1 . Have you ever had a stressful day? And on these high-pressure days, many people might find themselves reaching for a sugary snack. Perhaps this is part of their daily routine. Or perhaps on this particular day, heir self-control is a bit low and they want to take a sugar hit.

Stress is natural. That feeling of pressure is a biological response, and under the right circumstances can be a great source of motivation. However, too much stress, has been linked to sleep disruption, heart-attack, ulcer or depression, among other things. But why should stress make a person comfort eat?

When we become stressed, our bodies enter “fight or flight” mode. Because our body believes it’s under attack, it releases glucose (葡萄糖) into the blood to provide energy for muscles. However, if we don’t use that energy, our body then releases insulin (胰岛素) to make the blood sugar levels drop. This drop causes a hunger response: you want to eat. And what you particularly want is sugary food, which rapidly refills the energy you have lost. If this happens repeatedly, over a long enough period, these high-calorie foods can lead to obesity.

So what can we do to fight the stress? Dr Michael Mosley recommends exercise, gardening, mindfulness or other activities you enjoy. But his strongest recommendation is trying to get a goodnight’s sleep. So, try sleeping to decrease stress.

1. What can we know about stress from the passage?

A．It is always negative.	B．It can make people angry.
C．It is a natural response.	D．It can make people sleep.

2. Why do we want to eat sugary food in particular when stressed?

A．Our self-control is too low to refuse sugary food.

B．Sugary food rapidly refills the energy we have lost.

C．Insulin in our body makes the blood sugar levels rise.

D．Sugary food releases insulin to provide energy for muscles.

3. How can we best fight stress according to Dr. Michael Mosley?

A．By getting a good night’s sleep.	B．By taking up gardening.
C．By eating much sugary foods.	D．By doing something your enjoy.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What causes stress?	B．How to reduce stress?
C．When to take sugary snacks?	D．Why stress makes you fat?

2 . If you’ve ever felt a rush of intense emotion, then you’ve probably also experienced the crash that comes when those emotions gradually become less strong. Although we usually think of exhaustion (精疲力竭) in physical terms, it can also be mental. One of the contributors to mental exhaustion is high-intensity emotions. Too many of these high-intensity emotions, whether they are positive or negative, can lead to burnout.

Psychologists divide emotions into two dimensions, which includes high and low intensity, as well as positive and negative. High-intensity positive emotions include excitement or elation, while low-intensity positive emotions include calmness, or contentment. When it comes to negative emotions, high-intensity emotions include anger, anxiety, and fear, while low-intensity emotions include sadness, boredom, and tiredness.

It’s easy to see how high-intensity negative emotions like anger can be exhausting. What we don’t think about as much is the fact that high intensity positive emotions are also exhausting, although in a way that feels very different.

Excitement, even when it is fun, involves what psychologists call “physiological arousal”-- activation of our sympathetic system. High-intensity positive emotions involve the same physiological arousal as high-intensity negative emotions. Our heart rate increases, and our sweat glands (腺) activate. Because it activates the body’s stress response, excitement can deplete our system when sustained over longer periods. In other words, high intensity -- whether it’s from negative states or positive states- exhausts the body.

About 15-20% of people are thought to be highly sensitive. As they cycle through the highs and lows of life, the increased amount of intensity leaves them more exhausted than others.

This isn’t to say that we should never feel intense emotions. Emotional variety is an essential aspect of life, one that adds a depth and richness that we need. However, what we need to be mindful of is balance. There will be the exciting days, as well as the days when stress and anxiety are what push you through the tough times, but there are other, lower-intensity emotions that will serve us well in many other situations.

1. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．The functions of emotions.

B．The definition of emotions.

C．The categories of emotions.

D．The expression of emotions.

2. What does the underlined word “deplete” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Set off.

B．Build up.

C．Stand for.

D．Burn out.

3. How can we manage the stress of high-intensity emotions?

A．Enrich our daily lives.

B．Avoid intense emotions.

C．Create emotional balance.

D．Detect the cause of anxiety.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Why psychologists are more exhausted

B．How high-intensity emotions wear us out

C．Why high-intensity negative emotions are tiring

D．How psychologists explain the effects of emotions

3 . In 1998, I found myself in need of a lock to use on an exercise room locker where I work. My oldest daughter had one that she had been using for her middle school locker.     1     It was just an ordinary lock. It is always tied to a loop (环) on my workout bag and gets moved to a locker each day, then moved back when I leave the exercise room after a run outside or exercise inside. Since 1998, the lock has seen three different locker rooms. I guess I have locked and opened it 10,000 times.     2    

On a few occasions I left it unlocked on a locker but it was always there when I returned the next day. Generally, people around here are very honest.     3    

The lock is a small thing, not worth much in monetary terms.     4     Funny how you can get attached to something that becomes part of your life without your even realizing it. When I die, I will give it back to the daughter who never asked for the lock back.     5    

A．It is still in good working order.

B．My daughter lost her lock somewhere.

C．Many people ask me where I get my lock.

D．I hope she will keep it to remember me by.

E．Some people don’t even lock their lockers.

F．But it has come to be one of my most prized belongings.

G．But since it was summer time she didn’t need it and gave it to me.