BEIJING, Jan. 11(Xinhuanet)-- Sleeping a little bit longer a day might help fight against obesity（肥胖）, a recent study shows. The research-- published in the Archives of Internal Medicine along with an editorial by Turek and Northwestern colleague Joseph Bass commenting on it and related research-- after comparing people of normal weight- a body mass index of less than 25- with those who were overweight or obese , found that sleeping for an extra 20 minutes each night could offer a pain-free way to lose weight.

Insufficient sleep is linked with changes in hormone levels that may stimulate（刺激）appetite. A series of studies in recent months have shown that the less people sleep, the heavier they tend to be.

American researcher Robert Vorona from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk and colleagues have now examined the relationship between people's self-reported sleep time per 24 hours and their body mass index(BMI). They found that total sleep time and BMI were inversely correlated was total sleep time decreased, BMI increased, except in the severely obese group." Americans experience insufficient sleep and corpulent bodies. Clinicians are aware of the burden of obesity on patients," the study said. "Our findings suggest that major extensions of sleep time may not be necessary, as an extra 20 minutes of sleep per night seems to be associated with a lower body mass index," it added. "We warn that this study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between restricted sleep and obesity (but) investigations demonstrating success in weight loss via extensions of sleep would help greatly to establish such a relationship."

In November 2004, researchers from Columbia University in New York City, New York demonstrated a clear link between the risk of being obese and hours of nightly sleep, finding that people aged 32 to 59 who slept four hours or less per night were 73% more likely to be obese than people who slept between seven and nine hours per night.

The research, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that____________.

sleeping for a shorter time a day might help fight agianst obesity

an extra 20 minutes’ sleep each night could offer a way to lose weight wothout pain

total sleep time and body mass index were inversely related

people aged 32 to 59 who slept four hours or less per night were 73% more likely to be obese than people who slept between seven and nine hours per night

How many research results are presented in the text?

A. Two                   B. Three             C. Four              D. Five

What does the underlined word “obses” probably mean?

A.thin                    B. fat                C. energetic          D. painful

According to the text , the author intends to tell us that _____________________.

A. Sleeping a little bit longer a day might help fight against obesity

B. insufficient sleep is linked with changes in hormone lives

C. there exists a clear link between the risk of being obeses and hours of nightly sleep

D. the less people sleep , the heavier they tend to be

Chinese cuisine（菜肴）is widely known and enjoyed in the world. But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East - the ancient custom of “tonic food.”

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being, or stave off sickness, particularly at times when one is more likely to fall ill. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame-oil hot pot every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body.

    In fact, some Western theories of health are similar to the beliefs in Chinese tonic food, although each takes a different path toward the very same goal. Western medicine actually recommends some of the exact same ingredients that make up tonic foods. Sesame oil can provide lots of calories, and chicken meat is particularly high in protein. Any Western doctor should be happy to suggest such a Chinese dish after childbirth.

The elderly, weak, and young can also benefit greatly from tonic foods, especially during the winter. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot,” while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radish, are seen as “cold.” One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

“Warm” or “cool” tonic foods are strongly recommended. The choices for “warm” and “cool” foods range from simple sea cucumber to the delicacy of bird’s nest soup, depending on the individual’s economic circumstances.

The concept of tonic food is far from losing credibility, either with Westerners or practitioners of modern medicine. For example, up until two years ago, tonic foods were added to the meals served at a renowned hospital.

What attitude do the young in the East hold towards “tonic food”?（不超过5个词）

Why are some Western theories of health considered similar to the Chinese beliefs in tonic food? (不超过11个词)

List four factors deciding the amount of tonic food. （不超过20个词）

What does the passage mainly talk about? （不超过6个词）

To swim across the English Channel takes at least nine hours. It‘s hard work and it makes you short of breath. To fly over the channel takes only twenty minutes as long as you’re not held up at the airport， but it‘s an expensive way to travel. You can travel by hovercraft （气垫船）if you don’t mind the noise and that takes forty minutes. Otherwise， you can go by boat， if you remember your sea-sickness pills. All these means of transport have their problems， and the weary（厌烦的）traveler often dreams of being able to drive to France in his own car. “Not possible， you say. Well， wait a minute. People are once again considering the idea of a channel tunnel or bridge.” This time， the great London Council（议会）is looking into the possibility of building a channel link straight to London. A bridge would cost far more than a tunnel， but you would be able to make a journey by rail or by car on a bridge， yet a tunnel would provide a rail link only. Why is this idea being discussed again？ Is Britain realizing the need for links with Europe as a result of joining EEC？Well， perhaps， the main reason， though， is that a tunnel or bridge would reach the twenty square kilometers of London‘s discussed dockland（船坞）。 A link from London to the continent would stimulate（刺激） trade and revitalize（使重新具有活力）the port， and would make London a main trading center in Europe. With a link over the Channel， you could buy your fish and chips in England and be able to eat them in France while they are still warm！

From the lines we can see that people crossed the Channel by ______ in the past.

