Four out of ten women who diet end up heavier than when they started watching their waistline（腰围）, a study revealed today. The research also showed that a large percentage of women start noticing the pounds creeping back on just 21 days after reaching their ideal weight.

Yesterday, Dr Ian Campbell of the Jenny Craig weight management program said: “In the UK 61.4 per cent of adults are overweight or obese. Successful weight management requires a long-term commitment in order to lose weight successfully and for good. Dieting can be a real challenge so setting realistic goals and remaining focused on them is important. Otherwise as this research shows, women could end up heavier than when they started.”

The “Food: Body: Mind” report was publicized by Jenny Craig who quizzed 2000 women aged between 18 and 65 who diet regularly on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors around weight loss. Six in ten said they are currently on a diet and one in five women said they are on a “continuous diet”.

It found the most common triggers to start dieting was seeing their “reflection in the mirror”, preparing for a summer holiday or unflattering photos posted on social networking sites. Other popular reasons include comments by friends or relatives or their other half.

However, the study showed that one in ten give up within one day, while almost a fifth manage to make it to a week or more. The average is ten days. Many blamed pressure they put on themselves to lose weight too quickly for the weight gain, which leaves them with a bigger appetite than normal. Others blamed colleagues, who tuck into fatty lunches and snacks unaware of the effect it has on the dieter, while mothers who polish off their children's leftovers（剩饭）was another common cause of weight gain.

1.Which of the following might be the best title for this article?

A．Three reasons to fail in dieting             B．Important things for successful diet

C．Obesity: problem for 61.4% adults in UK      D．Four in ten women gain weight on diets

2.In the UK, women who go on a diet __________.

A．are all overweight or obese

B．are likely to gain weight again after reaching their ideal weight

C．all fail because they are not persistent enough

D．end up heavier than when they start to diet

3.The underlined word “triggers” in Paragraph 4 probably means __________.

A．effects            B．examples          C．causes            D．imagination

4.Which of the following is NOT the reason why many people quit dieting very soon?

A．The pressure they put on themselves to lose weight quickly.

B．Colleagues who give them fatty lunches and snacks.

C．Reflections they see in the mirror.

D．Leftovers of children’s taken by their mothers.

5. In which column of the newspaper do you probably find the passage?

A．Health.           B．Economy.          C．Sports.            D．Education.

 

Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine.“Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures,”William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word“habit”carries a negative meaning.

       So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation (创新). But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.

       Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.

       But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.

       “The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder,”says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind.“But we are taught instead to‘decide’, just as our president calls himself‘the Decider’．”She adds, however, that“to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”

       “All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware,”she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively (合作地) and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.

       The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought.“This breaks the major rule in the American belief system—that anyone can do anything,”explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will…and Ms. Markova’s business partner.“That’s a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.”This is where developing new habits comes in.

Brain researchers have discovered that      .

       A．the forming of new habits can be guided

       B．the development of habits can be predicted

       C．the regulation of old habits can be transformed

       D．the track of new habits can be created unconsciously

The underlined word “ruts”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to       .

       A．zones                     B．connections             C．situations                D．tracks

Which of the following statements most probably agrees with Dawna Markova’s view?

       A．Decision makes no sense in choices.

       B．Curiosity makes creative minds active.

       C．Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind.

       D．Formation of innovation comes from fantastic ideas.

he purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us       .

