Several studies seem to support this. Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts.
Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching
comedies.
Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced. They point out the fact that many sufferings have been
known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter. They also say that while optimism in
general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first.
Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better. On one level, it takes our minds off our
troubles and relaxes us. On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that
reduces pain.
There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person"s health. It can
show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal
lobe (额叶).
Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from
a list. Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (综
合) of ideas. Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick (闹剧)
endings, which did not depend on a particular context. When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic
in the correct endings. They simply did not find them funny.
Of course, humor is largely an individual matter. Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there
is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain. However, you might suggest that he lighten up-for the health of
it.
B. people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes
C. the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor
D. reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases
B. Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts.
C. Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health.
D. People should try their best to cheer up for their good health.
that _____.
B. a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endings
C. a person suffering certain brain damage doesn"t appreciate a good joke
D. humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins
B. Humor can cure different illnesses.
C. People need humor in times of stress.
D. Humor contributes to good health.
Australia"s Great Barrier Reef will lose most of its coral cover by 2050 and, at worst, the world"s largest
coral system could collapse by 2100 because of global warming, a study recently said.
The study by Queensland University"s Center for Marine Studies, commissioned (委托) by the Worldwide
Fund for Nature, said that the destruction of coral on the Great Barrier Reef was unavoidable due to global
warming, regardless of what actions were taken now. "Under the worst-case scenario, coral populations will
collapse by 2100 and the reestablishment of coral reefs will be highly unlikely over the following 200-500
years," said the report entitled "Implications (可能的影响) of Climate Change for Australia"s Great Barrier
Reef."
The Great Barrier Reef is the world"s largest living reef formation stretching 2,000 km north to south along
Australia"s northeast coast. "Only if global average temperature change is kept to below two degrees Celsius
can the Reef have any change of recovering from the predicted damage," the report said. Coral has a narrow
comfort zone and is highly stressed by a temperature rise of less than one degree Celsius. Water temperature
rises of less than one degree coincided (同时发生) with the world"s worst recorded coral bleaching (颜色变淡)
period in 1988. The warmer water forces out the algae (海藻) that give coral its color and, if all are lost, the
coral dies and the reef will die out. In 1988, 16 percent of the world"s coral died, with 46 percent of the Indian
Ocean coral destroyed.
Scientists express water temperatures to rise this century by between two and six degrees Celsius. "There
is little to no evidence that corals can adapt fast enough to match even the lower temperature rise," said the
report. Over-fishing and pollution from coastal farms were also contributing to the destruction of coral on the
Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef supports huge fishing and tourism industries. Even under favorable conditions
tourists would only be able to experience real corals in reef "theme parks".
B. intention
C. expectation
D. prediction
B. if we take quick actions we can avoid the destruction of corals
C. we can find corals in many areas of the seas or oceans
D. the algae help corals to live
B. Over-fishing.
C. Global warming.
D. Pollution.
B. coral prefers a crowded place
C. coral can hardly adapt to the temperature change
D. coral grows best in a small area
Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people
lack basic sanitation (卫生设备).
The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate (不充足的) water and sanitation
kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world.
Safe drinking water is a precondition (前提) for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between
men and women, and poverty. Consider these facts:
The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water, and only 37 percent of children
in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-born diseases. Here are three ways you
can help:
(1) Write Congress
Current US foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American
citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
(2) Donate to a project with a faith-based organizations
Many US religious groups already donate to water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations
abroad. Simply a single project by a US organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people.
(3) Support nonprofit water organizations
Many US-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects on drinking water and sanitation.
Some organizations are large, others small, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in
Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them generously.
B. people in developing countries
C. religious leaders
D. nonprofit water organizations
B. Many people have no access to clean drinking water.
C. Less effort has been made to improve the basic sanitation.
D. Children suffer most from the lack of basic sanitation.
B. help solve the water shortage and sanitation problem
C. support nonprofit water organizations
D. help get rid of water-related diseases around the world
B. Developing World, A Place Needs Help
C. Water Shortage and Sanitation, What Can We Do?
D. Water Shortage and Sanitation
for prolonged periods-even if you also exercise regularly-could be 1 for your health. And it doesn"t matter
where the sitting takes place-at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV-just the overall
number of hours it 2 .
Research is preliminary, but several studies 3 people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely
to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
In an editorial 4 this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish
School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define 5 activity to highlight
the dangers of sitting.
While health officials have issued guidelines 6 minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven"t
suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated 7 .
"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send 8 signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes
regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the 9 start to shut down.
Even for people who 10 , spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong,
a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day- 11 still spend
a lot of time sitting-might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, 12 in a single bout.
That wasn"t 13 news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most
of his days sitting 14 a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art
15 wrestling, and also does Thai boxing.
"I"m sure there are some detrimental 16 of staying still for too long, but I hope that being 17 when I can
helps," he said. "I wouldn"t want to think the sitting could be 18 dangerous."
Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years,
researchers found people who sat 19 had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.
Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from
working at their desks to sitting in cars.
