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 and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed 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 sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．

44.     People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ________.

       A. they regard working as their greatest enjoyment
       B. they believe that work is superior to relaxation
       C. they are traveling fast all the time
       D. they are becoming busier with their work than ever before

45.     According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his    

________.

       A. strong will to hold out stress                        

       B. knowing the art of relaxation

       C. high sense of responsibility                           

       D. having control over performance

46.     Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

       A. We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress．

       B. Stress is always harmful to people's health

       C. It’s easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work．

       D. Different people can bear different amount of stress．

47.     In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ________.

       A. “expose ourselves to stress”

       B. “find ways to deal with stress”

       C. “remove stress from our lives”

       D. “establish links between diseases and stress”

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 and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed 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 sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．

1. 1.

   People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ________

   1. A.
      they regard working as their greatest enjoyment
   2. B.
      they believe that work is superior to relaxation
   3. C.
      they are traveling fast all the time
   4. D.
      they are becoming busier with their work than ever before
2. 2.

   According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his________

   1. A.
      strong will to hold out stress
   2. B.
      knowing the art of relaxation
   3. C.
      high sense of responsibility
   4. D.
      having control over performance
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

   1. A.
      We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress．
   2. B.
      Stress is always harmful to people's health
   3. C.
      It’s easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work．
   4. D.
      Different people can bear different amount of stress．
4. 4.

   In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ________

   1. A.
      “expose ourselves to stress”
   2. B.
      “find ways to deal with stress”
   3. C.
      “remove stress from our lives”
   4. D.
      “establish links between diseases and stress”

Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced (跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often.”
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “This is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the people you meet? 
【小题1】Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?

Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced(跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “ This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often.”
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “This is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the people you meet?
【小题1】Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?

Farmers may not be able to prevent natural disasters, but they can at least try their best to reduce losses.

For example, they can plant crops that are more likely to survive extreme weather. In north-central Vietnam, people with small farms do not plant rice between September and December. Seasonal rains might destroy the rice. So instead, they plant lotus seeds on raised beds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the lotus seeds bring a good price in local markets.  

Farmers in the Philippines are showing new interest in crops like winged beans, string beans, arrowroot and cassava. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center says traditional crops like these can survive the fierce storms that often strike the islands.

The United Nations says some African farmers grow bambara groundnuts during long dry periods. The seeds of this drought-resistant plant can be boiled for eating or for making flour.

In some parts of the world, farmers grow vetiver grass. Researchers in Thailand wrote about vetiver in 2007 in the journal Science Asia. They noted that the grass can absorb and control the spread of harmful waste waters, like those from pig farms.

Agricultural expert and author William Rivera says vetiver resists difficult conditions. It reduces damage from heavy rains. And vetiver planted on earthen dams may strengthen them against breaks and flooding.

William Rivera also speaks approvingly of alfalfa. Its deep roots can find and take up groundwater. Those roots also help hold the soil against winds. And alfalfa can be a valuable food source for animals.

The deep and extensive roots of sunflowers make them another good candidate for resisting extreme conditions. The tall plants have brightly colored heads that provide seeds and oil.

North Dakota grows more hectares of sunflowers than any other American state. But North Dakota is better known as a top wheat producing state.

Hans Kandel works at the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Fargo. He says farmers in some parts of North Dakota plant wheat that is ready to harvest in only about one hundred days. That way it can grow before the hot, dry months of July through September.

67．The underlined part “bring a good price in local markets” in the 2nd paragraph implies that lotus seeds _______.

A. can bring the local farmers more profit

B. will satisfy the needs of the local people

C. are what the local farmers eat every day

D. don’t sell very well because of their high prices

68．Vetiver grass is planted because it can _______.

       A. be a valuable food source for animals             B. survive the fierce storms in summer

       C. provide seeds and oil                                    D. be useful in many aspects

69．From the last paragraph we can see that the farmers in North Dakota _______.

       A. are not hardworking so they are suffering from poverty                            

B. are good at taking advantage of the weather conditions

C. don’t have enough knowledge of weather and farming

D. plant more sunflowers than wheat

70．From this passage we may safely conclude that _______.

       A. weather conditions are always decisive factors in agriculture

    B. some crops can help farmers to fight against extreme weather

       C. the species of the world are changing quickly

       D. agriculture is developing fast in the world