阅读理解

　　It is obvious that doctors recognize obesity as a health problem．So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?

　　The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don’t know what to say．

　　“So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there,” said Christine

　　C．Ferguson, director of the Stop Obesity Alliance．“Patients are not told about the possibility of diabetes(a kind of disease),” she said．“And doctors don’t feel they have good information to give．They felt that they didn’t have adequate tools to address this problem．

　　The lack of dialogue hurts patients, too．The patient survey, of over 1,000 adults, found that most overweight patients don’t even know that they’re too heavy．Only 39 percent of overweight people surveyed had ever been told by a health care provider that they were overweight．

　　Of those who were told they were obese, 90 percent were also told by their doctors to lose weight, the survey found．In fact most have tried to lose weight and may have been successful in the past－and many are still trying, the survey found．And many understand that losing even a small amount of weight can have a positive impact on their health and reduce their risk of obesity-related diseases like hypertension and diabetes．

　　Dr．William Bestermann Jr．, medical director of Holston Medical Group, in Kingsport, Tenn．, which ranks the 10th in obesity among metropolitan areas in the United States, said the dialogue had to be an ongoing one and could not be dropped after just one mention of the problem．“If you’re to be successful with helping your patients lose weight, you have to talk to them at actually every visit about their progress, and find something to encourage them and coach them,” he said．

　　He acknowledged that many doctors tend to be not optimistic．

　　“Part of this is that there's this common belief, and doctors are burdened by it, too, that overweight people are weak-willed and just don’t have any willpower and are self-indulgent and all that business,” he said．“If you think that way, you’re not going to spend time having a productive conversation．”

阅读理解

　　Colours often have different meanings in different cultures．In the U．S．, people have found the following to be true．

　　Black

　　Black is the colour of power．It is also popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner．

　　White

　　White is the symbol of purity．White is thought to be a summer colour．However, white shows dirt and is more difficult to keep clean than other colours．

　　Red

　　This is the most exciting colour．Red furniture(家具)should look very good since it will attract a lot of attention．Red cars are the thieves’ favourite．Red is often used in restaurants because it is an appetite(食欲)stimulant．This means it can make people eat more．

　　Blue

　　Blue is the colour of the sky and the ocean．Peaceful blue is often used in bedrooms．Studies show that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms．

　　Green

　　Green represents nature．It is the easiest colour on the eye．Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients．

　　Yellow

　　Sunny yellow is a cheerful colour, yet people lose their tempers(发脾气)more often in yellow rooms, and babies cry more．

阅读理解

　　New York City is a very large city with 8 million people．How do so many people move on their way to work and school?

　　In New York you can travel by subways, bus, taxi and private(私人的)car．The subway runs on the railroad lines under the city．It crosses the city at different points and goes to all parts of the city．Travelling by subway is the fastest way to get around the city．

　　The second way to travel is by bus．It is a slower way to travel．

　　You can also travel by taxi．This is very expensive, but the taxi will take you to every place you want to go to．If traffic is heavy, the taxi will be slow．During the mornings and afternoons, there is the “rush hour”．This is the time when the traffic is very heavy with people going to and from work．．

　　The last way is to use your private car．It’s not good to drive during the “rush hour”．If there is an accident on the road, you will have to wait for a long time．

　　The best time to travel is from 9 a．m to 4．pm．Traffic will be less crowded during this time because most people are already at school or at work at that time．

阅读理解

　　One morning Mrs Perry said to her husband, “Jack, there is a meeting of our ladies’ club at Mrs Young’s house at lunch time today, and I want to go．I’ll leave you some food for your lunch．Is that all right?”

　　“Oh, yes．” Her husband answered, “that’s quite all right．What are you going to leave for my lunch?”

　　“This tin of fish,” Mrs Perry said, “And there are some cold, boiled potatoes and some beans here, too．”

　　“Good．” Then Mrs Perry went to her meeting．All the ladies had lunch at Mrs Young’s house, and at three o’clock Mrs Perry came home．

　　“Was your fish nice, Jack?” she asked．

　　“Yes, but my feet are hurt．” He answered．

　　“Oh, that’s strange, but how?”