Experts said more research is needed to 20 just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be
possible to offset those effects.
| ( )1.A.bad ( )2.A.does ( )3.A.advise ( )4.A.thrown ( )5.A.biological ( )6.A.commending ( )7.A.stand ( )8.A.harmful ( )9.A.head ( )10.A.sleep ( )11.A.and ( )12.A.rather than ( )13.A.bad ( )14.A.behind ( )15.A.referring ( )16.A.effects ( )17.A.inactive ( )18.A.such ( )19.A.less ( )20.A.leave out | B.good B.occurs B.talk B.caught B.physical B.mending B.state B.careful B.arm B.rest B.so B.other than B.harmful B.back B.involving B.prefects B.active B.little B.fewer B.bring out | C.mean C.matches C.suggest C.seen C.psychological C.recommending C.post C.wonderful C.body C.walk C.but C.more than C.disadvantage C.in front of C.taking C.affects C.interactive C.lot C.more C.hold out | D.dead D.dies D.say D.published D.logical D.communicating D.position D.skillful D.foot D.exercise D.then D.less than D.welcome D.forward D.bringing D.offers D.positive D.that D.further D.figure out |
| 阅读理解。 | |||
| Good nutrition and a balanced diet will help your children grow up healthily. No matter how old your kids are, you can take steps to improve nutrition and to encourage smart eating habits. Here are some suggestions. Family Meals Family meals are comforting for both parents and kids. Children like to guess what they are going to have and parents get the chance to introduce new foods to children and to find out which foods they like and which ones they don"t. Teens may turn up their noses at your plan of a family meal. It is not surprising because they"re trying to establish independence. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents" advice, so they use the mealtime as a chance to reconnect. Stocking Up on Healthy Foods Kids, especially younger ones, will eat mostly what they can get at home. That"s why it"s important to control the supply lines-the foods which you serve for meals and have on hand for snacks. You should have enough fruits, vegetables, lean meat and other good sources of protein, such as eggs and nuts, and healthy snacks, such as yogurt, peanut butter and whole-grain biscuits. Being a Good Example The best way for you to encourage healthy eating is to eat well yourself. Kids will follow the lead of the adults they see every day. By eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding fast food and sugary drinks, you"ll be sending the right message. No Conflicts over Foods Parents might find themselves shouting at children to get them to have healthy foods in front of them. This in fact can make children dislike what they are asked to eat. Get Kids Included Most kids will enjoy making the decision about what to make for dinner. Talk to them about making choices and planning a balanced meal. It can help prepare them to make good decisions on their own about the foods they want to eat. | |||
| 1. Family meals provide the chances for parents to do the following things EXCEPT _____. | |||
| [ ] | |||
| A. guessing what kids are going to have B. finding what kids like and dislike C. introducing new foods to kids D. reconnecting with kids | |||
| 2. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means _____. | |||
| [ ] | |||
| A. teenagers may be interested in your plan of a family meal B. teenagers may help you to make a plan of a family meal C. teenagers may show no interest in your plan of a family meal D. teenagers may refuse to help you to make a plan of a family meal | |||
| 3. According to the article, which should NOT be done by parents? | |||
| [ ] | |||
| A. Forming a healthful eating habit themselves. B. Forcing kids to have vegetables. C. Stocking up on some fruits at home. D. Making meal plans with kids. | |||
| 4. What"s the best title for the passage? | |||
| [ ] | |||
| A. How to eat healthily. B. How to grow up healthily. C. Help kids form healthful eating habits. D. Help kids know what a healthful meal is. | |||
| 请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词或词组（每个空格 填词最多不超过三个单词）。 | |||
| You are what you eat so maybe it"s time you started eating sensibly. Experts at the first Chinese Students Nutrition and Health Festival in Kunming last week singled out (挑选) several bad eating habits. ●Watching television while having meals or snacks (零食). Doing this means you don"t pay attention to your food, forget how full you are, and so overeat. It can also cause digestion (消化) diseases. One way to avoid this is only to eat in certain areas of your home. ●Replacing meals with snacks. Many students think that eating small snacks can help them diet. But it often results in overeating and health problems related to a lack of vegetables, carbohydrates (碳水化合物), proteins and vitamins. Snacking only works if it is well planned and includes healthy foods such as nuts, vegetables, fruit and yogurt (酸奶). ●Having drinks rather than water. Fizzy (有气泡的) drinks and fruit juice are usually high in calories and sugar, which can cause weight problems. Water is important in making your brain cells and every organ in your body work properly. For your body to burn fat, it needs at least eight glasses of pure water a day. Liquids like soda (苏打水) and coffee actually take water away from your body. ●Choosing meat and certain vegetables over others. Different foods provide different kinds of nutrition. If you don"t have a balanced diet, this can result in malnutrition (营养失调) and a weaker body. ●Eating throat tablets (润喉片) as if they were sweets. If you eat throat tablets when you have no throat disease, they may affect the bacteria (细菌) in your mouth and cause real throat problems. | |||
| Develop a Healthier Lifestyle |