Dyeing eggs has long been an Easter tradition, but it’s the dyeing of baby chicks that is upsetting in some states.
The dye, which is often ordinary food coloring, is either injected into eggs being hatched or sprayed onto newly hatched chicks. Although hatchery owners say the practice is harmless, critics argue that spraying the birds with color is stressful and that dyeing the animals transforms them into something attractive that can be thrown away when their colorful feathers disappear.
“These are living creature and dyeing them sends out a message saying that they are more of a new and unusual object than a living animal,” said Dr. Marc Copper, senior scientific manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Dyed chicks --- and sometimes rabbits --- have been a traditional part of the Easter holiday in some parts of the world, but the practice has gone largely underground in the U.S. because many people view it as cruel.
Today, about half of U.S. states ban the dyeing of animals, but last month the Florida Legislature passed a bill to remove the state’s 45-year-old ban. The drive to end the law wasn’t related to Easter chicks; it was done at the request of a dog groomer(美容师) who wanted to enter pet beauty contests.
Florida governor Rick Scott must agree to remove the ban, which would be lifted July 1, but the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida(ARFF) has asked him not to remove the ban. In addition to allowing animals dyeing, the law would also lift a ban on selling baby animals as pets, and the organization fears that next year the state could see hundreds of dyed baby chicks on the market.
As long as the dye is not poisonous, experts say the birds’ health isn’t affected, and there are scientific reasons to dye animals. Wildlife researchers often inject eggs with dye to track birds in the wild, and teachers have dyed chicks for educational purposes. However, animal advocates are quick to point out that dyeing baby chicks for Easter isn’t educational --- it’s done simply to earn profits.
1.What can we infer from Cooper’s words?
A. He finds it dangerous to dye eggs.
B. He likes dyed birds’ colorful feathers.
C. He is in support of the hatchery owners.
D. He is among the critics of dyeing animals.
2.What do we learn about dyed baby chicks in the U.S.?
A. They are mainly sold in secret.
B. They are as common as dyed eggs.
C. They are welcomed by most Americans.
D. They are getting more popular in the world.
3.What was the purpose of the bill?
A. To protect Easter chicks.
B. To ban pet beauty contests.
C. To make animals dyeing legal.
D. To prevent the sale of baby animals.
4.What is the ARFF’s attitude toward the bill?
A. Tolerance.
B. Opposition.
C. Doubt.
D. Caution.
There is virtue in working standing up. It sounds like a fashion. But it does have a basis in science.
That, by itself, may not be surprising. Health ministries ask people for decades to do more exercise. What is surprising is that long periods of inactivity are bad regardless of how much time you also spend on officially approved high-impact stuff like pounding treadmills(跑步机) in the gym. What you need instead, the latest research suggests, is constant low-level activity. This can be so low-level that you might not think of it as activity at all. Even just standing up counts, for it invokes muscles that sitting does not.
Researchers in this field trace the history of the idea that standing up is good for you back to 1953, when a study published in The Lancet found that bus conductors, who spent their days standing, had a risk of heart attack half that of bus drivers, who spent their shifts on their backsides. But as the health benefits of exercise and vigorous(强度大的) physical activity began to become clear in the 1970s, says David Dunstan, a researcher at the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, interest in low-intensity activity --- like walking and standing --- became weaker.
Over the past few years, however, interest has been excited again. A series of studies, none big enough to provide convincing evidence, but all pointing in the same direction, persuaded Emma Wilmot of the University of Leicester, in Britain, to carry out a meta-analysis. This is a technique that combines diverse studies in a statistically meaningful way. Dr Wilmot combined 18 of them, covering almost 800,000 people and concluded that those individuals who are the least active in their normal daily lives are twice as likely to develop diabetes(糖尿病) as those who are the most active. She also found that the immobile are twice as likely to die from a heart attack and two-and-a-half times as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease as the most mobile. Crucially, all this seemed to be independent of the amount of vigorous, gym-style exercise that volunteers did.
1.The surprising thing mentioned in Paragraph 2 is that ______.
A. Low-level activities are better than high-level ones.
B. Long periods of inactivity are bad to people’s health
C. The benefits of high-impact exercise are not highly approved by people
D. Strong physical activities cannot make up for the bad effects of inactivity.
2.Why did people lose interest in low-intensity activity in the 1970s?
A. Researchers didn’t devote much to studying their health benefits.
B. The health benefits of high-impact exercise were widely recognized.
C. It was believed to be unable to invoke all the muscles of the body.
D. It was proved not so effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks.
3.The findings made by Dr Wilmot ______.
A. disagreed with her assumption
B. consisted with the results of the 1953 study
C. changed her original research objectives
D. confirmed David Dunstan’s research results
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. The history of the theory.
B. The benefits of standing up.
C. Low-level activity and health.
D. A series of epidemiological studies.
Summer Camps
Make your summer magical with a one-of-a-kind summer camp experience!
Half-day, week-long camps are held from 9 am-12 pm or 1 pm-4pm.
Daily snacks will be provided and even become part of the hands-on fun!
Session 1---Ocean Commotion（暴动）
Set sail for fun and adventure on the deep blue sea!Campers explore uncharted land at The Magic House and discover something fishy as they come into the exciting world of sea creatures.
June 6-10
June 13-17
June 20-24
Session 2---Super kids Explore Earth
Campers become superheroes to the earth as they learn about the environment and discover how to use their super powers to protect it! During this action-packed week, campers will explore the earth from the sky to the sea and participate in fun, earth-friendly activities such as turning trash into treasure.
