【推荐1】Your blood pressure is usually one of the first things that are measured when you go to see a doctor. Not only high blood pressure, but also low blood pressure can lead to health problems. How do you recognize low blood pressure?

Normal values

    1    . Your blood pressure mainly depends on your gender and age. In general, the diastolic pressure (舒张压) doesn’t exceed 95 mmHg and the systolic pressure (收缩压) doesn’t exceed 140 mmHg. When both of them are much lower, your blood pressure might be too low. For women, this translates to a blood pressure lower than 100 over 60. For men this is slightly higher: 110 over 70.

    2    .

If your blood pressure is probably normal, you’ll feel comfortable. Even if your values are very low, this doesn’t mean that you experience any complaints. Do you experience the following problems — dizziness, seeing black spots, light-headedness or fainting?    3    .

Possible causes

Low blood pressure is troublesome in most cases, but it is not a sign of a potential disease. Women are more likely to suffer from low blood pressure. Besides, certain medicines can lower blood pressure.    4    , your blood pressure may also have dropped. Finally, a low blood pressure can indicate blood loss or infections. If you experience any symptoms, please visit your doctor to find out what the cause is.

Treatment and tips

    5    . If your blood pressure is too low, there are many things to consider. Drink enough water, especially in warm weather. Stand up slowly after lying or sitting down for a long time. In this way you can prevent dizziness and blurred vision.

A．Symptoms of low blood pressure

B．The comfort and normal blood pressure

C．Try to reduce the time spent in taking a bath

D．If so, your blood pressure might be too low

E．The treatment depends on what its cause is

F．First of all, it is important to know what a normal blood pressure looks like

G．If you have been very sick and have thrown up

【推荐3】Snoring (打鼾) is noisy breathing during sleep. It is a common problem among all ages and it influences about 90 million American adults. People most at risk are males and those who are overweight, but snoring is a problem of both genders, although it is possible that women do not present this complaint as frequently as men.

Snoring is often the loud or harsh sound that can occur as you sleep. You snore when the flow of air makes the tissue in the back of your throat vibrate (颤抖) as you breathe. The sound most often occurs as you breathe in air, and can come through the nose, mouth or both two organs. It can occur during any stage of sleep.

About half of people snore at some point in their lives. Snoring is more common among men, though many women snore. It appears to run in families and become more common as you get older. About 40 percent of adult men and 24 percent of adult women are habitual snorers. Men become less likely to snore after the age of 70.

Sleeping on your back may make you more likely to snore. You may snore when your throat or tongue muscles are relaxed. And substances (物质) that (an relax these muscles may cause you to snore. These include alcohol, muscle relaxants and other medicine.

Snoring can be a nuisance to your partner and anyone else nearby. You may even snore loudly enough to wake yourself up. Though, in many cases people do not realize that they snore. Snoring can also cause you to have a dry mouth when you wake up.

Light snoring may not disrupt your overall sleep quality. Heavy snoring may be connected with a risk factor in the heart disease, stroke and many other health problems. So never take it lightly.

1. Why do some people snore during their sleep?

A．Because there is something wrong with their throat.

B．Because noises are made when they breathe out.

C．Because the tissue in their throat is vibrating.

D．Because they use their mouth and nose to breathe meanwhile.

2. What can we conclude from the third paragraph?

A．Men suffer much more because of their snoring.

B．Women are easier to become habitual snorers.

C．Snoring may have something to do with genes.

D．The older you turn, the more seriously you snore.

3. What does the underlined phrase “a nuisance” mean?

A．A concern.	B．A suffering.
C．A shock.	D．An argument.

4. In which part of a website can we read the passage?

A．Sports.	B．Education.
C．Culture.	D．Science.

【推荐3】In their book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable living, Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological influence as driving 10,000 km a year a 2.0 liter car.

“We’re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog. We’re just saying that we need to think abut and know the ecological influence of some of the tings we do and that we take for granted.”

Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares（公顷）of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares—or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.

Convincing flesh-eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the fate of the planet is a non-starter, the Vales say. Instead they recommend keeping “greener”’ smaller, and more sustainable（可持续的）pets, such as goldfish, chicken or rabbits.

The book’s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully “recycled”, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans. Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said.

“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog. It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said.

“It’s about much more challenging and difficult issues,” he added. “Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.”

1. What does the Vales’ book mainly focus on?

A．The animals’ rights.

B．The way to raise pets.

C．The influence of driving cars.

D．The environmental protection.

2. What does the underlined phrase “the idea” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．Teaching animal fans.

B．Recycling pet animals.

C．Killing animals for food.

D．Protecting homeless animals

3. What do the Vales think of creating a sustainable life?

A．Easy.

B．Inspiring.

C．Impossible.

D．Challenging.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．Taking a cloth bag to the supermarket is difficult to carry out.

B．Raising sheep is a good idea for animal fans in the Vales’ opinion.

C．The bigger pet animals are, the worse ecological influence they have.

D．Driving cars is more environment-friendly than keeping pet animals.

【推荐2】Doctors in hospital emergency rooms often see accidental poisonings(意外中毒). A frightened parent arrives with a child who swallowed a cleaning liquid. Or perhaps the harmful substance is a medicine. Or it might be a chemical product meant to kill insects. These are common causes of accidental poisoning.

In cases like this, look for medical help as soon as possible. Save the container of whatever caused the poisoning. And look on the container for information about anything that stops the effects of the poison. Save anything expelled(被强迫排除) from the mouth of the victim. That way, doctors can examine it.

In the past, some people forced poisoning victims to empty the stomach. They used a liquid— syrup of ipecac(催呕剂)— to do this. But an organization of children’s doctors no longer advises parents to keep syrup of ipecac. The American Academy of Pediatrics says some poisons can cause additional damage when they come back up the throat.

Millions of people know a way to save a person who is chocking on something trapped in the throat. The method is commonly known as the Heimlich Maneuver or abdominal thrusts. The American Red Cross says a rescuer should first hit the person on the back five times between the shoulder bones. These back blows may ease the choking. If the airway(气管) is still blocked, the Red Cross suggests pushing hard five times along the victim’s abdomen. The abdomen is the area between the chest and the hipbones(髋骨).

1. Why is the container of the poison required to save?

A．To look for harmful information.	B．To learn a lesson.
C．To use it to break the poison.	D．To look for medical help.

2. Why are parents advised not to keep syrup of ipecac?

A．To keep the stomach empty.	B．To avoid more damage.
C．To keep syrup of ipecac safe.	D．To keep the stomach full.

3. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Learning the Basics of First Aid.	B．Accidental Poisonings.
C．Common Causes of Accidental Poisoning.	D．Poisonings and First Aid.

【推荐3】 If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.

Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently — and much more strongly — than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat.

Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women. The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists. They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males. The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to.

Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”

Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “for centuries women have had a providing role — preparing and cooking food for their families. And it's part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural(神经的) pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”

But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said “Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的)differences or a learned process.”

1. Dr.Uher and his colleagues carried out the research by comparing ________.

A．Volunteers’ reactions to food before and after meals

B．FMRI’s scanning result of scientists

C．women’s and men’s brain reactions to pictures of food

D．volunteers’ imagination on the taste of food

2. In Dr. Uher’s opinion, women react more strongly to food than men most probably because they are ________.

A．born to do so due to biological reasons

B．influenced by advertisements

C．told to do so for a long time

D．forced by powerful social influences

3. According to Professor Carey Cooper, women ________.

A．are satisfied with preparing food for their families

B．turn to food when they feel sad

C．accept their social role from the heart

D．are stressed because of food safety

4. What was Angelo del Parigi’s attitude towards the research results?

A．Curious.

B．Surprised.

C．Uninterested.

D．Doubtful.