Researchers in the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a major difference in the way men and women respond to stress.This difference may explain why men are more likely to suffer from stress related disorders.
Until now，psychological research has maintained that both men and women have the same “fightorflight” reaction to stress.In other words，individuals either react with aggressive behavior，such as verbal or physical conflict (“fight”)，or they react by withdrawing from the stressful situation (“flight”)．However，the UCLA research team found that men and women have quite different biological and behavioral responses to stress.While men often react to stress in the fightorflight response，women often have another kind of reaction which could be called “tend and befriend.” That is，they often react to stressful conditions by protecting and nurturing their young (“tend”)，and by looking for social contact and support from others—especially other females (“befriend”)．
Scientists have long known that in the fightorflight reaction to stress，an important role is played by certain hormones(激素) released by the body.The UCLA research team suggests that the female tendorbefriend response is also based on a hormone.This hormone，called oxytocin，has been studied in the context of childbirth，but now it is being studied for its role in the response of both men and women to stress.The principal investigator，Dr.Shelley E．Taylor，explained that “animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer，more relaxed，more social，and less anxious.” While men also secrete(分泌) oxytocin，its effects are reduced by male hormones.
In terms of everyday behavior，the UCLA study found that women are far more likely than men to seek social contact when they are feeling stressed.They may phone relatives or friends，or ask directions if they are lost.
The study also showed how fathers and mothers responded differently when they came home to their family after a stressful day at work.The typical father wanted to be left alone to enjoy some peace and quiet.For a typical mother，coping with a bad day at work meant focusing her attention on her children and their needs.
The differences in responding to stress may explain the fact that women have lower frequency of stressrelated disorders such as high blood pressure or aggressive behavior.The tendandbefriend regulatory(调节的) system may protect women against stress，and this may explain why women on average live longer than men.The UCLA study shows that in response to stress，men are more likely than women to ______.
| A．turn to friends for help |
| B．solve a conflict calmly |
| C．find an escape from reality |
| D．seek comfort from children |
Which of the following is true about oxytocin according to the passage?
| A．Men have the same level of oxytocin as women do. |
| B．Oxytocin used to be studied in both men and women. |
| C．Both animals and people have high levels of oxytocin. |
| D．Oxytocin has more of an effect on women than on men. |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Male hormones help build up the body's resistance to stress. |
| B．In a family a mother cares more about children than a father does. |
| C．Biological differences lead to different behavioral responses to stress. |
| D．The UCLA study was designed to confirm previous research findings. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．How men and women get over stress |
| B．How men and women suffer from stress |
| C．How researchers overcome stress problems |
| D．How researchers handle stress related disorders |
Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it?
Many people are afraid to assert（维护，坚持） themselves. Dr. Robert Albert, author of STAND UP, SPEAK OUT and TALK BACK, thinks it is because their self-respect is low. “There’s always a superior around------ a parent, a teacher, a boss who knows better.” But Albert and other scientists are doing something to help people assert themselves.
They offer assertiveness training courses, A. T. for short. In the A. T. course people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive without hurting other people.
In one way, learning to speak out is to get rid of fear. A group taking an A. T. course will help the timid person to lose his fear. But A. T. uses an even stronger motive to share the need. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels.
Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-respect. If your face is more important than you, you may feel less of a person. You start to doubt your answers to problems. However, once you get to feel good about yourself, you can learn to speak out.The problem the writer talks about is that ________________.
| A．some people buy things they don’t want |
| B．some people are afraid to speak up for their rights |
| C．there are too many superiors |
| D．some people don’t think enough of themselves |
The cause of the problem talked about in the text is that _________.
| A．some people have a low self-respect |
| B．there is always someone around who knows better |
| C．salesmen talk people into buying things they don’t want |
| D．people don’t share enough |
The underlined word “timid” probably means “___________” in Chinese
| A．胆小的 | B．优秀的 |
| C．勇敢的 | D．无知的 |
One thing the A.T. course doesn’t do is to _____________.
A. share the need of people B. show people they have a right to be themselves
C. help people overcome fear D. help people to assert themselves even if others suffer
This year 2,300 teenagers (young people aged from 13-19 ) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions (印象) of the real American teenagers. American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and have a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In return, George’s son, Mike, spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully (尊敬地) when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The family’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual (个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize (批评) American schools.” he says. “It is far too easy by our level (水准). But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens (市民). There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”The whole exchange program is mainly to ____.
| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
| B．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| C．let students learn something about other countries |
| D．have teenagers learn new languages |
What did Fred and Mike agree on?
| A．American food tasted better than German food. |
| B．German schools were harder than American schools. |
| C．Americans and Germans were both friendly. |
| D．There were more cars on the streets in America. |
What is particular (特别的) in American schools?
| A．There is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.. |
| B．There are a lot of after-school activities. |
| C．Students usually take 14 subjects in all. |
| D．Students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car. |
What did Mike think after experiencing the American school life?
| A．A better education should include something good from both America and Germany. |
| B．German schools trained students to be better citizens. |
| C．American schools were not as good as German schools. |
| D．The easy life in the American school was more helpful to students. |
Different countries and different people have different manners. We must find out their customs, so that they will not think us ill-mannered. Here are some examples of the things that a well-mannered person does or does not do.
