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. |
In Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, earthquake danger limits（限制）the height of buildings. The city has spread out so far and the traffic has become so heavy that it is very difficult to go from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has skyrocketed. All these explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion（结论）that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for fifteen shopping centres.
What are some of the advantages（优势）of shopping and eating underground? Clean air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Another advantage is that you escape the ever-present threat（威胁）of traffic accidents on the city’s busy streets. Still another is the convenience（便利）of getting around: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground if you like. The Kibosh station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and barbershop.The reason why buildings can not be very high in Tokyo is ____.
| A．that the information about high buildings is limited in Tokyo |
| B．that the workers haven’t mastered enough modern science and technology |
| C．the earthquake |
| D．the heavy traffic |
What’s the meaning of “skyrocket”? It means “____”.
| A．go up sharply | B．be as high as that of a rocket |
| C．fall rapidly | D．be as low as that of a rocket |
So far how many shopping centers underground have there been?
| A．15 | B．50 | C．More than 15 | D．More than 50 |
What are the advantages of shopping and eating underground
| A．Less air pollution, the convenience of shopping. |
| B．Less air pollution, the convenience of shopping, and less traffic accidents. |
| C．Clean air and the convenience of getting around. |
| D．Clean air, less accidents’ threat, and the convenience of getting around. |
The passage mainly tells us______.
| A．the capital of Japan |
| B．the land and its limits |
| C．the use of space underground in Tokyo |
| D．how to make full use of the land |
For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without hearing. These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language.
But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using the language, they could share thoughts
and ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language.
How did this sign language work? The deaf were taught to make certain movements using their hands, faces and bodies. Their movements stood for things and ideas. A man might move his forefinger across his lips. This meant, “You are not telling the truth.” He might tap his chin with three fingers. This meant, “my uncle.” The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet. They used their fingers to make the letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute.
Sign language and finger spel
ling are not used as much as they once were. Today the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips. They are also taught how to speak.The story does not say so, but it makes you think that_______.
| A．the deaf must have special teachers |
| B．there is still no way to communicate with the deaf |
| C．deaf people make signs to make a living |
| D．deaf people are not as clever as normal people |
On the whole the story is about______.
| A．how the deaf communicate | B．leaning to spell |
| C．teaching the deaf to speak | D．writing sign language |
How did sign language help the deaf?
| A．It helped them to learn to read. |
| B．It helped them communicate with other people. |
| C．The deaf could understand Indian sign language. |
| D．The deaf could move their thumbs across their lips |
Which of these sentences do you think is right?
| A．Deaf people draw signs. |
| B．Deaf people read with their fingers. |
| C．Many deaf people now can speak. |
| D．Deaf people teach themselves a sign language. |
Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is impelled(推进，敦促) by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly; thus a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation (形成) of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them..
There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and thoroughness(周详).
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons form habits which ought to have been avoided.
We ought to keep from all these old habits, and try to form such habits as will prove good for ourselves and others.Habits, whether good or bad, are formed_______, _______ everyone knows.
| A．day by day; and |
B．gradually; as |
| C．gradually; that |
D．century after century; as |
Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?
| A．Because habits are of great help to every one of us. |
| B．Because a man can never get rid of a habit. |
| C．It is because we are forced to do them again and again. |
| D．It is because it’s hard and even not possible to smooth them away |
The bad habits formed by __________
| A．children sometimes stay in all their lives |
| B．older people sometimes can kill them |
| C．persons sometimes can remain with them |
| D．younger people sometimes can break them |
Why People Get Tattoos
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed (刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo. His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand – name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images(人物，图像) show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colourful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality(个性). A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.
72. Jack has got tattoos in order to .
| A．show his great bravery | B．gain a special experience |
| C．make himself more healthy | D．be different from others |
73. According to the passage, media images are linked to .
| A．traditional lifestyle | B．social position |
| C．cultural background | D．public interest |
74. We can infer from the passage that .
| A．some people get tattoos out of pressure |
| B．tattoo is related to religious belief |
| C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money |
| D．most people with tattoos are artists |
75. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub – point (次要点) C: Conclusion
High school dropouts（辍学者）earn an average of $ 9,000 less per year than graduates. Now a new study dispels a common belief why they quit. It’s much more basic than flunking out（不及格）.
Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can’t cut it. They are lazy，and perhaps not two bright．So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left.
“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school.” John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said. About 1 million teens leave school each year. Only about half of African-American and Hispanic（美籍西班牙的）students will receive a diploma（证书），and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision. So, if failing grades don’t explain why these kids quit, what does? Again，John Bridgeland："The most dependable finding was that they were bored.” “They found classes uninteresting; they weren’t inspired or motivated. They didn’t see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations.”
The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit. In the US，only one state，New Mexico，has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate. Only four states: California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school attendance until age 18, no exceptions, another researcher，says raising the compulsory attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school．
“As these dropouts look back，they realize they’ve made a mistake. And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and it through to the end, is probably helpful measure.”
New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18. But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses the point－the need for reform. It's been called for to reinvent high school education to make it more challenging and relevant, and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something.
68. Most high school students drop out of school because .
| A．they have failing grades |
| B．they take no interest in classes |
| C．they are discriminated against |
| D．they are lazy and not intelligent |
69. The underlined words “stick it out” probably means“ ”．
| A．complete schooling | B．solve the problem |
| C．love having classes | D．believe in themselves |
70. In the last paragraph, the writer is trying to .
| A．analyze the reason why students quit school |
| B．suggest raising the compulsory attendance age |
| C．raise awareness of reforming high school education |
| D．wish to make laws to guarantee no education |
71. From the passage，we can infer the following EXCEPT that．
| A．the grades of most dropouts at school were acceptable |
| B．about 500, 000 high school dropouts are black and Spanish |
| C．classes don't appeal to dropouts |
| D．on average dropouts cannot get good jobs |