选择知识点

B

My problems started after I went to a boarding（寄宿）school. I was only 14, and at first I missed my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found that I enjoyed being with my classmates at school. I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends – but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.

Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was staying with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union(学生会). I thought I could win , for I was doing well in school. I had already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn’t include me. I was sad.

Mr. Wang came to me and said, “Don’t be sad. I know you’re excellent! Maybe you are a little distant from the girls in our class. They don’t know much about you, so some of them didn’t choose you. It doesn’t matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you’ll make it next time.”

    A recent survey found that only 9% of teens in the United States smoke cigarettes．That's down from 23% in 2000．While this is good news for America's overall health，tobacco use is still a problem．

    According to the American Lung Association，every day almost 3，900 children under 18 years of age try their first cigarette，and more than 950 of them will become daily smokers．If the trend continues at its current rate，5.8 million children alive today will die of smoking．

    The Truth campaignis working to end teenage smoking all together．Their latest“Finish It”series uses social media to spread awareness about the dangers of smoking．“If we all join forces—smokers and non-smokers—we can end smoking once and for all，”the campaign website states．The campaign encourages teens to not judge，but instead to learn the facts．

    However，another issue surfaces．A 2013 report from the Center for Disease Control found that use of electronic cigarettes，battery-powered devices，is on the rise．“The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling，”said CDC Director TomFrieden，M．D．，M．P．H．“Nicotine is a highly addictive drug．Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may struggle with a life long addiction．”

    Scientists are still researching exactly how harmful e-cigarettes are．“This is cause for great concern as we don't yet understand the long-term effects of these novel tobacco products，”said Mitch Zeller，director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products．

    This year，the pharmacy chain CVS made a move to fight the tobacco trend．It became the first nationwide pharmacy to ban sales of cigarettes and tobacco products at its U．S．stores．The decision came after years of pressure from health experts．

    With the obvious danger of tobacco，anti-smoking campaigns have become more popular．Some college campuses and other outdoor areas across the country have banned smoking altogether．

    On October 27，21，615 children and teens joined the Truth campaign and pledged not to smoke．The group hopes they can give teens and young people the knowledge to“be the generation that ends smoking．”

      C

    Velma Lyrae spends up to 18 hours a day limited to a cage because she is allergic(对…过敏) to modern technology. The 51-year-old can’t use a mobile phone, music player, or WIFI. She can’t even use a hairdryer to dry her hair. Instead, she spends her days reading books, doing artwork, and writing letters, all from the comfort of her Faraday cage.

    She suffers from an increasingly common condition called electromagnetic(电磁的) hypersensitivity syndrome(EHS), which means she cannot stand to be near electromagnetic fields. Velma’s condition happened with the arrival of 3G mobile phones, although having an electric shock before is believed to make people more likely to have the disease.

    As a teenager, Velma suffered a shock when she touched the switch during an electric fire in her bathroom. At first, the symptoms were hardly noticeable, but they have gradually become worse over time.

    Velma worked as a secretary for a number of companies in the 1980s, but was forced to leave her job. She said, “Even back then, I could feel a huge agitation when using the computer, but I thought it was just because I didn’t have the technological skills. Now I know that I was starting to feel anxious because of the symptoms of my EHS.”

Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe said, “The symptoms of EHS can cover a broad range of systems, often start subtly(微妙的), and can be mistaken for other medical conditions. Adults and children today are exposed to very high levels of electromagnetic fields that no life on the planet has ever witnessed before. It is no surprise that the number of those with EHS is rising. One of the tragedies is that people use these approaches－cages , shades, necklaces－to try to protect themselves, but those are not long-term solutions. They are simply survival means. The long-term solution is building the internal adaptive(适应) ability that enables those with EHS to be like the rest of us.”

A

    Are you a bit bored with your nine-to-five routine? Have a look at our exciting range of holidays and decide what type of adventure you’d like.

    Activity holidays Our activity holidays are for everyone who loves danger. We have a huge of water, snow and desert holidays. We’ll take you scuba diving(戴水肺潜水）in the Red Sea of kayaking (皮划艇）and white water rafting in Canada.     

    If you prefer snow, you can try skiing or snowboarding in the Alps or even igloo-building(搭建冰屋). For those who like warm weather, we also have sand boarding (the desert version of skateboarding) or camel safaris.

    Polar expeditions Take a cruise to the Antarctic or the Arctic; explore a land of white nature beauty or wonderful wildlife. Our experts will explain everything about the two poles as you watch penguins or whales in the Antarctic and polar bears in the Arctic. There's no greater adventure than traveling to the two ends of the earth.

    Culture journeys Our culture journeys will help you discover the secrets of distant places such as India, Thailand or Egypt. Explore their history by visiting temples, palaces and ancient ruins. You can also get to know how people live in the modern world by exploring markets, eating exotic foods and meeting local people.

Hiking tours We have hiking holidays to famous places, such as Machu Picchu or the Everest Base Camp Trek, as well as some nearer to home, for example in the highlands of Scotland. You don't need to be too sporty, just fairly fit.  

    You’ll have a great time enjoying nature with a group of new friends. Some of the holidays need camping, but we'll transport the tents for you!

    Wildlife holidays We organize small group tours to get closer to nature in Africa, Asia or South Africa. Go on safari in Africa and watch lions and giraffes.   

    Meet the famous turtles of Galapagos Islands. Look for tigers in India, or take an elephant safari in Sri Lanka. We use local guides and stay in a range of accommodation, from tents to tree houses.

