1 . Too much screen time for kids can lead to poor health the American Heart Association (AHA) says. A scientific statement published by the AHA in the medical journal Circulation said screen time from smartphones, tablet computers and other devices can lead kids to a sedentary(惯于久坐不动的) lifestyle ,increasing the possibility that they grow up as overweight or obese(肥胖的).
The AHA is the latest organization urging parents to limit how much time their kids spend in front of screens. It recommends children get one to two hours of screen time each day. Although television viewing among children and teens has dropped, the use of smartphones and tablet computers has surged.
“Although the mechanisms(机制) linking screen time to obesity are not entirely clear, there are real concerns that screens influence eating behaviors, mainly because children don’t notice when they are full when eating in front of a screen,” said Tracie Barnett, a researcher at the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier Research Centre,in a statement.
Barnett, one of the authors of the statement, also urges parents to keep screens out of kids’bedrooms, raising the fear that too much screen time can affect sleep.
Many studies have warned about the potential (潜在的) negative effects of too much screen time. Last year, a study from researchers at San Diego State University(SDSU) found nearly half of teens who spent five or more hours in front of screens every day experienced long periods of hopelessness or sadness.
Apple, who makes the iOS mobile platform, plans to introduce new tools to devices to help users cut back on screen time. As for iOS 12,iPhones will include a screen time feature where users can control and review how they spend time on their mobile devices. Another company that makes the Android platform will introduce “digital well-being” tools such as screen time limits and a “wind down” option to encourage users to put down their phones before bed.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “surged” in paragraph 2?A.Increased suddenly. | B.Decreased slowly. |
C.Stayed the same. | D.Lost the balance. |
A.By changing the time they eat. | B.By changing their taste for food. |
C.By influencing how fast they eat. | D.By influencing their feeling of fullness. |
A.It affected children’s sleep. | B.It led to children’s obesity. |
C.It resulted in diet problems. | D.It negatively influenced moods. |
A.Reduce its products’ battery life. |
B.Provide a screen time feature. |
C.Introduce “digital well-being” tools. |
D.Add a “wind down” option to its products. |
2 . Stuck at home? These famous museums offer virtual tours you can take on your sofa. According to Fast Company, Google Arts&Culture teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring you virtual tours and online exhibits.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Google’s Street View lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral (螺旋式) staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary times.
Pergamon Museum,Berlin
As one of Germany’s largest museums, Pergamonhas a lot to offer — even if you can’t physically be there. This historical museum is home to plenty of ancient works including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and, of course,the Pergamon Altar.
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Anyone who is a fan of this tragic, gifted painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close) by virtually visiting this museum — the largest collection of artworks by Vincent Van Gogh, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
European artworks from as far back as the 8th century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.
To see more of Google Arts&Culture’s collection of museums, visit the collection’s website.
1. Which one will you visit if you like modern art?A.Pergamon Museum. |
B.Guggenheim Museum. |
C.The J. Paul Getty Museum. |
D.Van Gogh Museum. |
A.One who is fond of tragic films. |
B.One who enjoys European artworks. |
C.One who likes paintings of Van Gogh. |
D.One who is interested in ancient artworks. |
A.It is one of the largest museums in the USA. |
B.It is the only home to artworks in California. |
C.It includes all forms of artworks in the world. |
D.It exhibits European artworks from the 8th century. |
3 . Wall Street bankers, investors and economists have for months argued over whether a US recession (衰退) is coming. But for some Americans, the unforgiving economic pain typical during recession has already set in.
Al Brown and his wife faced a tough call in May when reviewing their weekly budget: what’s a higher priority, more food or dish soap? Based in Concord, North Carolina, Brown was the main breadwinner for his wife and their two children. Then in April, he was let go from his job as a global director of business development at software company Cascade. He’s since quit his gym membership and sold various items around his home, including a computer and yard furniture. His 13-year-old son quit the basketball team.
Brown, 37, now spends his days searching the internet for jobs or reaching out to potential connections. After filing over 600 applications, only a handful have produced interviews. That’s a far cry from the labor-market strength described in government figures.
Investors and economists have been expecting a recession since last year as the Fed raised interest rates to control inflation (通货膨胀). That caused companies to focus on profitability over growth, which meant cutting spending and reducing their workforces.
“I think it’s unlikely that I will get another good paying job with great benefits like the one I had,” McCollum, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, said. More Americans are likely to encounter similar cases, some experts predict.
“As we go through this year, and into next year, there is still going to be this focus on trying to reduce costs, and it is going to result in more unemployment,” said Thomas Simons, a senior economist at Jefferies. “The impact of layoffs, currently concentrated among white-collar workers, will last throughout the economy through a ‘big pullback in overall spending’,” Simons said. “Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, so if more Americans are forced to cut back because they were laid off, that might throw the US economy into a recession.”
