly jokes．
（3）We can infer that the purpose of Whaley's project is to ．
A． help students see their own strengths
B． assess students' public speaking skills
C． prepare students for their future jobs
D． inspire students' love for politics
（4）Which of the following best describes Whaley as a teacher？ C
A． Humorous．
B． Ambitious．
C． Caring．
D． Demanding．
Need a Job This Summer？
The provincial government and its partners offer many programs to help students find summer jobs． The deadlines and what you need to apply depend on the program．
Not a student？ Go to the government website to learn about programs and online tools available to help people under 30 build skills， find a job or start businesses all year round．
Jobs for Youth
If you are a teenager living in certain parts of the province， you could be eligible（符合条件）for this program， Which provides eight weeks of paid employment along with training．
Who is eligible： Youth 15﹣18 years old in select communities（社区）．
Summer Company
Summer Company provides students with hands﹣on business training and awards of up to ＄3，000 to start and run their own summer businesses．
Who is eligible： Students aged 15﹣29， returning to school in the fall．
Stewardship Youth Ranger Program
You could apply to be a Stewardship Youth Ranger and work on local natural resource management projects for eight weeks this summer．
Who is eligible： Students aged 16 or 17 at time of hire， but not turning 18 before December 31 this year．
Summer Employment Opportunities（机会）
Through the Summer Employment Opportunities program， students are hired each year in a variety of summer positions across the Provincial Public Service， its related agencies and community groups．
Who is eligible： Students aged 15 or older． Some positions require students to be 15 to 24 or up to 29 for persons with a disability．
（1）What is special about Summer Company？
A． It requires no training before employment．
B． It provides awards for running new businesses．
C． It allows one to work in the natural environment．
D． It offers more summer job opportunities．
（2）What is the age range required by Stewardship Youth Ranger Program？
A．15﹣18．
B．15﹣24．
C．15﹣29．
D．16﹣17．
（3）Which program favors the disabled？
A． Jobs for Youth．
B． Summer Company．
C． Stewardship Youth Ranger Program．
D． Summer Employment Opportunities．
Two things changed my life：my mother and a white plastic bike basket．I have thought long and hard about it and it's true．I would be a different person if my mom hadn't turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson I carry with me today．
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children，but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out．Looking back，I honestly don't know how she did it．Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task．，but she made it look effortless．If we complained about not having what another kid did，we'd hear something like，"I don't care what so﹣and﹣so got for his birthday，you are not getting a TV in your room a car for your birthday a lsvish sweet 16party．"We had to earn our allowance（零用钱） by doing chores around the house．I can stil l remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table．My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house．Like the two little girls growing up at the White House，we made our own beds （no one left the house unitil that was done）and picked up after ourselves．We had to keep track of our belongings，and if something was lost，it was not replaced．
It was summer and，one day，my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed﹣﹣﹣and there it was in the window，White，shiny，plastic and decorated with flowers，the basket winked at me and I knew﹣﹣﹣﹣I knew﹣﹣﹣I had to have it．
"It's beautiful，"my mother said when I pointed it out to her，"What a neat basket．"
I tried to hold off at first，I played it cool for a short while．But then Iguess I couldn't atand it any longer："Mon，please can I please，please get it？I'll do extra chores for as long as you say，I'll do anything，but I need that basket，I love that basket．Please，Mom．Please？"
I was desperate．
"You know，"she said，gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believes was the coolest thing ever，"If you save up you could buy this yourself．"
"By the time I make enough it'll bu gone!"
