C
Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow. But the findings might also offer hope.
If friends help make obesity acceptable, then they might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers used information collected from? 12 000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.
The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.
The researchers examined more than 40 000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.
A sister or brother of a person who became obese had a 40% increased chance of becoming obese. The risk for a wife or husband was a little less than that.
Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.
The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same—sex friendships, a person had a 71% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in a brother. In sisters, it was 67%.
The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California,San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.
Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.
59.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 2 mean?
A.Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.
B.Friends might also play a part in losing weight.
C.One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.
D.Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.
60.Who is mostly likely to gain weight?
A.A man who has a fat brother. B.A husband who has a fat wife.
C.A wife who has a fat husband. D.A woman who a fat female friend.
61.Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?
A.You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.
B.If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.
C.A person’s health is closely linked with his/her social relationship.
D.Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.
62.The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that_______
A.researchers fail to find a more different sample
B.researchers have different ideas for family members and friends
C.researchers can meet these people regularly
D.researchers can compare the results
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea．People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea．Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added．She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?
| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
This passage mainly discusses_____________.
| A．the history of tea drinking in Britain |
| B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain |
| C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea |
| D．how tea-time was born |
Tea became a popular drink in Britain_____________.
| A．in eighteenth century | B．in sixteenth century |
| C．in seventeenth century | D．in the late seventeenth century |
People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because_____________.
| A．it tasted like milk |
| B．it tasted more pleasant |
| C．it became a popular drink |
| D．Madame de Sevigne was such a lady with great social influence that people tried to copy the way she drank tea |
We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly
due to the influence of ________.
| A．a famous French lady | B．the ancient Chinese |
| C．the upper social class | D．people in Holland |
Children of America are getting fatter every time. 13% of the children at the age of 6 to 11 are overweight(too fat).
When we look at children’s lives today in the USA, we can see the root(origin)of the problem--sports and foods. Young children like sports but they don’t have enough around the start of high school. That’s especially true for girls. Meanwhile, to make matters worse, schools are becoming much more interested in sports teams. So children are not able to get enough exercise just when they need it the most. There is also the food problem. Children get most of their calories(热量) at restaurants or parties or somewhere else away from home. They often drink too many Cokes. Parents have a lot of fears about telling a child he needs to lose weight-- they are afraid it will push a child into an eating disorder. Some parents fear that pushing children to lose weight means their children will think they’re not good enough, or not loved because of their weight. Parents need to come to terms with the fact that the family is very important to the children. The most useful program for children is called "family weight control". This is good news. Mom and Dad, even if they don’t have weight problems, have to go through the same program as their children and learn how to get some exercise and how to eat healthily. Why are American children getting fatter? The writer thinks_______.
| A．parents also have weight problem as their children |
| B．children drink too many Cokes |
| C．schools are more interested in sports teams |
| D．children have less exercise and eat unhealthily |
The writer wants to tell parents that_______.
| A．overweight children are not loved by people |
| B．children are afraid to lose weight when they have to |
| C．family members can help overweight children a lot |
| D．girls don’t like to exercise |
The writer thinks if mother or father is on the same program as their children, _______.
| A．"family weight control" will be successful |
| B．it will make the children eat much more |
| C．their children will not eat better |
| D．parents will feel sorry about themselves |
Which of the following is NOT the root of overweight problem? _______.
| A．Higher-calorie. | B．Less sports. | C．Family weight control. | D．higher-fat foods. |
What does “come to terms with” probably mean in the passage?
| A．ignore | B．give in to | C．get away with | D．do research into |
There is a story about the moon cake．During the Yuan dynasty, China was ruled by the Mongolian people． Leaders from the preceding Song dynasty were unhappy about being ruled by foreigners, so they began to organize a secret rebellion． The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes． Baked into each cake was a message containing the outline of the attack． On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government． Today, these cakes are eaten to commemorate（纪念）this legend and are called Moon Cakes．
For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in pastry． Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of this rich tasting dessert． Some people have compared moon cakes to the plum puddings and fruit cakes which are served in the English holiday seasons．
Nowadays, there are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival．According to this passage, people eat moon cakes on the Moon Festival because___________ .
| A．it is a tradition |
| B．moon cakes are tasty |
| C．moon cakes look like the moon |
| D．people want to remember the rebellion against the Mongolian rulers |
The leaders ordered the special cakes to be made in order to _________________
| A．prize the rebels | B．celebrate the holiday |
| C．plan the attack | D．carry the message secretly |
Why did those leaders want to overthrow the government? __________________ .
| A．Because they wanted to rule the country． |
| B．Because they were unhappy that China was ruled by the Mongolian． |
| C．Because they were from the preceding Song dynasty． |
| D．Because they wanted to celebrate the Moon Festival in their way． |
Which of the following statements is WRONG? __________________ .
