High levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, suggests a study published online in the British Medical Journal. The findings confirm results of existing studies that generally agree on a potential beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health. However, the authors stress that further studies are needed to test whether chocolate actually causes this reduction or if it can be explained by some other unmeasured factor.
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, nearly 23 6 million people will die from heart disease. However, lifestyle and dict are key factors in preventing heart disease, says the paper, A number of recent studies have shown that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity.
However, the evidence about how eating chocolate affects your heart still remains unclear. So, Dr Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge carried out a large scale review of the existing evidence to evaluate the effects of eating chocolate on cardiovascular(心血管)events like heart attack and stroke.
They analyzed the results of seven studies, involving over 100,000 participants with and without existing heart disease, For each study, they compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption.
Five studies reported a beneficial link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. They found that the “highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with lowest levels.” No significant reduction was found in relation to heart failure.
The authors say the findings need to be interpreted with caution, in particular because commercially available chocolate is very calorific (around 500 calories for every 100 grams)and eating too much of it could lead to weight gain, risk of diabetes and heart disease.
However, they conclude that given the health benefits of dating chocolate, initiatives to reduce the current fat and sugar content in most chocolate products should be explored.
1.Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A. There used to be studies about the beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health.
B. Millions of people will die from heart disease according to the WHO
C. There are still other factors that may reduce the risk of heart disease.
D. There is clear evidence about how eating chocolate affects your heart.
2.What are the possible causes of heart disease ?
A. Eating chocolate
B. Unhealthy diet
C. Exercising regularly
D. Drinking coffee.
3.What’s the authors’ attitude towards the findings?
A. cautious
B. doubtful
C. disapproving
D. negative
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. We should eat less chocolate.
B. Chocolate benefits our health.
C. We should consider the fat and sugar problem.
D. Eating chocolate will lead to fat gain naturally.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation is a non-profit group that works to improve the environment by building relationships between people and nature. It teaches people ways to protect the environment. At the end of the year, it designs events to help children celebrate Christmas without increasing the amount of waste they create.
Hanna Seligmann works for the foundation. VOA joined Seligmann recently during one of her talks. “So let’s figure out what is in our bag of trash.” She shows adults and children how to reduce waste during the holiday gift-giving season. “You can sort it as a cardboard item of you can sort it as a plastic item,” Seligmann works with volunteers. “We encourage using things that arc already in your house like newspaper, old magazines, using a gift within a gift. You can wrap something in a reusable napkin, wrap something in a scarf, or a shawl(围巾)or even a reusable to tote bag (大手提袋)。”
Lori Arguelles is the executive director for environmental education at the Alice Ferguson Foundation. “Over time we realized that really just doing trash, cleanups was the symptom of the problem, not getting to the root cause. And 50 it was just a little over a decade ago that we started the initiative itself.”
One activity is called the Trash Timeline Game. It teaches children that the things they throw away do not decompose at the same rate. For example paper dissolves in about four weeks. An apple core takes two months. A metal can takes up to 100 years. A plastic bag will not decompose for 450 years Glass takes 1,000 years And, they say, Styrofoam (泡沫聚苯乙烯) never dissolves.
Young people taking part in the program learn that reducing waste is important not just during the holidays, but every day of the year.
1.Why is the Alice Ferguson Foundation created?
A. To help children celebrate Christmas.
B. To reduce the amount of waste.
C. To make the environment better,
D. To bu id relationships between people and mature
2.What suggestion docs Seligmann give on wrapping gifts?
A. It is better to use cardboard items to wrap gifts.
B. It is better to wrap gifts in some things capable of being used again.
C. It is better not to wrap gifts in plastic items.
D. It is better not to wrap gifts at all.
3.What can we infer from Lori Arguelles’s words?
A. Doing trash cleanups means a lot to protecting the environment.
B. We still need to make great efforts on the way to protecting the environment.
C. Over a decade our efforts to protect the environment proved fruitless.
D. Over time we found the root cause of protecting the environment
4.What’s the meaning of “decompose”?
