University of Pennsylvania researchers say th...

University of Pennsylvania researchers say that for the first time they have linked social media use to increases in depression and loneliness． The idea that social media is anything but social when it comes to mental health has been talked about for years， but not many studies have managed to actually link the two． To do that， Penn researchers， led by psychologist Melissa Hunt， designed a study that focused on WeChat， Snapchat and Instagram．

The study was conducted with 143 participants， who before they began， completed a mood survey and sent along photos of their battery screens， showing how often they were using their phones to access social media． "We set out to do a much more complete study which attempts to imitate real life．" Hunt said．

The study divided the participants into two groups： The first group was allowed to maintain their normal social media habits． The other， the control group， was restricted to 10 minutes per day on social media． The restrictions were put in place for three weeks and then the participants returned and were tested for outcomes such as fear of missing out， anxiety， depression and loneliness．

The results showed a very clear link between social media use and increased levels of depression and loneliness． "Using less social media than you normally do would lead to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness，" Hunt said．

Social media invites what Hunt calls "downward social comparison．" "When you're online， it can sometimes seem that everyone else is cooler and having more fun and included in more things and you're left out，" Hunt said． And that's just generally discouraging． "Every minute you spend online is a minute you are not doing your work or not meeting a friend for dinner or having a deep conversation with your roommate．" And these real life activities are the ones that can encourage self﹣esteem and self﹣worth， Hunt added．

"People are on their devices， and that's not going to change，" she said． But as in life， a bit of control goes a long way．

1.Before the study was conducted， the participants completed a survey to　　　 　．

A. imitate people's real life

B. link loneliness to depression

C. show their use of social media

D. prove social media is important

2.The results of the study showed using less social media would result in　　　 　．

A. people's fear of missing out

B. higher levels of depression

C. obvious relief in loneliness

D. lower levels of happiness

3.In Hunt's opinion， which activity benefits more to mental health？

A. Hiking out with friends．

B. Making comparison with others．

C. Playing computer games in spare time．

D. Logging onto social media and having fun．

4.Which can be the best title of the passage？

A. A Study on Social Media．

B. How to Improve Mental Health．

C. People Addicted to Social Media．

D. Social Media Influences Mental Health．

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

A new study, a project of the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, finds the fitness tracker probably does not help with weight loss.

The devices are designed to record your physical activity. They are usually worn around the wrist, where they measure a person’s heart rate. The research team looked at two groups of individuals. The first wore a fitness tracker and took part in health counseling (咨询) with experts to consider the best weight-loss plan. The researchers compared this group with people who only got health counseling.

The study found that those only speaking with the health experts lost nearly 6 kilograms, but those using a fitness tracker lost only 3.5 kilograms. John Jakicic, the lead researcher, questioned the use of electronic devices for weight control in place of “effective behavioral counseling for physical activity and diet. ”

The study involved 470 subjects aged between 18 and 35. Some of them were overweight, while others were considered obese (肥胖的). Over three fourths of the subjects were women. All the subjects were told to increase physical activity and start on a low-calorie diet. They had their weight measured once every six months. After six months, researchers divided the group into two parts: one continued with monthly counseling, while members of the other group were given a fitness tracker. Eighteen months later, both groups “showed significant improvements in fitness, physical activity, and diet,” with no major difference between groups. However, when it came to losing weight, the people who only spoke with experts lost nearly twice as much weight.

Jakicic said, “the study’s findings are important because effective long-term treatments are needed to address America’s obesity. ” More information is needed, he added, to learn how to best use these devices to change “physical activity and diet behaviors” in adults who want to lose weight.

1.All the subjects in the study were asked to ________.

A. start on a high-calorie diet　　 B. wear a fitness tracker

C. increase physical activities　　 D. record their heart rates

2.Why does Jakicic think the findings are important?

A. Wearing fitness trackers hardly helps people lose weight.

B. Physical activity and diet have no effect on weight loss.

C. Handling obesity requires effective long-term treatments.

D. There are great differences in fitness between both groups.

3.What can we infer about the study mentioned in the text?

A. The study went on for about two years.

B. More than 120 men took part in the study.

C. Health counseling helps lose almost 6 kilograms.

D. Wearing a fitness tracker is useful for keeping slim.

4.The purpose of the text is to ________.