　　“Well, on the tin were these words－OPEN THE TIN AND STAND IN HOT WATER FOR FIVE MINUTES．”

阅读理解

　　Sara tried to befriend her old friend Steve's new wife, but Betty never seemed to have anything to say．While Sara felt Betty didn't hold up her end of the conversation, Betty complained to Steve that Sara never gave her a chance to talk．The problem had to do with expectations about pacing and pausing．

　　Conversation is a turn-taking game．When our habits are similar, there's no problem．But if our habits are different, you may start to talk before I'm finished or fail to take your turn when I'm finished．That's what was happening with Betty and Sara．

　　It may not be coincidental that Betty, who expected relatively longer pauses between turns is British, and Sara, who expected relatively shorter pauses, is American．Betty often felt interrupted by Sara．But Betty herself became an interrupter and found herself doing most of the talking when she met a visitor from Finland．And Sara had a hard time cutting in on some speakers from Latin America or Israel．

　　The general phenomenon, then, is that the small conversation techniques, like pacing and pausing, lead people to draw conclusions not about conversational style but about personality and abilities．These habitual differences are often the basis for dangerous stereotyping(思维定式)．And these social phenomena can have very personal consequences．For example, a woman from the southwestern part of the US went to live in an eastern city to take up a job in personnel．When the Personnel Department got together for meetings, she kept searching for the right time to break in--and never found it．Although back home she was considered outgoing and confident, in Washington she was viewed as shy and retiring．When she was evaluated at the end of the year, she was told to take a training course because of her inability to speak up．

　　That's why slight differences in conversational style--tiny little things like microseconds of pause-can have a great effect on one's life．The result in this case was a judgment of psychological problems---even in the mind of the woman herself, who really wondered what was wrong with her and registered for assertiveness training．

阅读理解

　　Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, genetically modified(GM, 转基因)foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the word, mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis．But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?

　　Despite what it promises, GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any corp．In fact, studies show that the most widely grown GM crops, GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity．For instance, a report than analyzed nearly two decades of research on major GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production．

　　Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂)．On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops“ The promise was that you could use fewer chemicals and boost production．But nether is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition．

　　At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger：Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics．These indeed deserve our efforts and money．Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report．

　　As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world．Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice．

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　　Need a room close to the US embassy for a week in early January

I need a room close to the US embassy for a week in early January．My parents are going to the US embassy for visa interview on January 7th．I am looking for a place for them to stay around this date．Hotels are too expensive for them since they retired long ago．They speak Chinese only．Rent can be made through Paypal in USD or cash in CNY, if the price is right．

　　Reply to：house－510574487 @ craigslist．org

　　Expo housing

　　Looking for 5 bedrooms from May 17-24 for the Shanghai Expo．Can be one large apartment or 2 smaller ones, but they must be close to each other．Please email me at jcshap @yahoo．com if you have a nice place with air conditioning, high speed Internet．

　　Expo swap or share

　　I have beautiful 3-bedroom home with pool and spa( 桑拿浴池)in Las Vegas, the USA, 10 minutes from the strip(商业街)．I am willing to share or swap(交换)my house for yours(home or apartment)during the Shanghai Expo．I need a place for 2 or 3 people in Shanghai from May 19－25．In exchange, you can have my house for any week either during the Expo, or any other time as long as I have a one-month advance notice to set up for you so you can have my house all to yourself．If interested, please email me at sdiem@ cox．net and I will send photos of my house．

　　Apartment or house wanted May 8－28, 2010

　　My daughter is working in the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and my family wants to be there to stay with her for some time．We are looking for a 2-3 room apartment or house to rent from 8 through May 28 in the Putong District．Need air conditioning．

　　Thanks．

　　Reply to：wcondon7@ msn．com

阅读理解

　　Plastic surgery(整容手术)is becoming popular with young people．But just a few days ago, it took the life of a pop singer in China．

　　Wang Bei, 24, a former singer on Super Girl, died on Nov 15 during plastic surgery in Wuhan, Hubei province．

　　The young singer's jaw(下巴)suddenly started bleeding during the procedure, blocking her throat and causing her to suffocate(窒息)．

　　The Ministry of Health stepped in on Nov 27, calling on health authorities all over China to increase supervision(监管)of the country's medical plastic surgery industry．It also told the Hubei health department to look into Wang's death and “to make the result of the investigation public as soon as possible．”

　　Wang's death has raised concerns about the dangers of plastic surgery in China．

　　In China, people ,especially youngsters, are becoming more and more conscious(有意识的)of their looks and are willing to go to great lengths to make themselves look more attractive．

　　Today, many young people see plastic surgery as the key to love, wealth and success．

　　Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that in the past decade, he had seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who were young and naturally good－looking．

　　“They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities in work and in marriage,” said Ding．

　　Zhao, 23, a student at the Beijing International Studies University, spent 3000 yuan on an eyelid tuck(双眼皮手术)before graduating this year．She said：“ Of course I want to make a good impression on potential employers．”

