Staying positive through the cold season could be the best defence against getting sick, a new American study suggests.
In an experiment that exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus, researchers found that people with a generally sunny character were less likely to fall ill.
The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help protect us from the common cold and other illnesses.
“People with a positive emotional style may have different immune (免疫的) responses to the virus,” explained lead study author Dr Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “And when they do get a cold, they may experience their illness as less severe.”
Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less susceptible (易受影响的) to catching a cold, but some questions remained as to whether the emotional quality itself had the effect.
For the new study, the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality qualities, physical health and “emotional style”.
Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easy-going were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy, tense and hostile (敌意的) had a negative style.
Afterwards, the researchers gave them nose drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus that causes flu-like symptoms. Over the next six days the volunteers reported on any aches, pains, sneezing they had. Cohen and his colleagues found that happy people were less likely to develop a cold.
What’s more, when happy folks did develop a cold, their symptoms were less severe than what would be expected based on objective (客观的) measures.
In contrast, people with negative characters were not at increased risk of developing a cold based on objective measures, though they did tend to get down about their symptoms.
“We find that it’s really positive emotions that have the big effect”, Cohen said, “not the negative ones.”
So can a bad-tempered person fight a cold by deciding to be happy?
1. The purpose of Cohen’s new study was to .| A．find effective ways to fight illnesses |
| B．test people’s different immune responses to cold virus |
| C．tell differences between happy people and unhappy people |
| D．examine whether health was related to emotional styles |
| A．an emotional style is difficult to change |
| B．happy people are immune to cold virus |
| C．people’s attitudes toward illnesses are different |
| D．happiness itself helps protect people from cold |
| A．success is the twin of positive spirits |
| B．we get more by being more positive |
| C．the happier we are, the fewer colds we will suffer |
| D．physical health is more important than mental health |
| A．Stay Away from Being Negative | B．Warm People Likely to Keep Cold Away |
| C．An Effective Medicine for Being Fit | D．Positive or Negative, It’s Up to You |
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【推荐1】Anger may seem unappealing, but this emotion is a necessary part of your well-being. As with joy and sadness, expressing anger over a broken promise, a lost opportunity, or other inconvenience is healthy. However, if anger is frequently expressed, it will be harmful. Learning to deal with this emotion then becomes important.
Try positive exercises.
When you feel the unmistakable signs of your anger building up, try to focus on positive practices like deep breathing to calm yourself down.
Just as you open up to loved ones over the pain of heartbreak or the joy of a promotion, calling loved ones when you’re about to lose control of your anger is a healthy way of dealing with the emotion. Your friends and family can act as a support group, calming you until the worst is over.
Keep a mood journal.
A recommended way to deal with anger and recognize how frequently you embrace this emotion is keeping a journal to track your emotions.
See a therapist (治疗师).
| A．Turn to your loved ones for help |
| B．Share something good with your loved ones |
| C．However, you can try some practices to express your anger |
| D．So let’s take a look at some ways to help you manage your anger |
| E．If you feel that your anger is too strong to be contained through self-help |
| F．Supporting your breathing with comforting words can help to control your anger better |
| G．If you note the causes that push you to outbursts and the thoughts that run through your mind |
【推荐2】Many people feel anxious in situations that are stressful to them. For example, they may feel anxious about taking tests, meeting new people, or speaking in class.
Start with a “growth” mindset. Some people have a fixed mindset. They might think, “This is how I am.”
Notice how anxiety affects your body. When you’re anxious, do you feel “butterflies” in your stomach? Sweaty palms? Shaky hands? A faster heartbeat? These physical feelings can be uncomfortable but they aren’t harmful. You can cope. You don’t have to push the feelings away.
Face the situation—don’t wait for anxiety to go away. You might think that you’ll put off speaking in class or talking to that new person until you no longer feel anxious about it. But it doesn’t work that way.
Learning to cope with anxiety takes time, patience, and practice. Most of all it takes being willing to face anxiety. Start with one small step. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at lowering anxiety.
| A．Talk yourself through it. |
| B．Tell a parent or another adult you trust. |
| C．It’s facing the anxiety that helps you lower it. |
| D．Try to pay attention to anxious thoughts and feelings. |
| E．Try to notice them without getting upset that they’re there. |
| F．With a fixed mindset, people don’t think things can change. |
| G．If you feel anxious in situations like these, you’re not alone. |
There was no doubt that Jerry was unique because he had several followers who were in his shadow from restaurant to restaurant. Obviously, these colleagues were greatly touched by Jerry’s attitude so as to follow him here and there. Being a natural motivator, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation whenever he or she was having a bad day.
