It is reported that using a smartphone at mealtimes can lead to an expanding waistline. Researchers have found that men and women consumed 15 percent more calories when looking at their phones while eating. They also ate more fatty food. The groundbreaking study suggests that staring at a phone screen may distract diners from how much food they are actually eating.
"It may prevent the correct understanding of the brain over the amount of food that is eaten," said researchers who filmed 62 volunteers eating alone.
The men and women, aged from 18 to 28, were invited to help themselves to a choice of food 一 ranging from healthy options to soft drinks and chocolates - until they were finally satisfied. In three trials, the volunteers were recorded eating with no distractions, using a smart phone or reading a magazine. According to the study, on average, the volunteers ate 535 calories without the distraction of a smartphone but 591 calories when using a mobile phone instead.
Those in the sample who were classified as overweight ate 616 calories while using their phones. When they were in possession of their mobile phones, the volunteers consumed 10 percent more fatty foods. When reading a magazine, they also ate more compared with no distractions during a meal, but they consume less calories compared with the use of smart phones when having a meal.
"The use of a smart phone during a meal increased calorie and fat intake," said Marcio Gilberto Zangeronimoa, a lead author of the study carried out at the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil and University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands.
He added, "At present, tablets and smart phones have become the main 'distractors' during meals, even early in childhood, and distractors prevent the brain correctly understanding the amount of food ingested, so it is important to pay attention to how this may impact food choices."
1. Which phrase can best replace the underlined word "distract" in the first paragraph?| A．Draw ... to ... | B．Give ... out. |
| C．Bring about... | D．Break ... up. |
| A．eating with no distractions | B．eating with a magazine |
| C．eating with a phone | D．eating with a tablet |
| A．Favorable. | B．Negative. | C．Indifferent. | D．Surprised. |
| A．a diary | B．a magazine | C．a novel | D．a tourist guide |
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【推荐1】Medical researchers’ fascination with the sea is nothing new. The first evidence of humans using medicines from the ocean comes from China in 2953 BCE. During the reign of the emperor Fu Xi, there was a tax on the profits that came from fish-extracted medicine. Over recent years, sourcing drugs from the ocean has experienced an increase of interest.
In the United States, a marine-derived drug that has been extensively tested for the treatment of frequent pain is Prialt. It is based on poison from a species of Pacific cone snail, whose poisonous harpoon-like stingers can paralyze and kill fish and humans. Biochemist Baldomero Olivera of the University of Utah, who grew up in the Philippines and collected cone snail shells as a boy, conducted the research leading to the discovery of the drug. “I thought that if these snails were so powerful that they could paralyze the nervous system, smaller amounts of the compounds from the poisons might have beneficial effects,” Oliera said. The drug acts on nerve pathways to block pain more effectively than traditional opiates (麻醉剂) and, researchers say, exhibits a reduced risk of mind-altering side effects.
Moreover, the ocean has many healing benefits for both the mind and body. Sea water is antiviral, antibacterial and enhances wound healing due to the high sodium and iodine content. Sea water is also high in calcium, potassium and magnesium, so it is essential for life and it also helps your skin maintain wet, making it stronger and look more youthful. Due to the above minerals sea water is also great for skin conditions.
The high magnesium content in sea water has a calming effect on your nervous system so you will feel calmer and more relaxed. As you float in the sea water the weightlessness of water can also have calming effect on the mind, slowing down and even changing brain waves into a relaxed and meditative state. Swimming in the sea also reduces your blood pressure and can support better sleep patterns. Your number of red blood cells increases from 5% to 20% after a swim in the sea. The number of white blood cells increases even more. Sea water is a fantastic natural medicine for people with a weakened immune system, anaemia, and even high blood sugar levels.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The significance of drug use in marine time. |
| B．The long history of humans adopting drugs from the ocean. |
| C．The contribution Chinese ancestors made to the world. |
| D．The perspective humans hold on fish-extracted medicine. |
| A．The future of marine-sourced drugs is promising. |
| B．Soaking in sea water is helpful to reduce your white blood cells. |
| C．Marine-sourced drugs are more effective than traditional ones. |
| D．Poisonous marine life is a hidden threat to the use of sea water. |
| A．Dehydrating skin. | B．Raising blood sugar level. |
| C．Blocking pathways to pain. | D．Strengthening immune system. |
| A．By increasing biodiversity in the ocean. |
| B．By building a stable environment for patients. |
| C．By providing rich mineral to ease the tension. |
| D．By maintaining microorganisms to heal wounds. |
Half of 110 participants were told to stop telling major or minor ("white") lies for 10 weeks, while the other half (the control group) was given no special instructions about lying.