A. break down
B. break out
C. store up
D. store away
Bangkok Transportation Public buses
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority(BMTA)is charged with providing bus service to people living and working in Bangkok and the nearby provinces. As of February, 2005, the BMTA operated a total of l13 routes, served by 3. 526 buses, of which 1,665 were regular buses and 1,861 air-conditioned buses. There were also privately-owned buses operated under the BMTA with a total of 3,535 regular and air-conditioned buses and 1,067 minibuses including 2,325 small buses which provide services in lanes. An average of 3.4millionpcople use these services daily.
Types of Buses and Fares
Type | Bus color | Fare | Service Time |
Regular bus | Cream-Red | 7 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
Regular bus | White-Blue | 8 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
Expressway bus | Cream-Red | 9 baht | 05:00-23:00 |
All-sight service bus | Cream-Red | 8.50baht | 23:00-05:00 |
Air conditioned bus | Cream-Blue | 11 13 15 17 19 baht(depending on the distance) | 05:00-23:00 |
Fare Exemptions
The following passengers are eligible for free regular bus services.
1. BMTA bus inspectors
2. Mailmen in uniform while on duty3. Holders of BMTA employee ID cards
Half-Price Concessions
The following passengers are eligible for half-price fares when using the service of regular buses,
1. The blind with a certificate from the Association of the Blind
2. Soldiers and policemen in uniform
3. Holders of official certificates or medals as specified by the Regulation on Bus Fare
Fare Concessions for Air-conditioned Buses
Holders of the following official certificates and medals are eligible for air-conditioned bus fare reductions.
1. Victory Medal(Off-spring of this medal are also entitled)
2. Border Service Medal
3. Free-Mall Protection Medal
4. European Royal War Medal
5. Non-active War Veterans Classes 1 2 3and 4
6. BTMA Employee ID cards
Search for bus route here
@ Bangkok Tourism Division
1.Which of the following is true of the Bangkok Transportation?
A. Buses in Bangkok are of the same size.
B. At least 3.4 million people take a bus every day,
C. Buses operated under the BMTA are owned by individuals.
D. BM TA provides city buses and inter-provincial bus service.
2.Jonny sees a cream-blue bus coming. It must be .
A. a regular bus
B. a night-service bus
C. an air-conditioned bus
D. all expressway bus
3.Who needn’t pay fares on a regular bus?
A A grandson of a Victory Medal holder.
B. A postman, together with his family.
C. A blind person with a medical certificate.
D. A BMTA inspector with his employee card.
4.How much should a soldier in uniform pay when he takes a white-blue bus?
A. 5.50 baht.
B. 4 baht.
C. 7 baht.
D. 8 baht.
假定你是李华，你所在的城市近期将举办丝绸之路国际艺术节（Silk Road International Arts Festival）你想邀请你的英国朋友Jacob一起参加艺术节期间举行的一些活动。请给他写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 举办艺术节的目的；
2. 举办时间；
3. 活动内容。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jacob,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的一下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Yesterday we went to Happiness Nursing House to help the old people. We set out earlier in the morning and brought them lots of gift. When we arrived, we were warmly welcome by them. First we introduced myself. Then we were making dumplings together with the old, talking and laugh. After lunch, we performed and sang songs with them happy. Finally all the old people say goodbye to us at the gate. We were very happy because of we did a good deed. I think this necessary for us teenagers to learn what to respect and take care of others, especially, the old.
What is reading?
Reading is actually a very complex process that requires a great deal of active 1. (participate) on the part of the reader. It is an active thinking process involving the interaction between the reader and the print. That is to say, the reader’s schema (former or previous knowledge) about the topic to 2. (read) and his language knowledge (vocabulary and grammar) directly affect his understanding of the reading material and 3. turn, the new information about the topic 4. (contain) in the reading material will enlarge the reader’s former schema.
Reading is a very important 5. (mean) of gaining knowledge about culture, custom, science education and technology from others or other countries. It is a good way of learning the most advanced hi-technology 6. (serve) the needs of the social development and the interests of our people through reading. Reading is 7. inseparable component of the English learning. We should lay solid foundations for our advanced education, and we can master the language by reading 8. (large). However, it is a very complex activity 9. involves almost all psychological processes 10. (include) sensation, perception, motor behavior, motivation, attention, emotion, cognition and all kinds of memory.