Curious about his style, I went up to Jerry and asked him, “ I can’t believe it! You can’t be a positive person all the time. How do you do it? ” Jerry replied, “ Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or to point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”
“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “ Yes, it is,” Jerry said. “ Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon after I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination(密码组合). The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments(碎片) of the bullets still in his body.
I bumped into Jerry about six months after the terrifying accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “
Jerry continued, “The paramedics(护理人员)were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read,‘ He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.” “What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets(子弹)！’. Over their laughter I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’ ”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his experienced doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
1. By saying “If I were any better, I would be twins！”(Paragraphs 1&7), Jerry means that_________.
| A．he felt depressed in life |
| B．he was content with his life |
| C．he regretted not having a twin brother |
| D．he attempted to live as good a life as his twin brother |
| A．He accepted it and tried to copy it. |
| B．He was jealous of and even hated it. |
| C．He was in favor of and reflected on it. |
| D．He failed to understand it and tended to confirm it. |
| A．He couldn’t bear the rudeness of a big nurse. |
| B．The medical staff were not skilled enough to save him. |
| C．He was in danger and had to follow the nurses’ instructions. |
| D．He had to encourage the doctors and nurses for the operation. |
| A．refused to | B．promised to |
| C．agreed to | D．intended to |
| A．Humorous and optimistic. |
| B．Unique(独特) and unselfish. |
| C．Positive and cautious. |
| D．Outstanding and ambitious. |
| A．Jerry’s survival is a miracle (奇迹). |
| B．Unique people may achieve success. |
| C．Attitude is everything. |
| D．Choices mean success. |
【推荐1】During the outbreak of novel coronavirus, cities are locked down and borders are closed. Science, on the contrary, is becoming more open. And this “open science” is already making a difference.
Soon after the epidemic started in China, a research team from Fudan University in Shanghai successfully sequenced (测定序列) the DNA of the virus. But they didn’t keep the information to themselves. Instead, they placed the sequences on GenBank, an open-access data platform, so researchers around the world could download them for free and start studying the virus.
Due to this openness, pharmaceutical ( 制 药 的 ) companies across the globe are now able to work simultaneously (同时地) to develop a vaccine. “There may be room for multiple different vaccines for different purposes and different age groups,” Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in the US, told Al Jazeera. “The bigger menu we have of vaccines, the more resilient (有适应力的) we’ll be against coronavirus outbreaks in the future.”
Major drug companies around the world are also sharing their study results. Remdesivir, a drug originally developed by US company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola, is found to be promising in fighting against the novel coronavirus. Currently, two trials of the drug are already underway in China, and the results might be available as soon as April, according to The Verge.
1. Which of the following statement is not the main things the epidemic has caused?| A．Cities are locked down. |
| B．Borders are closed. |
| C．Borders is becoming more open to fight against it. |
| D．“Open science”plays an important role. |
a. A research team from Fudan University placed the sequences of the virus onto an open access data platform.
b. Companies across the globe share their developed vaccine.
c. Major drug companies share their study results.
d. US company Gilead Sciences developed drugs to treat Ebola.
| A．ab | B．ac | C．bc | D．cd |
| A．The research process could be delayed and the chance of defeating the virus would be lessened. |
| B．They could let the world download the information for free. |
| C．The world could develop the vaccine more quicker than now. |
| D．Chinese scientists could work to help the world. |
【推荐2】In 2012, Kim Stemple, a special-education teacher, found herself tied to an IV pole（输液架）in a Boston hospital being treated for one of several diseases she had. Before she got too sick to exercise, Stemple had been a marathon runner. She was naturally getting very depressed. And then a racing partner who had just finished a half marathon in Las Vegas gave her a medal and hoped the keepsake would act as a kind of pick-me-up. It worked like a charm.
After Stemple hung the medal from her hospital IV pole, other patients said they wanted medals too. That got Stemple thinking. “A medal is a simple way to give a positive message,” she told pilotonline.com. And so was born her charity, We Finish Together, which collects medals from strangers—runners, dancers, swimmers, singers, and even spelling bee winners—and donates them to all sorts of people in need.
People who receive the medals have included hospital patients, residents of homeless shelters, and veterans. Part of the process involves the donor writing a personalized note on the ribbon（授带）, “This gives them a connection to someone,” says Stemple. “If they receive a medal, they know someone cares.”
Can a simple medal really make a difference? Yes, says Joan Musarra, who suffers from a terrible disease. “I opened my package containing my new medal and the note of positive, warm thoughts. I was deeply touched,” she wrote to Stemple. “At that moment, I was sitting on my couch breathing through an oxygen cannula（插管）because my lungs had worsened so badly. It means so much to me to feel that I am not alone.”
