Abby and Ally are my dear daughters. Last week, we had an outing and we were really tired later that day. After enjoying good food, we headed back. Abby pushed the button as we awaited the elevator and suddenly Ally let out a sigh of disappointment.
“Oh wait, we can’t use the elevator,” Ally said, pointing to a sign near the elevator. Too tired to challenge her, both Abby and I followed her without looking around the corner to another set of elevators. “Oh, my god,” Ally said, visibly upset. “we can’t use the elevators either！They’re also reserved for the firefighters.” Abby looked at me. I looked at Abby. We both looked at the sign and then we stared at Ally to see if she was serious. She was. .
“Ally, the sign doesn’t say the elevators are reserved for firefighters,” Abby explained. “It says not to use the elevators in case of fire！With that, Ally took a longer look at the sign and actually read it instead of skimming it this time.
What’s the lesson here? You have to spend time reading signs, maps or recipes instead of just assuming you know what they say, or you might go through life climbing many flights of stairs when you could be taking the elevator.
It also got me thinking about how often we do this with reading. I wonder how many people just assume they know what a book says instead of actually spending time reading it, thus making wrong assumptions. How often have I neglected a book simply because I think I “know” what it says when I really just need to slow down, open the book, and focus on the reading?
1.Why did Abby believe what Ally said about the first elevator? (No more than12 words)
_______________________________________________________
2.What did the sign really say? (No more than 9 words)
________________________________________________________
3.How did Ally read the sign at first? (No more than5 words)
_________________________________________________________
4.How should we read a book according to the author? (No more than 8 words)
___________________________________________________________
Lead poisoning (铅中毒) occurs when lead is present in high levels in the blood of a person. It is one of the most common medical problems found in children. And it’s important to recognize the presence of lead in children’s bodies because lead is very harmful.
Children have the tendency to go around and put things in their mouths like paint peelings (油漆层剥皮). This is one of the main causes of lead poisoning. It has also been found that children born in poor families have higher chances of getting exposed to lead.
Some of the common symptoms of lead poisoning in children are headaches, stomach pains, hair loss, muscle weakness and weight loss, etc.
Lead poisoning can have severe effects and can lead to heart diseases, kidney diseases and neurological (神经系统的) problems. It can also cause mental dullness and a low IQ level. There have been cases where lead poisoning proved to be terminal for children.
It’s difficult to easily recognize whether a child is affected by lead poisoning, as the symptoms of this disease can occur due to some other medical problems. Therefore, children under the age of six should regularly be checked to know the level of lead in their blood through blood tests. It’s possible to completely cure a child with lead poisoning through treatment. Usually the oral medicine chelator (螯合剂) is given to the children. Sometimes, children are given an injection (注射) for reducing the lead level. Children who have very high level of lead in their blood would need treatment for a long period of time and would also be put on a special diet.
Parents have to take certain precautions to lower the chance of lead poisoning in children. Cleaning the house regularly and removing shoes at the door after coming in from outside will prevent the lead particles from entering the house. Children should be put on a healthy diet, containing high proportions (比例) of calcium and iron, such as eggs, milk, fruits, potatoes, etc, which helps to keep the lead levels in control in the children’s bodies.
In short, it’s a must to be cautious and careful and protect your children from the horrible consequences of lead poisoning.
Lead Poisoning in Children
Ⅰ. 1.
* Children’s going around and 2. in their mouths.
* High chances of blood lead.
Ⅱ. Symptoms
*Headaches, stomach pains, hair loss, muscle weakness, and weight loss, etc.
Ⅲ. 3.
* Leading to heart diseases, kidney diseases and neurological problems.
* 4. in mental dullness and a low IQ level.
Ⅳ. Treatment
* Making children take the chelator or 5. an injection to reduce the lead level.
* Putting children with a very high lead level on 6. .
Ⅴ. Suggestions / Preventions
* Cleaning the house regularly
* 7. shoes at the door after coming in from the outside.
* Letting children eat healthy food rich in 8. .
Ⅵ. 9.
* Being cautious and careful to 10. from lead poisoning.
Here’s one number to keep in mind during your next cell phone conversation: 50. A new experiment shows that spending 50 minutes with an active phone pressed up to the ear increases activity in the brain. This brain activity probably doesn't make you smarter. When cell phones are on, they emit (发出) energy in the form of radiation that could be harmful, especially after years of cell phone usage. Scientists don't know yet whether cell phones are bad for the brain. Studies like this one are attempting to find it out.
The 47 participants in the experiment may have looked a little strange. Each one had two Samsung cell phones attached to his or her head — one on each ear. The phone on the left ear was off. The phone on the right ear played a message for 50 minutes, but the participants couldn't hear it because the sound was off.
With this set-up, the scientists could be sure they were studying brain activity from the phone itself, and not brain activity due to listening and talking during a conversation. After 50 minutes with two phones strapped to their heads, the participants were given PET scans.
The PET scan showed that the left side (the side with the phone turned off) of each participant's brain hadn't changed during the experiment. The right side of the brain, however, had used more glucose, which is a type of sugar that provides fuel to brain cells. These right-side brain cells were using almost as much glucose as the brain uses when a person is talking. This suggests that the brain cells there were active ― even without the person hearing anything. That activity, the scientists say, was probably caused by radiation from the phone.
Henry Lai, who works at the University of Washington in Seattle, is uncomfortable with the data related to cell phones. Holding a cell phone to your ear during a conversation is “not really safe,” Lai told Science News. Lai is a bioengineer at the University of Washington in Seattle. He wrote an article about the new study for a journal, but he did not work on the study. Bioengineers bring together ideas from engineering and biology.
For those who don't want to wait to find out for sure whether cell phones are bad for the brain, there are ways to talk more safely. You can have short and sweet conversations, use a speakerphone or keep the phone away from your head.
