What are the things that scare you: snakes, spiders or fierce tigers? Or maybe you have a fear of heights or visiting the dentist. Although some of us just get scared or a bit nervous about these things, for others it can cause an unreasonable reaction that can’t be controlled-something we call a phobia (恐惧症).
Sometimes it’s good to be aware of the possible dangers from things. Our brain warns us of the risks that might lie ahead, but then we often get prepared and overcome them. Clinical psychologist Warren Mansell told the BBC, “Our fears are rooted in our brains-we don’t need to learn to be afraid of animals like snakes or spiders.”
There are many different complex phobias some people suffer from, such as agoraphobia－caused by being away from home, and iatrophobia-fear of doctors.
| A．Then how can they be overcome? |
| B．But where does a phobia come from? |
| C．But phobias are stronger than just fears. |
| D．The right thing to do is to find help to overcome it. |
| E．Overcoming a phobia can take patience, devotion and courage. |
| F．Are there any phobias that tend to be more common than others? |
| G．It occurs when someone develops an unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object. |
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【推荐1】For the past 3 years, about 6,000 middle-aged Australians have strived to rid stress with computer exercises, all in an effort to preserve (保护) their cognition (认知). They’re part of a called Maintain Your Brain, one of about 30 current or planned studies that test whether altering (改变) multiple aspects of participants’ lives improves brain health.
Although people can’t escape some mental decline as they get older, lifestyle forms a powerful influence over the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Last year, an international committee of scientists and psychiatrists known as the Lancet Commission on dementia (痴呆症) prevention and care estimated that so-called changeable factors account for 40% of dementia risk. Their report highlighted a dozen factors, including many familiar villains-diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise.
Researchers are still testing exactly how these risk factors steal people’s faculties, but they’ve identified some likely mechanisms. Lack of physical activity may do harm to cognition, for example, because exercise stimulates (刺激) formation of new neurons and soothes brain inflammation (炎症).
For decades scientists focused on developing drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, but after several candidates recently failed in clinical trials (临床试验). “The climate has really shifted to focus on…prevention,” says neuropsychiatrist (神经精神病学家) Kristine Yaffe of the University of California, San Francisco. Some researchers urge governments to step up dementia prevention with measures such as public health campaigns that encourage good habits. “We have knowledge about some of the actions to take for society to make a difference,” says psychiatrist Gill Livingston of University College London, who heads the Lancet Commission. “The time is now.”
The combined effect of lifestyle factors is strong, but researchers lack conclusive evidence that changing any of them spares the brain. “A many observational studies” point to factors that influence cognitive aging, Yaffe says, “Can we say, ‘Do X, Y, and Z and that will prevent Alzheimer’s disease?’ I don't think so.”
1. What is the aim of Maintain Your Brain?| A．Rid participants’ stress. |
| B．Preserve participants’ lives. |
| C．Test whether changing participants’ lives can improve brain health. |
| D．Improve participants’ computer skills. |
| A．It studies people’s health. | B．It acts as a hospital. |
| C．It treats Alzheimer’s disease. | D．It highlights healthy lifestyles. |
| A．Checks. | B．Changes. | C．Worsens. | D．Reduces. |
| A．Can Alzheimer’s Disease Be Treated? | B．What Factors Influence Cognitive Aging? |
| C．Can Altering Lifestyle Improve Your Brain Health? | D．How Do Scientists Cure Alzheimer’s Disease? |
If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor.
The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story.
An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease.
He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day.
A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.
“But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”
1. The writer thinks that________.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
| A．without examining the patient |
| B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine |
| D．unless the patient feels pain |
| A．he was feeling better than ever |
| B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before |
| D．he will be well again |
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. |
| D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |
【推荐3】Bird flu has reached new areas of the world and has become a year-round problem, animal and disease experts warn.
More than 20 experts and farmers on four continents spoke to a news agency about the problem. They suggested that record outbreaks will not stop soon on poultry (家禽) farms. They also warned that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year, instead of doing prevention efforts during spring movement seasons for wild birds. The outbreaks of the virus (病毒) have continued through the summer heat and winter cold in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Egg prices set records after the disease killed tens of millions of chickens last year. These record prices, at a time of worldwide economic problems, are especially damaging to people who use eggs as a main source of protein.
Wild birds are mainly responsible for spreading the virus, experts say. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without dying and pass it to poultry through waste, saliva (唾液) and other ways. Farmers’ best efforts to protect their birds are not enough.
