Which part of the world has the most nearsighted students? Just look around you– it’s East Asia. Nine in ten school leavers in major East Asian cities are nearsighted, according to the BBC. Experts say books and video games are not to blame (责备). East Asian students, they say, aren’t getting enough sunlight.
People become nearsighted because their eyeballs grow out of shape and light entering their eyes cannot focus correctly. The body can produce a chemical called dopamine (多巴胺) to stop eyeballs from changing shape. And guess what scientists have just discovered? Sunlight can help our bodies produce more dopamine, reported AFP.
According to the study, primary school students in Singapore spend only 30 minutes outdoors every day; in Australia, by contrast (相反), kids spend about three hours a day outside. As a result, fewer children in Australia are nearsighted – only 10 percent, compared with 90 percent in Singapore.
“Children in East Asia just go to school, go home and stay inside. They study and they watch television,” Ian Morgan of the Australian National University told AFP.
But being a bookworm or a couch potato does not directly harm the eyes, added Morgan. “As long as they get outside, it doesn’t seem to matter how much study they do,” he explained. “There are some kids who study hard and get outside and play hard and they are generally fine. The ones who are at major risk are the ones who study hard and don’t get outside. As a result of massive (巨大的) educational pressures and the construction (构成) of a child’s day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimized.”
Experts suggest children should stay outside for two to three hours every day. This can include time spent in the playground and walking to and from school.What is the main reason for the large number of nearsighted students in East Asia?
| A．Too much reading or gaming. |
| B．Being short of sunlight. |
| C．Genetic (基因) reasons. |
| D．Being short of exercise. |
How long do experts suggest children stay outside every week?
| A．Two to three hours. |
| B．Fourteen to twenty-one hours. |
| C．Two to three days. |
| D．Over twenty-one hours. |
In the writer’s opinion, why can’t East Asian students get enough bright light?
| A．Because they don’t like sports. |
| B．Because their parents don’t allow them to. |
| C．Because they have great pressures from study. |
| D．Because they spend more time playing video games. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Dopamine is a chemical that causes eyeballs to grow out of shape. |
| B．Dopamine can stop light entering the eyes from focusing correctly. |
| C．Spending time in the sun can make the loss of dopamine in the body. |
| D．The more dopamine a person has in their body, the better eyesight he or she has. |
Spiderman(蜘蛛侠) is one of the most famous comic book heroes of all time. He was created by Stan Lee in 1963 and was first introduced to the world in the pages of Marvel comic books.
Spiderman’s story is the story of Peter Parker, a child who lost his parents and lives with his aunt and uncle. Peter is a shy, quiet boy wearing glasses and has few friends. One day, on a high school class trip to a science lab, he gets bitten by a special spider. Soon Peter realizes he has amazing powers: he is as strong and quick as a spider and also has a type of sixth sense. He no longer needs his glasses and he can use his super power to fly through the city streets! Remembering something his Uncle Ben has told him, that “with great power, there must also come great responsibility(责任),” Peter decides to use his powers to fight enemies(敌人) who do cruel things to people. And so, Spiderman is born.
Life is not easy for Peter even though he is a superhero. He is in love with Mary Jane but cannot tell her about his amazing powers. Besides, his best friend Harry hates Spiderman! Peter is also short of money and time. He has to sell photos of Spiderman (himself!) to a newspaper and he keeps losing his other jobs because he’s so busy saving people! Yet he has to fight different kinds of cruel enemies.Who created Spiderman?
| A．Stan Lee. | B．Marvel. | C．Peter Parker. | D．Superman. |
What happened to Peter Parker after he was bitten by the spider?
| A．He could not see with his eyes. | B．He became a spider. |
| C．He developed spider-like powers. | D．He was sick. |
What does “with great power, there must also come great responsibility” mean?
| A．Powerful people can do whatever they like. |
| B．People with power are always good. |
| C．Powerful people should have a responsibility to do good. |
| D．Powerful people are to blame(为……担责) for all the bad things that happen. |
| Time Types |
Pre-sale(预售)I Mar. 27, 2009—Jun. 30, 2009 |
Pre-sale(预售)II Jul. 1, 2009—Dec. 31, 2009 |
Pre-sale(预售)III Jan. 1, 2010—Apr. 30, 2010 |
Expo Session (期间) May 1, 2010—Oct. 31, 2010 |
| Peak Day Ticket (指定日门票) |
￥170 |
￥180 |
￥190 |
￥200 |
| Standard Day Ticket (平日门票) |
￥130 |
￥140 |
￥150 |
￥160 |
| 3-Day Ticket |
N/A (无) |
￥400 |
||
| 7-Day Ticket |
￥900 |
|||
| Evening Ticket |
N/A |
￥90 |
If Joe wanted to buy the cheapest ticket for Peak Day, he could book (预订) one
during ________.
| A．Pre-sale I | B．Pre-sale II | C．Pre-sale III | D．Expo Session |
On March 1, 2010, Sue bought two Standard Day tickets for her parents. She paid
________ for them.
| A．￥380 | B．￥300 | C．￥260 | D．￥180 |
It cost Thomas ￥160 to get a ticket for Standard Day. He probably bought it on
________.
| A．April 23, 2009 | B．August 1, 2009 |
| C．February 2, 2010 | D．May 20, 2010 |
Kathy spent 900 yuan on a ticket for Shanghai Expo. Her visit can last ____ days.
| A．one | B．three | C．seven | D．ten |
Visitors to Shanghai Expo could buy _______ tickets only after May 1, 2010.
| A．morning | B．afternoon | C．evening | D．midnight |
Wang Hao and Wang Liqin, two of China’s top table tennis players, both saw the World Table Tennis Championships(世锦赛) as a chance to prove themselves. But there was only one trophy(奖杯) and Wang Hao, 25, won it last Tuesday in Yokohama(横滨), Japan.
