“What were they thinking?” Like most parents of teens, I ask myself this question on a regular basis in regard to the decisions my kids make. For the most part, their bad decisions include unhealthy food choices or watching Netflix instead of doing their homework. It’s usually not a big deal unless they start throwing up because they ate something that they knew would make them sick or they have rush around to turn in their schoolwork on time because they wasted six hours watching “Stranger Things”. But for many adolescents, their bad decisions have much more terrible consequences.
Scientists have been trying to unlock the secrets of the adolescent brain for years. Now new research shows that adolescent brains go through structural changes that may affect their ability to make sound decisions.
Changes in the adolescent brain at this stage of development are responsible for several unpredictable behaviors. For example, the adolescent brain’s hunger for the “feel good” chemical, dopamine, drives young people to push boundaries and take risks. These structural brain differences may also be responsible for the fact that teens and young adults tend to over-identify with others and focus heavily on every setback (挫折). Add to these factors such as social media and sleep problems and it’s no wonder that when adolescents are presented with important decision-making opportunities, normal social taboos (禁忌) disappear and negative actions arise.
With a better understanding of adolescent brains, researchers are learning ways to use social media to connect teens with others so they can find help quickly when they need it. There has also been a much bigger push in recent years to talk about mental health in school as part of health curriculum (课程表). Just as kids learn about the importance of taking care of their physical health, they can also begin to understand things that might be affecting their emotional well-being.
The adolescent years are important. The more we know about adolescent brains, the better equipped we will be to help guide them through those confusing years and the problems they may face.
1. What do we know from paragraph 1?| A．Teens need to take responsibility for their decisions. |
| B．It’s surprising that teens often make bad decisions. |
| C．It’s necessary for parents to help teens make decisions. |
| D．Teens’ bad decisions can lead to unpleasant results. |
| A．Teens thinking too much about their failures. |
| B．Teens lacking a sense of responsibility. |
| C．Teens' addiction to social media. |
| D．Teens' sleep problems. |
| A．To design accessible health curriculum. |
| B．To help improve teens’ emotional well-being. |
| C．To make clear teens’ decision-making process. |
| D．To explore things affecting teens’ brain development. |
| A．What were your adolescent years like? |
| B．How do adolescent brains relate to teens’ decisions? |
| C．How can teens avoid losing decision-making opportunities? |
| D．Why should we allow teens to make their own decisions? |
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【推荐1】There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep-but what does that really mean? It turns out that the answer depends not only on your age, but also on your lifestyle. Some people are productive and happy with fewer hours of sleep, while others need more. Still, experts can determine guidelines that work for most people. The National Sleep Foundation researched the topic and gave new recommendations this week. The foundation acknowledge s that sleep needs will very lifestyle and stress should be taken into consideration but their recommendations offer a general guideline. For example, teenagers (14-17 years old) need 8-10 hours’ sleep every day.
To create the recommendations, some sleep and medical experts reviewed 312 articles from journals published during the last decade. This is the first time that a professional organization has developed age -specific recommended sleep durations (时长)bbased on systematic review of the world scientific literature.
A lack of sleep can be linked to weight gain, because that causes an increase in appetite, according to the foundation. It can also have serious consequences on the brain. People who do not get enough sleep are at increased risk for depression (抑郁症), and can endanger others. Those who become sleepy while driving, for example, risk both their lives and the lives of those around them.
Researchers also have found in the past that too much sleep can have negative effects. Low socioeconomic status and depression reportedly are significantly associated with longer sleep. However, experts nowadays find that research on oversleeping is still doubtful and needs more attention. Currently, there is no strong evidence that sleeping too much has health consequences. There is, however, laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of four to five hours have negative consequences. We need similar laboratory studies to determine whether long sleep durations result in physiological changes that could lead to disease before we make any recommendations against sleep extension.
1. Which is TRUE about sleeping time?| A．The time you need for sleep is related to your personal situation. |
| B．Experts’ guideline for sleeping time applies to all the people. |
| C．The less you sleep, the more productive you are. |
| D．The more you sleep, the more energetic you are. |
| A．lose some weight | B．eat more food |
| C．dream during their sleep | D．drive faster than usual |
| A．too much sleep may result in social changes |
| B．researchers now agree with those in the past |
| C．more research on oversleeping is needed |
| D．research on oversleeping is quite persuasive |
| A．Health. | B．Psychology. | C．Sport. | D．Education. |
【推荐2】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 ingested,”said researchers who filmed 62 volunteers eating alone.
The men and women, aged 18 to 28, were invited to help themselves to a choice of food – ranging from healthy options to soft drinks and chocolate – until they were satisfied. In three trials, the volunteers were recorded eating with no distractions, using a smartphone or reading a magazine.
