World Sleep Day, on 21st March, was created to bring attention to the growing number of sleep problems. Sleep is a natural part of human life, but many people in the modern world don’t realize it’s very important. As a result, sleep problems are quite common.
In 2011, scientists at the University of Athens in Greece did a survey of over 35,000 people in 10 countries around the world, including China, Belgium and South Africa. Among the people, 24 percent said that they did not sleep well, 31.6 percent were diagnosed(诊断) with insomnia(失眠). In addition, 30.7 percent of them have visited doctors for help with sleep problems and 11.6 percent said that they felt very sleepy during the day.
The survey found that many people suffer the effects of poor quality sleep, some examples can’t fall asleep and often wake up in the middle of the night. The main reasons of the problems are pressure(压力) from school or work and a fast pace(节奏) of life, but noise pollution and light pollution also affect sleep and cause poor quality sleep. The survey also found that large numbers of people find it hard to sleep at night. The short term effects of this are tiredness and trouble concentrating(专心). If this happens for a long time, the risk of gaining weight and having a heart attack may increase.
There are many things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. First, you should have regular sleep habits. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. You also need to make your bedroom a cool, dark, quiet place to sleep so that heat, light and noise do not disturb you. At night, you should also avoid things that contain caffeine, such as chocolate, coffee, tea and many soft drinks, as caffeine may keep you from sleeping.
Getting a good night's sleep is important for everyone. By following the advice above, you can rest better at night and work better during the day.
Have a good sleep |
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World Sleep Day |
World Sleep Day was created to make people understand the__ |
A survey by scientists |
Of 35 000 people in 10 countries in the world, 24 percent of the people didn’t have a_ 31.6 percent were diagnosed with insomnia. 30.7 percent have __ 11.6 percent of the people feel __ |
__ |
People feel the pressure from school or work . A fast pace of life_ Noise and light pollution also cause poor quality sleep. |
__ |
Some people aren’t able to fall asleep and often wake up at night. Feeling___ It’s highly possible that sleepless people easily gain weight and have a heart attack. |
Ways to__ |
Have regular sleep habits. Make your bedroom cool, dark and quiet Don’t drink anything__ |
I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family created one. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box and put the ants into it. Soon they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do. With my mom’s help, I kept a record of what happened each day and named the ants.
One day when I had put my face close to the structure (building), accidentally I knocked it over, and all the tunnels fell in. Although the ants survived their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was frightened as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of “frustration (挫折)”. They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed.
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Over the years, I came to realize the ants have the spirit of teamwork. Working together, they were able to create an amazing world for themselves. I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work. Day in and day out, each worked at their task. The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance (毅力) are indeed the keys to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently —Adversity (逆境) is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face disappointment.
So I try to live my life like those hardworking ants. But, unlike them, I try not to let frustration defeat (击败) me. I will have to keep building my tunnels. The family created an ant farm in a glass box because it was easy _________.
A.for the ants to live in | B.to get sunlight in |
C.to keep the sand clean | D.for the boy to watch |
Which of the following is NOT the lesson from the ant farm?
A.The ants have the spirit of teamwork. |
B.The ants give up when they face frustration. |
C.The ants should be admired for their hard work. |
D.Teamwork and perseverance are indeed the keys to success. |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
A.To share a personal experience. |
B.To tell readers a story about ants. |
C.To warn readers not to build an ant farm. |
D.To call on readers to learn from the ants. |
What did the writer think of the ants?
A.Persistent (执着) and friendly. |
B.Selfish and foolish. |
C.Clumsy (愚笨的) and lazy. |
D.Hard-working but pessimistic (悲观). |
For thousands of years, people have used plants to make medicines. They used different parts of the plants —the roots, the leaves, the flowers, and the bark (树皮). Today, doctors have rediscovered more medicinal (药用) values of some plants. Let’s look at some examples.
Foxglove is a common plant. People have used it to make the heart slow down. Recently scientists have developed another drug from it. This new drug helps prevent other heart problems.
In some areas, malaria has been a problem. Scientists have learned that the bark of a South American tree, the cinchona, can be made into a drug to prevent malaria. For a long time, the Chinese have known that a special plant, wormwood, can also fight malaria. Scientists have been working with it to develop new drugs against malaria.
In Germany, some scientists studied garlic (大蒜) for four years. They found that it helps prevent the build-up of plaque (血小板) because too much plaque is bad for health. This very common plant continues to be studied.
As we know, there are about 250,000 kinds of flowering plants in the world. Scientists have only studied little more than one percent of plants for their medicinal value. Maybe medicines for AIDS and cancer will be made from the other 99 percent.What can foxglove be used for?
