Teens’ behavior is difficult to change because they are very sensitive to anything they regard as a danger to their autonomy(自主). And, as many parents know, many problematic behaviors come about because teens aren’t motivated by thinking about long-term results and they won’t be willing to listen when you point out they are doing silly things.
Among other things, these attitudes make it hard to make teens eat healthily. However, a recent study published in PNAS shows that it’s possible to use teens’ social values to motivate them to accept a better diet. The method makes sense, considering that teens are known to place a high value on their social environments.
The study showed teens’ tendency to develop social justice(公正) goals during their adolescent(青春期) years — they often do this as a reaction to authority figures(权威人物) whom they regard as unjust. The researchers designed an intervention(干预) to show the teens how high-calorie/low-nutritional value foods are misleadingly marketed as healthy choices. They also educated teens about poor people and young children were often misled into eating the unhealthiest foods. The intervention framed healthy eating as a way of “sticking it to the man”.
The researchers found that teens who received the intervention were less likely to make unhealthy choices than teens who didn’t. After the intervention, they were more likely to pick snacks like carrots or fruit than they were to pick cookies or chips. They were also less likely to choose sugary drinks and food with low nutritional value.
This study shows that it isn’t necessary to cause long-term results in order to encourage teens to make healthier choices. Instead, educating teens about the symbolic meaning behind the choices that they make seems to be enough to motivate them to make better choices.
This finding has a lot of practical value. Public health professionals are often looking for ways to encourage people to make better food choices, and many food-based habits are developed in childhood and adolescence. If more young people are motivated to make good food choices, those decisions are likely to keep into adulthood and have a lifelong positive effect.
1. According to the passage, how does the study help teens have a better diet?| A．By showing teens the long-term effect. |
| B．By learning about teens’ food-based habits. |
| C．By guiding teens to have a positive attitude. |
| D．By using teens’ social values to motivate them. |
| A．Teens are willing to listen to the scientists. |
| B．Teens’ decisions are likely to have an effect. |
| C．Teens learn about the influences of the study. |
| D．The intervention helps teens make healthy choices. |
| A．teens always choose sugary drinks and food |
| B．making healthy choices has a positive effect |
| C．it’s easy to develop teens’ social justice goals |
| D．it’s necessary to have a lot of practical value |
| A．To guide people to improve teens’ diet. |
| B．To introduce the study about motivation. |
| C．To explain why the teens are very sensitive. |
| D．To discuss what is the best choice for teens. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】My deskmate Tom and I have very different eating habits. My diet is healthier than his. For breakfast each morning, I have a glass of milk, some bread and a boiled egg. Tom has a cup of coffee, some sausages and a fried egg. I take a lunch box to school every day. In my lunch box, I have meat and fish, rice and vegetables. I also have an apple or an orange. But Tom eats fast food for lunch. He usually has a hamburger and French fries, pizza or fried chicken. If I am hungry between meals, I have some more fruit, but he eats sweets, chips, chocolate and cakes. When I am thirsty, I like to drink water, but he likes to drink cola. I don’t eat much for dinner, but he eats a lot. I am fit, but he is overweight.
1. The writer and his deskmate ________ eating habits.| A．both have healthy | B．both have unhealthy |
| C．have different | D．have the same |
| A．healthier | B．less healthy | C．more balanced (平衡的) | D．healthy |
| A．never eats anything | B．always eats some sweets |
| C．sometimes eats fruit | D．usually eats some chocolate |
| A．an egg | B．a glass of milk | C．some sausages | D．bread |
| A．cola…water | B．water…cola |
| C．fruit…cakes | D．fruit…cola |
| A．the writer has a glass of milk, some bread and a boiled egg for breakfast |
| B．the writer is less healthy than his deskmate |
| C．the writer eats sweets, chips, chocolate and cakes between meals |
| D．we can have hamburgers, French fries, pizza and fried chicken to keep fit |
【推荐2】Every country has its favorite food. Italians (意大利人) like to eat pizza. Indians (印度人) like to eat hot food. Japanese like to eat fish.
In England, one of the most (最……的) popular kinds of food is fish and chips. People usually buy it in a fish and chip shop. They put it in paper bags, and take it home, or to their workplace. Sometimes they eat it in the park or on the road.
