Your Use of Technology May Be Causing You Pain
Have you ever bent your head down to look at a screen until your neck muscles hurt?1. Tech neck occurs when the use of phones, computers and other technology causes neck pain. It's a common problem, and it's on the rise.
2.They can also move your head around and even stretch it forward for a short amount of time. But bending your head forward for long periods of time can strain your muscles. That can make them sore.
But it's probably not realistic to expect people to give up their phones to avoid tech neck.3. You can do things to avoid tech neck even while keeping your smartphone.
First you can hold your phone up so you don't have to bend down to look at it. But this can be tiring for your arms. So keep your head upright, and look only with your eyes. Try to sit up straight as well.
Also, take breaks.4. If you've been sitting, stand up and walk around. Moving your body will help relax your muscles.
If you continue experiencing tech neck, you can do exercises to strengthen your neck muscles. Tech neck is a common result of using today's technology, but it doesn't have to be.5.
A.In the past people spent most of their time looking up.
B.And giving up technology altogether isn't necessary.
C.If so, you've experienced tech neck.
D.Once in a while, look up from your screen, and roll your shoulders back.
E.They often hold them at waist or chest level.
F.Your neck muscles are designed to hold your head upright.
G.If you're aware of the problem, you can take measures to avoid it.
Can you really lose your job for posting an opinion on Twitter, or even for clicking "like" on someone else's message?Pascal, an employment lawyer in the Netherlands, assumes that about one in ten laying-off is connected to behavior on social media.
Controversial opinions were once expressed in bars after work, and went no further. Today Twitter and other social media broadcast employees' thoughts, making it easy for anyone offended to put together a revenge(报复)against the poster and their employer.
Though it's not necessarily in companies' interests to allow the free expression of opinion, it's clearly in society's interest. Free speech is the foundation of democracy(民主). In laying down clear rules, we should remember that offending and harassing(骚扰)are different. It's not reasonable for companies to try to prevent their employees from expressing displeasure at something, no matter how strongly others disagree-at least if that's not relevant to the job they do. But an employee who repeatedly makes unfavorable comments at work has crossed the line into harassment, and this should be grounds for dismissal.
There's also a difference between what people do at work and what they do outside. Speech is like a dress code. Companies can demand that their employees look the part at work. After people go home, though, they should express their opinions freely, just as they're free to change into jeans and T-shirt. A woman fired in 2004 by a housing firm for displaying a sticker backing John Kerry on her car was poorly treated. The situation is more complicated when it comes to public figures such as sports stars, who in effect sell their image as well as their labor.
Firms will try to preserve their freedom, but laws against unfair dismissal that protect speech will help them stand up to complaints from angry people. Geographical and technological spaces are increasingly separated, which makes it important that people tolerate different views at work, especially outside it.
1.What can we infer from Pascal's assumption?
A.Different opinions are tolerated on social media posts
B.Posting an opinion on social media is strictly forbidden.
C.Many employees are fired because of their social media posts.
D.Contradictory opinions can easily invite revenge from others.
2.How does the author view the woman fired in 2004?
A.She did something not proper at work.
B.She made unfavorable comments at work.
C.She shouldn't have used a sticker on her car.
D.She was treated unfairly by her company.
3.Which of the following does the underlined word "this" refer to?
A.Going beyond speech restriction.
B.The freedom of speech after work.
C.Making unfavorable remarks repeatedly at work.
D.Disagreeing with people in the workplace.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Speech after Work Shouldn't Cause Unemployment
B.Dress Code Is Different from Expressing Opinions
C.We Should Avoid Offending People in Any Situation
D.Our Speech Should Be Properly Relevant to Our Work
With the Covid-19 virus sweeping the globe, the science on quitting smoking offers welcome news for smokers who want to build up their defenses in case they contract the virus. Though it may still take many months for a smoker's lungs to heal from damage caused by long-term smoking, your health can noticeably improve in the days and weeks after quitting in ways that could make a difference against the virus. Covid-19 creates an added sense of urgency, and there's enough reason to believe that quitting smoking during the pandemic(流行病)could increases your opportunities of fighting off the virus.
