The British government has decided to wipe out the obesity epidemic through a novel strategy-by offering fat people cash incentives. 1. According to the latest measure, employers will be urged to set up competitions with money, vouchers and other rewards for people who renounce junk food in favor of healthy eating and living. And those who will shed the maximum amount of pounds will earn the biggest prizes,reports the Telegraph. One competition,called The Biggest Loser,has a 130-pounds gift in store for the participant who loses the most weight in eight weeks. 2. The announcement comes after experts estimated that most of the population in Britain would be obese by 2050 unless urgent action is taken and the related rise in ill health would cost the National Health Service 50 billion pounds a year. According to ministers,giving people incentives to fight the flab will help avoid larger costs associated with treating cancer, heart disease and diabetes caused by obesity. The government said that it wants to make Britain the first major nation to quash the rising tide of obe-sity. And the milestone strategy-Healthy Weight,Healthy Lives-is their solution to the problem. The strategy will feature a series of projects run through a Well@work scheme led by British Heart Foundation, which will offer rewards to workers who lose weight. 3. There will also be a "Walking into Health"campaign, aiming to get a third of the population in England walking an extra thousand steps-around a kilometer-every day by 2012. "We will look at using financial incentives,such as payments, vouchers and other rewards,to encourage individuals to lose weight and sustain that weight loss,to eat more healthily,or to be consistently more physically active,"officials said.

When most people think about changing their body shape,they usually focus on just losing weight. Books and magazines about dieting are among the most popular in the world. Dieting is an important part of staying fit and healthy,but losing weight by means of dieting takes time;losing weight too fast can cause great health problems. Dieting means changing ones eating habits to a healthier pattern,but many women mistake the concept of dieting and think that the less one eats,the better. As a result,they lose health as well as weight. Aerobic exercise is a moderate intensity workout that, over a certain period of time,will improve the bodys use of oxygen. Nowadays aerobic exercise has become a very trendy workout among youths. Not only is performing aerobic exercise interesting, but it is also very beneficial for health. There are different types of aerobics like jogging,swimming,kickboxing,fitness walking,inline skating,bicycling,etc. Aerobics strengthens the heart and lungs. It is also especially popular with women. But neither of these two methods,dieting and aerobics,can help shape the body. To do this you need to build muscle. So, if a firmer and shapelier body is your goal,60 percent of your exercise routine should involve strengthening moves,and only 30 percent should be aerobic exercises. For a proper body-shaping routine,you should plan three strength-training sessions a week with weights. Use weights which are as heavy as possible while still allowing you to do 8 to 12 reps of each exercise. Do one to three exercises for each muscle groups-for example,chest and biceps,or back, shoulders and triceps. You should combine this with fast-paced aerobics activities,like swimming,cycling,walking,running, or in-line skating, plan three to four workouts a week, 15 to 20 minutes each,increasing the pace each week. As you build muscle,you may find that you gain weight in spite of all of your calorie-burning exercise. Dont worry. Its probably muscle, which is denser than fat. And muscle is also a calorie-burning tissue. With more muscle,you can burn more calories, even when you are not exercising. When you are trying to build muscle,you need two to three serving of protein a day,but the main part of your diet should be carbohydrates. And in order to get the energy you need for a high-intensity workout, you should eat something,especially carbohydrates,an hour or so before your workout. While weight training will firm and shape your body.it has other benefits too. It improves bone and muscle strength and burns calories,leading to improved health and a higher quality of life.<br>Which of the following is NOT true about dieting？

A. Dieting is about changing one"s eating habits.
B. Dieting does not necessarily mean eating less than one used to.
C. Dieting does not necessarily mean losing weight.
D. Losing weight is bound to cause great health problems.

How many things can you see in the night sky？ A lot! On a clear night you might see the Moon, some planets,and thousands of sparkling stars. You can see even more with a telescope. You might see stars where before you only saw dark space. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more details. But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We wont see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year. Thats because theyre invisible. Theyre the mysterious dead stars called black holes. You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all,our Sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky burning brightly,giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesnt seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years. As a stars gases burn,they give off light and heat. But when the gas runs out,the star stops burning and begins to die. As the star cools,the outer layers of the star pull in toward the center. The star squashes into a smaller and smaller ball. If the star was very small, the star ends up as a cold, dark ball called a black dwarf. If the star was very big.it keeps squashing inward until its packed together tighter than anything in the universe. Imagine if the each were crushed until it was the size of a tiny marble. Thats how tightly this dead star, a black hole is packed. What pulls the star in toward its center with such power？ Its the same force that pulls you down when you jump—the force called gravity. A black hole is so tightly packed that its gravity sucks in everything—even light. The light from black hole can never come back to your eyes. Thats why you see nothing but blackness. So the next time you stare up at the night sky,remember: theres more in the sky than meets the eyes! Scattered in the silent darkness are black holes—the great mystery of space.<br>According to the article,what causes a star to die？

As its gases run out.it cools down.
B. It collides with other stars.
C. It can only live for about a million years.
D. As it gets honer and hotter, it explodes.

