Question

    Do you live in a city? You’ve probably noticed how noisy and crowded life in a city can be. What if you could live next to a calm lake instead?

As it turns out, living near bodies of water – lakes, rivers, ponds, even oceans – can help us feel both happier and healthier. Those who live less than a kilometer from the coast are around 22 percent less likely to have mental health problems than those who live 50 kilometers or more away, according to a study by researchers from the University of Exeter, UK. People who visit the coast at least twice a week tend to experience better general and mental health as well.

So how does “blue space” make us feel better? For one thing, aquatic environments tend to have less pollution and more sunlight, both of which are linked to better mental and physical health. People who get more sun tend to be happier than those who do not.

There’s also the air above the sea. After spending time near the ocean, you might find that you feel more relaxed than usual. This is because sea air is filled with negative ions（负离子）. These ions balance our levels of serotonin（血清素）, a chemical that affects our moods. With balanced serotonin levels, we feel more calm and relaxed, according to Daily Mail.

Finally, people who live near water tend to be more physically active, according to the Guardian. Water sports like swimming and rowing can help us stay in shape, which in turn keeps us healthy.

1.What did the researchers from the University of Exeter find?

A.Living near water can improve our mental health.

B.An increasing number of people don’t like living in cities.

C.Living near water has more advantages than living in cities.

D.People with mental health problems mainly come from cities.

2.The underlined word “aquatic” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A.natural

B.outdoor

C.oceanic

D.clean

3.What do we know about negative ions?

A.They are chemicals in our bodies.

B.They can only be found in sea air.

C.They can help people reduce stress.

D.They increase serotonin in our bodies.

4.In which column can you find this passage?

A.Health.

B.Travel.

C.Environment.

D.Entertainment.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。研究表明：住在离海边较近的人及每周去两次海边的人会比远离海边的人心理健康状态更好。因为住在海边能享受更多的阳光，避免污染。同时，海边的空气中饱含负离子，能影响人的情绪，一些水上运动也可以让人更加健康。

1.细节理解题。第二段第二句提到Those who live less than a kilometer from the coast are around 22 percent less likely to have mental health problems than those who live 50 kilometers or more away according to a study by researchers from the University of Exeter, UK. People who visit the coast at least twice a week tend to experience better general and mental health as well.研究人员发现住在海边的人比住在海边50公里以外的人患上心理疾病的可能性要低22%左右，而且每周去两次海边的人心理也会更健康。由此可知，住在水边可以提升心理健康的水平。A项符合文意，故选A。

2.词义猜测题。第二段提到住在海边的人心理状态会更健康，且第三段提到“blue space”指的是蓝色的海边空间。A. natural自然的；B. outdoor户外的；C. oceanic海洋的；D. clean干净的。C项符合文意，故选C。

3.细节理解题。第四段第四句提到These ions balance our levels of serotonin（血清素）, a chemical that affects our moods.这种负离子可以平衡我们体内影响情绪的化学物质，平衡了血清素水平后人们就可以感到更平静和放松。C项提到负离子可以帮助人们解压，C项符合文意，故选C。

4.推理判断题。分析文章可知，文章提到了适宜人类居住的环境，身体内的负氧离子对情绪的帮助，同时还提到了水上运动对人体健康的好处，这都是跟人类健康有关的内容。因此这篇文章可以在Health版块上看到。A项符合文意，故选A。