1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A comprehensive study of 4,500 children conducted by the National Institutes of Health in 2018 shows that children who spent more than seven hours a day staring at screens showed evidence of premature thinning of their brain's cortex一the outer layer that processes sensory information. "We don't know if it     1     (cause) by the screen time. We don't know yet if it's a bad thing. It won't be until we follow them over time     2     we will see if there are outcomes that are associated with the differences that we're seeing in this single snapshot, Dr. Gaya Dowling. ^uWhat we can say is that this is     3    the brains look like of kids who spend a lot of time on screens. And it's not just one pattern."

The problem isn't just screens     4    , but also the way screens tempt kids (and adults) away from something far more important: physical activity. More than 23 percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents don't get enough physical activity, and according to a 2019 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) , these patterns of activity and rest arise     5    habits we develop early in life. ^uWhat we really need to do is     6     (bring) back play for children," says Dr. Juana Willumsen, a WHO specialist in childhood obesity and physical activity, in a statement about new WHO guidelines issued in April 2019. “ This is about making the shift from sedentary time to playtime, while       7     (protect) sleep. Of course, children aren't completely to blame for their screen addiction.

Sometimes, the parents     8    complain about the role of screens in family life are just as guilty of spending too much time in front of one. A 2016 study       9     (conduct) by Common Sense Media found that parents spend up to nine hours a day in front of screens, mostly not for work-related reasons. While 78 percent of parents said they believed they were good screen time role models, the study found a disconnect between their behavior and their perception of their behavior. Parents need to limit screen time for themselves and especially for their kids一       10     it means playing the bad guy. Our mental and physical health depends on it.

2 .                                                                                                          The giant vending machine (自动售货机) is a new village shop
Villagers have long been used to facing a drive when they run out of basic supplies. However, help is now nearer at hand in form of the country’s first automatic push-button shop. Now residents in the Derbyshire Village of Clifton can buy groceries around the clock after the huge vending was installed outside a pub in the village this week.
     Peter Fox, who is    1    electrical engineer, spent two and a half years working on the project. The machine     2    (equip) with securing cameras and alarms and looks like a mini shop with a brick front, a grey roof and a display window.
     Mr. Fox said he hoped his invention,     3    is set to be installed in other villages in the area over the coming months, will mark a return to convenience shopping for rural communities.
He said:“ I had this idea a few years ago but I couldn’t find a manufacture who could deliver what I wanted, so I did it by     4    . The result is what amounts to huge outdoor vending machine. Yet I think the term “automatic shop” is far       5    (appropriate).

In recent years, the commercial pressure from supermarket chains    6     (force) village shops across the country to close. In 2010, it was estimated that about 400 village shops closed,     7    (urge) the local government to give financial support to struggling shops or set-up new communities stores.

Hundreds of communities have since stepped in and opened up their won volunteer-run shops, but Mr. Fox hopes his new invention will offer a solution    8    these villages without a local shop.

3 . Bags of Love

Last year, I was assigned to work at an office near my mother’s house, so I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped out with the housework and contributed to the groceries.

After less than a week, I started noticing that the groceries were running out pretty quickly — we were always suddenly out of something.     1    (wonder) how my mum could consume them so quickly, I began observing her daily routine for two weeks. To my surprise, I found that she would pack a paper bag full of canned goods and head out every morning at about nine. Eventually, I decided to follow her and     2    happened truly amazed me. She was taking the food to the refugee camp, in     3    she distributed it to children.

I asked around and found out that my mum was very well known in the area. The kids were very friendly with her and even looked up to her as if she were their own mother. Then it hit me —why would she not want to tell me about what she     4    (do)? Was she worried about how I would react or that I would stop     5    (buy) the groceries if I found out?

When she got home, I told her about my discovery.     6    she could react, I gave her a big hug and told her she didn’t need to keep it a secret     7    me. She told me that some of the children lived with an older lady in a shelter while others slept on the streets. For years, my mum has been helping out by giving them whatever food she could spare. I was so impressed by     8    selfless she was.

4 . Stress: Good or Bad?

Stress used to be an almost unknown word, but now that we are used to talking about it, I have found that people are beginning to get stressed about being stressed.

In recent years, stress     1     (regard) as a cause of a whole range of medical problems, from high blood pressure to mental illness. But like so many other things, it is only too much stress     2     does you harm. It is time you considered that if there were no stress in your life, you would achieve a little. If you are stuck at home with no stress, then your level of performance will be low. Up to a certain point, the more stress you are under, the     3    (good) your performance will be. Beyond a certain point, though, further stress will only lead to exhaustion, illness and finally a breakdown. You can tell when you are over the top and on the downward slope, by asking yourself     4     number of questions. Do you, for instance, feel that too much is being expected of     5    , and yet find it impossible to say no? Do you find yourself getting impatient or     6     (annoy) with people over unimportant things?... If the answer to all those questions is yes, you had better     7     (control ) your stress, as you probably are under more stress than is good for you.

To some extent you can control the amount of stress in your life. Doctors have worked out a chart showing how much stress is involved in various events. Getting married is 50, pregnancy 40, moving house 20, Christmas 12,etc. If the total stress in your life is over 150, you are twice as likely     8     (get )ill.

5 . Ask helpful Hannah
Dear helpful Hannah,
I’ve got a problem with my husband, Sam. He bought a smart phone a couple of months ago and he took it on our recent ski vacation to Colorado, it was a great trip except for one problem. He has a constant urge     1    (check) for next messages; he checks his phone every five minutes! He’s so addicted to it that he just can’t stand the idea     2     there may be an important text. He can’t help checking even at inappropriate times like when we are eating in a restaurant and I am talking to him! He behaves     3     any small amount of boredom can make him feel the need to check his phone even when he know he shouldn’t. The temptation to see     4     is connecting him is just too great. When I ask him to put down the phone and stop     5     (ignore) me, he say, “In a minute.” but still checks to see if     6     has posted something new on the Internet. Our life     7     (interrupted). If we go somewhere and I ask him to have the phone at home, he suffers from withdrawal symptom. May this dependency on his smart phone has become more than an everyday problem.
I recently read an article about “nomophobia”,     8     is a real illness people can’t suffer from the fear of being without your phone! I am worried that Sam maybe suffering from this illness because he feels anxious if he doesn’t have his phone with him, even for a short time.
Who would have thought that little devices like these could have brought so much trouble!
Sick and Tired Sadie

6 . Gift from a stranger
My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in a blue car circling for a while.     1     I was in a good mood, I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot—it was a tight fit.
Pretty soon I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I     2     (empty) my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse park (倒车).
Just as I approached my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car space earlier. She was giving me     3     odd look—half puzzled, half intent (热切的). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I spotted the same lady     4     (look) in at me. “Hello,” she said, hesitantly. “This     5     sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins. You are just so much     6     her. You helped those people, I noticed, and you seemed so happy.” She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the window. “I think she would like you to have it.”     7     (shock), I took it from her automatically. She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was     8     (nice) gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete stranger. The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.