A. air   B. boat    C. swimming   D. A， B， or C

The weary traveler thinks the best way to cross the Channel is ______.

A. by swimming   B. in his own car   C. by air  D. by hovercraft

A tunnel would cost______ a bridge.

A. far less than  B. as much as  C. far more than  D. as little as

The main idea of the passage is______.

A. how to develop the trade of London

B. when to cross the Channel

C. how to get to Europe from London more conveniently

D. what to do in the developing of traveling

What’s that smell? Do you hear that noise? Taste this! Look at me! Feel this, isn’t it soft? When you hear, or even use these phrases, you probably don’t stop to think about why we use them. Well, it’s because of our senses. Without us even knowing, our sense organs (nose, eyes, ears, tongue, and skin) are taking in information and sending it to the brain for processing. If we didn’t have them, we would not be able to smell, see, hear, taste, or touch anything!

Senses are the physical means by which all living things see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Each sense collects information about the world and detects changes within the body. Both people and animals get all of their knowledge from their senses, and that is why senses are so important.

All senses depend on the working nerve system. Our sense organs start to work when something stimulates（刺激） special nerve cells, called receptors, in a sense organ. Once stimulated, the receptors send nerve impulses along sensory nerves to the brain. Your brain then tells you what to do. For example, your sound receptors are often attacked by billions of sound waves. When these signals reach the part of the brain called the cerebral cortex（大脑皮层）, we become conscious of the sounds.

Our group really learned a lot about the senses while creating this website. We hope that you are able to get just as much out of it. Please feel free to comment about anything on the site by e-mailing us. Also, don’t forget to sign the guest book! Thanks for visiting our site. Come back soon!

60. This article is most probably taken from a _____.

A. newspaper             B. magazine                 C. website                 D. novel

61. Senses are very important because _____.

A. both people and animals get all of their knowledge from them

B. they are used to communicate with others

C. they can prevent the organs from being attacked

D. they can tell you what the stimulus is

62. Which of the following tells you what stimulate you?

A. The nerve cell.      B. The receptor.          C. The nerve impulse.   D. The brain.

63. According to this article, the following are all functions of the senses, EXCEPT _____.

A. collecting information about the world  

B. detecting changes within the body

C. sending nerve impulses to the brain 

D. serving the brain when needed

SECTION B

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and the required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Chinese cuisine（菜肴）is widely known and enjoyed in the world. But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East - the ancient custom of “tonic food.”

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being, or stave off sickness, particularly at times when one is more likely to fall ill. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame-oil hot pot every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body.

    In fact, some Western theories of health are similar to the beliefs in Chinese tonic food, although each takes a different path toward the very same goal. Western medicine actually recommends some of the exact same ingredients that make up tonic foods. Sesame oil can provide lots of calories, and chicken meat is particularly high in protein. Any Western doctor should be happy to suggest such a Chinese dish after childbirth.

The elderly, weak, and young can also benefit greatly from tonic foods, especially during the winter. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot,” while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radish, are seen as “cold.” One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

“Warm” or “cool” tonic foods are strongly recommended. The choices for “warm” and “cool” foods range from simple sea cucumber to the delicacy of bird’s nest soup, depending on the individual’s economic circumstances.

The concept of tonic food is far from losing credibility, either with Westerners or practitioners of modern medicine. For example, up until two years ago, tonic foods were added to the meals served at a renowned hospital.

1. What attitude do the young in the East hold towards “tonic food”?  （不超过5个词）

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why are some Western theories of health considered similar to the Chinese beliefs in tonic food? (不超过11个词)

_______________________________________________________________________________

3. List four factors deciding the amount of tonic food. （不超过20个词）

_______________________________________________________________________________

4. What does the passage mainly talk about? （不超过6个词）

______________________________________________________________________________