D
What's driving the rise of obesity in the United States? A group of economists argued in a recent study that big-box grocers, warehouse clubs and fast-food restaurants are key contributors to the county's obesity epidemic(流行病).
General economic factors, ranging from unemployment to income, as well as the financial
or time costs of eating and physical activity account for 43 percent of the rise in obesity, according to a recent study published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, as the adult obesity rate in the United States has surged from 13 percent in 1960 to 35 percent in 2012.
"Supercenter/warehouse club expansion and increasing numbers of restaurants are the leading drivers of the results," the study concluded. "We show that supercenter/warehouse club density increases the probability of weight loss attempts, raising the possibility that cheap food from these retailers triggers self- control problems."
The study suggests that the rise of supercenters and warehouse clubs, like Walmart and Costco, may impact Americans' eating habits as they make calorie-rich food cheaper and more accessible, and save customers a lot of time.
"Food's gotten cheaper and more readily available, so we eat more of it. It's really simple," said Charles Courtemanche, co- author of the study and a health economist at Georgia State University, in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR). "At least a sizable portion of the rise in obesity can be characterized as response to economic incentives."
Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30, leads to adverse health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressures and stroke.
Obesity has become a major public health concern in the United States as the nation has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).What does the underlined word “trigger”mean?
| A．Cause. | B．Raise. |
| C．Solve. | D．Explain. |
From the passage we can infer _____.
| A．the writer are opposed to fast-food restaurants . |
| B．43 percent of the Americans are overweight. |
| C．America people begin to be concerned about obesity problem. |
| D．calorie-rich food are becoming much more expensive. |
As reasons for obesity , which of the following hasn’t been mentioned in the passage?
| A．Unemployment. | B．Physical activity. |
| C．Eating time. | D．Genes. |
What is the writer’s purpose to write this passage?
| A．To do research into people’s eating habit. |
| B．To analyze the reasons for people’s becoming fat. |
| C．To tell people calorie-rich food is bad for health. |
| D．To introduce the boom of big-box grocers. |
In which column of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A．Anecdote. | B．Life. |
| C．Business. | D．Science. |
It is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain. Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes. More often the doctors can’t fix the damage. Sometimes they are afraid to try something to help because it is dangerous to work on the brain. The doctors might make the person worse if he operates on the brain.
Dr. Robert White, a famous professor and doctor, thinks he knows a way to help. He thinks doctors should make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctor a longer time to do something for the brain.
Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs, and then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine. The machine cooled the blood. Then the machine sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain’s temperature was 10°C, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they had been before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them.
The biggest difficulty in operating on the damaged brain is that _______.
| A．the time is too short for doctors |
| B．the patients are often too nervous |
| C．the damage is extremely hard to fix |
| D．The blood cooling machine might break down |
The brain operation was made possible mainly by _______.
| A．taking the blood out of the brain |
| B．trying the operation on monkeys first |
| C．having the blood go through a machine |
| D．lowering the brain’s temperature |
With Dr. White’s new idea, the operation on the damaged brain ______.
| A．can last as long as 30 minutes |
| B．can keep the brain’s blood warm |
| C．can keep the patient’s brain healthy |
| D．can help monkeys do different jobs |
The story is about two old people named David and Rosy Jackson. Both of them had very bad memories. For example, Rosy would forget to cook dinner or take vegetables home after paying for them. David would show up for work on Sundays, thinking it was Monday. One winter they were to take a long plane trip. When they arrived at the airport, there were only ten minutes left. In that situation, anyone would get into the plane right away. But David and Rosy didn’t do so. They went to buy some flight insurance(保险) instead. Immediately after they put a two-pound note into a machine, their policy (保险单) came out.
“Who would get the money if the plane crashed, I wonder?” asked Rosy. “My mother, of course,” her husband replied. “We should post the policy to her. Now, be quick! Give me a stamp, will you?” he said to Rosy. “The plane is going to take off in another minute.” David put the stamp on the envelope, dropped it into a postbox, and suddenly he let out a cry.
