If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, you’d better examine your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep. What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
A.It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
B.People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
C.There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
D.You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
A.going back home | B.going to bed |
C.going to the gym | D.falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
B.Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
C.What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
D.Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
A.why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
B.how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
C.that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
D.that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项。
UGG boots have been a winter-weather fashion for several years now, combining function, comfort, warmth and even some style. What many UGG-enthusiasts don’t know is that their boots are a breeding ground for bacteria and cause foot problems.
Doctors believe the boots, which are particularly popular among young teenage girls, are leading to a rise in the number of people suffering pains in their feet and knees.
Dr. Ian Drysdale, head of the British College of Osteopathic Medicine, believes because the foot does not get the proper support on the inside, it will lead to more ankle, knee, hip and back problems. “These boots are not designed for outside wear. Just because something becomes a trend or fashionable doesn’t mean it’s good or right, ” he said, “The particular problem with this type of footwear is that it is unsupported. It’s a slipper. You wouldn’t normally expect to be doing outdoor activities from something that’s indoor. If you decide to wear your pajamas outside all the time, someone will come up and say it’s not a good idea.” Dr. Drysdale explained that the feet issues become a particular problem among young teenage girls, whose bones are “plastic” and developing when they are growing. “Iw”
Mike O’Neill, a consultant surgeon, said, “As the foot slides around, you get wear and tear (磨损)on the joints on the inside of the foot The ankle is in the wrong position, the thigh bone also changes position, and you get an abnormal movement in the pelvis, which leads to back problems. ”
UGG Australia, who makes the designer version of the boots, told The Daily Mirror that their boots are “comfort” rather than “performance” footwear and consumers should be aware of “knockoffs”(仿制品) which lack reinforced heels in their boots.Teenage girls prefer to wear UGG boots because of the following except______
A.design | B.comfort | C.quality | D.warmth |
According to Dr. Ian Drysdale, _____
A.there is a possibility that bacteria will multiply in UGG boots |
B.wearing UGG boots will lead to more ankle and toe problems |
C.it’s not a good idea to wear boots like UGG outside all the time |
D.teenage girl’s bones are plastic enough to wear UGG boots |
The underlined word “deformed” is closest in meaning to_____
A.shaped | B.strengthened | C.reformed | D.damaged |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Potential Harm of UGG Boots |
B.The Popularity of UGG Boots |
C.The Unique Design of UGG Boots |
D.Benefits of UGG Boots |
Bark
Cover Price: $19.80 Price: $15.00($2.50 / issue (期) )
You save: $4.80 (24%) Review: By Pat Kane
I absolutely love Bark magazine! I love the “smiling” pages and the tips on every issue. I am a dog lover and have saved all of my dogs from either death row or from people who were going to put them down. Everyone should have a chance to live and Bark stresses that with its articles. This magazine is a MUST HAVE for any dog lover!!
Dog Fancy
Cover Price: $54.00 Price: $14.99 ($1.25 / issue)
You save: $39.01 (72%) Review: By Berner Mom
Don't waste your money on this magazine. 60-70 percent of it are advertisements, and the articles offer little useful information. It might be suitable for children, but not adults who are serious about educating themselves about dogs.
Dog World
Cover Price: $48.88 Price: $14.99 ($1.25 / issue)
You save: $33.89 (69%) Review: By one critic
Dog World has many very interesting and thought-provoking (令人思考的) articles for people involved in dog showing, breeding(饲养), performance events, etc. However,over half of the magazine is devoted to breeder ads, which is boring. Still, as a whole, I recommend(推荐) it for the articles. Good articles, but tons of ads.
Modern Dog
Cover Price: $45.00 Price: $15.00 ($3.75 / issue)
You save: $30.00 (24%) Review: By Dinah
My new favorite magazine! Beautiful photos, smart and amusing articles, fashion, art, interviews with famous people… all with a dog focus!Cover models range from Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell to Virginia Madsen and her dogs. Thanks to Modern Dog I now know how to give a dog-friendly cocktail party and how to actually get my dog to come when she’s called. Surely worth checking out.Which of the following magazines saves the most money?
A.Bark | B.Dog Fancy |
C.Dog World | D.Modern Dog |
Dog world is recommended for its _________.
A.wonderful articles | B.fashionable cover |
C.low price | D.good paper quality |
According to the text, Modern Dog ________.
A.has lovely dog pictures on the cover |
B.is interesting but not helpful |
C.has some photos but no articles |
D.has interviews with famous people |
The purpose of the text is to introduce _________.
A.some cheap magazines |
B.different magazines for different readers |
C.some magazines about dogs |
D.information on raising dogs |
At heart, parents always wish the best for their children, and they work hard for that. Nowadays, we see parents deciding the schools for their little ones before the baby is even born. Once kids start going to school, some parents want to have a time-to-time update of their kid's activities. They want to come to the classroom every day, keep an eye on whom they talk to, know the friends they keep, start telling them how to do their job, and keep talking or giving a feedback (反馈) to them about everything under the sun. Besides, they send their kids for extra hobby classes, as they want their children to do best in every field.
