Question

The Alexander technique

Until earlier this year, I didn’t know anything about the Alexander technique—and saw no reason to think I should. One day, the backache I regularly suffered was more painful. I was brought up to think that the preferred way of dealing with aches is to do nothing and hope they’ll go away, but I eventually went to the doctor. After examining me, he said, “You actually have bad posture (姿势). Go off and learn the Alexander technique.” Three months later I could walk straighter and sit better.

The Alexander technique is a way of learning how you can get rid of harmful tension in your body. The teaching focuses on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less severely and carry out the movements that we do all the time with less effort. There is little effort in the lessons themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from yoga or pilates, which are exercise-based. A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimum effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine (脊椎) and relax your body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.

The technique helps to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try folding your arms the opposite way to normal. This is an example of a habit the body has formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any inappropriate posture can cause problems for the body. The technique teaches you to let go of the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to go back to its natural place on the top of our spines.

So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Alexander, an Australian actor born in 1869, found in his youth that he had vocal (声音的) problems during performances. He analyzed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with excellent results. He brought his technique to London and opened a teacher-training school, which is still successful today.

So if you’re walking along the road one day with shoulders bent forward, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a thought to the Alexander technique. It will help you walk tall again.

1.What does the author suggest in Paragraph 1?

A. She felt no better after the treatment.

B. She got bored with the Alexander technique.

C. She was sceptical about the doctor’s method.

D. She was unwilling to seek treatment for her backache.

2.What is the principle of the Alexander technique?

A. Physical tension shouldn’t be completely relieved.

B. The technique shouldn’t be combined with other exercises.

C. The practice of the technique shouldn’t be attempted alone.

D. Familiar physical actions shouldn’t be done with much effort.

3.What can we learn about Frederick Alexander?

A. He managed to recover his vocal powers.

B. He was eager to make a name for himself.

C. He developed a form of exercise for actors.

D. He had to leave home to develop his technique.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The occurrence of back pain is widespread.

B. Alexander improved the technique to treat body pain.

C. The Alexander technique helps overcome posture problems.

D. People with back pain are victims of inappropriate postures.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

本文属于说明文，介绍了亚历山大技巧对于矫正身体的作用以及其发明者。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段I was brought up to think that the preferred way of dealing with aches is to do nothing and hope they’ll go away, but I eventually went to the doctor.可知，作者从小就被灌输这样的思维，处理疼痛的更好办法就是不做任何事情，希望疼痛自行消失，但是却最终不得不去看医生，故可知，作者看医生都是迫不得已，故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段It trains you to use your body less severely and carry out the movements that we do all the time with less effort.可知，亚历山大技巧让你更合理使用身体，用最小的努力来做那些习惯性的动作，故可知，该技巧的原则就是用最小的力来做习惯性的动作，故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段Frederick Alexander, an Australian actor born in 1869, found in his youth that he had vocal (声音的) problems during performances. He analyzed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with excellent results.可知，弗雷德里克·亚历山大，一个出身于186年的澳大利亚演员，在年轻的时候声音出了问题。他做了分析，意识到自己的姿势不正确，因此致力于改善姿势，结果很好，故可知，他通过矫正姿势，解决了自己的声音问题，故选A。

4.主旨大意题。本文介绍亚历山大技巧的对于矫正身体的作用以及其发明者，故可知在介绍亚历山大技巧的作用，故选C。