Let’s face it. No one drinks diet sodas for the taste. People drink diet sodas in the hope that it will help them lose weight or at least keep them from gaining it. Yet it seems to have exactly the opposite effect, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Texas said those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had waist size increases that were six times greater than those who didn’t drink diet sodas. ＂What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drank, the more weight they were likely to gain,＂ said Sharon Fowler.
The study was based on data from 474 participants in a large, ongoing research project, where the participants were followed for nearly 10 years.
While the findings are surprising, they also offer some explanations.
Nutrition expert, Melanie Rogers, who works with overweight patients in New York, has found that when patients are switched from regular to diet sodas, they don’t lose weight at all. "We weren’t seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us,＂ said Rogers.
So why would diet soda cause weight gain? No one knows for sure yet, but it could be that people think they can eat more if they drink diet sodas, and so over-compensate(补偿) for the missing calories.
A related study found some sweeteners (甜味剂) raised blood sugar levels in some mice. ＂Data from this and other potential studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may be risky,＂ said Helen P. Hazuda, professor at the University of Texas’s school of medicine. ＂They may be free of calories, but not of consequences.＂
1.People drink diet sodas to ____________.
A. enjoy its taste B. achieve weight loss
C. stay in fashion D. gain more energy
2.The new study suggests that drinking diet sodas ____________.
A. causes people to become heavier
B. helps people to be healthier
C. makes people much thinner
D. offers people more calories
3.We can learn from the passage that ____________.
A. regular sodas make people lose more weight
B. diet soda drinkers tend to eat more food
C. diet sodas do help reduce calories
D. most blood diseases come from diet sodas
4.The underlined word “They” in the last paragraph probably refers to “_________”.
A. sweeteners B. diet soda drinkers and sweetener takers
C. sodas D. diet sodas and artificial sweeteners
Nowadays, parents worry a lot because their children spend hours and hours in front of the TV screen. Because this doesn’t happen to only one specific family, many experts warn us that there can be some serious effects of children watching violence on television.
Children who become addicted(上瘾的) to TV sit down and turn on the TV as soon as they get home. Although they have lots of homework, they become absorbed in TV programs.
Since they spend tons of time watching TV, they have less time to enjoy real life activities such as playing with friends, playing outdoor sports, or enjoying other kinds of entertainment.
There are too many violent scenes on TV. Some experts say there are 25 acts of violence per hour on TV. In addition, there are many experiments by psychologists which show how TV violence influences children. Finally, people worry that children tend to imitate what they watch on TV and may start to behave more violently.
What should be done? First of all, the government should regulate TV violence. It should also encourage people to invent and develop new technology which can block violent scenes from the programs children watch. For example, with a rating system(分级制度) and the V-chip, unfit scenes of violence and sex can be blocked out. Second, parents should monitor what their children watch. At the same time, they should make their children interested in real life activities. Then when the children start to spend more time playing with friends or reading books, parents can stop their monitoring.
It is a fact that there is more violence on TV today than there was ten years ago. Moreover, violent incidents occur more frequently in real life. It’s time to realize how harmful watching TV violence is, and it’s time to keep our children from watching violence.
1.What experts really worry is that .
A. children spend too much time watching TV
B. TV violence has a bad influence on children
C. children become addicted to TV programs
D. children have less time to do their homework
2.The author explain how the government should control TV violence by .
A. giving a definition B. giving an example
C. making a comparison D. presenting research findings
3.What does the underlined word “imitate” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?
A. explain. B. avoid.
C. ignore. D. copy.
4.What is the author’s purpose for writing this text?
A. To express his own worries about TV violence.
B. To ask parents to take good care of their children.
C. To inform readers of the latest situation about TV violence.
D. To call on the whole society to save children from violence.
In one of the old buildings near our school，one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor．His name was James．During the three years at school, I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position．
He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife．Once there was a bus accident，in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and were taken to the hospital for treatment．James was responsible for the rescue operation．It was a big hospital，but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was．There were no enough life-saving drugs and life—supporting equipment． The injured and their companions had to struggle there．James attempted to help．However，though he emptied his pockets，many of them died that day．
That was a turning point in his life．He made a decision to devote his life to helping others，particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions．He began spending much of his income on these people．Since this required a lot of time and energy，he found it difficult to fulfill(履行) his official duties and therefore chose to retire，which，in turn，reduced his income considerably．
His wife was deeply worried. Most of the time，James was out and paid least attention to home affairs．Meanwhile，as he was spending a lot helping others，she had to struggle even to meet the household expenses．Though she was not opposed to his helping the poor，she urged him not to overlook his own life and home，but it had no effect on him．One day they had a heated argument and in the end she left him，never to return．Though he continued with his work，this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and was soon forced to stay indoors．That was when he took his position by the window，spending his time looking outside．
A few weeks after my graduation，I returned to school，only to find the buildings gone．I heard that they were torn down．All the people left except James．He refused to go and the next morning，he was found at his usual place by the window，dead．
1.What changed James’ view towards life?
