1 . Is Fresh Air Really Good for You?
We all grew up hearing people tell us to “go out and get some fresh air.”
Recently, people have begun studying the connection between the natural world and healing(治愈).
A.Fresh air cleans our lungs. |
B.So what are you waiting for? |
C.Being in nature refreshes us. |
D.Another side benefit of getting fresh air is sunlight. |
E.But is fresh air really as good for you as your mother always said? |
F.Just as importantly, we tend to associate air with health care. |
G.All across the country, recovery centers have begun building Healing Gardens. |
2 . Health and fitness help a person live a good and healthy life. Often due to various pressures, we tend to ignore our health.
It is important for everyone to devote some time to health and fitness.
Additionally, it is important to relax our body. We should have at least six to eight hours of sleep every day. It helps in improving our immune (免疫) system and protects us against diseases.
A.Fitness levels decide the quality of life. |
B.Health and fitness are interrelated to each other. |
C.It also helps in keeping us calm and relaxes our mind. |
D.For instance, we may have a tendency to catch a cold easily. |
E.If we keep our body fit, we can enjoy life in a better manner. |
F.There are some activities which everyone should do in our life. |
G.This makes our body suffer and we will catch other diseases. |
3 . “Just think positively!”
“It could be worse.”
“You should look at the bright side!”
We’ve all heard (and maybe used) these phrases without much thought. But they could be contributing to a culture of toxic(有毒的) positivity. For those new to this term, it might sound like an oxymoron(矛盾修辞法). How can positivity be toxic? Isn’t it supposed to be helpful, or “positive”, as the name suggests?
“Toxic positivity is when somebody avoids all negative thoughts or feelings, pretending everything is going well when it is not,” explains Melissa Dowd, a therapist at PlushCare, a virtual health platform for primary care and mental health services.Whitney Goodman, the author of Toxic Positivity describes toxic positivity as the “endless pressure to be happy and positive, no matter what the circumstances are.”
Expressing toxic positivity to others may look like offering them a simple solution to a complicated problem that we know nothing about, or not allowing people around you to appropriately express negative emotions.
Toxic positivity causes us to suppress our emotions, which can make them worse.
A.Are there ways to avoid toxic positivity? |
B.Toxic positivity also disrupts connection. |
C.It can harm people who are going through difficult times. |
D.This can come up in different situations when we are dealing with pressure. |
E.They become more intense and can cause long-lasting health concerns in the future. |
F.Experts say constant forced positivity can lead to the opposite, and have a negative effect. |
G.This is what we may bring on to ourselves by not allowing negative thoughts and feelings. |
4 . Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resting your body clock
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• Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags.
• Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you’re tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating (弥补) on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.
• Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you’ve tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.
A.Get a sleep specialist. |
B.Find the right motivation. |
C.A better plan for sleep can help. |
D.And consider setting a second alarm. |
E.If the steps you take are working, keep it up. |
F.Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day. |
G.Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee. |
5 . Many people don’t treat themselves very well. They break promises to themselves, eat poorly, don’t get enough sleep, are self-critical or fail to take good care of their bodies.
A great technique for treating yourself better is by developing your Inner Nurturing Parent. Imagine you had a little child. You’d make every effort to keep her healthy and safe; to love and support her; to be forgiving her mistakes and her inevitable slips; and to let her know how precious and important she is.
Take good care of yourself. A loving parent would make sure you eat right and get plenty of rest sleep, fresh air and exercise.
Set healthy boundaries with others. Let people know what you want and don’t want. Tell them what’s okay for you and what’s not. If you have a friend who’s always late and you end up waiting for her and feeling annoyed, tell her how you feel.
Be concerned about yourself.
A.Cheer yourself up constantly. |
B.A nurturing parent. wouldn’t let someone treat you badly. |
C.Have sympathy for your humanity and your weaknesses. |
D.That’s what a loving parent does. |
E.You should always regard yourself as a child. |
F.Send loving messages to yourself. |
G.Keep yourself healthy and fit. |
6 . Back pain can make it difficult for many people to function in everyday life.
