【推荐2】For many workers trying to lose weight, the weekend is a chance to do some exercise and eat something healthier than a supermarket sandwich at their desk. But some slimmers take a slightly different approach — consuming more than half their weekly calorie intake from Friday night to Sunday.
Away from the daily routine at work that helps them keep control of what they eat, they are snacking and drinking their way to a shocking 10,000 calories, a survey has found. Almost three-quarters of people trying to lose weight admit to over-eating at the weekend. A meal with friends or family, complete with alcohol, as well as a late-night snack before bed, can lead to adults consuming up to 3,500 calories in one day, a survey found. Men typically need 2,500 calories a day and women 2,000 calories. Consuming this amount would see men and women get through half their weekly calorie intake over the course of a ‘bad’ weekend.
Women were found to eat less on a Sunday because of guilt over their consumption over the previous two days. Men had fewer doubts about a third day of excess.
The biggest weekend diet danger comes from snacking between meals, the survey found. Some say they will often spend Saturday night in front of the TV with their families — combining watching their favorite shows with crisps and biscuits. And seven in ten people admitted to having fattening takeaways at weekends, with pizza the most popular. Alcohol is another big factor in weekend bingeing．Around 70 percent still like to have a roast on a Sunday or a big meal with family or friends and a third of those will have second helpings.
A spokesman from Forza Supplements, the diet company that conducted the survey, said, “We all have bad weekends where we have a lot of fun, but dieting goes out of the window.”
The 5:2 diet is becoming increasingly popular — where we limit our calories for five days and allow ourselves a few treats on the other two days.
“For many people, the two days off are Saturday and Sunday but they go way too far”
1. Which kind of weekend diet does the greatest harm?

A．Having a big meal with family and friends.

B．Drinking a lot.

C．Having fattening takeaways

D．Snacking between the meals.

2. According to the passage, those who try to lose weight _______.

A．intake more calories on weekdays than on weekends

B．get their efforts to lose weight ruined by over-eating on weekends

C．always have bad weekends due to their intention to lose weight

D．keep wide aware of their desire to lose weight by keeping a strict diet

3. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Weekends are vital for diets.

B．What the 5:2 diet is.

C．The proper way to lose weight.

D．People’s weekly calorie intake is changing.

【推荐3】Have you ever heard someone say, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, or give you advice about why it’s vital to start the day with a healthy breakfast? It seems that this meal, for many of us, is necessary for our day to start well, but is it really that important?

The word “breakfast” comes from “breaking the fast” — the idea of ending the period in which we didn’t eat during the night. The regeneration process that takes place while we sleep consumes some of our natural food reserves to heal our bodies. Breakfast gives us an opportunity to replenish those depleted (耗尽的) stores of things like protein and calcium. So, in that way, a healthy breakfast makes sense.

There are also many often-quoted studies which seem to correlate (相关) a state of being overweight with skipping breakfast. In fact, it leads many health experts to advise a healthy breakfast to not only regulate but also lose weight. In a US study, 50, 000 people were monitored over seven years, and those who ate a health y breakfast were found to have a lower BMI (体重指数), which seems to suggest that breakfast may indeed help people maintain a healthy weight.

But it might not be as simple as that. Some experts, like Alexandra Johnstone, professor of appetite research at the University of Aberdeen, suggest those who skip breakfast might be less aware of healthy diets and nutrition, and people who eat breakfast might have a healthier lifestyle overall-exercising and not smoking, for example. And she also points out that with the rise in popularity of intermittent (间歇性的) fasting to lose weight, there may also be some benefits of not eating breakfast, like improving blood sugar control and lowering blood pressure.

So, while breakfast has its benefits, it might not be the most important meal. It seems that a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet might be more important for many of us than just one single meal.

1. What does the first paragraph serve as?

A．An introduction.

B．A background.

C．An explanation.

D．A comment.

2. What does the underlined word “replenish” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Set aside.

B．Deal with.

C．Make up for.

D．Run out of.

3. What conclusion can we draw from Johnstone’s research?

A．Skipping breakfast may do good to our health.

B．Those who eat breakfast can keep a lower BMI

C．Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

D．Intermittent fasting contributes greatly to weight loss.

4. What does the author suggest we do at the end of the text?

A．Try new lifestyles.	B．Be aware of the benefits of each meal.
C．Pay more attention to breakfast.	D．Follow a balanced diet.

