Doctors have a new weapon in the battle against obesity (过度肥胖) — a talking plate that tells people not to eat too quickly. The Mandometer monitors the amount of food leaving the plate, and tells users, “Please eat more slowly.”
The ￡1,500 Swedish device is to be used in a National Health Service plan to help hundreds of obese families lose weight. It comes in two parts — a scale placed under the plate and a small computer screen showing a graphic（图表） of the food gradually disappearing as the user eats. A red line on the screen shows the user’s eating speed, while a blue line shows a healthy rate. If the user eats too fast, the red line angles away from the blue one, warning him or her to ease off. If the lines deviate (偏离) too much, the computer voice comes on, and the screen flashes the message “Are you feeling full yet?” to remind users to think about whether they have had enough.
Britain has an increasingly serious obesity problem, with one in four adults and one in seven children classed as obese. After a recent trial using the device, experts believe teaching obese people to eat more slowly will help them know when they are full. Around 600 families with at least one obese parent and child (aged five or older) were targeted in the project by Bristol University, along with GPs and nurses.
Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield, who is leading the plan, says obese children and adolescents using the Mandometer ate from 12 to 15 percent less per meal at the end of the 12-month trial. Six months after they stopped using the device they still ate less, and continued to lose weight. “It will be a powerful tool to help families retrain their eating habits,” he says. What does the red line on the screen show?
| A．A healthy rate of eating. | B．Too much food is left. |
| C．The user’s eating speed. | D．The user is full. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．The device can help obese people form good eating habits. |
| B．Every family will have such a device soon. |
| C．This device is the best way to lose weight. |
| D．People will no longer worry about obesity. |
The underlined phrase ease off is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．to become less tense | B．to eat more slowly |
| C．to remove gently and slowly | D．to stop |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?
| A．25% of children are obese in Britain. |
| B．One in seven adults is obese in Britain. |
| C．Children using the Mandometer ate less after the trial. |
| D．Six months after the trial, obese people are still eating a lot. |
An old man decided to write a letter to God:
Dear God,
I am nearing the end of my life. The doctors tell me I am dying of cancer and have a few months to live. In fact, as You know, throughout my entire life I’ve had nothing but bad luck. But no matter what You have inflicted (施加) on me, I have never lost my faith in You.
In return for this loyalty (忠诚), I ask just one thing of you. Please prove Your existence to me by sending me $100 in cash, and I will die a happy man.
Yours insignificantly,
An Old Man
The letter arrived at the local post office where the employees noticed it was addressed To God: Heaven. They all knew the old man and, after reading the letter with tears in their eyes, took pity on him, ninety dollars was raised and posted to him. The old man was overjoyed and immediately wrote a “thank you” letter to God. The post office received the letter and all gathered around to read it.
Dear God,
I thank You with all my heart for taking time from Your busy schedule and answering my request…I am now a happy man.
Yours (in the very near future),
An Old Man
P.S. I only received $90 of the $100 I asked for. I bet those thieving bastards down at the post office pinched (偷取) the rest.The old man believed that ______.
| A．God sent him $100 in cash. |
| B．the post office employees sent him $100 in cash |
| C．he would not die with getting $100 |
| D．the post office employees kept $90 |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word?
| A．joyless | B．extremely pleased |
| C．sad | D．uneasy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The old man believed in God piously (虔诚地). |
| B．The post office employees were moved by the first letter of the old man. |
| C．The post office employees didn’t feel joyful after reading the “thank you” letter. |
| D．The old man needed $100 very much. |
CHICAGO(Reuters)-Smoking not only can wrinkle(皱纹)the face and turn it yellow—it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported on Monday.
The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body-even skin protected from the sun.
“We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs, of cigarette smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced, ”Dr. Yolanda, who led the study, said in a statement.
“In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years. ” Yolanda’s team added in their report.
The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged, in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers. In dependent judges decided how wrinkled each person’s skin was.
When skin is exposed to sunlight, especially the face, it becomes coarse(粗糙的). Wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Yolanda's team wrote.
Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking led to premature(过早的)skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light.
The report did not discuss die mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels(血管)beneath the skin to constrict(紧缩), reducing blood supply to the skin.
