The more you _____ things to chance, the less chance there is for you.

   A. leave                  B. have                        C. take                         D. put

It’s 2009. You feel sick, so you go to the doctor. She checks your fever, looks at your throat, and asks what you’ve been thinking about lately. When you leave，she gives you some medicine, but also a list of thinking skills that you are supposed to practice daily. She says that the way you think is causing some of your illness.
Doctors and other scientists who study the human mind and try to explain why people behave in the way that do, called psychologists, are starting to believe it. You know that your brain is connected to every part of your body through your nervous system(神經系統). Now scientists have proved that how you think and feel can have an influence on the health of your body.
Stress(壓力，緊張) is caused whenever there is a problem or a change in your life. Of course, everybody has stress more or less; nobody’s life is perfect. In fact, stress is necessary. Without stress, we would never learn anything or grow or change. We would probably be bored to death. But too much stress can hurt you. It can weaken your body’s protection so that you are more likely to catch diseases. It can even make you more likely to have an accident.
When you feel stress, your brain sends a message to your body to produce a chemical called adrenaline(腎上腺素). Adrenaline speeds up your breathing and your heartbeat. Today you have a different kind of stress. Problems like endless homework or troubles with your family are the kind of things you can’t fight or run away from, so you don’t use up all that adrenaline. It just stays bottled up inside you, and that’s what can do something bad to you.
What can you do about stress? First, you can try to find ways to change things so you aren’t under so much stress. You can set up a plan to finish homework or go to a doctor or a psychologist to try to work things out with your family or your friends. But sometimes you can’t change a stressful situation. Sometimes you don’t even want to. A big change might be a good change, but it will still be stressful.
The link(關聯) between your body and brain works in two ways. Your body can help your mind deal with stress. If you are under stress, you need to take especially good care of your body. It’s important to get enough sleep and eat nutritious meals. Some people take a vitamin-mineral pill every day. Another thing that you can do is daily exercise. If you go walking or do aerobic(需氧的) dancing or work out at the gym, you give your body a chance to burn up some of that adrenaline. Of course, a person who isn’t used to much physical activity should start slowly. Anyone with a continuing physical problem should check with a doctor before staring any exercise programs.
1. A psychologist is a person who may help you with your ______.
A. illness and abilities                                B. thoughts and behaviour
C. mind and nervous system                       D. physical activity and daily exercise
2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. You shouldn’t go to the gym if you are under stress.
B. One can do his homework to burn up adrenaline.
C. Diseases and accidents are caused by stress.
D. Everyone needs stress to improve himself.
3. From the last sentence of Paragraph 5 we can infer that ________.
A. it’s difficult to change a stressful situation
B. it’s not stressful when a good change takes place
C. a big change will cause another stressful situation
D. a stressful situation can’t be changed without any effort
4. What is probably the best title for this passage?
A. The body-Brain Link                             B. The Causes of Stress
C. The Advice on Health                                   D. The Nervous System

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

Five Simple Ways to Increase Your Intelligence

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus.

Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter.

76.   ________

This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity or allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise.

When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.

77.   ________

I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated and can concentrate more easily.

78.   ________

Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren’t mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.

79.   ________

Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation(剝奪睡眠). You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic(無精打采) and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity(敏銳) all day.

If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you.

80.   ________

Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.

Conclusion

I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I’ve proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.

       Laziness -- it is a word that brings with it judgment, sadness and disappointment．But laziness is a value that I think is extremely undervalued in our society, and laziness is a quality that is important to the entire structure of our culture．I encourage more people to strive toward laziness．For example, have you ever thought of the fact that most inventions may have been owed to laziness? It's simple to picture: Someone has to perform a task, but fears the long, boring process．He or she starts wondering if there is an easier way to get this baby fixed in a shorter time and with less effort．Next thing you know: an invention is born．A new, revolutionary design is developed．Conclusion: lazy people are creative．Inventors are so lazy that instead of doing things in the usual manner, they come up with a way to achieve the most by doing the minimum．

       Think of it! What a wonderful thing to be lazy! At the very least think of all the cash you will save when you become lazy! First of all, because of your refusal to ever leave your home, you will save money on gas and parking, not to mention oil changes, new tires and other items of upkeep one who "uses" their car will have to deal with．Your chances of death by a car accident go down; in fact, I'd venture（冒昧） to say your chance of death will be lower, the longer you stay indoors; nothing from the outside world can hurt you! And since you probably won't slip in the shower （since you won't bathe often,） choking is your only concern!

1．What is the likely title for this passage?

       A．Try not to be lazy any longer．

       B．Maybe laziness isn't so bad after all．

       C．What is laziness?

      D．Laziness should not be encouraged．

2．In the author’s opinion, it is __________ that leads to many inventions．

       A．hard work          B．creativity            C．laziness              D．time and efforts

3．Lazy people are not willing to do things in the usual way; instead they will try to ___________．

       A．give up everything                           B．get everything by doing nothing

       C．leave everything undone                       D．find a way to gain the most by doing the least

4．Which of the following is not among the list of benefits from laziness?

       A．Lazy people don’t bathe often

       B．Lazy people can save money on gas and parking as a driver．

       C．Lazy people can lower the chance of death in traffic accidents．

       D．Many inventors may be born from laziness．

The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live-affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演員) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment-roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back-for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus

1. 1.

   The passage is mainly about ________

   1. A.
      future travel
   2. B.
      big ideas and dreams
   3. C.
      advanced technology
   4. D.
      the influence of travel
2. 2.

   We learn from the passage that flying cars ________

   1. A.
      will operate only in the sky
   2. B.
      will be more expensive than common cars
   3. C.
      will have few bad effects on the environment
   4. D.
      won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have
3. 3.

   With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________

   1. A.
      attend a party
   2. B.
      clean high windows
   3. C.
      go shopping
   4. D.
      have a long journey
4. 4.

   As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________

   1. A.
      we can go wherever we want in them
   2. B.
      they will be both convenient and safe
   3. C.
      it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars
   4. D.
      they will be operated by computers as well as by people