If you visit a Chinese family you should knock at the door first. When the door opens, you’ll not move before the host says “Come in, please!”. After you enter the room, you wouldn’t sit down until the host asks you to take a seat. When a cup of tea is put on a tea-table before you or sent to your hand, you’ll say “Thank you” and receive it with your two hands, not one hand, or they’ll think you are ill-mannered.
Before entering a house in Japan, it is good manners to take off your shoes. In European countries, even though shoes sometimes become very dirty, this is not done. In a Malay (马来西亚的) house, a guest never finishes the food on the table. He leaves a little to show that he has had enough. In England, a guest always finishes a drink or the food to show that he has enjoyed it. This will make the host, especially (尤其) the hostess pleased.In China, when the host opens the door, ____ before he says “Come in, please!”
| A．you won’t leave |
| B．you won’t walk |
| C．you won’t stand in front of him |
| D．you won’t get in |
In European countries,____ when you get into a house.
| A．you needn’t take off your shoes | B．you must take off your dirty shoes |
| C．you are not allowed to wear dirty shoes | D．you should put on clean shoes |
In a Malay house, a guest leaves a little food to show that ____.
| A．he has enjoyed it | B．he is quite full |
| C．he is not hungry at all | D．he needs some drink |
A Concussion（脑震荡） happens when the brain is shaken, often in a car crash or a fall or a strike on; the head in sports．Concussions can be mild, but doctors may order a CT scan to look for a more serious injury．But a recent study warned that more children than necessary are being exposed to radiation this way．
A national team led by two doctors at the University of California, Davis, studied hospital records from thousands of children with head injuries. They found that in many cases, the risk of developing cancer from the radiation outweighed the risk of a serious brain injury.
The study found that one in five children over age two had a low risk of serious injury but received CT scans anyway. The same was true of almost one in four children under two years of age.
The researchers have developed rules to predict if a head injury is serious enough for a scan. For children under two, doctors are advised against it if there is:
·Normal mental activity.
·No swelling in the back of the head.
·No feeling of a broken bone in the skull. (头骨)
·And no loss of consciousness for more than five seconds.
Doctors should also consider how the child was injured and whether the parents say the child is acting normally.
For patients from two to eighteen, the guidelines are similar ——except there should be no loss of consciousness, no vomiting（呕吐） and no severe headache.
Earlier this year, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published new guidelines for concussions in children and teens. International experts said they should not return to sports or school until fully recovered. The brain also needs a "cognitive rest," they say, by restricting activities like video games, texting and watching TV.
It often takes young people longer than adults to recover from a concussion. The experts say individual progress and not a set time period should always guide a decision to return to play. More than one million cases of concussion are reported each year in the United States alone. A congressional committee has called a hearing Wednesday to discuss legal issues related to head injuries in football.The researchers at the -University of California found that children who received CT scans
| A．were likely to suffer brain injuries |
| B．wouldn't have normal mental activity |
| C．would lose consciousness now and then |
| D．were likely to develop cancer |
For patients from two to eight, the guidelines are similar to the ones for children under two except___________.
| A．there is normal mental activity. |
| B．there is no swelling in the back of the head. |
| C．there is no feeling of a broken bone in the skull. |
| D．there should be no loss of consciousness |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Texting is harmful to patients’ recovery from concussions． |
| B．Patients with brain injuries can play many sports． |
| C．Adults need a longer time than teens to recover from concussions． |
| D．It takes at least a year for individuals with brain injuries to fully recover． |
The author of the passage mainly___．
| A．describes the risks of brain injuries |
| B．suggests CT scans are of practical use |
| C．tells us about the risks of brain injury tests |
| D．argues against new guidelines for concussions |
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. Some cases have brought attention internationally to the increased use of imported ingredients to make food and medicine.
In Panama, medicine made with a poisonous chemical killed or sickened more than one hundred people. A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol （ [化]乙二醇）, a low – cost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze（防冻剂）.
Some countries have banned Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use, even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical, melamine（三聚氰胺）, was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America. Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products, including children’s toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union, the biggest trading partner, with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva, commissioner (理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And itdismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption (腐败) for approving unsafe drugs. This week, a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers, greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next Week, American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.
And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six | B．Five | C．Four | D．Three |
How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A．Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B．The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C．More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D. Both A and B. It can be inferred but not clearly stated that ________.
| A．Chinese- made toothpaste is safe |
| B．the safety of “made in China” is doubted |
| C．there are safety problems with one more Chinese products. |
| D．stronger control over Chinese products is in need |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．China is facing product safety problems |
| B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods |
| C．overstated problems with Chinese goods |
| D．China is losing its trade partners |