Scientists have discovered that 1. (stay) in the cold could help us lose weight. Researchers at the University of California found that exposure to the cold increases levels of a protein that helps form brown fat -- the type of fat that produces heat and keeps us warm. Brown fat burns energy, 2. helps us lose weight. White fat stores extra energy, which results 3. weight gain. The researchers said that because air conditioning and heating give us constant, 4. (comfort) temperatures, our body’s need for brown fat has decreased. They found that outdoor workers in northern Finland who 5. (expose) to cold temperature have 6. significant amount of brown fat when 7. (compare) to same-aged indoor workers.
The research was conducted on two different control groups of mice. 8. group was injected with the protein that helps create brown fat. This group later gained 30% less weight after both groups were fed high-fat diets. The researchers say this could be good news in the fight against obesity. People who are obese have 9. （low) levels of brown fat than thinner people. If you can somehow increase levels of this protein, you could 10. (possible) lose more weight even if eating the same amount of food.
It was a freezing cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. An old man was waiting for a across the river.
At last he heard some hooves along the frozen path. Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen came around the bend. , he let them pass by one after another. Finally, as the rider was drawing near, the old man the rider’s eye and asked whether he would giving him a ride to the other side.
The rider agreed . Seeing the old man was unable to his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman and helped the old man the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his , a tiny but cozy cottage.
Before leaving, out of , the horseman asked the old man why on such a bitter winter night he would wait and ask the last rider and he had refused. The old man replied, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no for my situation. But when I looked into your eyes, I was certain that your gentle spirit would give me in my time of need.”
Those comments touched the horseman deeply, who the old man, “May I never get too busy with my own affairs that I to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”
these words, Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States, turned his horse around and his way back to the White House.
1.A. horseman B. horse C. ride D. friend
2.A. attacking B. running C. entering D. approaching
3.A. However B. Therefore C. Thus D. Moreover
4.A. coming B. leaving C. next D. last
5.A. kept B. caught C. looked D. saw
6.A. mind B. avoid C. prefer D. try
7.A. seriously B. doubtfully C. willingly D. strangely
8.A. lift B. push C. feel D. stand
9.A. went off B. turned around C. set out D. got down
10.A. onto B. over C. off D. above
11.A. hometown B. apartment C. destination D. village
12.A. courage B. curiosity C. enthusiasm D. honesty
13.A. what about B. if only C. how come D. what if
14.A. chance B. doubt C. concern D. reason
15.A. strength B. comfort C. generosity D. assistance
16.A. heartwarming B. impressive C. pessimistic D. optimistic
17.A. persuaded B. told C. reminded D. suggested
18.A. manage B. fail C. disagree D. remember
19.A. In B. On C. With D. At
20.A. made B. struggled C. felt D. Fought
Question: My 14-year-old son is very disrespectful to my husband and me, and we don’t know what to do about it. We tell him to get home before dark, but he is often late, and then we wait, worry and sometimes get close to calling the police. And so what happens when he does come home? We have a big argument. Can you help us?
Answer: Your son should, of course, come in before dark, not because you say so, but because it is his responsibility and because you would worry about him if he didn’t come home when he promised. 1.______________ Just tell him that he has to be home on time if he wants to go out next time — and that this is his choice, not yours.
His disrespect is part of a bigger issue. Your son desires independence because the young always do when they hit puberty (青春期), somewhere between 13 and 16. New hormones (荷尔蒙), a new ability to think in abstractions and a new need to pull away from their parents all contribute to this desire. 2.________________
Your son may also be acting up because your discipline hasn’t kept up with his growth. A child hates to be corrected when his parents use the same words and same tone of voice they used when correcting him a year ago. 3._________
He won’t even argue with you too much, as long as you listen to his rants (咆哮) and consider his reasons when you have to say no. These are all signs that you know that your respect is as important to him as his respect is to you. 4._________ This doesn’t accomplish anything and is bound to worsen your relationship.
Your child not only needs your respect, he also needs you to encourage his dreams, no matter how strange they are. 5.__________ Now is the time to lower your expectations, give as few orders as possible (but stick to the ones you give), pay more attention to your son’s good behavior than his bad, and give twice as many smiles as you get.
