Over the years, many cities and states have tried to put a tax on sugary drinks. Last week, Berkeley, California succeeded. The city in northern California will charge a penny-per-ounce tax on most sugary drinks. The tax is expected to raise more than $1 million every year to fight against obesity . Makers of sugary drinks are against the tax. They say picking out one product will not solve the obesity problem in America. They also argue that a tax is an attack on personal freedom. "Families should be able to make the choice for their kids without the government stepping in," said Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesperson for the American Beverage Association . Gindlesperger says that the fight against obesity is more successful when the government partners with industry. He shows how the beverage industry worked with President Bill Clinton's administration is the 1990s. They introduced water, milk, and fruit juice into a large number of schools, which took the place of sugary drinks. More recently, the beverage industry listened to First Lady Michelle Obama's suggestion that labels on sugary drinks be clearer. Containers of up to 20 ounces will show the total calories on the front. Some people say a tax is a _ way to help reduce obesity in the U.S. "There is clear evidence that taxes result in less consumption of sugary drinks," says Dr. Rachel Johnson, a spokesperson for the American Heart Association. She points to Mexico as an example. The country put up a tax on sugary drinks in January, and sales have already dropped by 10%. What's more, sales of healthier drinks have increased. Bottled water sales are up by 13%. Milk sales are up by 7%. Another purpose of the tax is to raise money to fight childhood obesity. Money will be used to build playgrounds, create educational materials, and increase the sales of the healthier foods. "We've already helped reduce obesity to some degree," says Dr. Johnson. "I'm confident that we're going to see even bigger progress soon." In the 1990s, sugary drinks in many schools _ . A) were charged a penny-per-ounce tax B) were not as popular as they are today C) were replaced by water, milk, and fruit juice D) were not more than 20 ounces per bottle
C
(Question)
There is an English saying :"laughter is best medicine ."Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people's health . Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial . Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which _ both stress and pain . As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter . Doctors hold laughter clinics _ . A) to give better condition to their patients B) in order to improve patients' health C) to make patients smile D) to prove smile and laughter have the same effect
(Answer)
B
Ques: Traveling in Viet Nam was like visiting a mysterious neighbor. You have lived next door to each other for years but knew very little about what happened on the other side of the fence. I traveled there last August. A simple 180-kilometre trip from a Chinese border town to Hanoi, capital of Viet Nam, took an adventurous eight hours. That's because the country still doesn't have a modern expressway system. The major passage going through the peninsula is only a two-way road. Also, many areas are mountainous. Vietnamese drivers are impatient and fearless. They compete with each other at full speed no matter how scared the passengers feel. When the bus shook us violently many times, the driver made a joke to make us feel better. "See, this is just a gift Vietnamese people give you, a free passage service." It was midnight when I reached the hotel. Turning on the television, I was surprised by something : All the characters in the TV dramas spoke in the same voice. At present, modern Korean dramas and historical Chinese dramas are popular with the Vietnamese. But it seemed they didn't have enough money to dub all these programmes. So, the same boring woman would appear behind every drama to speak for the roles. The next morning when I opened the window, I found myself in a huge "garden". The buildings in the streets were dressed in all kinds of colors you can imagine. Vietnamese residents are allowed to paint their houses as they like. Each one is different and the colors bring the city alive. On the way to Hanoi, the author _ . A) was struck by the beautiful scenery in Viet Nam B) was regretful for this travel C) was in high spirits D) was not pleased with Vietnamese drivers
Ans: D
Almost every day, we discuss the topic of health, especially for kids. But what is health? "Health" means eating well, getting enough exercise, and having a healthy weight. Let's read the following rules. They can help you stay healthy. 1 Eat _ foods, especially fruit and vegetables. We all know that eating fruit and vegetables can help us stay healthy, but many of us only eat our favorite foods. Remember that we can only get the nutrition we need by eating different kinds of food, especially fruit and vegetables. 2 Drink water and milk most often. Everyone knows that water is important. Besides that, kids need plenty of calcium to grow strong bones, and milk has a lot of it. Every day, you should drink at least three cups of milk (1300 milligrams of calcium), when you are 9 years old or older. You should also try to have less sugary drinks, like soda and coca. They include a lot of sugar. Sugar just includes calories, not important nutrition. 3 Listen to your body. When you are eating, notice how your body feels. When your stomach feels comfortably full, stop eating. Eating too much makes you feel uncomfortable. If you do it too often, it can make you unhealthy and fat. 4 Limit screen time. What's screen time? It's the amount of time you spend watching TV, movies, and playing computer games. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time you spend playing sports, like basketball, and doing other activities like bike riding and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time. As kids, we should drink at least _ to grow strong bones. A) three cups of milk B) four cups of milk C) two cups of milk D) one cup of milk
A