       A．to give up our traditional habits deliberately

       B．to create and develop new habits consciously

       C．to resist the application of standardized testing

       D．to believe that old habits conflict with new habits

Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes．To some degree our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius （天才） out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This view, now held by most experts can be supported in a number of ways．

It is easy to say that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．

Imagine that now we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part．This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．

By using the example that two people closer in blood relationship are closer in intelligence, the writer wants to prove _________．

       A．intelligence is given at birth

       B．intelligence can be developed by environment

       C．intelligence can be developed by experience

       D．education plays an important part in the development of education

A child who lives in rich and varied surroundings turns out higher in intelligence because ________．

       A．his family is rich and therefore can afford to develop his intelligence

       B．he can break the limits of intelligence fixed at birth

       C．his family is rich and provides him with various healthy food

       D．these surroundings are likely to help him reach the limits of their intelligence

The writer of this article believes that _________．

       A．the development of one’s intelligence is determined by many things working together

       B．environment plays the most important role in the development of intelligence

       C．education plays the most important role in the development of intelligence

       D．birth plays the most important role in the development of intelligence

The best title for this passage might be __________．

       A．The Answer to a Question     B．Birth and Environment

      C．Intelligence             D．Intelligence and Education

下面文章有5处需要填入合适的内容。请从以下选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出最恰当的内容 。

A. Keep your expectations realistic

B. Call a friend right before the date

C. Show up on time

D. Dress comfortably

E. Make eye contact

F. Telling the truth

Many of us get nervous just at the mention of a first date, but it really doesn't have to be such a big deal if you' re prepared. That's where this article comes in. After interviewing hundreds of singles all over the U.S about their first date experienced, we've put together a list of first date dos and don' ts to help out.

1. ___________

Staring at your hands, at the table, or at the guy in the blue shirt sitting at the next table doesn't exactly say "I dig you". You might do that out of shyness on your part, but keep in mind that the person sitting in front of you might not understand that and take it personally. Of course don't stare too hard, it might look a little freaky, but make sure your eyes meet often enough to keep both of you going.

2. ____________

It' s never cool when someone keeps you waiting, so don't keep them waiting either. And NO-a fashionably late entrance will NOT make you look better. You'll just look rude and inconsiderate. If you' re feeling anxious before a date, keep in mind that your date might be feeling anxious as well, so don' t prolong their suffering any more than necessary.

3. _____________

As exciting as dating someone new can seem, you' re better off not expecting to meet Prince Charming right off the hat. If you keep your expectations realistic, good date will be a pleasant surprise and lousy date won' t matter as much.

4. _____________

By comfort, I don't mean sweatpants and laundry-day underwear. But it is a first date, so you don' t want to be overdressed either. What if your date shows up in jeans and a sweater and you' re all about sequins, silk and spike heels? Instead, you should definitely go for a nice and attractive yet comfy outfit, with comfortable shoes. If you hit it off and go walking around, you want to avoid being cold or getting blistered feet. You can easily go for a casual but sexy look and pass the first date treat with flying colors.

5. _____________

If you didn't feel any sparks flying between the two of you, tell your date gently but honestly. Nobody's feelings should have to get hurt. On the other hand, if you did feel that you clicked, forget about the supposed "dating rules" that say you should wait a few days before calling him or her again. Listen to your heart and go ahead and call if you want to. If the feeling is mutual, your date will be happy, and maybe even relieved, that you picked up the phone first.

 

What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.

Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body’s temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body’s temperature rise quickly.

But everyone’s body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and

work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we’re better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it’s better to exercise later in the day. 

Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly

after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon.  Finally, it is best to eat when we’re active. This allows our body

to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high.

1.__________ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at.

A. Morning people                    B. A warm shower

C. Our body temperature.        D. Our body clock

2.A morning people will ________.

A. get later but work better

B. work better early in the day.

C. only work in the morning

D. go to bed late every night.

3.What is the best time for physical performance? 

A. Between 3 pm and 6 pm                               B. Between 7 pm and 10 pm.

C. Between noon and 4 pm                               D. Between 5 pm and 8 pm.

4.Why is it best to eat when we’re active? 

A. Because eating makes the brain unable to think quickly.

B. Because it makes our blood sugar levels higher.

C. Because our body can burn more calories.

D. Because we are allowed to eat then.

5.What is the best title for this article? 

A. How can we work better

B. The best time to exercise

C. How can we keep healthy

D. The perfect time to do something