Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders.How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?
| A．It determined the exact amount of time needed. |
| B．It took longer to finish the research. |
| C．It involved more people. |
| D．It was led by just two researchers. |
What can we conclude from the findings of the study?
| A．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”. |
| B．Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health. |
| C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect. |
| D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill. |
According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
| A．stressed, inactive people |
| B．office worker |
| C．youth offenders |
| D．women and children |
What is the main problem discussed in this article?
| A．Physical well-being. | B．Mental illness. |
| C．Outdoor exercise. | D．Harmony with nature. |
When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States， you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment（约会）with someone， he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America， even the radio programs may not begin right on time， nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled（控制）by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because ______.
| A．people in the stores want to sell these clocks |
| B．people think it important to know the time |
| C．bosses want to make their stores beautiful |
| D．they needn't wear watches when they are away from home |
The underlined word “rush” in the passage most probably means ______.
| A．“run” | B．“race” | C．“move” | D．“hurry” |
If you had an appointment with someone in some place in South America,he might not arrive on time，and this is because ______.
| A．he didn't have a watch with him |
| B．he didn't think it important to arrive on time |
| C．he forgot to have a look at a watch or a clock |
| D．he didn't like an appointment with someone |
In some countries in South America ______.
| A．the radio programs many start a bit early or late |
| B．the radio announcers do think it important to announce the exact time |
| C．many people think a clock has much power |
| D．most people do not want to be controlled by others |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?
| A．How the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．How Ireland gained independence. |
| C．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
| D．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
The last paragraph is mainly about____.
| A．the Irish character | B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments | D．a famous Irish writer |
We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.
| A．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland |
| B．Ireland, Past and Present |
| C．A Very Difficult History |
| D．The Independence of Ireland |
It’s you and I who are to blame for the state of the earth. No question about it. It’s our life-style that is threatening life on Earth, so we must make the changes. The good news is that many of those changes are really quite simple, even enjoyable, but for every careful step we take as individuals, we must press government and industry to take a big step on our benefit. And we must start now. Tomorrow’s too late.
My aim this year is to persuade as many of my friends and colleagues as possible to choose the train, and leave their cars behind too. My gardens have been pesticide(杀虫剂)–free zones for years and I enjoy seeing more wildlife on my doorstep as a result; I’ve tried to reduce my contribution to water pollution too, by using environment-friendly, phosphate(磷)–free washing powder , and by no longer thinking of the toilet as a suitable waste-disposal(处理) point .
I ran after a young lady through town recently to give her back the piece of paper she had carelessly thrown away. She disappeared into a shop, and when I followed her inside and made my presentation, she was doubly embarrassed--she worked there, and the boss gave her a ticking–off too. I’ve started asking fellow drivers at gas stations why they aren’t using unleaded (无铅的) petrol . These are small things, but we have to start somewhere, and every little does help.We can learn from the first paragraph that____________.
| A．you and I are responsible for looking after the environment |
| B．the government and industry are responsible for looking after the environment |
| C．the government is responsible for looking after the environment |
| D．both A and B |
To help the environment, the author is trying to do everything mentioned below EXCEPT_________.
| A．taking the train instead of a car |
| B．avoiding the use of pesticides |
| C．throwing away the old cars |
| D．running after those who throw articles carelessly |
The author ran after a woman through town because he wanted__________.
| A．to find out where she worked |
| B．to give her back the piece of paper she had lost |
| C．to ask her to pay him for picking up the piece of paper. |
| D．to tell her not to throw away pieces of paper carelessly |
The purpose of this passage is to__________.
| A．persuade his friends to take the train |
| B．try to advise us all to protect our environment |
| C．make clear who is responsible for the environment |
| D．inform us of the good news |
| Fun Day To celebrate the Year of the snake Organised by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High School Date: 2 February 2013 Time: 10 am—5 pm Place: Kwun Tong Playground Fee: $20 (buy three get one free) Programmes: drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performance Highlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital camera 2) learn to make festival food Join us on the Fun Day! All are welcome! Free Soft Drinks Note: ● Tickets are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Center ● For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before the activity. |
What you have just read is a ________.
| A．note | B．poster | C．schedule | D．report |
What is going to take place on 2 February 2013?
| A．A big event to welcome a Chinese new year. |
| B．A social gathering to raise money for wildlife. |
| C．A party for close friends to meet and have fun. |
| D．A meeting of Kwun Tong High School students. |
How much do you have to pay in total if four of you go together?
| A．$20. | B．$40. | C．$80. | D．$60. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. |
| B．Free digital cameras are provided for everybody. |
| C．It’s unnecessary to take soft drinks with you. |
| D．Festival food will be served without extra charge. |
Global financial big dogs are no match for China's "Da Ma", or housewives, who have crowded into gold stores across China, buying up 300 tons of gold over the past two weeks. No wonder gold prices have steadied after taking a dive.
During the May Day holiday, gold stores were crowded with mostly female customers. Most of them are middle-aged "Chinese housewives". This group of buyers has risen to fame recently. They are big spenders and are desperate to get their hands on a bargain. "I bought some gold jewellery and kept them as a gift for my son when he gets married," said a buyer from Shanghai.
The gold business is skyrocketing. "Our sales are growing by the day. Yesterday we sold more than ten million yuan of gold products," a gold store salesperson said. The gold rush in China started about two weeks ago thanks to a decline in global gold prices. Media reports suggest that Chinese housewives have spent about 100 billion yuan, or about 16 billion US dollars, purchasing 300 tons of gold since mid-April. That has helped support gold prices.
"Gold prices depressed since the middle of last month but have risen gradually. That is mainly due to the strong demand from Asian markets," said foreign trader Zhang Chen from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. "Some people even joked that Chinese housewives have beaten Wall Street analysts." For Chinese people, with limited investment options, the only thing better than buying gold is buying gold at discount prices.What does the author indicate(表明;预示)in the first sentence of the first paragraph?
| A．The global big dogs can’t match with Chinese housewives. |
| B．Chinese housewives spend a great deal of money on gold |
| C．China's "Da Ma" help a lot to support the global economic crisis |
| D．Chinese housewives have a better consumption idea than global financial big dogs . |
We can infer from the passage that_______________
| A．China’s "Da Ma" become the largest gold buyers due to a decline in global gold prices. |
| B．China's "Da Ma" crowded into stores to get gold as the best gifts for sons when they get married. |
| C．China's "Da Ma" are bigger spenders and cleverer than global financial big dogs. |
| D．Chinese housewives are most willing to spend money in buying gold . |
In the writer’s view, Chinese housewives are desperate to get their hands on a bargain because_____.
A. it is worthy to buy gold.
B .they have a strong demand
C. it is at discount prices.
D they have unlimited investment options The author’s description about the passage is ______.
| A．doubtful | B．subjective | C．objective | D．Negative |
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