When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones — the kind of modern, solar-paneled masterpieces. But the US
An enormous amount of energy and
The oldest homes tend to be the least energy-efficient, mainly due to the tiny cracks and gaps that expand over time and let in more outside air.
2 . Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients (contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.
1. All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items“ in Paragraph 2 except________.A.ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
B.ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands |
C.producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items |
D.the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands |
A.They are believable. |
B.They are attractive. |
C.They are full of misinformation. |
D.They are helpful to consumers. |
A.to make use of ads |
B.not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
C.to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch |
D.to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands |
3 . Weighing too much can damage your health,and obesity is a growing problem for both kids and adults around the world.Sleep might be one answer to the problem.A new study has found that elementary school students who slept too little were more likely to gain pounds.
Past studies have shown a link between sleeping less and weighing more,but scientists have had a tough time determining "which came first,the chicken or the egg," says Julie C. Lumeng of the university of Michigan in Ann Arbor.In other words,it hasn't been clear whether kids who weigh too much have trouble sleeping,or whether sleeping less leads to weight gain.Both scenarios (可能出现的情况) seemed equally possible.
To get a better idea of which causes which,Lumeng and her colleagues interviewed the parents of 785 third graders from around the United States.The parents answered questions about how well their kids slept that year.Three years later,the parents answered the same questions.By sixth grade ,18percent of kids involved in the study were obese.
The scientists found no relationship between weight and the students' race or gender.It also didn't matter how strict their parents were,or whether they were boys orgirls.Obesity struck all of these groups equally.Instead,sleep seemed to be the key factor.Over the three years of study,the children averaged a healthy 9.5 hours of sleepa night.Some kids,however,slept a lot moreor less than others.
For the sixth graders,every hour of sleep above the 9.5houraverage was linked toa 20 percent lower risk of being obese.Sleep appeared doubly important for the third graders.Every extra hour of sleep they got was linked to a 40 percent drop in obesity.
1. What does the underlined sentence on paragraph 2 imply?A.Scientists have found the exact causes of children's obesity. |
B.There is always something difficult to understand through theory |
C.The cause–effect relationship between weight and sleep isn't clear. |
D.A person's weight has something to do with the amount of his sleep. |
A.9.5 hours of sleep a night is enough for children. |
B.The more a child sleeps,the healthier he will be. |
C.Sixth graders need much more sleep than third graders. |
D.One’s race or gender has nothing to do with his weight. |
A.By listing figures | B.By comparing different opinions |
C.By providing examples | D.By conducting a survey |
A.The benefits of enough sleep for children |
B.Sleeping less increases the risk of obesity |
C.Which comes first,little sleep or obesity |
D.How many hours of sleep do children need? |