Common-cold Sense You can’t beat it, but you don’t have to join it. Maybe it got the name "common cold" because it’s more common in winter. The fact is, though, being cold doesn’t have anything to do with getting one. Colds are caused by the spread of rhinoviruses,and, at least so far, medical science is better at telling you how to avoid getting one than how to get rid of one. Children are the most common way cold viruses are spread to adults, because they have more colds than adults--an average of about eight per year. Why do kids seem so much more easily to get colds than their parents Simple. They haven’t had the opportunity to become immune to many cold viruses. There are more than 150 different cold viruses, and you never have the same one twice. Being infected by one makes you immune to it--but only it. Colds are usually spread by direct contact, not sneezing or coughing. From another person’s hand to your hand and then to your nose or eyes in the most common route. The highest concentration of cold viruses anywhere is found under the thumbnails of a boy, although the viruses can survive for hours on skin or other smooth surfaces. Hygiene is your best defense. Wash your hands frequently, preferably with a disinfectant soap, especially when children in your household have colds. But even careful hygiene won’t ward off every cold. So, what works when a coughing, sneezing, runny nose strikes The old prescription of two aspirins, lots of water, and bed rests a good place to start. But you’ll also find some of the folk remedies worth trying. Hot mixtures of sugar ( or honey), lemon, and water have real benefits. When you are having a old ______.
A. it is always the same kind of cold that you had last time
B. it may be the same kind of cold that you had last time
C. it is certainly not the same kind of cold that you had last time
D. it is probably not the same kind of cold that you had last time
Napping to a Healthier Heart 1. Researchers say they have developed a simple test that can tell if a person with heart disease is likely to suffer a heart attack. The test measures levels of a protein in the blood. The researchers say people with high levels of this protein are at high risk of heart attack, heart failure or stroke. 2. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California in San Francisco led the team. For about four years, they studied almost one thousand patients with heart disease. The researchers tested the heart disease patients for a protein called NT-proBNP. Patients with the highest levels were nearly eight times more likely than those with the lowest levels to have a heart attack, heart failure or stroke. 3. The researchers say the presence of high levels of the protein in the blood shows that the heart muscle is under pressure in some way. The study involved mostly men, so the researchers could not say for sure5 that the results are also true for women. They say the patients with the highest levels of NT-proBNP were older and had other problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. 4. Other researchers say more studies are needed to confirm if knowing the protein levels of a heart patient should affect that person’s treatment. They also would like to know if more aggressive treatment could reduce the patient’s chance of a heart attack or stroke. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 5. Could a little sleep during the middle of the day reduce the risk of a heart attack An unrelated study earlier this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that the answer may be yes. In countries like the United States, afternoon naps are mostly for children. But they are common for adults in Mediterranean countries. And these countries generally have lower rates of heart disease. So scientists in the United States and Greece wondered if naps could play a part. Twenty-three thousand healthy adults took part in the study by Harvard University and the University of Athens. Those who took thirty-minute naps three times a week had a thirty-seven percent lower risk of death from heart problems than people who did not take naps. 6. The researchers say napping may improve heart health by reducing stress. They say the research suggests that naps are especially good for working men. But they say not enough female subjects died during the study to judge the benefits for women. Paragraph 3 ______