Smoking can also damage the connective tissue(组织)that supports both die skin and the internal organs.The best title for this passage would be ______________.
| A．The danger of smoking |
| B．Smoking causes skin aging |
| C．Quit smoking for health |
| D．A survey of smokers |
According to the passage, how wrinkled a person’s skin is doesn’t relate to ___________.
| A．the number of cigarettes a person smokes |
| B．the kind and characteristics of skin |
| C．how long a person smokes |
| D．how long skin is under sunlight |
From the passage smoking results in skin aging mainly because ____________.
| A．it will lower blood supply to skin |
| B．it can make you feel tired |
| C．it can make skin come off |
| D．it can make blood run faster |
The main purpose of the passage is to ____________.
| A．inform people about the study of skin |
| B．advise people how to protect skin |
| C．warn people not to smoke again |
| D．introduce a new way of avoid skin aging |
The day my husband fell to his death, it started to snow, just like any November day. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up. One morning, I shuffled downstairs and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling(铲)my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room. And back up stairs so those good people would not see me. I was embarrassed. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone’s walk.
Before John’s death, I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors, I defined myself by my competence and independence. So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch every day and watch the snowfall?
Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn't easy. Friends cooked for me and l cried because I couldn't even help them set the table. “I'm not usually this lazy,” I wept. Finally, my friend Kathy sat down with me and said, "Mary, cooking for you is not a burden. I love you and I want to do it. It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you. ”
Over and over, I heard similar emotions from the people who supported me during those dark days. One very wise man told me, “You are not doing nothing. Being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will ever do.”
I am not the person I once was, but in many ways I have changed for the better. My heart is now filled with thanks for people around me. I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole. I believe there is strength, for sure, in accepting a dark period of our life.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The writer’s friend was unwilling to cook for her. |
| B．The writer had been busy with her life before. |
| C．The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with his friend‘s help. |
| D．The day her husband died, it was snowing heavily. |
The underlined word “shuffled” in Paragraph 1 probably means ___________.
| A．stepped steadily | B．walked slowly |
| C．ran swiftly | D．fell sadly |
We can infer from the passage that ____________.
| A．the writer found her husband immediately he fell off the roof |
| B．the writer became strong-willed immediately after John's death |
| C．the people around the writer were friendly and supported her |
| D．before John’s death, the writer never asked others for help |
The writer wrote the passage to ___________.
| A．share her sad story with us |
| B．express her guilty conscience to the people who helped her |
| C．show her thanks to the people who love and support her |
| D．tell us the changes she has made because of her husband’s death |
Unexpectedly, I lost my white iPhon5s in Midtown on Friday night. It had a blue green cover on it. Please return, no There are many pictures of my son on it, and I’m heartbroken, questions asked. Reward. Reply to: -2652255359@craigslist.org
Do you need a babysitter that you can trust?
My name is Tina. I am a responsible babysitter that you can trust. If you are looking for someone dependable and affordable I am that person! I HAVE MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE (including disabled children)! I am a retired Home Health Aid and absolutely love children. I work with my sister Iris who has also 20+years as a teacher’s assistant. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETINC YOU! Available 24 hours and flexible with fees! I am fully bilingual—Spanish/English. Please email me or call 712-867-7688.
I BABYSIT ONLY AT MY HOME.
I accept children from all ages. Fee starts from $100-$150 a week depending on the hours. I am very flexible and my fee can change. Feel free to contact me via email or on my cell phone 566-67-1873 and we can work something out.
Part-time Chinese Babysitter Wanted
Part-time Chinese speaking babysitter needed to assist with one-year-old twins and to perform some light house work as needed. Assistance needed Fridays and occasional weekends. Please provide your salary expectation. College students are welcome to apply.
Reply to:comm-encbq-2652113885 @craigslist.orgWho posted the lost and found information?
| A．A mother | B．A kind woman |
| C．A heartbroken girl | D．A parent |
If you want to send your kids to the babysitter’s home, you can find one in______.
| A．Ad 1 | B．Ad 2 | C．Ad 3 | D．Ad 4 |
What do we know about Tina?
| A．She can speak two languages. |
| B．She lives alone now. |
| C．She takes care of children over 3. |
| D．She used to be a teacher’s assistant. |
An applicant accepted by Ad 5 will have to.
| A．be able to speak two languages |
| B．be a college graduate |
| C．work every weekend |
| D．look after two children |
Maybe you don’t think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this.
Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like “coward”! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table.
I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home.
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning!The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that.
| A．Howard had a strange behavior |
| B．Howard should be afraid of the metal poles |
| C．Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning |
| D．Howard bit his trousers in his teeth |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Dogs are cleverer and better than men. |
| B．Dogs are usually afraid of thunderstorms. |
| C．Some animals can feel certain things humans cannot. |
| D．Dogs are naturally born heroes. |
What can be inferred about the bus shelter from the passage?
| A．It was about 200 meters from the author’s home. |
| B．It was destroyed in a rainy day. |
| C．Its roof was supported by wood poles. |
| D．It could produce blinding flash of lightning. |