Even before he is 80,the aging person may undergo another identity crisis like that of adolescence. Perhaps there had also been a middle-aged crisis. But for the rest of adult life he had taken himself for【C1】______.with his capabilities and failings. Now,when he looks in the mirror,he asks himself, "Is this really me？ "—or he avoids the mirror out of distress at【C2】______it reveals, those bags and wrinkles. In his new makeup he is【C3】______upon to play a new role in a play that must be improvised. Andre Gibe .that longlived man of letters,wrote in his journal, "My heart has remained so young that I have the continual feeling of playing a part,the part of the 70-year-old that I certainly am;and the infirmities and weaknesses that remind me of my acre act like a prompter,reminding me of my lines when I tend to stray. Then,like the good actor I want to【C4】______,go back into my role,and I pride【C5】______on playing it well." In his new role the old person will find that he is tempted by new vices,that he receives new compensations(not so widely known)and that he may possibly achieve new virtues. Chief among these is the heroic or merely obstinate refusal to surrender in the【C6】______of time. One admires the ships that go down with all flags【C7】______and the captain on the bridge. Among the vices of age are avarice,untidiness,and vanity,which last takes the form. of a craving to be loved or simply admired. Avarice is the worst of those three. Why do so many old persons,men and women【C8】______.insist on hoarding money when they have no prospect of using it and even when they have no heirs？ They eat the cheapest food,buy no clothes,and live in a single room when they could afford better lodging. It may be that they regard money as a form. of power:there is a comfort in watching it accumulate while other powers are dwindling【C9】______. How often we read of an old person found dead in a hovel,on a mattress partly stuffed【C10】______bankbooks and stock certificates？ The bankbook syndrome,we call it in our family,which has never succumbed.<br>【C1】

Security and commodity exchanges are trading posts where people meet who wish to buy and sell. The exchanges themselves do no trading,they merely provide a place where prospective buyers and sellers can meet and conduct their business. Wall Street,although the best known,is not home of exchanges in the United States. There are the cotton exchanges in New Orleans and Chicago; the Mercantile Exchange which deals in many farm products in Chicago; and grain exchanges in many of the large cities of the Midwest. Some exchanges,like Chicago Board of Trade, provide market services for several kinds of products. These trading posts where products may be brought or sold are called commodity exchanges. The security exchanges,on the other hand,are meeting places where stocks and bonds are traded. Like the commodity exchanges,they help serve the economic life of the country. But when their operations get out of hand,they may become very dangerous. In 1929,the security exchange,or stock market,contributed to a crash-a sudden sharp decline in the value of securities. Many people lost fortunes; many corporations were bankrupted; many workers lost their jobs. The crash of 1929 has been attributed to many causes,among them wild and unwise speculation by many people and dishonest practices on the part of some business and of some members of the exchanges. Today,however,investing through security exchanges and trading on commodity exchanges has been made safer by regulations set up by the exchanges themselves and by regulations of the United States government. In 1922,the government instituted the Commodity Exchange Commission which operates through the Department of agriculture; and in 1934,the Securities Exchange Commission,to protect investors and the public against dishonest practices on the exchanges.<br>Security and commodity exchanges are meeting places for buyers and sellers of_____.

A. stocks
B. securities
C. products
D. all of the above

During the past ten or fifteen years,a great deal of attention has been【C1】______to"telling it like it is," or "letting it all hang out" My impression is that this overzealous devotion to speaking ones mind has more often led to hurt feelings and ruined relationships than to great joy and fulfillment. I think we generally agree that never expressing real feelings and repressing all less-than-lovely thoughts about each other【C2】______leads to constructive communication. Its a great relief to allow ourselves the luxury of acknowledging our human frailties and pursuing more honest relationships with others. But we need to strike a【C3】______between telling it all and telling nothing. Recently I received a letter from a mother who had been persuaded by her troubled twenty-five-year-old son to attend a weekend marathon with him. Under pressure from the group,her defenses collapsed and she heard herself telling her son for the first time that he had been an accident-that she hadnt been planning to have a child. He in【C4】______told her that he couldnt recall a single day in his childhood that he d been happy. "At that time," this woman wrote,"it seemed helpful. We cried and we made【C5】______; I thought telling the truth had been good for us. But the trouble is.it wasnt the whole truth. By the time Tommy was born I did want him,and at【C6】______he was happy. Ever since that day,weve both been haunted by some terrible feelings we shared. " I must admit that Ive come to the conclusion that some things are better left unsaid. Honesty is a fine policy as【C7】______as we know what the truth really is-but most of the time we dont Its a fine goal to encourage children to express their real feelings. And many marriages have been saved by an open confrontation of deep and painful misunderstandings. But we need a new sense of balance. Disclosure is not a panacea for every problem【C8】______even an end in itself. Its useful and freeing under some circumstances and terribly hurtful and damaging under others. Its a good idea,I think,to【C9】______your tongue for ten or fifteen minutes before saying whats【C10】______your mind. Try to decide whether its going to open up new and better avenues of communication or leave wounds that may never heal.<br>【C1】

