Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow, but the finding might also offer hope.
If friends help make obesity acceptable, then might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, The researchers used information collected from 12,000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.
The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.
The researchers examined more than 40,000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.
Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.
The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same-sex friendships, a person had a 70% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in brothers. In sisters, it was 67%. Between husbands and wives, it was a little less than 40%.
The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.
Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.
1.What does the underlined sentence in Para2.mean?
A. Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.
B. Friends might also play a part in losing weight.
C. One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.
D. Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.
2.Who is mostly likely to gain weight?
A. A man who has a fat brother.
B. A husband who has a fat wife.
C. A wife who has a fat husband.
D. A woman who a fat female friend.
3.Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?
A. You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.
B. If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.
C. A person’s health is closely linked with his /her social relationship.
D. Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.
4.The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that _____.
A. researchers fail to find a more different sample
B. researchers have different ideas for family members and friends
C. researchers can meet these people regularly
D. researchers can compare the results
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow, but the finding might also offer hope.
If friends help make obesity acceptable, then might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, The researchers used information collected from 12,000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.
The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.
The researchers examined more than 40,000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.
Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.
The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same-sex friendships, a person had a 70% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in brothers. In sisters, it was 67%. Between husbands and wives, it was a little less than 40%.
The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.
Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.
1.What does the underlined sentence in Para2.mean?
A. Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.
B. Friends might also play a part in losing weight.
C. One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.
D. Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.
2.Who is mostly likely to gain weight?
A. A man who has a fat brother.
B. A husband who has a fat wife.
C. A wife who has a fat husband.
D. A woman who a fat female friend.
3.Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?
A. You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.
B. If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.
C. A person’s health is closely linked with his /her social relationship.
D. Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.
4.The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that _____.
A. researchers fail to find a more different sample
B. researchers have different ideas for family members and friends
C. researchers can meet these people regularly
D. researchers can compare the results
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races (种族) and rates (率) of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2.000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics (遗传学) might help explain the racial and ethnic(种族的) differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted (针对) medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
1.Researchers agree that it is________that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.
A.the larger amount of smoking than white people
B.the living style or habit of the blacks
C.the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs
D.the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke
2.People in the new study are made up of________.
A.heavy smokers in America B.smokers and non-smokers
C.the Asians and Hawaiians D.the black and white people
3.The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to________.
A.explain different races react to some diseases differently
B.tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers
C.show a big step people have taken in the medicine area
D.support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the author?
A.The way of smoking may increase the risk of lung cancer.
B.Race has nothing to do with the risk of having a lung cancer.
C.The research was started by the New England Journal of Medicine.
D.he risk of lung cancer lies I how much a person smokes.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine."
1.Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?
A.Whites—Native Hawaiians
B.Africans—Americans—Latinos
C.Asians—Native Hawaiians
D.Africans—Americans—Native Hawaiians
2.Researchers agree that it is _____ that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.
A.the larger amount of smoking than white people
B.the living style or habit of the blacks
C.the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs
D.the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke
3.People in the new study are made up of _____.
A.heavy smokers in America B.the black and white people
C.the Asians and Hawaiians D.smokers and non-smokers
4.The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to _____.
A.explain different races react to some diseases differently
B.tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers
C.show a big step people have taken in the medicine area
D.support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Dogs can be worried and pessimistic just like people, researchers report in a new study in Current Biology. And they aren’t talking about basset hounds (短脚猎狗): those dogs just look as if they expect the worst.
What the scientists say is that dogs that exhibit anxiety when left home alone by their owners may have bigger problems — they may be in a permanent bad mood.
This pessimistic outlook may not otherwise be easily apparent in a dog’s other characteristics, like running speed or learning ability, the study reports.
Dogs are similar to humans in the role that emotional state plays in decision making, said Michael Mendel, a veterinary scientist at the University of Bristol and the study’s lead author. The study’s researchers looked at 24 dogs in shelters in Britain.
They placed the dogs in isolated settings and observed their reactions — many barked, jumped on furniture and scratched at the door.
Then they placed bowls in two rooms. One bowl contained food, while another was empty. After training the dogs to understand that bowls can sometimes be empty, and sometimes full, they began to place bowls in ambiguous locations.
Dogs that quickly raced to the locations were more optimistic, and in search of food. Those that did not were deemed pessimistic.
