While engineers have made out fantastic products for sitting still—Munchery instead of walking to lunch, Uber instead of walking to the bus stop—services to make you move have been less appealing for consumers.
Fitbit’s stock price fell 18% after they announced their latest Apple Watch-like product named Fitbit Force. And new data suggests that, for the first time, death rates for large parts of the American population are rising, with signs pointing to inactivity and weight gain as the reasons. Our digital lifestyles and desk-based workplaces are contributing to serious health problems and could be shortening our lives, wellness firms want us to believe.
Northrup, president and co-founder of the connected exercise device TAO-Wellness, was in Las Vegas to promote TAO’s small device that encourages exercises. He lifts the device, about the size of an apple, and says workplaces should start encouraging on-site exercise.
Nick Mokey, the managing editor of Digital Trends, agrees. “I hate to break it to you, a room full of people sitting down, but sitting is killing you,” he says to the audience. They shift in their seats.
In the health section of the Sands Exposition Hall, people are selling devices made by LifeSpan Fitness. They say they’re the largest seller of treadmill（跑步机） desks in the US. At the center of their exhibition area is a Bike Desk, which looks like three gym bikes attached to a table. That’s for people who just want to sit and enjoy conversation.
Treadmill desk-related shame is their biggest obstacle, they say when LifeSpan installs two in opposite ends of the same building, neither tends to get used. If the company installs two next to each other, people will use them. “You don’t want to be so noticeable, especially at work,” company spokesman James Lowe says. What’s more, what if we get sweaty using a treadmill in the office?
1.According to new data, the rising death rates in America are caused by_____.
A. lack of exercise B. serious pollution
C. high work pressure D. poor indoor environment
2.What can we learn about the device TAO-Wellness?
A. It is a kind of treadmill desk.
B. It is comparatively small in size
C. It is created by LifeSpan Fitness.
D. It is designed for outdoor exercise.
3.Which of the following may cause more sitting?
A.TAO-Wellness. B. Fitbit Force. C. Bike Desk. D. Munchery
4.What is the biggest problem with the treadmill desk?
A. It takes up too much space.
B. It is not comfortable to use
C. It may cause awkwardness
D. It will make employees tired
In one study, college students who had important and reality-based conversations were more content than their peers who changed mere amusing remarks. But don’t deny small talks just yet.
Psychologists have long said that connecting with others is important to well-being, but just how much conversation we require is under investigation. In one study, researchers overheard(偷听) undergraduates for four days, and then cataloged each overheard conversation as either “small talks” (“What do you have done? Popcorn? Yummy!”) or “substantive”(实质性的交流)(“So did they get divorced soon after?”). They found that the second type correlated（相关） with happiness —the happiest students had roughly twice as many substantive talks as the unhappiest ones. Small talks, meanwhile, made up only 10 percent of their conversation, versus almost 30 percent of their conversation among the least content students.
But don’t deny small talks just yet. Scientists believe that small talks could promote bonding. Researchers found that a small talk maintains closeness with loved ones after studying ring-tailed lemurs’(环尾弧猴) call-and-response conversations, similar to human small talks. Still, joking with strangers could brighten your morning. In a series of experiments, those bus-takers told to chat with others are reported a more pleasant journey than those told to “enjoy your solitude” or to do whatever they normally would. Small talks can also help us feel connected to our surroundings. People who smiled at, made eye contact with, and briefly spoke with their Starbucks baristas (咖啡师) reported a greater sense of belonging than those who rushed through the transaction.
Of course, some of us are better than others at turning small talks into something bigger. All the differences come to what researchers call “a curious mindset”.
So go ahead to talk and inquire. Small talks needn’t be idle. And being curious about others’ business isn’t all bad.
1. According to the second paragraph, we can know that .
A. we can deny small talks because substantive talks are more important.
B. People who make more small talks are much happier than those making substantive talks.
C. the well-being is built largely due to the percentage of our substantive talks.
D. the least content students have twice the amount of small talks than those content students.
2.The benefits of small talks are the following EXCEPT .
A. It can make the bonding between people much closer
B. It can shorten the distance between strangers and make the journey pleasant
C. It makes us feel connected with the surroundings
D. You can get more free cups of coffee from Starbucks baristas
3.What’s the author’s attitude to small talks?
A. Negative. B. Supportive. C. Neutral. D. Critical.
4. The text mainly tells us that .
A. small talks are important in communication
B. substantive talks make people happier than small talks
C. small talks and substantive talks are equally important in life
D. substantive talks are important in communication
Most penguins died after a huge iceberg grounded near their habitat in Antarctica，forcing them to make a long way to find food, scientists say in a newly published study. The B09B iceberg, measuring about 100 square kilometers, grounded in Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica in December 2010, the researchers from Australia and New Zealand wrote in the “Antarctic Science” journal.
The Adelie penguin population at the bay’s Cape Denison was measured to be about 160,000 in February 2011 but by December 2013 it had decreased to about 10,000, they said. The iceberg’s grounding meant the penguins had to walk more than 60 kilometers to find food, preventing their breeding attempts, said the researchers from the University of New South Wales’ ( UNSW) Climate Change Research Centre and New Zealand’s West Penguin Trust.
“The Cape Denison population could disappear completely within 20 years unless B09B relocates or the fast ice within the bay breaks out,”they wrote in the research published in. Fast ice is sea ice which forms and stays along the coast. During their survey in December 2013 , the researchers said “hundreds of abandoned eggs were noted, and the freeze-dried dead bodies of previous season’s little penguins lay everywhere on the ground.”
