America’s No.1 health problem? A report published by the American Institute of Stress claims the biggest threat to health today is neither cancer nor AIDS. The report says: “It has been estimated that75-90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems”
It is no exaggeration to say that people today are being attacked by stress. According to the National Consumers League, “ Work is the top source of stress for adults who have problems and stress in their lives (39%),followed by family (30%).Other sources include health (10%), concern about the economy (9%)and concern about international conflict and terrorism (4%).”
However , stress is hardly unique to the United States .A British survey in 2013 estimated that “over half a million individuals in Britain believed in 2012 that they were experiencing work –related stress at a level that was making them ill .” As a result of “work –related stress, depression or anxiety ,”there are “an estimated thirteen and a half million reported lost working days per year in Britain .”\
The picture is no less bleak (荒凉的) in mainland Europe .According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work , “work-related stress has been shown to affect millions of European Workers across all types of employment sectors .” One survey revealed that there are “about 41 million workers affected by work-related stress each year.”
What about Asia ? A report issued by a conference held in Tokyo concluded: “ Job stress is a common concern among many countries in the world , both developing and industrialized countries .” The report observed that “several countries in East Asia , including China and Korea, have rapidly industrialized and economically grown .These countries now have a lot of concerns on job stress and its harmful effects on workers’ health.”What did the author indicate by quoting “America’s No.1 Health Problem.” (Para. 1)?
| A．He wanted to talk about health problems in America. |
| B．He meant to introduce the topic of stress |
| C．He hoped to emphasize the stress in America |
| D．He wanted to tell readers something about American Institute of Stress |
Which of the followings is NOT true?
| A．The threat of work-related stress is bigger than cancer and AIDS. |
| B．Stress is always from working and living pressure. |
| C．Some Americans care about international conflict and terrorism. |
| D．A lot of English people become ill as a result of stress. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．Asian people are more willing to develop their countries |
| B．the rapid economic development is the main reason for stress |
| C．some people in Asian countries have health problems from employment stress |
| D．Asian countries have a better situation of stress than Europe |
It is likely that you’ll read this information in ______.
| A．Popular Science |
| B．New York Medical News |
| C．Daily Health Report |
| D．Medicine and Healthcare Journal |
What’s the best title for this passage ?
| A．America’s No.1 Health Problem |
| B．How to Deal with Stress |
| C．Attacked by Stress |
| D．Working Stress around the World |
GUATEMALA CITY（Reuters）-----A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圆木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition (过渡) from water onto land,” Wright said.The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that __________.
| A．likes eating nuts |
| B．prefers living in dry places |
| C．is the longest living fish on earth |
| D．can stay alive for two months out of water |
Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．Patricia Wright | B．Scott Taylor |
| C．Scientists from Belize | D．Researchers in Guatemala |
According to the text, lungfish can____________.
| A．breathe through its skin |
| B．move freely on dry land |
| C．remain alive out of water |
| D．be as active on land as in water |
What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．It was made quite by accident |
| B．It was based on a lab test of sea life |
| C．It was supported by an American magazine |
| D．It was helped by Patricia Wright |
Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical (经验的，实证的) basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim (暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we’re almost looking at the problem through a straw (吸管),” architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That’s what we’re all struggling with.”What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?
| A．Light. | B．Ceilings. |
| C．Windows. | D．Furniture. |
The passage tells us that ___________.
A. the shape of furniture may affect people’s feelings
B. lower ceilings may help improve students’ creativity
C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxedThe underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that __________.
A. the problem is not approached step by step
B. the researches so far have faults in themselves
C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns
Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in 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 (使……成为现实) that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his 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 was 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. ”The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to __________.
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．make lonely old people’s life better |
| C．find the causes of old people’s loneliness |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to ____________.
| A．note the activities of AIBOs |
| B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks |
| C．record their feelings and activity. |
| D．analyze the collected information |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It is easier to keep at home. |
| B．It can help the disabled people. |
| C．It responds to all the human orders. |
| D．It can watch TV with its owner. |
The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may _____________.
| A．cure certain diseases |
| B．keep old people active |
| C．change people’s beliefs |
| D．look more like real dogs |
It is common and usual to see people freak out when they face challenges in their life. We all pass in different life problems and challenges. No one is free of life problems. Only a dead man faces no problem. As long as you are alive, challenges are everywhere.
How do you face problems and challenges in your life? Problems and challenges are the building blocks of your personality. They make you who you are. Besides, whether what happened in your life builds or destructs you depends on how you look at it. If you take your problems as troubles, they will be troubles and may cause destruction. If you take them as constructive tools, you are going to be built up on them.
Problems are everywhere. No one can avoid them. And they are good too. They open up a different look and opportunity if you are willing to see. When you face troubles, do not frustrate or freak out. Just cool yourself to think in a different direction. Think in a positive way. Every problem has its own good as well as bad sides. Focus on the good one. Look at the bright side.
Besides, there is always a good person, perhaps your mom or dad, or one of your friends, right beside you, who can turn everything into your best if you are willing to turn to them. No matter what happens, they will be there to help you. Trust them and they will never let you down. All you need to know is that you are loved wherever you are.What’sthemeaningoftheunderlinedphrase“freakout”inParagraph1?
| A．feelshy. | B．staycalm. |
| C．keepsilent. | D．feelupset. |
InParagraph2,thewriterimplies(暗指)that______.
| A．problemscausetroubles |
| B．attitudeiseverything |
| C．challengescanbeavoided |
| D．personalitiesarebuiltonfailures |
What’sthewriter’spurposetowritethepassage?
| A．toencourage. | B．tocompare. |
| C．toprove. | D．toexplain. |
Whatcanbethebesttitleofthepassage?
| A．HowtoAvoidProblems |
| B．ChallengesAreEverywhere |
| C．FaceYourChallengesBravely |
| D．YouAreLovedWhereverYouAre |
Robert and Peter study in the same university. They do everything together and help each other. But they often play jokes on each other. The school year was over last month and they decided to travel through the country in America. They drove a car and could stop wherever they were interested in and started whenever they wanted. Of course they enjoyed themselves. It was very hot one day and they were both hungry and thirsty. They stopped in front of a restaurant by the road. They came in, sat down at a table and ordered some dishes. Robert looked around and found there was a small bowl on the table. He thought there was some ice cream in it and took a spoonful of it and put it into his mouth. Immediately he knew it was mustard(芥末),but it was too late. Tears ran down his face, but he pretended nothing had happened. The other young man, seeing his friend crying, asked, “What are you crying about, Robert?” “I’m thinking of my father who was hanged twenty years ago,” was his reply.
After a while, Peter made the same mistake. Tears ran down his cheeks, too. And his friend asked him why.
“I wonder why your father hadn’t been hanged before he got married!”Robertdidn’ttellPeteritwassomemustardinthebowlbecause.
| A．hewantedhisfriendtorepeatthemistake. |
| B．hedidn’tknowhisfriendhatedit. |
| C．hethoughthisfriendknewwhatitwas. |
| D．hethoughthisfriendwasinterestedinit. |
What do Peter’s last words mean?
| A．Robert’s father would be hanged earlier. |
| B．It was wrong to play a joke on a friend. |
| C．He must give his friend a lesson. |
| D．His friend wouldn’t be born. |
The writer mainly wants to tell us________ in this passage.
| A．not to trust your friend. |
| B．a joke |
| C．not to mistake mustard for Ice cream. |
| D．it’s wrong to lie to friends |