Say sorry to your wife---it may help her live longer, according to scientists.
“Sorry” may be the hardest word, but scientists say it could be one of the healthiest. Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and possible damage to their heart than those who don’t.
It is said that the heartbeat of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed “sorry” than without it. But for men, their heartbeat takes longer to recover, according to the research.
The research was undertaken by American scientists using 29 men and 59  women whose diastolic blood pressure was measured throughout an experiment. Diastolic blood pressure
is a measure of pressure in the blood vessels( 血管 ) between heartbeats---if it is continuously high it can increase the chances of heart attacks.
The men and women were asked to undertake a difficult mathematical task. They were told they had five minutes to complete it but were disturbed after a minute and told rudely to carry out the task more quickly. They were disturbed twice more before five minutes had passed and told to speed up. Finally they were told, “ You’re obviously not good enough.” Two minutes later researchers said sorry to half of the men and women.
The researchers found that, on average, the women’s diastolic blood pressure dropped back to normal 20 percent---quicker if they received an apology from the researchers, while the men’s took 20 percent longer to return to normal. One of the researchers said, “Results indicates that the effects of apology and forgiveness on women are greater.”
【小题1】The term “sorry” is considered as one of the healthiest words because it _________.

A.is the most powerful
B.can cure heart disease
C.helps people forget hurtful behavior
D.can reduce pressure and damage to the heart
【小题2】We can know from Paragraph 3 _________.
A.women’s hearts beat faster than men’s
B.women are quicker at making apologies
C.men can forgive others’mistakes more easily than women
D.men stay angry for a longer time than women after receiving an apology
【小题3】Which of the following is the RIGHT time order for events in the study?
a. Half of them received apologies.
b. They were disturbed a minute later.
c. They were told that they weren’t good enough.
d. They were asked to finish a math task in five minutes.
e. They were disturbed two more times during the study.
A.d-b-c-e-a B.d-c-b-a-e C.d-b-e-c-aD.d-c-b-e-a
【小题4】The research confirmed (证实) that _________.
A.men are unwilling to apologize to others for their mistakes
B.men’s chances of getting heart attacks are higher than women’s
C.women can benefit more from receiving apologies than men
D.people can also get healthy benefits from giving apologies


Many cities in the world are benefiting from the night activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the effort of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look depressing in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr. Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to restore neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
【小题1】These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.

A.at the request of the government
B.nearby their house
C.often in return for others’ help
D.out of their own free will
【小题2】Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants in order to ______.
A.plant more flowers in the path
B.beautify the neighborhood
C.attract attention for his ad agency
D.make the plants a feast for his eyes
【小题3】The guerrilla gardeners often return to their night working places with the purpose of ______.
A.looking after these plants
B.enjoying these beautiful flowers
C.helping plants live through winter months
D.changing the varieties of the plants
【小题4】It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.
A.are mainly from the United Kingdom
B.will later get well paid
C.are still not accepted by the local government
D.become more and more organized