　　Ding also owed this trend(趋势)to frustration(挫折)．

　　“ Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover,” said Ding．

　　But a lot of people ignore(忽视)the risk and danger of plastic surgery．In 12 years as a doctor, Zhu Wenbo from Chengdu has often seen unsuccessful plastic surgeries．

　　“I've met several people whose faces were ruined by plastic surgery, and helping them recover(修复)is difficult,” said Zhu．

　　Being yourself is the most beautiful thing in the world．But if you are considering plastic surgery, here is some advice from experts：

　　1．Choose qualified(合格的)hospitals, especially those with a good reputation for plastic surgery．Avoid beauty salons．(美容院)

　　2．Do not expect too much from changing your appearance．It can only change your face or another body part in certain ways．And safety should always come first．

阅读理解

　　One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting．I was looking forward to a quiet view of the wonderful works．

　　A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop between themselves．I watched them a moment and decided she was doing all the talking．I admired his patience for tolerating her constant words．Disturbed by their noise, I moved on．

　　I encountered them several times as I moved through the various rooms of art．Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away quickly．

　　I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop doing some shopping when the couple approached the exit．Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object．He turned it into a long cane(手杖)and then tapped his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket．

　　"He's a brave man, " the clerk at the counter said．" Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age．During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change．So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there's a new art show．"

　　"But what does he get out of the art?" I asked．"He can't see"

　　"Can't see! You're wrong．He sees a lot．More than you and I do," the clerk said．"His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head．"

　　I learned something about patience, courage and love that day．I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life．And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away arm in arm．

阅读理解

　　Hans was an honest fellow with a funny round good-humored face．Living alone, every day he worked in his garden．In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his．All sorts of flowers grew there, blooming in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower's place, so that there were always beautiful things to see, and pleasant odors to smell．

　　Hans had many friends, the most devoted being the Miller．So devoted was the rich Miller to Hans that he'd never go by his garden without plucking a large bunch of flowers or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with fruits．The Miller used to talk about noble ideas, and Hans nodded and smiled, feeling proud of having such a friend．

　　The neighbors thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Hans anything in return, though he had hundreds of sacks of flour, many cows and sheep, but Hans never troubled his head about these, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship．

　　In spring, summer, and autumn Hans was very happy, but when winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger．Though extremely lonely, the Miller never came to see him then．

　　“There's no good in going to see Hans while the snow lasts．” The Miller said to his wife, “When people are in trouble they shouldn't be bothered．So I'll wait till the spring comes when he's happy to give me flowers．”

　　“You're certainly very thoughtful,” answered his wife, “It's quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship．”

　　“Couldn't we ask Hans up here?” said their son．“I'll give him half my meal, and show him my white rabbits．”

　　“How silly you are!” cried the Miller．“I really don't know what's the use of sending you to school．If Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, our good supper, and our red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody's nature．I am his best friend, and I'll always watch over him, and see that he's not led into any temptation．Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me for some flour．Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they shouldn't be confused．The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things．Everybody can see that．” He looked seriously at his son, who felt so ashamed that he hung his head down, and grew quite scared, and began to cry into his tea．

　　Spring coming, the Miller went down to see Hans．Again he talked about friendship．“Hans, friendship never forgets．I'm afraid you don't understand the poetry of life．See, how lovely your roses are!”

　　Hans said he wanted to sell them in the market to buy back his things which were sold during the hard time of the winter．

　　“I'll give you many good things．I think being generous is the base of friendship．” said the Miller．“And now, as I'll give you many good things, I'm sure you'd like to give me some flowers in return．Here's the basket, and fill it quite full．”

　　Poor Hans was afraid to say anything．He ran and plucked all his pretty roses, and filled the Miller's basket, imagining the many good things promised by the Miller．

　　The next day he heard the Miller calling：“Hans, would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”

　　“I'm sorry, but I am really very busy today．”

　　“Well,” said the Miller, “considering that I'm going to give you my things, it's rather unfriendly of you to refuse．Upon my word, you mustn't mind my speaking quite plainly to you．”

　　Poor Hans was driven by his friendship theory to work hard for his best friend, leaving his garden dry and wasted．

　　One evening Hans was sitting by fire when the Miller came．

　　“Hans,” cried the Miller, “My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I'm going for the Doctor．But he lives so far away, and it's such a bad windy night．It has just occurred to me that you can go instead of me．You know I'm going to give you my good things, so you should do something for me in return．”

　　“Certainly,” cried Hans．He struggled into the stormy night, and got the doctor to ride a horse to the Miller's house in time to save the boy．However, Hans got lost in the darkness, and wandered off into a deep pool, drowned．

　　At Hans' funeral, the Miller said, “I was his best friend．I should walk at the head of the procession．” Every now and then he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief．