Anxiety and nervous tension are a part of living in today’s fast-paced, high-stress society. Stress caused by nerves can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, depression and stroke. While there are numerous chemical substances on the market meant to decrease anxiety that might require a doctor’s prescription, many people choose more natural therapies(疗法) to help calm verves.

Massage

Massage has been found to help relieve anxiety due to the release of tension in the muscles and pain relief. According to the mayoclinic. com, massage may induce the body to release serotonin, which is a natural painkiller and can increase feelings of wellness. 1.Get a massage when you are feeling physically or mentally stressed in order to relax muscles and release tension.

Yoga

Yoga is physical exercise that helps relieve stress by encouraging deep breathing and stillness. 2.It is important to breathe through all of the moves in yoga exercises and keep your body calm and relaxed.

Meditation

3.Meditation helps the mind to relax by bringing the focus away from any problems that might be occurring, focusing the mind on a specific word, picture or breathing. Meditation poses are usually performed while you are seated in a cross-legged position on a comfortable surface, or you can lie down, but must not fall asleep. The mind stays active during meditation, but is calm.

Aromatherapy

4.Certain scents(香味) are said to give you energy and others help induce a state of relaxation. Choose scents that you can connect to a happy time in your life to induce feelings of pleasure. For instance, if you had a rose garden as a child, rose scents might help you to relax.

Herbs

Certain herbs have properties that work to help induce relaxation and calm nerves. Kava is available in both supplement and tea form and works to decrease anxiety. According to experts, you should take no more than 250 mg daily to reduce stress. 5.They are best taken before afternoon or nighttime rest and should not be consumed when you know you will be driving.

A. Use meditation to calm the nerves.

B. Use scents to help calm your nerves.

C. Stress victims are to be found in every walk of life.

D. Don’t ever assume a panic attack is the cause of the problem.

E. Most of herbs can be purchased individually or in relaxation teas.

F. When performing yoga, you should keep your mind still and free of any outside interference to obtain best results.

G. Studies have shown that massage can assist in anxiety reduction, withdrawal symptoms, and stress and anxiety relief.

Deaf teenagers Orlando Chavez and German Resendiz have been friends since kindergarten. Together the two boys, who go to Escondido High School in California, have had the difficult job of learning in schools where the majority of the students can speak and hear.

Orlando lost his hearing at the age of one. German was born deaf, and his parents moved from Mexico to find a school where he could learn sign language. He met Orlando on their first day of kindergarten.

“We were in a special class with about 25 other deaf kids,” German remembers. “Before then, I didn’t know I was deaf and that I was different.”

“Being young and deaf in regular classes was very hard.”said Orlando.“The other kids didn’t understand us and we didn’t understand them. But we’ve all grown up together. And today. I’m popular because I’m deaf Kids try hard to communicate with me.”

Some things are very difficult for the two boys. “We can’t talk on the phone, so if we need help, we can’t call a crisis service,” German said. “And we can’t order food in a drive-thru(汽车餐厅).”

Despite their difficulties, the two boys have found work putting food in bags at a local supermarket. They got their jobs through a “workability”program, designed for teenagers from local schools with different types of learning disabilities.

German has worked in the supermarket since August, and Orlando started in November.

“The other people who work here been very nice to us,”Orlando signs. “They even sign sometimes. At first, we were nervous, bus we’ve learned a lot and we’re getting better.”

The opportunity to earn money has been exciting, both boys said. After high school, they hope to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in New York.

1.Orlando and German have been_______.

A. to Mexico together. B. deaf since they were born.

C. friends since they were very young. D. to different high schools.

2.The word “crisis” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to_______.

A. food. B. Emergence. C. alarm. D. quick.

3.Both boys are happy to______.

A. have the opportunity to earn money.

B. work at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

C. help students with learning disabilities.

D. design programs for the deaf.

Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there's a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most situations these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a computer. “You've got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.” The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune (运气) there are thousands more whose longing (渴望) is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer (自由撰稿人), I had no chance of being successful at all; What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used type-writer and felt like a real writer.

