阅读理解Should We Eat Living Foods or Dead Foods? Why should this question arise? Because the peoples of America and the world suffer grievously from widespread disease. Recent research has revealed that the quality of nutrients we put into our bodies determines the quality of our lives. We are all aware that engines perform well or poorly, depending upon the quality of the fuel used. Few of us realize that food quality directly determines our physical and mental performance abilities. I frequently receive phone calls and letters that go like this: Is it okay to eat corn? Potatoes? Bread? Prepared cereals? Beans? Tofu? And many other substances which must be cooked in order to be eaten. What questioners really meant was why these foods aren''t okay? I must then tell them of the many evils and curses that result from the eating of foods that have been heat deranged(扰乱). I tell them: "If you can''t relish(享受) it in the fresh raw state, you shouldn''t be eating it at all. " To save myself a lot of letters and communications, I will, in this article, spell out many of the salient reasons why "dead" foods should never enter the human mouth. The First thing I do with writers and callers is present the benefits of the living food enormous diet. For instance I might say: Living food eaters have more energy and stamina. Then I get the inevitable "why" which is a way of saying "prove it." I proceed to heighten their curiosity with further statements like: -Those who live on living foods are better rested and better slept in less time. -Those who eat most living foods are more alert, think clearer, sharper and more logically. -Those who undertake the eating of live foods, especially in conjunction with an exercise regime(生活方式), experience drastic weight loss. This is great for those people who need to lose weight. -Those who rely upon living foods become more active and precise in their motions and actions as well as their thoughts. Hence they perform much better and with more competence. -Living food eaters are less subject to stresses and nervous tensions than conventional eaters. Moreover, if an exercise regime of 15 to 30 minutes a day is followed, they are even less subject to stress. -Living food eaters become virtually sickness-free! Of course a great deal of skepticism is often expressed—after all, they need dispensation(特赦) as well as justification for their love affairs with pizza, bread, potatoes and so on. They may even tell me that this is all just anecdotal, that is, just like old wives tales. I then tell them: "Why not try it yourself and experience the wonderful results. Then you can tell your own experiences anecdotally just as you are now anecdotally expressing your skepticism." Then I proceed to start putting the clinchers(关键性生活) on my case as follows: -In nature all animals eat living foods as yielded up by nature. Only humans cook their foods and only humans suffer widespread sicknesses and ailments. -Only humans regularly and consistently suffer premature death. Natural death in humans is so rare that it isn''t even listed as a cause of death in our almanacs or statistics. Then the question often arises: "What''s so terrible about cooking foods? Everybody does it." To which I respond: "Just about everybody has cavities, poor eyesight that requires glasses, colds and other sicknesses, don''t they?" Then I answer further with some statements and citations that are obviously true: -Cooking is a process of food destruction from the moment heat is applied to the foodstuff. Long before dry ashes result, food values are totally destroyed. If you put your hand for just a moment into boiling water, or on a hot stove, that should forever persuade you just how destructive temperatures for perhaps half an hour or more are! What was living substance becomes totally dead very rapidly with exposure to heat! -Proteins are completely devoid of nutritive values at temperatures commonly applied in cooking. Worse yet... -Cooking renders foods toxic! The toxicity of the deranged debris of cooking is confirmed by the doubling and tripling of the white blood cells after the eating of a cooked food meal. The white blood cells are a first line of defense and are, collectively, popularly called "the immune system." As confirmed by hundred of researches cited in the prestigious National Academy of Science''s National Research Council''s book, "Diet, Nutrition and Cancer," all cooking quickly generates carcinogens(诱癌物质) in foods. When you eat cooked proteins and fats you are eating numerous carcinogenic products caused by cooking. Vitamins are rather quickly destroyed by cooking. Minerals quickly lose their organic context and are returned to their native state as they occur in soil, sea water, rocks, metals and so on. Over 90% of Americans have plaque in their arteries! Worse yet, inorganic minerals are highly toxic. Cooked foods not only take longer to digest but often prove to be indigestible as in the case of heated proteins. Cooked foods quickly putrefy (腐烂) in the intestinal (肠内的) tract while living foods are almost totally absorbed before they''re oxidized enough for yeast and bacterial ferments (发酵) and putrefaction. This evidenced by the fact that the average conventional eater has about two pounds of intestinal bacteria whereas living food eaters have only a few ounces. About 20% of the feces of cooked food eaters are dead bacteria whereas living food eaters give off only a fraction of dead bacteria. If you cook a potato and put it on the counter alongside a raw one, the raw potato will last for weeks and even sprout whereas the cooked potato will ferment in one or two days. This gives you some idea about what happens to cooked foods in the intestinal tract where fermentation and putrefaction that may take place in a day or two in the open occurs in an hour or two in the intestinal tract. Again, indigestion is an indication that fermentation and/or putrefaction is taking place. Thus you can see that dead foods make dull, diseased and sooner dead people. You don''t have to take my word for it! Get yourself some guinea pigs, white mice or white rats. What humans take years to exhibit, they manifest within weeks. Feed a control group their regular diet in a raw condition. Feed the other control group the same foods but cooked! Better yet, you can go on a raw food or living foods diet and see the wonderful results enumerated herein for yourself! Of course you may have to go through discomforts when the body, with better foods, begins purifying itself. I think this rather nicely sums up the most salient reasons why you should shun (回避) cooked foods—why you should, if you treasure health and happiness, eat only living foods!

