That “Monday morning feeling” could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday morning and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.
The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2,600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 percent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.
Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 percent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.
A study of 11,000 Italians proved 8a.m on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewest heart attacks in both countries.
The finding could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr. Stefan Willich of the Free University. “We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol（胆固醇）but we don’t know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can’t give clear advice on how to prevent them.” he said.
Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity and from the relaxing weekend to the pressure of work.
“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal（内分泌）changes in their bodies.” Willich explained. “All these things can have an unfavorable effect on the blood system and increase the risk of a clot（血凝块）which will cause a heart attack.”
“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activities.” said Willich.“Monday morning feeling ”, as this passage shows, .
| A．is not as serious as people thought |
| B．is the first killer in Germany and Italy |
| C．is created by researchers in Germany and Italy |
| D．is harmful to working people in developed countries |
To protect people from a heart attack, doctors have paid much attention to .
| A．people’s working time | B．people’s living place |
| C．people’s lifestyle | D．people’s nationalities |
It can be learned from this passage that the heart attack has something to do with all the following EXCEPT .
| A．blood pressure | B．heart rate |
| C．hormonal changes | D．blood type |
If the researchers give us some advice to avoid Monday morning feeling, what might it be?
| A．Improving working conditions | B．Never go to work on Mondays |
| C．Stay with a doctor on Monday. | D．Get up late on Monday morning |
| Dear Expert: I was asked to retrieve my 14-year-old daughter from a five-day camping trip.She was suffering from such severe separation anxiety,her teacher thought she should go home.She hadn’t eaten anything and had refused to participate in any activities.The thing is my daughter is extremely bright and has many friends;she organized a few friends into a band,and it belongs to several school clubs.She’s just always had an extreme fear of being away from home.I don’t want her to miss out on other trips. Yours truly, Jonathan |
| Dear Jonathan: Sometimes kids can push through homesickness,but in other instances they become hurt mentally and develop greater anxiety around outings,which can worsen and prolong(延长) the problem.Separation anxiety can be the result of many complex interactions some genetic(遗传的) and some learned. People with high anxiety tend to be fearful and worried, ever when the sense of threat is minimum（最低程度）.Lots of talented,creative and successful people are exceedingly anxious. I believe your daughter is bright,active and popular,but simply can’t do well outside her home base.My suggestion is to take things in small steps,so your daughter can experience success,and always have a fallback(退却) plan if she needs it.For instance,she can plan an overnight with a friend,but assure her it’s no big deal to pick her up at midnight if she changes her mind. What’s important is to recognize the fear,and make plans to deal with whatever may cause distress.In other words,don’t try to talk your daughter out of her fears,equip her to master them.This way she’ll eventually gain the confidence to go on further trips. Expert |
What does the underlined word“retrieve”mean?
| A．Go with someone. | B．Take someone back. |
| C．Separate from someone. | D．Miss someone. |
Which of the following statements is TURE?
| A．Separation anxiety is the result of different reasons. |
| B．Separation anxiety is genetic. |
| C．Only creative people suffer from separation anxiety. |
| D．Separation anxiety is of the same level. |
When can’t the 14-year-old daughter function well?
| A．When organizing a band at school. |
| B．When she is not far away from her home. |
| C．When she is in a club. |
| D．When she is camping far away from home. |
Many American schools have a student exchange program with foreign countries. Along with this program,there is usually another one called the“American Host Family”program.As its name suggests,the program gets American families involved in foreign students’ lives in America and offers homes for them.
Foreign students generally welcome such an opportunity to have a“family”here,but there are also those who prefer to stay“homeless”.
Many American families volunteer to host foreign students.However,if there is a shortage of host families,schools also get in touch with local people and introduced foreign students to them.
The“American Host Family”program changes in lengths of time.It can go from a few days to a few years,depending on each individual school.After the first year is over,it is up to foreign students and their“families”to decide if they want to stay together as a“family”.American families can host as many foreign students as they like.They can either have several students or just one at a time.Many families start with new students each year while still keeping in touch with the old ones.Schools usually leave it to foreign students and their host families to decide their activities after both sides meet.
My school, however, holds activities every year. On major holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas,foreign students are usually invited to their thomes for dinner.Even schools that do not have host family programs often arrange students to get together with American families on these special holiday occasions.
It is typical that a host family invites its foreign daughter or son over,and they cook the student’s home food together,Undoubtedly,Chinese students are usually considered good cooks,whether or not they are really qualified for such praise at home.Although many Chinese students rarely cooked at home,they often have a hard time making their American friends believe that they cannot cook.It often happens when a Chinese student promises to cook a Chinese meal for his host family,he usually sees a little crowd expecting him:friends or relatives are also invited over for the“special”Chinese food!The best title of the passage might be.
| A．Studying in the U.S. |
| B．The“Host Family Program”in the U.S. |
| C．The“Student Exchange Program”in the U.S. |
| D．Activities in American Schools |
What’s the purpose of the“American Host Family program”?
| A．To bring foreign students closer to American life. |
| B．To provide homes for foreign students. |
| C．To make greater progress in the study of foreign students. |
| D．To supply“sons”or “daughters”for American families. |
What can we know about the program from the fourth and fifth paragraphs?
