A nerve-zapping(电击神经)headset caused people to get rid of fat in a small preliminary study. Six people who had received the stimulation(刺激)lost on average about 8 percent of the fat on their trunks in four months, scientists reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience,

The headset stimulated the vestibular nerve(前庭神经), which runs just behind the ears. That nerve sends signals to the hypothalamus, a brain structure thought to control the body’s fat storage. By stimulating the nerve with an electrical current, the technique shifts the body away from storing fat toward burning it.

Six overweight and obese people received the treatment, consisting of up to four one-hour-long sessions of stimulation a week. Because it activated the vestibular system, the stimulation created the sensation of gently rocking on a boat or floating in a pool, said the study’s co-author Jason McKeown of the University of California, San Diego.

After four months, body scans measured the trunk fat for the six people receiving the treatment and three people who received unreal stimulation. All six in the treatment group lost some trunk fat, despite not having changed their activity or diet. In contrast, those in the unreal group gained some fat. Researchers suspect that changes in the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within human cells are behind the difference. “The results were a lot better than we thought they’d be,” McKeown said.

Earlier studies found that vestibular nerve stimulation causes mice to drop fat and pack on muscle, resulting in what McKeown called Schwarzenegger mice. Though small, the current study suggests that the approach has promise in people. McKeown and his colleagues have started a company based on the technology and plan to test it further.

1.What is an electrical current used for?

A. Causing the body to bum its fat.

B. Controlling the body’s storage of fat.

C. Seeing if the headset will be affected.

D. Speeding the process of one’s digesting.

2.What’s the probable reason for the different results in participants?

A. The length of stimulation they received.

B. The type of stimulation they received.

C. The difference in their vestibular system.

D. The way chemicals process in their body.

3.Which is true about McKeown’s current findings?

A. They have a kind of practical value.

B. They go against those of earlier tests on mice.

C. They were widely recognized at the meeting.

D. They have been tested by MeKeown’s company.

4.What can be the best title of the text?

A. The science of zapping fat

B. A new trial of weight loss

C. Zapping certain nerves leads to fat loss

D. Exercise for weight loss and get fit

My husband hasn't stopped laughing about a funny thing that happened to me. It's funny now but it wasn't at the time.

Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town, I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop - that was a cheap self-service place with long tables to sit at. I put my heavy bag down on the floor, put the newspaper and chocolate on the table to keep a place, and went to get a cup of coffee.

When I went back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking youngsters, with dark glasses and worn clothes, and hair colored bright red at the front. Not so unusual these days. What did surprise me was that he'd started to eat my chocolate!

Naturally, I was annoyed. However, to avoid trouble - and really I was rather uneasy about him - I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of my chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn't dare to start an argument. When he took a third piece, I felt more angry than uneasy. I thought, "Well, I shall have the last piece." And I got it.

The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out. "This woman's crazy!" Everyone stared. That was embarrassing enough, but it was worse when I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face went red - as red as his hair - when I realized I'd made a mistake. It wasn't my chocolate that he'd been taking. There was mine, unopened, just under my newspaper.

1.The woman telling the story ________.

A. always went shopping with her family on Fridays

B. had been very busy and needed some time to recover

C. bought some chocolate so that she could keep a place at the table

D. wanted a newspaper and some chocolate to take home to her family

2.When the woman saw the boy go on eating the chocolate, she felt ________.

A. too tired to start an argument

B. more and more angry with the boy

C. too shy to look in the boy's direction

D. more and more disappointed at losing the chocolate

3.The woman's face turned red ________.

A. because she hated being shouted at

B. because she saw everyone staring at her

C. because she realized that the boy was poor and angry

D. because she realized that she had been quite wrong about the boy

4.From the story we can see the woman ________.

A. was crazy

B. was being careless

C. often made mistakes

D. was careless and selfish

A scientist believes he has discovered a direct link between people's favourite sleeping position and their personality. Professor Chris Idzikowski has described six different positions and what each one says about a person’s character. The professor, who did the research for a hotel group, said, “We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our position says about us when we are asleep.” At the moment, Professor Idzikowski is trying to sleep in a yoga position that involves crossing your legs around your neck. He says there is no perfect position for sleeping.

1. THE STARFISH

“Starfish” sleep flat on their back with their arms raised. They are good listeners who make friends easily but do not like to be the centre of the attention.

2. THE YEARNER

“Yearners” sleep on their side with their arms raised. They are doubtful and have a very sensible approach to life.

3. THE FOETUS

The most popular position, particularly among women. They sleep curled(蜷缩)up on their side, holding on to the pillow. They appear to be tough but are actually sensitive and shy.

4. THE FREEFALLER

Only 6.5% of people prefer to sleep on their front, making this the least popular sleeping position. “Freefallers” seem very confident, although this hides a nervous personality.

5. THE LOG

The “log” position is similar to the “yearner” but with arms by the sides. “Logs” are easy-going and sociable, but can be seen as too gullible, easily to be tricked.

6. THE SOLDIER

“Soldiers”, who sleep on their back with their arms by their sides, are quiet and reserved. They set high standards for themselves and do not like noisy social situations.

1.What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A. The yoga sleeping position is the best one.

B. People don't know their body language when awake.

C. People's sleeping position determines their personality.

D. Professor Idzikowski shows great interest in sleeping positions.

2.Which of the following sayings about the sleeping position is correct?

A. “Foetus” seem to be strong but sensitive.

B. “Yearners” sleep on their back with their arms raised.

C. “Starfish” like to be the focus of the attention.

D. “Soldiers” sleep on their side with their arms by their sides.

3.What does the underlined word gullible mean in Paragraph 6?

A. Easily annoyed. B. Easily approached.

C. Easily cheated. D. Easily satisfied.

No one can deny that buttons are an important device. Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam (骗局), at least in the US - the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

“Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “ having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A. To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons.

B. To describe some different kinds of fake buttons.

C. To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons.

D. To analyze the functions of fake buttons.

2.In America, the “close” buttons on lifts _______.

A. are fake for the convenience of disabled people

B. work only when people press them hard for a while

C. were specially designed to give people a sense of control

D. cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case

3.The underlined part “for this same purpose” in Paragraph 6 refers to _______.

A. making people more patient

B. giving people perceived control

C. helping people to build up confidence

D. making people with depression feel better

4.According to John Kounios, people who press fake buttons ______.

A. should give up this habit

B. consider what they do to be meaningless

C. probably do so to kill time

D. don’t know that what they press is fake

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