"Maybe Roger here could hold it for you，"she smiled at Roger，the bike guy．
"He can't hold it for that long，Mom．Someone else will buy it．Please，Mom，Please？"
"There might be another way，"she said．
And so our paying plan unfolded．My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some hiding place I could't find．Each week I eagerly counted my growing saving increased by extra work here and there （washing the car，helping my mother make dinner，delivering or collevting things on my bike that already looked nakedwithout the basket in front）．And then，weeks later，I counted，re﹣counted and jumped for joy．Oh，happy day!I made it!I finally had the exact amount we'd agreed upon…．
Days later the unthinkable happened．A neighborhood girl I'd played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixted to her shiny，new bike that already had all the bells and whistles．I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster．This horrible turn of events．
And then came the lesson．I've taken with me through my life："Honey，Your basket is extra﹣special，"Mom said，gently wiping away my hot tears．"Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself．"
55．What can we learn from the first two paragraphs？
| A． |
The children enjoyed doing housework． |
| B． |
The author came from s well﹣off family |
| C． |
The mother raised her children in an unusual way |
| D． |
The children were fond of the US president's daughters． |
56．When the author saw the basket in the window，she ．
| A． |
fell in love with it |
| B． |
stared at her mother |
| C． |
recognized it at once |
| D． |
went up to the bike guy |
57．Why did the author say many"please"to her mother？
| A． |
She longed to do extra work． |
| B． |
She was eager to have the basket． |
| C． |
She felt tired after standing too long． |
| D． |
She wanted to be polite to her mother． |
58．By using"naked"（Paragraph 12），the author seems to stress that the basket was
| A． |
something she could afford |
| B． |
something important to her |
| C． |
something impossible to get |
| D． |
something she could do without |
59．To the author，it seemed to be a horrible turn of events that
| A． |
something spoiled her paying plan |
| B． |
the basket cost more than she had saved |
| C． |
a neighborhood girl had bought a new bike |
| D． |
someone else had got a basket of the same kind |
60．What is the life lesson the author learned from her mother？
| A． |
Save money for a rainy day |
| B． |
Good advice is beyond all price． |
| C． |
Earn your bread with your sweat |
| D． |
God helps those who help themselves． |
A scientist working at her lab bench and a six﹣old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common．After all，the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover the very nature of the physical world，and the baby is，well，just playing…right？Perhaps，but some developmental psychologists （心理学家）have argued that this"play"is more like a scientific investigation than one might think．
Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table．Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge，it falls in the ground﹣﹣﹣and，in the process，it brings out important evidence about how physical objects interact（相互作用）； bowls of rice do not float in mid﹣are，but require support to remain stable．It is likely that babies are not born knowing this basic fact of the universe；nor are they ever clearly taught it．Instead，babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact．Though their ranges and tools differ，the baby's investigation and the scientist's experiment appear to share the same aim（to learn about the natural world ），overall approach （gathering direct evidence from the world），and logic （are my observations what I expected？）．
Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way﹣﹣﹣that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means．For example，it may only be through repeated experiments，evidence gathering，and finally overturning a theory，that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has，for example，unlike the child，Mommy actually doesn't like Dove chocolate．
Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws light on how children learn，but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists．Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike？Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort﹣﹣﹣the desire to explore，explain，and understand our world﹣﹣﹣is simply something that comes from our babyhood．Perhaps evolution provided human babies with curiosity and a natural drive to explain their worlds，and adult scientists simply make use of the same drive that served them as children．The same cognitive systems that make young children feel good about feel good about figuring something out may have been adopted by adult scientists．As some psychologists put it，"It is not that children are little scientists but that scientists are big children．"
50．According to some developmental psychologists，
| A． |
a baby's play is nothing more than a game． |
| B． |
scientific research into babies； games is possible |
| C． |
the nature of babies'play has been thoroughly investigated |
| D． |
a baby's play is somehow similar to a scientist's experiment |
51．We learn from Paragraph 2 that
| A． |
scientists and babies seem to observe the world differently |
| B． |
scientists and babies often interact with each other |
| C． |
babies are born with the knowledge of object support |
| D． |
babies seem to collect evidence just as scientists do |
52．Children may learn the rules of language by
| A． |
exploring the physical world |
| B． |
investigating human psychology |
| C． |
repeating their own experiments |
| D． |
observing their parents'behaviors |
53．What is the main idea of the last paragraph？
| A． |
The world may be more clearly explained through children's play． |
| B． |
Studying babies'play may lead to a better understanding of science． |
| C． |
Children may have greater ability to figure out things than scientists． |
| D． |
One's drive for scientific research may become stronger as he grows． |
54．What is the author's tone when he discusses the connection between scientists'research and babies'play？
| A． |
Convincing． |
B． |
Confused． |
| C． |
Confident． |
D． |
Cautious． |
46．Suppose you are doing research on children's relationship skills，you may want to read ．
| A． |
Circle Time for Young Children |
| B． |
Children with School Problems：A Phsysician's Manual |
| C． |
Education and Disaddvantaged Children and Young People |
| D． |
Build It，Make It，Do It，Play It!Guides for Children and Teens |
47．Which book would you recommend to someone interested in children's mental imanges？
| A． |
Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood． |
| B． |
Songs in Their Heads：Music and Its Meaning in children's Lives． |
| C． |
Big Ideas for Little Kids：Teaching Philosophy Through children's Literature． |
| D． |
Young Children as Artists：Art and Design in the Early Years and Key Stage 1． |
48．How many books published in 2015 are found in this search？
| A． |
9． |
B． |
90． |
| C． |
118． |
D． |
290． |
49．Children with School Problems：A Phsysician's Manual is most likely intended for ．
| A． |
educators |
B． |
librarians |
| C． |
doctors |
D． |
artists． |