We’ve heard for years that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But, it actually might be even more important than previously thought, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which examined the effects of skipping meals and meal frequency as related to mortality (死亡率) and heart health.
The study, which was published in August of last year, sought to find out if eating behaviors like meal frequency, meal skipping, and time between meals were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
The study consisted of 24,011 adults 40 years or older who participated from 1999 to 2014. Researchers looked at various eating behaviors of participants who self-reported their eating habits every 24 hours. Causes of death were tracked via death records through December 31, 2015.
After examining participants throughout the years, researchers found that certain eating behaviors were in fact linked to higher rates of premature death. Eating only one meal per day was associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality while skipping breakfast was linked to an increased risk of CVD mortality, and skipping lunch or dinner was linked to an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Lastly, the study found that having meals too closely together (less than four and half hours apart) was also linked to all-cause premature death.
So, what does this mean for the average person? “At the end of the day what matters is that an individual can meet their nutritional needs for optimal (最佳) health,” explains Keri Gans, author of The Small Change Diet, “and breakfast typically is a good vehicle for nutrients associated with a decrease in cardiovascular risk, such as fiber and vitamins”. “If by eliminating meals they are missing out on important nutrients their body needs, then long term that can be harmful to their health,” leads to a “higher risk for certain cancers and heart disease,” she says.
While this study was large and comprehensive in many ways, there are also many limitations. It was mostly based on a 24-hour, self-reported dietary recall, “which may not always be the best method for dietary assessment,” explains Gans. “The participants may not accurately recall what they ate or honestly report it leading to the potential of misinformation.” Researchers noted that it was impossible to consider the role of sleep in the relationship between food and mortality, as well as a host of other unmeasured factors.
The bottom line is that while these findings about the relationships between meal skipping and mortality are important, there are a lot more factors that go into premature death.
1．What are mainly discussed in Paragraphs 3 and 4?| A．Research process and findings | B．The cause and findings |
| C．Research subjects and purpose | D．The topic and significance |
| A．Reducing. | B．Overeating. | C．Skipping. | D．Consuming. |
| A．Its limitations are fully taken into account in the study. |
| B．Consuming adequate nutrients is the key to maintain overall health. |
| C．The risk of all-cause premature death is unrelated to skipping dinner. |
| D．Researchers learned about eating behaviors by observing the participants. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Skeptical. | D．Disapproving. |
Milo is a rescue dog adopted by 20-year-old Makayla Swift. One morning in November 2021, Swift opened her front door in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Milo
Milo ran to the house across the street. He seemed unsatisfied with this house, so he ran to the one next door, Swift on his
Swift was
It was a voice yelling “Help!”
Hours earlier, around 4 a.m., Sherry Starr, 85, had risen from her bed. All of a sudden, standing there between the toilet and the tub, she slipped and fell heavily on the floor. She was
For the next few hours, Starr practiced yelling: “Help! Help! Hellllp!”
Her voice was very
Swift called the emergency number 911. When the ambulance workers arrived, they thought they’d have to remove the toilet to
Swift has known her own share of distress. Two years ago, her mother died. She says that Milo has helped her with her grief. “That dog is a blessing,” she says.
1．| A．moved down | B．took off | C．reached out | D．pulled up |
| A．tail | B．head | C．body | D．feet |
| A．disappointed | B．confused | C．embarrassed | D．astonished |
| A．give | B．sweep | C．knock | D．drag |
| A．sunk | B．stuck | C．lifted | D．settled |
| A．surprised | B．bored | C．puzzled | D．scared |
| A．weak | B．sharp | C．rough | D．loud |
| A．apparently | B．hardly | C．slightly | D．temporarily |
| A．trap | B．drop | C．free | D．lay |
| A．avoided | B．failed | C．declined | D．continued |
Do you ever wonder why the bakers can’t help but smile as they cook tasty treats in your home’s kitchen? From pre-heating the oven, mixing the dry and wet ingredients, and up until the satisfying “ding” is heard, the baker can feel the atmosphere lighten up and the mood lifted.
Baking can be a form of treatment and empowerment. At first glance, grasping how baking makes you calm down and acts as a source of joy can seem a bit far-fetched. But bakers can see and feel more while they’re baking. Its process is both a science and art. As they bake, they become more focused and hopeful that the effort they’ve poured paid off. This is the reason for their smiles. The beauty and satisfaction of baking can be further revealed when it is done.