Kalle Lasn was in a supermarket parking lot one afternoon when he had an experience that changed his life.In order to shop at the store, he needed to put money into the shopping cart to use it.Annoyed that he had to "pay to shop," Lasn jammed the coin into the cart so that it wouldn't work.It was an act of rebellion—the first of many—for Lasn.
Born in Estonia, Kalle Lasn moved to Australia as a young man and then later to Japan, where he founded a marketing research firm in Tokyo.Eventually, Lasn moved to Canada and for several years produced documentaries (纪录片) for public television.In the late 1980s, Lasn made an advertisement that spoke out against the logging industry and the deforestation going on in the Pacific Northwest.When he tried to show his ad on TV, though, no station in this area would give him airtime.In response, Lasn and a colleague founded Adbusters Media Foundation, a company for the "Human right to communicate.
Adbusters produces magazine, newspaper, and TV ads with a social message.Many use humor and irony to make their points: In one, for example, a man chain smokes a brand of cigarettes called "Hope".In another, a child is dressed in an outfit used in fast-food ads.Next to the child is a note from its mother telling the restaurant to leave her child alone.
Adbusters also has a magazine and a web site, the Culture Jammers Network, whose members include students, artists, and activists as well as educators and businesspeople interested in social change.Many of these "culture jammers" are working to raise awareness about different social issues by hosting events like "Buy Nothing Day" , " No Car Day" and "TV Turnoff Week" .Lasn and his partners hope these events will encourage people to think about questions such as;
·What kinds of things are we being encouraged to buy by the media?
·Should cars be our primary means of transportation?
·How are television and radio being used now? How could we be using them?
Some culture jammers are using other methods to challenge how people think.Some pretend to be shoppers.They move items in stores from one shelf to another making it difficult for people to find things easily.Other culture jammers break into large company well sites and jam them so that they become unusable.The goal in both cases ia to prevent "Business as usual" and to gel people to ask themselves questions such as "Why am I shopping here?" or "Why should I buy this product?"
Lasn and members of the Culture Jammers Network want to make people aware of social issues, but they also believe it's important to think of solutions, too."A lot of people tell you everything that's wrong but they never say much about how to fix these problems," says Lasn."But there is plenty we can do.If you start despairing, you have lost everything."
Though many TV stations still won't show Adbusters' " uncommercials" , some cable TV stations have started to.People all over the world have joined the Culture Jammers Network and are doing their part to promote social change.
【小题1】What does the underlined word "rebellion" in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A.argumentB.violence
C.oppositionD.protection
【小题2】What's the main point of the ad for "Hope" cigarettes?
A.Smoking can help to remove your worries and make you hopeful.
B.Hopefully, the bad taste of the cigarette can help you to quit smoking.
C.You are hopeless at abandoning the habit of smoking.
D.Smoking can ruin you if you are hopelessly addicted to it.
【小题3】Some culture jammers break into websites in order to ________.
A.ask people to be thoughtful consumers.
B.help make the companies better known.
C.encourage people to think less and buy less
D.challenge how people react to sudden changes
【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage ________.
A.Adbusters Media Foundation was founded to fight against deforestation
B.More and more people will know about and even become culture jammers
C.The Culture Jammers Network is made up of annoying trouble makers
D.People can see some of Adbusters ads on TV stations
【小题5】Which of the following best describes what Lasn has done?
A.One step at a time.
B.We can and must change the world.
C.Accept what you can't change.
D.Everyone deserves a second chance.

 

Kindle:Amazon’s 6″Wireless Reading Device

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Read-to-Me : With the new text-to-speech feature , Kindle can read every newspaper , magazine , blog , and book out loud to you .

Free Book Samples : Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy .

Large Selection : Over 300 , 000 books plus US and international newspapers , magazines , and blogs available .

Low Book Prices : New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99 , unless marked otherwise .

Protect your Kindle for two full years—Add an additional year and more comprehensive protection than the one-year manufacturer’s warranty(保修), including coverage for accidental drops and damage . This helps avoid the inconvenience and costs associated with a broken device . The warranty stays with the device even if it is gifted or sold to another party .

The Kindle Extended Warranty is offered and sold by an experienced service management company , Service Net Retail Solutions (Service Net) . If your Kindle experiences a covered failure during the plan’s term , Service Net will replace your unit at no additional cost .

What is Covered

◆ Two years of coverage for failures due to normal operation of device

◆ Tow years of coverage for accidental drops or damage

How it Works

◆ Purchase 2-year Extended Warranty plan for your qualifying Kindle ( you will receive an information packet in the mail )

◆ Contact Service Net customer service at (877) 441-3836 if your Kindle fails

◆ Receive a replacement Kindle and return your damaged device to Service Net

1. The ad is intended for those who          .

A. prefer listening to pop music            B. are fond of playing video games

C. like reading novels                    D. want to look up new English words

2. Kindle is especially helpful to those        .

A. whose eyesight is very bad              B. whose English is not very good

C. who are blind and deaf                 D. who are very slim

3. We can learn from the passage that        .

A. you can download a whole book free of charge

B. you have to pay some fees when you download a whole book

C. the battery can only last a few hours before recharging

D. you can get a book downloaded in less than half a minute

4. If you have your Kindle damaged by chance within two years after you purchase the 2-year Kindle Extended Warranty plan , you         .

A. can get your money back

B. can have your unit repaired free of charge

C. can get a new unit free by returning the damaged one

D. can have your unit repaired at a low cost

 

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