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. |
Kenya wants to organize a major international conference to discuss how to fight piracy(海盗) off the coast of Somalia. The conference may also deal with ways to rescue Somalia from seventeen years of civil war. More than forty percent of its people depend on food aid.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says the world cannot end piracy and civil war without dealing with Somalia’s political problems.
Somali pirates operate in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal. The pirates have fast boats, modern weapons and equipment like satellite phones and global positioning systems.
Pirates hijacked the Sirius Star off the coast of Kenya and moved it to waters off Somalia.
The tanker Sirius Star, at three hundred thirty meters long, is the biggest ship ever known to have been captured by pirates. It also happened farther south than most attacks, and farther out at sea ---- more than eight hundred kilometers from land.
The ship was headed for the United States with two million karrels of oil, worth an estimated one hundred million dollars. A Saudi Arabian company owns the tanker. The pirates have reportedly demanded twenty-five million dollars in negotiations to release the ship and its crew of twenty-five.
Somali pirates generally do not steal goods or kill hostages. They are believed to be holding seventeen ships with about three hundred crew members. Among the ships is a Ukrainian vessel hijacked(劫持) in September with a load of military weapons including tanks.
The increase in piracy is raising the cost of insuring ships. Also, oil from the Middle East and exports from East Asia could take longer to arrive.
Some of the world’s heaviest shipping traffic passes the Somali coast. But major shipping companies have begun to consider new routes. One of the world’s biggest shippers, A.P, Moeller Maersk, says it will avoid the Gulf of Aden. A move away from the Suez Canal could hurt Egypt’s economy.
American and other foreign navy ships are now watching for pirates. This week the Indian Navy destroyed a heavily armed “mother ship” in the Gulf of Aden. But the area to protect covers more than one hundred sixty million square kilometers.
56. According to the passage, which of the following is the key to solving the piracy in Somalia?
A. Providing lots of money. B. Ending Civil war.
C. Supplying enough food. D. Handling Somalia’s political problems.
57. Somali pirates do the following things except that _______.
A. they demand money B. they hold the ships with crew
C. they kill some of the hostages D. they hijack ships with military weapons
58. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The cost of ship transport is decreasing.
B. The routes of some ships might change.
C. Nothing has been done to fight against the piracy.
D. The Suez Canal is of no importance to Egypt’s economy.
Do you know about a series of books that say they are “for dummies”? These American self-help books have been translated into more than thirty-nine languages including Chinese，Arabic，Russian，French，German，Greek and Spanish．
“Dummy”is a word for a stupid person．The dummies books are not really for stupid people．
They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before，like painting a house or learning a language．The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies，such as World History for Dummies，Rabbits for Dummies，Chinese Cooking for Dummies，and Wedding Planning for Dummies．The first such book，DOS for Dummies，was published in 1991．It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computes．Since then，more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold．
The dummies．com website explains the idea behind the books．It says that they show that people can be taught to do anything．First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand．Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy．The publishers（出版商）say that the books do not provide more information than necessary．They give readers just enough information to do what they want．They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something．And the books use simple and easy language．
There are more than one thousand different dummies books．A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance（财经）．
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need—like information about diseases，education and cooking．People interested in opera，car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them．And there are even more dummies books to come．The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year．
71．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A．Self-Help Books B．The Easiest，the Best
C．Books for Dummies D．New Ideas Behind the Books
72．According to the dummies．com website，with the help of dummies books people can_____．
A．simplify some personal things B．do anything they want
C．become expert in any field D．learn any foreign language
73．The dummies books have been popular because__________．
A．they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand
B．they provide much information on the related subject
C．people can learn to do anything with just one copy
D．people can save lots of money through self-teaching
74．According to New York Time，we know the books selling best are the ones on________．
A．cooking and world history B．opera and car repairing
C．diseases and education D．technology and personal finance
75．What can we learn from the passage?
A．The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking．
B．The dummies books will continue to be popular．
C．Fifty million different dummies books have been published．
D．The simple language was intended for child readers．
Many Chinese have been greatly shocked by the traffic accident caused by the drunk driver Sun Weiming, who has killed five and injured some others in Chengdu, Sichuan. However, such a case is not rare.
Today, the traffic accidents may have been regarded as a social problem. The car has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows actually from rude behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral (道德的) rights of others. In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless but just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one's actions could bring death or damage to others. A minority of the killers go even far beyond carelessness that can be imagined.
Researchers have estimated that as many as 80 percent of all automobile accidents can be attributed to the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can change drivers’ reactions incorrectly, slow their judgment, and make them blind to the dangers that might otherwise be evident. The experts warn that it is vital for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep his/her emotions under control.
Yet the .irresponsibility; that accounts for much of the problem isn't only put upon drivers. Street walkers regularly ignore or break traffic regulations. They are blamed in most vehicle walker accidents, and many cyclists even believe that they are not subject to the basic rules of the road.
Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicles have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through regular road inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to make people believe that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the road.
67. Traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem because
A. auto driving has become dangerous and harmful in today's society
B. people usually pay no attention to law and morality when driving
C. they have caused serious psychological problems among drivers
D. the car has killed and disabled more people than any weapon in history
68. Who are NOT mentioned as being responsible for the road accidents?
A. Careless bicycle--riders. B. Careless people walking in the street.
C. Irresponsible auto drivers. D. Irresponsible auto manufacturers.
69. Discussing solutions to traffic accidents, the author seems to be
A. doubtful and hopeless B. angry and disappointed
C. objective and concerned D. anxious and annoyed
70. The author writes this passage to
A. show his worries about drunk driving
B. help protect street walkers from car accidents
C. discuss traffic problems and possible solutions
D. warn auto drivers to refuse drunk driving
Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915. He died in 2005 at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. For sixty years, he created one dramatic work after another. Miller won many awards for his plays. Among them were a Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Prizes and Tony Awards. In 1984, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. honored him for his lifetime work in drama.
Arthur Miller grew up in New York. His father, Isidore Miller, made clothing and operated a store. But the father lost his money in the great economic depression in the 1930s. So Arthur worked at many jobs to earn money for college. Miller won an award for writing plays while at school.
Miller returned home to New York after completing his studies. In 1944, Arthur Miller’s first major play was performed on Broadway. It was called The Man Who Had All the Luck. However, the play did not bring him good luck. It had only four performances. But his second Broadway play, All My Sons, was a major success. It won several awards in 1947.
Miller ‘s great play, Death of a Salesman, opened on Broadway in 1949. He was thirty-three years old when he wrote it. The play tells the story of the failure of a salesman, Willy Loman. The action opens on the last day of Willy’s life. He has been dismissed from his jobs as a traveling salesman. He also recognizes that he has failed as a father. He kills himself before the play is over. Death of a Salesman had a big influence on the American public. Many people saw their own lives in Willy Loman, the victim of broken dreams. It has been translated into about thirty languages and performed around the world.
Arthur Miller once wrote that when he was young he imagined that with the possible exception of a doctor saving a life, “Writing a worthy play was the most important thing a human being could do.” Theaterk#s^5*u owners on Broadway agreed. On the day after he died, the lights of Broadway theatres darkened for a minute in honor of him.
63. Miller began to show his talent in writing plays _______ .
A. in his teens B. when he was at school
C. after his marriage D. in New York
64. Which of the following is TRUE about Arthur Miller?
A. When he was young, Arthur Miller worked hard to be a doctor.
B. The Man Who Had All the Luck brought Arthur Miller neither fame nor fortune.
C. All My Sons was the first major work of Arthur Miller ever performed on Broadway.
D. The John F, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honored Arthur Miller for his great play, Death of a Salesman.
65. The play Death of a Salesman ________.
A. won several awards in 1947 B. made the public know Miller first
C. is thought highly of D. made Miller rich
66. Death of a Salesman’s success lies in that______.
A. it has been translated into about thirty languages
B. it has been performed around the world
C. although not all Americans are salesmen, most of them share Willy’s dream
D. theater owners on Broadway respected Arthur Miller
A mosquito is an insect that is found all over the world．There are thousands of different kinds of mosquitoes in many different sizes and colors．The female mosquito needs blood from vertebrates （脊椎动物）to lay eggs and produce more mosquitoes．She has a special part of her mouth that she uses to suck blood，and her saliva（spit）thins the blood so she can drink it．In fact．It’s the mosquito’s saliva that makes the bites itch（痒）!
A person who gets bitten by a mosquito will notice a wheal，which is a bump around the bite．
The wheal will be round，with pink or red around the edge and white in the middle．The wheal will witch a lot．Soon the wheal will disappear, but the itch will stay．
If you’ve been bitten by a mosquito，wash the bite with soap and waterk#s^5*u．Put on some calamine lotion to help stop the itching，or an adult can find an anti-itch cream at the drugstore for you．Placing an ice pack on the bite may also help．Tell an adult you’ve been bitten by a mosquito，especially if you live in the easterk#s^5*un United States．But if you develop an allergic reaction and feel dizzy or sick，tell a doctor immediately．He can treat allergic reactions with sole medicine．
The best way to avoid mosquito bites is to wear an insect repellent．Repellents that include one of these ingredients are best：BEET and lemon eucalyptus．Ask a parent to help you apply them．
Since mosquitoes lay their eggs in water，it’s also a good idea to empty out buckets，flower pots，toys and other things in your yard that may have collected water during a rainstorm．And when it’s possible，you’d better wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to keep mosquitoes away from your skin．
60．What makes you itch after the mosquitoes’ bites?
A．A bump around the bite． B．The mosquito’s saliva．
C．Some calamine lotion． D．An antic-itch cream．
61．The underlined word “wheal”（Paragraph 2）is closest in meaning to________．
A．a small mouth that can prevent an insect
B．a small mark after an insect bite that usually itches
C．an illness after an insect bite that always spreads nearby
D．an illness from mosquitoes’ bites and other pollution diseases
62．Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
A．There are thousands of mosquitoes in the same sizes and colors．
B．The wheal will never disappear forever but the itch will disappear soon．
C．Ask a doctor for some medicine if you develop an allergic reaction for the bite．
D．Ask a parent for an insect repellent if you see mosquitoes laying their eggs in water．
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