Moods (心情), say the experts, are feelings that are likely to become fixed, having effects on one’s outlook(way of looking at things) for hours, days or even weeks. That’s great if your mood is a pleasant one, but a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry, or simply lonely.
Perhaps the best way to deal with such moods is to talk them out; sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Scientists offers a lot of tranquilizers(镇静剂) and anti-anxiety drugs. What many people don’t realize, however, is that scientists have discovered the effectiveness of several non-drug methods to make you free from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being nonpoisonous(无毒的). So next time you feel out of sorts, don’t head for the drug store―try the following method.
Of all the mood-changing self-help techniques, aerobic exercises (有氧运动) seem to be the best cure for a bad mood. “If you could keep the exercise, you’d be in high spirits,” says Kathryn Lance, author of Running for Health and Beauty.
Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercises compare favorably to drugs as a mood-raiser. Physical work such as housework, however, does little. The key is aerobic exercises – running, cycling, walking, swimming, or other repetitive and sustained activities that increase the heart rate and circulation(循环), and improve the body’s use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a time, three to five times a week.It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．when one is in a bad mood, he or she must not work very well. |
| B．the best way to overcome a bad mood is to talk to oneself |
| C．some drugs are more effective than physical exercises |
| D．taking drugs is at risk of being poisonous |
The phrase "feel out of sorts", as is used in the second paragraph, could be best replaced by ____________.
| A．put things in order | B．are in a bad mood |
| C．search for tranquilizers | D．want a mood-raiser |
Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?
| A．An exercise and its importance are explained |
| B．A problem is examined and solutions are given |
| C．Two different views of a problem are presented |
| D．Recent developments in medicine are described |
Some diaries from Jackie Chan’s blog
January 4, 2009
Lately I’ve been busy in Beijing having meetings to discuss my new movie. I also attended John Wu’s ceremony（典礼）of his new movie, Red Cliff, which took two years to complete. I’m good friends with the director John Wu and the main actor Tony Leung.
January 5, 2009
Today I went to record a television program for Beijing TV called Volunteers Across China. This TV program is a large-scale reality show that is based on the idea that “good people reap good rewards” and it hopes to encourage people to be more aware and help the “good people” who are in difficult situations.
January 6, 2009
I’m very pleased to announce that my Jackie Chan automobile website is set up and officially operating! I hope that through this automotive website, I can get in touch with more people who want to buy cars.
January 7, 2009
Today, I went to record a song called Zhongguo Nian. This song was written by Chang Shilei. I sing this song together with Tan Jing. Chang Shilei is a naturally talented musician. He also has an interesting habit. His piano is placed next to his bed. When he wakes up, he plays the piano until he’s tired, and then he lies down on his bed to sleep.
January 9, 2009
Today I met with the producer and director of Longwei Xiaozi ,and I also brought along my friend’s daughter for a screen test. Although my friend’s daughter grew up in China, her English is very good and it just happened by chance that this movie needs a young actress for a part, so I took her along to audition（试演）.What might be the best title for this passage?
| A．My new movie. | B．My busy life. |
| C．My good friend. | D．My favorite song. |
The TV program Volunteers Across China tries to
| A．find some rich people who are able to help the poor. |
| B．encourage people to look after the young. |
| C．ask people to help “good people” who are in trouble. |
| D．make China more and more famous all over the word. |
The underlined word “announce” in the third paragraph means
| A．tell sb sth officially |
| B．tell sb what you think |
| C．tell sb to do sth |
| D．say that sth must happen |
With whom does the author sing the song Zhongguo Nian ?
| A．John Wu. | B．Tony Leung. | C．Chang Shilei. | D．Tan Jing. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It took the author two years to finish the movie Red Cliff. |
| B．People who are in trouble can ask Beijing TV for help. |
| C．Chang Shilei is a famous actor who is good at playing the piano. |
| D．Longwei Xiaozi needs a young actress for a part who can speak English well. |
For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers. They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet need a real pounding（追击）running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.
| A．jogging became very popular |
| B．people jogged only during the daytime |
| C．Alex organized an army of joggers |
| D．jogging provided a chance to get together |
The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to _____.
| A．heart attacks | B．Back problems |
| C．famous joggers | D．physical weaknesses |
What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?
| A．He felt it was worth a try. |
| B．He was very fond of it. |
| C．He was strongly against it. |
| D．He thought it must be painful. |
Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?
| A．He disliked doing exercise outside. |
| B．He found it neither healthy nor interesting. |
| C．He was afraid of having a heart attack. |
| D．He was worried about being left alone. |
From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.
| A．not everyone enjoys jogging |
| B．he is the only person who hates jogging |
| C．nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit |
| D．jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport. |
Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. The US is well known for jazz (爵士乐), which has gained world-wide popularity.