The world’s favorite food is American fast food. If you go to some important cities in the world, you can find people eating hamburgers and chips. Fish and chips, and Chinese take-away food are very popular in England. But they are not very popular in the USA. Americans eat take-away food, too, like chicken. But the most popular kind of take-away food is the hamburger. It looks like bread with meat in it. But the hamburger does not have any pork (猪肉) in it. Hamburgers with beef inside are the most delicious.
1. Italians like to eat .| A．dumplings | B．pizza | C．hot food | D．fish |
| A．England | B．Japan | C．the USA | D．China |
| A．paper bags | B．schoolbags | C．handbags | D．plastic bags(塑料袋) |
| A．beef | B．pork | C．fish | D．chicken |
| A．Indians like to eat fish. |
| B．English people usually buy fish and chips in the supermarket. |
| C．Chinese take-away food is very popular in the USA. |
| D．Americans like beef hamburgers very much. |
【推荐3】My name is Julie. I am a middle school student. I have a friend. His name is Tom. For breakfast he has bread, two eggs and some milk. He eats chicken, rice and fruit for lunch. For dinner he eats hamburgers, fish and salad. Hamburgers are his favorite food. He eats hamburgers every day. After dinner, Tom likes eating ice-cream. Tom is fat. His mother doesn’t want him to be a fat boy. She thinks it’s not healthy to eat too many hamburgers and eat ice-cream after dinner.
Tom’s mother is a teacher. She eats well and healthily. She eats bread and a banana for breakfast. For lunch she eats sandwiches and some fruit. For dinner she eats salad, fish and an egg. Tom’s mother doesn’t eat sweet foods. She thinks too many of them can make her fat. She does a lot of sports to keep healthy, too. Her favorite sport is tennis. She thinks it’s relaxing and interesting.
1. What does Tom eat for lunch?| A．Chicken, rice and fruit. | B．Fish, rice and hamburgers. |
| C．Eggs, sandwiches and salad. | |
| A．Tom eats too many hamburgers. | B．Tom likes tennis. |
| C．Tom eats well and healthily. | |
| A．Julie | B．Tom | C．Tom’s mother |
| A．Because she doesn’t like doing any sports. |
| B．Because she doesn’t want to be fat. |
| C．Because she isn’t in good health. |
| A．Tom is a fat boy. | B．Tom doesn’t eat any fruit. |
| C．Tom’s mother likes eating ice-cream. | |
【推荐1】Some animals go through the winter on a mountain by hibernating (冬眠). They sleep through the freezing months and live on the food they have stored in the summer and autumn.
Black bears live in the forest of North America but they leave the forest to look for food very often. They hibernate every winter. The bear eats as much as it can in summer and autumn.
In the winter, when there is not much food left, the bear goes into a secret place might be a cave (洞穴), a burrow (地洞) or the space under some wood on the ground. The bear’s breathing rate gets slower. It can be as slow as one breath every 45 seconds. It sleeps from four to seven months. The bear comes out of the cave in the spring.
1. The underlined word “freezing” has the closest meaning to ________.| A．busy | B．boring | C．quiet | D．cold |
| A．eat a lot | B．sleep all the time |
| C．do not move much | D．leave the mountain |
| A．get food | B．have a play |
| C．ask for help | D．find a place to sleep |
| A．move slowly | B．breathe slowly |
| C．sleep on wood | D．wake up every four to seven hours |
| A．save food for winter | B．get into secret places |
| C．wake up from hibernation | D．look for caves and burrows |
①Have you ever heard that groundhogs can predict（预测）the end of winter? How about that elephants never forget things? Or that dogs can smell the strange? That may not be 100% true. However, many animals do have stronger senses than humans.
②Do animals have a sixth sense that can tell the future? That may sound out of this world. However, many events seem to support this idea.
③Thousands of years ago, a big earthquake hit Helike, Greece. Buildings were in ruins. Many people were hurt. But there was something interesting. The city’s animals acted strangely days before the earthquake. Rats and snakes ran from the city in groups. Did they know an earthquake was coming? In 1975, one million people had to leave their hometown, Haicheng, Liaoning Province with the help of Chinese government. Why? They believed a disaster（灾难）was coming. They thought this, in part, because of animals’ strange behaviours. Just days later, a large earthquake hit the city. Experts（专家）said 150, 000 could have lost their lives if people stayed in the city at that time. In December 2004, the animals of Sri Lanka were acting strange. Elephants ran around. Dogs wouldn’t go outside. Zoo animals wouldn’t leave their home. Soon after people saw these strange behaviours, a tsunami hit the island.