On average, the volunteers ate 535 calories without the distraction of a smartphone but 591 when using a mobile.
Those in the sample who were classed as overweight ate 616 calories while using their phones. When in possession of their mobiles, the volunteers also consumed 10 percent more fatty foods. They also ate more when reading a magazine.
“Smartphone use during a meal increased calorie and fat intake,” said Márcio 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: “Tablets and smart phones have become the main ‘distracters”’during meals, even early in childhood, so it is important to pay attention to how this may impact food choices.”
“A distracter prevents the brain correctly understanding the amount of food ingested.” The study is published in the journal Physiology And Behavior.
1. What did the researchers take into consideration when designing the experiment?| A．The volunteers’ weight |
| B．The volunteers’ gender |
| C．The volunteers’ age |
| D．The volunteers’ hobby |
| A．positive | B．negative | C．indifferent | D．interested |
| A．To find the difference of man and woman . |
| B．To test the amount of food man and woman eat. |
| C．To search for a healthy way of using smart phone. |
| D．To warn us to avoid using smart phones during meals. |
| A．a wellness book | B．a magazine | C．a new report | D．a travel journal |
【推荐3】Have you ever sat down in a restaurant and felt instantly drawn to a particular dish on the menu? The reason might be something as simple as that you love the dish’s main ingredient, but it’s often more than that.
Scientists are finding that the way food is presented can make a big difference. In one study, for example, party guests were given a glass of a drink called mango lassi. Half the guests were told the lassi was healthy. The rest were told it was unhealthy. Those who had the “healthy” drink considered it 55% less enjoyable than those who drank the “unhealthy” one, though the drinks were exactly the same.
People’s choices around what to eat are influenced by lots of small factors unconsciously. But we can make those choices more conscious by arming ourselves with information.
Agriculture accounts for about 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions warming the planet. But not all foods have equal influences. Globally, the production of animal-based foods accounts for about two-thirds of agricultural emissions, while plant-based foods generally have lower environmental influences.
Increasing the share of plant-based foods in our diets is therefore a key step in reducing agriculture’s pressure on climate. That doesn’t mean giving up meat, though. We can eat less animal-based food and more plants.
By examining how food decisions are made, scientists have learned that simple pushes can change people’s behavior in big ways. Restaurants, hotels, universities, and even cities have begun applying the latest behavioral science to help consumers cut their carbon footprint by choosing more sustainable foods. Burger King began a trial of the plant-based Impossible Burger. At Seattle Pacific University, campus food service provider Sodexo doubled the size of its plant-rich food station.
1. How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By stating an argument. | D．By setting down general rules. |
| A．They are harmful to the environment. |
| B．They are the main reason for climate change. |
| C．They provide more nutrients than plant-based foods. |
| D．They are less consumed compared to plant-based foods. |
| A．Pay attention to how food is cooked. |
| B．Choose healthy foods to live a longer life. |
| C．Consider climate change when deciding what to eat. |
| D．Give up meat to reduce pressure on the environment. |
| A．Burger King’s new plant-based burgers. |
| B．Scientists’ new findings on people’s food decisions. |
| C．How consumers’ food decisions are influenced by small factors. |
| D．The society’s efforts to help people make eco-friendly food decisions. |
【推荐1】One devoted man is helping to make sure that children with poor living conditions won't go hungry during the school day.
Mary’s Meals, an organization founded in 2002 by Scottish farmer Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow, provides needy kids in 12 countries with free meals at school each weekday. The group's aim is to ensure that students have food in their stomachs so they can better fix their attention on the study in class.
Macfarlane-Barrow, who runs Mary’s Meals on his father's farm, told CNN that the entire operation started with a conversation he had with a teen living in a poor state. He said, ''In 2002, I was in Malawi during a year of terribly short of food, and I met this family — the father had died, and the mother was dying with her six children around her. I began talking to her oldest child, Edward, who was about 14, and asked him, 'What are your hopes? 'And he said, 'I'd like to have enough food to eat, and I'd like to go to school one day. ''' And that was it.
In its first year, the group fed 200 children in need. Since that time, it has made rapid progress. Last month, Mary's Meals fed more than one million children every school day. That was 5 million meals every week. ''The million is amazingly important, but we are far from satisfied. Our work's just beginning. We’ve proved that this works, and now we've just thinking about the next child, '' said Macfarlane-Barrow.
He and the group recently celebrated the achievement in Malawi, where the program began. So far, the program has had very good results. In Malawi, schools that carried out the Mary's Meals program saw a 24 percent increase in the number of new students within the first six months.
1. Why did Macfarlane-Barrow found Mary's Meals?| A．He hoped to provide free food for poor families. |
| B．He expected to teach children how to help others. |
| C．He wished to become well-known by helping others. |
| D．He wanted to make children free of hunger in class. |
| A．The conversation with a poor child. | B．The success of helping a needy kid. |
| C．The terribly short of food in Malawi. | D．The poor living conditions of schools |
| A．Schools in Malawi are popular. |
| B．No children suffer from hunger now. |
| C．Macfarlane-Barrow is satisfied with the result. |
| D．Mary's Meals program has been very successful. |
| A．Edward's dream has come true. |
| B．A farmer feeds one million kids every school day. |
| C．Malawi gets away from being short of food. |
| D．Mary's Meals program has shocked the world. |
【推荐2】There are many useful things we can do each day to feel better. It may take some efforts and time to make a habit of drinking 8 glasses of water daily or thinking more positively, but it is well worth it. What things do you do every day to feel better?
Probably the healthiest thing you can do to feel better each day is to exercise early in the morning. You don't have to run the whole morning or spend a few hours in the gym. Even doing some easy exercise like walking, sit-ups or jumping the rope will help you feel better in no time!
Again, due to our busy schedules, we don't get enough sleep each night. If you have trouble falling asleep, avoid watching TV or surfing the Internet right before bed. Also, try to make healthy bedtime snack choices and don't drink tea or coffee too late in the day.
If you drink 3 glasses of water, 4 glasses of coffee or tea and a glass of soda each day and think that you drink enough water, think again. Your body needs water (not coffee or soda!) to function properly. Aiming to drink 7-8 glasses of water each day can make you feel better.
Being positive is the key to a longer life. Positive thoughts can help improve your overall heath. Life is full of stressful situations and it's hard to stay cheerful when everything goes wrong, but your positive attitude can help you solve any problem and fight any stress faster and easier. Your positive attitude is especially good for your heart health. Smile, stay positive and live a longer life!
1. In the author's opinion which can benefit us most in order that we feel better?| A．Sleeping enough. | B．Drinking enough water. |
| C．Thinking more positively. | D．Taking morning exercise. |
| A．Drinking tea or coffee makes us sleep less. |
| B．Drinking tea before bed makes it harder to fall asleep. |
| C．Watching TV or surfing the Internet leads to less sleep. |
| D．Our busy schedules cause more difficulty in falling asleep. |
| A．Because it can make us feel better. |
| B．Because it can have our body work smoothly. |
| C．Because in can do more good to our body than coffee. |
| D．Because it can hep avoid feeling thirsty. |
| A．Thinking positively. | B．Thinking out wise ways. |
| C．Having a right attitude. | D．Staying cheerful. |
【推荐3】Restaurants play a major part in defining the characteristics of a city. They reveal the diversity of the place，the pace of the nightlife and the financial health. Beijing，a metropolis that is home to 20 million people，has tens of thousands of restaurants. Here are some special restaurants in Beijing.
Diaoyutai State Guest Restaurant
Traditionally，Diaoyutai State Guest Restaurant only served visiting dignitaries(达官贵人).But since 1980，it has opened to the public. It offers not only Chinese cuisine at its best but also secluded dining experience in an otherwise buzzing(嘈杂的) metropolis.
Location:No.2 Fucheng Road，Haidian District，Beijing
Cost:$222.01 per person
Heritage in Wanda Plaza
Heritage offers French cuisine，which is famous for its rich taste and subtle nuances. Location:Wanda Plaza，No.93 Jianguo Road，Chaoyang District，Beijing Cost:$ 125.49 per person
Kyoto Kaden Minokichi Kaiseki Ryori(怀石料理) in Pangu Hotel
Located in the only 7 star hotel in Beijing，Kyoto Kaden Minokichi Kaiseki Ryori is undoubtedly the most expensive restaurant in the city. Kaiseki is a traditional multi course Japanese diner. Kaiseki only uses seasonal ingredients and is prepared by master Japanese chef to reflect change of seasons.
Location:Pangu 7 Star Hotel，Beijing 27 Central North 4th Ring Road Chaoyang District，Beijing
Cost:$1159.29 per person
China Grill
People come for food but stay for the view. Situated on the top floor of a landmark building in the heart of CBD，China Grill offers an unparalleled view of Beijing landscape.
Location:66/F Park Hyatt,2 Jianguomen Wai，CBD，Beijing
Cost:$ 130.79 per person
1. What does the underlined word “secluded” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Fashionable. | B．Crowded. | C．Popular. | D．Peaceful. |
| A．It only served visiting dignitaries when first opened. | B．Its food is prepared by master Chinese chef. |
| C．It is the most expensive restaurant in Beijing. | D．It is located in Haidian District in Beijing. |
| A．It is the only one that serves Chinese food. | B．It is the cheapest one of the four. |
| C．You can enjoy the view of Beijing when dining there. | D．It is famous for its rich taste. |
