Scientists fear rising energy bills may lead ...

Scientists fear rising energy bills may lead to an increase in obesity （肥胖） after discovering a link between poorly-heated homes and higher body -fat．

Researchers from the University of Stirling’s Behavioural Science Centre set out to explore claims that warm indoor temperatures have contributed to rising obesity levels in winter．Instead, the team found that people who live in well-heated homes are more likely to have low body mass index （体重指数） levels while those who keep their heating turned down or off tend to be heavier．

Dr Michael Daly, behavioral scientist and senior lecturer, said: "We set out to investigate the scientific claims that cooler indoor temperatures help us maintain a healthy weight by pushing our bodies to use up more energy. In fact, the research suggests people may eat less and burn more energy when in a warmer indoor environment．

The 13-year study, published in the journal Obesity, involved more than 100,000 adults across England．

Researchers found reduced weight levels among people living in homes heated to above 23°C（73F）, which involved about 15,000 of the households studied．

Dr Daly said: "As national gas bills continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation, this research suggests the obesity could worsen where heating is turned down below comfortable levels or off for long periods to cut costs．"

This is not just about people who live in well-heated homes being in the financial position to afford more expensive low-calorie foods, exercise classes and sporting activities, and therefore finding it easier to maintain a low BMI level．The study took age, sex, social class and other factors into account．

"The comfortable temperature of 20°C -23°C is where we feel comfortable in our clothes and are neither hot nor cold．At temperatures above this, we use more energy and we eat less because our appetite is affected．"

1.The findings of the research can be described as 　　　　　　 ．

A. horrible B. surprising

C. funny D. encouraging

2.According to the passage, with rising gas bills, people may turn down or off their heating to______.

A. stay in shape B. maintain a low BMI level

C. save money D. avoid eating more

3.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Obesity links to poorly-heated homes

B. Well-heated home's contribute to obesity

C. Obesity--- A weighty problem in England

D. Rising energy bills help maintain a healthy weight

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There is no doubt that the increase in demand _____ the rise in prices.

A. leads to     B. refers to        C. applies to     D. adapts to

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The increasing use of foreign words may lead to _________ the good qualities of traditional Chinese.

A. people forgetting    B. people to forget

C. forgetting people   D. people forget

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An energy watchdog is alarmed about the threat to the environment from the increasing electricity needs of gadgets（小装置）like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs.

In a report today, the Paris-based International Energy Agency says new electronic gadgets will be three times their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours（千瓦时）, which is equal to today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.

The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030,when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the agency said.

“Consumer electronics is the fastest growing area and the area with the least amount of policies in place to control energy efficiency, ” said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst at the agency.

Electronic gadgets already account for about 15 percent of household electric consumption, a share that is rising rapidly as the number of these gadgets multiplies. Last year, the world spent $80 billion on electricity to power all these household electronics, the energy agency said.

“ Most of the increase in consumer electronics will be in developing countries, where economic growth is the fastest and ownership rates of gadgets are the lowest , ”Waide said.

“This will jeopardize efforts to increase energy security and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.” the agency said. Existing technologies could cut down gadgets’energy consumption by more than 30 percent at no cost or by more than 50 percent at a small cost, the agency estimates, meaning total greenhouse gas emissions（排放） from households’electronic gadgets could be held stable（稳定的） at around 500 million tons of CO2 per year.

1. How many terawatt hours did the energy consumption of new electronic gadgets reach?

A. Nearly l, 700.　　 B. Nearly 600.

C. About 200.　　　　　 D. About 60.

2. What is the condition in the area of consumer electronics?

A. There are a lot of rules to control the market.

B. There are few policies to control energy efficiency.

C. There are few choices for the customers.

D. There are lots of regulations to protect consumers' rights.

3. The underlined word “jeopardize” in the last paragraph probably means “________　 ”.

A. harm　　　　　　 B. inspire

C. strengthen　　 D. encourage

4. We can know from the last paragraph that existing technologies ___________.

A. are able to control gadgets’energy consumption

B. could do nothing about gadgets’ energy consumption

C. could only cut down gadgets’ energy consumption by 30 percent

D. cut down gadgets’energy consumption at great cost

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The factory has _____ workers due to the drop in sales, which will lead to an increase in unemployment.

A. paid off                   B. laid off           C. set off                      D. put off

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

An increase in the price of drugs has _____ the rising cost of medical care.

A. contributed to    B. brought up       C. burst into             D. resulted from

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

An increase in the price of drugs has _____ the rising cost of medical care.

A. contributed to    B. brought up

C. burst into        D. resulted from

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Wind power is an ancient source of energy ________we may return in the near future.

A. on which         B. to which          C. by which          D. from which

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You may complain that there are too many tests on the way to college entrance, but an increasing number of students want to take one more. That is the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, an American test for students who intend to apply for college admission.

Chen Huanlu, aged 18, from Shandong Province took part in the SAT subject tests (SAT 2) in Hong Kong on June 2. She has also been scheduled to take the SAT reasoning test (SAT 1) in October.

“I hope to study environmental engineering at an American university, where I may have more opportunities to get cutting-edge (前沿的) knowledge in this area,” said Chen.

However, not all SAT test takers want to apply to American universities.

“I wanted to see how I would do when faced with plenty of stress and also to evaluate (测评) my scholastic level by an American standard. The SATs made my school life more diverse,” said Senior 2 student Zhou Yuxiang from Sichuan Province.

Zhou, aged 17, a top student in his school, was inspired by some of his friends. They have taken this test and been admitted to American universities, including Harvard and Yale. Last winter vacation he took a 20-day SAT course at Chengdu New Oriental School.

“As I prepared for the test in the following months, I was forced to balance my everyday schedule better. Fortunately I was optimistic enough to have undergone the most difficult time,” he said.

In May and June, Zhou flew alone to Hong Kong to sit for the SAT1 and SAT2.

“They are both the standards which have been set for us to reach. What we should do more sensibly is to try harder to prepare for them. Survival of the fittest (适者生存) is true both in America and in China. That is something I have learnt beyond the SAT itself,” he said.

1. The SAT is a test designed mainly for _________.

A. Chinese students who want to go to college in America

B. American students who intend to apply for college admission in China

C. students who plan to apply for American universities

D. students who want to learn about the survival of the fittest

2. What can we learn about Chen Huanlu according to this passage?

A. She doesn’t like the college entrance examination in China.

B. She has taken part in both SAT 1 and SAT 2 in June.

C. She is interested in environmental issues.

D. She wants to get cutting-edge knowledge from SATs.

3. By taking Zhou Yuxiang for example, the author wants to tell us that ________.

A. all the students who take SATs intend to apply to American universities

B. some SAT takers simply regard the SAT as a challenge

C. he just takes the test for fun

D. SAT 1 and SAT 2 have something in common

4. What do Chen Huanlu and Zhou Yuxiang have in common?

A. They both took part in the SAT subject tests in Hong Kong.　

B. They are both students of Senior 2.　　

C. Both of them attended a SAT course at New Oriental School.

D. Both of them came from the top schools.

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No matter how  ______，scientists are eager to know more about it by exploring.

A. an ocean may be deep B. deep may an ocean be

C. deep an ocean may be D. may an ocean be deep

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