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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

 

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker's Corner. Now always–on–the-go. New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me." they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?
"To see what happens, said Liz. " We simply enjoy life with open communication."
Shortly after the September 11,2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea, "Liz said." We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind," Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
【小题1】What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A．Chatting with people.	B．Setting up street signs
C．Telling stories to strangers	D．Organizing a speaker's corner

【小题2】What they have been doing can be described as_________.  .

A．pointless

B．normal

C．crazy

D．successful

【小题3】Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A．They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B．They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C．They organized the get-together in the city park.

D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

【小题4】What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A．Go in for publishing.	B．Do more television programs.
C．Continue what they are doing.	D．Spend more time reading books.

【小题5】How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A．They have decided to wait a year or two

B．They will think about it carefully

C．They agreed immediately

D．They find it hard to do that

People are always on the go , so they        spend their weekend on housework .

       A．most        B．almost     C．mostly     D．nearly

One silly question I simply can’t stand is “How do you feel?”  Usually the question is asked of a man in action—a man on the go, walking along the streets, or busily working at his desk. So what do you expect him to say? He’ll probably say, “Fine, I’m all right,” but you have put a bug in his ear —maybe now he’s not sure. If you are a good friend, you may have seen something in his face, or his walk that he overlooked that morning. It starts worrying him a little. First thing you know, he looks in a mirror to see if everything is all right, while you go merrily on your way asking someone else, “How do you feel?”

    Every question has its time and place. It’s perfectly acceptable, for instance, to ask “How do you feel?” if you’re visiting a close friend in the hospital. But if the fellow is walking on both legs, hurrying to make a train, or sitting at his desk working, it’s no time to ask him that silly question.

   When George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer of plays was in his eighties, someone asked him “How do you feel?” Shaw put him in his place. “When you reach my age,” he said, “either you feel all right or you’re dead.”

1.The question “How do you feel?” seems to be correct and suitable when asked of_________.

A. a friend who is ill                            B. a man working at his desk

C. a person having lost a close friend               D. a stranger who looks somewhat worried

2.George Bernard Shaw’s reply in the passage shows his________.

A. cheerfulness        B. cleverness          C. ability      D. politeness

3.The underlined ‘You’ve put a bug in his ear’ in the 1st paragraph means that you’ve _____.

A. made him laugh                   B. shown concern for him

C. made fun of him                              D. given him some kind of warning

 

23. Wang Mei is one of many Chinese teenagers _____ “on the go”

A. who lives life    B. who live life             C. that lives living  D. that live living