Our body clock, or natural body rhythm, influences our energy and alertness. Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of the day when we best perform specific tasks.
The reality, however, is that most of us organize the time around work demands, school deadlines, commuting or social events. Doing whatever the body feels like doing is a luxury in today’s fast-paced modern society.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying. Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits. Disrupting our natural body rhythm, on the other hand, has been linked to problems such as depression, obesity, or headache, says Steve Key, a biology professor.
When the body clock can synchronize (使…同步) the rhythms of its natural processes, it “gives us an advantage in daily life”, says Key.
According to him, when it comes to cognitive (认知的) work, most adults perform best in the late morning. As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday, our memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve.
However, he adds, our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter. Most of us are more easily distracted (分心) between noon and 4 pm.
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm, making that a good time for a nap.
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers. For most adults, problems that require open-ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired, according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning.
When choosing a time of the day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can improve results. Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm, says Michael Smolensky, a professor of biomedical engineering.
Of course, not everyone’s body clock is the same, making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans.If we know our natural body rhythm well, we can ______.
| A．find out the suitable time to do specific tasks |
| B．organize our time around work demands |
| C．do whatever our body feels like doing |
| D．be sure to be healthy |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Our alertness is influenced by our natural body rhythm. |
| B．Doing whatever your body feels like is very difficult in our modern society. |
| C．Obeying our body clock is good for our health. |
| D．Disrupting our natural body rhythm can lead to obesity. |
Inspiration to solve a difficult problem will most probably come to us______.
| A．when we get up in the morning |
| B．when we are tired in the evening |
| C．when we are full of energy in the late morning |
| D．when we are asleep at night |
Which of the following can be the suitable title for the passage?
| A．What is natural body rhythm? |
| B．Natural body rhythm is good for us. |
| C．natural body rhythm and health |
| D．The latest research about natural body rhythm. |
As a leading Chinese language school and a cultural exchange institute in China，Global Exchange Education Center has been providing Mandarin (or Putonghua) language courses and cultural exchange programs for over a decade.
How to apply for our programs
■In order to apply for all of our programs, you must beat least 18 years old. in good health,
a senior high school graduate.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Language Programs
Step 1. Send us a completed application form by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $60 application fee after receiving our email confirmation.
Step 3. Arrange the payment transfer.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Business Internship (实习）Program
Step 1. Send us a completed application form with your CV and personal statement for the program by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 310, including $60 application fee and $250 internship placement deposit, after receiving our letter of acceptance for the program.
Step 3. Arrange final payment transfer after receiving our second confirmation.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Personal Statement for applicants for Chinese Business Internship Program
You should state why you want to take this program and what your expectations of the program are. How you will make use of this program in your future career.
■ Application Deadlines
The applications for most programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. You are encouraged to submit your application ahead of the application deadlines.
■Confirmation
Having received your application, Global Exchange Education Center usually sends out an email confirmation for the booking within 2-5 working days.
| A．junior high graduates | B．international students |
| C．job seekers | D．language trainers |
| A．$310. | B．$ 120. | C．$250. | D．$ 370. |
| A．send the application form by post |
| B．send personal statement and CV only |
| C．have to get confirmed at least twice |
| D．have to make a travel plan in Beijing |
| A．Their purposes of taking the program. |
| B．Their expectations of the program. |
| C．Their future practice of the program. |
| D．Their feedbacks on the program. |
I remember my math teacher Mr. Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger.
I was not very good at English and math. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the “big prison for kids”.
I tried really hard for weeks. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr. Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage (孤儿院) was going to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned. I smiled at him and said, “Mr. Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing.
“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that,” I said.
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened it: Geography, B+; Mechanical Drawing, C-; English, D-; History, C-; Gym, B+; Art, C; Math, D-.
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received. Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.
| A．mind-blowing | B．badly-behaved |
| C．fun-loving | D．slow-witted |
| A．In an orphanage. | B．In a big prison. |
| C．In the school dormitory. | D．In his home. |
| A．D | B．C | C．B | D．E |
| A．he missed one of his fingers |
| B．he treated his students very well |
| C．he understood the boy |
| D．he taught his students in a special way |
Is it important for teenagers to own the latest cell-phone models? There are different ways of looking at this question.
First, why do teenagers need to have the latest models? Often it’s just to show off. The paradox is that there are many teenagers who own the latest cell-phone models but don’t even know how to use them properly. This is true. They just want one because their friends have similar ones, or because they take very good videos and photos.
On the other hand, if they do know how to use them, the latest cell phones are really good. They not only help teens to stay in touch with friends and family, but also help them to access the Internet and download pictures, videos or music they need when studying. These new phones are so powerful that having one is almost like having a whole library in your pocket. It’s an instant (即刻的) source of information that helps young people get the latest news. But many parents, thinking only of such positive sides, do not take into consideration the potential dangers. For example, children may constantly be distracted(分心) during class by sending and receiving text messages.
Each young generation loves the new technologies available —just think back to when you were a kid. But your job as a parent is to make sure your child gets the most out of this technology with the least possible harm.
| A．they want to show they are fashionable |
| B．they think the latest models help them a lot with Study |
| C．they think they can keep in touch with others more easily |
| D．they want to learn how to use new technologies |
| A．fault | B．problem |
| C．benefit | D．imagination |
| A．a new generation always loves new things |
| B．parents also liked technological products when they were young |
| C．parents should make sure children use the new technologies properly |
| D．parents shouldn’t allow children to own a cell Phone |
| A．Different ways to deal with teenagers’ using the latest cell phones. |
| B．That teenagers should not use the latest cell phones at school. |
| C．Different views on teenagers’ using the latest cell phones. |
| D．That the latest cell phone models are becoming very popular with teenagers. |
Can feeling of nostalgia(怀旧) be good for you? Or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say living in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
However, experts say it is normal to love the past sometimes. In fact, a little nostalgia can enrich a person’s life.
Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
“This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, “Kaplan says. “You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden past. You remember your childhood as a time when life is perfect.”
These feelings continue as the person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
Kaplan says these feelings do not always actually exist. The good old days did not always exist. The good old days weren’t always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
“Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, “Kaplan says. “It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today in your past life.”She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from “cutting yourself off from your aim”.
| A．might cause you to try to realize the golden dream in the present life |
| B．fill one with hopes for the future |
| C．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future |
| D．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams |
| A．time is hard, so they cannot keep up with changes |
| B．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes in the modern world |
| C．they can hardly keep up with changes in today’s world |
| D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud |
| A．Only women have feelings of nostalgia |
| B．Too much nostalgia is harmful |
| C．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life |
| D．A little nostalgia can make a person’s life more colorful |
| A．Nostalgia, Good or Bad |
| B．Thoughts on Nostalgia |
| C．The Reasons for Nostalgia |
| D．Why Do They Think Back to the Past |
How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”
“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.”
“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!
| A．a growing-up boy’s | B．an old woman’s |
| C．a teenage girl’s | D．a grown-up’s |
| A．She is no longer a kid. |
| B．People begin to call her teenager. |
| C．She can join women in all kinds of activities. |
| D．People treat her as a young lady. |
| A．they still regard her as a child |
| B．they don’t believe she is already a teenager |
| C．it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money |
| D．they love her more than before |
| A．she has to lie in bed, doing nothing |
| B．she wishes she were not growing up |
| C．she knows she has already worked the whole afternoon |
| D．she finds it isn’t her turn to do knitting |