Much like any hobby or a creative outlet, baking allows people to express their emotions and creativity. In every part of the world, cooking for someone is considered as a thoughtful gesture–whether you’re welcoming someone in a home, showing a kind gesture, or expressing your gratitude. The desire to share your food with others is an excellent way to build a connection, showing selflessness and love.
It even becomes more heartfelt if you’re serving the whole family. Nothing beats the happiness of seeing your loved ones enjoy the baked treats you’ve worked hard to prepare.
1．According to the passage, how does the baker feel when the baking is done?The Beijing Vanke-Shijinglong Ski Resortis located
A Nation of Animal Lovers
The British are traditionally a nation of animal lovers. This is clear from the large number of animal programmes on TV. There are programmes about wildlife in Britain and other countries, and about pets at home. There are programmes like Animal Hospital about sick animals and the working lives of animal doctors. Some programmes try to find new homes for unwanted or homeless animals. All these programmes are very popular. There is a pet in more than half of the homes in the UK(52.3%). The most popular pets are cats.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London is a very famous home for unwanted dogs and cats. It was started in 1860 by Mrs. Mary Tealby, because she was worried about all the homeless animals on the streets of London. Since it opened, the home has taken in more than 3 million dogs and cats. In 2006, over 11,000 dogs and cats came to the home. By the end of the year, homes were found for 5,000 of them. The home even has its own magazine, Paws.
| It Can Only Happen in Britain! The Echo January 13 The rat at platform one has just made your train late! An officer was called to Stirling station today because passengers were worried about a large white rat on the line. Three trains passed over it, but the rat was unhurt. The Scottish railway company, Scotrail, closed the line. Then passengers watched as the officer carefully caught the rat. It bit him, but he took it away safely. An officer from Scotrail said, “We try to protect all wild animals and pets. At first the rat was very frightened, but now he’s fine.” “We’ve called him Ronnie. He needs a good home. People think rats are dirty. But they make great pets!” |
Digital technology -email and smart phones especially - have vastly improved workers’ ability to be productive outside of a traditional office. Even so, most white-collar work still happens in an office. One reason is that, according to findings of a new survey of office workers conducted by Wakefield Research for the IT company Citrix, most bosses are doubtful about remote working. Half of the workers say their boss doesn’t accept it and only 35 percent say it’s tolerated.
Skeptical bosses will likely have their doubts reinforced by the same survey, which shows that 43 percent of workers say they’ve watched TV or a movie while “working” remotely, while 35 percent have done housework, and 28 percent have cooked dinner.
It is true, however, that working at home makes people much more efficient(高效的), because it allows workers to take care of annoying housework while still getting their jobs done. It’s much faster, for example, to shop for groceries at a quarter to three than to stand in line during the after-work rush.
The fact that such practices remain officially unaccepted reflects how far we haven’t come as a society from the days when we expected every full-time worker to be supported by a full-time homemaker.
More broadly the Wakefield survey suggests that employers may be missing a low-cost way to give workers something of value. Sixty-four percent of those survey participants who haven’t worked remotely would rather give up some bonus in order to get even one day a week working from home. Under such circumstances, smart firms need to find ways to let their employees have enough flexibility to manage their time efficiently.
1．Why do some employers hesitate to allow remote working?| A．They fear losing control of their workers. |
| B．They want to stick to their routine practice. |
| C．They have little trust in modem technology. |
| D．They are used to face-to-face communication. |
| A．take care of the annoying children |
| B．watch TV or a film while working |
| C．save a lot of time to get their job done |
| D．enjoy the long wait in the after-work rush |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Reserved | D．Disapproving |
| A．Shorten their office hours. | B．Adopt flexible work patterns. |
| C．Give employees a pay raise. | D．Reduce their staff’s workload. |
The Right and Left Brain
It is common today to identify, in some way, with one side of the brain. You may think, for example, that you are more “right brain” than “left”. When we make such statements, we are referring to the fact that the two halves of the human brain deal with information from the senses, and hence the world, in different ways. In general, the left hemisphere(半球)is responsible for our processing of language and logic and the right deals with aspects of thought like emotions and spatial(空间的)relationships. The hemispheres also control our movements, though the left hemisphere controls the right side of our bodies, and vice versa.