If you make the decision to quit, the cilia(纤毛)in your lungs are one of the first parts of your body to heal. These hair-like projections wave back and forth like a brush as air moves in and out of your lungs. They help your body fight off colds and infection. They also help clear mucus(黏液), so if they're not functioning as well as they should, mucus can build up in the lungs. Your body's tendency to cough during an infection helps inspire the bodily process of clearing out mucus. That's vital in fighting the Covid-19 condition. The elderly are at a greater risk for too much lung fluid that often limits breathing following coronavirus infection because they don't have a strong enough cough to clear it up.
A second short-term gain from quitting smoking comes from reducing ongoing inflammation(炎症)in your body, which can make you infect Covid-19 more easily. Having your lungs in as good of shape as you can in case of a corona virus infection is key.
Besides lung-related issues, quitting smoking can also deliver healthy benefits to the heart that could help prevent possible heart attacks, which are another cause of death in Covid-19 cases. After you quit smoking, your blood becomes thinner and less possible to setting. Heart attacks are less likely. One reason this happens is because smoking makes it harder for the heart to distribute blood throughout the body.
1.What is the use of the lung cilia?
A.Cleaning up the lungs. B.Killing the Covid-19 virus.
C.Predicting lung infections. D.Reducing breathing difficulty.
2.Why are the old at higher risk to the corona virus?
A.They cannot go out during the pandemic. B.There is too much mucus in their lungs.
C.Most of them are heavy smokers for years. D.They are lacking in the care of their children.
3.What good does quitting smoking do to heart?
A.Strengthen the heart muscle. B.Turn blood to be much thicker.
C.Make the blood flow smoother. D.Speed the heartbeat up apparently.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Quitting smoking can help defend the Covid-19.
B.Ways to make a difference against corona viruses.
C.The Covid-19 virus is threatening humans worldwide.
D.Protecting the smokers' lungs to heal from damage.
The care center told us Dad's case was hopeless. Mom took him home and his spirits lifted under her care. Several months later, we decided to fly out and give my mother a break from nursing him.
On the last day of our trip, after finishing his walking treatment, I suggested that he "exercise" his fingers by playing his piano, but the fingers that had once flown over the keys with ease could barely strike one note. Paralysis(瘫痪)had taken away the number-one joy in Dad's life.
Helping him from his wheelchair to the piano bench, I placed his hands on the keys and the list on the piano. Seeing his stiff fingers devastated me and Dad. I lay back in my chair, closed my eyes and expected the worst. I couldn't believe my ears when The War We Were rang out, flowing with feeling and no mistakes. He continued playing down his list.
Quickly wiping my eyes, I felt grateful for what had taken place. I never thought I'd hear my dad's beautiful music again. Dad couldn't grasp what had happened during that hour and seemed confused. Instead of getting back in his wheelchair, he asked me to turn him around on the bench so that we could talk.
Starting with his earliest childhood memories, Dad shared his life story, telling tales I'd never heard before. It was a magical time for us, and we took turns wiping our eyes. When he became silent, I knew this moment had ended.
For the next hour, I found myself reliving priceless memories. Happy tears flowed as my father played every song I'd ever heard growing up, including favorites that we had danced to as children. Apparently, the wonderful stories he'd just shared had sparked his memory.
1.Why did the author decide to go on a holiday?
A.To ease his father's feeling of hopelessness.
B.To accompany his father for the last family trip
C.To give his mother a rest from attending his father.
D.To help the doctor treat his father for his paralysis
2.What does the underlined word "devastated" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.Delighted. B.Interested
C.Worsened. D.Discouraged.
3.What made the author's father puzzled?
