Children who spend more time outdoors may have a lower risk of becoming nearsighted, new research suggests.
In the study, researchers looked at about 1,900 schoolchildren. The scientists found that the kids who had been instructed to spend more time outdoors over three years were 23 percent less likely to develop nearsightedness during this time than those who had not been instructed to spend more time outdoors. Moreover, among the kids who did become nearsighted during the study, the degree to which their eyesight worsened was slightly smaller among those who spent more time outdoors.
The researchers selected six schools and required the children, whose average age was 7 at the start of the study, to attend one additional 60-minute class of outdoor activities during each school day for three years. The parents of these children were also encouraged to engage their children in outdoor activities after school, especially during weekends and holidays. The other half of the children, from another six schools, continued their usual activity patterns. After three years, 30.4 percent of the kids in the intervention(干预) group had become nearsighted, compared with 38.5 percent of the kids in the other group.
It is not clear exactly why spending more time outside would benefit children’s eyesight, the researchers said. However, some research has suggested that the higher levels of light intensity found outdoors may increase the release of the chemical dopamine(多巴胺) of the eye. In turn, dopamine is known to restrain the type of growth in the eye that is associated with nearsightedness.
Based on the new results, the researchers recommend that children spend more time outdoors because of the potential benefits to their eyesight. However, it’s important to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light, which can be damaging.
1.What did the children in the intervention group do during each school day?
A. Continue to do their usual activities.
B. Spend one hour in doing eye exercises.
C. Attend an extra class of outdoor activities.
D. Participate in outdoor activities with parents.
2.What can we learn about the chemical dopamine?
A. It can control people’s growth. B. It can lead to poor sight.
C. It means low levels of light intensity. D. It is good to eyesight.
3.What does the underlined word “restrain” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. recover. B. increase.
C. limit. D. convey.
4.What may be discussed in the following paragraph?
A. How to prevent kids becoming nearsighted.
B. How to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light.
C. How to encourage kids to join in outdoor activities.
D. How to design outdoor activities for kids to cure their nearsightedness.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Children who spend more time outdoors may have a lower risk of becoming nearsighted, new research suggests.
In the study, researchers looked at about 1,900 schoolchildren. The scientists found that the kids who had been instructed to spend more time outdoors over three years were 23 percent less likely to develop nearsightedness during this time than those who had not been instructed to spend more time outdoors. Moreover, among the kids who did become nearsighted during the study, the degree to which their eyesight worsened was slightly smaller among those who spent more time outdoors.
The researchers selected six schools and required the children, whose average age was 7 at the start of the study, to attend one additional 60-minute class of outdoor activities during each school day for three years. The parents of these children were also encouraged to engage their children in outdoor activities after school, especially during weekends and holidays. The other half of the children, from another six schools, continued their usual activity patterns. After three years, 30.4 percent of the kids in the intervention(干预) group had become nearsighted, compared with 38.5 percent of the kids in the other group.
It is not clear exactly why spending more time outside would benefit children’s eyesight, the researchers said. However, some research has suggested that the higher levels of light intensity found outdoors may increase the release of the chemical dopamine(多巴胺) of the eye. In turn, dopamine is known to restrain the type of growth in the eye that is associated with nearsightedness.
Based on the new results, the researchers recommend that children spend more time outdoors because of the potential benefits to their eyesight. However, it’s important to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light, which can be damaging.
1.What did the children in the intervention group do during each school day?
A. Continue to do their usual activities.
B. Spend one hour in doing eye exercises.
C. Attend an extra class of outdoor activities.
D. Participate in outdoor activities with parents.
2.What can we learn about the chemical dopamine?
A. It can control people’s growth. B. It can lead to poor sight.
C. It means low levels of light intensity. D. It is good to eyesight.
3.What does the underlined word “restrain” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. recover. B. increase.
C. limit. D. convey.
4.What may be discussed in the following paragraph?
A. How to prevent kids becoming nearsighted.
B. How to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light.
C. How to encourage kids to join in outdoor activities.
D. How to design outdoor activities for kids to cure their nearsightedness.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a high level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Jones said that while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being enthusiastic about it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.
1.According to George, reading aloud to children ______.
A. helps them correct mistakes
B. is helpful to their reading
C. is parents’ first duty to their children
D. can get children out of television’s attraction
2.The underlined word “distraction” (in Paragraph4) means something that can _____.
A. improve children’s reading skills
B. help children form the right habit of reading
C. make children interested in reading
D. stop children concentrating on reading
3.What is important according to the fourth paragraph?
A. Reading skills. B. Reading speed.
C. Reading materials. D. Reading environment.
4.The best title for the passage would be ______.
A. Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents
B. Parents Are Their Child’s First Teacher
C. How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader
D. How to Improve Children’s Reading Ability
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Children today spend less time outdoors than ever before and it may be harmful not only to their physical health, but also to their cognitive (认知的) development.
A year-long study, recently published in the Sciences, found that elementary school children who were exposed to more green space within or directly outside their school showed improved learning and memory. The findings reinforce (加强) that of a recent six-year study on 905 Massachusetts public elementary schools, which found that students in schools that had more “greenness” in their surroundings reported higher scores on standardized testing in English and math. “There is an expanding body of scientific evidence linking the human experience in the natural world to better physical and mental health and improved cognitive abilities,” journalist Richard Louv, co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, said in an email to The Huffington Post. “An increasing number of homeschoolers, nature preschools, independent primary and secondary schools, and forward-thinking public schools are incorporating (并入) nature experience into learning.”
The new study was conducted on more than 2,500 children in second, third and fourth grade at 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. Researchers found that the students who attended schools with more green space showed a 5 percent improvement in the short-term memory that’s critical for reasoning, learning and comprehension. But their inattentiveness decreased slightly.
Spending time outside could have a number of benefits for children beyond improved memory and attention. Another recent study found that adventurous outdoor play such as climbing, rough and tumble (翻筋斗) play, and exploring alone improves children’s physical health while also help them develop creativity and social skills greatly.
Some schools are starting to take notice, creating more space for children to enjoy being in nature, including community gardens, outdoor playgrounds and small parks.
1.What did the study lasting a year find?
A. The cognitive abilities of children today decreased.
B. The findings of another six-year study were incorrect.
C. Being exposed to nature was beneficial to the learning of pupils.
D. Students had higher scores on testing in English and math than before.
2.According to the passage, what can we know about Richard Louv?
A. He discourages students from getting close to nature to gain experience.
B. He is one of the founders of the Children & Nature Network.
C. He conducted the study on 905 Massachusetts public elementary schools.
D. He often contributes articles to The Huffington Post.
3.Spending time in green space may have little effect on children’s __________.
A. inattentiveness B. creativity
C. communication D. learning
4.In which column of a newspaper can you see this article?
A. Entertainment. B. Travel.
C. Parenting. D. Education.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
People who are slightly overweight or mildly obese(肥胖的) have a lower risk of early death than normal weight individuals(个人;个体), according to a new analysis of nearly 100 international studies.
The studies, most conducted within the past decade, included about three million adults from around the world. The result of these studies by researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics in Maryland, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that slightly overweight or obese people were six percent less likely to die from all causes compared to people of normal weight. But the researchers found that seriously obese individuals were still at a 30 percent greater risk of death compared to healthy-weight individuals.
Study lead author Katherine Flegal says she was not surprised that overweight people would not have a higher death risk. “Because we'd actually already read a lot of this literature and realized that death rates for overweight would be at least not higher than normal[weight," she said. “I guess l was a little bit surprised that it was definitely lower. And l was also surprised that the lower rates of obesity didn't seem to differ from normal weight."
But Flegal stresses the difference in death rates appear to be small between normal-weight people and overweight and mildly obese individuals.
The finding by Flegal and colleagues have raised new questions about the reliability(可靠性)of the so-called "body mass index" or BMI, a measurement of body fat as a ratio(比例,比率)of height to weight, that has become popular in recent years among public healthexperts to measure potential health risks.
But Heymsfield warns that individuals should not conclude that it's okay to put on extra kilograms, since being at a healthy weight lowers the risk for heart disease and diabetes.
1.Katherine Flegal feels surprised at the fact that____.
A. obese people have higher death rates
B. slightly obese people have lower death rates
C. obese people tend to die early
D. death rates have nothing to do with body weight
2.What do we learn from the fifth paragraph?
A. BMI may not be so reliable.
B. The study provides further evidence for BMI.
C. BMI tells nothing about potential health risks.
D. BMI has been much questioned recently.
3.What can we conclude from the passage'?
A. It's OK to put on extra weight.
B. It doesn't matter if you are slightly obese.
C. Obese people are much healthier.
D. Body weight has nothing to do with death rates.
4.What topic does the passage mainly deal with?
A. Technology. B. Dieting. C. Health. D. Death.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It’s undeniable that spending time outdoors and in nature lifts our spirits and makes us feel more centered and at peace. When we breathe in fresh air, and enjoy the beauty of trees, streams and oceans, we naturally tend to feel more connected to ourselves and others.
Over the past decade, scientists have been exploring why nature — and dirt specifically — is such a powerful tool in improving our mood. According to researchers, the secret may lie in the mi¬crobes (微生物)of the soil. One bacterium specifically----Mycobacterium Vaccae (M. Vaccae) —has been identified as having the power to affect our moods and cognitive function as well.
