第2篇 Doubtful Ways to Reduce and Increase Your Weight You hear this: "No wonder you are fat. All you ever do is eat. " You feel sad: "I skip my breakfast and supper. I run every morning and evening. What else can I do" Basically you can do nothing. Your genes, not your life habits, determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it. Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that, "80 percent of the children of two obese (肥胖的) parents become obese, as compared with no more than 14 percent of the offspring of two parents of normal weight. " How can obese people become normal or even thin through dieting Well, dieting can be effective, but the health costs are tremendous. Jules Hirsch, a research physician at Rockefeller University, did a study of eight fat people. They were given a liquid formula providing 600 calories a day. After more than 10 weeks, the subjects lost 45ka on average. But after leaving the hospital, they all regained weight. The results were surprising: by metabolic (新陈代谢)measurement, fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving. They had psychiatric problems. They dreamed of food or breaking their diet. They were anxious and depressed; some were suicidal. They hid food in their rooms. Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesn’t result in normal weight, but in an abnormal state resembling that of starved non-obese people. Thin people, however, suffer from the opposite. They have to make a great effort to gain weight. Ethan Sims, of the University of Vermont, got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight. In four to six months, they ate as much as they could. They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent. But months after the study ended they were back to normal weight and stayed there. This does not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight. It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly baffle their genetic inheritance if they want to significantly lower their weight. The findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true -- each person has a comfortable weight range. The range might be as much as 9kg. Someone might weigh 60-69kg without too much effort. But going above or below the natural weight range is difficult. The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks. Ethan Sims made his subjects ______.
A. battle their genetic inheritance
B. increase their weight
C. suffer from hunger
D. lower their weight
Almost every family buys at least one copy of a newspaper every day. Some people subscribe (订阅) to as many as two or three newspapers. But why do people read newspapersFive hundred years ago, news of important happenings-battles lost and won, kings or rulers overthrown (推翻) or killed-took months and even years to travel from one country to another. The news was passed by word of mouth and was never accurate. Today we can read in our newspapers of important events that occur in far away countries on the same day they happen.Apart from supplying news from all over the world, newspapers give us a lot of other useful information. There are weather reports, radio, television and film guides, book reviews, stories and, of course, advertisements. The bigger ones are put in by large companies to bring attention to their products. They pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space, but it is worth the money, for news of their products goes into almost every home in the country. For those who produce newspapers, advertisements are also very important. Money earned from advertisements makes it possible for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit.Newspapers often have information on gardening, cooking and fashion as well as a small but very popular section on jokes and cartoons (漫画). The habit of reading newspapers is().
A. uncommon in the world
B. not popular in USA
C. widespread in the world
D. found among a few families
Here you are. Every morning, you reluctantly return to the same 6x6 cube. You grab a coffee, surf a news site, and chitchat with a peer. Then it’s onto that attack of calls and e-malls coming your way. But the workload doesn’t bother you. Staying busy saves you from something worse. And that something worse happens each month when the promotion announcements come out. You read what your peers have accomplished, here and elsewhere. Reflecting on what you did during that same time, you realize how far you’ve fallen behind. Sometimes you whisper, "That should’ve been me." Years ago, you marched into this cube dreaming of being a big shot. You didn’t plan to stay here long; it was a place to learn the ropes and build your reputation. Early on, the higher-ups raved about your natural talent and upside. But those qualities only take you so far. Now, you hold a ceremonial "’Senior" title. Your place is secure and you make a decent living. Still, you feel trapped and restless. You follow the same tired routines. And you wonder if you’ve settled, if this is all there is and all you’ll ever be. You once lived like you had all the time in the world. Then you lost track of it as years passed. Now, you feel its weight and passing more intimately, knowing how much you’ve wasted. We want to believe our careers will unfold logically. We see ourselves as special, possessing a manifest destiny to someday create, change, and lead. So we put our lives on hold and sacrifice for the greater good at work, certain our efforts will eventually be rewarded. We imagine climbing the proverbial ladder, not wandering through a maze. So what happened You’d like to believe it was one moment--a major oversight or missed opportunity-- that led you here. Deep inside, you know the truth. You wrote lists and plans, knowing you’d never put them into motion. You waited for something to happen to you...and got left behind. Despite the grueling hours, you went through the motions, subconsciously knowing your path was welcome scenery and exercise. But led nowhere. In our personal narratives, we naturally make ourselves the heroes. We seek out villains and scapegoats to justify why our lives haven’t panned out. Unfortunately, the truth is far less melodramatic. It is usually a series of evasions, bad habits, fears, compromises, and mentalities that have led us to this point. Sure, you can spend time reflecting on the past, questioning your path, and figuring out what’s missing. But are you really being honest with yourself. According to the last paragraph, our attitude toward our failures is
A. optimistic.
B. desperate.
C. negligent.
D. evasiv