阅读理解In the United States the science of climate change still remains a controversial issue. Part of the problems is that it is complex and hard to isolate its parts. We do know how vital it is to life. The atmosphere forms a gaseous, protective envelope around earth protecting the earth from the cold of space, from harmful ultraviolet light, and from all but the largest meteors. After traveling over 93 million miles, solar energy strikes the atmosphere and earth''s surface, warming the planet and creating what is known as the "bio sphere" which is the region of earth capable of sustaining life. Atmospheric circulation is one important reason that life on earth can exist at higher latitudes because equatorial heat is transported poleward, moderating the climate. The atmosphere is not just a protector but also a great transporter. The transport of water vapor in the atmosphere is an important mechanism by which heat energy is redistributed poleward. Heat energy absorbed at the equator is deposited at the poles and the temperature gradient between these regions is reduced. The circulation of the atmosphere and the weather it generates is but one example of the many complex, interdependent events of nature. The web of life depends on the proper functioning of these natural mechanisms for its continued existence. Some argue that climate change is too complicated to be attributed only to human activity. For example, fossil studies of radiolaria, a group of one-celled animals characterized by silicon-containing shells, have given scientists a fairly accurate account of climatic conditions in the distant past. Geologists found these 450,000-year-old microorganisms pre served in cores of sediment taken beneath the floor of the Indian Ocean. They provide a re cord of cycles of climatic changes, determined by the alternating layers of species of warm and cold-preferring radiolaria. We now have confirmation that changes in the earth''s orbital geometry caused the ice ages. This does not let us off the hook because although we can hardly alter the basic forces at work that alter climate, even small contributions by humans can have dramatic effects. Given nature''s interconnectedness, it is possible that the most serious threats have yet to be recognized.

阅读理解What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

阅读理解The Blessing and Curse of the People Who Never Forget A handful of people can recall almost every day of their lives in enormous detailand after years of research, neuroscientists are finally beginning to understand how they do it

阅读理解In a recent article, mathematician Aczel argues convincingly that the number of planets suit able for life is extremely large. There are about 300 billion stars in our galaxy (银河系) and possibly 100 billion galaxies in the universe. Some may quarrel with Aczel''s claim that as many as half of these stars can be presumed to have planets, and that on average one in nine of those planets is suitable for life; but few, I think, will disagree with his conclusion that there are a very large number of planets suitable for life. The trouble starts when we come to estimate the probability that life will emerge on any of these planets. The problem is that we don''t have a good theory of the origin of life on earth. Without one, it is anybody''s guess how likely this event actually was. Out of thin air Aczel conjures (想像) the figure of 1 in a trillion for this likelihood and concludes that the probability of life existing on at least one other planet is virtually 1. Statistics are extremely powerful and important, and Aczel is a very clear and capable exponent (倡导者) of them. But statistics cannot substitute for empirical (经验主义的) knowledge about the way the universe behaves. We now have no reasonable way of arriving at robust estimates for the probability of life arising spontaneously when the conditions are right. So, until we either discover extraterrestrial (外星球的) life or understand far more about how at least one form of life--terrestrial life--first appeared, we can do little more than guess at the likely hood that life exists elsewhere in the universe. And as long as we''re merely guessing, we should not dress up our interesting speculations as mathematical certainties.

