Yoga makes you feel
2 . If you ever have the desire to break out into song—in the shower，in the car，maybe at your neighbor's karaoke night—you should embrace it whole—heartedly. This ancient art not only makes you feel good，it can also improve your well-being，reduce your feelings of pain，and even extend your life.
Using your voice to sing，rather than simply carryout a conversation，offers unique benefits because singing affects our bodies. Also，studies link singing with a lower heart rate，decreased blood pressure and reduced stress according to Patricia Preston-Roberts，a music therapist（治疗专家）.（1）
Singing，particularly in a group，seems to benefit the elderly particulartly well. As part of a three一year study examining how singing affects the health of those fifty-five and older，a Senior Singers Chorus was formed by the Levine School of Music in Washington.D.C. The seniors involved in the chorus，as well as seniors in two separate arts groups about writing and painting，showed significant health improvements compared to those in the control groups（对照组）. Obviously，the arts groups reported thirty fewer doctors' visit，fewer eyesight problems，less depression，and less need for medication.（2）
Even lead researcher Dr.Gene D.Coben，director of the Center on Aging at George Washington University，was surprised at how big an effect the seniors' arts participation had on their health. Coben said，“The average age of all the subjects was eighty. This is higher than life expectancy. So，if an effect were to be achieved，one would ordinarily expect to see less decline（下降）compared to the control group. The fact that there was so much improvement in many areas was the surprising factor.”（3）The seniors also noticed health improvements and they reported feeling better both in daily life and while singing.
The part of the brain that works with speech is different from the part that processes music.“People seem to enjoy doing something jointly with other people. There are a lot of facts that being socially involved is good for people with dementia（老年痴呆）.” Ballard said.
The arts are showing up as a treatment tool in hospitals across the country.（4）If you are thinking of volunteering，singing at a hospital may be a good choice—not only for the patients，but also for yourself.
1. Why was Coben surprised at the results of the study？
| A．The study was not expensive as expected. |
| B．Arts acted as a treatment tool in hospitals. |
| C．People's health in the arts group improved greatly. |
| D．The seniors themselves noticed health improvements. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Worried. |
“She uses song to help patients who suffer from a variety of problems.”
| A．（1） | B．（2） |
| C．（3） | D．（4） |
| A．How to Avoid Getting Dementia. |
| B．How Seniors Live a Healthy Life. |
| C．How to Keep Our Brains Healthy. |
| D．How Singing Improves Your Health. |
3 . Our lifestyles today are very busy. We have families, school, sports, entertainment and social activities to fit into a time that seems never enough. We need to be healthy to meet the demands of daily life. But what does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle?
To have a healthy lifestyle, we need to:
◆eat different kinds of healthy food most of the time
◆do exercise often
◆have time to relax
◆get enough sleep to give our bodies time to grow healthy and strong
Read about a normal day in the lives of two children:
Abbey gets up at 7：00 a.m., feeds the dog, and has cereal and a glass of juice for breakfast. She walks to school with her friend, Julia. She has a bag of chips for a morning snack, drinks water, and has a chicken and lettuce sandwich with a banana for lunch. She likes to play soccer with her friends at lunch and morning breaktime. She walks home with Julia, has some crackers with cheese and juice for afternoon snack and plays with the dog for a while. She plays computer games for an hour or two before dinner, then has a shower and does her homework. She watches her favourite television show for an hour, then usually goes to bed at about 9：30 p.m.
Carl gets up at 8: 30 a.m. and has two pieces of bread with jam and a glass of milk for breakfast. His mother drives him to school on her way to work. He eats cookies with juice for morning snack and a pot pie ordered from the school lunch room with juice for lunch. He likes to play card games with his friends at lunchtime and climb the fixed equipment at morning breaktime. He catches the bus home, has a cereal bar and a can of soda for afternoon snack, then watches some television. He has a shower before dinner, then plays computer games for an hour or two. He goes to bed at about 10：30 p.m.
No matter which kind of lifestyle you agree on, just remember it's important to balance all aspects of life.
1. About a healthy lifestyle, the writer DOESN’T talk about ________.| A．diet | B．exercise |
| C．relaxation | D．medicine |
| A．Abbey plays soccer with her friends at school. |
| B．Abbey does her homework first after school. |
| C．Carl goes to school by bus every day. |
| D．Carl has juice for breakfast. |
| A．A health magazine. |
| B．A clothing website. |
| C．A sports guidebook. |
| D．A travel advertisement. |