After a year or so, however, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely(几乎不) made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering (胡思乱想), what if? I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with dream must learn to live there.

1.The passage is meant to ________.

A. warn young people of the hardship that a successful writer has to experience

B. advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional (职业的)writer

C. Show young people it's unrealistic (不现实的)for a writer to gain wealth and fame

D. encourage young people to make efforts to be a writer

2.What can be concluded(推理) from the passage?

A. Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.

B. A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.

C. Famous writers usually live in the state of being poor and lonely.

D. The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

3.“Shadowland” in the last sentence refers to ________.

A. the wonderland one often dream about

B. the bright future that one is looking forward to

C. a world that exists only in one's imagination

D. the uncertainty before one's final goal is reached

Finding the Real You

Psychometric testing — personality testing — has been very popular nowadays as studies show their results to be three times more accurate in predicting your job performance. These tests are now included in almost all graduate recruitment (招聘) and are widely used in the selection of managers.

The most popular of these personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is based on the theory that we are born with a tendency to one personality type which stays more or less fixed throughout life. You answer 88 questions and are then given your “type”, such as Outgoing or Quiet, Feeling or Thinking.

Critics of personality testing raise doubts about “social engineering”. Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill warns that the “popular” personality traits (特性) have their disadvantages. “People who are extremely open to new experiences can be butterflies, going from one idea to the next without mastering any of them.” However, the psychometric test is here to stay, which may be why a whole sub-industry on cheating personality tests has sprung up. “It’s possible to cheat,” admits Gill, “but having to pretend to be the person you are at work will be tiring and unhappy and probably short-lived.”

So can we change our personality? “Your basic personality is fixed by the time you’re 21,” says Gill, “but it can be affected by motivation and intelligence. If you didn’t have the personality type to be a doctor but desperately wanted to be one and were intelligent enough to master the skills, you could still go ahead. But trying to go too much against type for too long requires much energy and is actually to be suffered for long. I think it’s why we’re seeing this trend for downshifting — too many people trying to fit in to a type that they aren’t really suited for.”

Our interest in personality now exists in every part of our lives. If you ask an expert for advice on anything, you’ll probably be quizzed about your personality. But if personality tests have any value to us, perhaps it is to free us from the idea that all of us are full of potential, and remind us of what we are. As they say in one test when they ask for your age: pick the one you are, not the one you wish you were.

1.The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is based on the belief that __________.

A. personality is largely decided from birth

B. certain personality traits are common

C. some personality types are better than others

D. personality traits are various from time to time

2.According to Dr. Gill, what is the problem with personality tests?

A. The results could be opposite to what employers want.

B. People can easily lie about their true abilities.

C. Employers often find the results unclear.

D. They may have a negative effect on takers.

3.In Dr. Gill’s view, how easy is it to change your personality?

A. It’s possible in your adult life.

B. It’s easy if you have great motivation.

C. It’s unlikely because it requires much energy.

D. It’s difficult before the age of 21.

4.What final conclusion does the author reach about the value of personality tests?

A. They are of doubtful value to employers.

B. They are not really worth doing.

C. They can strengthen the idea we have of our abilities.

D. They may encourage greater realism.

I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in.

“Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”

“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning. My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it.

“Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.

When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨)might have pierced(穿透)a lung...”

My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?

It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.

“Daddy… I am so sorry…”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay. ”

“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”

My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said. “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. But I remember kissing you goodnight the night before. ”He managed a weak smile.

My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.

1.The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.

A. he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends

B. his father had a terrible accident

C. his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends

D. his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema

2.Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?

A. Because he was rude to his father that morning.

B. Because he didn’t get along with his father.

C. Because he failed to come earlier after the accident.

D. Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital.

3.The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _____

A. he had a poor memory

B. he didn’t hear what his son said

C. he lost his memory after the accident

D. he just wanted to comfort his son

4.What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?

A. Don’t hurt others with rude words.

B. Don’t treat your parents badly.

C. Don’t move the injured in an accident.

D. Don’t be angry with friends at small things.

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