阅读理解Green Wave Washed Over Mainstream Shopping Research in Britain has shown that "green consumers" continue to flourish as a significant group amongst shoppers. This suggests that politicians who claim environ mentalism is yesterday''s issue may be seriously misjudging the public mood. A report from Mintel, the market research organization, says that despite recession and financial pressures, more people than ever want to buy environmentally friendly products and a "green wave" has swept through consumerism, taking in people previously untouched by environmental concerns. The recently published report also predicts that the process will repeat itself with "ethical" concerns, involving issues such as fair trade with the Third World and the social record of businesses. Companies will have to be more honest and open in response to this mood. Mintel''s survey, based on nearly 1,000 consumers, found that the proportion who look for green products and are prepared to pay more for them has climbed from 53 per cent in 1990 to around 60 per cent in 1994. On average, they will pay 13 per cent more for such products, although this percentage is higher among women, managerial and professional groups and those aged 35 to 44. Between 1990 and 1994 the proportion of consumers claiming to be unaware of or unconcerned about green issues fell from 18 to 10 percent but the number of green spenders among older people and manual workers has risen substantially. Regions such as Scotland have also caught up with the south of England in their environmental concerns. According to Mintel, and image of green consumerism as associated in the past with the more eccentric members of society has virtually disappeared. The consumer research manager for Mintel, Angela Hughes, said it had become firmly established as a mainstream market. She explained that as far as the average person is concerned environmentalism has not ''gone off the boil''. In fact, it has spread across a much wider range of consumer groups, ages and occupations. Mintel''s 1994 survey found that 13 per cent of consumers are "very dark green", nearly always buying environmentally friendly products, 28 per cent are "dark green", trying "as far as possible" to buy such products, and 21 per cent are "pale green"—tending to buy green products if they see them. Another 26 per cent are "armchair greens"; they said they care about environmental issues but their concern does not affect their spending habits. Only 10 per cent say they do not care about green issues. Four in ten people are "ethical spenders", buying goods which do Not, for example, involve dealings with oppressive regimes. This figure is the same as in 1990, although the number of ''armchair ethicals'' has risen from 28 to 35 per cent and only 22 per cent say they are unconcerned now, against 30 per cent in 1990. Hughes claims that in the twenty-first century, consumers will be encouraged to think more about the entire history of the products and services they buy, including the policies of the companies that provide them and that this will require a greater degree of honesty with consumers. Among green consumers, animal testing is the top issue— 48 per cent said they would be deterred from buying a product if it had been tested on animals—followed by concerns regarding irresponsible selling, the ozone layer, river and sea pollution, forest destruction, recycling and factory farming. However, concern for specific issues is lower than in 1990, suggesting that many consumers feel that Government and business have taken on the environmental agenda.

阅读理解Health Care and Epidemics (流行病) Everyone suffers from disease at some time or another. However, millions of people around the world do not have good health care. Sometimes they have no money to pay for medical treatment. Sometimes they have money, but there is no doctor. Sometimes the doctor does not know how to treat the disease, and sometimes there is no treatment. Some people are afraid of doctors. When these conditions are present in large population centers, epidemics can start. Epidemics can change history. Explorations and wars cause different groups of people to come into contact with other. They carry strange disease to each other. For example, when the Europeans first came to North and South America, they brought diseases with them that killed about 95 percent of the Native American population. People are very afraid of unknown things, especially diseases. People have all kinds of ideas about how to prevent and treat disease. Some people think that if you eat lots of onions or garlic, you won'' t get sick. Others say you should take huge amounts of vitamins. Scientific experiments have not proved most of these theories. However, people still spend millions of dollars on vitamins and other probably useless treatments or preventatives. Some people want antibiotics whenever they get sick. Some antibiotics are very expensive. Much of this money is wasted because some diseases are caused by a virus. Viruses are even smaller than bacteria, and they cause different kinds of diseases. Antibiotics are useless against viruses. Because of their fear, people can be cruel to victims of disease. Sometimes they fire them from their jobs, throw them out of their apartments, and refuse them transportation services. In the plague (瘟疫) epidemics a few hundred years ago, people simply covered the doors and windows of the victim'' s houses and left them to die inside, all in an effort to protect themselves from getting sick. Doctors know how most epidemic diseases spread. Some, like tuberculosis, are spread when people'' s sneeze (喷嚏) sends the bacteria shooting out into the air. Then they enter the mouth or nose of anyone nearby. Others are spread through human contact, such as on the hands. When you are sick and blow your nose, you get viruses or bacteria on your hands. Then you touch another person'' s hand, and when that person touches his or her mouth, nose, or eyes, the disease enters the body. Some diseases spread when people touch the same dishes, towels, and furniture. You can pick up a disease when you touch things in public buildings. Other diseases are spread through insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. One disease that causes frequent, worldwide epidemics is influenza, or flu for short. The symptoms (症状) of influenza include headache and sometimes a runny nose. Some victims get sick to their stomachs. These symptoms are similar to symptoms of other, milder diseases. Influenza can be a much more serious disease, especially for pregnant women, people over sixty-five, and people already suffering from another disease, such as heart problems. About half of all flu patients have a high body temperature, called a fever. Flu is very contagious. One person catches the flu from another person; it doesn''t begin inside the body as heart disease does. Sometimes medicine can relieve the symptoms. That is, it can make a person cough less, make headaches less intense, and stop noses from running for a while. However, medicine can '' t always cure the disease. So far, there is no cure for many diseases and no medicine to prevent them. People have to try to prevent them in other ways. Some diseases can be prevented by vaccination (接种疫苗). A liquid vaccine is injected into the arm or taken by mouth and the person is safe from catching that disease. Other diseases can be prevented by good health habits, such as drinking only clean water, boiling water that might carry disease,, and washing the ''hands often. Epidemics usually start in areas of large population. Poor people in big cities who live crowded together in miserable conditions have the most health problems. They often have the least education about disease prevention. For example, it is difficult for a person who has no electricity to refrigerate food or boil drinking water. With no money, the person can'' t even buy soap to wash his or her hands. Disease prevention costs much less than disease treatment. It seems completely illogical, but some countries like the United States spend much more health-care money on treatment for diseases than on programs to prevent disease in the first place. Most doctors and other hospital workers stay in their institutions. Only a few doctors go out into the streets of the poor areas to educate the people. Only a few doctors and some nurses vaccinate people and supervise them to make sure they take their medicine. Most people who help the poor people with their health problems are volunteers. How can you use all this information for your own good health? When someone you know becomes ill, try to avoid physical contact with that person. If you get sick yourself, keep your towel and dishes separate from everyone else'' s. Try not to touch things that belong to others. Don'' t touch other people, and don'' t shake hands. Explain why, however--you don''t want people to think you are impolite. Wash your hands often if you are ill or if anyone around you is ill. Researchers continue searching for a way to cure or prevent epidemic diseases. Meanwhile, it is worth the money for governments to provide preventative health care for all of their people. Preventing epidemics is much cheaper than stopping them after they have started and thousands of people are ill.