【推荐2】The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” --- and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet ---used the title in 2015. A lovely bear --- popular in the US and UK --- that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.

In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms like e-mail first came into use.

Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of independent’s “i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.

But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition,” he says.

“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.

※Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

Along with “Google” and “Microblog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last ten years.

But as history shows, people grow tired of fashions. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.

1. People use iPlayer to __________.

A．read newspapers	B．watch TV programs online
C．make a call	D．listen to music

2. The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.

A．popular	B．clear
C．uncertain	D．unique

3. Paragraph 6 connects the power of “i” with ________.

A．Apple’s products	B．information technology
C．the Western culture	D．the Internet

4. The last paragraph suggests that __________.

A．the popularity of “i” products may not last long

B．the letter “b” replace letter “i” to name the products

C．fashions don’t necessarily change with time

D．“i” products are often of high quality

【推荐3】This commercial kitchen in central London prepares one-and-a-half thousand meals a day. It provides catering for a museum and a conference centre. Kitchens like these typically throw away 20% of the ingredients they buy. Some are thrown away even though they are edible. And sometimes food ends up in the bin simply because it's not needed after all.

To stop this happening, this kitchen has been using a new piece of technology which can simply be connected to a normal bin on scales (磅秤). This is what’s known as a smart bin. Kitchen staff use it like a supermarket self-checkout. The idea is to keep an accurate digital record of the food being thrown out. This helps the head chef make more informed choices.

Bill Owen, head chef said, ''It was a shocker how many tons are actually saved through using this. '' By keeping an eye on exactly what kind of food is being thrown out, the chef can not only adjust his orders of ingredients, but also make whole new menus based on what was previously being thrown away. ''In an operation where you make a significant amount of your food in advance, you can typically cut food waste in half. '' Mark Zornes Winnow added.

Do people actually have time to sort the food as they are putting it into the bin? They do. To start with, take a little while to get used to the bin system. It is just about familiarizing yourself with where the buttons are.

However effective they may be, there is one important factor that holds these smart bins back. Andrew Stephen, CEO of Sustainable Restaurant Association, explained, ''Traditionally, smart bin technology has been at quite a high price point for particularly small operators. There is only a relatively small part that can afford that upfront implementation (安装启用). '' It seems that smart bins are just one part of the solution to the pressing problem of food waste.

1. What does the underlined word ''edible'' in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．awful

B．unnecessary

C．delicious

D．eatable

2. The final aim of using smart bins is to ________.

A．change the menus	B．make much food in advance
C．cut the food waste	D．adjust the purchase of ingredients

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．People need to sort the waste before putting them into the bin.

B．The bin is connected to a supermarket self-checkout.

C．The weight of the waste can't be known through the bin.

D．Andrew Stephen was optimistic about the future of the bin.

4. What's the disadvantage of the smart bins?

A．They can't keep an accurate record.	B．They are too expensive.
C．They're too complicated to operate.	D．They are not effective.

【推荐1】To understand the effect of ice melting around the world we first have to understand what an ice sheet actually is. Covering 5.4 million square miles in Antarctica (南极洲) and 656,000 square miles in Greenland, an ice sheet is actually a huge land of ice from the Ice Age. These sheets form in areas where snow that falls in winter does not melt entirely over the summer. This ice, home to different species of animals, is now melting at a rate that cannot support the life it currently holds.

Many of these creatures rely on ice sheets as land for resting, hunting and protection, yet as the size decreases, they are forced out of their homeland in search of other land on which to live. Often this means journeys to search for food and an imbalanced ecosystem happens when different species are forced together onto the coast.

Since the 1990s, the deer population has dropped by 56 percent — climate change has caused warmer temperatures over winter setting off rainfall instead of snow, which freezes more quickly underfoot and makes it harder to walk and search for food. In the summer, frozen layers of land melts and releases trapped diseases which bring death to animals. A similar situation has fallen on the polar bears who suffered a 40 percent population loss between 2001 and 2010.

Quite apart from these problems, the threat of sea levels rising if the ice caps were to disappear is approaching. If the Greenland Ice Sheet melted, the sea level would rise around six meters, and if the Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, sea levels would rise by around 20 feet. As a matter of fact, sea levels have risen about eight inches since 1880, three of which we’ve gained over the last 25 years. This seemingly small amount has already caused dangerous flooding, loss of farmland and more deadly storms.