What do you suppose happened to him? He had posted their plane tickets to his mother.Rosy is David’s ______.
| A．friend | B．mother |
| C．sister | D．wife |
This passage tells us that David and Rosy ______.
| A．were always short of time |
| B．always did everything in a great hurry |
| C．were very forgetful |
| D．usually worked on Sundays |
David meant to post his mother _____.
| A．two plane tickets | B．a two-pound note |
| C．the flight insurance | D．an empty envelope |
Mr Jackson made such a foolish mistake because ______.
| A．he was worried about his mother |
| B．he had forgotten to buy a stamp |
| C．he was worried about this flight |
| D．his memory was poor and he posted the letter in a great hurry |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．A forgetful old couple. |
| B．Two plane tickets. |
| C．A pleasant flight. |
| D．A plane crash. |
Five boys are suspected of starting a fire that destroyed their school on the eve of the new term. Police said yesterday that five boys — one aged 11, two 12-year-olds, one aged 13 and one 15 — arrested on suspicion of starting the fire had been released until later this month. Parents said the five pupils all attended St Mary’s.
Pupils witnessed their schoolwork being destroyed in the fire at Leyland St Mary’s Catholic Technology College in Lancashire. The 1950s science block was reduced to the ground in Sunday’s fire, which created clouds of smoke visible for miles. It is reported that the library and sports hall were also destroyed beyond repair. Strong winds and a shortage of water prevented 125 firemen trying to bring it under control. Firefighters were expected to remain at the scene until late this afternoon. Staffs were due to attend the school yesterday for an inset(培训)day, and pupils pupils were to return for lessons after the holidays today.
St Mary’s head teacher Kathy McNicholas fought back the tears as she watched her school go up in flames last night. She said, “This is so upsetting to watch. It’s heartbreaking. It’s very distressing for the staff and the children. Everyone had been looking forward to coming back for the new school year.” Finding somewhere around 730 children won’t be easy. A few of the staff have turned up to see if there is anything they can do and they have all been shocked and saddened by what has happened. “It’s tragic because we have only just had a lot of refreshment work done to the school during the summer break. It was a big investment. The community around here very much looks after its school.”
Plans were being drawn up to provide alternative classrooms for 730 children, with parents warned to keep them at home for at least the rest of the week.
Which part of St Mary’s Catholic Technology College was burned to the ground in the fire?
| A．The library. | B．Sports hall. |
| C．The science block. | D．The passage doesn’t tell us. |
The underlined word “distressing” in the third paragraph can be replaced by “ ”.
| A．excited | B．surprised |
| C．annoyed | D．embarrassed |
From the whole passage, we can know that .
| A．the education of England is worse |
| B．St Mary’s Catholic Technology College had no trouble finding enough classrooms |
| C．a shortage of money prevented more than 100 firemen controlling the big fire |
| D．the pupils had to stay at home before the alternative classrooms were found |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Five boys started a fire that destroyed their school. |
| B．The firemen failed in controlling the fire. |
| C．The staff and the children were upset. |
| D．The school planned to take measures to solve the problem. |
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native(本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
·Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced(高级的)
·Over 18 years old
Class Schedule(课表)
·Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
·Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
·Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
·Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.
·You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
·You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
·The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visit to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
·You will have plenty of free time to explore(探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
·You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
| A．They are taught in small groups. |
| B．The teachers are young French speakers. |
| C．They will offer a wine tasting license. |
| D．People learn French in and out of class. |
On the first day, the students should _________.
| A．take a language test |
| B．pay for their study |
| C．do a survey |
| D．introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A．21 | B．15 |
| C．30 | D．12 |
We can learn from the text that the course _________.
| A．is not suitable for old people |
| B．has a short game between classes |
| C．provides dictionary for students |
| D．offer cooking classes as well |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. Then, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop（拖把）. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe (拖一下) of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine. No fever(发烧）.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is not good. You need a brush.”When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
| A．to see a patient | B．to please the nurse |
| C．to clean the floor | D．to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
| A．nurse | B．visitor |
| C．cleaner | D． patient |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
| A．It is a children’s hospital. |
| B．The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| C．The conditions there aren’t very good. |
| D．It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
| A．Strange | B．Warm-hearted |
| C．Clever | D．Hardworking |
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