1. What do the underlined words “the keepsake” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The medal. | B．The marathon. |
| C．The partner. | D．The disease. |
| A．when her friend gave her a medal |
| B．when other patients also wanted medals |
| C．after she started collecting medals |
| D．after she was interviewed by pilotonline.com |
| A．By describing a disease. | B．By providing statistics. |
| C．By suggesting a treatment. | D．By giving an example. |
| A．Giving out recycled medals to spread positivity. |
| B．Exchanging medals to encourage patients. |
| C．Collecting medals to make a fortune. |
| D．Awarding medals to cure diseases. |
【推荐3】A vaccine (疫苗) that protects against one of the main common cold viruses has been shown to be safe and effective in a clinical trial and could be available by 2024.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spreads so easily that more than 90 percent of people have experienced their first infection (感染) by the age of 2. It usually causes cold-like symptoms but can lead to severe illness in young children and older people. All around the world, about 60,000 children under the age of 5 and 14,000 people over the age of 65 die each year after developing the virus.
Developing vaccines against RSV and other respiratory viruses has been difficult because the respiratory tract (呼吸道) is a surface exposed directly to the outside world, says Kirsten Spann at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
“It’s harder for antiviral antibodies (抗病毒抗体) in the blood to reach viruses in the respiratory tract, or even know they are there, because there is some physical separation,” she says.
In recent years, however, there has been rapid progress in finding new ways to improve immunity against respiratory viruses.
Several RSV vaccines are being tested in clinical trials, including one made by German company Bavarian Nordic. Its vaccine is designed to build immunity against RSV by exposing me body to five small fragments of the virus.
In a clinical trial involving 420 adults aged 55 and older, a single injection (注射) of the vaccine in the upper arm increased the levels of RSV-fighting antibodies inside the nose by three times and caused no serious side effects.
This immune response lasted for six months ---- enough to cover a winter cold season ---- and was restored with a booster shot at 12 months.
The results are promising, but more research is needed to see if the immune response is strong enough to prevent RSV infections, says Spann.
Bavarian Nordic is now planning a bigger clinical trial of its RSV vaccine that is scheduled to begin in 2021 and will involve more than 12,000 adults. If the results are positive, the company hopes to make the vaccine available by 2024. The firm plans to offer the vaccine to children too, but not until it has passed clinical trials involving people in this age range
1. What do we know about RSV?| A．It is the deadliest cold virus. |
| B．It is a newly discovered virus. |
| C．It takes thousands of lives every year. |
| D．It mainly puts older adults’ lives at risk- |
| A．Creative. | B．Dangerous. |
| C．Interesting. | D．Challenging. |
| A．It had no human subjects. |
| B．It had no serious side effects. |
| C．The immune response lasted for 12 months. |
| D．The immune response could prevent RSV infections. |
| A．Continue its clinical trial. |
| B．Offer its RSV vaccines to children. |
| C．Put its RSV vaccines on the market. |
| D．Follow the 420 adults in its early clinical trial. |
【推荐1】Beavers, like humans, change their surroundings to fit their needs. Known as Nature’s engineers, they tear trees down to build lodges to live in and dams to raise water levels for protection from predators. Dams also slow water’s flow while blocking sediment (沉积物) that would otherwise flow downstream. The resulting wetlands often attract wildlife diversity where none had existed. There are challenges, though. Beaver dams sometimes cause flooding, and most people prefer trees alive and upright.
Communities face a delicate balancing act, learning to coexist with beavers. In late 2019, many people enjoying Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) path became beaver fans as one furry family transformed Sparrow Pond -a sediment-filled, man-made storm-water management area- into an oasis for birds, frogs, turtles and deer.
Yet such activity caused concern. As beavers worked, they raised water levels about five feet. The increased depth allows beavers to survive underwater if the pond ices over in winter. But county officials were concerned about how higher water would affect the steep soil bank supporting the paved hike and bike path.
To find a good balance between protecting the W&OD path and the beavers, in April, the county installed a “beaver baffle” — a pond leveler. Beavers often rush to plug leaks in their dams. Baffles stabilize water levels by creating a hidden exit for high water to escape through the dam, unnoticed by the beavers.
Recently, Andrew Jones, 18, organized a tree-caging event -- putting wire cloth around large tree trunks to discourage beavers from biting them. It also protects people from injury due to random trees falling.
“We cover the trees we don’t want them to eat, while providing others they like,” said Luisa Robles, Greenbelt’s sustainability specialist. Some new trees are periodically planted just for the beavers. “We need to learn to yield a little of our wants to share the Earth’s resources.” she said.
Sparrow Pond’s 2023 restoration project will restore proper water depth and improve wildlife habitat without creating problems for the path. “A beaver baffle will also be included so beaver families can make the pond their home in the future,” noted the project’s flier.
