Health experts say the U.S. adult now sits about 6.5 hours a day. That is up about an hour a day compared to 2007. The news is even worse for teens. They sit eight hours each day. The information was put out by the National Center for Health Statistics. It has collected the numbers for the past 16 years. It is worried about what it has found.
Research shows that people who are not active can get sick. Their bones get weaker. They burn fewer calories (卡路里). That makes them more likely to put on too much weight. They might even get diabetes (糖尿病). They are at risk for high blood pressure and heart problems, too.
Some experts also think sitting too much can influence how your blood moves through your body and how well your body fights off illness. Being active helps in lots of ways. It can make you happier, burn more calories and give you more energy. It can also help you sleep better.
About 60% of people in the U.S. watch at least two hours of TV each day. That number has stayed about the same in recent years.
Computers are the biggest reason for more hours spent sitting. Computer use outside of work or school has gone up for all age groups. Now, 50% of adults spend at least an hour of their free time on a computer each day. That is up from 29% in 2003.
About 53% of teens now spend at least an hour of free time on computers. So do 56% of kids. As many as 1 in 4 people who use computers use one for three hours or more outside of work and school.
So get up, take some breaks and go outside. You might save your life by doing outdoor activities.
1. The text is especially helpful for those who care about ______.| A．their body shape | B．their home comforts | C．their health | D．their food |
| A．burn more calories | B．forget their pressure | C．get sick | D．treat heart problems |
| A．Computers are causing health problems. | B．Too much sitting is influencing our health. |
| C．Being more active is good for you and me. | D．Sitting means killing. |
| A．The cause of diabetes. |
| B．Introduce some outdoor activities. |
| C．Give some examples of losing weight successfully. |
| D．List some disadvantages of playing computer games. |
My daughter had a bullying (欺凌) problem a couple of years ago. It wasn’t easy, but I ended it. When things are a serious as you describe, it is no time to be silent. These kids probably know each other from school, so take the rude text messages sent by the bully directly to the headmaster and show him. Describe to him how it is affecting your 13-year- old daughter. Tell him you will not stand it and you want him to put an end to it now.
Bullying is a dangerous and serious offense these days, and any good headmaster will take your charges seriously. He will probably address the issues with the parents. If they are crappy parents, then they may do nothing to their child. You may have to repeat this process several times, but you need to keep a check on those text messages and don’t allow your child to delete them.
Now is the time to draw your child close and take care of her, because she needs it. My daughter did not like me being involved(参与的)either, but you are the only hope she has of solving this problem, so do it and mean business. Always be polite but straightforward. The headmaster and the parents must know you mean business.
If repeated meetings with the headmaster (and parents, if he allows it) does not solve the problem, then I would consider hiring a lawyer. That will send the message across loud and clear. When you are talking about financial loss, most parents will stand up and take notice and act to keep their kid under control!
Good luck — I wish you the best in this terrible situation.
Yours,
Rachel
1. You should show the text messages to the headmaster to________.| A．find which kid sent the messages | B．let him know you love your child |
| C．ask him to force the bully out of school | D．ask him to stop the bullying |
| A．职责 | B．冒犯行为 | C．经验 | D．警惕 |
| A．Parents shouldn't be involved in a bullying problem. |
| B．Children can deal with bullying problems themselves. |
| C．It’s necessary for parents to be involved in a bullying problem. |
| D．Not all bullying problems can be solved. |
| A．Meet the parents of the bully in person. | B．Ask the parents of the bully for payment. |
| C．Put your child under care. | D．Ask a lawyer for help. |
| A．To offer advice. | B．To describe a personal experience. |
| C．To seek help. | D．To ask for advice. |
3 . Today, the world’s diversity(多样性) of food crops is quickly decreasing. But scientists around the world are taking action. They are building seed banks. At seed banks, scientists store the seeds of many different crops.
There are now 1,400 seed banks around the world. However, some banks are in warm countries. If the electricity fails, the seeds will get too hot and die. Other seed banks are in countries troubled by war. Sometimes people damage the seed banks. If this happens, valuable seeds can be lost forever!
The organization Global Crop Diversity Trust decided they wanted to deal with this problem. So, they decided to build a global seed bank. This seed bank would contain a back-up, or extra copy, of all the world’s seeds. Smaller seed banks would still collect and keep local seeds. But they would also send copies of their seeds to the global bank.
