Here are five cooking habits that could ...

    People spend about a third of their life sleeping and cannot survive without it. But while scientists have long understood the importance of getting enough sleep, the key part played by light exposure can sometimes be overlooked (忽视). The reason why light is so important is that it sets our body clock, through specialized light sensors within the eye. Our eye detects the light and dark cycle within our environment and adjusts the body clock so that the inner and outer day coincide (相符). This is so powerful that people who have eye damage can find their body clock is thrown off, leading to sleep problems.

Without any access to light, the human body clock appears to change, adding about half an hour on to its 24-hour cycle for each day of darkness. Jet lag (飞行时差反应) is the most obvious example of the effect light can have. Exposure to light in the new time zone helps reset our body clock to local time, telling us the right time to sleep.

In 1800, most people across the world worked outside and were exposed to the change from day to night. Today, many of us miss out on the natural environment as we mostly work inside. We have become a light-deprived (光照不足的) species, and this has far-reaching consequences for the quality of our sleep, and consequently our well-being. The proper amount varies from person to person, but we do know that our bodies need exposure to very bright light that most indoor lighting does not provide. One notable side effect is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression thought to affect 2-8% of Europeans, which is linked to lack of sunlight exposure.

Research in this area could help people make informed choices. Simply by reducing light exposure before going to bed, and trying to get as much morning light as possible, they could improve their sleep and well-being.

1.What does the underlined part “it” in the first paragraph refer to?

A.The sensor. B.Sleep.

C.Light. D.The eye.

2.Why is jet lag mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A.To show people in different time zones have different sleep patterns.

B.To advise frequent fliers to get plenty of sun to avoid discomfort.

C.To prove irregular light and dark cycles affect our body clock.

D.To explain why our body clock has a 24-hour cycle.

3.What can we learn about SAD from the text?

A.It comes along with cold temperatures. B.It results from a lack of natural light.

C.It affects people living on islands. D.It happens mainly in summer.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A.Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy.

B.Natural light is the key to a good night’s sleep.

C.Our body clock is linked to the mood disorder.

D.Life is really hard for nightbirds.

    Taking paternity leave (陪产假) shortly after the birth of a new son or daughter may be the key to developing strong father-child bonds that last for years, says new research from Ball State University.

“We find that 9-year-olds report greater satisfaction with father involvement,” said Richard Petts, a Ball State sociology professor who carried out the research with Chris Knoester at the Ohio State University and Jane Waldfogel at Columbia University. “They feel closer to their fathers and report better communication with their dads if their fathers take paternity leave, and especially if their fathers take two or more weeks of leave.”

“We found evidence that part of the reason why two or more weeks of paternity leave may lead to 9-year-olds expressing greater satisfaction seems to be that longer periods of paternity leave-taking link to parental relationship satisfaction,” said Petts.

The study is the latest in a series examining the effects of parental leave in the development of children and its influence on the family. It is also the first research known to assess the associations between paternity leave and children’s opinions of father-child relationship quality in the United States, Petts said.

Petts said the findings of the study will help families and policymakers (政策制定者) who aim to strengthen families and improve higher quality father-child relationships.

The present structure (结构) of paternity leave in the United States provides limited opportunities for fathers to take leave and, in fact, often discourages fathers from taking leave, he said.

“The possibility to take leave is often limited to higher-income families,” Petts said. “A lack of a national paid family leave policy limits access to important benefits for American families. The present structure may be increasing inequalities.” Petts said that providing equal access to paternity leave may help to change these patterns and strengthen family relationships.

1.How was the research probably carried out?

A.By tracking families. B.By talking with mothers.

C.By interviewing the kids. D.By recording children’s behavior.

2.What is found about paternity leave?

A.It makes young kids become dependent.

B.It is determined by parental relationships.

C.It encourages men to become better fathers.

D.It improves father-child relationship quality.

3.What do we know about the research?

A.It is welcomed by young fathers. B.It is the first to study parental leave.

C.It is probably helpful to policymakers. D.It is more important than similar studies.

4.What is the problem with the present structure of paternity leave in the US?