A. describe how the researchers were conducting the study

B. indicate regular counseling for weight control is necessary

C. convince readers to wear fitness trackers for weight control

D. warn women are more likely to suffer from weight problems

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes．“Shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about their wearers,” the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality．“Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues （线索） with symbolic messages．People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear．”

Medical Daily notes that the number of detailed personality traits （特质） detected in the study include a person's general age, income, political tendency, and other personality traits, including someone's emotional stability．Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color and condition of someone's shoes．In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants．Participants in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire．

So, what do your shoes say about your personality? Some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by outgoing people．However, some of the more specific results are interesting．For example, “practical and functional” shoes were generally worn by more “friendly” people, while ankle boots were more closely connected with “aggressive” personalities．The strangest of all may be that those who wore “uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to have “calm” personalities．

And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from “attachment anxiety,” spending too much time worrying about what other people think of your appearance．There was even a political calculation in the mix with wearing “shabbier and less expensive” shoes．

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality traits, but researchers pointed out that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were revealing deep insights into their personalities．

1.By looking at a person’s shoes, it’s possible for people to_____．

A．know the wearer thoroughly and accurately

B．form an opinion about the wearer’s character

C．have exact cues about the wearer’s social status

D．judge the wearer’s educational background

2.What can we know about the passage?

A．Wealthy people tend to choose shiny shoes．

B．Calm people prefer shoes with uncomfortable appearance．

C．Friendly people are likely to wear ankle boots．

D．Outgoing people always wear shoes with practical functions．

3.Taking exceptional care of new shoes shows that _____．

A．the owners care much about others’ opinions on their appearance

B．the owners are in a relaxed state

C．the owners are particular about their appearance

D．the owners have too many shoes to choose from

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A．How To Choose Suitable Shoes

B．How To Judge People’s Personality Traits

C．People Are What They Wear

D．Shoes Reflect People’s Personalities

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes.” Shoes convey useful information about their wearers，”the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style，cost，color and condition of someone's shoes. In the study，63 University of Kansas researchers looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants. Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes，and then filled out a personality questionnaire.

Some of the results were expected：People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes，and flashier shoes were typically worn by outgoing people. However，some of the more specific results are strange enough. For example，“practical and functional”shoes were generally worn by more“pleasant”people，while ankle boots were more linked with“aggressive”personalities. The strangest of all may be that those who wore” uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to have “calm” personalities. And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take extreme care of them，you may suffer from“attachment anxiety”，spending lots of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance. There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal(主张变革的)types wearing” shabbier and less expensive” shoes.

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personalities，but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were showing the deep side of their personalities.

1.What does this text mainly tell us?

A. Shoes can hide people's real personalities.

B. Shoes convey false information about the wearer.

C. People's personalities can be judged by their shoes.

D. People know little about their personalities.

2.The participants were asked to　　　　　 .

A. provide pictures of their shoes

B. look at pictures of different shoes

C. design a personality questionnaire

D. hand in their commonly worn shoes

3.Which of the results is beyond people's expectation?

A. Wealthy people often wear expensive shoes.

B. Pleasant people like wearing uncomfortable shoes.

C. Aggressive people are likely to wear ankle boots.

D. Flashier shoes are typically worn by outgoing people.

4.People suffering from“attachment anxiety” tend to　　　　　 .

A. wear strange shoes　　 B. worry about their appearance

C. have a calm character　　 D. become a political leader

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes．

"Shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about their wearers," the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality．"Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues with symbolic messages．People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear．"

Medical Daily notes that the number of detailed personality traits detected in the study include a person's general age, their gender, income, political affiliation, and other personality traits, including someone's emotional stability．

Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color and condition of someone's shoes．In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants．Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire．

So, what do your shoes say about your personality?

Some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by extroverts（外向性格的人）．

However, some of the more specific results are intriguing．For example, "practical and functional" shoes were generally worn by more "agreeable" people, while ankle boots were more closely aligned with "aggressive" personalities．

The strangest of all may be that those who wore "uncomfortable looking" shoes tend to have "calm" personalities．

And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from "attachment anxiety," spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance．

There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal types wearing "shabbier and less expensive" shoes．

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality traits, but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were revealing deep insights into their personalities．

1.We learn from the text that shoes one wears may________．

A．be used to judge others’ personality accurately

B．show thick and useful information about one’s personality

C．convey useful information including one’s emotional stability

D．only convey some information about one’s personality

2.Which of the following is not true according to the text?

A．People who wear practical and functional shoes may be hard to deal with．

B．People with high incomes probably wear expensive shoes．

C．Ankle boots are closely aligned with “aggressive” personalities．

D．People wearing “uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to be calm．

3.What can be the best title for this article?

A．Shoes and Information                   B．Shoes and One’s Personality

C．Shoes One Wears                       D．Judging One’s Personality

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger’s personality simply by looking at the person’s shoes.

“Shoes convey a thin but useful piece of information about their wearers,” the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality. “Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal(非语言的) indications with symbolic messages. People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear.”

Medical Daily notes that the details detected in the study include a person’s general age, sex, income, political affiliation(派别), and other personality characteristics, including someone’s emotional stability.

Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color, and condition of someone’s shoes. In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study’s participants. Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire.