1. What are some Americans currently going through?A.They can’t afford necessities of life. | B.They’ve lost interest in high-end gyms. |
C.They are badly treated by their bosses. | D.They have difficulty making ends meet. |
A.One should try various ways to find a job. |
B.American labor market is not that friendly to job-seekers. |
C.Few companies are interested in middle-aged job-hunters. |
D.The government provides accurate figures of the job market. |
A.By employing more workers. | B.By changing interest rates. |
C.By giving priority to profits. | D.By cutting employees’ allowances. |
A.Laid-off workers tend to go into debt. |
B.Lower consumption may worsen the current situation. |
C.Americans will spend more to increase economic output. |
D.Companies are to blame for the unemployment of white-collar workers. |
4 . Two parents in very different circumstances (境况) told me their worries. One was a Google executive in New York City, who said, “I’m worried that my kids are growing up with too much money. How do I keep them from throwing their money around?” The second was a single mom from Los Angeles. She explained that her son was asking her for $150 jeans so that he could fit in with the cool crowd, and she didn’t know what to do.
To both parents I gave the same answer: Start talking about the value of money, the same way you’d teach your kid to tell the truth or be kind to others. Make sure they know what matters most to your family when it comes to money. Yes, we could afford fancy jeans, but they're not a priority for us.
When it comes to day-to-day lessons, the best way to teach your kids the value of a dollar is to give them actual dollars. When my daughter was 13, she wanted to go shopping with friends for back-to-school clothes. The other parents gave their girls a credit card or a debit card (借记卡) with a spending limit. Me? I embarrassed my daughter by handing her $50 … in cash. The reason: I knew that when she got to the checkout line with more than $50 worth of goods, she’d have to make hard choices and put something back.
Additionally, sometimes it’s what you don’t do for your kid that counts. I will never forget the brave audience member at an event who asked me the question: “Should I get my son an Amex Platinum card? All his friends use theirs to get into first-class airport lounges (等候室)when they travel.” “No,” I said. Always remember, you’ re the parent. You set the rules. And the rules will determine how your kid values money in the future.
1. What worried the first two parents?A.How to instruct their kids to make money. |
B.How to teach their kids the value of money. |
C.How to refuse their kids’ requests for more money. |
D.How to raise their kids with small amounts of money. |
A.The most valuable gift. |
B.A way to hide the truth. |
C.The most important thing. |
D.An excuse to please others. |
A.Letting their kids pay in cash. |
B.Limiting their kids’ pocket money. |
C.Asking their kids to report their spending. |
D.Reminding their kids to make a shopping list. |
A.Parents should protect their kids’ self-respect. |
B.Parents should be strict about their kids’ spending. |
C.Parents should help their kids fit in with their friends. |
D.Parents should spend money wisely to influence their kids |
The book The Secret Garden,
6 . With the largest population in the world, China has the most mouths to feed on the planet. Consequently,food waste is a great problem in China. It is reported that more than 6% — or 35 million kgs — of the country's total food production is lost before reaching consumers, in the household and warehouse storage, transport and processing sectors. With an ever-growing population, it's imperative to deal with food waste in China.
Thankfully, policies covering food waste have been rapidly emerging in recent years. Since 2010, the Chinese government has selected 100 cities and encouraged them to explore alternative waste management systems. In 2016,China amended (修改) its Solid Waste Law to stop illegal dumping (倾倒) and promote recycling and reuse of waste, including food. Restaurants will soon be charged a fee for the amount of food waste they produce. And China is using a good food waste processing method called anaerobic digestion, a process that transforms organic waste into biogas, which can be used as energy, or turned into biofuel.
Moving forward, policymakers should consider loss and waste reduction to be as important as increasing production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the current policy system of agricultural subsidisation (补贴) mainly includes price guarantees and subsidies for crops, production materials, seeds and agricultural machinery,which leads to local governments focusing on crop production while paying little attention to the wastage in the supply chain. There should also be increased investment in the construction of new warehouses and special funds for storage, transport, and processing technologies.
If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitting (排放)country in the world, generating about 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions. This issue is not location-specific, but an issue that affects every living thing on the planet and should therefore be seen as an essential area to take action in.
1. What does the underlined word “imperative”in paragraph 1 mean?A.Impractical. | B.Hopeful. | C.Costly. | D.Urgent |
A.It has been widely used in restaurants. |
B.It is required by the Solid Waste Law. |
C.It is eco-friendly to reuse food waste. |
D.It has proved effective in 100 cities. |
A.Food waste in the supply chain is ignored. |
B.Prices of production materials go up. |
C.Investment in the supply chain increases. |
D.Food waste during crop production gets serious. |
A.To promote the idea of recycling food waste. |
B.To call for action against food waste. |
C.To assess the consequences of food waste. |
D.To discuss the reasons behind food waste. |