There is a story of a very wicked man who dies. Before he died,he was【C1】______the worst because there were【C2】______sins he had not committed. But when he woke up in the next【C3】______he found that conditions were not as bad【C4】______he had feared. In fact they were quite good. He had an extremely luxurious room【C5】______himself. The room was air-conditioned—【C6】______a trace of the excessive heat he had feared. He【C7】______food and a smiling waitress immediately【C8】______with a delicious banquet. He felt【C9】______drinking and a large choice of wines was in front of him【C10】______. A couple of weeks of this pleasant life went by and the man began to get【C11】______restless. It was all very nice【C12】______he had been an active man in the other life and he felt he【C13】______like to do somet-hing. He lifted the housephone and a(n) 【C14】______voice came on the line: "Yes,sir,what can we do for you？ No【C15】______with room service, I hope？ " "Oh,certainly not! The service here is excellent,quite【C16】______my expectations. It is just that I would like to be given an opportunity to do something. " "Im sorry,sir,"came the【C17】______reply,"thats the one thing management cant【C18】______here. " The man began to get annoyed and he said,"In that ease I might【C19】______in Hell! " "Why,sir. "came the surprised voice,"【C20】______did you think you were？ "<br>【C1】

A. trying
B. preparing
C. fearing
D. getting

It is possible to persuade mankind to live without war？ War is an ancient institution which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always wicked and usually foolish,but in the past the human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. Either Man will abolish war,or war will abolish Man. For the present.it is nuclear weapons that cause the gravest danger,but bacteriological or chemical weapons may,before long,offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons,our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this,we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way,not as contests of force,in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in massacre,but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change age-old mental habits,but this is what must be attempted. There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a profound error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic assertions which are,at best,doubtful,and at worst,totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them. The movement of world opinion during the past two years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the international sphere, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has began to be though,even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die,that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between East and West,but between Man and the H-bomb.<br>This passage implies that war is now_____.

A. more wicked than in the past
B. as wicked as in the past
C. less wicked than in the past
D. what people try to live with

How to Do Fewer, Better Animal Experiments For a nation of pet lovers, Britain conducts a surprising number of experiments on animals some 3 million a year. America appears to use fewer animals—just 1.1 million a year, according to official statistics,but that is an illusion. Unlike Britains government, American does not think rats and mice worth counting. Japan and China have even less comprehensive data than America, and animals used in research in those two countries are not protected to the same extent that they are in the West. Even so, a-cademic centers supporting alternatives to animal testing have emerged in both places in recent years. In July China issued its first set of guidelines governing the use of animals in research. In an ideal world, there would be no animal testing. It is expensive and can be of dubious scientific value, since different species often react differently to the same procedure. That is why many researchers are working on ways of reducing the number of animal experiments needed and of making those that still happen more effective. However, the transition is proved easier for some types of experiments than for others, as a group of researchers in the field discussed at the sixth World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, held last week in Tokyo. The most important message from the congress was that things are going in the right direction. The number of animals used in experiments has fallen by half in the past 30 years, at least in those countries that record such things. There has also been a shift in the sort of animals used. Most of those employed today are rodents rather than dogs, cats, rabbits and monkeys.(That public opinion generally welcomes, this is, however, a good example of "cutist" prejudice for one specy over another: there is no reason to believe that rodents suffer less than other mammals.)Also, of the experiments that are still conducted, the majority are now concerned with developing and testing medicine rather than, say, checking how toxic cosmetics are. Of the animals involved each year in experiments that have to be reported to the European Commission, about 45% are used for medical and veterinary purposes and another 35% for basic biomedical research.<br>Which of the following is "an illusion"？

A. Britain protects animals used in research better than Japan and China.
B. China has issued guidelines governing the use of animals in research.
C. Japan has less comprehensive data on animal testing than America.
D. America conducts fewer experiments on animals than Britain.

You have had a bank account for a few years. Recently you received a letter from the bank stating that your account is $240 overdrawn and that you will be charged $70 which will be taken directly from your account. You know that this information is incorrect.<br>Write a letter to the bank. Explain what has happened and say what you would like them to do about it.<br>You should write at least 150 words.<br>You do NOT need to write your own address.<br>Begin your letter as follows:<br>Dear Sir,