The more separation anxiety a dog expressed while in isolation, the more likely the dog was to have a pessimistic reaction, the researchers found.
The study carries an important message for dog owners, Dr. Mendel said.
Dogs that express serious anxiety when alone may need treatment, as it could be a sign of unhappiness and instability.
1.This passage can be classified as _________.
A.an advertisement | B.a feature story |
C.a news report | D.a book review |
2. In the study, many dogs barked, jumped and scratched because __________.
A.they couldn’t find the bowl with food in it |
B.they were left alone |
C.they needed to be treated |
D.they wanted to be active and optimistic |
3.According to Dr. Mendel, which statement is true?
A.Like humans, dogs are good at decision making. |
B.Dog owners should train dogs to find food. |
C.Emotional state works sometimes when humans make decision. |
D.Dogs can always find the bowl with food quickly. |
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Dogs will be optimistic as long as they are left alone. |
B.Dogs must be in a permanent bad mood when their owners left. |
C.Dogs that express anxiety don’t need treatment. |
D.Dogs may easily show their pessimistic outlook in learning ability. |
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
You must have a favorite line or pet phrase you repeat often in your conversations. Studies say that pet phrases can reflect our changing society and reveal information about a person’s personality. Here are some of the most popular pet phrases among young people.
脑残---nuts
I love the word and use it whenever I think a person is stupid, or a behavior is crazy. I learned the term from one of my classmates. Once, we saw two high school girls wearing miniskirts on a very cold winter day and my classmate called the two girls “nuts”. I don’t think the word reflects my personality. I use it because it sounds cool.
Diao Yujie, 22, computer science major at Nanjing University.
汗---stunning
I use this word very often. Once, my classmates and I were discussing how amusing QQ is. One guy suddenly burst out, “I have MSN too”. This comment had no relation with the topic we were discussing. I used this word and everybody laughed. I think it is a fantastic word that can change awkwardness to amusement.
Mu Li, 20, journalism major at Beijing Normal University.
晕死---I’m giddy!
I use this word a lot---more often than my classmates. It has became a symbol of me, as my friends sometimes refer to me as the guy who often says the word. I am a person who wants to be different and this word gives me that feeling.
Chen Zhou, 21, Nanjing University.
雷---stunning
I only use this word with my friends. My parents don’t understand it. The word, which is only used among people of my age, is intimate. I think it stands for being young and energetic. And I want to be young forever, so I like the word.
Chen Jianjun, 23, senior at Nanjing University.
1.If a man wearing suit and a tie is climbing a mountain, what can we say to him according to the passage?
A. nuts B. I’m giddy. C. 汗---stunning D. 雷---stunning
2.What’s the meaning of “pet phrase” in the first paragraph?
A. 习惯用语 B. 宠物语言 C. 口头禅 D. 座右铭
3. What’s young people’s attitude to pet phrase?
A. indifferent B. crazy C. reasonable D. against
4.Pet phrase can ________ according to studies.
A. reflect our changing society
B. reveal information about a person’s personality
C. make young people popular
D. both A and B
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Researchers have studied how birth order affects kid’s personalities in the past, but one study out of the United Kingdom has found that firstborns may have an educational advantage over their younger siblings (兄弟姐妹).
Researchers at the University of Essex’s Institute for Social and Economic Research surveyed 3,553 individuals and 1,503 groups of siblings, and discovered that firstborn children tended to have higher educational aspirations and attainment. Only children and firstborn twins were not included in the study.
For each family involved in the study, researcher Feifei Bu examined sibling birth order, the number of children in the family, age spacing, sex, health, relationships with one another and educational aspirations. She found that firstborns had a greater probability—16 percent higher—of attending further education, compared with later-born sibling.
“The advantage of firstborns in educational outcomes may be partially explained by the fact that firstborns tend to have higher aspirations which push them toward high education levels,” Bu wrote in the published study.
She further explained to The Guardian that parenting could play a role. “It could be that the parents simply devote more time and energy to them; it could be that they are actually more intelligent. For me, I tend to lean towards the theory that the amount of time, energy and involvement that parents put into caring for their children is possibly at work here,” she said.
