Four Ways to Beat Summer Weight Gain

When we think of the summer holiday，most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer holiday. In reality，the summer holiday isn’t all beach volleyball and water sports. Therefore，we can gain weight easily in the summer holiday.【小题1】 Here are four ways to beat summer weight gain.

1.【小题2】 When we don’t have a plan，it’s easy to spend the summer holiday moving from the couch to the computer，with regular stops before the fridge. Avoid this by aiming for a specific goal，like volunteering，mastering a new skill，or working at a job. Just be sure to plan for some free time so you can relax a little！

2. Stay busy. When we’re bored，it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy. In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar， filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment.【小题3】

3. Beat the heat. Don’t let summer heat put your exercise plans on hold.【小题4】 If a gym isn’t your scene， try bowling or an indoor climbing wall. If you love being outdoors， move a regular run or soccer game to early morning or evening.

4.【小题5】 With school out， we lose our daily routines. If you don’t have a specific job or an activity to get up for，it’s easy to sleep late， watch too much TV，and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure—like getting up at the same time each day. Plan activities for specific times，like exercising before breakfast.

   Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in the human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激), ”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”

In the study, the robotic dogs, called AIBO, are placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO being placed. Then, the researchers will study the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.

“I talk to it all the time, and it responds (回应) to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, it’ll stay in my arms until it wants to go down. It has a mind of its own.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it is metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”

“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”

As we all know, most of us school students feel somehow nervously whenever we’re taking an exam. There is no doubt whether exams are important to us, but it was also of great importance to have a right attitude towards them. As the matter of fact, exams are no more than a means of evaluation. However there is no need to worry too many about the results. Only by studying hard every day and make good preparations can we avoid suffering from the pressure of exam.

We had better to go out for a walk before exams. In addition, having enough sleep could make us full of energy and make possible for us to perform well in the exams.

   As we all know, books are very important to us. They can provide us with many useful things.【小题1】 However, how can you become a good reader？Do you know what effective ways to read are？I suggest you should follow these tips.

【小题2】 Libraries are wonderful places to find a variety of books. What's more, you can fix your attention on the book in this quiet, comfortable place because you won't be disturbed. You can also relax yourself in this comfortable place.

Pick out reading materials that most interest you. Finding materials that interest you is the first important step in improving your reading.【小题3】 If you have trouble understanding what the author is trying to say, you may not enjoy the book. If you are interested in a book, you will enjoy reading it again and again.

Know what your purpose is. If you want to learn the language, you should learn the sentence structures, the useful words and expressions that you may need to use later.【小题4】 The more words you are exposed to, the more your vocabulary will grow. This will help you write a good composition.【小题5】

   In the United States alone,over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year.Cell-phones are part of a growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants.The electronic waste stream is increasing three times taster than traditional garbage as a whole.

Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver.A Swiss study reported that while the weight of electronic goods represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste,the concentration（含量）of gold and other precious metals was higher in So-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals.

Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals.Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful metals removed,the recycling process often is carried out in poor countries,in practically uncontrolled ways which allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment.

Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material,up to 100 times more,than the material contained in the finished products.Consider again the cell-phone,and imagine the mines that produced those metals,the factories needed to make the box and packaging（包装）it came in.Many wastes produced in the producing process are harmful as well.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that"the production, distribution,and use of products-as well as management of the resulting waste-all result in greenhouse gas release." Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start-for instance,buying reusable products and recycling.

In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place as an incentive（动机）for reducing waste.If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their products,would they reduce the packaging in the first place?

Governments' incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually based on money.Why,they ask,should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap（气泡垫）that encased your television?

From the governments' point of view,a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers back to the producers.