The fact that the two hemispheres of the brain work in different ways on different tasks is a relatively new discovery. That discovery was made by a psychobiologist(精神生物学家)named Roger Sperry and it won him a Nobel Prize in 1981. Sperry uncovered the inner workings of normal brains by studying the brain function of people who had a certain kind of brain damage. In most brains, the nerves, which serves as a “bridge” of sorts between the two hemispheres; allowing them to communicate with each other. The people Sperry studied had had their corpus callosa cut, and because of this, their left and right brains couldn’t exchange information.
In a famous experiment, Sperry showed one such subject two pictures. The subject saw a picture of a knife with his right eye(controlled by the left brain)and a picture of a spoon with his left(controlled by the right). When asked to name what he saw, the subject said knife, because it is the left brain that deals with language and the naming of things. However, when asked to reach over with his left hand to a nearby table on which was placed both a knife and a spoon, and choose, without looking, the object he saw, the subject chose the spoon. This is because his left eye (controlled by the right brain)saw the spoon and his left hand(also controlled by the right brain)chose this rather than the knife. The subject himself was not at all conscious of the fact that he was seeing and choosing two different objects.
Until recently, it was thought that there was a strict division of labour. Today, however, we are aware that, for example, while the left brain is responsible for most of the language functions, the right brain plays a role in some language functions like following a story and interpreting humour. Tasks such as face recognition require both halves in different ways. Unfamiliar faces are interpreted and processed by the right hemisphere while familiar faces are processed and recognized by the left. Similarly, non-musicians will interpret a melody with their right brain, but musicians will process music with their left.
1．The right hemisphere of the human brain is responsible for ______.| A．language | B．emotions |
| C．sense of touch | D．the right side of the body |
| A．the connection between vision and touch |
| B．people with damaged brains |
| C．people with normal brains |
| D．the corpus callosum |
| A．only found in abnormal human brains |
| B．found between the two hemispheres |
| C．part of the left hemisphere. |
| D．where memory is stored |
| A．one half of the brain processes language and the other processes touch |
| B．people are not conscious of the left and right halves of their brain |
| C．the two hemispheres of the brain function in different ways |
| D．people see differently with each eye |
| A．thought the spoon was a knife |
| B．was not aware that he was seeing two images |
| C．was unable to process visual information accurately |
| D．could not tell the difference between a spoon and a knife. |
| A．the left side of the brain processes music more efficiently |
| B．the left side of the brain deals with familiar material |
| C．listening to music requires both halves of the brain |
| D．musicians are born with more developed left brains |
Moderator(主持人)
Today marks the last day of the Social Media Detox, Brenton High’s fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over 100 students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging - nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were excited. They were nervous. But could they do it?
With the detox finished, they’ve switched on their devices and they’re back online. I bet you’re as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, have been learnt from the experience?
Anna 17
I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I’m now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies.
Devon 16
I lasted four days. On Monday, our classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend — it felt strange not to already know what he had done. We would have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were doing and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I had forgotten.
Cindy 18
I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then, instead of messaging my friend, I went around to her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours. Without being distracted by messages from other people, it felt so good! Then I decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered – was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to?
George 16
I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn’t find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my father to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone; so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour’s sport each day left me tired out and sent me early to bed. The detox made me healthier!
Max 17
I’m embarrassed to say that I threw in the towel on the first day! I knew there was a party happening that evening, but I without access to social media I couldn’t remember where it was! In the end, I turn on my phone to check, but couldn’t resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What’s worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party.
Moderator(主持人)
The detox raised a total of $1,632.82 for. new school sports equipment! Well done, everyone who took part! After, reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something rather than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better.
1．What was Devon’s reflection on the Social Media Detox?| A．He realised the value of real contact. |
| B．He felt healthier because of the detox. |
| C．He found it more difficult to tolerate than expected. |
| D．He thought too much of his time had been occupied by the phone. |
| A．Critical. | B．Irresponsible. | C．Positive. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．Max. | B．George. | C．Devon. | D．Anna. |
| A．Strengthening family relationships. |
| B．Raising money for new sports equipment. |
| C．Sharpening students’ communication skills. |
| D．Reducing students’ reliance on social media. |
| A．Phones. | B．Picking up hobbies. |
| C．Sports equipment. | D．Putting up posts. |
| A．trying; to have | B．trying; having | C．to try; having | D．to try; to have |
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