④Animals seem to be pretty good at predicting disasters. But it doesn’t stop there! Some of them even seem to sense small changes in the weather before they happen. Bees are known to find places before it rains. Dairy farmers say they can tell a big storm is coming when their cows lie down. Cats and dogs are also said to know when a storm is on its way, as are birds and turtles. Can animals really tell the future?
⑤Experts say it’s unlikely that animals can tell the future. However, they might hear or feel the earthquake before people do. Even though scientists have not proved animals have the ability to predict disasters before they happen and animals’ predictions aren’t always right, it’s not bad to pay attention to the animals.
1. According to the passage, we know many animals ________.| A．can tell the future in different ways | B．have better sense abilities than humans |
| C．act strangely after some natural disasters | D．use the sixth sense to predict earthquakes |
| A．actions | B．senses | C．ideas | D．changes |
| A．Animals are good at helping farmers. | B．Animals are good at finding their homes. |
| C．Animals seem to know the future problems. | D．Animals seem to know the weather changes. |
| A．Can Animals Predict the Future? | B．Do Animals Have Stronger Senses? |
| C．How Do Animals Save People’s Life? | D．What Are Animals’ Ways to Tell the Future? |
【推荐3】How would you like to build a time machine? Paper, sticks, glue and string (绳子 ) are all you need. Put them together to make a kite. A kite connects you to the past.
No one knows who flew the first kite. It was probably someone in China or perhaps an Indonesian(印度尼西亚人). Indonesian fishermen hung fishhooks (鱼钩) on kites and sent them out to sea to catch fish. Starting 2,000 years ago, Chinese farmers flew kites to welcome the New Year and bring good luck to the Earth.
In China, people also used kites during wartime. One Chinese story tells how soldiers (士兵) put noisemakers on kites and flew them at night over the enemy camp. The enemies were frightened by the noise and ran away.
About 1,300 years ago, Chinese travelers took kites to Japan. Soon kites filled the skies there. Kites reached Thailand about 700 years ago. During floods (洪水), Thai farmers flew kites over their fields. They hoped the kites would drive away the clouds and stop the rain. Over time, kites flew their way out of Asia. Today, kites are a passion all over the world. Kite fans meet at festivals in many parts of the world.
Over the years, kites have also helped people understand the natural world. In 1794, thermometers(温度计) were tied to kites to measure (测量) temperatures. In 1906, cameras hanging from kites took pictures of San Francisco. California after an earthquake. The photos helped people plan what to do.
Kites also helped inventors find out how to make airplanes. The Wright Brothers studied how kites flew, which helped them make the first successful airplane.
Since the ancient Chinese first set their kites into the air, people have loved flying kites. Kites give us ways to celebrate, relax and explore(探索). So go fly a kite! Enjoy the feeling of wonder that kite flyers have felt for centuries.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
1. The underlined word “passion” in the passage means “________” in Chinese.
| A．冷淡 | B．酷爱 | C．工具 |
| A．Japan and Thailand | B．Thailand and Indonesia | C．China and Thailand |
a.Kites reached Thailand.
b.Kites with cameras helped Americans take pictures after an earthquake.
c.Kites were taken to Japan by Chinese travelers.
d.People measured temperatures by tying thermometers to kites.
| A．c-a-d-b | B．a-c-b-d | C．c-b-a-d |
| A．About 1,300 years ago, Chinese brought kites to Thailand. |
| B．In the early 20th century, people hung the cameras on kites to take pictures of California before an earthquake. |
| C．Kites helped inventors to make the world’s first airplane. |
| A．To introduce the roles of kites in history. |
| B．To show people how to fly kites. |
| C．To discuss the differences among kites around the world. |
【推荐1】Humans and gorillas (大猩猩) shared evolution (进化) for 23 million years. Their paths separated only six million years ago. New research on how gorillas communicate may help us better understand human language.
Understanding how the brain works helps us see a connection between language development and non-verbal signs. “Gorillas have many kinds of non-verbal communication” said psychologist Sebastian Forrester, from the University of Sussex. He thinks humans may have had the same communication skills.