阅读理解It is hard to get any agreement on the accurate meaning of the term "social class". In everyday life, people tend to have a different approach to those they consider their equals from that which they assume with people they consider higher or lower than themselves in the social scale. The criteria we use to "place" a new acquaintance(熟人) , however, are a complex mixture of factors. Dress, way of speaking, area of residence in a given city or province, education and manners all play a part. In Greece, after the sixth-century B. C. , there was a growing conflict between the peasants and the landed aristocrats (贵族) , and a gradual decrease in the power of the aristocracy when a kind of "middle class" of traders and skilled workers grew up. The population of Athens, for example, was divided into three main classes which were politically and legally distinct. About one-third of the total were slaves, who did not count politically at all, a fact often forgotten by those who praise Athens as the nursery of democracy. The next main group consisted of resident foreigners, the "metics", who were freemen, though they two were allowed no share in political life. The third group was the powerful body of "citizens", who were themselves divided into sub-classes. In tile later Middle Ages, however, the development of monetary economy and the growth of cities and trade led to the rise of another class, the "burghers" or city merchants and mayors. These were the predecessors of the modern middle classes. Gradually high office and occupation assumed importance in determining social position, as it became more and more possible for a person born to one station in life to move to another. This change affected the towns more than the country areas, where remnants of feudalism lasted much longer. With the break-up of the feudal economy, the increasing division of labour, and the growing power of the town burghers(公民) , the commercial and professional middle class became more and more important in Europe, and the older privileged class, the landed aristocracy, began to lose some of its power.

