文章大意:这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了如果有机会,很多人可能会选择从生活中完全摆脱压力。然而,佐治亚大学的一项惊人的新发现表明,一点点压力实际上对身体和大脑都非常有益。
Given the opportunity, plenty of people would probably choose to get rid of stress entirely from their lives. Amazing new findings from the University of Georgia, however, indicate that a little bit of stress can actually be very beneficial to both body and brain.
When we’re stressed, we’re usually forced to deal with unpredictable or tense situations that can eat away at our bodies physically. While these scenarios (设想) are almost never fun in the moment, they serve to push us out of our comfort zones ― and that can be a good thing for the mind.
Researchers say that low to moderate (适度的) levels of stress appear to promote improved working memory, which refers to short-term information people use to complete everyday tasks. Not surprisingly, study authors stress that these benefits are limited to moderate stress. Once stress levels reach high levels, it can be dangerous to one’s health. “The bad outcomes of stress are pretty clear and not new,” says lead study author Assaf Oshri, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, in a university release.
The research team analyzed a series of MRI scans (核磁共振成像) of over 1,000 people from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Results show that people who experienced low to moderate stress levels had increased activity in the parts of their brains involved with working memory. Conversely, those dealing with chronic high levels of stress showed a decline in those same brain areas.
Study subjects were asked questions about how frequently they experienced certain thoughts or feelings. For instance, “In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?” and “In the last month, how often have you found that you could not deal with all tie things that you had to do?”
Participants’ social networks were also analyzed via a number of different measures. Examples include how they felt about their own ability to handle unexpected events, how satisfied they were that their lives matter and are meaningful, and the availability of friend-based support across their social networks.
To assess working memory, subjects were shown a series of four types of images of things like tools and individuals’ faces. Then, later on they were asked to remember whether they were the same photos they were shown before. Study authors analyzed MRIs showing subjects’ brains as they completed the tasks.
Notably, people who reported high levels of social support from friends and family were better able to deal with low to moderate stress levels in a healthy way .
“You need to have the right resources to be strengthened by misfortune and stress,” Prof. Oshri concludes. “For some people, being exposed to stress is a good thing. But for others, maybe not. It’s possible that you can sand more stress if you have a supportive community or family.”
12. What does underlined word
that in Para.2 refer to?
A.Unpredictable or tense situations are not fun in the moment. |
B.Unpredictable or tense situations can force us out of comfort zones. |
C.Low-to-moderate levels of stress can promote improved working memory. |
D.A little bit of stress can be very beneficial to both body and brain. |
13. How did the team carry out the research?
A.By comparing experimental data with previous ones. |
B.By analyzing participants, medical reports and social networks. |
C.By referring to research reports of existing researches. |
D.By asking the participants to fill in questionnaires. |
14. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Every coin has two sides. | B.No sweet without sweat. |
C.Time waits for no man. | D.One man’s meat is another man’s poison. |
15. What is the text mainly about?
A.A proper amount of stress can benefit us mentally and physically. |
B.It’s confirmed that high levels of stress can do harm to our health. |
C.Working memory is an important indicator of our present health. |
D.A supportive community or family can help us deal with stress in a healthy way. |