So, some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by extroverts(外向者).

However, some of the more specific results are interesting. For example, “practical and functional” shoes were generally worn by more “agreeable” people, while ankle boots went more closely with “aggressive” personalities.

The strangers of all may be that those who wore “uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to have “calm” personalities.

And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from “attachment anxiety”, spending a large amount of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance.

There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal types wearing “shabbier and less expensive” shoes.

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality characteristics, but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were showing deep awareness into their personalities.

1.According to Omri Gillath, a stranger’s personality can be judged by ___.

A. he age and sex of the person

B. the personality questionnaire by the person

C. the emotional stability of the person

D. 　 the shoes the person wears

2.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ___.

A. a practical purpose is to wear shoes

B. people want to buy new shoes they pay attention to

C. shoes are vital to their wearers

D. the Journal of Research in Personality is a magazine

3.The underlined word “agreeable” is closest in meaning to __.

A. gentle　　 B. weak　　 C. generous　　 D. considerate

4. Which might be the best title for the passage?

A. Good Shoes, Good Character

B. Bad Shoes, Bad Personality

C. Shoes and Their Wearers’ Personality

D. Shoes Shape A Person’s Character

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger’s personality simply by looking at the person’s shoes.

“Shoes convey a thin but useful piece of information about their wearers,” the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality. “Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal(非语言的) indications with symbolic messages. People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear.”

Medical Daily notes that the details detected in the study include a person’s general age, sex, income, political affiliation(派别), and other personality characteristics, including someone’s emotional stability.

Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color, and condition of someone’s shoes. In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study’s participants. Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire.

So, some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by extroverts(外向者).

However, some of the more specific results are interesting. For example, “practical and functional” shoes were generally worn by more “agreeable” people, while ankle boots went more closely with “aggressive” personalities.

The strangers of all may be that those who wore “uncomfortable looking” shoes tend to have “calm” personalities.

And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from “attachment anxiety”, spending a large amount of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance.

There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal types wearing “shabbier and less expensive” shoes.

The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality characteristics, but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were showing deep awareness into their personalities.

1.According to Omri Gillath, a stranger’s personality can be judged by ___.

A. the age and sex of the person

B. the personality questionnaire by the person

C. the emotional stability of the person

D. 　 the shoes the person wearst

2.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ___.

A. a practical purpose is to wear shoes

B. people want to buy new shoes they pay attention to

C. shoes are vital to their wearers

D. the Journal of Research in Personality is a magazine

3.The underlined word “agreeable” is closest in meaning to __.

A. gentle　　 B. weak　　 C. generous　　 D. considerate

4. Which might be the best title for the passage?

A. Good Shoes, Good Character

B. Bad Shoes, Bad Personality

C. Shoes and Their Wearers’ Personality

D. Shoes Shape A Person’s Character

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Researchers from Pennsylvania University suggest that loud snoring can be caused by having a fat tongue. Scientists have long known that losing weight can help the condition, but now they know why. It explains why losing weight reduces the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停).

Improved symptoms are linked to slimming down the unexpected part of the body - opening the door to better treatments. Professor Richard Schwab, chief of sleep medicine at Pennsylvania University, said: "Most clinicians, and even experts in the sleep apnoea world, have not typically focused on fat in the tongue for treating sleep apnoea."Having a large neck was previously believed to be the culprit(引起问题的事物). Prof Schwab said: "Now we know tongue fat is a risk factor and sleep apnoea improves when tongue fat is reduced, we have established a unique therapeutic target that we've never had before.

In sleep apnoea the airways become blocked - leading to snoring . It blights the lives of four and two percent of middle aged men and women, respectively, in the UK. Long term, sleep apnoea is linked with a number of chronic diseases, including high blood pressure , heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression.

Analyzing MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of the throat and nose of obese patients, the researchers found reducing tongue fat is the key. They found that a reduction in tongue fat volume was the key factor. Weight loss also resulted in a smaller pterygoid - the jaw muscle that controls chewing. This is irrespective of whether they appear to fall into the typical "high-risk" obese categories, said Prof Schwab.

He added: "Primary care doctors, and perhaps even dentists, should be asking about snoring and sleepiness in all patients, even those who have a normal body mass index, as, based on our data, they may also be at risk for sleep apnoea."

Twenty-two million Americans suffer from sleep apnoea, in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, causing patients to wake up randomly throughout their sleep cycles. One of the recommended treatments is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which has been free on the NHS since March 2008.

1.What can we learn from Prof Schwab?

A.People with high tongue fat must be at high risk of obesity.

B.Sleep apnea improves when tongue fat is reduced.

C.Patients with a normal body mass index won’t develop sleep apnea.

D.Most clinicians focus on the fat on the tongue to treat sleep apnea.