Wang Hao, who won the men’s doubles title(对打) with Chen Qi last Monday, played with spirit to beat Wang Liqin.
Wang Hao said it was his mental toughness(心理韧性) that made the difference. “I was disappointed(失望) by my performances in past championships and the last two Olympic Games. But I have tried to pull myself together and prepared well. This is the result.”
Wang Hao said he has always understood the importance of physical training(体能训练) and technical skills(技巧). Now he knows the need for mental preparation as well. Having two Olympics silvers(银牌) had left him feeling bitter(辛苦的). The bitterness perhaps explains why he has not always played at his best in the past.
“I’ve come to understand that you can learn important lessons from failure,” he said. “Losing can build your character and make you a stronger player.” His next goal, or dream, is to win the gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Liu Guoliang, head coach of China’s table tennis team, sang the praises of Wang Hao’s victory. “This is just the beginning of his rise,” said Liu. “it’s the confidence-booster(信心) he needs to make further progress.” Who won the trophy of the World Table Tennis Championships?
| A．Wang Liqin. | B．Wang Hao. |
| C．Both of them. | D．Neither of them. |
Which of the following is correct about Wang Hao?
| A．He won the last two Olympic Games and the past championships. |
| B．He won the past championships but lost the last two Olympic Games. |
| C．He won the last two Olympic Games but lost the past championships. |
| D．He lost the last two Olympic Games and the past championships. |
According to Wang Hao, he won the match because of ________.
| A．his mental toughness | B．his technical skills |
| C．his physical training | D．his good luck |
If Wang Hao would like to make further progress, he should ________.
| A．take more physical training | B．improve his technical skills |
| C．keep the bitter feeling | D．be a confident man |
Lots of women don’t have breakfast and they have a lot of different excuses for that. Some say they don’t have time, some think they’re losing weight, and others just don’t like breakfast.
But the fact is that eating in the morning is very important, especially when you’re trying to lose weight. Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all. If your pizza is added with vegetables, that’ll be better.
Breakfast is one kind of meal that one should never miss; even one is trying to lose weight.
Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from eating too much later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that those who don’t have breakfast have a bigger chance of getting fat than those who have a morning meal every day.
So if you want to lose weight, you should eat something in the morning. Anything is OK. Having only coffee or orange juice or having no breakfast does harm to your health.
I have a good idea here. I sometimes eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast. It may sound crazy, but it really works for me! I find if I tell myself, “You can eat them tomorrow.” I will put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it yourself. You may save some pre-bedtime calories. Keep it and see how healthy you will be! What kind of the following food is the best breakfast?
| A．Some coffee. | B．Some orange juice. |
| C．A pizza with some vegetables. | D．A piece o bread. |
The word “leftovers” probably means “________”.
| A．food left after a meal | B．some bad food |
| C．meals made of vegetables | D．some kind of pizza |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry. |
| B．People should eat a lot of food in the evening. |
| C．Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast. |
| D．People who don’t have breakfast are easy to lose weight. |
Many strong and out-of-control emotions are recognized as an illness. People who are always very sad have depression (抑郁症); those who worry a lot have anxiety.
But what about anger problems? Anger is largely viewed as a secondary emotion – one caused by other emotions. People are thought to be angry because they are sad, anxious or stressed. In the past, many doctors didn’t accept the idea that anger could be a problem all on its own.
Today, though, a growing number of mental health experts think that anger is a serious problem that needs its own treatment.
How to tell the difference between “normal” anger and “anger problem” is difficult. After all, everyone gets really mad from time to time. Experts point out a few ways.
Disordered anger, as it is sometimes called, tends to be of greater intensity (强度). It takes very little to set off a person with an anger problem, and their responses (反应) are very strong. An example: While most people would get upset if a driver cut them off, someone with disordered anger might try to chase down the car and force it off the road.
And in cases of disordered anger, the person gets angry more frequently and his/her anger lasts longer. For most people, angry feelings disappear quickly. But people with anger problems often stay angry for days, weeks or even years; their feelings of anger don’t disappear over time.
Consequences are also important to consider: Disordered anger often damages people’s lives. “It interferes (干扰) with people’s relationships and their jobs,” says Raymond Chip Tafrate, a US psychologist. “Even their health is affected.”
Anger clearly increases the risk of certain health problems, as many studies have shown. “When a person is angry, their heart beats faster and their blood pressure goes up,” says Howard Kassinove, a professor at Hofstra University in New York. Over time, these changes take their toll on the body, he adds.
Experts suggest that people with an anger problem take anger-management programs. The programs teach people to control their responses to stressful situations through the use of relaxation techniques. The programs sometimes include life-skills training as well: increasing someone’s level of competence (竞争)– whether on the job or as a parent or partner – helps bring down stress and cut angry feelings. A person who _________ most possibly has disordered anger in the experts’ opinion?
| A．can’t get out of anger quickly |
| B．is dissatisfied with relationships |
| C．has high blood pressure |
| D．is worried about his job |
What does the underlined word Consequences mean?
| A．Responses. | B．Effects. | C．Reasons. | D．Feelings |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Anger is an secondary emotion that makes people sad and stressed. |
| B．Anger was recognized as an illness by most doctors in the past. |
| C．A person with an anger problem gets angry more often and easily. |
| D．The use of relaxation techniques is the best way to manage anger. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Can anger be an illness? |
| B．Is it disordered anger? |
| C．Can anger influence our life? |
| D．Is anger management important? |