1 . We usually divide a year into four seasons. However, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, there are five seasons — spring, summer, late summer, fall, and winter. Each of the five has many features which guide us to change our habits to keep the balance between our body and the external environment.
Winter in TCM
The ancient Chinese believed that winter is the Yin “阴” season in nature.
In TCM theory, winter is a season to feed ourselves both spiritually and physically. Activities in the season have a turn inwards. For example, we can do more writing, reading and other soul-nourishing (滋养灵魂的) activities. Although energetic exercise should be avoided, it’s important to keep our body healthy with gentle exercise, especially outdoor activities, in which we can get fresh air and sunlight. In addition, we should also go to bed earlier to save more energy.
Foods for winter
The principle of harmony between what we eat and the season is based on hundreds of years of experience in TCM. It suggests that we embrace locally-grown and seasonable foods, which is the way nature intends us to eat. During the winter, there are many foods beneficial to us.
Moods in winter
According to TCM theory, stress, depression and unresolved anger can also weaken our immune system, allowing external factors to affect our body in winter.
A.Activities in winter |
B.Exercises in winter |
C.Most of them naturally grow in this season |
D.It is inactive, cold and dark, which makes us slow down. |
E.If you exercise properly in winter, you can enjoy yourself. |
F.Everyone can enjoy winter if they live and exercise appropriately. |
G.So, keeping a good mood is especially important in this cold season. |
In Chinese tradition, the autumn season is associated with the color white, the sound of weeping, the emotions of both courage and sadness. Autumn, however, for westerners, is considered to be the direction of dreams and visions.
What does all this mean? It’s the very system
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3 . Some people can't wait for the lovely colors, cooler weather, and cozy sweaters of autumn. In fact, fall is Americans' favorite time, but for a minority of others, the transition from summer creates worry, fear and worse. According to Carrie Landin, a psychologist from the University of Colorado Health Integrative Medicine Center, a significant number of people actually experience autumn anxiety.
For some people, stress is triggered (触发) by environmental factors: Decreases in daylight cause chemical changes in the brain. "Less daylight leads to lower levels of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine that control our emotions," says Kimberly Asner-self, associate professor at Touro Colleges` School of Health Sciences. "As these chemicals drop, the body responds by increasing levels of cortisol. the hormone released in situations where we face threat." The result can be an increased anxiety, difficulty sleeping and depression.
But it's not just increasing darkness that can trigger these symptoms. For people who feel this way every year, some of the reaction is mental. "When we know there's the potential for stress ahead we tend to anticipate the problems, feeling anxious before they even happen," Landin says.
The fall features more than its fair share of impending (迫在眉睫) events: back to school at the beginning of the season and family get-togethers toward the end. Mayra Mendez, a psychologist from Providence Saint Johns Health Center, suggests identifying your personal triggers and making a plan to manage them before they feel overwhelming. For instance, if you're concerned about family issues and holiday parties, decide in advance that it's perfectly OK to say no to some of them. If fall's stricter work and school schedules make you anxious, plan regular breaks and vacations to look forward to.
Finally, you should also find ways to embrace the present moment. Remember: while autumn may throw you a few tricks, there are plenty of treats to be found too.
1. What may be the cause of autumn anxiety?A.Cooler weather. | B.Less daylight. |
C.Sleep difficulties. | D.Vacation plans. |
A.potential stress can be predictable | B.stress can be triggered by chemicals |
C.depression is related to family issues | D.anxiety can be caused by mental factors |
A.Manageable. | B.Overwhelming. |
C.Troublesome. | D.Beneficial. |
A.Seasonal Anxiety | B.Tricks or Treats |
C.The Autumn Blues | D.Characteristics of Fall |
March 20 marks the Spring Equinox, or Chunfen in Chinese, the
Peach blossoms enter their great time and give tourists a lot of pleasure with pinkish flowers. Since ancient times, peach blossoms
The Spring Equinox is marked as the
Starting from the Spring Equinox and before the Qingming Festival, Chinese farmers are the
People have a cup of the very first tea shoots in spring as
The ancient Chinese people
Grain Rain, just as the name shows, is a key time for grains to grow. There is
In the northern part of China, the first heavy rain usually occurs during this time of year, which
Drinking tea is an old custom in the southern part of China. The mild temperatures and plentiful rainfall in the season make the spring tea leaves rich in a
Along the northern coast of China, fishermen
6 . Six Solar Terms in Summer
Lixia
Lixia is the first solar term in summer, signifying the beginning of the hot summer.
Xiaoman and Mangzhong
During Xiaoman, summer harvest crops such as wheat already bear fruits, and their seeds are full though they are not ripe yet. Thus, the solar term is named Xiaoman. The solar term Xiaoman is in late May. Summer begins to reach all parts of the country. Rainfall begins to increase further. Mangzhong means, "wheat with awn(芒)should be harvested soon, and rice seeds with awn can be sown".
Xiazhi
On the day of Xiazhi, the daytime in the Northern Hemisphere(半球)reaches its maxi-mum length.
Xiaoshu and Dashu
A.The character shu means heat. |
B.It predicts the busy farming activities of farmers. |
C.The temperatures rise and summer drought begins. |
D.The more northern a place is, the longer its daytime is. |
E.People need to prepare for heat prevention and cooling. |
F.It means the end of spring, and the beginning of summer. |
G.It marks the hottest period with the highest temperatures in a year. |