1 . If you followed the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, you may have noticed that several athletes, including US swimmer Michael Phelps, had circular bruises on their bodies. These bruises were the results of “cupping therapy”, a traditional Chinese medical practice that has been around for more than 2,000 years.
Cupping therapy involves attaching circular cups to the skin using suction(吸力). The suction is created either by heating the cup inside or by using a handheld pump. This suction pulls the skin upward into the cup. Sometimes it can leave dark red bruises, other times there is no mark at all.
Many athletes say that they have benefited from the therapy. Phelps used the therapy in the fall of 2014 and has used it about twice a week since, reported ABC News. Another US swimmer, Dana Vollmer, also believes that “it really helps with blood flow, and helps pull swelling out of different areas.”
However, some have said that the supposed health effects result from people feeling that the treatment works, rather than any physical effects of the treatment.
To figure out whether cupping therapy has any physical effects, last year researchers from Germany carried out a test in which a sham(假装的) treatment was provided.
In the study, the same type of cups was used in the real treatment and the sham treatment. But in the sham treatment, the cups had a hole at the top so that they couldn’t create the proper suction.
The tested patients, who suffered from a disorder(疾病) that causes a lot of pain, were told that they would receive either a traditional cupping or “soft cupping”. But they were not informed that the so-called “soft cupping” was a sham treatment.
It turned out that most patients correctly guessed which kind of cupping they had received. In both groups, patients also experienced about the same reductions in pain. The results suggest the effects of cupping therapy might come fro factors that are not necessarily part of the treatment itself, the researchers told the Live Science website.
The question of whether cupping therapy works still needs to be answered. But because the treatment is relatively safe and it could be helpful for some people, “the therapy can be used as a part of a comprehensive treatment program involving other exercises, nutritional choices and lifestyle interventions(干预)”, Dr Brent Bauer, director of the US’ Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, told Live Science.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about cupping therapy?| A．It leaves bruises every time. | B．Heating is crucial to cupping therapy. |
| C．The key to cupping therapy is suction. | D．It has been widely used in Western countries. |
| A．prove the health effects of cupping therapy |
| B．see whether cupping therapy has a physical effect |
| C．compare traditional cupping and the soft cupping |
| D．compare cupping therapy’s effects on different groups of people |
| A．Different types of cups were used for different cupping therapies. |
| B．Patients knew which kind of cupping treatment they would receive before the treatment. |
| C．The real treatment and the sham treatment were almost equally effective for patients. |
| D．The results show the effects of cupping therapy result from people’s belief in the treatment |
| A．easy and convenient to carry out |
| B．newly invented and untraditional |
| C．requiring a long period of time to take effect |
| D．including everything that is important and necessary |
Your Day, Your Way
With more than 200 marked trails spreading across two great mountains, Whistler Blackcomb can proudly boast that it is North America’s largest ski resort. The Whistler Blackcomb Snow School is regarded as one of the best ski schools in this area. Our programs offer the best possible opportunity to improve skiing and gain confidence, skip lift (运送滑雪者上坡的吊椅) lines and discover the wonders of Whistler Blackcomb. We have professional instructors from around the world to help you in your language, ability and style. Explore and book your program online now!
TEEN LESSONS
RIDE TRIBE PROGRAM
BENEFITS
Hang out with those of similar age and ability.
A luncheon voucher (午餐代用券) in mountain restaurants is included.
One instructor to every six kids or less.
PRICING
| Lesson | Lesson&Lift | |
| Regular Season 7+Days | $775 | $1,055 |
| Regular Season Within 6 Days | $820 | $1,100 |
| Holiday Season 7+Days | $825 | $1,105 |
| Holiday Season Within 6 Days | $870 | $1,150 |
Regular Season: Nov. 23 to Dec. 15
Holiday Season: Dec.16 to Jan. 14, Feb. 12 to 25, Mar. 26 to Apr. 8
All prices are quoted (报价) in Canadian dollars and are subject to tax. Prices are subject to change.
The ride tribe program usually starts on Monday.
Meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Garibaldi Lift Company Patio. Return to the deck (露天平台) of the Carleton by 3:30 p.m.
Each Skier is required to wear a helmet (头盔).
CANCELLATION POLICY
No fee outside of 48 hours.
Inside 48 hours, no fee to transfer to another day.
Inside 48 hours, $25 for group lessons and $50 for private lessons to be refunded to a credit card.
Medical reasons may be an exception.
MORE INFORMATION
Rentskis.com is the official ski rental booking engine for Whistler Blackcomb. It offers slope-side pick-up locations at all three mountain bases.
Enter your email address below to sign up for messages from our resorts to get special offers, resort updates and snow alerts.
Call 1-888-403-4727 for more information.
1. You would like to take the five-day program at the Whistler Blackcomb Snow School on February 18, 2019 with two friends of yours. You want to buy a lift ticket while they don’t. How much does it cost altogether if you book online in September?| A．$2,605. | B．$2,740. | C．$2,755. | D．$2,890. |
①will receive basic training in skiing online
②don’t need to pay for your lunch on the mountain
③will spend more than 40 hours learning how to ski
④cannot cancel your lesson in any case
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．③④ | D．①④ |
| A．Nobody is allowed to go skiing without a helmet. |
| B． The ski school offers a special discount in summer. |
| C．Skiers can pick up their rented skis at the mountain bases. |
| D．The Whistler Blackcomb Snow School is well-known in North America. |
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.
1. Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company .
| A．sells name-brand goods to a private investor |
| B．rents proven ideas and techniques for investment |
| C．sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name |
| D．takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors |
| A．an immediate investment return |
| B．the profit from the sale of supplies |
| C．the ownership of additional retail stores |
| D．the possibility of profitable advertising |
| A．the advantages and disadvantages of franchising |
| B．the benefits of franchising to the franchisor |
| C．the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s |
| D．some regional and national business operation |
| A．More advantages of franchising. |
| B．Negative aspects related to franchising. |
| C．The standard of consumer acceptance. |
| D．Risks of investment besides franchising |