2.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A.The shape of tongue fat.

B.The harm of tongue fat.

C.The feature of tongue fat.

D.The cause of tongue fat.

3.What does the underlined word “blight” in the third paragraph most probably mean?

A.harm B.affect

C.benefit D.cost

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Researchers with the University of Cambridge say they have the first real evidence of a new state of matter, some 40 years after it was first theorized.

Known as “quantum spin liquid(量子旋转水)”, the matter state causes normally unbreakable electrons to break into pieces called “Majorana fermions.” These fermions are an important discovery. Physicists believe the material is vital to further develop quantum computing. Computers employing Majorana femuons would be able to carry out calculations beyond the scale of modern computers quickly, they say.

Quantum spin liquid explains some of the eccentric behaviors inside magnetic(磁性的) materials. In these materials, the electrons should behave like small bar magnets, all adjusting towards magnetic north when a material is cooled. But not all magnetic materials do this—if the material contains quantum spin liquid, the electrons don’t all line up and become involved.

“Until recently, we didn’t even know what the experimental fingerprints of a quantum spin liquid would look like,” researcher Dr.Dmitry Kovrizhin says. “That created a challenge for the researchers, so they decided to employ neutron scattering(神经扫描) techniques to look for evidence of break”. What they found surprised them. The features matched nearly exactly with quantum spin liquid models theorized by physicist Phil Anderson in 1973. The results of their breakthrough were then published in the scientific journal Nature Materials on Monday.

Don’t get too excited just yet on its applications, though. Kovirzhin’s work is only the beginning and as we’ve seen with quantum computing there is a lot of work to be done. But it’s still exciting regardless.

“It’s an important step for our understanding of quantum matter,” Kovrizhin says. “It’s fun to have another new quantum state that we’ve never seen before—it presents us with new possibilities to try new things.”

1.What can we learn about “Majorana fermion” according to Paragraph 2?

A. It is an important discovery 40 years ago.

B. It is a surprising theory raised by Phil Anderson.

C. It is a key piece in developing quantum computer.

D. It is an unbreakable electrons employing computer.

2.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “eccentric” in Paragraph 3?

A. Strange.　　 B. Complex.　　 C. Permanent.　　 D. Obvious.

3.How did the researchers make the breakthrough?

A. By adjusting magnetic materials.

B. By using neutron scattering techniques.

C. By repeating maths calculations.

D. By changing electronic structure.

4.What is the author’s tone about the future of quantum matter?

A. Negative.　　 B. Doubtful.　　 C. Indifferent.　　 D. Optimistic.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Dan Bebber is a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter in Britain. He says research has shown that wild plants and animals are moving toward Earth's North and South poles as the planet warms.

Mr Bebber wanted to know if the same thing was happening with organisms that attack agricultural crops. He examined reports of first sightings of new insects and diseases around the world. The records came from CABI - the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International. He says the group began collecting information from developing and industrialized countries years ago.

Dan Bebber and his research team studied 612 different organisms - from viruses and bacteria to insects like beetles and butterflies. They found that since 1960, crop pests and diseases have been moving toward the poles at an average rate of about 3 kilometers each year. Mr Bebber says this puts the most productive farmland in the world in danger.

"As new species of pests and diseases evolve and potentially the environment for them becomes more amenable at higher latitudes, the pressure on the breadbaskets of the world is going to increase."

Farmers face other threats. Invasive species passed through trade are also causing problems. Gene Kritsky is an Entomologist at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio. He specialises in the study of insects. He says climate change may improve conditions for some invasive species.

“It means that species in other parts of the world that might do well in warmer temperatures can now do well in the breadbasket of America.”

Another Entomologist Christian Krupke of Purdue University says the effects of these changes will depend very much on the crop, the insect and the disease. But he says the research is a warning sign that people should care about climate change and do something about it.

1.The purpose of Dan Bebber’s research was to find ______.

A. if farmland could be moved to colder places thanks to global warming

B. if diseases and insects harmful to crops were going towards colder areas

C. if organisms were moving to the north and south poles

D. if the number of crop pests was increasing

2.According to Dan Bebber, if crop pests keep moving towards the poles, ______.

A. it will be hard for farmers to kill them

B. the most productive farmland will produce more crops

C. the earth will not produce enough food to support the world

D. the conditions for some crops may be improved

3.Which of the following is not a threat that farmers have to face?

A. Climate change helps crop pests to adapt to new environment.

B. Foreign species are brought in by trade.

C. Invasive species doing well in warmer places might do well in America.

D. The impacts of the climate and species changes on crops are not easy to determine.

4.The underlined word “amenable” in the fourth paragraph most probably means ______.

A. agreeable     B. terrible      C. unfriendly     D. changeable

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析