閱讀理解。
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 they 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 havean 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, wa would never
leam 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 evenmake you more
likely to have an accident.
When you feel stress, your brain sends a message to your body to produce achemical 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 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
starting 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 bum 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