Experiments conducted at Sage Colleges in New York found that contact with M. Vaccae can increase serotonin levels in the brain — a chemical that is associated with higher levels of happi¬ness ,increased focus, and reduced anxiety. In order to explore how the bacteria can improve learn¬ing, researchers Dory Mathews and Susan Jenks experimented with mice in a maze. Mice that in¬gested the bacteria navigated the maze twice as fast as the control group and proved less anxious as well.
Humans can absorb M. Vaccae just by playing in the dirt. We take in it when we breathe, we consume it in organic vegetables, and it can also enter our bloodstream through skin contact, espe¬cially where we have open cuts. This may explain why children in school perform better after break.
Neuroscientist Christopher Lowry at the University of Bristol in England believes that he has i- dentified why this incredible bacterium works. "What we think happens is that the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity. ”
Beyond the power of M. Vaceae, scientists have been proving for decades that exposure to dirt, and the huge number of microbes found in dirt, can strengthen our immune system. When our body comes into contact with bacteria, it stores die infonnation in a type of library and can then use that information to fight sickness and infection more effectively.
Happiness, focus, less anxiety......I’ll take a double dose of dirt; please!
1.What raises people’s spirits while spending time outdoors?
A. Air. B. Trees.
C. Water D. Dirt.
2.How does M. Vaccae work?
A. By working on sensory nerves. B. By fighting sickness and infisction,
C. By strengthening the immune system. D. By making immune cells active.
3.According to the text, what does the author intend to do next?
A. Provide some advice on reducing anxiety for readers,
B. Summarize the previous paragraphs about lifting one’s mood.
C. Explain how he or she will expose himself or herself to dirt.
D. Introduce a new topic related to dirt for discussion.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Fight Sickness and Infection More Effectively
B. How Getting Dirty Can Actually lift Your Mood
C. Let’s Take a Deep Breath of Fresh Air
D. Enjoy Beauty and Naturally Connect to Others
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was ________ that the tourists wanted to spend more time taking pictures outdoors.
A.so fine weather B.such fine weather
C.so fine a weather D.such a fine weather
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was _____________________ that the tourists wanted to spend more time taking pictures outdoors.
A.so fine weather | B.such fine weather | C.so fine a weather | D.such a fine weather |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Risk of death is 3.5 t0 5 times greater for obese smokers than it is for people who have never smoked and are at a normal weight, according to a study published in the November, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study, which began with a self-administered questionnaire taken between 1983 and 1989, asked more than 80,000 radiologic technologists aged 22 t0 92 questions about age, height, weight and smoking behavior.
BMI (body mass index) was calculated, with a BMI of 30 t0 34.9 being considered obese, and 35 and over being very obese. Smoking behavior was analyzed by looking at a person's tobacco consumption level, number of years smoked, and current smoking status. Researchers then followed participants through December of 2002, noting the number of deaths that occurred.
The study involved researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the University of Minnesota and the American Registry of Radiolegic Technologists.
Key Findings:
20 percent of obese adults in the United States smoke.
Obese smokers face a greater risk of death from cancer and circulatory disease.
Current smoking is a greater risk factor for death by cancer than obesity is, generally speaking.
The higher a person's pack-years (number of packs smoked per day times the number of years smoked) are, the greater the risk of death.
Men and women of all ages faced an elevated risk of death due to circulatory disease as BMI increased. And for those who were both obese and currently smoking, risk of circulatory disease increased 6 to 11 times under the age of 65, as compared to their never-smoking, normal weight counterparts.
While it's not surprising that obesity coupled with smoking is a recipe for trouble, it is important to highlight this growing health concern in America today.
Taking Charge of Your Health
Making healthy choices can be difficult when we're constantly bombarded with products that are hazardous to our health, but it's not impossible. With education and some motivation, we all have the ability to make lasting changes for the better. If you're an overweight smoker worried about gaining weight due to quitting, take heart. It's never too late to change your course and even reverse damage to some extent.
1.What is the probably the best title of the text?
A. Obese smoking and death B. Key findings about smoking
C Taking charge of your health D. Obesity and smoking
2.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Obese smokers are less likely to suffer from cancer
B. Obese smokers are more likely to suffer from cancer
C. Obese smokers .tend to gain fewer body mass index.
D. Obese smokers tend to get heavier than those Who never smoke
3.According to the author, it is________to get rid of smoking.
A. easy and possible B. difficult and impossible
C. easy ant worthwhile D. difficult but worthwhile
4. What is the American Journal of Preventive Medicine?
A. An medical institute. B A research center.
C. A medical magazine D. A TV station
5. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To inform the readers of the findings about obese smoking.