| A．China was once ruled by the Mongolian people during the Yuan dynasty． |
| B．Moon cakes were originally made to carry a message． |
| C．All moon cakes have a cooked egg yolk in them． |
| D．A variety of moon cakes can be bought a month before the Moon Festival now． |
The best title for the passage is “_______”．
| A．The origin of moon cakes | B．Moon cakes and the Moon Festival |
| C．Moon Festival | D．How the Moon Festival came into being |
Autumn and winter are cold and flu seasons. Will the old advice about dressing warmly help prevent a cold, or if you get sick, should you follow the old saying, “feed a cold and starve a fever?” And what about that fever? Should you take medicine to reduce your temperature, or is it better to let the body treat the fever itself? Everyone seems to have an answer. But is popular wisdom valuable?
Doctor Nelson knows a lot about cold and flu seasons. Nelson says research may be just starting to provide proofs for long-held beliefs. For example, scientists for years were against the idea that getting cold and wet might cause colds or flu. But recent studies have shown that cold temperatures cause stress on the body, and that stress can create conditions more inviting to viruses. So maybe it does make sense to wrap up warmly before going outside.
And what about feeding a cold and starving a fever? Nelson says if you have a cold and are hungry, you should eat. But a fever, especially a high one, suggests a more serious problem. He says people are usually not hungry when they have a high fever. Eating might even make a person sick. But drinking enough water is important. A fever easily makes the body lose water.
Finally, when should you treat a fever? Nelson says a fever should be treated if it stays at
40℃ or above for a day or more. A high temperature can damage brain cells. The doctor also believes in treating a fever if it prevents a person from sleeping.
Medicine like aspirin, for example, can be used to reduce pain and fever. But aspirin should not be given to children because it can cause serious problems.We can learn from the passage that Doctor Nelson________.
| A．doesn’t believe in the old advice about preventing colds |
| B．is now trying his best to provide proofs for long-held beliefs. |
| C．doesn’t think it necessary to see a doctor immediately if a person has a temperature of 40℃ |
| D．doesn’t think it necessary to treat a fever even if it prevents someone from sleeping. |
According to Doctor Nelson, if someone catches a fever, he should________.
| A．bathe in cold water | B．drink enough water |
| C．try to eat something | D．take some exercise outside |
Which of the following is Not mentioned in the passage?
| A．When people should treat a fever |
| B．Whether the old advice about preventing a cold is valuable. |
| C．What the medicine , aspirin, is used for. |
| D．Why people should eat when having a cold. |
The passage suggests that_______.
| A．aspirin can damage train cells if an adult takes too much of it. |
| B．it is easier for people to catch colds when their bodies are stressed. |
| C．some old advice about preventing colds doesn’t make any sense. |
| D．the idea that getting cold can cause flu was proved true years ago. |
After we finished thirteen miles of hiking, we were tired and our muscles ached as we made our way back to New England. The car ride to the airport followed by a two-hour flight left our legs more worse condition than they were when we first came off the mountain we just climbed.
When we heard that two seats in first class on our next flight were available for a bit higher price, we jumped at the opportunity. Our spirits lifted immediately. After all, flying first class was a new experience for us, and we would end our adventure in comfort and style.
As we boarded the plane, we noticed that the stewardess(空姐) was working non-stop to ensure the comfort of the first class passengers. She could not walk by a seat without receiving an order. How much she must love her job! She smiled kindly at each one while attending to their needs.
As the stewardess walked by our seats near the end of the flight, I looked at her and said, “Thank you and I hope you have a great night.” She stopped, bent down, looked at me and said, “Excuse me.” I repeated my words and she smiled in a rather funny way, almost as if I had asked her a question that she did not know how to answer.
After a few moments she returned to our seats. “I can tell you work with the public,” she said. “Why do you think so?” I asked. She answered very quietly, “Because you are the only passenger here to say something nice to me tonight and I really appreciate your kindness.”
The sense of belonging to the elite(精英) group of people in first class disappeared as we heard her words. Our first class seats offered us more than a comfortable ride. We were reminded that without kindness, we would be flying in no class.Where did the writer ever go hiking?
| A．In a forest | B．In a mountain | C．Along a river | D．Near an airport |
Why did they choose to take a first class flight?
| A．Because they were extremely tired |
| B．Because they wanted to go back as soon as possible |
| C．Because the tickets were cheaper |
| D．Because they wanted to enjoy the first class service. |
After boarding the plane, the writer felt_______.
| A．proud | B．uncomfortable | C．nervous | D．disappointed |
When the stewardess first heard what the writer said, she_________.
| A．didn’t understand the writer | B．knew what work the writer did |
| C．didn’t believe her ears | D．had a big smile on her face |
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