OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING-especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value-because you are the boss. 1. FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET Here is a toy that doesn't need power-and the bike have to put it together themselves. This 50 piece puzzle set is made of soft edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. $135; flaxart.com. 2. TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. $19.95; tinylove.com. 3. ROBOSAPIEN This small, remote control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions , including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function which, sadly, does not include doing windows. $99; robosapienonline.com. 4. MINI PEDAL CAR Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16.For ages 3 to 5.$189; minus A. com (click on "gear up," then "Mini motoring gear"). Educational value is mentioned in all the toys EXCETP _ . A) FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET B) TINY LVE ACTIVITY BALL C) ROBOSAPIEN D) MINI PEDAL CAR
D
(Question)
Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. Recorded background music first found its way into factories, shops and restaurants in the USA. Very soon it spread to other parts of the world. Now it is becoming difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to background music. To begin with, background music was intended simply to create a soothing atmosphere. Recently, however, it's becoming a big business. An American marketing expert has shown that music can boost sales or increase factory production by as much as a third. But it has to be the light music. Lively music has no effect at all on sales. Slow music can increase receipts by 34%. This is probably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunity to spot items they would like to buy. Yet, slow music isn't always the answer. The expert found that in restaurants slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, which reduced overall sales. So restaurant owners might be well advised to play faster music to keep the customers moving-unless, of course, the resulting indigestion leads to complaints. An American marketing expert has found background music can _ . A) increase sales or factory production B) create a soothing atmosphere C) make people slow down D) make people forget their worries
(Answer)
A
Ques: You may have heard about the many benefits of yoga, but a recent New York Times story, has stirred up more than a little controversy in the yoga community. "How Yoga Can _ Your Body," by science writer William J. Broad, quotes a long-time yoga teacher who "...has come to believe that 'the vast majority of people' should give up yoga altogether. It's simply too likely to cause harm." He goes on to describe a number of cases where people have been injured doing yoga, including himself. The research in the article isn't groundbreaking: doing any form of exercise you could potentially hurt yourself. If you look at the injury rates of other physical activities, the number of injuries sustained from yoga would pale in comparison. Practicing yoga is just like anything in life: You have to push yourself in order to grow. But you also have to know your limits and when you're breaking them. If you stick to your comfort zone, you'll never be able to increase your flexibility. If you push to the point where you're not only uncomfortable, but in real pain, you'll likely injure yourself. The reasons that yoga causes "serious injury", according to the Times story, range from students' physical weaknesses to inexperienced teachers pushing too hard to the growing number of inflexible "urbanites who sit in chairs all day" trying hard to twist themselves into difficult postures. Yoga is called a "practice" for a reason. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to tackle every pose. It doesn't matter if you can touch the floor with your palms during your first forward bend or your thousandth, or if you never get there. We go to the mat to learn to better listen to what our bodies are telling us, and to better hear that quiet inner voice drowned out by the noise of our busy lives. It's a shame to discourage the majority of people from practicing yoga and missing out on all of the mind-body benefits that going to the mat has to offer. What is the author's attitude towards practicing yoga? A) It's a shame not to practice yoga. B) One should push the limits in order to be perfect. C) The majority should give up yoga for it may cause harm. D) One should enjoy the physical and mental benefit that yoga brings.
Ans: D
The effect of the Great Lakes on weather in the region is called the lake effect. In winter*the lakes often have no ice in the middle. The seasonal winds from the west pick up the slightly warmer wet air from the lake surface. As the slightly warmer wet air passes over the colder land surface, it often produces heavy snowfall. This is similar to the effect of warmer air passing over mountain ranges, which often leads to dropping snow. During the period of freezing weather, the "snow belt",caused by the seasonal winds, receives regular snow fall and this phenomenon along the eastern shore forms the localized weather pattern, especially in Michigan, Ohio and so on. The lakes also _ seasonal temperatures to some degree, by absorbing heat to cool the air in summer and then slowly giving out that heat in autumn. This function of the lakes protects the autumn against frost, and it also keeps the summer time temperatures cooler than further inland. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts",where fruits typically grown farther south can be produced. That is why some southern fruits like apples ,cherries and grapes can be found in western Michigan near the lake shore as far north as the Grand Traverse Bay. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie have many wine makers as a result of this. However ,the lake effect has been found to be related to the occurrence of bad weather. For example, fogs are often formed over medium-sized areas along the shorelines of the lakes. This is most noticeable along Lake Superior's shores ,due to its coastal climate. A case in point is Hurricane Hazel in 1954,and tornadoes in Michigan and Ontario in 2007. Such evidence shows that the lake effect may help strengthen storms. What result does "the lake effect" bring to the eastern shore? _ . A) Seasonal winds B) Warmer wet air C) Mild weather D) Heavy snowfalls
D