Extensive Reading Lesson 49

三岁前看电视有损大脑

据英国《每日邮报》报道，英国顶尖心理学家埃里克·西格曼呼吁，孩子3岁之前应该禁看电视，否则会给孩子健康造成不可逆转的危害。孩子在3岁之前大脑发育完成大约80%，所以这个年龄段的孩子看电视对大脑的损害最严重。因此，有必要像限制食盐和脂肪摄入量一样对儿童每天看电视时间实行量化限制。

研究表明，看电视对儿童健康造成危害，关键问题不是电视节目内容，而是开始看电视的年龄以及看电视时间的长短。从多方面看，《天线宝宝》等很多儿童教育电视节目对儿童生理上造成的伤害与暴力游戏几乎没有区别。

此外，墨尔本心脏与糖尿病研究所的一项新研究发现，成年人每天看电视1小时，心脏病死亡危险增加18%；每天看电视4小时以上，致命心脏病危险增加80%。

中国船员今天回家

据新华社报道，因上周二的撞船事件，在日本冲绳石垣港口被扣押的14名中国渔船船员，今天上午从石垣机场乘坐包机回国。中国国务委员戴秉国周五紧急召见日本驻华大使丹羽宇一郎，随后周日中国政府在与日本的最新外交纠纷中加大了压力，警告日本政府不要在有争议海域扣押中国渔船的事件中“误判形势”。

蜱虫携带病毒被锁定

据《新京报》消息，中国疾控中心已经将病毒从被蜱虫叮咬病人身上分离出。该病毒是布尼亚病毒的一个新的变种，而布尼亚感染常见于许多脊柱动物和节肢动物。卫生部目前正制定临床治疗方案，以有效治愈患者。目前还没有迹象显示这种病毒人际传播。

伊朗将释放美囚犯

据路透社报道，伊朗于周日表示，将以保释的方式释放三名美国人中的一名，他们被控犯有间谍罪，已被关押了一年多。德黑兰的检察官向国家电视台表示，莎拉·舒尔德付50万美元就可得到保释，并可离境。舒尔德于2009年7月在伊朗和伊拉克的边境被捕，与她一起被捕的还有两名同行的男子——沙恩·鲍尔和乔希·法塔勒。家属称，这三人彼时正在伊拉克北部登山。

土耳其民众支持宪改

据路透社报道，土耳其民众周日投票强烈支持宪法改革。土耳其的国家通讯社——安纳托利亚通讯社报道，97%的投票已完成统计，其中58%的投票赞成26条宪法修改方案。总理塔伊普·埃尔多安表示：“今天的胜利是土耳其民主的胜利。”此前他还说这些改革措施是为了增进这个伊斯兰国家的民主建设，有助于土耳其加入欧洲联盟。

山东妇女“被手术”

《齐鲁晚报》消息，从7月下旬到8月中旬，山东省菏泽市成武县的617名妇女被蒙骗参加了菏泽华杰医院的免费妇科检查。体检后，绝大部分都被告知有妇科病。结果96人接受LEEP刀手术治疗后，身体出现严重不适。该手术花费700元到1400元不等。这家民营医院自9月5日起已被当地政府责令停止一切诊疗活动。

内地人购香港四成楼盘

《广州日报》消息，据中原地产及香港置地统计显示，因为人民币兑港币持续升值，香港部分新楼盘内地买家的购买比例，从3月中旬的两成左右提高到目前的四成。

男篮世锦赛美国夺冠

据彭博社报道，凯文·杜兰特在世锦赛决赛上砍下28分，领衔美国男篮梦之队81比64击败东道主土耳其队，自1994年之后，终于重新捧得冠军奖杯。梦之队自动获得2012年伦敦奥运会的参赛资格。

新浪潮主将去世

据英国广播公司报道，法国最负盛名的导演之一—克劳德·夏布洛尔于周日去世，享年80岁。他是法国新浪潮运动的一员，与埃里克·候麦、让-吕克·戈达尔等电影人同处一个时期。夏布洛尔一生拍摄了50多部电影。他20世纪60年和70年代拍摄的惊悚片最出名，如《不忠》、《屠夫》、《此人该死》。他的《表兄弟》于1959年在柏林电影节上荣获金熊奖。

法国总理弗朗索瓦·菲永发表声明表示：“克劳德·夏布洛尔的去世让法国电影节少了位大师。”法国总统尼古拉斯·萨科奇说夏布洛尔是“一位伟大的作家及伟大的电影人”。

黑帮选美“不坏不要”

