Work your brain! Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder, it controls everything we say
题型：不详难度：来源：
Work your brain!
Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder, it controls everything we say, do or think, who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.
The brain uses 20 percent of our body’s oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein, fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells, it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don’t die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orangeflavored drinks.
Its complexity are stunning, far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished as possible we need to eat right, exercise and keep mentally stimulated. Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.
“It’s very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active,” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.“People cannot stop aging, but you’re able to reduce the damage; you’re able to keep the function up.”
Following are Dr. Stewart’s advice for improving brain health：
Nutrition
| Avoid fast food. Follow the old adage(格言): For breakfast, eat like a king; for lunch, like a queen; for supper, like a beggar.
| Exercise
| Do a combination of stretching aerobic and muscle strengthening every day.
| Mental games
| Try to have a sense of hope about the future. Do puzzles. Listen to music. Reach out to others to make their lives better.
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小题1:The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.| A．inform us how the brain works | | B．give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy | | C．tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives | | D．show how special the brain is to us |
小题2:The underlined word “stunning” means ______.| A．interesting | B．strange | C．significant | D．amazing |
小题3:According to the text，more exercise ______.| A．keeps our mind sharp | | B．helps improve our memory | | C．gives our brain a rest | | D．is good for brain cells communicating with each other |
小题4:In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.| A．eating a good lunch | B．doing puzzles | | C．eating a large supper | D．taking aerobic exercise |
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答案
小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:C |
解析
试题分析：
本文介绍了给大脑保健的方法：合理的营养、适度的运动和智力活动。
小题1:文章第一、二段介绍大脑的神奇，意在唤起读者对于大脑的赞叹并为下文“大脑保健”进行铺垫。然后以To keep this work of art （杰作）as polished as possible we need to eat right, exercise and keep mentally stimulated.一句揭示作者的写作意图。故选择B项。
小题2:文章前半部分介绍了大脑的精巧和复杂。这种精巧和复杂远远超出人们的想象，令人惊叹。故选择D项。
小题3:细节题。由第三段Exercise stimulates a hormone in our brain that improves memory.一句可知，运动可刺激大脑里有助于改善记忆的荷尔蒙的分泌。故B项正确。
小题4:从表格中For breakfast, eat like a king; for lunch, like a queen; for supper, like a beggar.一句可知，给大脑保健所需要的合理营养要求早饭、午饭吃好，避免丰盛的晚餐。故C项正确。 |
举一反三
How often do you go on holiday? Going on holiday makes you feel good while you"re there－you gain the health benefits for months, new research shows.
Jetting off to exotic destinations such as the Maldives cuts your blood pressure, helps you sleep better and bounce back from stress, it found. The benefits last at least a fortnight longer than the vacation and can be felt for months in some cases where it is claimed. Experts say workers should always take their full holiday entitlement each year－as many as one in three don"t－to get the benefits.
The study compared key health markers in holidaymakers visiting Thailand, Peru or the Maldives, with people who stayed at home and continued working. The average blood pressure of those on holiday dropped by 6% while the workers saw their blood pressure rise by 2% over the same period. The sleep quality of holiday-makers improved by 17% while that of the non-holidaymakers deteriorated by 14%.
The study also found the ability of vacationers to recover from stress—known as the stress-resilience test－improved by 29%. There was a 71% fall in stress resilience scores among workers. Test showed a fall in blood glucose levels, reducing the risk of diabetes, trimmer waistlines and enhanced mood and energy levels, with the effects sustained for at least 2 weeks after returning home.
The Holiday Health Experiment was conducted by tour operator Kuoni and Nuffield Health, the UK"s largest healthcare charity.
小题1: The author intends to tell us that _____.| A．it is best to go to foreign countries like Maldives. | | B．we had better go on holiday for the benefits of health | | C．we have to go on holiday as much as possible | | D．you"ll certainly get depressed if you don"t go on holiday |
小题2:According to the article, how many people go on holiday?| A．Two thirds | B．17% | C．One third | D．A quarter |
小题3:The underlined word "deteriorated" in Paragraph 3 probably means "______".| A．remained | B．rose | C．improved | D．worsened |
小题4:Which of the following can we infer from the passage?| A．Holiday makers are more adaptable than non-holidaymakers. | | B．The result of the study is mostly based on the description from the people involved. | | C．The further you go, the better you benefit. | | D．Most people like to stay at home during the holiday. |
小题5:The best title of the passage is ______.| A．A Holiday Health Experiment | B．Key Health Markers in Holidaymakers | | C．Health Benefits from Holiday | D．Health Problems of Having Holiday |
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Having one of those days or weeks when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood(心情) will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster—often within a day or two.