When it comes to the education, super mom and dad have all the plans made for their children, and I am sure that they have come up with the best. So, try to fight for the dreams that your parents have seen for you. However, in some cases, it may happen that the kids have some different dreams. Parents sometimes don't even consider the choice of their kids and may force them to do what they wanted to do in life. It's good to plan the future for the children, but leave at least some decisions to them.
So what should the children do? First, hear out all the plans that your parents have made for you. If you have some different ideas, then sit down and talk to your family about it. Be patient and respect their decisions, but put your plan forth, and make them understand what you want to do and why. Many times, you are not aware about the difficulties that you may have to face while pursuing your dreams. Ask your parents for suggestions, which will make them feel good and involved. That way, they may support you if you are going on the right path.The parents described in Paragraph 1 tend to __________.
A.have a good understanding of their children |
B.worry a lot about their children |
C.take good care of their children |
D.expect too much from their children |
With respect to educational plans, the author advises ___________.
A.children to do as they are told |
B.children to turn a deaf ear to their parents |
C.parents to respect their children’s choices |
D.parents to do everything for their children |
The underlined word “pursuing” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “__________”.
A.going after | B.planning for |
C.adapting to | D.preparing for |
What is the author’s attitude towards these super parents’ behaviors?
A.Objective. | B.Doubtful. |
C.Uncaring | D.Supportive |
Imagine what you could do with a machine that could make things disappear.
For inspiration, you could read some books. In the books of J.R.R. Tolkein, Bilbo Baggins finds a ring that can make him disappear. Of course, there’s also poor Harry Potter, who used his invisibility cloak (隐形斗篷) to hide from danger.
Now that you’ve got some ideas, it’s time for the hard part: building the cloak. To do that, you have to give up science fiction and turn to real science. An invisibility cloak has to cheat anything or anyone who might be watching. In order to understand how something can be seen, it’s important to understand how we see.
Human beings can only see objects that reflect (反射) light waves. These waves enter the eye and are then processed by the brain. However, if an object doesn’t reflect light, then the waves don’t enter the eye, and the brain doesn’t process. So building an invisibility cloak is building something that doesn’t reflect light.
Cummer was part of a team of scientists from Duke University, including David Smith and David Schurig, who built the world’s first version (版本) of an invisibility cloak. They had been inspired by the work of a British physicist, John Pendry. He in May said that an invisibility cloak was possible and Pendry was not the only one thinking about a disappearing act. At the same time, a Scottish physicist, UIf Leonhardt published a paper on building invisibility equipment.
“It wasn’t easy,” says Cummer. “As often happens in science and research, it didn’t work very well the first time. That first cloak didn’t work like Harry Potter’s --- the scientists didn’t actually see anything disappear. So the research is still under way. ”The first two paragraphs serve as a (n) ________.
A.introduction | B.explanation |
C.comment | D.summary |
Cummer and other scientists got the idea of building an invisibility cloak from _________.
A.the film Harry Potter |
B.the work of a British physicist |
C.a paper published by a Scottish physicist |
D.the book of J.R.R. Tolkein |
From the text we learn that the research on an invisibility cloak __________.
A.was led by Pendry |
B.was very successful |
C.was used in most popular movies |
D.is still in progress |
What can be the best title for the text?
A.The Science of Disappearing |
B.The Hardest Part of Building a Cloak |
C.The Invention of an Invisibility Cloak |
D.Turn Science Fiction into Real Science |
After a particularly busy period at work, I decided to get away from it all by going on a hike in the mountains in southern France.
Before I left, I read an interesting story in a magazine. It read, “Once, while I was riding on a crowded bus, the man sitting next to me threw his cell phone out of the window when his phone rang. I was surprised. He looked at me, shrugged (耸耸肩) and looked away. I had no idea whether it was his or stolen or whether he even knew what a cell phone was or not, but he clearly wanted to be free of it, because it clearly troubled him. ”
Billions of people across the world use cell phones. Though cell phones are a wonderful way for communication, they often do the exact opposite. Using cell phones can increase stress within families and friends.
So when I recently returned home, I got rid of my cell phone. Now I go outside without taking my phone with me. I’ve noticed things in my neighborhood I never noticed before, such as gardens. I’ve met new people, started conversations with neighbors I didn’t speak to before and talked with some of my friends face to face instead of chatting over the phone.
Instead of keeping me off from the world, stopping using my cell phone has helped me get even closer to my family and friends.According to the story, the man on the bus threw away his cell phone because ______.
A.it didn’t work properly |
B.it was stolen from someone else |
C.he didn’t like the phone’s style |
D.he didn’t want to be bothered by it |
We can learn from the passage that cell phones _____.
A.are too expensive for many people |
B.can also get people into trouble |
C.stop people from communicating face to face |
D.can make life more interesting |
What can we learn about the author?
A.He wants to own a garden now. |
B.He always chatted with his neighbors. |
C.He used to take his cell phone when going outside. |
D.He once rode on a crowded bus in France. |
The main purpose of the passage is to _______.
A.tell us not to let cell phones control our lives |
B.encourage others to hike with him in France |
C.share his experiences in France with us |
D.teach us how to get along with neighbors |