Jogging outside has long been believed as helpful to both body and mind-and if nothing else, a form of stress release after a hard day at the office.

But new research suggests exercising outside could do more harm than good when it comes to your brain.

For jogging in busy, traffic-filled areas could actually cause mental decline(情绪下降).

Belgian researchers have found that people who live in a city and exercise outdoors have higher levels of inflammation(炎症) and lower scores on cognitive(认知的) tests than those who exercise outside in the suburbs.

In a study, they divided exercisers into two groups who exercised three times a week for 12 weeks, between midday and 1pm. One group alternated and walking in a busy , urban area-the other in a rural location.

The researchers, from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, then gave the subjects a test to measure their response time and attention span.

They found that high levels of air pollution prevented participants from getting some of the brain-boosting benefits of exercise, such as the ability to absorb new information and a reduced chance of mental health problems.

The city joggers also had significantly higher blood levels of some inflammation markers, Men's Health magazine reported.

This is important because inflammation in the brain is associated with mental illness.

US research found in November that higher level of air pollution in towns and cities is aging the brains of over-50s by up to three years,

Scientists have found that exposure(暴露) to higher levels of air pollution can lead to decreased(减少) brain power in over-50s.

In a study of almost 15,000 0lder adults, researchers at the US-based National Institute on Aging found fine air particulate matter(颗粒物质) may be an important environmental risk factor for reduced thought power, (The Daily Mail)

58. According to the passage, "in a rural location" means_______.

    A. in a city                              B. in the countryside

    C. in the urban area                              D. in a town

59. According to the passage, which of the following facts about jogging is NOT TRUE_______.

    A. jogging in busy, traffic-filled areas could actually cause mental decline

    B. jogging in a highly polluted area can lead to decreased brain power in over-50s.

    C. jogging outside in the suburbs has lower scores on getting new information teststhan in a city

    D. jogging in a area with fine air may be risky for reduced thought power.

60. The writer is trying to get readers to know that _______.

    A. jogging outside might make you clever  B. jogging outside might make you healthy

    C. jogging outside might make you able    D. jogging outside might make you stupid

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. "I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school."

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6.a.m. five nights a week for just£90, before tax and insurance. "It's better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work 'unsocial hours' should get a bit extra."

The hours she's chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn't think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn't physically very hard, but it's not exactly pleasant, either. "I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they'd be a bit more careful."

The fact that she's working all night doesn't worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. "Since I've got to be here, I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags."

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other. people when she tells them what she does for a living. "They think you're a cleaner because you don't know how to read and write," said Margaret. "I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I'd been doing, but I don't think that way any more. I don't dislike the work though I can't say I'm mad about it."

54. Margaret left her job as a nurse because_______.

   A. she needed the right time to look after her children

   B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

   C. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

   D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

55. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because_______.

   A. they never clean their offices        B. they look down upon cleaners

   C. they never do their work carefully   D. they always make a mess in their offices

56. When at work, Margaret feels_______.

A. tired because of the heavy workload    

B. happy because the building is fully lit

   C. light-hearted because of her fellow workers  

D. bored because time passed slowly

57. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret's parents would_______.

   A. help care for her children     B. feel disappointed in her

C. show sympathy (同情) for her D. regret what they had said

                    

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