A. But don’t worry.
B. He wants you to react to him at the age he is today.
C. But don’t argue about it.
D. If you don’t listen and consider, he won’t hear a word you say.
E. So boys and girls are so eager to spread their wings.
F. They need your sympathy for him when things go wrong, rather than fix them or tell him what he should have done.
G. He is growing physically, mentally, emotionally and even morally.
It’s the dieting fashion that is sweeping the world, and encourages fasting (禁食) for two days of the week. But does it work?
People are starving themselves to lose weight, with a dieting trend known as the “fast diet” growing in popularity.
The method is also known as the 5:2 diet, and consists of eating normally for five days of a week and cutting calories to about 25 percent of normal intake during other two days. Men consume just 600 calories on the two fast days, while women are limited to 500 calories.
Notably, the two fasting days should not be back-to-back. The dieter should have at least one normal eating day in between.
In the best-selling book The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent (断断续续的) Fasting by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, the two authors claim that the 5:2 diet not only promotes weight loss, but also benefits health, offering protection from disease, improved cognitive (认知的) function and increased lifespan.
The diet originated in the United Kingdom and became popular in the United States. Now, it is gaining popularity among the Chinese middle-class.
Zhong Minghui, who is 178 cm tall and used to weigh 100 kilograms, finds fasting effective in weight control. He works in the sales department of a trade company and used to drink and eat a lot after work. After sticking to the fasting diet for five months, he managed to lose about 20 kilograms.
“Actually I did not exactly rely on the 5:2 diet to lose weight. My fasting was more extreme. I almost completely cut off my supper every day and only ate some fruit. I also used an app to calculate the calories in the food I ate and was cautious of not eating any high-calorie food. I did about an hour’s aerobic exercise (有氧运动) every day. Fasting is definitely effective, but I think sports also help,” he says.
“I do not really believe that fasting is the magical cure-all (灵丹妙药), but my high blood sugar has improved,” he adds.
The US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that although there is evidence that intermittent fasting diets may help prevent chronic disease, more research is needed.
Han Ting, a clinic nutritionist of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, says that people who suffer diabetes (糖尿病) or eating disorders, pregnant women, kids, teens and frail seniors should not try fasting. She recommends a regular low-calorie diet, which is safer and less risky for health. When on a fasting diet, on the weekly fasting days, Han recommends low-fat, low-sugar, and low-protein food, such as vegetables, yogurt, non-fat milk, shellfish and fruits with high dietary fiber (食用纤维).
1.What does the underlined word “back-to-back” in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Continuous. B. Different.
C. Vegetarian. D. Fatty.
2.What can we infer from what Zhong Minghui said in paragraph 8?
A. He strictly relied on the 5:2 diet to lose weight.
B. He used an app to calculate how much sport he played.
C. Fasting and sports helped him a lot when he lost weight.
D. In order to lose weight he used to do gymnastic exercise.
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. Han thinks people who suffer diabetes should try a fasting diet.
B. A clinic nutritionist says that it’s safer to have a low-calorie diet.
C. Han Ting recommends that everyone should have a fasting diet.
D. Hang Ting says only a fasting diet can help people keep healthy.
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Fast diet B. How to stay thin
C. Eating to stay healthy D. The magical cure-all
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed across the globe each day, and it’s likely that many taste bitter.
Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink taste sweeter by simply changing the colour of their cups.
Scientists claim that blue and glass mugs, which are popular in some coffee shops, can reduce coffee’s bitterness, without any need for sugar, and that coffee drunk from white cups tastes the bitterest.
To prove their claims, the researchers invited 36 volunteers and used three different colored cups -- blue, white and transparent glass -- to do an experiment.
In the experiment, coffee consumed from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other two colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the colour brown may be associated with coffee’s bitterness because coffee in a white cup appears the brownest and tastes the bitterest.
“Our study clearly shows that the colour of a coffee cup does influence the perceived (感受到的) taste and flavor of coffee,” said Dr George Doorn of Federation University Australia, “but the potential effects may be different between a one-time purchase and a return customer.”