A.He still remembered his childhood dreams. B.He could play his familiar music on the piano.
C.He was left alone at home with the author. D.He could stand up without the author's help.
4.What did the author do after his father got silent?
A.Reflect on his old memories. B.Choose his father's favorite music.
C.Dance to the music his father played. D.Take his turn to take care of his father.
A Seasonal Guide to Copenhagen
With each season offering a new range of experiences, there's never a bad time to visit Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
Winter
Winter in Copenhagen is a great time to search for the abstract Danish feeling of "hygge", which roughly translates to an atmosphere of warm and comfortable companionship. The Copenhagen winter can be freezing in a very literal(字面)sense, but that just means it's time to search out some fun in the great indoors.
Spring
It's easy to spot when spring has arrived in Copenhagen—just look out for all the Danish people out in the streets!The Scandinavian winter is generally pretty rough, so when that warmth is felt in the air the locals can't help but celebrate. The funfairs(游乐场)and parks of Tivoli Gardens reopen. May sees temperatures rise enough for carnivals and street parties in true Danish style.
Summer
A busy schedule of festivals, events and markets typify the season, and the parks and watersides of Denmark's capital will be packed with people almost every day. At the height of summer, Denmark's Midnight Sun means your explorations of Copenhagen can go well into the evening, with many attractions and bars staying open until the sun begins to set.
Fall
There's one very good reason to visit Copenhagen in the autumn, and that's because winter is coming. The autumn months are the last chance to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Tivoli Gardens throws a three-week Halloween extravaganza and October's Night of Culture showcases the best of Danish art, music and literature. The autumn weather also means splendid sunsets that bathe the city in a soft orange glow—a painting by nature that you won't soon forget!
1.Which of the following best explains the feeling of "hygge"?
A.People read good books and enjoy staying alone.
B.Children laugh and play together with snow.
C.Many friends walk on the snow-covered path
D.The families chat happily around the fire
2.What can we infer about Copenhagen's summer?
A.Nights are very short. B.It has nice weather.
C.Shops are open all night. D.The visitors are friendly.
3.Which season of Copenhagen is the best for literary and art youth?
A.Winter B.Spring.
C.Summer D.Autumn
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。
I have a friend who is afraid of spiders. This isn’t very unusual;a lot of people are afraid of spiders. I don’t really like spiders much myself. But my friend isn’t afraid of spiders in any normal way. She isn’t just afraid of spiders,she is totally,completely and utterly terrified of them. When she sees a spider,she shivers all over and sometimes she freezes completely—she can’t move at all because she is so scared. Sometimes she even faints.
She decided to do something about her terror,so she went to visit a doctor. After knowing my friend’s situation,the doctor got out a small spider from his desk. It wasn’t a real spider. It was made of plastic. Even so,my friend screamed when she saw it. “Don’t worry,”said the doctor. “It’s not a real spider. ”“I know,”said my friend. “But I’m afraid of it just the same. ”
“Hmm,”said the doctor. “A serioos case. . . ”He put the plastic spider on the desk. When my friend stopped screaming,the doctor told her to touch it. When she stopped screaming again—the idea of touching the plastic spider was enough to make her scream—she touched it. At first she touched it for just one second. She shivered all over,but at least she managed to touch it. “OK,”said the psychiatrist. “that’s all for today and you can go home now. ”
My friend went back the next day,and found the plastic spider was already on the doctor’s desk. This time she touched it and held it for five minutes. Then the doctor told her to go home and come back the next day. The next day she went back and the plastic spider was on her chair. She had to move the spider so she could sit down. The next day she held the spider in her hand while she sat in her chair. The next day,the doctor gave her the plastic spider and told her to take it home with her. After a deep breath,she agreed.
Paragraph1
The next day,she went back with the plastic spider and then she had a shock. . . a big shock.
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Paragraph 2
“Guess what?”my friend said to me one day. “I’ve got a new pet!”
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