“It’s strangely silent,”UNSW’s Chris Turney , who led the 2013 exploration , told the“Sydney Morning Herald Friday”.“The ones that we saw at Cape Denison were terribly low-spirited , almost unaware of your existence . The ones that are surviving are clearly struggling. They can hardly survive themselves , let alone give birth to the next generation. We saw lots of dead birds on the ground.”
In contrast, penguins living on the eastern edge of the bay just 8 kilometers from the fast ice edge were full of vigour, the scientists said. The researchers said the study had important influence on the wider East Antarctic if the current situation of increasing sea ice continued. Sea ice around Antarctica is increasing, in contrast to the Arctic where global warming is causing ice to melt and icebergs to decrease. Scientists believe the growth in Antarctic sea ice is likely to be driven by changes in wind and local conditions before long.
1. What’s the main reason why the Adelie penguin population decreased?
A. Many Adelie penguins died from the cold weather in Antanctic.
B. They didn’t have enough time to give birth to and raise babies.
C. The iceberg’s grounding killed a number of Adelie penguins.
D. Adelie penguins lost their habitats so they couldn’t breed.
2.Which statement is correct according to the passage ?
A. The life of penguins in Cape Denison was very hard.
B. Penguins in Cape Denison were afraid of humans .
C. The sea ice in Antarctica is decreasing faster than before.
D. Human activities caused much damage to Cape Denison.
3. What does the underlined word “vigour”in the last paragraph mean ?
A. Trouble. B. Food. C. Energy. D. Joy.
4. What’s the main idea of the passage ?
A. Global warming caused penguins’ death.
B. Iceberg harmed penguins’ life.
C. Penguins need more habitats.
D. Antarctic extreme weather caused penguins’ death.
Two years ago I fell off the steps of a bus while climbing down and twisted my ankle. What followed was the usual way that is common in the US. A few hours later I was treated and discharged. What was uncommon was that I received extra care while going to ER(emergency room) and while I was in the hospital.
People were kind to me, men and women alike. They wheeled me into a private room instead of making me wait in the crowded waiting room. Someone came and asked me if the temperature is OK. When I said I was cold, he brought me a blanket and some magazines, in case I got bored. The nurses stopped by, making pleasant chats with me. People always came to ask me if I was in too much pain and if I needed anything…
There were other people who were brought in while I was waiting. Patients groaning in pain were given the care they needed and then ignored. My injury was not the priority, so while I was not pushed to the front of the line, my several hours’ stay in the hospital was made as pleasant as possible. Why would people do that? They gave others care, while I got kindness.
Like any other good looking, healthy, independent person, man or woman, it looks as if the world is nicer to rich people, and the world is nicer to attractive people. I’m not in the dating world. It’s not about free drinks and gifts. It’s about people being nice.
I’m grateful for any positive behavior because I know this is temporary. Eventually I will join the groups of the elderly, the weak and the seemingly unattractive. One thing I refuse to do is to make excuses for being attractive. I know it’s temporary. I know it’s the luck of the draw and I know that I’m just one of the many. Does it matter to my husband, my mother and my kids what I look like? No. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
1. What caused the author into deep thought?
A. She was given less care in the hospital.
B. Patients were only given physical care in the hospital.
C. She didn’t get treatment immediately in the hospital.
D. Other patients in the hospital didn’t get the same kindness as her.
2.What can we know about the author?
A. She is an attractive lady.
B. She shows great pity to old patients.
C. She doesn’t like free drinks or gifts.
D. She was treated unequally in the hospital.
3.Which of the following does the author agree with?
A. The hospital should treat attractive patients in preference to others.
B. The positive behavior that being attractive brings can last long.
C. Old patients should get much more care from the hospital.
D. Being attractive means nothing to the people truly important to you.
目前高三年级学生普遍感到学习负担重，压力大，因此焦虑、急躁等多种心理问题日益突出。为此，你校学生会成立了“快乐俱乐部”（Happy Club）。请用英语写一份书面通知，准备刊登在你校校刊英文版面上，欢迎高三学生加入该俱乐部。说明内容如下：
1. 宗旨：帮助同学以积极乐观的态度面对问题，迎接挑战
2. 活动内容：（1）定期请专家开讲座，解决心理问题；（2）组织讨论，交流学习经验；（3）请你再拟定两项活动。
3. 活动时间：每周六下午。
4. 报名方式：在学生会填写申请表或在校园网上登记。
注意：
1. 短文须包括所有内容要点，不要逐句翻译，可适当增加细节使短文连贯；
2. 词数：110字左右。短文的开头和结尾已写好，不计入总词数；
3. 参考词汇：心理的psychological 学生会 the Students’ Union
Do you feel stressed up? Do you want to keep up a good state of mind? Why not join our Happy Club? ______________________________________________________________
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Don’t hesitate. It’ll be great fun.
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Born in Oct. 28, 1955, Bill Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Bill Gates attended public elementary school or the private Lakeside School, there he discovered his interest in software and begin programming computers at the age of 13. In 1973, Gates entered into Harvard University as a freshman. In her junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote himself to develop Microsoft, guiding by the faith that the computer would be a tool of great valuable on every office desktop. He proved to be success in the IT field.
