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New data presented this week at the annual Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) suggest that a student's preferred sleeping schedule has a lot to do with his or her grade-point average in school. In one study, researchers at the University of Pittsburg revealed that poor sleep habits among high schoolers led to lower grades, particularly in math.
It's no surprise that poor sleep habits may negatively impact academic performance. And dozens of studies have linked an increase in nightly sleep to better cognition and alertness. The new research, however, goes a step further, quantifying the impact of erratic or inadequate sleep on grades. These findings are more convincing than saying that if you get more sleep, you'll feel better," says Jennifer Cousins, a lead researcher of the study.
The study involved data from 56 adolescents (34 female) between the ages of 14 and 18 years. They were asked to fill out sleep diaries for one week and wear a special activity monitor on their wrists, which recorded when the students were asleep or awake. Overall, teens with poor sleep habits received lower grades than students who stuck with a more regular sleep routine.
Interestingly, Cousins also found that different sleep habits had different effects on the students' school performance：those who woke up more often during the night did worse in math, for example, while those who slept peacefully through the night tended to get better grades in English.
These findings bring up new questions about teasing out（探讨）the details of what is important about sleep that impacts learning," says Cousins. "Does more sleep improve our ability to deal with abstract concepts found in math, or does sleep quality increase creativity? We don't know the answers, and don't want to draw those conclusions yet. But this helps us understand more about how sleep helps the things we do in daily life. "
Authors of the study point out that the results provide overwhelming evidence of the importance of sleep during a period of development that is critical for adolescents and recommend sleep education as a prevention tool to help increase awareness of the importance of sleep and of the negative consequences of poor sleep.
1.The underlined word "erratic" in the second paragraph probably means______.
A.adequate B.different
C.stable D.irregular
2.We can learn from Jennifer Cousins' research that_____.
A.lower grades in math are related to more awakenings at night
B.the longer you sleep, the better your grades in English will be
C.the findings will cause new insoluble problems about sleeping and learning
D.different sleep habits have similar effects on students' learning
3.Which of the following do you think Jennifer Cousins will NOT agree with?
A.People should understand the importance of sleep for students.
B.Whether greater sleep quality help increase students' creativity is not known yet.
C.Students' grades mainly depend on their sleep quality.
D.The study helps researchers understand how sleep affects learning.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The More Sleep, the Better Cognition
B.The Poorer Sleep Habits, the Lower Grades
C.The More Sleep, the Better You Will Feel
D.The More Peacefully You Sleep, the Higher Grades You Will Get
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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When Brody, a 4-year-old Connecticut boy, was asked what wish he wanted to come true, his only dream was that he could be able to play outside.
Brody was born premature (早产) at 27 weeks, which caused him to overheat and burn easily. That means he can't spend any time outside and he'll get burn blisters (水疱) on his face even when he is driven to the hospital. Besides, there are a lot of things he can't do. He has trouble walking and only began talking one year ago. Brody can't eat or drink and has to wear a backpack 24/7 that contains a pump that feeds him. “I can't even count the number of surgeries he's had since he was born,” Brody's mother said. “He's spent probably half his life at the hospital.”
When Make-A-Wish Connecticut, an organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, heard about Brody's request to play outside, they immediately jumped into action. “It's the most simple, most sweet wish, just to play outside but it seems to be the most difficult to realize.” said Debbie Artinian, the manager of Make-A-Wish Connecticut.
Artinian and her team determined that a temperature-controlled tent outside Brody's home where he could play and not be in the sun would be the best option. But they had to find a tent that could stand weather conditions like wind and snow and had the right material to block all UV rays. Luckily, Artinian found a company based in the United Kingdom that could design and make the tent. Make-A-Wish Connecticut learnt that Brody loves the beach, even though he is not able to go into water because of his backpack. So they filled the tent with water toys and a kids’ pool filled with balls to make Brody feel as much as possible like he's out at the beach.
Brody got his first look at the tent earlier this summer. “When he walked out of the door and I saw his face, it was just everything,” said Artinian. “Now when Brody says ‘Can I go out and play?’, his mom can say, “Yes.” “Brody is now enjoying spending nearly all his time "outside” in the tent.
It's hard to make life completely normal for Brody, but Artinian and her team tried to make it as normal as they could.
1.What can we learn about Brody?
A.He can't be exposed to sunlight.
B.He can't stand on his feet.
C.He can't be given surgeries any more.
D.He can't communicate with others.