“Anyhow, the effect of the colour of the cup on the flavor of the coffee suggests that café owners, baristas (咖啡师), as well as coffee cup manufacturers should carefully consider the colour of their cups, ” he added.
However, the idea that colour can alter the taste of food and drink is not new.
A study published last year revealed that red, strawberry-flavored mousse (慕斯蛋糕) served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter and 15 percent more flavorous than the same food presented on a black plate.
1.What color of the cup can best reduce coffee’s bitterness without adding sugar?
A. Blue. B. Brown.
C. White. D. Transparent.
2.The scientists used ________ to do the experiment to prove their claims.
① different brands of coffee
② different colored coffee cups
③ several volunteers
④ several manufactures
A. ① ② B. ② ③ C. ② ④ D. ③ ④
3.Why does coffee in white cups taste the least sweet?
A. Because white cups are not as beautiful as other cups.
B. Because white cups are better used to serve cakes.
C. Because white cups reduce the sugar in them.
D. Because white cups make coffee appear the brownest.
4.According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Black plates increase the sweetness of food and drink.
B. Strawberry-flavored mousse is 10 percent sweeter than coffee.
C. People consume more than 2.5 billion cups of coffee across the globe every year.
D. People can make coffee taste sweeter by changing the color of their coffee cups.
On the eve of our daughters’ weddings, I gave both of them what I considered to be excellent marital advice: never leave your husband unsupervised (无人监督的) with pruning shears (修枝剪).
If only I had taken my own advice. I recently let my guard down. Thirty-some years of marriage can do that to a woman. Give a man pruning shears and electric trimmers (电动修剪器) and he will give new meaning to “armed and dangerous.”
One day earlier this year, my husband said that the crab apple tree was dead.
“Why do you think it is dead?” I asked.
“Look at it. There’s not a leaf on it.”
“There’s not a leaf on anything. It’s March,” I said.
“It looked sick last fall and with this bitter winter we had, I’m convinced it’s dead.”
The truth is he’s never liked the crab apple. Sure, it has beautiful blooms in the spring, but then it gets a disease, the leaves curl, and it drops those little apples that sit on the driveway.
Each passing week he pronounced the tree dead. Eventually I began to believe him. Though he agreed it would be a regrettable loss, there was a twinkle in his eye. He armed himself a couple of weeks ago and began trimming. A branch here, a branch there, a small limb, then a large limb. I watched and then decided to check the wood on some of the branches closer to the trunk. I broke one off and saw green.
The crab apple was not dead. It just hadn’t had time to leaf out. The tree was now falling to one side, but it was not dead. I would have told him so, but he had moved on to a maple. Once the man starts, he can’t stop. One trim leads to another.
“Please, stop!” I called.
He smiled and nodded, but he couldn’t hear because he had started the hedge (树篱) trimmers and was getting ready to fix a line of hedges.
Zip (飕飕声), zip, zip.
“What do you think?” he shouted.
“It’s supposed to be a privacy hedge; now all that will be private are our ankles.”
He started the trimmers again. “Stop!” I called, “Come back!”
“Why?” he shouted.
“You’re in the neighbor’s yard.”
1.By saying “if only I had taken my own advice.” the author means that _____.
A. she should have kept a closer watch on her husband
B. she feels regretful about her marriage after many years
C. she didn’t follow her own advice about pruning shears
D. she shouldn’t have given that marital advice to her daughters
2.We can learn from the article that the author’s husband ______.
A. has a great talent for gardening
B. had never used pruning shears before
C. mistook their crab apple tree for a maple tree
D. nearly ruined their neighbor’s garden
3.What does the article mainly talk about?
A. Why husbands shouldn’t be left to trim trees alone.
B. Why the author’s husband insisted on trimming their crab apple tree.
C. How the author has survived her “thirty-some” years of marriage.
D. How the author’s husband killed their crab apple tree.
4.What is the tone of the article?
A. Anxious. B. Humorous.
C. Serious. D. Critical.