She also found age spacing to be a contributing factor. The further apart in age the siblings—for example, a six year instead of one year difference—the more likely both kids were to be successful. The idea is that with widely spaced siblings, parents have the ability to spread out their resources. In other words, they have time to give each child more time and money.
But younger siblings shouldn’t worry. The world is full of successful middle and youngest children willing to prove this study wrong.
1.Who are more likely to complete higher levels of education according to Paragraphs 1 and 2?
A.Only children. B.Firstborn twins.
C.Younger siblings. D.Firstborn siblings.
2.What is possibly important for kids’ educational achievement according to Bu?
A.Parental investment. B.Parents’ intelligence.
C.Kids native intelligence. D.Kids’ school environment.
3.What is the influence of wider age spacing between two siblings?
A.It may cause conflicts between them.
B.It may place more pressure on parents.
C.Both of them are more likely to succeed.
D.They are likely to be different from each other.
4.How is the text mainly developed?
A.By listing examples. B.By giving descriptions.
C.By setting down general rules. D.By presenting research findings.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Recently, researchers in the US have carried out a study on laughing, one of the most natural characteristics of human behavior.
Jo-Anne Bachorowsky, a psychology professor at Vandebilt University,36 a team of researchers who 37 a total of 11 short videos to 97 young adult volunteers in the US. They found that the participants produced a 38of sounds when they laughed,39grunts(呼噜声) and snorts(哼声).
The researchers found that some of the 40 were dependent 41gender(性别). Men laughed with grunts and snorts more often than women, 42women’s 43 was more song-like.
They also found that people’s laughter could change, 44who they were with at the time. Whether they were with a man or a woman and 45person was a friend or a 46 both played a part in laughter.
The researchers found that women’s laughter was very high with a 47 pitch(音高) when they were with male strangers. And women taking 48 in the study laughed more often when they were with a male friend than when they were with a(n) 49 friend or a male stranger. But men laughed more freely with friends of either sex than with strangers of either sex.
Scientists believe that the 50consumed in laughing 100 times is 51 to 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Another52 of laughter is53 it improves our mental health. Laughter reduces our levels of stress. It also helps us 54 serious illness.
55,we think laughter can make us feel good.
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高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers have found clear and convincing evidence ________ happiness is
the key to better health and longer lives.
A. where B. whether C. how D. that
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We didn’t have a tree. My dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one. When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could, it was stupid to mess up your house with a dead tree.
About three days before Christmas, I was out collecting for my paper route. It was fairly late, snowing and very cold. I went to the apartment building to try to catch a customer who hadn’t paid me for nearly two months. she owed me seven dollars. Much to my surprise, she was home. She invited me in and not only did she pay me, she also gave me a dollar tip.
On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree shop and the idea hit me. The selection wasn’t very good because it was so close to the holiday, but there was this one real nice tree. It had been a very expensive tree and no one had bought it; now it was so close to Christmas that the man was afraid no one would.
He wanted ten dollars for it, but when I told him what I had, he said he might sell it for that. I really didn’t want to spend the whole money on the tree, but it was so pretty that I finally agreed. I dragged it all the way home and I tried hard not to damage it. I arrived at home at last. My heart was bursting as I announced that I had a surprise.
“Where did you get that tree?” my mother exclaimed. But it wasn’t the kind of exclamation that indicates pleasure. After she knew the truth, she said that I was going to end up in the poorhouse(救济院) because I believe in stupid things like Christmas trees. My mother had never talked to me like that before and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
1.Why did the writer’s mother refuse a tree?
A. Because she couldn’t afford a dead Christmas tree.
B. Because she thought it was unreasonable to have a tree.
C. Because she was much so proud that she felt better.
D. Because she thought she wasn’t very proud of herself.
2.How did the writer feel when he got home?
A. Upset and calm. B. Anxious and happy.
C. Proud and excited. D. Sorry and confused.
3.What made the shop owner sell the tree?
A. His pity on the writer’s situation B. His desire of offering help
C. His worry of keeping the tree. D. His kindness of helping others
4.What the writer’s mother said in the last paragraph means ______.
A. she was pleased B. she was angry
C. she was doubtful D. she was embarrassed
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The picture offer the best evidence to date that a planet once _____ dead is actually a lively pot of geological change.
A.assuming B.assumed C.resuming D.resumed
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析