BEIJING - A research team led by Chinese scientists have discovered dietary modulation of gut microbiota（膳食干预肠道菌群）can alleviate both genetic and simple obesity in children.
The findings of the team, led by Zhao Liping with Shanghai Jiaotong University, Yin Aihua with the Guangdong province children's hospital, and Tang Huiru with Chinese Academy of Sciences, have been published on EBioMedicine, a renowned medical journal co-sponsored by Cell and The Lancet in July.
The team identified bacterial genomes specifically for producing obesity-related metabolites（代谢物）, and said an improved gut microbiota can significantly help to treat genetic obesity such as Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).
Beginning in childhood, PWS affected kids develop an insatiable appetite, leading to chronic overeating and obesity.
The scientists used a diet therapy with beneficial gut bacteria on trial patients and found considerable diminished appetite, weight loss and improved health conditions on the patients.
The paper concluded dysbiosis（失调）of gut microbiota is highly related with both genetic and simple obesity in children, implicating dietary modulation of gut microbiota a potentially effective treatment method.
Which of the following factors contributes to child obesity ?
| A．dietary modulation of gut microbiota |
| B．beneficial gut bacteria |
| C．an improved gut microbiota |
| D．dysbiosis of gut microbiota |
Which can replace the underlined word “diminished”？
| A．unsatisfied | B．increased |
| C．decreased | D．good |
Where is the passage extracted?
| A．Medicine book | B．Science book |
| C．Doctor’s instructions | D．News report |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Chinese scientists discover treatment to child obesity. |
| B．The reasons for genetic obesity in children has been found. |
| C．Obesity-related research has been done by Chinese scientists. |
| D．An effective treatment to obesity has been found. |
There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another device out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.
“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time ，and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.
While it，s probable that Apple is definitely in a testing stage for its next smartphone , consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.
“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.
When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored devices when it revamped(更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it’s not too much of a stretch to believe it would want the new twist with its smartphone, as well”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors，’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply ，and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always______.
| A．tries to pleases its investors |
| B．does things as planned |
| C．ignores the fierce market competition |
| D．rushes to put new products to market |
As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention______
| A．the stage of its being tested |
| B．the rough time of its being released |
| C．the wide variety of its color |
| D．the function to be improved |
What’s Colin Gibbs ，attitude towards the next iPhone?
| A．Disapproving. | B．Casual |
| C．Objective. | D．Doubtful. |
This passage is presented in the form of______.
| A．stories | B．comments | C．advertisements | D．debates |
Tre’S mom，Christina Thompson, cannot believe how much her son already learned this year in his full-day, free pre-school class in Oklahoma City. “Since he’s been in school his vocabulary has increased surprisingly,” Thompson says. “The other day he came home and said, ‘You know what ，mom? You are being ridiculous，” Thompson laughs quietly. “And then he asked, ‘Do you know what ‘ridiculous’ means, mom?’” Tre knows the entire alphabet, his numbers to 100，and he’s starting to read. And letters and numbers aside, Thompson is most struck by how fast Tre is absorbing vocabulary and language.
Of course, not all pre-school is created equal. High quality pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers in the classroom (much like Tre Thompson’s teacher Mrs. Wallace, who uses play-based learning to teach both academics and social skills and can rattle off (飞快说出） a battery of data on how well her students are progressing towards their year-end goals). Texas can also offer a model for educator development: its Texas School Ready! Campaign has proven to increase the quality of participating pre-schools by providing early childhood teachers with coaching, professional development, research-based curriculum (课程)，and progress monitoring. States and districts should also combine pre-school with the K-12 system, as Oklahoma does ，so that children enter kindergarten smoothly.
Oklahoma is one of the leading states in providing students like Tre with free ，full-day pre-school. And the results are already paying off: According to a 2012 study, Oklahoma kids that went through pre-school showed vocabulary gains 28% higher than those of children without pre-school, and math gains 44% higher than non-pre-school kids. And we know that high-quality pre-school doesn’t just mean higher scores in elementary school. They were more likely to have graduated from high school and less likely to have committed a violent crime. They also earned more money and were more likely to be employed.
We know pre-school works, so let’s stop talking and start building a system where all children have access to excellent early childhood education. As any well-educated four year old could tell us, not doing so would be ridiculous.The case of Tre in the first paragraph serves as the evidence of______.
| A．children’s disrespect towards parents |
| B．the bad performance of students at school |
| C．the positive effect of pre-school on children |
| D．Thompson’s doubt about her son’s education |
At high quality pre-schools, children may learn by______
| A．playing | B．modelling | C．researching | D．monitoring |
It can be inferred that______.
| A．children can not enter kindergarten without pre-school |
| B．Oklahoma is the best state offering full-day pre-school |
| C．all pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers |
| D．kids with pre-school may be better equipped for their future |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Not all pre-school works |
| B．All pre-school is created equal |
| C．We owe our kids universal pre-school |
| D．Pre-school goes well with K-12 system |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages. Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. | B．Throwing batteries away. |
| C．Paving parking lots. | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to .
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
The text is mainly about .
| A．how human activity affects our water supply |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．Why paving roads reduces our water |
The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush.
Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2. How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day----half of the number doctors recommend.
Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs(病菌)to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge(海绵)that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.What is found out American seniors?
| A．Most of then have good habits. |
| B．Nearly 30% of then bathe three days a week. |
| C．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day |
| D．All of then are fighting germs better than expected.. |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands.
| A．eight times a day | B．three times a day |
| C．four times a day | D．twice a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces. |
| B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle. |
The text probably comes from .
| A．a guide book | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a book review | D．an official document |
What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body’s temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body’s temperature rise quickly.
But everyone’s body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and
work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we’re better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it’s better to exercise later in the day.
Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly
after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we’re active. This allows our body
to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high.__________ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.
| A．Morning people | B．A warm shower |
| C．Our body temperature. | D．Our body clock |
A morning people will ________.
| A．get later but work better |
| B．work better early in the day. |
| C．only work in the morning |
| D．go to bed late every night. |
What is the best time for physical performance?
| A．Between 3 pm and 6 pm | B．Between 7 pm and 10 pm. |
| C．Between noon and 4 pm | D．Between 5 pm and 8 pm. |
Why is it best to eat when we’re active?
| A．Because eating makes the brain unable to think quickly. |
| B．Because it makes our blood sugar levels higher. |
| C．Because our body can burn more calories. |
| D．Because we are allowed to eat then. |
What is the best title for this article?
| A．How can we work better |
| B．The best time to exercise |
| C．How can we keep healthy |
| D．The perfect time to do something |