As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body. 

 Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health. 

     The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.

21. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.

A. they regard working as their greatest enjoyment 

B. they believe that work is superior to relaxation

C. they are travelling fast all the time  

D. they are becoming busier with their work than ever before 

22. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress   

B. Stress is always harmful to people’s health

C. Different people can withstand different amounts of stress 

D. It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.  

23. In the last sentence of the passage, "do so " refers to ______.

  A. expose ourselves to stress            B. remove stress from our lives

  C. find ways to deal with stress          D. established links between diseases and stress

NEW YORK: New York on Thursday, 13 Sept, became the first city in the United States to enforce a limited ban on super-sized soda drinks blamed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg for fueling a national obesity crisis.    The Board of Health's formal approval of the ban---proposed by Bloomberg and praised by health campaigners, but hotly opposed by soft drinks manufacturers—was not considered a surprise.                  The city health commissioner, Thomas Farley, called the vote "historic".                

    However, Liz Berman, president of Continental Food and Beverage and head of the New Yorkers for Beverage Choices lobby group, described the "discriminatory ban" as a "fix". "It's sad that the board wants to limit our choices. We are smart enough to make our own decisions about what to eat and drink." she said in a statement.       

    However, there is nothing to stop people from buying as much soda as they like by refilling smaller containers. Also, the ban does not extend to drinks sold in supermarkets or any dairy or fruit drinks, many of which also contain huge quantities of sugar.                  

    Diet and alcoholic drinks are also exempted. The measure, which could face legal challenges from the soft drinks industry, takes effect in six months.                   

According to official statistics, some 6,000 people in New York die each year from obesity-linked problems. One in eight adult New Yorkers has diabetes, which can be worsened by sugar consumption.               

    Boosting the mayor, the newly-built basketball stadium for the Brooklyn Nets announced it will immediately adopt the rules, well ahead of the March 12 deadline.                  

    The measure generated a stormy debate, including 38,000 comments written to the Board of Health. Polls showed a majority of people opposed the ban.                  

 24. Why does New York enforce the limited ban on super-sized soda drinks?                 

A. Because it is believed that soda drinks are of harm to health.  

B. Because it is believed that soda drinks cause the nation overweight.

    C. Because too many people don't like drinking soda drinks.

    D. Because super-sized soda drinks block the sugar consumption.

 25. What can we infer from the passage about Liz Berman?

    A. She takes the limited ban on super-sized soda drinks as an unfair one.

    B. She is in charge of the production of soda drinks all over the country.

    C. She is very angry that the city government limits what to eat and drink.

    D. She is smart enough to know what she eats or drinks.

 26. The underlined word "exempted" means ________ in the 7th paragraph.                                    A. unfair           B. upset           C. relieved             D.limited

 27. When will the limited ban be carried out according to the passage?                

    A. This September.                 B. This November.  

C. The coming January.             D. The coming March.

My wife passed away a few years ago, and I went through the worst time in my life. I even wanted to kill myself. Just for my kids, I had to continue to live and work as a small town doctor at my medical clinic in Hawaii. My kids had gone to live on the mainland, and I was alone. Then they asked me to have a family trip.

On our trip, we turned on the TV at the motel and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. Seeing it falling down, I said to my kids: “I'm going to Afghanistan.” And a few weeks later, International Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in provinces where people had no health care. These field clinics surrounded by frightening shoots or deadly bombs, we were eventually serving 27,000 patients a month in a very busy schedule. Tired and nervous, I gradually had a sense of achievement, a sense of purpose, and my depression went away.

In the years to follow, I went to Indonesia after the tsunami(海啸), Pakistan after the earthquakes, Sudan after the civil war, and Iraq after more and more bombs. Each time after disasters one after another, hundreds of people were killed, wounded and many more had to flee. We once set up movable clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees, and it was supposed to hold 13,000 originally. Flu broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and food were also serious problems. “Adventures or not?” I often asked myself.

When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But in reality, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, she went unconscious. I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit and the exciting adventures we would have.

  I think about the moment many times during my “adventures”. I didn't know how predictive those words would be. But I know that she is still with me.

28. Where has the doctor been in the past few years?

A. Some countries where he could set up clinics.

B. The places where the horrible disasters struck.

C. Some African countries where flu broke out.

D. The places where the earthquakes happened.

29. How would the doctor describe his life after he had worked in Afghanistan?

A. Tired and troublesome.

B. Busy and risky.

C. Meaningful and helpful.

D. Frightening and depressing.

30. The underlined word "refugees" means people________.

A. who are robbed, killed, or wounded

B. who suffer from flu in movable clinics

C. who like to take adventures

D. who have lost homes for wars or other reasons.

31. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. What the doctor said to his wife before her death became “reality”.

B. The doctor's wife encouraged him to work in foreign countries.

C. The doctor's adventures made him understand the love of his wife.

D. With the true love of his wife, the doctor started to change his life.

    I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was hurt in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.

After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and decided to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was amazed. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my accident, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him. But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215. My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to refuse his help. And he made me pay him $770.

Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time and I left without getting a cent.

My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality. Secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its good and bad sides.

32. The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.

A. he felt sorry for the author  

B. he thought it was a chance to make some money

C. he knew the doctor was a very good one  

D. he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

33. A good doctor is essential for the writer to __________.

A. be properly treated

B. talk with the person responsible for the accident

C. recover before he leaves America

D. eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

34. Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.

A．friendly      B. greedy    C．professional D．busy

35. What conclusion can you draw from the story?

   A. Going to court is something very common in America.

   B. One must be very careful while driving a car.

   C. there are more bad sides in America than good sides.  

   D. Money is more important than other things in the US.

  We often close ourselves off when painful events happen in our lives. Instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to ignore the hurt and pain, but we can't hide from ourselves.   36   The items listed below are four tips you can open your heart more fully and completely.

1. Breathe into pain.

      Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to face it instead of running away.  37  When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and accept it. By using our breath we soften our experiences and allow more newness.

2.  38  .

     We're often confused at the next step to take. Actually, we can try a new decision making process. To start this process, we may ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right？” See what comes up, then put it into practice and evaluate the outcome. 

3.Spend time alone 

      For most of our lives we're surrounded by people: our friends, family members, and strangers.   39   When you spend time in solitude(孤独), you're free from the influences of other people. It might be painful at first, but eventually you'll add a whole new layer of depth and understanding into your life. 

4. Get outside of yourself

      40   But in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand. After you've explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding. 

     Now, it's time to share that － not through telling others, but through being with others.

A. Have a light heart 

B. Ask your heart what it wants 

C. Is there anything I'm hiding from myself?

D. How often do we really spend time alone? 

E. This may seem a little contradictory(矛盾的) to the last tip.

F. We should open our hearts and take action to heal the wounds.

G. When we run away from sadness, it gets stronger and more real.