Walk it off
Exercise is the most popular bad mood buster. A person who"s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing the bad mood.
Tune it out
Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts connection with past positive experiences we"ve had.
Give yourself a paper talk
Stop and listen to what"s on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper, the pessimistic(悲观的) messages you"ve been giving yourself, and then give optimistic answers. (“I still don"t have a job.” vs “I have two interviews next week.”)
Reduce your stress
Relaxation techniques are wonderful moodlifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing(想像), all of which sound complicated(复杂的) but aren"t. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to distress is to make a todo list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options. By taking control over certain areas, you realize you"re not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.
Avoid things that won"t improve your mood
TV may not help much: you need to increase your energy level and stimulate(刺激) your mind—something that the TV show “Neighbors” won"t do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta(面食), produce calming effects in people who have a desire for them.
小题1:Which of the following may help us stop a bad mood?| A．Doing nothing about it | | B．Exercising and enjoying music. | | C．Writing down negative thoughts | | D．Talking about it with neighbors. |
小题2:Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?| A．It helps remove bad mood. | | B．It brings us a new technique. | | C．It is not complicated to do so. | | D．It is an area to be easily controlled. |
小题3:TV may not improve your mood because it ________.| A．shows what happens around you | B．does not energize you | | C．reminds you of eating and drinking | D．produces a calming effect |
小题4:Which would be the best title for this passage?| A．Energy Level and Stress | B．How to Beat a Bad Mood | | C．Bad Mood and Our Life | D．How to Control Your Feeling |
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Women who own cats are more likely to have mental health problems and kill themselves because they can be infected by a common parasite that can be caught from cat litter, a study has found.
Researchers found women infected with the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite(刚地弓形虫), which is spread through contact with cat waste or eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables, are at increased risk of attempting suicide.
The study involved more than 45,000 women in Denmark. About a third of the world’s population is infected with the parasite, which hides in cells in the brain and muscles, often without producing symptoms.
The infection, which is called toxoplasmosis(弓形虫病), has been linked to mental illness, such as schizophrenia(精神分裂症), and changes in behavior.
The study’s senior author Doctor Teodor Postolache, an associate professor of psychiatry(精神病学) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, said, “We can’t say with certainty that T. gondii caused the women to try to kill themselves, but we did find a predictive association between the infection and suicide attempts later in life that deserves additional studies.”
Doctor Albert Reece, vice president of medical affairs at the University of Maryland, said, “T. gondii infection is a major public health problem around the world, and many people don’t realize they’re infected.
“Dr Postolache is a leading expert on suicide neuroimmunology(神经免疫学). Suicide is a critically important mental health issue. About one million people commit suicide and another 10 million attempt suicide worldwide each year. We hope that this type of research will one day help us find ways to save many lives that now end too early in suicide.”
Dr. Postolache’s research team at the University of Maryland was the first to report a connection between T. gondii and suicidal behavior in 2009. He is cooperating with researchers in Denmark, Germany and Sweden to confirm and investigate the way leading to this association.
The T. gondii parasite thrives in the intestines of cats, and it is spread through their waste. All warm-blooded animals can become infected through contact with it. Humans can become infected by changing their infected cats’ litter boxes, eating unwashed vegetables, drinking water from a polluted source, or by eating undercooked or raw meat.
Not washing kitchen knives after preparing raw meat before handling another food item also can lead to infection. Pregnant women can pass the parasite directly to their unborn babies and are advised not to change cat litter boxes to avoid possible infection.
Babies don’t produce antibodies to T. gondii for three months after they are born, so the antibodies present in their blood represented infection in the mothers. The scientists studied Danish health patients to determine if any of these women later attempted suicide, including cases of violent suicide attempts which may have involved guns, sharp instruments and jumping from high places.
The study found that women infected with T. gondii were one and a half times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who were not infected, and the risk seemed to rise with increasing levels of the T. gondii antibodies.
Dr Postolache noted limitations to the study, such as the inability to determine the cause of the suicidal behavior.