Scientists from the Global Crop Diversity Trust chose the cold, snowy mountains of Svalbard, Norway to build the global seed bank — the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Organizations, farmers, or local seed banks store their extra seeds there. And the people who place their seeds in the vault are the only people who can take them out. They pay to ship their seeds to Norway, but it does not cost them any money to store their seeds. The Global Crop Diversity Trust pays for this.
Cary Fowler is a scientist who heads the Global Crop Diversity Trust. He said, “If the Seed Vault simply supplies seed banks with copies of seeds that those banks lost by accident, the Seed Vault will be worth way more than it cost.”
1. Seed banks are built to ________.| A．research on seeds | B．produce new seeds |
| C．protect crop diversity | D．increase the number of seeds |
| A．Scientists store the seeds of many different crops at seed banks. |
| B．If seed banks are destroyed, valuable seeds will be lost forever. |
| C．Scientists want to build a global seed bank. |
| D．The people who place their seeds in the vault are the only people who can take them out. |
| A．was built by the government | B．is more welcomed by farmers |
| C．is mainly used by great scientists | D．can provide a good environment for seeds |
| A．It helps to pay the shipping cost. | B．No one can take seeds out of there. |
| C．There are no fees to store seeds there. | D．It mainly receives seeds from farmers. |
| A．He feels it is very important. | B．He is surprised at it. |
| C．He thinks it costs too much. | D．He is uncertain about it. |
4 . Both of my two sons were born in Toronto, but they moved with us to Ottawa when they were quite young. They went to school there, grew up there. Later, one of my sons went to Canada’s east coast near a city called Halifax and the other moved to the west coast to Vancouver. My wife and I were left in the middle.
As we nearly retired (退休), we started to think where we should spend our final years. For several reasons we decided to live on a small town on Vancouver Island, where was close to one of my sons. However, the son moved to Hollywood soon after he had got another job there. I helped him move.
We still lived a happy life in our little west coast town, but we have paid a price. We have not been there for some important events such as the births of our grandchildren. We have missed watching them grow up; we have missed backyard barbecues (烧烤) and basketball weekends with them. Our home, while very comfortable, was also very quiet.
Every fall we travel to see the children. We usually fly, first to California to see our son Scott and spend a week or more with him trying to catch up on everything we’ve missed. Then, usually in November, we make the even longer trip east across Canada to see Travis and our grandchildren, who were about their twenties.
Fortunately, both our sons are doing well and grandchildren are growing up straight and tall. We love all of them and they love us. We’re very happy but there are times I think about the things we didn’t see: the tears or the smile on the granddaughter’s face, their school graduations, my son’s joy at successes in business.
Life has been good for our family but we have all paid a price.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. The writer’s sons grew up in ________.
| A．Toronto | B．Ottawa | C．Halifax | D．Vancouver |
| A．wanted to live a noisy life | B．was satisfied with retired life |
| C．lived a comfortable life | D．was sometimes lonely |
| A．The births of his grandchildren. |
| B．School graduations of his grandchildren. |
| C．The successful times of his son’s business. |
| D．All of the above. |
| A．they all regret not living together all the time although enjoying a happy life |
| B．they enjoy a happy life because they can see each other every year |
| C．they are proud of the sons and the grandchildren |
| D．they love the sons and the grandchildren |
| A．Living a happy life. | B．A price to pay. |
| C．Moving from east to west. | D．My sons and grandchildren. |
5 . For some students, getting better grades can seem like an impossible task sometimes. With the challenges（挑战）of school, just paying attention in class or studying hard isn’t always enough. But what if there were other ways for students to improve their grades? For parents and students who have ever wondered if this is possible, now you can rest easy. Research suggests that a person who likes doing activities can improve their grades.
Scientists think that those students who are active are not just exercising their bodies, but also exercising their brains（大脑）. In turn, they can be able to improve their grades at school.
In the most recent study, researchers found that when children played for half an hour each day, they were better at organizing（组织）their schoolwork as well as doing project work and learning traditionally “difficult” subjects, such as maths.
What does this mean for children who aren’t active? Researchers think that if kids don’t get enough activities, they are going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to school performance.
In the research experiment, a group of children skipped with ropes（跳绳）, played basketball and did a number of other games or exercises. Another group of children didn’t do any activities. They took part in testing both before experiment and after the experiment. Testing was mainly for maths and reading skills. Results showed that the children in the activity group did better on the tests than those who had no activity.
All work and no play will not only make Jack a dull（迟钝的）boy, but will also negatively（消极地）affect his grades in school, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Parents complain（抱怨）children today are actually less active and they always worry about their grades. Dr. Belton, an expert, said,“If you’d like to see your kids do better in school, have them close their books, set down their pencils and go outside to play.”