阅读理解Smoking Is Smoking a Major Cause of Lung Cancer in Women? Many people think that lung cancer affects mostly men. But even though we hear more about breast cancer, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. And nearly all lung cancer deaths in women are due to smoking. Quitting smoking now is one important change you can make to improve your lung and overall health and live longer. Former smokers have a lower risk for lung cancer than do current smokers. In one to nine months after quitting smoking, your lungs will function better. And after 10 years, your risk of lung cancer is nearly the same as someone who never smoked. Should Women Who Smoke Be Concerned about Heart Disease? Yes. More women die each year from heart disease than from any other illness. Smoking is the major cause of heart disease in women, especially those younger than age 50. Women who use birth control pills have a much higher risk of heart disease if they smoke. But after just one year of quitting smoking, you reduce your risk of heart disease by half. Why Do Women and Girls Smoke? Women and girls smoke for different reasons. Some women smoke to deal with stress or control weight. Younger women and girls may start smoking as a way of rebelling, being independent, or fitting in with their peers. Tobacco companies use research on how women and girls feel about themselves to influence women and girls to smoke. But there is never a good reason to smoke, and it''s best to never start. There are, though, many good reasons to quit smoking. When you quit, your health and quality of life will improve. You also will help safeguard the health of those you live with by not exposing them to second-hand smoke (the smoke released from a lit cigarette or cigar). Why Should I Quit Smoking? When you quit: --Your chances of getting sick from smoking will be less. --You will have more energy and breathe more easily. --If you are pregnant, your baby will get more oxygen and be healthier. --Your children and other people in your home will be healthier. Second-hand smoke can cause asthma (哮喘) and other health problems. --You will have more money to spend on other things. What Are the Dangers of Second-hand Smoke? Second-hand smoke happens when non-smokers inhale other people''s tobacco smoke. It includes: --Sidestream smoke — smoke mat comes directly from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar. --Mainstream smoke — smoke that is exhaled by the smoker. When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is sidestream smoke. Sidestream smoke contains most of the same chemicals found in the mainstream smoke inhaled by the smoker. People who don''t smoke, but are exposed to second-hand smoke, absorb nicotine and other chemicals just as someone who smokes does. Studies have shown that second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer in healthy adults who do not smoke. Children of parents who smoke are more likely to suffer from pneumonia (肺炎), bronchitis (支气管炎), ear infections, asthma, and SIDS (the sudden death of a baby under age one which cannot be explained) . Mothers who smoke and breastfeed may pass harmful chemicals from nicotine to their baby through breast milk. What Have Other Women Done to Quit Smoking? Almost half of women who smoke have tried to quit during the past year. Many women have to try two or three times before they are able to quit for good. It''s hard work, but don''t give up! Millions of women have been able to quit, and you can too! Follow these steps to help you to quit for good: --Learn how much you depend on nicotine (尼古丁) . Knowing how addicted you are to nicotine can help you decide what kind of help you need. Take the Nicotine Addiction Test. --Get ready to quit by picking a date to stop smoking. Quitting all at once works better than trying to quit a little at a time. --Write down why you want to quit. Keep this list as a handy reminder. --Tell loved ones, friends, and coworkers your quit date. Ask them for their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out around you. --Create a fund. Each time you would normally buy a pack of cigarettes, put that saved money in a special place. If you used to smoke one pack per day, after one month, you''ve saved about $150. Set a goal and reward yourself once you reach that goal. --Plan for challenges. Think ahead for how you will deal with situations or triggers that will make you want to smoke. --(Jet medicine and use it correctly. There are many medicines that can help you quit and reduce your urge to smoke. You and your health care provider can decide what medicine will work best for you. Always first talk with your health care provider before trying any medicines, especially when you are pregnant or if you have heart problems. --Be prepared for relapse (复发) . Most people start smoking again within the first three months after quitting. Don''t give up if this happens to you. Many women try to quit several times before quitting for good. Learn from what helped you and what didn''t the last time you tried to quit to increase your chances of success next time. It may help you to keep a craving journal to record when and why you smoke. --Get more help if you need it. Join a quit-smoking program or support group to help you quit. Contact your local hospital, health center, or health department for quit-smoking programs in your area. Your state may also provide toll-free quit line phone numbers. Can Medicines Really Help Me Quit? There are many medicines that can help you quit smoking. So you don''t have to do it alone. At first, you may feel depressed, have trouble sleeping, or just not feel like yourself. This means that your body is going through withdrawal, or getting used to not having nicotine. These symptoms only last a few weeks and medicines can help give you some relief. Most help you quit by giving you small, steady doses of nicotine. Using them can double your chances of quitting for good. Talk with your health care provider about which of these medicines is right for you. Nicotine replacement therapy includes nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray, and inhalers. They help lessen your urge to smoke by taking the place of nicotine from cigarettes. In general, when you quit smoking, use the nicotine as a "substitute" for one to two months, then gradually cut down the nicotine until you stop that, too. You can buy patches and gum on your own at a drug store. You need a prescription for the inhaler and nasal spray. Not everyone can use these medicines. If you are pregnant or have heart problems, be sure to talk with your health care provider before using any of them.

阅读理解How Work Will Change When Most of Us Live to 100 A) Today in the United States there are 72,000 centenarians（百岁老人）