In contrast to classical (古典的) music, which follows formal European traditions, jazz is natural and free-form. It is full of energy, expressing the moods, interests, and feelings of the people. It has a modern sound that makes people very excited. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And So it does today.
The origins of this music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was produced by American blacks, who were brought to the Southern States as slaves. They were sold to plantation owners (种植园主) and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died, his friends and relatives formed a group to carry the body to the cemetery.
A band often went with them. On the way to the cemetery the band played slow and sad music. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everybody was happy. Death had removed one of their members, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, which made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.
Music has always been important in their lives. Coming mainly from West Africa, the black men who were brought to America already possessed a rich musical tradition. This music centered on religious ceremonies (宗教的仪式) in which dancing, singing, clapping and stamping (顿足) to the beat of a drum were important forms of musical expression. As these people settled in to their fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster.
Another musical form that helped to develop jazz was the blues. Blues songs always describe something sad — an unhappy love affair, a money problem, bad luck. To this day, the expression “feeling blue” means being sad.Through jazz, people can express______.
| A． their moods |
| B． their feelings |
| C． their interests |
| D． all the above |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Jazz follows European traditions. |
| B．Jazz always describes something sad. |
| C．Jazz was first produced by black slaves. |
| D．Blues made the hard work of those slaves go faster. |
The underlined sentence “Spirits lilted,” suggested that______.
| A．everybody was feeling blue |
| B．everybody was still in a sad mood |
| C．everybody became happy |
| D．people’s souls went to the heaven |
What should be the best tide for this passage?
A. A Light Music.
B. Black men’s Music.
C. The Origin of the Jazz Music.
D. The Popular Music—Jazz in the U.S.A.Why did the band play happy music on the way home from the cemetery?
| A．Because they felt happy for the dead men. |
| B．Because they were glad that they themselves were still alive. |
| C．Because they would have a big dinner after they returned home. |
| D．Because they hated that dead man |
Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the United States today because it is about simple but strong human feelings and events-love, sadness, good times, and bad times. It tells real-life stories and sounds the way people really talk, as life becomes more complicated (复杂的) it is good to hear music about ordinary people.
Country music, sometimes called country-western, comes from two lands of music. One is the traditional music of the people in. the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. The other is traditional cowboy music from the west. The singers usually play guitars, and in the 1920s they started using electric guitars.
At first city people said country music was low class. It was popular mostly in the South. But during World War II, thousands of Southerners went to the northeast and Midwest to work in the factories. They took their music with them. Soldiers from the rest of the country went to army camps in the South. They learned country music. Slowly it became popular all over the country.
Today country music is also popular everywhere in the United States and Canada—in small tows and in New York City, among black and white, and among educated and uneducated people. About 1,200 radio stations broadcast country music twenty-four hours day, English stars sing it. In British English, and people in other countries sing it in their own languages. The music that started with cowboys and poor southerners is now popular all over the world.It can be learned from the passage that country music comes from_____.
| A．the northeast and Midwest |
| B．factories and army camps in the South |
| C．the Appalachian Mountains and the West |
| D．real-life stories in small towns |
During World War II many Southerners went to the Northeast and the Midwest because______.
| A．they wanted to take music with them |
| B．they wanted to make other people like country music |
| C．they wanted to work in the factories there |
| D．they wanted to make country music popular |
Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the world today because _______.
| A．many people said it was low class |
| B．people could sing it in different languages |
| C．it started with cowboys and poor Southerners |
| D．It is loved by different kinds of people in the world |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Country music is sung by stars all in English. |
| B．Country music is about human feelings and events. |
| C．Country music is only popular with city people today. |
| D．The singers started using electric guitars in the 1930s. |
Americans have contributed to many art forms, but Jazz a type of music, is one that was not started in the United States. Blacks, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang and religious(宗教的) music. Improvisation is an important part of jazz. This means that musicians make the music up as they go along, or create the music on the spot. This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially in New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world came to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, But in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way jazz continues to grow and change.What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．American Art Forms |
| B．The Development of Jazz |
| C．The Music of Black Americans |
| D．The Birthplace of Jazz |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Jazz is now popular all over the world. |
| B．Jazz is now a kind of religious music. |
| C．Jazz is now played only in bars and clubs. |
| D．Jazz is now played in the same way as before. |
From the text it can be inferred that
| A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was first produced |
| B．the American people are all jazz lovers |
| C．jazz is merely sung by the black when working |
| D．jazz may become more popular as time goes on |
It took about _____years to make jazz popular in the United States.
| A．200 | B．120 | C．80 | D．40 |