“In the US, Rose Acre Farms, the country’s second-largest egg producer, lost about 1. 5 million chickens at a Guthrie County, Iowa, production farm last year. These losses occurred even though anyone who entered barns was required to shower first to remove any sign of the virus,” Chief Executive Marcus Rust said.
The US, Britain, France and Japan are among the countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless.
“Avian flu is occurring even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so we don’t know what to do to avoid an outbreak,” said Shigeo Inaba, who raises chickens for meat in Ibaraki, near Tokyo.
1. What did experts warn?| A．Bird flu will exist all the year around. |
| B．The best time to prevent the virus is spring. |
| C．Efforts to prevent the outbreak can be stopped. |
| D．Farmers must take the disease seriously in spring. |
| A．Economic problems occurred worldwide. |
| B．People used eggs as a main source of protein. |
| C．A great number of chickens died due to the disease. |
| D．Farmers took no measures to protect their chickens. |
| A．The US is the largest egg producer in the world. |
| B．It was very hard to prevent the spread of the disease. |
| C．His farm lost more chickens than any other farm in the US. |
| D．Workers on the farms didn’t view the disease as a year-round risk. |
| A．Prevention of bird flu |
| B．Egg prices set records last year |
| C．Farmers suffered heavy losses last year |
| D．Bird flu spreads to more countries worldwide |
【推荐1】Calories are a way of keeping track of the body's energy budget. A healthy balance occurs when we put in about as much energy as we lose. If we consistently put more energy into our bodies than we bum, the excess will gradually be stored as fat in our cells, and well gain weight. If we bum off more energy than we replenish, well lose weight. But how many calories do we actually need? Calorie is just the unit we use to measure the energy we take in or bum.
Calories are used in three ways: about 10% enables digestion, about 20% fuels physical activity, and the biggest part, around 70%, supports the basic functions of our organs. That third usage corresponds to your basal metabolic rate (基础代谢率), a number of calories you would need to survive if you weren't eating or moving around.
According to the official guidelines, average person requires each day 2000 calories for women and 2500 for men. Those estimates are based on factors like average weight, physical activity and muscle mass. So does that mean everyone should take in around 2000 calories? Not necessarily. If you're doing an energy consuming activity, like cycling the Tour de France, your body could use up to 9000 calories per day Pregnancy requires slightly more calories than usual, and elderly people typically have a slower metabolic rate, energy is burned more gradually, so less is needed.
And one thing you should also know. The calorie counts on nutrition labels measure how much energy the food contains, not how much energy you can actually get out of it, Fibrous (纤维的) foods like celery and whole wheat take more energy to digest, so you'd actually absorb less energy from 100 calorie serving of celery than a 100 calorie serving of potato chips. Not to mention the fact that some foods offer nutrients like protein and vitamins, while others provide far less nutritional value. Eating too many of those foods could leave you overweight and malnourished. And even with the exact same food, different people might not get the same number of calories.
So a calorie is a useful energy measure, but to work out exactly how many of them each of us requires, we need to factor in things like exercise, food type, and our body's ability to process energy.
1. What is Calorie according to the passage?| A．A unit of measurement to the energy people get or consume. |
| B．The food people eat and digest. |
| C．The unit for people to count weight. |
| D．The way people to measure nutrition. |
| A．less food is eaten than before | B．doing exercise every day |
| C．more energy is fueled than taken in | D．one keeps energy balanced |
| A．The excess of calories will gradually turn into cells. |
| B．Most of the calories will help people with digestion. |
| C．When staying still no calorie will be needed. |
| D．The biggest amount of energy will go to support body organs. |
| A．potato chips are hard to digest |
| B．the food with more fibers can help keeping slim |
| C．the foods with protein and vitamins could leave you overweight and malnourished |
| D．old people's energy is gradually burning fast |
| A．Calories and Diet |
| B．Many Factors Contribute to Calorie Count |
| C．The Relevancy between Calorie Burning and Age |
| D．Different People, Different Calorie Burning Rate |
【推荐2】Scroll through social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and you will be confronted with picture after picture of perfectly presented and delicious-looking meals. While the smell and taste of food can have an undeniably powerful effect on our cravings, are endless posts of steaming snacks more than just a feast for our eyes?