While we’re still a long way from losing the ice sheets all together, we’ve already lost too much and if we don’t take climate change seriously now, we will certainly hit the point of no return.

1. What is an ice sheet according to the passage?

A．It is an ice world for animals to live on.	B．It is a land of ice that covers all Greenland.
C．It is an area where ice never melts in summer.	D．It is a large area of ice that exists for centuries.

2. The melting of ice sheets brings about the following effects EXCEPT        .

A．a longer distance to search for food

B．a decrease in animal population

C．a larger amount of snowfall

D．the release of more diseases

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Sea levels are rising faster in recent years.

B．The ice cap will first disappear in Greenland.

C．All natural disasters happen due to sea level rise.

D．The Greenland Ice sheet will be the first to disappear.

4. What could be the best title for this passage?

A．Changes of Sea Levels	B．Ice, Sea and Animals
C．Greenland and Antarctica	D．Effect of Melting Ice Sheets

【推荐2】There is plenty of complaints about how social media — texting in particular — may be harming children’s social and intellectual development. But a new study suggests that constant instant messaging (IM’ing) and texting among teens may also provide benefits, particularly for those who are introverted (内向的).

British researchers studied instant messages exchanged by 231 teens, aged 14 to 18. All of the participants were “regular” or “extensive” IM’ers. In the US, two thirds of teens use instant messaging services regularly, with a full third messaging at least once every day.

The researchers analyzed 150 conversations in the study and reported the results in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. In 100 of these chats, the study participant began IM’ing while in a negative emotional state such as sadness, distress or anger. The rest were conversations begun when the participant was feeling good or neutral. After the chat, participants reported about a 20% reduction in their distress — not enough to completely eliminate it, but enough to leave them feeling better than they had before reaching out.

“Our findings suggest that IM’ing between distressed adolescents and their peers may provide emotional relief and consequently contribute to their well-being,” the authors write, noting that prior research has shown that people assigned to talk to a stranger either in real life or online improved their mood in both settings, but even more with IM. And people who talk with their real-life friends online also report feeling closer to them than those who just communicate face-to-face, implying a strengthening of their bond.

Why would digital communication trump human contact? The reasons are complex, but may have something to do with the fact that users can control expression of sadness and other emotions via IM without revealing emotional elements like tears that some may perceive as embarrassing or sources of discomfort. Studies also show that the anonymity (匿名) of writing on a device blankets the users in a sense of safety that may prompt people to feel more comfortable in sharing and discussing their deepest and most authentic feelings. Prior research has shown that expressive writing itself can “vent” emotions and provide a sense of relief — and doing so knowing that your words are reaching a sympathetic friend may provide even more comfort and potentially be therapeutic. Researchers also found that introverted participants reported more relief from IM conversations when they were distressed than extroverts (外向的人) did. As Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, wrote recently for TIME: Introverts are often brimming over with thoughts and care deeply for their friends, family and colleagues. But even the most socially skilled introverts sometimes long for a free pass from socializing or talking on the phone. This is what the Internet offers: the chance to connect — but in measured doses and from behind a screen.

1. What is the finding of the new study by British researchers?

A．Instant messaging will hinder children’s social and intellectual development.

B．Introverted teens may benefit from constant instant messaging.

C．Two thirds of American teens use instant messaging every day.

D．American teens aged 14 to 18 are extensive instant messaging users.

2. What can be inferred from the results of the study?

A．Teens are more likely to send instant messages when feeling distressed.

B．Instant messaging can help completely remove teens’ negative emotions.

C．Chat via instant messaging services makes participants feel good or calm.

D．Constant instant messaging can help teens control their negative emotions.

3. According to the authors of Computers in Human Behavior, ____________.

A．talking to strangers on the Internet can improve the mood

B．face-to-face talk can strengthen the bond between friends

C．people often feel closer to real-life friends than to net friends

D．teens feeling bad can benefit from talks via instant messaging

4. What does Susan Cain say about introverts?

A．They do not reveal their thoughts to friends, family and colleagues.

B．They tend to feel more distressed about IM conversations than extroverts.

C．They are more skillful at the art of socializing than extroverts.

D．They at times desire to socialize or talk via social media.