1 . Tabloids (小报) are newspapers that usually report news about people. However, the stories often leave readers wondering, “Could this really be true?” Read the following stories from the hottest tabloids in town.
Brasilia, Brazil. After Gilberto Carvalho — a million-dollar lottery (彩票) winner — told reporters that his luck had come from a particular fish in a park pond, more than 200 other Brazilians spoke up with similar stories. They had touched this fish and soon after had won a prize! Although this “magic fish” is being studied and off-limits to the public, many people have won money simply by touching its picture.
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Bruce Zalmer, 32, is fireproof. His skin can withstand (禁得住) flames without pain or damage. And his lungs can take in oxygen from smoky air. Medical scientists are amazed that a human could have either of these qualities, let alone both. Although Zalmer sees himself as “just a regular guy”, he once saved a family of four from a burning building after firefighters had given up hope.
Nakuru, Kenya. As tourists in a bus looked on in amazement, a spaceship caught 11 elephants from a wildlife park. The bus driver had stopped at a watering hole and the tourists were watching the elephants when a huge spaceship appeared. The ship shot down a powerful beam of orange light that sucked up (吸走) the elephants and then flew off. Park officials confirmed that 11 full-grown elephants had disappeared.
Monterrey, Mexico. Doctors say that hundreds of people who had been old and sick became young and healthy again by drinking from a water fountain in a public park. Park officials removed the fountain because crowds were becoming a danger. Yet the people who had drunk its water remained young and healthy — and made others young and healthy, too, simply by hugging them!
1. In Brasilia, it’s said that there is a magic fish that ________.| A．brings people good luck |
| B．knows how to win prizes |
| C．can communicate with humans |
| D．can recognize different types of money |
| A．Smart. | B．Brave. |
| C．Dangerous. | D．Far-sighted. |
| A．reasonable | B．frightening |
| C．encouraging | D．unbelievable |
2 . When it comes to sitting properly, we all know the correct way even if we don' t do it to the letter. No crossed legs, bottoms touching the back of the chair and feet on the ground. But even if you' re doing it right, sitting for long periods is shockingly bad for you. It has been described as the new smoking, linked to heart disease and even cancer. There is no doubt we should all try to do less of it. But perhaps we could also do it better.
A classic survey, published in 1953, described 100 different sitting postures adopted by 480 cultures around the world. Among the most common were sitting cross-legged, kneeling and the deep squat (深蹲), with feet flat on the ground and bottoms resting on or just above it. Even in Western cultures, these are preferred sitting positions among young children. But Westerners tend to prefer chair use from an early age, insisting children sit on seats in school.
One big problem with this desire for chairs is that they make sitting so, well, sedentary (久坐不动的). Consider the Hadza, a group of hunter-gatherer people in Tanzania. They spend around 9 hours a day sitting. However, they squat and sit on the ground in various positions, and this involves high levels of muscle activity. The supportive nature of chairs, with their high backs and armrests, removes this effort perhaps the reason that people love them.
So what' s the best way to sit? Josette Bettany-SaItikov at Teesside University, UK has found that kneeling can help keep the spine in a better position as does squatting. We might also take inspiration from traditional cultures like the Hadza. "Use a variety of postures and preferably not just still postures but some which allow movement," says Bettany-Saltikov.
Bettany-Saltikov believes that we should be rethinking what it means to do a desk job. "We still need to design workplaces that enable people to be productive while being lightly active, like with under-table cycling or walking desks," she says. For now, if your job is sedentary, don' t forget to stand up regularly and move around.
1. What does the author think of sitting properly for long?| A．It still does some harm. | B．It improves body shape. |
| C．It can prevent heart disease. | D．It may cause smoking-related illnesses. |
| A．Children should sit in their preferred manner. |
| B．Children should take their seats while sitting. |
| C．Children should practice sitting cross-legged. |
| D．Children should learn different sitting postures. |
| A．They sit for short periods of time. | B．They sit for the purpose of exercise. |
| C．They use some muscles while sitting. | D．They remain generally still while sitting. |
| A．Combine exercise and their work. | B．Improve their productivity at work. |
| C．Kneel or go cycling as often as possible. | D．Start exercising as soon as they leave work. |