The findings were published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
小题1:The objects of the research are women from _____.| A．Demark | B．the USA | C．Germany | D．Sweden |
小题2:The common way which is more likely to be infected with the disease is _____.| A．to eat unwashed vegetables or undercooked meat | | B．to clean a place where a cat once lived for a time | | C．to pass the infection to her unborn baby during a woman’s pregnancy | | D．to reuse kitchen tools which have been used to cut raw meat |
小题3:What is the consequence if a woman is infected with the parasite in the passage?| A．Having a high fever. | B．Doing deliberate self-harm. | | C．Keeping a depressed mood. | D．Becoming bad tempered. |
53.
小题4: What can be inferred from the passage?| A．Women have a higher risk to be infected by the parasite than men. | | B．The result of the research may help the scientists to find ways to stop suicide in advance. | | C．The scientists will continue their research into the possible connection. | | D．The risk of being infected seems to rise with the decreasing levels of the antibodies. |
小题5:Which of the following statements would probably be the best title of the passage?| A．Why are women more likely to commit suicide? | | B．Women should keep away from cats. | | C．Ways found to deal with women’s mental problems. | | D．Are women who own cats at a suicide risk? |
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Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower risk of cancer， saying studies showed a clear link. "Our suggestion is for people to increase their intake， through diet or a vitamin supplement，" Dr. Cedric Garland said in a telephone interview.
Garland"s research team reviewed 63 studies， including several large long-term ones， on the relationship between vitamin D and certain types of cancer worldwide between 1966 and 2004. "There"s nothing that has this ability to prevent cancer，" he said， urging governments and public health officials to do more to fortify foods with vitamin D.Garland is part of a University of California at San Diego Moores Cancer Center team that published its findings this week online in the American Journal of Public Health. Vitamin D is found in milk， as well as in some fortified orange juice， yogurt and cheeses， usually at around 100 international units （IU） a serving. People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 IUs per day， Garland said， adding that it was well within the safety guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences.
The authors said that taking more vitamin D could be especially important for people living in northern areas， which receive less vitamin D from sunshine.
African Americans， who don"t produce as much of the vitamin because of their skin colour， could also benefit significantly from a higher intake， the authors said.
小题1: According to the passage， people are advised to take more Vitamin D because_________.| A．it is nutritious | | B．it can‘t harm people’s health | | C．it is not taken enough every day | | D．it can lower cancer risk |
小题2: Which of the following can not help people get more Vitamin D？| A．Have more meat | B．Have some sunshine | | C．Have a vitamin supplement | D．Have more fortified cheese |
小题3:Who can Garland probably be？| A．A scientist | B．A health researcher | | C．A doctor | D．A public health official |
小题4:Which of the following food can lower people‘s chance of getting cancer？| A．Fortified orange juice | B．Milk | | C．Fortified yogurt | D．All of the above |
小题5:People from which area should take more Vitamin D according to the passage？| A．Asian people | B．American people | | C．European people | D．African people |
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How often do you sit still and do absolutely nothing? The usual answer these days is“never” or “hardly ever”. As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life. There is no way to avoid it, since it takes many and varied forms-driving in traffic, problems with personal relationships are all different forms of stress. Stress, in fact, is not the “baddy” it is often reputed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first sight of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make a choice between “fight” or “fright” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life and death. The crisis we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. All the energy is shifted to cope with the stress. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress.
Stress in some people produces stomach disorders, while others experience tension headaches. Since we cannot remove stress from our 1ives, We need to find ways to cope with it.
小题1:People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because .| A．they are working harder than they used to | | B．they are often too busy to find the time | | C．they are not clear of how to relax by themselves | | D．they are suffering from the effects of stress |
小题2:What is implied but not stated in the passage?| A．The art of relaxation can greatly help people bear stress. | | B．People in primitive days know certain ways to deal with stress. | | C．If one gets into the habit of relaxing every day he can overcome stress easily. | | D．Stress can lead to serious health problem if one is exposed to it for too long. |
小题3:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 suggests that . | A．stress is not always a bad thing for people | | B．stress has a bad reputation of causing ill health | | C．stress is not so terrible as people often believe it to be | | D．stress is always harmful to people all the time |
小题4:According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?| A．Relaxation in life only benefits us mentally. | | B．Different people can stand different amounts of stress. | | C．All the stress can lead to poor performance. | | D．Large amounts of stress is important to people"s lire. |
小题5:What is the writer"s attitude to stress according to the passage?| A．Stress as well as relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body. | | B．Stress should not be rid completely from the life. | | C．Stress produces both positive and negative effects on people. | | D．People usually work better under stress if they are healthy. |
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