1. What does the underlined words “rest easy” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Stop worrying. | B．Keep working. | C．Continue learning. | D．Study hard. |
| A．They study all the time. |
| B．They play for half an hour every day. |
| C．They finish their homework on time. |
| D．They do some reading after class every day. |
| A．Doing activities is bad for the students. |
| B．Doing more homework can get better marks. |
| C．The children in the activity group did better on the tests. |
| D．Children who didn’t do any activities did better on the tests. |
| A．A sports magazine. | B．A science book. | C．A guide book. | D．A history book. |
6 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain(谷雨)，as the last term in spring, starts on April 19 and ends on May 4.
Grain Rain comes from the old saying, “Rain brings the growth of hundreds of grains”, which shows that this period of rainfall is very important for the growth of crops. Here’s something that you may not know about the Grain Rain.
| 1. Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and the temperature rises much higher than it does in March. With dry soil and heavy winds, sandstorms may happen more often. |
| 2. There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is good for the eyes. It is also said that drinking tea on this day would prevent bad luck. |
| 3. People in northern China have the tradition to eat the vegetable toona sinensis during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes “toona sinensis before the rain is as tender as silk”. The vegetable is good for the stomach and skin. |
| 4. The Grain Rain Festival is celebrated by fishing villages in northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fishermen's first voyage of the year. The custom dates back to more than 2,000 years ago. |
| A．summer | B．spring | C．fall | D．winter |
| A．flowers in the garden | B．trees in the forest |
| C．fishes in the sea | D．plants in the field |
| A．eat toona sinensis | B．fly a kite | C．drink tea | D．start the first voyage |
| A．can bring good luck | B．is delicious and healthy |
| C．grows at the seaside | D．is a type of medicine |
a. Eating toona sinensis b. Sandstorms happen c. Grain Rain Festival d. Drinking tea
| A．b-d-c-a | B．b-a-d-c | C．b-c-a-d | D．b-d-a-c |
7 . In early 2020, a new disease called NCP（新型冠状病毒肺炎） hit Wuhan. It is reported that most people infected（感染）with the NPC looked like they had the common flu. They usually had a fever, a cough and shortness of breath. However, it spread so quickly that around tens of thousands of Chinese people were infected, and more than three thousand of them have died so far.
The Chinese government closed down the city to prevent the spread of the disease on 23rd 2020. At the same time, cases have been found across the world, including Korea and Japan. Local government tried its best to do something useful to stop the further development of this disease. In order to treat more and more patients infected with the NCP, Huoshenshan Hospital was set up in Wuhan. And it was built in just ten days.
More than 7,500 workers and around 1,000 trucks and large pieces of machines have been working at the Huoshenshan Hospital building site day and night. Around 400 rooms in the hospital have already been finished so far. The project began on January 25 and finished on February 2. And 1,400 doctors began to treat patients in Huoshenshan Hospital. There are 1,000 beds for patients in the hospital.
China also built a second hospital in Wuhan for treating the patients, with 1,600 beds. Leishenshan Hospital was completed on February 5. The hospital reduced the stress resulting from the increasing number of patients. This played an important role in standing up to the NCP.
1. According to the report, how many people have died so far?| A．About 10 thousand | B．about 3 thousand | C．About 7500 | D．About 1000. |
| A．rising up | B．spreading to | C．infecting with | D．fighting against |
| A．More than 7,500 workers put their effort into building it. |
| B．It was completed in only ten days. |
| C．Huoshenshan Hospital was finished on February 5. |
| D．There are 1,000 beds for patients in the hospital. |
| A．a travel guide. | B．A news magazine. | C．A sports report. | D．A history magazine. |
8 . Once upon a time, there lived a man who owned a big company. Several years later, his health became worse, so the man decided to choose one of his sons to take his place. He gave each of them a box and said, “I want you to fill your box with something that you believe is the most valuable part of our company. Bring your box back to me in five days.”
The day came. The first son filled his box with the company ledger（账本）. “There is nothing better than this. It is the best thing to show our success.” he said.
“Good!” the father said. “What about yours?” He turned to the second son.
“I put a lot of money in it because money allows our company to work well and allows us to give our workers higher pay. In addition, we can live a comfortable life.” answered the second son.
“Oh.” the father said unhappily. Then he asked his youngest son. “Let me see your box.”
“My box is empty!”
“Didn’t you find anything valuable in our company?” the father asked angrily.