A. The difficulties in his career．
B. The deaths in the bus accident．
C. The bad conditions in the hospital．
D. The responsibilities in the operation．
2.James chose to retire in order to____________________.
A. spare more time and energy to help others
B. find a better job to increase his income
C. take care of the injured passengers
D. stay away from the difficult official duties
3.James’ wife left because_________________________．
A. she was strongly against his deeds
B. James paid too little attention to his work
C. her work to support their daily life was too tiring
D. James failed to keep a balance between charity and home
4.What is possibly the reason why James sat by the window every day?
A. He expected his wife to return.
B. He looked forward to going out.
C. He desired to watch the students.
D. He attempted to know the outside life.
We will be traveling to the Presidio in San Francisco to visit the newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum. Your whole family will be fascinated by over 1,400 works of art featuring Disney characters. There are countless exhibits and even a model of the early Disneyland Park.
We will have a timed entry into the museum, and then each family is free to explore at their leisure. Lunch will be on your own. So bring your lunch or money for the Museum Restaurant. The Walt Disney Family Museum is a must-see for everyone who loves Disney.
Date: July 22, 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00pm
Location: Presidio, San Francisco
Cost per person: $35.00 for adults,$25.00 for young people of 6-17 years old and seniors over 65 years old, and $10.00 for children under 6 years of age. Cost includes round-trip bus transportation to and from Alameda and admission into the Museum.
Pick-up location: Bayport Recreation Center(301 Jack London Avenue, near Ruby Bridges Elementary School)
It’s easy to register! You may register in person or mail the completed form and the payments to Alamede Recreation and Park Department 2226 Santa Clara Avenue,Alameda,94501.
Phone registrations begin from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00pm with MasterCard or VISA only. Have your credit card and class activity number ready just before calling (510) 7477529.Fax the completed registration form with MasterCard/VISA, (510) 5234071.Registration is not accepted for anyone under 18 years of age.
1.The cost of the trip doesn’t include____.
A. the lunch at the Museum B. the transportation to Alameda
C. the transportation from Alameda D. the admission into the Museum
2.The Walt Disney Family Museum is open for____.
A. three days B. nine hours
C. two days D. seven hours
3.If Mr and Mrs Green visit the museum with a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, they will spend____.
A. $90 B. 95
C. $105 D. $120
There is one word that is often on the lips of Americans: “ Sorry”.
Once as I was walking, a young man ran by______, brushing against my handbag. Even as he _______on his way, he turned back and said “ sorry” to me. Even in a rush, he didn’t forget to apologize. One day, after I bought a mango, the salesman was giving me the _______, but I wasn’t ready for it and a coin ________ to the ground. “ I’m sorry,” he said while bending down to pick it up. I was _______why would he apologize when it is my _______ ?
____ time, I stepped on a man’s foot in an elevator, and at the same time, we both said “ sorry”. I thought it interesting --- was it really_______ for him to apologize? Later on, an American friend _______ to me that according to the American mentality, the elevator is a ______place, and everyone should be able to stand in it. After someone ________ a position in it, making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand, isn’t it necessary to express an_______?
If you go to the movies and the tickets happen to be_______, the ticket seller will say, “Sorry.” Whenever one of your hopes goes_______, an American will say “ sorry” as a sign of_________
During my stay in America, I gradually _______ that when friction (摩擦) appears in daily life, Americans don’t care much about who is________; If someone is_______, a “sorry” is always necessary. When this happens, even if the other person is hurt, the “sorry”________ anger and human kindness is shown. Perhaps this is why I ________ saw anyone quarreling on the buses, subways or streets of America.
1.A. worriedly B. slowly C. cautiously D. hurriedly
2.A. continued B. blocked C. pushed D. forced
3.A. bargain B. change C. profit D. product
4.A. lay B. tied C. dropped D. attached
5.A. delighted B. annoyed C. puzzled D. injured
6.A. fault B. duty C. turn D. debt
7.A. Another B. Other C. Some D. Any
8.A. useful B. necessary C. difficult D. easy
9.A. complained. B. announced C. explained D. appealed
10.A. private B. public C. painful D. noisy
11.A. holds B. books C. removes D. occupies
12.A. explanation B. apology C. attitude D. argument
13.A. sold out B. dropped out C. broken out D. hung out
14.A. disappointed B. mistaken C. true D. unrealized
15.A. encouragement B. concern C. pity D. respect
16.A. understood B. imagined C. remembered D. guessed
17.A. legal B. wrong C. fair D. honest
18.A. troubled B. blamed C. forgiven D. replaced
19.A. controls B. protects C. defends D. cools
20.A. always B. sometimes C. never D. often
The laptop computer was here a moment ago, but I can’t put my hands ______it now.
A. in B. at
C. with D. on