Non-verbal communication includes the ways we move our bodies and the different expressions on our faces. A new study on gorillas showed that right-handedness may have a connection with communication. The right side of the body is controlled by the left part of the brain, which is also where language develops.
Two cameras were used to watch how one gorilla moved. It was shown that gorillas use their right hands more when they are doing actions with their heads or mouths at the same time. This may show that there is a connection between how our brains work and the reason we use one side of our body more than the other.
Forrester said the results could help us understand how children learn languages. For example, some children have a condition called autism (自闭症) in which they have a hard time communicating with other people. This same kind of study may help doctors find autism in children at an earlier age.
1. When did their paths of evolution separate?| A．6 million years ago. | B．17 million years ago. |
| C．23 million years ago. | D．29 million years ago. |
| A．Talking loudly. | B．Reading aloud. | C．Facial expression. | D．Singing. |
| A．might use the left hand more |
| B．might be right-handed |
| C．might use the right part of the brain more |
| D．can’t do actions with his or her head or mouth at the same time |
| A．find communication problems early on |
| B．make people use their right hands more |
| C．Develop language abilities in children |
| D．find out the treatment for autism |
The celebration is a call for action. It is a way to show people how important and useful the wetlands are for people. On World Wetlands Day, people around the world take part in many wetlands activities. People take trips to the local wetlands. There are talks about how important the wetlands are. People get together to clean up their local wetlands Children draw pictures to advertise the day. People also compete(比赛)in boat races.
The World Wetlands Day is important! If there are no wetlands, there will be no water for anyone in the future. Wetlands help protect nature and resources(资源)like fresh water. Already, more than 10000 million people in the world do not have fresh water.
Many people do not know how important the wetlands are. They can understand why an elephant or a tiger is important because they are big, beautiful animals. It is much harder for them to understand how important the animals in the wetlands are. These small animals, such as frogs and snails, play a very important part in keeping the balance of nature.
All plants and animals are part of the food chain(链).If the small wetlands animals die, some animals in the food chain will have nothing to eat. They will also die. People need the wetlands to keep the balance of nature in the world. If we do not protect nature today，it will be gone tomorrow.
1. What should you put in your diary?
| A．Some frogs. |
| B．The date of World Wetlands Day. |
| C．1971 |
| D．Any special day. |
| A．All over the world. | B．In ships |
| C．At home. | D．In their own way. |
| A．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking part in competitions. |
| B．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking hips to local wetlands. |
| C．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by listening to talks about the wetlands. |
| D．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by talking about the weather. |
| A．They are part of the balance of nature and the food chain. |
| B．They are beautiful. |
| C．Bigger animals are eaten by them |
| D．Without them, there may be no water. |
| A．Wetlands Are Important |
| B．Small Animals Are Also Important |
| C．World Wetlands Day |
| D．Food Chain |
【推荐3】A zero-waste life is a lifestyle that hardly creates any rubbish.
“Zero waste” was first suggested by a French woman called Bea Johnson. Her idea is: live a life and try not to create any rubbish; use different kinds of ways to save the environment, such as stopping the use of one-off objects; giving unwanted things to others or donating these things to organizations like the Red Cross.
A zero-waste life follows the 6R rule—Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Rot. Chen Yuan, 27, is deeply interested in this idea. She and her boyfriend Joe have lived in Beijing for many years. Over August-October when Chen followed the rule of zero waste 6R, she and her boyfriend both produced only two cans of rubbish. Now the couple have opened a small shop in Beijing, where they use wood products to take the place of plastic ones and cloth bags printed with environmental logos. The store also has second-hand books and CDs to make the best of the used things.
“The zero-waste lifestyle is not for ascetics(苦行僧). It is just around us.” Chen expects some of her friends to join her on the road to zero waste.
1. Bea Johnson suggests that people should ________.| A．try to create no rubbish |
| B．throw away unwanted things |
| C．use the one-off objects all the time |
| A．Giving back. | B．Giving out. | C．Giving away. |
| A．is interested in the 6R rule |
| B．offers plastic bags in her store |
| C．likes listening to CDs very much |
| A．her friends like her lifestyle |
| B．the zero-waste lifestyle is not hard to live |
| C．lots of people have lived the zero-waste lifestyle |
| A．an ad | B．a newspaper | C．a story book |
