Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性別) and mental health status (情況) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路徑).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic (遺傳的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders.
【小題1】How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?

A．It involved more people.

B．It took longer to finish the research.

C．It determined the exact amount of time needed.

D．It was led by just two researchers.

【小題2】 What can we conclude from the findings of the study?

A．Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health.

B．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”.

C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect.

D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill.

【小題3】. According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.

A．stressed, inactive people	B．office workers
C．youth offenders	D．women and children

【小題4】 What is the main problem discussed in this article?

A．Physical well-being.	B．Outdoor exercise.
C．Mental illness.	D．Harmony with nature.

When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence “How do you do?” as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language.
Languages do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It’s important to master(掌握) the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speaker puts words in a wrong order, the listener can’t understand the speaker’s sentence easily. Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes, But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn’t change. Let’s see the difference between the two pairs of sentences.
“She only likes apples.”               “Only she likes apples.”
“I have seen the film already.”           “I have already seen the film.”
When you are learning English, you must do your best to get the spirit(精神實(shí)質(zhì)) of the language and use it as the English speaker does.
【小題1】From the passage we know that _______when we are learning English.

A．we shouldn’t put every word into our own language

B．we should look up every word in the dictionary

C．we need to put every word into our own language

D．we must read word by word

【小題2】The writer thinks it is _______ in learning English.

A．difficult to understand different sounds

B．necessary to remember the word order

C．important to master the rules in different ways

D．easy to master the rules for word order

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the meaning of an English sentence always changes with the order of the words

B．The order of words can never change the meaning of an English sentence

C．sometimes different order of words has a different meaning

D．if the order of words is different, the meaning of the sentence must be different

【小題4】“She only likes apples.” ________.

A．is the same as “Only she likes apples.”

B．is different from “Only she likes apples.”

C．means “She likes fruit except apples.”

D．means “She doesn’t like apples.”

I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek. Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square, It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square.
You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich. The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power. This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children.
But the Wasichus (Indian word for “white people”) have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to be full - grown.
【小題1】.
According to the passage, the Indians _______.

A．don’t have modern instruments in their homes

B．refused to move from round places

C．lived in round places, but were forced to live in square houses

D．lived in round places, but then decided to move into square houses

【小題2】.
Two things being compared in the passage are _______.

A．the Indians’ past and present living conditions

B．the Indians’ past and modern beliefs

C．the Indians’ old and new power

D．people and nature

【小題3】.
. In the second paragraph “the four quarters” refers to _______.

A．the four rooms of the Indian’s house

B．the four kinds of natural power

C．the four seasons

D．the four directions

【小題4】.
According to the author, once the Indians moved into square houses, ______________.

A．they had to move to other houses

B．boys took more time to grow into men

C．they forgot the old way of life

D．everyone was not happy

It is in Chengdu No.7 High School _______ a variety of activities are offered _______ I am able to develop my interests.

A. that; that           B. where; that

C. where; which               D. that; which

 

Dear Daughter,

     As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write to tell you all that is on my mind.

First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament(證明) of what a great well-rounded student you are. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.

Your college years will be the most important of your life. It is in college that you will discover what learning is about. This will be the period when you go from teacher taught to master inspired, after which you must become a self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn is of no practical use in real life, the learning skills you get will be something you will value forever.

   Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Don’t be bothered by what others think or say, but make up your own mind. Most importantly, make true friends and be happy. Don’t worry abut their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities.

    Start planning early what you’d like to do. Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? I think your plan to study fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get onto the right courses. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver’s seat--this is your life, and you need to be in control. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you’ll love it!

   So please treasure your college years--make the best use of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, and learn through your successes and challenges.

   May your years at Columbia be the happiest of your life, and may you grow into just what you dream to be.                                               

  Love

                                                              Dad & Mom

1.We can read between the lines that________.

A. Dad is very strict with his daughter

B. Dad has a strong love for his daughter

C. Dad always worries about his daughter

D. Dad is much concerned about his daughter's health

2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Plan things before you do them.

B. Self-learning is very important in college.

C. Follow your passion and what other people say.

D. Leading a life is just like driving a car.

3. The underlined word “destiny” in the passage is the closest in meaning to____________.

A. weight        B. Time       C. position       D. life

4.The purpose of the author in writing the letter is to tell his daughter to____________.

A．make the most of her college               B．fight till she succeeds

C．be confident and happy                         D．smile to her trouble in 1ife