1.（2017·黄浦·一模）
Super Size Me
Fast food,otherwise known as junk food,is a huge passion for a large number of people across the Western world.But what would happen if you ate lots of junk food every day?Would it seriously damage your health?These were the questions which led Morgan Spurlock,an independent film-maker,to do an experiment,which he made into a documentary film entitled Super Size Me.
The main basis of his experiment was that Spurlock promised to eat three Mc Donald's meals a day,every day,for a month.He could only eat food from Mc Donald's and every time an employee asked if he would like to“super size”the meal,he had to agree.“Super sizing”refers to the fact that with this type of meal you get a considerable larger portion of everything.
Spurlock knew that by eating three Mc Donald's meals a day,he would consume a lot of fat and a great deal of salt and sugar in each meal—much more than he needed.Although Spurlock knew he would put on a bit of weight,and that this diet was unhealthy,he wasn't quite prepared for just how unhealthy it turned out to be.The changes in his body were horrifying in the first week,he put on 4.5 kilos and by the end of the thirty days he had gained nearly 14 kilos,bringing his total weight to a massive 98kg.
Spurlock says,“I'd love people to walk out of the movie and say,‘Next time I'm not going to‘super size’.Maybe I'm not going to have any junk food at all.I'm going to sit down and eat dinner with my kids,with the TV off,so that we can eat healthy food,talk about what we're eating and have a relationship with each other.'”Food for thought indeed.
(word count 307,readability level 8.7)
2.（2019·普陀·二模）
China's National Treasure
Pandas are in danger of extinction at present，with only 1，900 remaining in the world.The scientific name of the giant panda is actually called the cat bear，the number of which is very scarce.It is one of the most precious animals in the world and belongs to the protected animals at the national level.Its body color is black and white.Giant pandas are unique to China，very cute.The existing major habitats are in the surrounding mountainous areas such as Sichuan and Shanxi in China.The giant panda has a very powerful function：digesting bamboo.We all know that bamboo is mainly cellulose（纤维素），and most animals can't digest it except giant pandas.The giant panda's hometown is in the mountains southwest of China，green bamboos and springs everywhere.Therefore，the giant panda's main food consists of bamboo and spring water.
Giant pandas are often referred to as living fossils.Hundreds of thousands of years ago,it was the peak period of giant pandas.This is of great scientific value for studying and protecting biodiversity and environmental changes on the earth.Long long ago,the climate of the earth became colder and colder,many ice cubes formed on the earth;plants could not grow,and many animals were frozen or starved to death.The giant panda alone survived in the deep valleys of the mountains and became a treasure of the animal world.The giant panda still retains the characteristics of ancient animals.Therefore,the giant panda is not only popular with adults and children in terms of appearance,but also becomes a living fossil for biologists to study ancient creatures.
The status of giant pandas has been politicized.Giant pandas can be seen in almost all the major countries in the world.The giant panda has become a witness of friendship between China and foreign countries.For decades,wherever the giant panda goes,a panda whirlwind will blow.With its charmed figure and natural cuteness,the Chinese giant panda attracts numerous fans around the world,and at the same time plays the role of friendship ambassador in China's foreign exchanges,becoming one of the most famous symbols in China.
(word count 370,readability level 9.5)
3.（2019·杨浦·一模）
When we wake up feeling sleepy and with dark circles under eyes，many of us often think：“I'm going to go to bed earlier tomorrow！”But however determined we are，chances are that we don't stick to our promise.This behavior is called“bedtime procrastination（拖延症）”.
According to a study carried out by a group of health psychologists at Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 2014,bedtime procrastination is a common problem.In their study,53 percent of the 2,400 participants said they didn't follow their sleep schedule,delaying it at least twice a week.
It's found that they delayed bedtime not because they liked to stay up late,but they couldn't stop doing other unimportant things,which were keeping them up in the first place.
“People who generally have trouble resisting temptations and sticking to their intentions are also more likely to delay going to bed.”Floor Kroese,a psychologist at Utrecht University,further explained to HuffPost.
Yet,according to scientists,lack of self-control is not the only thing to blame.Our body clock also plays an important role when it comes to bedtime.In order to check the influence of the body clock on sleep,psychologists at Ulm University in Germany studied the sleep patterns of 108 people in February.It was found that those who get up late are more likely to postpone their bedtime than those who wake early every morning.(www.xing528.com)
“The intention to go to bed earlier is not enough,”Jana Kuhnel,a psychologist at Ulm University,concluded in Popular Science.“Biological processes need to support this intention.”
People always think that bedtime procrastination isn't a big problem,but as Kroese told Popular Science,“The choices we make that affect our sleep could turn out to be pretty important for our health.”
(word count 302,readability level 10.9)
4.（2018·普陀·二模）
Better Memory Causes Boredom
A new study shows that the better your short-term memory,the faster you feel fed up and decide you've had enough.The findings appear in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Noelle Nelson,assistant professor of marketing and consumer behavior at the University of Kansas School of Business.She and her colleague Joseph Redden at the University of Minnesota tried to think outside the lunch box.“Something that was interesting to me is that some people get tired of things at very different rates.When you think about pop songs on the radio,some people must still be enjoying them and requesting them even after hearing them a lot.But a lot of other people are really sick of those same songs.”The difference,the researchers supposed,might have to do with memories of past consumption.
The researchers tested the memory capacity of undergraduates.The students then viewed a repeating series of three classic paintings...like The Starry Night,American Gothic,and The Scream...or listened and re-listened to a series of three pop songs...or three pieces of classical music.Throughout the test,the participants were asked to rate their experience on a scale of zero to ten.And the better a participant scored in the memory test,the faster they got bored.
“We found that people with larger capacities remembered more about the music or art,which led to them getting tired of the music or art more quickly.So remembering more details actually made the participants feel like they'd experienced the music or art more often.”The findings suggest that marketers could cope with our desire for their products by figuring out ways to distract us and keep us from fully remembering our experiences.We could also trick ourselves into eating less junk food by recalling the experience of a previous snack.As for kids easily bored,just tell them to forget about it—it might help them have more fun.
(word count 324,readability level 9.9)
5.（2018·奉贤·二模）
The sharing economy has grown in recent years to include everything from apartment sharing to car sharing to community tool sharing.
Since 2009,a new form of the sharing economy has been emerging in neighbourhoods throughout the US and around the world—Little Free Libraries.The libraries are boxes put in neighbourhoods from which local people can take out and put in books.Little Free Libraries come in all shapes and sizes.Some libraries also have themes,focusing on books for children,adults or tour guides.
In 2009,Tod Bol built the first Little Free Library in the Mississippi River town of Hudson,Wisconsin,to honour his mother,who loved reading.When he saw the people of his community gathering around it,exchanging conversation as well as books,he knew he wanted to take his simple idea further.
Since then,his idea has become a movement,spreading from state to state and country to country.According to LittleFreeLibrary.org,there are now 18,000 of the little boxes around the world,found in each of the 50 US states and 70 countries in Europe,Africa and Asia.
The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries.But an Atlantic article said that they are something different in a world of e-reader downloads.The little wooden boxes are refreshingly physical and human.When you open the door of the box,chance and your neighbours'tastes determine what you'll find.You might find a graphic novel,a cookbook or a tour guidebook.
For many people,this sense of discovery is Little Free Libraries'main appeal.“A girl walking home from school might pick up a graphic novel that gets her excited about reading;a man on his way to the bus stop might find a book of poetry that changes his view on life,”said The Atlantic article.“Every book is a potential source of inspiration.”
(word count 312,readability level 9.6)
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