Scientists are making new studies of color and its effects on our health. They have known for a long time that the color of a room or the color of the light in it can affect our feelings and emotions. Many prisons and hospitals have at least one room that is painted pink. Officials have found that light and color can produce physical changes in our bodies.

Professor Falfan worked with a group of 9 disabled children at school in Albert. Two of the children were blind. The other seven had normal sight. The scientists changed the color of the school room, then looked for changes in blood pressure, heart beat and breathing rate. The effects of color changes were the same for the blind children as for those with normal sight. Their blood pressure dropped from about 120 to 100. Similar changes were reported in heart-beat and the breathing. The children also were calmer and less excited. Then the colors of the room were returned to orange and white. Blood pressure, heart-beat and breathing rate went up and the children became excited again.

Professor Falfan said different colors produce different levels of light energy. He said the differences seem to affect chemicals in the brain that carry messages from nerve to nerve and from nerve to muscle.

1.Light and color can affect________.

A．only one’s feelings and emotions

B．one’s energy

C．one’s mental changes

D．one’s heart-beat, brain activities, blood pressure, feelings and emotions

2.The color of pink had a calming effect, that is to say, the color affects __________.

A．the chemicals in the brain                 B．the eyes

C．the skin                               D．the muscle

3.According to the text, orange and white are colors which can make people ________.

A．calm             B．active            C．sick              D．blind

4.The colors in the school room mentioned in the passage were changed from _________.

A．orange to white                        B．orange and white to dark blue

C．orange and white to pink or some other colors D．gray to more colors

5.After reading the passage we can conclude that ________.

A．blind people can be affected by colors, too

B．one’s heart will beat fast in a colorful room than in a white room

C．the chemicals in the brain change with feelings and emotions

D．if one’s blood pressure drops, his breathing will get slower and slower

 

Recently Dr. Cleiman has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle. During the hours when you labor (work) through your work, you may say that you are “hot”. That is true, the time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak (顶峰). For some people the peak comes during the forenoon (上午前). For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so.
Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what this energy cycle means and which cycle each member of the family has.
You cannot change your cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. “Habits can help,” Dr. Cleiman believes. If your energy cycle is low in the morning but you have an important job early in the day, rise before your usual hour, and then you will work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a lazy yawn(哈欠) and stretch(伸展). Sit on the edge of bed before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before.
【小题1】Dr. Cleiman did not explain in the passage ___________.

A．how people can make their life fit their cycle

B．whether everyone has a daily cycle or not

C．why people have their energy cycle at different times

D．what will happen in the family if the couple fail to realize which cycle each member has

【小题2】For what reason may husbands and wives quarrel with each other?

A．Either of them gets up late in the morning.

B．Husbands and wives have different cycles of energy.

C．Either of them wants to change the cycle of the other’s.

D．They do not know which cycle they themselves have.

【小题3】According to the passage, ____________.

A．one works better at one’s peak energy point

B．if you know your cycle you can change it to fit your life.

C．whenever you feel hot, your energy cycle reaches the highest

D．your energy cycle must be in the morning if you can get up early

【小题4】Which of the following can save your energy in the morning?

A．Getting up late.

B．Jumping out of bed as quickly as possible.

C．Looking for clean clothes.

D．Sitting for a while before getting out of bed.

During a state of deep relaxation, several physiological changes take place in the body: the body's oxygen consumption is reduced; the heart beat decreases; muscle tension and sweating ease, and there is decreased sympathetic （交感的） nervous system activity．This restful state not only allows the body to repair and restore itself, but it has a calming effect on the consciousness．

    How to achieve this state of relaxation, however, is a matter of opinion, and in some medical circles, a matter of controversy．A recent report by Dr．David Holmes of the University of Kansas in the journal “American psychologist” said that simply sitting in an armchair has just as many beneficial characteristics for the body as meditation （冥想） does．Researchers of other relaxation techniques disagree．These experts believe that more structured techniques, such as meditation, lead to a condition of deep relaxation．

    The debate goes on, but one thing appears to be clear: the relaxation response can be reached by a number of methods, and the methods themselves are not as important as getting there．One day, one method may work best; on another day, an alternative method may be more appropriate．Once you are aware of all the methods, you can find the one that works best on you．

    Some of the relaxation techniques are meditation, auto analysis and progressive muscle relaxation response．More than just sitting quietly in a chair, they have the added benefit of structure and discipline, and for these reasons appear to be more effective for most individuals．

1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true when a person is in a state of deep relaxation?