A.Paid paternity leave is only two weeks long.

B.There is no policy to encourage paternity leave.

C.Low-income families think little of paternity leave.

D.High-income fathers are too busy to take paternity leave.

    Being deaf in a hearing world can lead to painful feelings of isolation (孤独).

Waitress Kelsey recently shared an experience on a social media sharing site that  quickly zoomed (陡直上升) to the top of the “ front page of the Internet”. In her brief post, Kelsey explained that she waits tables at a bar during the evenings, and one night she noticed a deaf man sitting alone in her section (区域).

When Kelsey isn’t working at the bar she makes a good hourly pay doing sign language interpretation (翻译), so she sensed an opportunity to use her skill to make this customer feel a little less alone in the world. She approached his table and began chatting with him in sign language.

When the table next to his noticed their silent conversation they asked Kelsey how long she’d been signing. They had a brief conversation about her goal of becoming certified (合格的) to interpret sign language in a medical or mental health setting.She didn’t think much about the whole exchange until the customers had left the restaurant and she was tidying up the tables. There, on the table of the customers who’d seen her American sign language conversation with the deaf man, was a handwritten note on the receipt.

“Thank you for what you do; it absolutely matters!” the note said. “Good luck with finishing your degree!” Not only that, but they’d left her a $100 tip.

Kelsey was moved by the kind note, especially because she wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. To her, she was just conversing with someone in a language that only they understood. Yet to the deaf man and the people seated next to him she’d bridged a gap and helped someone who probably feels lonely a lot of the time.

Kelsey shared the note on the Internet to spread more love and light in the world.

1.What do we know about Kelsey’s work at the bar？

A.It is her part-time job.

B.It goes beyond her ability.

C.It requires her to work all day long.

D.It offers her a chance to learn sign language.

2.What can we infer about the deaf man?

A.He left Kelsey $100 as a tip.

B.He could use sign language.

C.He found it hard to communicate with Kelsey.

D.He was a friend of the customers at the next table.

3.What did the people at the table next to the deaf man think of Kelsey?

A.She is wasting time working as a waitress. B.She needs to study further for a degree.

C.She should use the Internet as a tool. D.She is so kind to serve those in need.

4.What lesson can we learn from Kelsey’s experience?

A.Practice makes perfect. B.It is never too late to learn.

C.Kindness is repaid with kindness. D.When in Rome, do as Romans do.

The Guardian Holidays

1.Which tour will you choose if you are interested in country music?

A.Elvis Presley’s Memphis & Nashville. B.East Coast Extravaganza.

C.New England in the Fall. D.America’s Golden West.

2.What do New England in the Fall and East Coast Extravaganza have in common?

A.They both include a visit to Boston. B.They both last for nine days.

C.They both start in October. D.They both cost the same.

3.Where will tourists go during the America’s Golden West tour?

A.Tupelo and San Francisco. B.Montgomery and San Diego.

C.Monterey and Las Vegas. D.Los Angeles and Plymouth.

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

One snowy day，the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blinding snowstorm. A farmer sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud knock，something hitting against the window. He looked outside but could not see anything. So he went outside for a better view. In the field near his house he saw，of all the strangest things，a group of swans(天鹅).

They were apparently flying to look for a warmer area down south，but they had been caught in the snowstorm. The storm had become too blinding and violent for the swans to fly or see their way. They were trapped on his farm，with no food or shelter，unable to do more than wave their wings and fly in aimless circles. He had compassion for them and wanted to help them.

He thought to himself，the barn(谷仓)would be a great place for them to stay. It was warm and safe；surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he opened the barn doors for them. He waited，watching them，hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.

However，they did not notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. He moved closer toward them to get their attention，but they just moved away from him out of fear. He went into the house and came back with some bread，broke it up，and made a bread trail to the barn. They still did not catch on.

Starting to get frustrated，he went over and tried to drive them toward the barn. They panicked and scattered into every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there was warmth，safety，and shelter. Feeling totally frustrated，he exclaimed，“Why don’t they follow me?Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them?”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________