The 110 people ranged from ages 18 to 71 and came from both sexes and all income levels. All came to a laboratory each week to complete health and relationship questionnaires and to take a test showing the number of major and minor lies they had told that week.
When those in the no-lie group told three fewer white lies than in other weeks, they complained less of headaches, tenseness, anxiety and other problems than those in the control group. In addition, they reported that their close personal relationships had improved and their social interactions(交往) had gone more smoothly.
“The link was that clear," said study author Anita Kelly, a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. "Lying less was clearly associated with better health for those people."
Previous research indicates that Americans average 11 lies per week, from the little white lies to save face or falsely praise others to major lies about serious matters. Kelly said her study differs from former studies because it didn't focus on how to detect a liar, but on the potential health consequences of telling lies.
“People might recognize the more harmful effect lying can have on relationships, but probably don't recognize the extent to which it can cause a lot of stress," said Dr. Bryan Bruno at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
At the end of the study, some participants had created smart ways to avoid lying. Kelly noted that some realized they could simply tell the truth about their daily achievements rather than exaggerate(夸张), while others responded to a troubling question with another question to take the person’s attention away. They also stopped making false excuses for running late or failing to finish tasks.
“People usually think white lies are acceptable. In fact, white lies are trouble, not just major lies," Kelly said. "As long as you like, you can find effective ways to avoid lying in many cases. It depends on you.”
“But the goal doesn’t have to be the absolute absence of lies … the goal would be a reduction in lies,” she added.
1. According to the author, doing the following things is good for health EXCEPT .
| A．eating fruits and vegetables | B．exercising regularly |
| C．lying as seldom as possible | D．watching TV |
| A．the effect lifestyles have on health. |
| B．the link between lying and health. |
| C．how to improve relationships |
| D．how to discover a liar. |
| A．All the participants were adults. |
| B．The control group was asked to stop lying. |
| C．The participants had ten physical examinations. |
| D．All the participants were of the same income level. |
| A．white lies help to improve relationships. |
| B．few people realize lying harms their health. |
| C．Americans tell 11 lies per week on average. |
| D．Lying less results in better health mentally and physically. |
【推荐3】When Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Vice Chairman Charlie Munger earlier this month called Bitcoin “useful to kidnappers” and “contrary to the interests of civilization,” bitcoin enthusiasts mocked that he was “too old to understand the technology”. Michael Saylor, a cyber investor and chief executive officer of MicroStrategy Inc., asked rhetorically in an interview with a precious metals website, “Do you go to your great-grandfather for new investment advice on new technologies?”
Yet, Munger’s warning is looking pretty good about now. Days ago, a criminal gang hacked Colonial Pipeline Co., shutting down the running of 45% of the East Coast’s fuel supply. Details of the hacks haven’t been revealed, but the group’s mode of operation is to crack the victims’ data and threaten to release them publicly unless paid a ransom in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. (加密电子货币)
But how is that “contrary to the interests of civilization”?
The overwhelming majority of Bitcoin users have nothing to do with the criminal underworld, and a great part of the gangsters are funded by plain old U.S. dollars. Blaming Bitcoin for its holders is also weird, like getting mad at a $100 bill for being used in a drug deal.
After letting Bitcoin spend most of its 12-year rise outside the watchful eye of the government, regulators from the U.S. to Europe are taking action. Their ambition is to take away the treasured anonymity that makes Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies a haven for hackers and other criminals. Compared with relative untraceability of paper money, cryptocurrencies can be a pretty poor tool for criminals. Bitcoin is built on a digital platform where every transaction is recorded, with users identified by a string of characters called “wallet address”. If a law enforcement agency can figure out the wallet’s owner, he actually has access to all the history of transaction, no court case required.
That’s why regulators finally found the case well worth addressing. Towards the end of 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department proposed rules that would require banks, exchanges, and anyone else dealing with Bitcoin to discover the true identities of people trying to withdraw the currency and in some cases to figure out whom they’re sending the currency.
Crypto executives think regulator’s fears are overblown. Coinbase, which last month had a landmark initial public offering valuing the company at $86 billion, published a “fact check” dismissing the concerns. Negative comments came not only from those crypto-focused companies, but also from Wall Street heavyweights. Some analysts predicted the proposal could cause the price of Bitcoin to crash. That fear may be behind all the paper and “facts”.
To some extent, Bitcoin’s growth makes more regulation inevitable. It was easy for the government to ignore crypto a decade ago. Now with major banks such as JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs fighting for a multitrillion-dollar industry, events of hack make Bitcoin’s criminal use an unacceptable risk. The crypto industry spent years fighting to break into mainstream finance, and now it’s finding out just how much success might cost.