阅读理解A great way to live longer Two major studies, one on heart disease (MONICA) and the other on cancer (EPIC), re giving researchers a new look at the connection between diet and disease. They offer the hope of saving hundreds of thousands of lives a year by adjusting the way we feed ourselves. The studies leave little doubt that many of us—especially in wealthy countries — are eating ourselves into an early grave. Of the two studies, MONICA (Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease) has covered the most ground. It was started ten years ago by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the ￡ 33-million project is the most ambitious study ever undertaken on heart and vascular disease. Using standardized data-collection techniques, WHO''s correspondents gathered statistics on more than ten million men and women in more than 39 population centers, ranging from Siberia to California, Australia to Israel. The study rapidly disclosed some startling facts. MONICA showed that in Finland, for example, men die of coronary disease 11 times more often than they do in Japan, while in Glasgow women die of heart disease 12 times more often than those in north-eastern Spain or southern France. Compass points. As the results flowed in, a clear pattern emerged: in Europe, the further north you live, the more likely you are to die from a heart attack. Two more likely you are to die from a heart attack. Two cities typical of this north-south gradient are Belfast and Toulouse, in south-western France. In the most recent period studied, the heart-disease death rate for men aged 45 to 54 is 237 per 100 000 population in Belfast, but only 56 in Toulouse. For the age group 55 to 64, the contrast is even more striking: 761 for Belfast, 175 for Toulouse—a difference of 4.3 to 1. EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) is a more recent study. Organized in seven European countries including Britain, by the Lyons-based International Agency for Research on Cancer, it began collection data in 1993, and already shows a remarkably similar outcome: for most forms of cancer, the north is dangerous and the south relatively benign. Luxembourg and Belgium lead the mortality figures for men (Denmark and the UK for women), while Greece, Portugal and Spain are at the bottom. Split results. Why should residence in the developed north, with all its wealth and public services, make death by cardiovascular disease or cancer more likely than in the generally poorer south? The question seems to be all the more puzzling because MONICA found no significant differences in smoking, high-blood pressure or cholesterol — the three classic indicators of heart trouble—to explain the regional disparities. The further the investigations progress, the more one factor presents itself as the likely answer: diet Clearly, southern Europeans know something about eating that their northern brethren do not. The most confounding information is in the MONICA data from France, the country with the western world''s highest life expectancy. The French outlive Americans, for example, by more than four years, suffer less than half as much from coronary heart disease and yet smoke more, drink more and have blood pressure and cholesterol counts just as high — while enjoying the diet that has made French cuisine a byword for high living. Those startling facts are the basis of "the French paradox". Dr Serge Renaud, epidemiologist and director of nutritional studies at France''s National Institute of Health and Medical Research, had been studying the relation between nourishment and heart disease for more than 30 years in serene anonymity. Then the MONICA figures revealed the differences between France and more other industrialized nations: Scotland, Finland, the United States and Australia were at the top of the scale for premature deaths from heart disease, while France was nearly at the bottom, edged out only by rice-and-fish-eating Japan. Renaud was suddenly besieged with queries. Could he shed some light on the puzzle? He could indeed. His five-year study of some 600 Lyons-area cardiac patients, completed in Spring 1993, proved to be a show-piece for the influence of diet on health. Safe and sound. Renaud put half of his volunteers on the medically recommended diet for heart-attack victims, and the other half on a diet he developed himself, reducing red-meat consumption and calling for greater amounts of bread, fresh and dried vegetables, fruits, fish and white meat. His diet also replaced butter with a margarine-style spread developed in his laboratory. Renaud''s greater emphasis on fruits, grains, vegetables and his margarine cut the chances of death from a second heart attack by 76 per cent.

阅读理解Recent research had claimed that an excess of positive ions in the air could have an ill effect on people''s physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well, the air is full of ions, electrically charged particles, and generally there is a rough balance. If the balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorms, earthquakes or when winds such as the Mistral, Foehn, Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibers, or from TV sets, duplicators or computer display screens. When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also found to be affected, particularly before earth- quakes; snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation, rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California. Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls. To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionisers; small portable machines that generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive in research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all, it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.

阅读理解Why arent you curious about what happened? A) You suspended Ray Rice after our video, a reporter from TMZ challenged National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell the other day

阅读理解The trees arrived by post, a half-open parcel. They were thin-and straight, rather like arrows but with shiny leaves at one end and muddy roots at the other. Terry and his father took them down the garden and planted them in their prepared places. Terry had great hopes of the middle tree, now set in the memorial spot where Herry, his cat, run over, had been laid to rest a year before. The pine trees made an avenue down one side of the garden, where there was already a fifteen-foot stone wall between the garden and the back-yards of the Jenkins Street houses. "Why do we want a row of trees as well as a wall?" Terry asked his father. His father said, " For privacy. These trees grow very thickly. His father''s love of privacy often puzzled Terry, who was not one to keep himself to himself, but he could see part of the point here. The houses in Jenkins Street were on higher ground. His friend Leslie lived in number twelve, and Leslie had only to stand on a box to see right over the wall. "Will the trees grow higher than the wall?" Terry asked then. " Oh. Yes, twice as high if not more. It''ll take a few years but they''ll grow. So they were going to have nine trees thirty feet tall, to keep them from being over-looked. Terry wondered why this was so desirable. He said, " Our garden is very pretty. Why can''t we let the people over the wall see it? That wouldn''t be showing off, would it?" " No, I don''t think it would be," his father said, " Yet some people might feel a bit less happy if they can always see a good thing that isn''t theirs. We don''t want to be the cause of any jealousy if we can help it. This consideration for other people''s feelings must be a grownup thing, Terry thought. It was no his idea of how to run things. He said, "These trees—it seems a lot of trouble to go just to stop people being jealous of us. His father looked at him. "It isn''t much trouble, Terry. " He said, "These trees will grow without help from us. They''ll be beautiful. And listen to them. You can already hear them whispering to us in the wind.