| A．Its time,the number of students and families. |
| B．Its activities,the number of schools and students. |
| C．Its lengths of time,the number of students and activities. |
| D．The number of students,the lengths of time and important holidays. |
We can know from the last paragraph that.
| A．foreign students must prepare their home food for their host family |
| B．not all Chinese students are good cooks in the eyes of Americans |
| C．it is good manners to invite relatives or friends to taste foreign food |
| D．Americans are very interested in foreign food |
Today is my first day at Merchiston Castle School,and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn’t take any summer course. Despite my anxiety,I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff were so nice that I felt my spoken English was better than it actually was! As soon as I walked into the dayroom of my boarding house,I was absolutely(完全地) amazed by the friendly atmosphere; everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in,and I made many new friends on my very first day,although I was struggling to remember all the names.
Also I realized there were other international students in the house from all over the world,such as South Korea,Japan and Russia.Although their English was not so fluent,it didn’t take long for us to understand each other at all.In some ways,it was even better to practice Enlgish by speaking to the international students,because we were both learning.
As a boarder,the quality of food is something I consider very important,and Merchiston has not let me down.The school kitchens are run by a professional catering company,and the quality of food is excellent,also they take the issue of a healthy diet really seriously.I remember once I was asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff for I did not have enough vegetables.This brings to another point of being a boarder:you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible for yourself.One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school,which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of the bed as early as the daypupils!Why was the writer nervous when he was at Merchiston Castle School on the first day?
| A．Because he had no friends and relatives there. |
| B．Because he didn’t know the school well. |
| C．Because he was not good at English. |
| D．Because he was shy. |
On the first day,.
| A．though the writer was anxious,he soon relaxed |
| B．he found the dayroom of his boarding house terrible |
| C．he made many new friends,but he didn’t remember any of their names |
| D．he thought he spoke English better than the staff in the school |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．In the boarding house,there are only students from South Korea,Japan and Russia. |
| B．The international students in the boarding house don’t speak Englsih very fluently. |
| C．The food in Merchiston doesn’t make the writer disappiointed. |
| D．The professional catering company thinks the issue of a healthy diet is very important. |
The underlined word“boarder”in the first paragraph means“”.
| A．a student who is from abroad | B．a student who lives at school |
| C．a student who is good at English | D．a student who used to be shy |
Many scientists are now exploring the idea of going to live on Mars. Some other scientists from the MASA AMES Center(美国宇航局) have already started the creation of a “Mars town” and many others are in fact already experimenting with it. Of course, these experiments are done on Earth itself but this “Mars town” has an environment practically like that of Mars.
The astronauts working in these towns wear their space suit and also do everything they would really have to carry out if they ever go to Mars in the future.
But Mars would be like Earth, a temporary（临时的） place for humans. When the Sun starts swallowing up(吞掉) the planets, Mars will disappear only hours after Earth. So Mars only seems to be the ideal place to spread the human beings. It is also a good location to send humans if ever there is a disaster on Earth. By saying disaster, I mean asteroids(小行星) hitting and things like that.
If we humans do not want to disappear when Earth or Mars gets swallowed up, we will have to go and live beyond the solar system. But are there any planets outside our solar system prepared to support life? Astronomers’ answer is:
“If Earth can support life, why can’t other planets do the same too? Astronomers have already discovered a Jupiter(木星)- like planet orbiting a Sun-like star, so why not an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star?
To achieve this goal though, many other problems have to be taken into consideration. How do we transform(改造) a dusty planet like Mars into one more or less like our Earth? How should we go on? There is still a long way to go. The “Mars town” mentioned in the passage is ___________
| A．a research base on Mars. |
| B．an experimental lab built on Earth. |
| C．a strange place on Mars . |
| D．a town existing in scientists’ imagination |
We can know from the passage that astronomers probably think ____________
| A．it is impossible to transport humans to other planets. |
| B．there may be an Earth-like planet outside the solar system |
| C．humans will move to the new-found Jupiter-like planet |
| D．there’s no need for humans to move beyond the solar system. |
Why would Mars only be a temporary(临时) place for humans?
| A．The conditions there would be too hard for the human beings |
| B．There would be more disasters like asteroids hitting. |
| C．It would disappear when Earth disappeared. |
| D．It would be too hot to live on. |
The underlined word “orbiting” in the fifth paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”
| A．moving around | B．getting close to |
| C．passing by quickly | D．going through |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Mars Town | B．Living on Mars |
| C．The Future of Earth | D．Where to live in the Future |
If there is one thing I am sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives- the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do --- as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I am pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read- sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(煤体). They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it is never really pleasant to read something just on a screen. What is the best title for the text?
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．The Changes of Media |
| C．Make Your Own Newspaper | D．The Future of Newspapers |
In the writer’s opinion, in the future, ___________.
| A．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| B．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer. |
| C．newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| D．more and more people will watch TV. |
What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A．Sports and international news. | B．A menu of important news |
| C．The most important news. | D．What you are interested in |
From the text, we can infer that _____________.
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of newspapers. |
| D．some media will die out |
The underlined phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means ___________.
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill of |