据英国《太阳报》报道，匈牙利首都布达佩斯正在为曾经有过犯罪记录的黑帮女孩举行有史以来第一次选美比赛。所有参赛佳丽都曾是罪犯。有意参赛的女性可以传照片到此次选美的网站上，但前提必须是上传警方拍的自己的犯人照，以证明有参赛资格。冠军可获赠一辆汽车和位于布达佩斯的一间公寓。此次决赛的地点将选在一间曾经因为黑帮派系对决而被子弹扫过的酒吧。选美会工作人员透露，这次比赛有窃贼、诈欺犯、黑帮分子、银行抢匪与骗子，所以这应该会是一个有趣的选美之夜。

Watching TV is bad for your child

Top English psychologist Dr. Aric Sigman said we must prevent children under three from watching television or risk irreversibly damaging their health, the Daily Mail reported. About 80 percent of brain development happens before we are three, and screen time at this age seems to be particularly damaging. So there needs to be a recommended daily allowance for screen time as we have with salt and fat.

Research suggests it is not what you watch, it is what age you start and how long you watch for that has a detrimental effect. In many ways Teletubbies, or any other educational program for children, could be as physiologically damaging as a violent video game.

In addition, a new study from the Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, found that each daily hour of TV viewing in adulthood was associated with an 18 percent increase in death from heart disease. Those who watched four or more hours were 80 percent more likely to suffer a fatal heart condition.

Chinese boat crew flying home

The 14 Chinese fishermen, on board the trawler which had been kept off Ishigaki harbour in Okinawa since Tuesday's collision, returned home today from the Ishigaki airport on a Chinese chartered flight, according to Xinhua. Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo Friday urgently summoned the Japanese ambassador Uichiro Niwa, and on Sunday the Chinese government raised the stakes in the latest diplomatic dispute with Japan, warning Tokyo not to make "wrong judgments" over the seizure of the fishing boat in contested waters.

Virus on deer tick identified

The virus found in patients of deer tick bite has been isolated by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing News reported. The virus has been identified as a new variation of the Bunyaviridae, commonly found in vertebrates and arthropods. The Ministry of Health is working on clinical plans to effectively deal with the patients. There's no evidence so far that suggest inter-human contamination of the virus.

Iran to free US hiker on bail

Iran said Sunday it will free on bail one of the three Americans accused of espionage and held for more than a year, Reuters reported. The Tehran prosecutor told state television Sarah Shourd would be freed on US$500,000 bail and permitted to leave the country. Shourd was detained near Iran's border with Iraq in July 2009 along with two male companions, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Their families say the three were on a mountain hike in northern Iraq at the time.

Turkey backs constitutional changes

Turkish voters strongly backed constitutional reforms Sunday, Reuters reported. Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency showed the "Yes" vote at 58 percent for the 26 constitutional amendments with 97 percent of the vote counted. "The winner today was Turkish democracy," said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who had portrayed the reforms as an effort to boost the Muslim nation's democracy and help its European union candidacy.

Be wary of 'free check-ups'

Some 617 women in Chengwu County, Heze City, Shandong Province, were lured by free gynecological check-ups provided by Heze Huajie Hospital from late July to mid-August, Qilu Evening News reported. Most of them were told that they had gynecological disorders, and 96 who received loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEP) all had severe complications. The operation costs from 700 yuan to 1,400 yuan. The privately-run hospital has been closed by the local government since September 5.

More mainlanders buy HK apartments

Guangzhou Daily reported that mainlanders now buy 40 percent of new apartments in Hong Kong, thanks to the continuous appreciation of the renminbi against the Hong Kong dollar, according to statistics by Centaline Property and Hongkong Land Holdings Limited. The figure was only 20% before mid-March.

US claims FIBA championship

Kevin Durant carried the US men's basketball team to its first FIBA World Championship title since 1994, scoring 28 points in an 81-64 victory over host Turkey in the gold medal game, Bloomberg reported. Team U.S.A. now automatically qualifies for the 2012 Olympics in London.

French New Wave giant dies

One of France's best-known film directors, Claude Chabrol, died Sunday at the age of 80, BBC reported. A member of the French New Wave movement, Chabrol is best known for 1960s and '70s thrillers, such as The Unfaithful Wife, The Butcher and This Man Must Die. He made more than 50 films during his career, and his Les Cousins won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1959.

"With the death of Claude Chabrol, French cinema has lost one of its maestros," said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon in a statement. French President Nicolas Sarkozy described Chabrol as a "great author and great filmmaker."

Mafia beauty show for crooks

Budapest, Hungary, is holding the world's first pageant exclusively for girls convicted of Mafia-connected crimes, the Sun reported. All contestants are convicted crooks. Women can post their pictures on the contest's website, but only after submitting a police mug shot to prove their "credentials". The winner will get a car and an apartment in Budapest, and it will be decided in a final pageant at a bar that was once bombed in a Mafia-clan war. One organizer said, "we have thieves, fraudsters, gang members, bank robbers and swindlers, so it should be an interesting night."