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PASSAGE 1: Reаd this pаssаge tо answer questiоns 2-11. The State оf Sleep Deprivation in America [A] If you're able to pause between sips of coffee and keep your eyes open long enough to read this message, please pay attention. You need to start regularly getting an adequate night's sleep. Not enough rest is bad for your health, and may even lead to deadly consequences. [B] The Mayo Clinic, one of the U.S.'s most prestigious medical institutions, recommends that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. However, a lot of Americans disregard that advice. A 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 35 percent of Americans typically got less than seven hours of sleep a night. [C] Sleep is really important for maintaining our overall health. During deep sleep, growth hormones are released in children and young adults. Cells use the downtime to repair themselves from damage caused by stress and exposure to ultraviolet rays. The break seems especially crucial for the brain, whose nerve cells, or neurons, can become so energy-depleted and polluted with waste products from normal cellular activity that they may begin to malfunction if you stay awake. [D] While we don't generally think of sleep deprivation as a massive public health problem, medical research suggests that inadequate sleep plays a factor in a surprising array of problems. Here are a few of the more serious ones: [E] Obesity: Studies show that the less you sleep, the greater the likelihood that you'll pack on the pounds. In one study, subjects in their twenties who got less than six hours of sleep each night were 7.5 times likely to have a higher body mass index than people who got adequate sleep, even when family history, the amount of exercise, and other factors were accounted for. Studies suggest that not getting enough sleep can contribute to lower levels of leptin, a hormone that controls appetite, and higher levels of ghrelin, which tends to make you feel hungrier. [F] Diabetes: A 2005 study found that middle-aged and older adults who got six hours of sleep each night were 1.7 times more likely to develop diabetes, and those who got five hours or less were 2.5 times as likely. [G] Cardiovascular disease and hypertension: A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reported that people who suffered from insomnia had between a 27 and 45 percent increased risk of having a heart attack in which a part of the heart muscle becomes blocked and can't get oxygen. Another study, published in 2013 in the European Heart Journal, found that chronic insomniacs had three times the risk of heart failure in which the heart is so weakened that it can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. A study published in the journal Stroke in 2014 reported that people who suffered from insomnia also had a 54 percent higher chance of being hospitalized for a stroke over a four-year period. [H] Immune system: According to the Mayo Clinic, sleep deprivation can contribute to decreased production of proteins called cytokines, which your body needs when you have an infection or inflammation, and also hinders infection-fighting antibodies and cells. A study published in 2012 in the journal Sleep reported that subjects who got less than six hours of sleep were 11.5 percent less likely to get protection from a hepatitis B vaccination than others who slept seven or more hours. [I] These four conditions may result in a shortened life span. In a study published in 2010 in the journal Sleep, researchers reported that over a 14-year period, men who complained of chronic insomnia and routinely slept for less than six hours a night were four times more likely to die. [J] But the conclusion of all this is that you need to make a habit of getting a good night's sleep to avoid potentially serious health problems. Or, to look at it in a more positive way, if you get adequate rest, your body and mind are going to work and feel better. QUESTION: What year is the most recent study mentioned by the author?
Hоw dо yоu sаy “Holy cow” in French? The fаstest thing in Frаnce may just be the fastest ground transportation in the world. The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse: French for very high speed) is France’s national high-speed rail service. On April 3rd, 2007, a TGV test train set a record for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 357.2 miles per hour. In mid 2011, TGV trains operated at the highest speed in passenger train service in the world, regularly reaching 200 miles per hour. But what you may find most shocking is that TGV trains run on electric power not petrol. Now if you’ll excuse me; I have a record to catch. Question: Which belongs in a summary of the text?
PASSAGE 1: Reаd this pаssаge tо answer questiоns 2-6. Sacred Summits [A] Vоlcanoes are creators and destroyers. They can shape lands and cultures, but can also cause great destruction and loss of life. Two of the best-known examples are found at opposite ends of the world, on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Symbol of Japan [B] It's almost sunrise near the summit of Japan's Mount Fuji. Exhausted climbers, many of whom have hiked the 3,776 meters through the night to reach this point, stop to watch as the sun begins spreading its golden rays across the mountain. For the climbers, this is an important moment. They have witnessed the dawn on Mount Fuji - the highest point in Japan. [C] Mount Fuji is a sacred site. Japan's native religion, Shintoism, considers Fuji a holy place. Other people believe the mountain and its waters have the power to make a sick person well. For many, climbing Fuji is also a rite of passage. Some do it as part of a religious journey; for others, it is a test of strength. Whatever their reason, reaching the top in order to stand on Fuji's summit at sunrise is a must for many Japanese. Every July and August, hundreds of thousands attempt to do so. [D] Fuji is more than a sacred site and tourist destination, however. It is also an active volcano around which four million people have settled, and it sits just 112 kilometers from the crowded streets of Tokyo. The last time Fuji erupted, in 1707, it sent out a cloud of ash that covered the capital city and darkened the skies for weeks. [E] Today, new information has some volcanologists concerned that Fuji may soon erupt again. According to Motoo Ukawa and his associates at the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, there has been an increase in activity under Fuji recently. This activity may be caused by low-frequency earthquakes. Understanding what causes these quakes may help scientists predict when Fuji will come back to life. In the meantime, locals living near Fuji hold special festivals each year to offer gifts to the goddess of the volcano - as they have for generations - so that she will not erupt and destroy the land and its people below. Mexico's Threatening Mountain [F] Halfway across the globe from Fuji, Popocatepetl - one of the world's tallest and most dangerous active volcanoes - stands just 70 kilometers southeast of Mexico City. Although the volcano (whose name means "smoking mountain") has erupted many times over the centuries, scientists believe its last great eruption occurred around AD 820. In recent years, Popocatepetl is once again threatening the lives of the people near the mountain; in December 2000, almost 26,000 people were evacuated when El Popo - as Mexicans call the mountain - started to send out ash and smoke. As with all active volcanoes, the question is not if it will erupt again (an eruption is inevitable); the question is when it will happen. [G] "Every volcano works in a different way," explains Carlos Valdes Gonzalez, a scientist who monitors El Popo. "What we're trying to learn here are the symptoms signaling that El Popo will erupt." These include earthquakes, or any sign that the mountain's surface is changing or expanding. The hope is that scientists will be able to warn people in the surrounding areas so they have enough time to evacuate. A powerful eruption could displace over 20 million people - people whose lives can be saved if the warning is delivered early enough. [H] For many people living near El Popo - especially farmers - abandoning their land is unthinkable. As anyone who farms near a volcano knows, the world's richest soils are volcanic. They produce bananas and coffee in Central America, fine wines in California, and enormous amounts of rice in Indonesia. [I] Today, many people continue to see El Popo as their ancestors did. According to ancient beliefs, a volcano can be a god, a mountain, and a human all at the same time. To appease El Popo and to ensure rain and a good harvest, locals begin a cycle of ceremonies that starts in March and ends in August. Carrying food and gifts for the volcano, they hike up the mountain. Near the summit, they present their offerings, asking the volcano to protect and provide for one more season. QUESTION: What is the main idea of paragraph G?