1. The criminal case of hackers is cited in paragraph two to prove________.| A．old people shall be consulted when one makes investment in new technology |
| B．the existence of Bitcoin is against the interest of civilization |
| C．criminals are making use of the Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies |
| D．cryptocurrencies shall be banned for the potential threats |
| A．The inventor of the Bitcoin | B．The users of the Bitcoin |
| C．The evil nature of the Bitcoin | D．The regulator of the Bitcoin |
| A．The fear is non-existing | B．The economic concerns for losing profits |
| C．The leak of personal information | D．The rise of the old dollars |
| A．exaggerated | B．failed | C．burst | D．completed |
【推荐1】Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory.
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University. He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Green-halgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They cling to (舍不得放弃) childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
"So, they can escape from increasingly complex and stressful lives that are hard to deal with." Greenhalgh said.
1. We can know from the passage that kidults are ________.| A．children who can't wait to grow up |
| B．Grown-ups who hold on to child-like emotion |
| C．people who enjoy playing sports. |
| D．young people who pretended to be grown-ups when young. |
| A．buy Hello Kitty mobile phone accessories. |
| B．read a children's book on the subway. |
| C．work in a busy and stressful city. |
| D．collect toys they once played with. |
| A．some companies are taking advantage of it. |
| B．modern life is stressful and hard |
| C．some people like to stay young and energetic. |
| D．some people wish to fill the generation gap. |
【推荐2】The expression, “everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or behave in a similar way as a larger group.
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly surprising that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, or the fear of disapproval, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine” when a stranger asks “how are you?” even if it is not necessarily true.
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes an addiction. Teens and young adults may feel forced to smoke, or drink alcohol, which might encourage criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel pressured to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can’t afford in an effort to keep up with the peers.
However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at academics may be urged to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of influence can also get a friend off smoking, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.
Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so subtle that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with an instinct is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, or it is simply because everyone else is doing the same thing.
1. What does the underlined word “instinct” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．A natural tendency. | B．An acquired ability. |
| C．A popular idea. | D．An obvious mistake. |
| A．Potential causes of peer pressure. |
| B．Possible positive effects of peer pressure. |
| C．Negative consequences of peer pressure. |
| D．Tips for coping with peer pressure. |
| A．Simply go with an instinct. |
| B．Ask for advice from adults. |
| C．Listen to the inner motivation. |
| D．Follow in the footsteps of others. |
| A．Objective. | B．Ambiguous. |
| C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】Years ago when I was at the Grand Canyon, I remember someone coming up to the canyon's edge, taking a shot with their camera and then walking away, like ‘got it- done’, barely even glancing at the magnificent scene sprawling in front of them,” Linda Henkel, a scientist at Fairfield University, US told Live Science.
Henkel was surprised by how obsessed people are with taking pictures these days—before dinner, during friends' birthday parties, on museum tours and so on. You know people just like that, don’t you?
They keep taking pictures because they think that it helps record the moment, but as Henkel's latest study has just found out, this obsession may prevent their brains from remembering what actually happened, reported the Guardian.
In her study, Henkel led a group of college students around a museum and asked them to simply observe 15 objects and to photograph 15 others. The next day the students' memory of the tour was tested, and the results showed that they were less accurate in recognizing the objects and they remembered fewer details about them if they photographed them.
“When people rely on technology to remember for them—counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves, it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences,” Henkel explained.
But there is also an exception: if students zoomed in to photograph part of an object, their memory actually improved, and those who focused the lens on a specific area could even recall parts that weren’t in the frame.
So basically, this study is saying that constantly taking pictures can harm your memory. But shouldn't reviewing pictures we have taken help wake up our memories? This is true, but only if we spend enough time doing it.
“In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collecting them,” Henkel told The Telegraph. However, previous research has shown that most people never take the time to look over their digital pictures simply because there are too many of them and they aren't usually very organized on their computers.
1. The author mentioned Henkel's trip to the Grand Canyon at the beginning to _______.| A．describe the great view of the Grand Canyon. |
| B．complain about some tourists bad habits. |
| C．point out people’s obsession with taking pictures. |
| D．give suggestions on how to enjoy one’s tour. |
| A．Taking pictures in a museum tour helps students recognize objects better. |
| B．Reviewing pictures always helps people bring back memories. |
| C．Pictures that focus on the details of objects are likely to improve people’s memories. |
| D．People should spend more time taking pictures than studying real objects. |
| A．People who tend to use cameras to catch the moment will remember the experience. |
| B．People should collect many pictures to remember the experience. |
| C．Taking pictures have negative impact on remembering the experience. |
| D．Reviewing pictures constantly can help remembering the experience. |
| A．Some skills to learn for taking pictures. |
| B．People's obsession with taking pictures and its influence. |
| C．How pictures remind us of our past. |
| D．How to deal with pictures after taking trips. |