June 27-July 1
July 11-15
July 18-22
Session 3---Once Upon A Time
At this unique fairy tale-themed camp, campers have a magical, make-believe adventure through the pages of some of their favorite storybooks. Campers experience gaint-sized fun as they use their imaginations to travel to places found only in fairy tales.
July 25-29
August 1-5
August 8-12(am sessions only)
All campers must be registered in advance.
1.What does the underlined word “one-of-a-kind” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Long B. Unique
C. Official D. Moving
2.What is the main purpose of Session 2?
A. To encourage reading.
B. To inspire imagination.
C. To develop the spirit of adventure.
D. To raise environmental awareness.
3.What do campers probably do during Session 3?
A. Read fairy stories.
B. Travel the country.
C. Search for treasure.
D. Learn about animals.
很多家长热衷于让孩子参加短期的海外游学活动．你班正准备就这一话题召开一次主题班会，请你依据下表用英语准备一篇发言稿，要点如下：
优点 | 1．拓宽视野 2．体验不同文化 3．提高口语水平 |
缺点 | 1．费用高 2．安全得不到保证 3．时间太短，效果不明显 |
你的建议 | （不少于两点） |
注意：
1．对所给提示，不要简单翻译，可适当增加细节，使行文连贯．
2．词数150左右．开头已给出，不计入总词数．
Overseas study tours are becoming more and more popular with Chinese parents．
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单词拼写-单句
1.A saying goes that one minuted performance on s______needs ten years' hard work．
2.Your computer is still under g______． You can have it repaired for free．
3.It is hoped that the relationship between the two countries can be s______ by the President's visit．
4.Of all the teams p______ in the competition， I think the Oxford team is the best one．
5.Before entering college， you need to receive education in primary， j______ and senior school．
6.These desks and seats can be______（调节）to the height of each child．
7.In order to stop poverty， the World Bank will provide______（技术的）assistance to developing countries．
8.You will have the chance to join one of these large assemblies and take part in the dancing， listen to traditional______ （叙述）of bravery， and play games．
9.The heating system in the hotel has an______（自动的）temperature control．
10.We must work harder to live up to our parents'______ （期望）．
A book on etiquette （礼节） explained the proper behavior Americans should follow in many different social situations． But in modern society， it is not enough to simply know the proper rules for behavior in your own country． International travel for work and pleasure is becoming increasingly popular， which makes it necessary for people to understand the rules of etiquette in other cultures as well．
Take， for example， the etiquette required in giving and receiving gifts． Cultural differences may appear even in such simple processes． In Western cultures， a gift can be handed over to the receiver with relatively little ceremony． When a gift is offered，the receiver typically takes the gift while expressing his or her thanks． However， in some Asian cultures，the act of giving is an important aspect of gift-giving，and this process may appear confusing or frustrating to Westerners． In Chinese culture， a receiver will typically refuse to accept the gift at first， with the understanding between the giver and receiver that after being turned down several times， the gift will finally be accepted． In addition， to show respect for the receiver， it is customary in several Asian cultures to use two hands when offering a gift to another person．
After receiving a gift， tradition may demand that the person open the gift right away or， alternatively， wait before opening the gift． In many Western cultures， etiquette requires the receiver to open the gift immediately and show appreciation for the thoughtfulness of the giver． In Asian cultures， on the other hand， the gift may be accepted with appreciation and then set aside to be opened later． The gift will then be opened in private in order not to show their greed or impatience．
Another tip for cross-cultural gift-giving relates to wrapping presents， especially in choosing the color of paper used to wrap a gift． In Japan， for example， white or very bright colors are traditionally not good choices for wrapping a gift． In Japanese culture， white is the color associated with mourning and bright colors may be considered by some people to be vulgar （庸俗的）．Plain white and black are also to be avoided when wrapping presents in China， because of the relation of these colors to funerals （葬礼）． Joyful colors such as red， yellow， and pink are preferred in Chinese culture． In contrast， Europeans seem to prefer softer colors for wrapping presents． A good rule of thumb for wrapping gifts， especially for business travelers， is to travel with unwrapped gifts， and then wrap the gift with paper bought in the country where the gift will be given．
Finally， when choosing the appropriate gift to give， a good rule to bear in minds is the following： "Never give vodka to Russians， chocolate to Belgians， or beer to Germans．" It is better to travel with quality gifts from one's own region or culture． These increase the chances of being appreciated in other cultures because of their unique nature．
Culturally Appropriate Gift-Giving
Brief Introduction | We need to have a good command of proper 1.and domestic gift-giving rules because of the increasing 2.of international travel． | |
Western cultures | Asian cultures | |
How to receive a gift | •Receivers take the gift， saying "thanks" to givers． | • Great importance are 3.to the act of gift- giving． •4.the refusals， receivers finally accept the Gift， which is common in China． •Giving gifts with two hands is a way to show respect for the receiver． |
When to open a gift | •Traditionally， receivers open the gift without 5.． •Givers are appreciated for their consideration． | •Receivers tend to set aside the gifts and 6.them privately later to avoid appearing 7.or impatient． |
How to wrap a gift | •Softer colours are accepted by people in European countries． | •Because of negative cultural meaning， white and bright colors are not good choices of the Japanese． •Chinese people 8.joyful colours to white and black． |
A good rule of 9.a gift to give | Quality gifts from one's own region or culture are more 10.to be appreciated in other cultures because of their unique nature． |