阅读理解One of the most popular literary figures in American literature is a woman who spent almost half of her long life in China, a country on a continent thousands of miles from the United States. In her lifetime she earned this country''s most highly acclaimed literary award, the Pulitzer Prize, and also the most prestigious form of literary recognition in the world, the Nobel Prize for literature. Pearl S. Buck was almost a household word throughout much of her life time because of her prolific literary output, which consisted of some eighty-five published works, including several dozen novels, six collections of short stories, fourteen books for children, and more than a dozen works of nonfiction. When she was eighty years old, some twenty-five volumes were awaiting publication. Many of those books were set in China, the land in which she spent so much of her life. Her books and her life served as a bridge between the cultures of the East and the West. As the product of those two cultures she became, as she described herself, "mentally bifocal". Her unique background made her into an unusually interesting and versatile human being. As we examine the life of Pearl Buck, we cannot help but be aware that we are in fact meeting three separate people, a wife and mother, an internationally famous writer, and a humanitarian and philanthropist (慈善家). One cannot really get to know Pearl Buck without learning about each of the three. Though honored in her lifetime with the William Dean Howell Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in addition to the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, Pearl Buck as a total human being, not only a famous author, is a captivating subject of study.

阅读理解Computer Crime A computer crime is generally defined as one that involves the use of computers and software for illegal purposes. This doesn''t mean that all the crimes are new types of crime. On the contrary, many of these crimes, such as embezzlement of funds, the alteration of records, theft, vandalism, sabotage, and terrorism, can be committed without a computer. But with a computer, there offenses can be carried out more quickly and with less chance that the person responsible for the crime will be discovered. Computer crimes have been on the rise for the last twelve years. Just how much their computer crimes cost the American public is in dispute, but estimates range from $ 3 billion to $ 5 billion annually. Even the FBI, which attempts to keep track of the growth or decline to all kinds of crimes, is unable to say precisely how large a loss is involved; however, it estimates that the average takes from a company hit by computer crime is $ 600,000. A number of reasons are given for the increase in computer crime: (a) More computers in use and, thus, more people who are familiar with basic computer operation; (b) more computers tied together in satellite and other data-transmission networks; and (c) the easy access of microcomputers to huge mainframe data bases. Examples of Computer Crime Computer crime or e-crime is a kind of crime related to computer. Exactly what is illegal varies greatly from territory to territory. Consequently, the growth of international and in particular the Internet has made these crimes both more common and more difficult to police. Examples of computer crime are: -Fraud achieved by the manipulation of records. -Spamming where this is outlawed completely or where regulations controlling it are violated. -Deliberate circumvention of computer security systems. -Unauthorized access to or modification of programs or data. -Industrial espionage by means of access to or theft of computer materials. -Identify theft where this is accomplished by use of fraudulent computer transactions. -Writing or spreading computer viruses or worms. -Salami slicing — the practice of stealing money repeatedly in extremely small quantities. The Criminal Movies and newspaper stories might lead us to believe that most computer crimes are committed by teenage "hackers" —brilliant and basically good children who let their imagination and technical genius get them into trouble, but a realistic look at the crimes reveals that the offender is likely to be an employee of the firm against which the crime has been committed, i. e. an "insider". Difficulty of Detection and Prevention Given the kind of person who commits a computer crime and the environment in which the crime occurs, it is often difficult to detect who the criminal is. First of all, the crime may be so complex that months or years go by before anyone discovers it. Second, once the crime has been revealed, it is not easy to find a clear trail of evidence that leads back to the guilty party. After all, looking for "weapons" or fingerprints does not occur as it might be in the investigation of more conventional crimes. Third, there are usually no witnesses to the computer crime, even though it may be taking place in a room filled with people. Who is to say if the person at the next terminal, calmly keying in data, is doing the company''s work or committing a criminal act? Fourth, not enough people in management and law enforcement know enough about computer technology to prevent the crimes. Authorities have to be familiar with the computer''s capabilities within a given situation to guard against its misuses. In some large cities, such as Los Angeles, police departments have set up specially-trained computer crime units. But even when an offender is caught, the investigators, attorneys (律师). judges, or juries may find the alleged crime too complicated and perplexing to handle. More attorneys are specializing in computer law and studying the computer''s potential for misuse. After a computer crime has been discovered, many companies do not report it or prosecute (起诉) the person responsible. A company may not announce the crime out of fear that the public will find out the weaknesses of its computer system and lose confidence in its organization. Banks, credit card companies, and investment firms are especially sensitive about revealing their vulnerabilities (脆弱性) because they rely heavily on customer trust. To avoid public attention, cautious companies will often settle cases of computer tampering out of court. And if cases go to trial and the offenders are convicted, they may be punished only by a fine or light sentence because the judge or jury isn''t fully trained to understand the nature and seriousness of the crime. Not all companies are timid in apprehending computer criminals. For example, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company decided it had to get tough on violators. So when the company discovered that one of its computer technician has embezzled $ 200,000 by entering faults benefit claims, it presented it findings to the state''s attorney and aided in the prosecution of the technician. The technician was found guilty and sentenced to prison, not just for the computer misuse, but also for grand theft and insurance fraud. Connecticut General now has a policy of reporting all incidents of theft or fraud, no matter how small.