The balancing act continues.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Where beaver’s favorite surroundings are. |
| B．How beavers help attract wildlife diversity. |
| C．Why beavers are called nature’s engineers. |
| D．What effects beavers have on their habitat. |
| A．Swallow Pond would flood often. | B．Sediment would flow downstream. |
| C．The popular path might be damaged. | D．Beavers might have to live underwater. |
| A．A block to keep beavers away. | B．A device to fix holds in the dams. |
| C．A tool to maintain water level. | D．A material to protect the soil bank. |
| A．Create | B．show | C．appreciate | D．sacrifice |
【推荐2】William Tenn is one of those science fiction writers who are well-known by dedicated fans and hardly known by casual readers. When asked to choose a favorite William Tenn’s science fiction short story, many would name The Brooklyn Project, which is almost a perfect short story. But I like character-driven stories, light-hearted humour and a twist that sneaks up on you, and science fiction author William Tenn delivered truly impressive humour and characterization in Time in Advance.
Time in Advance is the story of a man who’s about to commit a deadly crime — a crime for which he’s already paid his debt to society. Far from being a dark story of a cruel criminal secretly planning a cold-blooded murder, Tenn’s tale takes a light approach. The hero is aiming to commit an interesting crime, but not only is nobody about to stop him... his criminal intentions make him a superstar. Cool concept, huh?
How many times have you read a story that starts off with a good idea? Time in Advance has almost perfect performance. The “what if” in this case is “What if people paid for the crime of murder before they committed it?” Tenn takes this idea and develops its arrangements with complete and thorough mastery.
Tenn shines at surprising endings — funny “aha” endings, such as in The Brooklyn Project. Time in Advance not only has that, but it also has a “feel good” ending, something really lacking in science fiction today. Yes, the ending somewhat dulls the cutting edge of the social comment. But it works. I consider Time in Advance truly one of the best science fiction stories of all time.
1. Why is the book The Brooklyn Project mentioned?| A．To improve the fame of the author. | B．To introduce Time in Advance better. |
| C．To prove Tenn’s thorough mastery. | D．To highlight its perfect plot. |
| A．It consists of four stories. | B．It is casually written. |
| C．It is sort of humorous. | D．It’s William Tenn’s best known book. |
| A．It is a dark story. | B．It’s a story of superstars. |
| C．Its hero does good to the society. | D．Its hero is a cold-blooded killer. |
| A．A book recommendation. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A well-famous magazine. | D．A humorous book. |
【推荐3】Tips for Writing Short Stories
I was reading an article with David Vann’s top tips for writing short stories -- he is a published writer, his most famous book being, “Legends of a Suicide.” First of all he stats that there are no rules, but if he were forced to create rules for short stores, then they would be something like the following.
He says there is no room for anything that is not related to the protagonist -- the main character of the story -- or indeed the problem of the protagonist. He makes it clear that the protagonist must have a problem, and this problem must divide the protagonist: he doesn’t know what he is going to do to solve the problem. There is no point, then, in having a short story about a man who says he is hungry and then just goes to the shops to buy food. Nothing exciting happens. But if the man is hungry and he has a child who is hungry, then he has a problem; who does he give the food to?
There should also be an antagonist, that is, somebody who works against the protagonist. The antagonist should ideally have the same problem as the protagonist but will have a totally different way of looking at it. This presents the possibility of having battles in the short story.
Furthermore, the antagonist and the protagonist must know each other. But because they are viewing the same problem from different angles, they will probably drive each other crazy.
Finally, the short story has to acknowledge a change in the protagonist. We must then, as a reader, see how the character will continue their life differently as a result of the events of the story. There is no point in going back to the beginning; the short story is a waste of time if nothing actually happens that is significant.
It is very hard to create a character whom a reader cares about and a plot that a reader is interested in with just a few hundred words. But it is possible: Edgar Allen Poe, Anton Chekhov, and JG Ballard -- amongst many others -- have proved repeatedly that short stores can be little pieces of perfection. The best don’t just see the protagonist change; they see the reader change, too.
1. What should an antagonist and a protagonist have in common?| A．in the same family. | B．a problem |
| C．ideally, nothing | D．a purpose |
| A．They are successful writers of short stores. |
| B．They agree with David Vann’s ideas. |
| C．They were protagonists in a famous short story. |
| D．They are novelists who tried and failed to write short stores. |
| A．an antagonist and a protagonist | B．a conflict of ideas |
| C．a believable plot | D．a change in the protagonist |
| A．An excellent plot | B．A protagonist who alters in the course of the story |
| C．A likeable protagonist | D．Something that changes the reader |