2.Make-A-Wish Connecticut thought Brody's dream was __________
A.inspiring and heart-warming
B.simple but incredible
C.difficult and unachievable
D.challenging but worthwhile
3.Why does the author mention the beach in Paragraph 4?
A.To show that Brody is a boy who loves nature.
B.To prove that the design company was responsible.
C.To suggest that Artinian and her team were considerate.
D.To emphasize that the skill in building the tent was the latest.
4.What does the story mainly tell us?
A.One good turn deserves another.
B.A helping hand makes a difference.
C.All things are difficult before they are easy.
D.Tough life experience may result in success.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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If you have never been on a cruise （乘船游览）, it can seem like its own world—with its own rules and secret language. So here we are going to lay out the very basics of going on a cruise.
Do I need a passport to go on a cruise?
You may need a passport, but you should take one anyway. Besides the fact that you are going to need an ID card to board the ship in the first place, a lot of ports require one.
How much luggage can I take on board?
For the most part, cruise ships aren’t like planes—there isn’t a strictly regulated amount of luggage you can take with you, and you are not going to be charged for bringing too much. Keep in mind that cabin storage space can be tight. Everything, including your empty luggage, is going to have to fit inside and you don’t want to be tripping over it for your whole vacation.
Things like guns and knives are banned, but regulations vary from ship to ship about things like irons （generally a no） and hair dryers （generally a yes）. Some ships allow you to bring a bottle of wine, but nearly all ban bringing your own hard alcohol.
What’s the process for boarding a cruise ship?
Boarding a cruise ship is like boarding a plane—there are regulations or when to arrive, how to check-in, and what security you have to go through. Most cruise lines have transportation available from the airport; otherwise they normally own a paid parking lot where you can leave your car.
1.What will you have to show when you board a ship in the first place?
A.A credit card. B.A post card.
C.An ID card. D.Luggage.
2.What can you take when you are on a cruise?
A.As much alcohol as you can. B.More luggage than on a plane.
C.Less luggage than on a plane. D.As many guns and knives as you can.
3.Where does the text probably come from?
A.A storybook. B.A guidebook.
C.A book review. D.A science report.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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For all the technological wonders of modem medicine, health care-with its fax machines and clipboards(写字板)—is out of date. This outdated era is slowly drawing to a close as the industry catches up with the artificial-intelligence ( AI) revolution.
Eric Topol, an expert in heart disease and enthusiast for digital medicine, thinks AI will be particularly useful for such tasks as examining images, observing heart traces for abnormalities or turning doctors' words into patient records. It will be able to use masses of data to work out the best treatments, and improve workflows in hospitals. In short, AI is set to save time, lives and money.
The fear some people have is that AI will be used to deepen the assembly-line culture of modem medicine. If it gives a “ gift of time” to doctors, they argue that this bonus should be used to extend consultations, rather than simply speeding through them more efficiently.
That is a fine idea, but as health swallows an ever-bigger share of national wealth, greater efficiency is exactly what is needed, at least so far as governments and insurers are concerned. Otherwise, rich societies may fail to cope with the needs of ageing and growing populations. An extra five minutes spent chatting with a patient is costly as well as valuable. The AI revolution will also enable managerial accountants to adjust and evaluate every aspect of treatment. The autonomy of the doctor will surely be weakened, especially, perhaps, in public-health systems which are duty-bound to cut unnecessary costs.
The Hippocratic Oath(誓言) holds that there is an art to medicine as well as a science, and that “warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug”. There's lots of sense in it: the patients of sympathetic physicians have been shown to recover better. Yet as the supply of human carers fails to satisfy the demand for health care, the future may involve consultations on smartphones and measurements monitored by chatbots. The considerately warmed stethoscope ( 听诊器) ,placed gently on a patient's back, may become a relic of the past.
1.What's Dr Topol's attitude toward AI's coming into medicine?
A.Concerned. B.Doubtful. C.Optimistic. D.Cautious.
2.What does the author of the text attach more importance to?
A.Medical costs. B.National wealth.
C.Longer consultation. D.Greater efficiency.
3.Why is the Hippocratic Oath mentioned?
A.To prove the bright future of AI.
B.To show the advantage of a human doctor.
C.To explain medical equipment is more important.
D.To argue a human doctor performs as well as a robot.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Health care and AI B.AI and its applications
C.Doctors and Patients D.Dr Topol and digital medicine
难度: 中等查看答案及解析