阅读理解For any given task in Britain there are more men than are needed. Strong unions keep them there in Fleet Street, home of some London''s largest dailies. It is understood that when two unions quarrel over three jobs, the argument is settled by giving each union two. That means 33 percent over-manning, 33 percent less productivity than could be obtained. A reporter who has visited plants throughout Europe has an impression that the pace of work is much slower here. Nobody tries too hard. Tea breaks do matter and are frequent. It is hard to measure intensity of work, but Britons give a distinct impression of going at their tasks in a more leisurely way. But is all this so terrible? It certainly does not improve the gross national product or output per worker. Those observant visitors, however, have noticed something else about Britain. It is a pleasant place. Street crowds in Stockholm, Paris and New York move quickly and silently heads down, all in a hurry. London crowds tend to walk at an easy pace (except in the profitable, efficient city, the financial district). Every stranger is struck by the patient and orderly way in which Britons queue for a bus; if the saleswoman is slow and out of stock she will likely say, "Oh dear, what a pity''; the rubbish collectors stop to chat and call housewives "Luvs". Crime rises here as in every city but there still remains a gentle tone and temper that is unmatched in Berlin, Milan or Detroit. In short, what is wrong with Britain may also be what is right. Having reached a tolerable standard, Britons appear to be choosing leisure over goods.

阅读理解What do the researchers suggest?

阅读理解Every couple who goes to the church believes that they will make that trip only once to their lives. They want the day to be perfect, and they are asking for much more than good weather. They want the most beautiful clothes, the freshest flowers. Moreover, her family who will foot the bill is not in any mood to (47)______ . A quick look at any bride magazine will (48)______ that plenty of attractive goods and services (49)______ for a share of the wedding budget. Besides the obvious choices of rings, dresses, flowers, and photographs, there are the less apparent expenses: a lavish (奢华的) cake, a dinner, a reception, music for both the ceremony and the reception, tips, and even napkins (餐巾) and matchbooks printed with the couple''s names and the wedding date. As the arrangements are generally (50)______ , there are plenty of services that can be hired to help with the planning and execution of the every aspect of the wedding: planning the photographs, selecting the wedding rings, choosing the flowers, picking the honeymoon spot, and so on. One magazine lists over 350 such pamphlets (小册子) published of course by businesses who have something to (51)______ . Considering that wedding do more than 12 billion dollars worth of business annually in the US alone, such activity isn''t surprising. What is surprising is that no one company (52)______ the industry. It seems that when people plan for a day as special to them as a wedding, they (53)______ standardization. They turn instead to the small (54)______ suppliers known to them or to their friends. Family members or friends often serve as photographers, caterers (承办人) and musicians. This not only helps bring the wedding cost down, but makes it more personal. What about the couple that doesn''t want to take in this billion-dollar (55)______ ? They can go to city hall and get married for less than the price of a (56)______. Word Bank A) fancy I) associate B) compete J) complicated C) resist K) industry D) offer L) arouse E) local M) hamburger F) ahead of N) awkward G) economize O) reveal H) dominates

阅读理解A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. Them seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are. It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride and calcium (氟化钙), or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats. Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be leas talkative and less spirited than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more moderate. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous. But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live m a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temper? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows? We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies.