Scientists have found living near a leafy green area cuts your risk of a stroke. Their research shows that people who live less than 300 meters from a green space are at 16 percent lower risk from a stroke.
“People who are surrounded by greater levels of greenery at their place of residence are protected against the onset of stroke,” said study co-author Dr. Carla Avellaneda.
The findings indicate there is a clear relationship between levels of pollutants in the atmosphere and the risk of having a stroke. For every ten micrograms per cubic meter of nitrogen dioxide (二氧化氮) in the air, the risk increases by 4% — and every extra cubic microgram of soot (油烟) in the air raises the risk by 5%. Both of these are linked to cart traffic. These risks are across the board — unaffected by your age, smoking habit, or socioeconomic factors. In contrast, having an abundance of green spaces near your home cuts your risk from a stoke by up to 16%.
For the study, the team analyzed the exposure of 3.5 million people in Catalonia. Spain, to the atmospheric pollutants. They used geographic referencing and designing models to measure exposure to the nitrogen dioxide and soot, using population data. Everyone they looked at was an adult who had not suffered a stroke before the study began. Living near lots of leafy land is believed to help people exercise, reduce stress, and help people socialize with friends.
“Despite obedience to the levels set by the European Union, we find that there is still a heathy risk, such as the one we identified in this study, where there is a direct relationship between exposure to pollutants in our environment and the risk of suffering a stroke,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Rosa Maria.
Boston researchers have found that trees and soils on the outermost edges of urban wooded areas and city parks may also play a greater role in fighting climate change than previously imagined, so cities of all sizes should continue planting more trees.
1. How are the findings explained?| A．By giving examples. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By listing figures. | D．By defining them. |
| A．They are not sensitive to pollution. |
| B．They are adults without a stroke. |
| C．The majority are keen on exercise. |
| D．They have more sociable personalities. |
| A．Content. | B．Concerned. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Taking more exercise. | B．Living in leafy green areas. |
| C．Reducing the loss of soil. | D．Increasing the number of trees. |
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【推荐1】The process of aging is of particular concern for Americans. This concern is not only related to the likelihood of increasing your chances of coming down with diseases such as heart disease and diabetes(糖尿病), but more importantly, to the loss of your eyesight. As we age the chance that we will develop age-related vision conditions and disorders increases.
Therefore, many people believe that it’s very hard, if not impossible, to improve your vision naturally as you get older due to concerns that the visual system begins to deteriorate at that stage of life. These people also believe they’re stuck with their glasses or contacts for life. So the question is: can aging prevent you from improving your vision naturally?
The answer to that question is no. While aging is inevitable(无法避免的)，when it comes to improving, protecting and preserving your precious eyesight, there are things you can do to reduce or slow the negative effects of aging on the visual system. For instance, you can take preventive steps in terms of nutrition and eye exercises that can reduce the negative effects of aging on the eyes.
These simple-and-easy-to-perform techniques make the visual system stronger therefore helping you to improve your vision. They also improve the focusing power of the eyes through vision training eye exercise techniques. Additionally, eye exercises can improve blood flow and circulation to the visual system therefore improving your eyesight. The question is: can these eye exercises help improve vision even in older people? Well, the answer to this question is yes.
According to a scientific research study performed by the National Institute on Aging, elderly adults can quickly improve their vision with a branch of eye exercises called Perceptual Training. Perceptual Training relates to the ability to improve various visual skills by exposing a person repeatedly to activities involving all kinds of stimuli(刺激物). This improves the way the brain processes visual information by strengthening the connection between the brain and eyes.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Aging can cause various vision diseases. |
| B．The elders tend to do little to protect their eyes. |
| C．Aging population is a serious problem in the US. |
| D．Heart disease is the main cause of old people’s death. |
| A．The elders’ eyesight can actually return to normal. |
| B．Wearing glasses is a good way to improve eyesight. |
| C．The elders’ eyesight is difficult to improve naturally. |
| D．Preventive measures can reduce the risk of developing eyesight problems. |
| A．Become worse. | B．Become stronger. |
| C．Become simpler. | D．Become more sensitive. |
| A．How old people should do eye exercises. |
| B．How the brain processes visual information. |
| C．The vision problem is given great attention. |
| D．Eye exercises can improve vision in elderly adults. |
【推荐2】If you're like most pet owners, you probably talk to your pet all the time, even if you feel a little silly about it. But experts say your pet is actually “talking” back to you, even if you don't totally understand what they're' trying to say. Cats and dogs are extremely cognitive(认知的)beings and communicate with us all the time. A pet's cognition starts developing as soon as they're born and changes with age just like humans.
What is cognition?
How do you notice cognitive changes?
●They appear confused or cannot remember their training. Forgetting tricks or house training can be clues.
●
●Aggression. Sudden aggression toward strangers and even family members can be a sign that they've lost the ability to recognize people.
● Lack of appetite.
●Change in sleep-wake cycle. Sleeping all day and staying up all night is not normal behavior and may be a sign of something more.
Giving your pet good nutrition is extremely important.
| A．Lack of interaction or affection. |
| B．They aren't interested in anything. |
| C．It's not always easy to notice these. |
| D．Pets have cognition the same as human. |
| E．Nutrition helps bridge the gap for cognition as your pet ages. |
| F．Your pet may forget where their bowl is or when to expect food. |
| G．Cognition is the ability to learn something and do complex tasks. |
【推荐3】Have you ever noticed your dog taking a sunbath? You may think your dog is taking a nap(打盹) or relaxing when you see them in the sun. However, there is more to it than we can see.
Dogs are generations of wolves, which are extremely social animals. They express their love for one another by lying in the sun. Dogs follow their examples to stay warm in cold weather and cool down when it’s too hot to go outside. A dog’s body temperature stays at around 101 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day. Their paws(爪子) allow them to sense heat and cold, so lying in the sun helps them keep their body temperature.
From the outside, it appears as though dogs are having a great time when they are taking a sunbath! However, dogs may get sunburned or develop skin problem if they are exposed to too much UV radiation(紫外线). What’s going on here? Why do some dogs lie in the sun for hours at a time? There are several reasons why your dog might be doing so, and all of them are related to his body’s sense to UV radiation.
The most obvious reason why dogs lie in the sun is that it feels nice. Dogs have a human-like response to UV rays, which means they feel warm when they are taking a sunbath. Your dog’s coat health is kept up by sunlight. You may have noticed that when you take your dog out on sunny days, their coats seem shinier and cleaner than they did when they were indoors all day. The skin under their coat stays healthy thanks to sunlight, which then keeps the coat healthier.
There are many reasons why dogs enjoy sunbathing. It is a fantastic way for them to relax and have fun. They like the heat; they enjoy it, or they want something soft against their backs such as grass when they lie outside. When outdoors during the day, they feel safer being close to you.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Wolves are lonely animals. | B．Dogs can’t sense heat and cold. |
| C．Dogs like taking a nap under the tree. | D．Dogs are closely related to wolves in some way. |
| A．To lie on something soft. | B．To get close to their owners. |
| C．To keep their body temperature. | D．To express their love for wolves. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Receive. | C．Cover. | D．Collect. |
| A．The reasons why dogs like sunbathing. | B．The relationship between dogs and wolves. |
| C．The way dogs keep their body temperature. | D．The way dogs keep their skin clean and healthy. |
【推荐1】Many people wrongly think that cities don't have farms and that fruits and vegetables are only grown in the country. Believe it or not, more and more urban farms are popping up in cities all over the world.
Alexandra Sullivan, a food system researcher in New York City, studies urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is another name for farming and gardening in a city environment. Ms. Sullivan studies everything from tiny gardens in empty lots between buildings to bigger fields that have been planted and grown. According to Ms. Sullivan, "Urban agriculture has existed since cities have, across the world."
The number of humans living in urban areas, or cities, is increasing. The amount of people who want to garden in urban areas is also rising. Ms. Sullivan says, "In small gardens, on rooftops and indoors, they grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs, and raise animals to produce milk, eggs, honey, and meat. They use these foods as supplements to food produced by rural agriculture." Even though some people who live in urban areas grow crops, urban residents still need to rely on food grown in rural areas. This is because a city doesn't have enough space to grow enough food for everyone living in it.
In New York City, urban farmers have come up with many different ways to grow their own produce, even though there isn't a lot of room. For example, Brooklyn Grange is a farming operation that has two rooftop vegetable farms in New York City. All together, the farms are made up of 2.5 acres of rooftop space. This makes Brooklyn Grange one of the largest rooftop farming operations in the world.
Brooklyn Grange grows all kinds of things. The farming company sells its vegetables to local residents and restaurants. And because the farms are on rooftops, they are specially adapted to their urban location. They use available space that is not needed for anything else. As more urban farmers find ways to grow food in cities, urban residents will be better able to get fresher materials for their meals.
1. What does the author mean by "urban farms are popping up" in Paragraph 1?| A．Urban farms disappear gradually. | B．Urban farms are declining. |
| C．Urban farms appear or occur suddenly. | D．Urban farms move suddenly. |
| A．Urban agriculture has a history as long as cities. |
| B．Urban residents still rely on food grown in rural areas completely. |
| C．The number of people living in cities is increasing slowly. |
| D．Urban agriculture can provide huge income. |
| A．It has large fanning areas. | B．It can only grow single products. |
| C．It produces enough food for citizens. | D．It makes use of rooftop space to grow vegetables. |
| A．Farms in Cities | B．Future Food System |
| C．Food Grown in Cities | D．Agriculture of New York City |
【推荐2】Pilates (普拉提), yoga and the running machine get all the attention when it comes to popular ways to keep fit. There is, however, a more humble exercise that might not be so attractive, but has all the benefits—walking.
Certified fitness professional Jolynn Jaekel explains, "What I love about walking is that anyone can do it at any age and any fitness level. Plus it is good for your heart, your head and your wallet.”
A recent report detailed the health benefits of walking. The report found that walking regularly to fulfill (执行,履行) the 150 minutes of moderate (适度的) physical exercise every week, recommended by the UK's chief medical officer, could save 37, 000 lives each year.
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California found that quick walking reduced the risk of heart disease more effectively than running. They observed participants aged between 18 and 80 over a six-year period and found that walking reduced the risk of heart disease by 9.3%, while running reduced it by 4. 5%. And there is even more good news: 30 minutes of quick walking over five days could help you sleep easily, according to research by Oregon State University. The study by the university showed that walking helped participants sleep better and feel more alert during the day.
The sooner you get started, the sooner you'll notice the differences in your mind and body. So, go out for your 30-minute walk in a nearby park or green space.
1. What does the underlined word "humble" probably mean in the first paragraph?| A．relaxing | B．plain |
| C．popular | D．active |
| A．It's loved by people of all ages. |
| B．It's much healthier than running. |
| C．It's becoming more and more popular. |
| D．It's a money-saving physical exercise. |
| A．Walking helps people with sleep problems. |
| B．Walking contributes to curing heart disease. |
| C．Walking is better than running in some cases. |
| D．Walking 150 minutes per week can save lives. |
| A．Lifestyle | B．Comment |
| C．Education | D．Science |
【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. |