“Sorry. I just couldn’t place the most valuable thing I found in a box. What size box can hold the loyalty（忠诚）of our workers and customers? And how can I place inside a box the most valuable thing for me: the love of you and mother?” answered the youngest son.
The man was deeply moved by his youngest son who placed love in the first place. Clearly, he made the decision easily. In life, nothing can be compared with love from our parents and people around us.
1. Why did the man decide to choose one of his sons to take his place？| A．Because he was not in good health. |
| B．Because he was too busy. |
| C．Because his sons didn’t have work. |
| D．Because he didn’t want to work. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Amazed. | C．Excited. | D．Upset. |
| A．A book. | B．Money. | C．Nothing. | D．A smaller box. |
| A．The first son. | B．The second son. | C．The youngest son. | D．No one. |
9 . How much sleep is enough?
To stay in good health, some expert in the US say, adults should get seven to eight hours of sleep. Teenager need nine to ten hours. And pre-school children need more than 10 hours of sleep a night.
Experts say the quality(质量) of our sleep becomes poor as we grow older. This happens because the brain unit that controls sleep begins to weaken slowly as we age.
Experts say the change starts in our 30s. By the time we reach our 50s, a person may have lost 50 percent of their ability to have a restful sleep.
These people have trouble failing and staying asleep through the night. From middle age on, these problems only get worse, and they can have a bad effect on their health.
Signs that show you may not be getting enough sleep:
You’re always hungry or you’ve got unwanted weight. If you are in short of sleep, certain chemicals in your body will not work well and tell your brain in time that you have eaten enough.
You have trouble making decisions. Not having enough sleep may make your brain work slower in problem solving.
You have trouble remembering things. Sleep helps prepare the brain for new memories.
Your feeling changes unreasonably. People who don’t sleep well may feel unable to control their feelings.
You are having trouble seeing. If there is a shortage of sleep, you may not be able to see thing as clearly as usual.
How to improve your sleep? Here are a few things people can do to get better sleep.
Health experts say that exercise and avoiding work on computers make people go to sleep more easily. A cool room is also a good choice for sleeping well.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．With the help of medicine, we can sleep better. |
| B．People begin to have sleep problems in their 40s. |
| C．Teenagers usually need more sleep than adults. |
| D．Few people have sleep problems in their late years. |
| A．knowledge | B．influence | C．excuse | D．activity |
| A．You often get hungry. | B．Your eyesight is falling. |
| C．You have poorer memory. | D．You always feel tired. |
| A．a middle-school textbook | B．a scientific report |
| C．a magazine on health | D．an ad in the newspaper |
10 . What can drones do? Their many uses include taking pictures from the sky, observing（观察）wild animals and delivering packages. Now these small flying robots are leading a new farming revolution（革命）, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
When equipped（装备）with cameras and other data-gathering devices, drones provide us with an eye in the sky. Here are a few of the farming-related jobs drones can do.
Looking for sick crops
Drones can scan（扫描）crops using different kinds of light. Then, they produce multispectral images（多谱图像）that can help us find sickly yellow plants within fields of green. Drones can also detect bacteria（检测细菌）that are harmful to crops in the air from a few kilometers away. Farmers can check the drones’ air samples（样本）and try to find ways to protect their crops before the bacteria get to them.
Counting cattle
When flying over cattle, drones can track the livestock and find out where fences need fixing. People can also equip drones with thermal imagers（热像仪）and night-vision cameras. This can help farmers look for animals that could harm their cattle.
Water watch
Most fields aren’t perfectly flat（平坦的）. After watering, some places may dry out faster than others. Other spots might not get water at all. Drones can scan the field and make a 3-D map. Using the map, farmers can figure out which parts of a field are dry or need improvement.
Spraying pesticide（喷洒农药）
Different parts of a field might be uneven or have different altitudes（高度）. Drones can check for this when flying above the land. Then, they change their height and therefore spray the correct amount of pesticide over each part of the field. This is more efficient than traditional pesticide spraying. Drones can finish spraying a field up to five times faster than with traditional machinery, according to a study from MIT.
1. What can drones do to help farmers with their farming?| A．Take pictures. | B．Look at wild animals. | C．Deliver packages. | D．Look for sick crops. |
| A．Wooden fences. | B．Air samples. | C．Night-vision cameras. | D．3-D printers. |
| A．不肥沃的 | B．不相连的 | C．不平衡的 | D．不平坦的 |
| A．Drones can’t detect bacteria unless crops are sick. |
| B．Drones can fight dangerous animals. |
| C．Drones can help farmers make sure fields are properly watered. |
| D．Drones are better at spraying pesticide over flat land. |