   B

You may think, salt is just a simple cooking element we shake on our food for a little extra taste. But salt is much more than that. Without salt, Our muscles would not move. Our nervous systems would not operate. Our hearts would not beat.

But do not think rubbing salt in a wound will help. Doing that would be painful and not heal the wound.To rub salt in a wound is an idiom that means to purposefully make a bad situation worse.

Early humans got the salt they needed to stay alive from the animals they killed. But advances in agriculture led to a diet low in salt. So, humans needed to find other sources. Those who lived near the ocean or other natural sources for salt were lucky. Those who did not had to trade for salt. In fact, people used salt as a method of payment in many parts of the ancient world. The word "salary" comes from the word "salt".

Salt also played an important part in population movement and world exploration. Explorers understood that if they could keep food fresh, they could travel longer distances. So they used salt to preserve food and explored the world.

Salt was so important that, according to food historians, it was traded pound-for-pound

for gold. Today, people still use the expressions “to be worth one's salt” or “worth one's weight in salt”. The expressions describe a person who is helpful, a person of value.

A person might also be called “salt of the earth”. That description means he or she is dependable and trustworthy. However, when you say "I think we should take what he said with a grain of salt" you mean you accept it but maintain a degree of doubt about its truth.

 D

    Controlling traffic is a complex and high cost problem in many developed countries. It becomes more difficult and costly with the ever-increasing number of cars on the roads. But scientists and students at the CATT, at the University of Maryland, are working to solve this problem. They are using simulation(模拟) technologies to help government and private business control and react to changing traffic conditions.

   The online economics magazine Forbes.com says traffic congestion(拥挤) cost Americans $ 124 billion in 2014 and that number could rise to $ 186 billion by 2030.

   But scientists at the CATT lab are trying to reduce those costs. They are developing a system that helps traffic managers, planners, emergency workers and businesses plan and react better. Michael Pack is CATT director. He says the system is important to help emergency workers, or first responders, reach an accident area faster.

   The CATT Lab collects information from many sources, including roadside devices, GPS (global positioning system) equipment and wireless phones.

   About 60 students and 30 software developers observe traffic flow and manage the computer servers at all times. They also work to develop software and applications that can help traffic run smoother and safer, Some of them turn the information gathered into so-called "visualizations". These visual representations help emergency workers better understand what is happening.

   The center shares its findings with firefighters, police, transportation departments and the military. They also share information with universities and the technology company. Google uses the data for its traffic-related websites. Michael Pack says, the information is then shared with anyone who wants to help traffic run more smoothly.

    Mr. Pack says the goal is to help develop an intelligent system of road signals that will communicate with each other and with vehicles on the road.

D

     Conventional wisdom is a major barrier to innovation that threatens the survival of companies everywhere. It’s based on the        assumption that old ideas will always work, so they shouldn’t be challenged. While this may be a valid assumption in situations that don’t change, it’s unlikely to hold true in a changing situation. In today’s rapid changing global environment, old methods often don't work, and stubbornly using them can lead to major problems.

     Most people seem to agree with conventional wisdom because it gives one a false sense of security. If everyone else believes it,     then it must be true. Individuals who use conventional wisdom are certain that they are right, and being right is good. They want to continue using old ideas rather than take risks with changes that might not work. In 1977, Ken Olsen, co-founder and CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), stated “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” Despite being a dominant leader in the computer industry, DEC no longer exists.

    People seem to forget that since innovation is a change, there can be no innovation without change. Unfortunately, conventional  wisdom prevents leaders, followers and companies from changing and therefore innovating. If companies don’t innovate, but their competitors do, the future is likely to be problematic. Breaking from conventional wisdom has led to many of the most innovative companies and products in history across many industries, so it has a powerful effect on business success.

    Ted Turner (founder of CNN) knew little, if anything, about the news business, but he knew it was inconvenient to watch news only at the dinner hour, as was common before CNN. Turner’s solution was to create a cable channel dedicated to news 24 hours a day. The news establishment reflected conventional wisdom at the time, and predicted his idea would fail because no one wanted to watch the news all day. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that viewers don’t have to watch the news all day for the CNN to work. Viewers just have to watch when they want to get information. Due to conventional thinking, the critics failed to recognize the opportunity that was clear to Ted. They assumed that only what was familiar to them could work in the future.

    Conventional wisdom prevents creativity, flexibility and risk-taking, so unconventional leaders enthusiastically break from it. To       survive, thrive and maintain competitive advantage, companies must be flexible when reacting to change.

 Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

      My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

      I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

      I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality (可能). And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.

Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently—and much more strongly—than men’ s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive (着迷的) about what they eat.

Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women.

The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists.

They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males.

The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to.

Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”

Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “for centuries women have had a providing role—preparing and cooking food for their families. And it’s part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain react to food because it historically has developed neural (神经的) pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”

But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved.American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said, “Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的) differences or a learned process.’’

The technology is great. Without it we wouldn't have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean's depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves.

    Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who've come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don't have throat cancer, and it's just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee (保证) accurate self-health-checks.

    One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what's wrong; I've got throat cancer. I know there's nothing you doctors can do about it and I've just got to wait until the day comes.”

    As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn't right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven't been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that's what I had.”

    However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn't fit with it-but she'd just ignored this.

    I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn't the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核) -something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.

    Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I'm so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested.  She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?