A walk through the galleries of Quebec's Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) places individuals face-to-face with some 43,000 artworks ranging from Chinese ceramics (陶瓷制品) to Inuit sculpture.
While the visiting is an incredible cultural experience, a group of local physicians will soon be able to prescribe(开处方) museum visits as treatment for some illnesses.
"We know that art contributes to neural(神经的) activity," said MMFA director Nathalie Bondil. "What we see is that being in contact with art can really help your well-being."
Hélène Boyer, vice president of a Montreal-based medical association, explains that museum visits have been shown to increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter (神经传导物质) known as the "happy chemical" which helps to lift mood.
According to Boyer, the small increase in hormones（荷尔蒙）associated with enjoying an afternoon of art is similar to that offered by exercise, making museum prescriptions ideal for the elderly experiencing pain that prevents them from regularly joining in physical activity.
The museum visits are designed to improve traditional methods. As Bondil notes, spending time in a peaceful environment can provide a welcome distraction. "What is most important is this experience can help them escape from their own pain," she says. "When you enter the museum, you escape from the speed of our daily life."
"I am convinced that in the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century," said Bondil. "Some people would do well to recall that just in the 19th century, sports were believed to do harm to the body. Just as doctors now prescribe exercise, they will be able to prescribe a visit to the MMFA."
1.What does Hélène Boyer think of museum visits?
A. They can cheer people up.
B. They can reduce physical activity.
C. They can slow down our life pace.
D. They can increase levels of art appreciation.
2.How do museum visits affect people?
A. Stop them concentrating on pain.
B. Stop them focusing on traditional methods.
C. Encourage them not to be absent-minded.
D. Encourage them to slow their steps while walking.
3.What does the last paragraph suggest?
A. Physical activities were popular in the 19th century.
B. Sports are considered to be harmful to the body.
C. Ideas of treating illnesses are changing over time.
D. Doctors prescribe museum visits regularly now.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. Museum visits are ideal for the elderly.
B. Happy chemical helps to lift mood.
C. Peaceful environment helps escape pain.
D. Cultural activities will promote health.
Paris is the city of dreams. If you plan to head to Paris for a study period, then perhaps a little reality check is in order. But my experience was a romantic one.
I paved my path to Paris through an exchange program. On arrival in Paris, I was constantly reminded of the official processes I had to complete — forms to be filled in, meetings to attend, the list seemed endless.
Then the real work began. Once classes were underway, I found myself volunteering to do oral presentations and assignments first, rather than last. This method proved to be very helpful.
Once I had finished class for the week, I had an ever-increasing list of museums to visit, neighborhoods to explore, and cafés to sit in. Read books about Paris. Talk to locals and other foreigners living there. But the one thing that reading a book or talking to someone cannot do is to provide you with the experience of wandering Paris on foot. The people watching, the sounds of the city, the colors as the seasons change, they all add to the ecstasy that I experience in Paris as an exchange student.
After spending five months wandering through the charming neighborhoods, I fell in love with the atmosphere that came out from every open door, and with every spoken word. There is something comforting about walking to the market each Sunday to enjoy the beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There is warmth in saying bonjour to the passers-by.
On my last day in Paris, I confidently said, “Bonjour Monsieur,” as I passed the little store down the street. I guess the best part about going on exchange in Paris is falling in love with the city in your own way. And I know mine is unique and special to me, my own little pieces of Paris.
1.What does the underlined word "ecstasy" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Courage. B. Imagination.
C. Happiness. D. Reputation.
2.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. An exchange student’s life. B. Charming neighborhoods.
C. An exchange program. D. A traveling experience.
3.Beyond reading books, which experience would the author treasure most?
A. Enjoying coffee in his spare time.
B. Greeting people in French in the street.
C. Buying vegetables in the market.
D. Hanging around in Paris.
4.According to the passage, what left the author the deepest impression?
A. The friendly people he met in Paris.
B. The special culture he experienced in the city.
C. The academic achievement he made in his study.
D. The presentations and assignments he did in class.
Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans
◆Horses are picky eaters
Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔) , their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.
◆Whale says thanks
In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.
◆Pandas like to be naughty
Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw of ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.
◆A cat honors its owner
Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now "stands guard" at the grave for hours at a time.
1.What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?
A. Feel them. B. Taste them.
C. Smell them. D. Observe them.
2.What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the passage?
A. They are clever.
B. They have a grateful heart.
C. They are active and lovely.
D. They have a good sense of smell.
3.Which of the following acts like a human baby according to the passage?
A. The whale. B. The cat.
C. The horse. D. The panda.
One day, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day and I was feeling ______ . As I paid for the gas, the attendant said, “How do you feel?” That seemed like a ______ question, but I felt fine and told him so. “You don't look ______.” he replied and continued to tell me my skin appeared ______.
By the time I left, I was a little ______ . About a block away, I ______ to the side of the road to look at my face ______ the mirror. Was everything all right? Had I picked up ______ rare disease? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a slight ______ somewhere in my body.
The next time I went into that gas station, I ______ what had happened: The place had recently been painted a bright yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside ___________ as though they were sick! That was the truth. ______ , I let that short conversation change my attitude for an entire day. His _____ observation affected the way I felt and acted.
This experience made me think a lot. It is the same with life, in which attitude ________ . The way we look at life determines how we feel and how we _______. If we expect something to turn out _______ , it probably will. But the _______ also works in reverse. If we expect good things to happen, they ________ do. An optimistic attitude, I believe, is not a luxury but a(an) ________. So after that, I chose to highlight the _______ throughout the rest of my life.
1.A. great B. excited C. sick D. uncomfortable
2.A. considerate B. thoughtful C. strange D. funny
3.A. happy B. comfortable C. satisfied D. well
4.A. grey B. yellow C. black D. red
5.A. angry B. uneasy C. painful D. unbelievable
6.A. pulled over B. pulled in C. pulled out D. pulled through
7.A. on B. at C. over D. in
8.A. certain B. some C. several D. anxiety
9.A. comfort B. relief C. pain D. anxiety
10.A. picked out B. put out C. turned out D. figured out
11.A. feel B. behave C. look D. see
12.A. However B. Therefore C. Besides D. Otherwise
13.A. kind B. helpful C. rude D. negative
14.A. matters B. affects C. decides D. speaks
15.A. work B. perform C. learn D. believe
16.A. smoothly B. badly C. well D. positively
17.A. principle B. saying C. meaning D. sentence
18.A. usually B. certainly C. definitely D. seldom
19.A. imagination B. tool C. necessity D. alternative
20.A. important B. useful C. positive D. special
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChat messages. But a TV show, LettersAlive, is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back 1. the present.
LettersAlive took 2. (it) idea from a UK program, LettersLive, released in 2013. Both 3. (show) feature famous actors and actresses, but there 4. (be) no eye-catching visual effects or any regular showbiz(娱乐圈) activities. Instead, it’s just a live event 5. remarkable letters selected from a wide time span and a diverse range of subjects are read. There is, for example, a passionate letter from Huang Yongyu to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to criticize his lack of 6. (create).
Every letter is like a small piece of history. By hearing them being read, it’s as if we are being sent back in time 7. (experience) a moment that we would otherwise never have had the chance to.
Compared to8. (publish) texts, letters also 9. (natural) come with a personal touch. As well as celebrating the pain, joy, wisdom and humor, LettersAlive10. (commit) to promoting Chinese literature since first run.
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Brown来信询问中国改革开放以来取得的成就，请你写封邮件告知有关信息。内容包括：
1．很高兴收到来信
2．取得的成就（生活、教育、住宅、交通等）
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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