B. To warn the readers of the danger of obese smoking.
C. To tell us what obese smoking is.
D. To call on the obese smolkers to quit smoking.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Children now worry more about their parents spending too much time on their mobiles or computers than parents worry about their children. Those who order their children to switch off televisions, computers or mobile phones because they fear they are becoming addicted might need to take a long hard look at their own screen habits, new research shows.
Almost 70% of children think their parents spent too much time on their mobile phone, iPad or other similar devices, a research found. More than a third of children worry that their parents struggle to switch off from technology and a quarter of children surveyed openly accuse them of double standards when it comes to excessive (过多的) use of mobile devices, televisions and computers. One in five British children say their parents do not listen to them properly when they are together because they are so busy checking their emails or picking up work messages.
The survey was carried out by Opinion Matters, a research agency for the New Forest National Park Authority. The authority has recently begun providing facilities for visitors to hand in mobile phones, tablets and other devices for fear that technology is invading family life and making it impossible for people to appreciate nature properly because they never switch off.
Dr Richard Graham, a consultant adolescent psychiatrist and expert in technology addiction at Capio Nightingale Hospital in London, said there is growing evidence that children are finding their parents’ preoccupation with communication technology increasingly worrisome.
Four in ten of the children surveyed admitted that they sometimes communicate with their parents by text, email or social media even they are in the next room. The survey found that six in ten parents worry their children are spending too much time glued to small screens at home but almost seven in ten children have the same fear for their parents.
Dr Aric Sigman told the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health conference that parents who cannot switch off risk driving them to a lifelong dependency on screens with striking similarities to alcoholism. If so, I think, they will regret wasting the time supposed to be spend on their children before they grow up disappointed.
1.How many children questioned worry their parents spend too much time on screens?
A.One in three. B.One in four.
C.One in five. D.Almost seven in ten.
2.According to the Paragraph 3, we learn that _________.
A.screen habits are ruining family life
B.parents have trouble receiving work messages
C.children do not listen to their parents properly
D.parents are openly accused of double standards
3.According to Graham, what’s children’s attitude to their parents’ screen habits?
A.Approving. B.Doubtful.
C.Upset. D.Indifferent.
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A.To introduce the mobiles and computers to adults.
B.To advise parents to spend more time on their children.
C.To describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with.
D.To compare today’s parent-child relationship with that in the past.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many parents who welcome the idea of turning off the TV and spending more time with the family are still worried that without TV they would be too often on call as entertainers(娱乐者) for their children.They remember thinking up all sorts of things to do when they were children.But their own children seem different, less good at finding things to pass the time, somehow.When there’s nothing to do, these parents notice regretfully that their children seem unable to come up with anything to do besides turning on the TV.
One father, for example, says, “When I was young, we were always thinking up things to do, projects and games.We certainly never complained in an angry way to our parents, ‘I have nothing to do”.He compares this with his own children today: “They are simply lazy.If someone doesn’t play with them, they’ll happily sit there watching TV all day.”
There is one word for this father’s disappointment: unfair.It is as if he were disappointed in them for not reading Greek though they have never studied the language.He feels his children’s lack of inventiveness a great pity, as if the ability to play were something born that his children are missing.In fact, the tendency(倾向) to play is built into the human species, but the actual ability to play—to imagine, to invent in a playful way, and the ability to gain satisfaction after successful effort from it—these are skills that have to be learned and developed.
Such disappointment, however, is not only unjust, it is also destructive(毁灭性的).Sensing their parents’ disappointment, children come to believe that they are, indeed, lacking something, and that this makes them less worthy of admiration and respect.Giving children the chance to develop new things to enjoy themselves, to enrich their knowledge and experience and discover the pleasure of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident(自信)feeling about themselves as able and interesting people.
1.Many people think that, instead of watching a lot of TV, their children should_______.
A.think up things to enjoy themselves B.find chances to talk with parents
C.enjoy themselves outdoors D.sit silently studying Greek
2.Fathers often blame their children for not being able to play by themselves.This is unfair because________.
A.they do not lack the ability to play
B.they have not been given the opportunities to learn and develop their ability
C.the children are too young to do that
D.the children are not really lazy, but there’s nothing for them to do
3.When parents show continuous disappointment in their children, the children will________.
A.be more disappointed
B.refuse to learn new things
C.discover the pleasures of doing things on their own
D.lose their confidence and respectability
4.What is the author’s main idea?
A.Parents should give children more help on how to be inventive.
B.Turning off the TV will help us solve a lot of family problems.
C.It’s not right for parents and children to blame(抱怨) each other.
D.Today’s children are becoming less able and independent than before.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析