A.Studying plants. |
B.Building up the plaque. |
C.Treating AIDS and cancer. |
D.Preventing heart problems. |
What does the underlined word “malaria” in Paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?
A.A drug. | B.A plant. |
C.An illness. | D.An animal. |
How many plants are mentioned in the passage?
A.3. | B.4. | C.5. | D.6 |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Past and future |
B.Plants and medicine |
C.Health and illness |
D.Scientists and doctors |
Sleep is like food for the brain. Enough sleep helps the body and brain grow and develop. However, many Chinese do not sleep well, and many do not pay enough attention to sleep.
The Chinese Medical Doctor Association released the 2013 China Sleep Quality Index (指数) on March 19 to mark World Sleep Day – March 21.
According to the index, nearly a quarter of Chinese people don’t sleep well. Half said that they feel tired after getting up and 15 percent people have trouble falling asleep.
Ye Jingying, a sleep expert at Beijing Tongren Hospital, says: “If people often wake up during the night, or always feel weak and tired in the day, they should pay attention to their sleep pattern (模式).”
Many people play with their cell phones or iPads before sleeping. The report said that this is one of the main reasons for bad sleep. Other reasons include stress and bad moods.
How to sleep well? Above all, get enough sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep every night is perfect for an adult, and eight to nine hours is best for a teenager.
Forming good sleep habits is important. The report suggested that people need to keep away from digital devices (数码产品) for at least an hour before sleep. The lights keep their brains excited for a long while. Other suggestions include: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and during holidays, and do the same relaxing things before bed each night, like listening to soft music.From Paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The longer you sleep, the better. |
B.Many Chinese people don’t sleep well. |
C.Many Chinese people don’t care about sleep. |
D.Sleep is very important for our body and brain. |
Which of the following means that you sleep well?
A.You feel tired after getting up. |
B.You can fall asleep within 20 minutes. |
C.You wake up several times during the night. |
D.You often do something boring until you feel sleepy. |
From the article, which of the following may NOT cause sleeping problems?
A.Reading a book late at night. |
B.Having sad or angry feelings. |
C.Playing with digital devices before sleeping. |
D.Being under strong stress about their life or work. |
Which of the following helps teenagers sleep well?
A.They should do different things before sleeping. |
B.They should sleep for more than nine hours a day. |
C.They should not use any digital devices during the daytime. |
D.They’d better go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. |
We can enjoy Mattaponi Culture Day at _________.
A.9:00 a.m. | B.3:00 p.m. | C.6:00 p.m. | D.10:00 p.m. |
If Tom, 15 years old, wants to enjoy that day with his parents, they need to pay _________.
A.$6 | B.$12 | C.$18 | D.$24 |
What can we do on that day?
A.Make baskets. | B.Sing songs. | C.Tell stories. | D.Play games. |
Now I know that we black people are much more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes (糖尿病) than white people. And they often lead to heart attacks and other untreated diseases. For example, black people are three to four times more likely than white people to have high blood pressure and twice as likely as the white population to die of a stroke (中风).
New research has found out the surprisingly high levels of salt in many of black people’s favorite meals. I stopped putting extra salt in my food at the table long ago and I try to cut down on the salt. I use in cooking. The suggested daily level of salt for adults is 6 grams. It is easy to see that if you try not to eat too many processed (加工过的) foods and use salt in your cooking within the limit, you won’t reach more than the daily level.
The research showed how much salt there is in some foods that we buy from restaurants and takeaways. An average salad with rice and peas has 6.2 grams of salt. This is more salt than you are supposed to eat for the whole day.
A researcher talked about the importance of home cooking rather than take-outs. At home, he pointed out, not only can you hold control of the salt bottle, but also you can create tasty food which is low on salt. The researcher later provided curry goat and rice and peas. They were low on salt, but completely delicious.
I do not suppose Jamaicans are going to stop buying takeaways soon. But if you suffer from high blood pressure, it is probably better not to buy them often.The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refers to _______.
A.white people | B.black people |
C.untreated diseases | D.high blood pressure and diabetes |
What has the new research found out according to Paragraph 2?
A.Black people take in too much salt. |
B.Black people’s meals are very special. |
C.Processed foods have too much salt in them. |
D.6 grams of salt per day is enough for an adult. |
What would the writer probably suggest black people do?
A.Order no salad in a restaurant. | B.Take in no salt for several days. |
C.Stop cooking their favorite meals. | D.Eat less takeaways. |
The researcher provided curry goat and rice and peas in order to _______.
A.thank those who came to his home for his research |
B.let people know that eating less salt makes one healthier |
C.show that tasty food with less salt can be made at home |
D.prove the less salt the food has the more delicious it is |
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Watch the salt | B.Take care, black people |
C.Say no to takeaways | D.Say no to high blood pressure |