Question

    As unpleasant emotions go, anxiety is the roughest. It's a vague, pit-of-the-stomach fear that sneaks up to you -- that unease you get when your boss says that she needs to talk to you right away, when the phone rings at 4:00 a.m., or when your dentist looks into your mouth and says "Hmm" for the third time.

Lingering anxiety can keep you up at night, make you irritable, undermine your ability to concentrate, and ruin your appetite. And the constant state of readiness generated by anxiety--- adrenaline pumping, heart racing, palms sweating--may contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.

How to prevent anxiety then?

Meditate. Maybe you're just high-strung. If so, meditation(冥想) is worth a try. It cultivates a calmness that eases anxious feelings and offers a sense of control. A study at the University of Massachusetts found that volunteers who took an 8-week meditation course were considerably less anxious afterward. People who are high-strung find that they are dramatically calmer with 20 minutes of meditation in the morning and another 20 minutes after dinner.

Jog,walk, swim, or cycle. If you can't make time for meditation, be sure to make time for regular exercise. Exercise can have the same calming effect as meditation, particularly if it's something repetitive like running or swimming laps.

Treatment?

Remember to breathe. When you're anxious, you tend to hold your breath or breathe too shallowly. That makes you feel more anxious. Breathing slowly and deeply can have a calming effect. To make sure that you're breathing correctly, place your hand on your diaphragm(横膈膜), just below your rib cage(胸腔). Feel it rise with each inhalation(吸气) and fall with each exhalation.

Let's say you are anxious about your competence on the job. Ask yourself "What, in particular, am I afraid that I'll mess up?" Maybe you’re afraid that you get further behind and miss your deadlines. Or maybe you're worried that you're blowing it whenever you present your ideas in meetings. Are your worries founded? Have you had several near misses with deadlines? Are your suggestions routinely rejected? If not, the anxiety is needless. If there is a real problem, work on a solution: Pace yourself to better meet deadlines, or join a public speaking class.

1.Which of the following symptoms is NOT directly caused by anxiety?

A.Lower in concentration. B.No appetite.

C.Heart racing. D.High blood pressure.

2.According to the passage, what can be done to avoid anxiety?

A.Exercising regularly. B.Keeping breath steady.

C.Breathing with the help of hands. D.Adjusting the pace of life.

3.What is the last paragraph about?

A.Anxiety at work and its solutions. B.People's anxiety about their capabilities.

C.The reason for someone's incompetence. D.The function of public speaking class.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了焦虑的危害以及防止和应对焦虑的方法。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段“Lingering anxiety can keep you up at night, make you irritable, undermine your ability to concentrate, and ruin your appetite. And the constant state of readiness generated by anxiety--- adrenaline pumping, heart racing, palms sweating--may contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.”可知，持续的焦虑会让你晚上失眠，让你烦躁，破坏你集中注意力的能力，破坏你的食欲。焦虑产生的准备状态——肾上腺素抽吸、心跳加速、手掌出汗——可能会导致高血压和心脏病，由此可知，注意力不集中、没有食欲、心跳加速是直接由焦虑引起的，而高血压是其间接引起的，故D项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“Exercise can have the same calming effect as meditation, particularly if it's something repetitive”可知，锻炼可以和冥想有同样的镇静效果，特别是如果它是重复性的，由此可知，经常锻炼会防止焦虑，故A项正确。

3.主旨大意题。通读最后一段，特别是根据“Let's say you are anxious about your competence on the job.”及“If there is a real problem, work on a solution: Pace yourself to better meet deadlines, or join a public speaking class.”可知，本段主要讲的是工作中的焦虑及其解决方法——调整自己的步调以便更好地完成最后期限，或者参加一个公开演讲班，故A项正确。