Our eating habits are influenced by what we see. “There is some evidence that, if you see pictures of food, that visual stimulation can prompt you to feel a desire to eat,” says Suzanne Higgs, a professor in the psychobiology of appetite. “If all your fiends on social media are posting pictures or livestreaming of themselves consuming fast food, it’s going to set a norm that eating fast food is what people do.” says Higgs.
Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned that food-related content on social media is making us think differently about food. Social media algorithms promote content that users engage with more, so viewing more unhealthy food means seeing more of it on our social media feeds.
It seems that healthier foods are often seen as boring in comparison, says Tina Tessitore, associate professor of marketing, “In advertising, you see unhealthy food in social settings—people having a barbecue with friends, for example, while healthy food often focuses more on the nutritional value. If you saw friends eating salad together, it would seem so incredible,” she says.
But while studies have found that social media can make us think differently about food, and that we typically engage more with content featuring unhealthy food, it’s uncertain yet whether this actually translates to our changes in our behavior in daily life. “If I’m scrolling through Instagram, looking at photos of tasty food, whether I seek out the food depends on how hungry I am, and whether it’s appropriate in that moment,” says Higgs. And when we do eat, we’re influenced by more than what we’ve seen online, she adds.
1. What does the author want to tell us in the first two paragraphs?| A．The flavour of food can stimulate our appetite. |
| B．There are many food posts on the social media. |
| C．Social media can help us establish healthy habits. |
| D．Food posts can bring us negative impacts as well. |
| A．People have got used to viewing unhealthy food. |
| B．Social media always encourage us to eat more. |
| C．Food posts may have negative effects on people. |
| D．Consuming fast food is becoming more common. |
| A．More attention has been paid to healthier foods. |
| B．All healthy food seems to lack nutritional value. |
| C．Friends can hardly be seen eating salad together. |
| D．Having a barbecue is healthier than eating salad. |
| A．Social media is changing our daily behavior. |
| B．More factors are influencing our eating habits. |
| C．Photos of tasty food always appeal to us to eat. |
| D．People have formed the same idea of food eating. |
【推荐3】If your parents were to surprise you with a present on your birthday, which one would you prefer, a trip to the amusement park or a new pair of shoes?
According to Science Daily, about one-third of the people are likely to prefer shoes to a fun trip. These people are called "materialists", namely, those who value material goods more than experiences. But which of the two choices makes people happier?
Back in 2009, Ryan Howell, a professor at San Francisco State University, found that in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. This is because the joy of receiving a new object fades over time as you get used to seeing it every day. Experiences, on the other hand, can continue to bring you joy in the future through happy memories.
But materialists should at least be happy when they first buy something, shouldn't they?
To figure it out, Howell did another study. He classified a group of adults according to their personality types, ranging from less materialistic to more materialistic. Each person was asked different questions to see how they felt about spending money on material goods versus spending money on experiences.
As expected, the more materialistic participants got less happiness from purchases than the less materialistic, because such purchases didn't fit with their personalities and values. But to Howell's surprise, he found that materialists weren't any happier even if they spent money on material items.
This is because materialists worry that others may criticize or look clown on their choices. "There are certain value systems that are rejected by society," said Howell. "When we find out someone is materialistic, we think less of them, and that drives their happiness down.”
Another reason is that materialistic people always focus on what they don't have instead of what they have now. This makes them feel less satisfied and grateful.
If you happen to be a materialistic person, there's something you can try. "If materialists make more accurate purchases, rather than trying to impress others, they will be happier, “Howell said.
You should also remember what an ancient Greek philosopher once said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."
1. What did Ryan Howell find in his studies?| A．Material goods bring people less happiness than experiences. |
| B．About one-third of the people prefer material goods to experiences. |
| C．Materialists have more fun spending money on goods than on experiences. |
| D．Receiving a new object brings lasting joy while the joy of an experience fades soon. |
| A．How to judge whether a person is a materialist. |
| B．Why materialists are not happy with their purchases. |
| C．How materialists feel when they spend money on goods. |
| D．Whether materialists are happy when they first make purchases. |
| A．To advise materialistic people not to try to impress others. |
| B．To persuade people to be satisfied with what they have. |
| C．To prove it's unwise to be materialistic and desire too much. |
| D．To tell readers what they desire now might one day become theirs. |
| A．Are You a Materialist? |
| B．How To Acquire Happiness? |
| C．The Best Present For the Birthday |
| D．Which Can Make People Happier? |