       A．The body takes in less oxygen．

       B．The heart beats less frequently．

       C．Muscles become tense and the body sweats easily．

       D．The consciousness becomes more or less calmed．

2.People seem to agree that ____．

       A．sitting in an armchair benefits a person as meditation does

       B．structured relaxation techniques are more beneficial for a person

       C．to achieve a state of deep relaxation is possible through various means

       D．what people are all struggling for is a state of deep relaxation

3.In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting there” means _____．

       A．arriving at one’s destination  

       B．getting what one wants most

       C．finding out a suitable relaxation technique   

       D．reaching a state of deep relaxation

4.The author's attitude toward relaxation discussed in the passage is best described as ______．

       A．sceptical B．objective C．optimistic        D．critical

 

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition．Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity．Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another, that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people．
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills．For them, playing well and winning are often, life-and-death affairs．In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten．
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude．In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition．Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society．Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail．They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success．By not trying, they always have an excuse: "I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try．"What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot．Such a loss would be a measure of their worth． Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves．Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others．Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve （缓解） can we discover a new meaning in competition ．
【小题1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect．

B．Opinions about competition are different among people．

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development．

D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition．

【小题2】Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

A．It builds up a sense of duty．

B．It pushes society forward．

C．It improves personal abilities．

D．It encourages individual efforts．

【小题3】The underlined phrase "the most vocal" in Paragraph 3 means ____．

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who value competition most highly

C．those who are against competition most strongly

D．those who rely on others most for success

【小题4】What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a "desire to fail"?

A．One's worth lies in his performance compared with others'．

B．One's success in competition needs great efforts．

C．One's achievement is determined by his particular skills．

D．One's success is based on how hard he has tried．

【小题5】Which point of view may the author agree to?

A．Every effort should be paid back．

B．Competition should be encouraged．

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter．

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition．

During a state of deep relaxation, several physiological changes take place in the body: the body’s oxygen consumption is reduced; the heart beat decreases; muscle tension and sweating ease, and there is decreased sympathetic （交感的） nervous system activity．This restful state not only allows the body to repair and restore itself, but it has a calming effect on the consciousness．
How to achieve this state of relaxation, however, is a matter of opinion, and in some medical circles, a matter of controversy．A recent report by Dr．David Holmes of the University of Kansas in the journal “American psychologist” said that simply sitting in an armchair has just as many beneficial characteristics for the body as meditation （冥想） does．Researchers of other relaxation techniques disagree．These experts believe that more structured techniques, such as meditation, lead to a condition of deep relaxation．
The debate goes on, but one thing appears to be clear: the relaxation response can be reached by a number of methods, and the methods themselves are not as important as getting there．One day, one method may work best; on another day, an alternative method may be more appropriate．Once you are aware of all the methods, you can find the one that works best on you．
Some of the relaxation techniques are meditation, auto analysis and progressive muscle relaxation response．More than just sitting quietly in a chair, they have the added benefit of structure and discipline, and for these reasons appear to be more effective for most individuals．
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true when a person is in a state of deep relaxation?

A．The body takes in less oxygen．

B．The heart beats less frequently．

C．Muscles become tense and the body sweats easily．

D．The consciousness becomes more or less calmed．

【小题2】People seem to agree that ____．

A．sitting in an armchair benefits a person as meditation does

B．structured relaxation techniques are more beneficial for a person

C．to achieve a state of deep relaxation is possible through various means

D．what people are all struggling for is a state of deep relaxation

【小题3】In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting there” means _____．

A．arriving at one’s destination

B．getting what one wants most

C．finding out a suitable relaxation technique

D．reaching a state of deep relaxation

【小题4】The author’s attitude toward relaxation discussed in the passage is best described as ______．

A．sceptical

B．objective

C．optimistic

D．critical