That“Monday morning feeling”could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday mornings and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.
The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2, 600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 percent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.
Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 percent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.
A study of 11, 000 Italians proved 8 a. m. on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewest heart attacks in both countries.
The finding could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr Stefan Willich of the Free University. “We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol(胆固醇)but we don’t know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can’t give clear advice on how to prevent them, ”he said.
Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work.
“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal(内分泌)changes in their bodies, ”Willich explained. “All these things can have an unfavorable effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot(血凝块)which will cause a heart attack.”
“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activities,”said Willich.
1.Monday morning feeling, as this passage shows, ________.
A.is not as serious as people thought |
B.is the first killer in Germany and Italy |
C.is created by researchers in Germany and Italy |
D.is harmful to working people in developed countries |
2.To protect people from a heart attack, doctors have paid much attention to ________.
A.people’s working time |
B.people’s living place |
C.people’s diet and lifestyle |
D.people’s nationalities |
3.It can be learned from this passage that the heart attack has something to do with all the following EXCEPT ________.
A.blood pressure |
B.heart rate |
C.hormonal changes |
D.blood type |
4.If the researchers give us some advice to avoid Monday morning feeling, what might it be?
A.Improve working conditions. |
B.Never go to work on Mondays. |
C.Stay with a doctor on Mondays. |
D.Get up late on Monday mornings. |
HK’s Family Affair
The 32nd Hong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the theme of “family”.
The art festival, considered to be Asia’s best, began in 1973.
“We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the multiple performances in our art festival,”Douglas Gautier, the festival’s management director, said in a press conference in the capital.
In the 29 days of the festival, which runs from February 8 to March 7, 2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland.
Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor spectaculars.
The programmes include Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare’s drama Rromeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few.
The lineup(阵容)includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, The Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante, the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt and Marc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek.
In an effort to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering discount packages along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% discounts.
For more information, please check:
www. hk. artsfestival. org
1.The press conference must have been held ________.
A.in Hong Kong |
B.in Europe |
C.in Beijing |
D.in England |
2.By means of“discount packages”you can pay ________.
A.nothing for the cost |
B.less than the usual cost |
C.for the air ticket but not for the festival ticket |
D.for the festival ticket but not for hotel rooms |
3.According to the text, we do NOT have any information about ________.
A.who will perform on stage |
B.what programmes there will be |
C.when the 32nd Art Festival will be held |
D.which theatres will put on performances |
4.The main purpose in writing this text is ________.
A.to make the 32nd Art Festival known |
B.to announce the plan of the art festival |
C.to introduce the cost of the art festival |
D.to sell a service during the art festival |
One night when my wife was preparing dinner, our little son took a piece of paper to her which read:
For washing the car...........................................$5.00
For making my own bed this week...................$1.00
Going to the provision shop..............................$0.50
Playing with little sister ...................................$0.25
Taking out the rubbish......................................$1.00
Getting a good report card................................$5.00
And for sweeping the common corridor...........$2.00
Total .......................................................... ......$14.75
His mother looked at him standing there expecting payment. I could see a thousand memories flashed through her mind. So she picked up the pen and turning the paper over, this is what she wrote:
For 9 months I carried you, growing inside me.....................................No Charge
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you..............No Charge
For the toys, food and clothes and wiping your nose............................No Charge
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love...................................No Charge
Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. He looked at his mother and said, “Mummy, I love you.” Then he took the pen and in great big letters wrote on the “bill”“All paid.”.
1.What’s the best title for this passage?
A.Part-time Job |
B.Mother’s Love, No Charge |
C.Payment for House Work. |
D.Greedy Mother |
2.The writer wrote the passage in order to ______.
A.show that children should be paid for their housework |
B.show that children should not be paid for their housework |
C.show a clever way of teaching children |
D.tell children how to spend their spare time |
3.How do you think of the mother in the passage?
A.Clever. |
B.Greedy. |
C.Cold-hearted. |
D.Selfish. |
4.From the last passage we know that ______.
A.the boy got all the money he wanted |
B.the mother was unwilling to give the money to the boy |
C.the boy realized that it was not right to ask for money for the housework |
D.the mother was angry with what the boy said |
Michael O’her lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. The father believed in encouragement.
Though Michael was the 21 of the class when he entered high school, his 22 continued to encourage him, but also made it very clear that he did not have to play 23 if he didn’t want to.
However, Michael loved football and was 24 to try his best at every practice. All through high school, he never 25 a practice or a game, but remained a bench warmer(替补队员) all four years. His 26 father was always in the stands, with words of 27 for him.
It was the end of the football season, and as Michael ran slowly onto the practice field shortly 28 the big final game, the coach met him with a telegram. Michael 29 the telegram and became deathly silent—his father died that morning, and the sad man left for 30 immediately.
In the third quarter, when the team was ten points 31 , a silent young man eagerly 32 onto the sidelines. The coach and his players were shocked to see their team-mate back so 33 .
“Coach, please let me 34 . I have to play today,” said Michael. Feeling sorry for him, the coach 35 . Before long, nobody could believe their eyes. This small bench warmer played like a(n) 36 . He helped his team win finally.
When the team was cheering for their 37 , Michael was sitting in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “You were fantastic! Tell me 38 you did it?”
Tears in eyes, Michael said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know he was blind?” He 39 a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could 40 me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”
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--- Jones! Roy has broken the glass.
--- Such things happen.
A.What a pity! |
B.Never mind |
C.How come? |
D.What has become of him? |
Mike didn’t understand _______ made his wife so upset this morning.
A.what was it that |
B.what it was that |
C.how that was |
D.why it was that |