1 . You may be surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water. Our ancestors enjoyed the healing power of nature, and now scientists are starting to catch up. Researchers have documented how contact with nature can decrease mental tiredness, and enhance moods, concentration and problem-solving. Just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients’ recovery and reduce illness rates. Exposure to the open air, horseback riding, hiking, camping can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children. Much of this type of research is focusing on children, and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature.

Obesity. Rates of childhood, adult obesity and related conditions including diabetes (糖尿病) and heart disease have grown greatly in recent years, partly because of reducing the time of outdoor activities. This problem can be partly addressed by increasing the time students spend learning about nature, both in and outside the classroom. Such lessons are often more engaging to students and often lead them to become more active outside.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (注意力缺失症). An exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be widely effective in reducing attention shortness symptoms (症状) in children. Participation in green activities helps ADHD patients keep focused and complete tasks.

Stress. Access to nature, even houseplants, can help children deal with stress.

Depression and seasonal emotional disorder. Major depression requires medical treatment, but physical activity, especially those done outdoors, can help ease symptoms. Staying in the sunshine for just a few minutes can also help supply bone-building vitamin D. Experts say that simply walking in a city park can enjoy nature’s benefits.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is the most important for you to keep healthy?

A．Healthy diet.	B．Exercises.
C．Outdoor activities.	D．No smoking.

2. The underlined word “enhance” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．improve	B．add
C．destroy	D．control

3. From the first paragraph, what do we know?

A．People didn’t enjoy the healing power of nature until recent years.

B．Having a view of nature is the only way to improve health conditions.

C．Outdoors activities are good for people’s health.

D．Researchers have found out what causes people’s mental tiredness and illness.

4. The effects of outdoor activities include all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A．helping people to control stress

B．helping children to increase the vitamin D level

C．helping people to reduce the symptoms of ADHD

D．helping scientists to believe the rates of adult obesity and the healing power of the open air

5. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Contact with Nature	B．The Benefits of Nature to Health
C．Exposure to the Open Air	D．Some Health Conditions