Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.
Diet products weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie(卡), unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the counter instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food brands.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.The first paragraph mainly tells us _____.
A.diet products can bring out people’s potential |
B.people have difficulty in choosing diet products |
C.diet products are misleading people |
D.people are fed up with diet products |
One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to ____.
A.resist a variety of diet foods |
B.hesitate before they enjoy diet foods |
C.pay attention to their own eating habits |
D.watch their weight rather than their diet |
The purpose of writing this passage is _________.
A.to warn people of the side effect of diet products |
B.to tell people how to lose weight |
C.to advise people to eat diet products |
D.to introduce some diet products |
Which of the following shows the structure(结构) of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge. |
B.cinemas are the best choice in getting information. |
C.reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun. |
D.newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself. |
What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
A.People only need reading, though. |
B.Reading is still necessary today. |
C.Reading is more fun than television. |
D.Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Fewer and fewer people will buy books. |
B.A good dictionary should be kept in every home. |
C.Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks. |
D.More people like TV programs about famous men. |
How to have fun in Chicago without spending a lot of money?
Sightseeing
★The Art Institute of Chicago has a fine collection of photos and paintings. The ticket is $10.00. But on Tuesdays you’ll get in free.
★The Sears Tower is the world’s third tallest building. By going to the 103rd floor, you can get a great view of the whole city! All for only $8.50.
Free show
★There are free concerts in Grant Park in summer. They are held from Wednesday to Saturday at 7:00 pm.
★Attend the taping of a TV show for free. The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Jenny Jones Show both offer tourists free tickets. For the Oprah Winfrey Show you’ll have to book tickets at least a month before.
Places to stay
★You can get a hotel for $100 to $300 a day. However, you can get a room in the dormitory
at Roosevelt University for $215 for a whole week! But you have to stay for 30 days to get this great rate(价格).This passage tells us _________.
A.Chicago is a big and beautiful city |
B.where we can see fine photos and paintings |
C.how to make a cheap trip in Chicago |
D.there are many free concerts in Chicago |
It will cost you ________ if you visit the Art Institute instead of the Sears Tower on Sundays.
A.more | B.less | C.a little | D.nothing |
You may go to _________ if you like to get a great view of the whole city.
A.the Art Institute | B.the Sears Tower |
C.Roosevelt University | D.Grant Park |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.It is free to go to the Art Institute on Tuesdays. |
B.Free Grant Park concerts are held four nights a week in summer. |
C.The Sears Tower is the world’s third tallest building. |
D.You can get tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show as soon as you arrive. |
Every summer, no matter how urgent work schedule is, I take off one day exclusively for my son. We call it dad-son day. This year our third stop was the amusement panic, where we discovered that he was tall enough to ride one of the fastest roller coasters (过山车)in the world. We experienced through face-stretching turns and circles for ninety seconds. Then, as we stepped off the ride, in a calm voice, he remarked that it was not as exciting as other rides he’d been on. As I listened, I began to sense something seriously out of balance.
Throughout the season, I noticed similar events all around me. Parents found it hard to find new stimulations for cold kids. Surrounded by ever-greater stimulation, their young feces were looking disappointed and bored
Facing their children's complaints of "nothing to do", parents were spending large numbers of dollars for various forms of entertainment In many cases the money seemed to do little more than buy relief from the terrible complaint of their bored children. This set me thinking the obvious question: "How can it be so hard for kids to find something to do when there's been such a range of stimulating entertainment available to them?"
What really worries me is the strength of the stimulation. I watch my little daughter's &ce as she absorbs bloody special effects in movies.
Why do children facing such excitement seem starved for more? Thai was, I realized, the point I discovered during my own adolescence that what creates excitement is not going fast, but going faster. Excitement has less to do with speed than changes in speed.
I am concerned about the increasing effect of years at these levels of feverish activity. It is no mystery to me why many teenagers appear uninterested and burned out, with a "been there, done that" air of indifference toward much of life. As increasing numbers of friends’ children are advised to take medicine to deal with inattentiveness at school or anti-depressants (抗抑郁药)to help with the loss of interest and joy in their lives—I question the role of kids’ boredom in some of the diagnoses (处方).
My own work is focused on the chemical imbalances and biological factors related to behavioral and emotional disorders. These are complex problems. Yet I’ve been reflecting more and more on how lie pace of life and the strength of stimulation may be contributing to the rising rates of psychological problems among children and adolescents in our society.The reason why the author felt surprised in the amusement park was that ________.
A.his son was not as excited by the roller coasters ride as expected |
B.his songs enjoyed turns and circles with his face stretched |
C.his son appeared upset but calm while riding the roller coasters |
D.his son could keep his balance so well on the fast moving roller coasters |
According to the author, children will probably feel excited ________.
A.if their parents allow them to ride roller coasters very often |
B.since parents spend money on the same form of entertainment |
C.after they take anti-depressants according to the diagnoses |
D.if they are often exposed to more stimulating entertainment |
From his own experience, the author came to the conclusion that children seem to expect _______.
A.a much wider variety of sports facilities |
B.activities that require complicated skills |
C.the change of the forms of recreation |
D.more challenging physical exercise |
In order to relieve children's boredom, the author would probably suggest ________.
A.adjusting the pace of life and strength of stimulation |
B.promoting the practice of dad-son days |
C.consulting a specialist in child psychology |
D.balancing school work with after school activities |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It’s a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It’s a crow, a crow.”
After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this?”
This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn’t at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”The writer mainly intends to ______ .
A.tell us the function of a diary |
B.call on us to love our parents |
C.teach us what a crow is |
D.introduce a pair of son and father |
The underlined word “affection” (last but one Para.) probably means______.
A.puzzlement | B.hatred(恨) | C.worry | D.love |
We can infer that the father wrote that piece of diary at the age of ______.
A.eighty | B.three | C.thirty-eight | D.forty-five |
The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because ______.
A.he forgot what had happened |
B.he would like his son to read it |
C.it could remind himself of the past |
D.he wanted to find what a crow was |
At a meeting, a well-known speaker lifted up a bill of 20 dollars before starting his speech.
Facing 200 people, he asked, “Who wants this 20-dollar bill?” A great many hands were put up. Then he continued to say, “I intended to give it to any one of you, but allow me to do a thing before giving it to you.” Suddenly he crumpled (揉)it into a round mass. Then he asked, “Who wants it? ” Still some hands were lifted up.
He asked again, “Well, how could it be if I do it like this?” he threw the bill onto the ground, stepped on it and twisted it. As he picked it up, the bill had become not only dirty but wrinkled.
“Who still wants it?” Still a few people put up their hands.
“My dear friends, you have had a meaningful class. No matter how I treated this bill, you still want it, because it is worth 20 dollars. On your life road, you may be knocked down(击垮) or even broken into pieces by your determination or unfavorable situations. We may feel ourselves worth nothing, but, my darling, remember that whatever happens in the future, you should never lose your value(价值) in the God’s heart. You’re particular ---- never forget it.”How many times did the speaker ask the people whether they wanted the bill?
A.Once | B.Twice | C.Three times | D.Four times |
The underlined word “wrinkled” in the third paragraph probably means _______.
A.broken | B.having small lines or folds in it |
C.flat | D.having holes on it |
The speaker did this test in order to _____________.
A.tell the audience that one should never lose one’s own value |
B.tell the audience that God values money most |
C.test if some of the audience were extremely interested in money |
D.play a trick on the audience |
What would the speaker probably talk about next?
A.How money can make people crazy. |
B.How to avoid being knocked down in one’s life. |
C.How to keep one’s value of life. |
D.How to give a meaningful class |