1. Which of the following statement is true?
A. Scientists are sure that cell phones are bad for the brain.
B. In the experiment, the left side of the brain used more glucose.
C. Radiation from the phone probably causes the change in the brain.
D. Henry Lai wrote a lot of articles about this new study.
2. Why weren’t the participants allowed to have a conversation on the phone during the experiment?
A. Because the scientists want to be sure of the accuracy of the experiment.
B. Because they really looked strange and no one wanted to talk to others.
C. Because they were given PET scans and they lost the ability to talk.
D. Because that would be too noisy and bad for the experiment.
3.What is glucose?
A. A type of sugar that provides vitamin to brain cells.
B. Something that the right side of the brain used.
C. A type of sugar that gives energy to brain cells.
D. Something that makes a human excited.
4. According to the last two paragraphs, which is the safest way to use a cell phone?
A. Holding the cell phone close to your head.
B. Using a cell phone more than three hours a day.
C. Taking the most powerful cell phone.
D. Keeping the cell phone at a distance.
5. Where is this article probably taken from?
A. Literature magazine. B. Science News.
C. Story books. D. Art Journal.
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I hardly went to bed before midnight, and I would always get up late the next morning.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity (效率) was always higher. So I set out to become a habitual early riser. But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep. Eventually some sleep research showed that my strategy was wrong.
The most common wrong strategy is this: supposing you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools (流派) of thought on sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. However, I have found both are wrong if you care about productivity. If you sleep at fixed hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake.
My solution is to combine both methods. I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time. So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 a.m.), but I go to bed at different times every night.
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning are my ways. If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.
1. According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________.
A. people who stay up until the next morning
B. people who get up early in the morning
C. people who feel sleepy in the morning
D. people whose productivity is the lowest in the morning
2. Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?
A. Because he / she found that the productivity was higher.
B. Because he / she wanted to do morning exercise.
C. Because he / she wanted to test which school is better.
D. Because he / she wanted to have more sleep time.
3.The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. going to bed after midnight
B. asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits
C. getting up early occasionally
D. pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping
4. What’s the author’s sleep pattern?
A. Going to bed early and getting up early.
B. Going to bed late and getting up late.
C. Going to bed when sleepy and getting up at a fixed early time.
D. Going to bed early and getting up late.
5. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. main schools of thought on sleep patterns
B. how to have a good sleep
C. wrong strategies for getting up early
D. how to become an early riser
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Books were published in 1894 and 1895. Lost in the jungles of India as a child and adopted into a family of wolves, Mowgli is brought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from the kill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies in the jungles improve this child’s strength and cleverness and stir every reader’s imagination.
Price: $ 7.79
ISBN-13: 978-1613820742
Average Customer Review: ★★★★
A Stolen Life
The first work of its kind—Jaycee Dugard’s personal life story, her own story of being kidnapped in 1991. When Jaycee was eleven years old, she was kidnapped from a school bus stop. She was missing for more than eighteen years, and gave birth to two daughters during her imprisonment.
Price: $ 19.79
ISBN-13: 978-1442344983
Average Customer Review: ★★★★★
While We’re Far Apart
Five-time Christy Award winner Lynn Austin is called as “one of the style’s best historical fiction novelists”. Set in Brooklyn, New York, during World War I, while a motherless girl longs for her daddy and a young lady hopes for a second chance at love, this tale explores the uncertainty that stays in people in Europe.
Price: $ 6.00
ISBN-10: 0764204971
Average Customer Review: ★★★★
The Fashion Police
The Fashion Police was runner-up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010 and nominated (提名) Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010 by The Romance Reviews. It is a strange comedy-mystery, combining murder with romance and chick-lit.
For starters, Amber accidently shoots Chief Inspector Janice Skipper and gets thrown off the police force. The only one who knows the truth about the incident is Amber, but no one will believe her. After accepting a job as an insurance investigator from her ex-fiancé, Brad Beckett, it turns out that Brad thinks they’ve still got unfinished business and the job description includes sexual favors that come with a price.
Price: $ 12.73
ISBN-13: 978-1451555653
Average Customer Review: ★★★
1. If the book concerning a person who had children in prison appeals to you, you can choose the book .
A. A Stolen Life B. The Jungle Book
C. The Fashion Police D. While We’re Far Apart
2.The ISBN of the book that gains least popularity among the research is .
A. ISBN–13: 978–1613820742
B. ISBN–13: 978–1442344983
C. ISBN–10: 0764204971
D. ISBN–13: 978–1451555653
3..If you want to buy one book about human’s living with animals and two about historical fiction, you have to pay .
A. 19.79 dollars B. 20.52 dollars
C. 27.58 dollars D. 18.73 dollars
4. What makes the book The Fashion Police distinguish itself from others?
A. It wins the award Christy Award five times
B. It is a great book on violence and family education
C. It is named Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010
D. It has many elements borrowed from stories of true policemen.
5. In which part of a newspaper would the information of the books be most likely to appear?
A. Science B. Opinion
C. Lifestyle D. Advertisement
Male fans love to play football. Football is also a bonding experience for fathers and sons. When male football fans are younger, they probably spend hours1._______ watching football games with their fathers. Male football fans also probably spend a lot of time playing football 2._______ their friends.
Female fans do love the game, too, 3.________ most started watching football because a cute player caught their eyes. This is 4.________ I started watching football. I was5.________ interested in football until I saw the movie Goal. While watching the movie, I spotted Kuno Becker and I quickly became interested in 6.________ game. Other female fans probably became interested after watching a game with a boyfriend 7. ________ their husband. Whatever the reason why people start watching football 8._______, it’s very addictive and hard to stop once you start.