Our bodies need adequate movement throughout the day to avoid the stiffness that contributes to aches and pains. If the weather is good, don't hunt for the nearest parking spot; don't take the elevator when you have the option of one or two flights of stairs. When you need to sit for long periods, set a timer to get up every hour and be active for just a few minutes.
When we overuse our dominant side, we create muscle patterns of weakness and tension that increase pain, especially in our backs. Consider the actions you take repeatedly throughout the day that shift your weight to one side.
Psychological stress is a noted risk factor for back pain, according to research. Most mental stress is caused by focusing on the past or future.
A.Switch sides when you carry things. |
B.It affects how you move, feel and think. |
C.You should learn more about the cause of your pain. |
D.Approach the health of your back as a responsibility. |
E.So actively being mindful of the present reduces stress. |
F.You'd better take a quick break to check in with your breathing. |
G.More minutes of movement add up to big health benefits over time. |
7 . Has anyone ever told you, “Stand up straight!” or scolded you for sitting lazily at a family dinner? Comments like that might be annoying, but they’re not wrong.
If your posture isn’t good enough, your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and balanced. Some muscles will become tight and inflexible.
So what does good posture look like? If you’re sitting, your neck should be vertical, not tilted forward. Your shoulders should be relaxed with your arms close to your trunk. Your knees should be at a right angle with your feet flat on the floor. But what if your posture can’t be that great?
It’s also not enough to just have good posture. Keeping your muscles and joints moving is extremely important. In fact, being still for long periods with good posture can be worse than regular movement with bad posture.
A.Try redesigning your environment. |
B.You adjust your body unless you feel tired. |
C.So if you sit a lot, get up and move around on occasion. |
D.And the big one that we all experience every day is gravity. |
E.Besides, poor posture leads to extra wear and tear on your joints. |
F.Posture can even influence your emotional state and your sensitivity to pain. |
G.Your posture refers to the way you hold your body when you’re sitting or standing. |
8 . Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:
Schedule yearly exams.
Protect against UV rays .
Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it’s extremely important to wear sunglasses.
Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products.
As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.
Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses.
Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk.
Otherwise: you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.
A.Eat your greens. |
B.Eye care should begin early in life. |
C.They can properly protect your eyes. |
D.Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins. |
E.Parents usually don’t care about their own eyesight. |
F.Always follow the doctor’s advice for appropriate wear. |
G.This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness. |
9 . Your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan.
Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less selfconscious (难为情) when they’re in poorly lit places—and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.
Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue.
Don’t forget the clock—or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories (卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you’re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.
Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12inch plate instead of a 10inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake (摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.
1. The text is especially helpful for those who care about ____________.A.their home comforts | B.their body shape |
C.house buying | D.healthy diets |
A.digest food better | B.reduce food intake |
C.burn more calories | D.regain their appetites |
A.Eat quickly. | B.Play fast music. |
C.Use smaller spoons. | D.Turn down the lights. |
A.Is Your House Making You Fat? | B.Ways of Serving Dinner |
C.Effects of SelfConsciousness | D.Is Your Home Environment Relaxing? |
10 . More than a quarter have to enlarge the font size on their mobile phone so they can read it clearly.
“The research has shown our eyes are not designed to be fixed on a single object for a long time, especially smaller laptops or smart devices.
Dry eye syndrome is a condition where the eyes do not make enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly. Here are some simple solutions to prevent eye strain and irritation, and preserve your eye health overall.
Rest your eyes.
Follow the 20:20:20 rule, looking up from your screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Adjust your workstation.
Change your screen settings to ensure that the brightness and contrast are balanced correctly, as well as making fonts larger. Also, be mindful of how your workstation is positioned. Adjust your screen ensuring it is 15 — 20 degrees below eye level and around 50 — 70 cm away from the eyes.
Reduce glare (眩光).
A.People should try to reduce the time spent on the screen. |
B.One can read his favorite paper books instead of e-books. |
C.Half confess they’re forced to enlarge images to see them clearly. |
D.Another thing to focus on is to make sure your room is properly lit. |
E.Looking into the distance helps relax the focusing muscles of your eyes. |
F.Reflections on your computer screen can cause glare and lead to eye fatigue. |
G.They may feel uncomfortable, painful, tired and even start to itch (发痒) or burn. |