What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at. Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body's temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body's temperature rise quickly. But everyone's body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we're better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it's better to exercise later in the day. Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we're active. This allows our body to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high. _ can tell us what time of day we can perform best at. A) Morning people B) A warm shower C) Our body temperature. D) Our body clock
D
Department stores sell ready- to-wear clothing, which is also called ready-made clothing. Such clothing is made in fixed sizes. Those people who find that ready-made clothing fits them well can save money by buying it. Most often, people do not fit exactly into a producer's size. Their clothing must be altered to make it fit better. However, most alterations are not very expensive. The small cost of most alterations means that ready-made clothing can meet the needs of most customers. Those who can afford it often get someone to design and make their clothing. Such clothing is called custom-made. The person who makes it measures the customer, and then sews it so that it fits perfectly. Alterations are not needed. Custom-made clothing is largely sewn by hand, has better quality, better material, and is of the style you have chosen. Of course, it costs much more than ready-to-wear clothing. You need to pay the difference for the special fitting and better skill that you are receiving. This often means that you spend double or more than you would for a ready-made garment. Custom-made clothing is not always that much better than ready-made clothing. It costs more partly because only one garment has been made, just for you. Companies that produce ready-made products make thousands of garments at a time. This means they can buy large quantities of material. Workers cut each size by the hundreds. Companies work out ways to make the garments quickly by machine and pay workers according to their skill. Thus they can sell the finished products at a low price while still making money. Most of the clothing sold in the United States is made in this way. Customers gain from the lower prices which are made possible by mass production. It may or may not give them high quality. We can learn from the passage that custom-made clothing is _ . A) specially made B) fashionably designed C) chosen by few people D) made with difficulties
A
Q: Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power. The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances. The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. "When we took a syringe of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb," said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. "The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get." The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface _ negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current. According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. "The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839," he said. "So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it." Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. "You'd need to be sure it wouldn't... What does the passage mainly want to tell us about? A) A kind of solar power discovered by scientists. B) A kind of new energy source found in tap water. C) The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago. D) A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.
A: B
(Question)
The NBA's version of the Ming Dynasty is done. After helping basketball gain a foothold in the world's most populous market, Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30. "I will formally end my career," said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA. "Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future," Yao said. "I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening." Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. "My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said. He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people ---- his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O'Neal ---- "for making me a better player. I will be always with you. Thank you." Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but he would be sorry if he wasn't here. "It's a big moment," Morey added. "Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA." Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country. He carried the Olympic... Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? A) Yao Ming: a household name B) Farewell conference C) Yao Ming retires from the basketball D) Yao Ming's personal decision
(Answer)
C