Each country has its own secret to happiness, If "pyt", which closely means “don't worry about it and stuff happens", explains a relaxed attitude of Danish people, "niksen" will reveal how Dutch people combat （对抗）stress and burnout in a fast-paced lifestyle.
The term "niksen" origins from the Dutch word "niks", which refers to "nothing'', Mindfulness, another welcome subject to help people have a peaceful mind. But unlike mindfulness, niksen is not about concentrating on the present moment. It's about letting yourself do nothing, and allowing your mind to run free without expectation.
In practice, this means "hanging around, looking at your surroundings, or listening to music as long as it's without purpose” according to Time Magazine.
Niksen sounds contrary to the advice we were all given as kids. Nowadays, we're constantly told to stay busy and work harder than everyone else. But niksen opposes that mentality( 心态). It offers the chance to "deliciously do nothing", as Carolien Hamming, a coach at CSR Centrum, an organization devoted to fighting stress and burnout in the Netherlands, told Time.
She thinks that niksen is essential to staying healthy, since it’s a form of mental relaxation and healing. Just as a wild animal lies in wait for their prey, niksen seems to be a natural state of being.
For some people, niksen can mean more than just stress reduction. It's also a means to imagine new ideas or plans. As an early adopter（尝试者）of niksen, Jenny Holden, a communications expert in the UK, adds it to her daily lunch breaks. “Within 10 minutes of doing nothing - just staring and listening to myself - my head began to clear and sort out my work and home to-do lists,” she told the MetroUK.
Above all, niksen is a suggestion for balancing work and rest. As Dutch-bom writer Ogla Mecking wrote in US-based Whoolly Magazine, niksen is the "thorough enjoyment of life’s pauses".
Everyone is encouraged to embrace your niksen moments. They revitalize （使恢复元气） you and give you the strength needed to face everyday challenges.
1.What does niksen means?
A.Living in the moment.
B.Leading a healthy lifestyle.
C.Being free and doing nothing.
D.Using your wildest imagination.
2.Holden’s example is to show ____.
A.how niksen improves one's mental health
B.niksen is closely related to stress reduction
C.niksen can shorten the distance between people
D.niksen helps people come up with new thoughts
3.The underlined word "thorough" is closest in meaning to _______.
A.long B.full
C.unexpected D.quiet
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The introduction to a special Dutch lifestyle.
B.Suggestions on how to balance work and rest.
C.The importance of allowing time to pause life.
D.An explanation of some Danish words about life attitudes.
5.From the passage, we can know that _______.
A.people can restrengthen themselves to face challenges by niksen
B.a wild animal usually lies in wait for their prey just as niksen advices
C.Danish people are stressful and tired because of their special lifestyle
D.Carolien Hamming thinks niksen is the most important way to keep fit
Jennifer Udler was in the middle of a 50-minute session with a patient when it started to rain. Walking and talking about anxiety and stress, she and her teenage patient got wet. But when they made it back indoors, Jennifer said, “ Hey, look at us! We’re wet, but we got through it! Now you can use that next time you have anxiety before and during an event. ” This kind of insight is key to her practice.
Jennifer, a social worker whose practice focuses on adolescents, has been a therapist （治疗师 ）for 20 years. For most of that time, she practiced in a traditional office, but she noticed how easy it was for her running partners to open up about their problems. After doing some research, in 2013, Jennifer founded Positive Strides Therapy, where she conducts sessions while walking outdoors. She conducts all of her sessions outdoors and in all kinds of weather.
“When somebody asks me if I specialize in walking therapy, I say, ‘No, that’s how I practice,’ ” Udler said. “I specialize in family systems theory. Walking in the park is just where I practice. ”
Despite the lack of formal research, Jennifer believes strongly in the benefits, saying that it can be helpful. “We’ll be talking about ‘moving forward’ as we are actually moving forward on the path, building muscle memory of how they can move forward and leave the anxiety behind. ”
And outdoor walking therapy doesn’t just benefit teens. Jennifer says the adults in her practice welcome the humanizing effect of taking therapy outdoors.
1.What lesson did Jennifer teach her teenage patient through the rain?
A.Rain and suffering are a part of life.
B.She is ready to help the young man.
C.We can beat our difficulty after all.
D.Rain can help us deal with our trouble.
2.The underlined word “insight” in Paragraph 1 probably means .
A.qualification B.foresight
C.awareness D.prediction
3.How does Jennifer feel her therapy in her reply to people’s question?
A.Doubtful. B.Confident.
C.Unconcerned. D.Disappointed.
4.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The lack of formal research about the therapy.
B.Building physical memory of past experience.
C.Treating her teen patients in a traditional office.
D.Conducting walk — and — talk therapy for teens.
5.Why does Jennifer think her therapy will help her patients?
A.Walking outdoors is similar to managing worries.
B.Moving in the rain is a bit too difficult to tolerate.
C.The rain can make one excited and face the trouble.
D.Running in the rain or storm will make one healthy.
SHORTLIST OF LONDON'S BEST
If you have limited visiting time we recommend you follow this list.
1) Houses of Parliament. The guided tours of the Houses of Parliament are excellent, in any language you want, and get you to places that even normal Brits can't. However, when Parliament is sitting, they are not running, but you can still get in.
2) Hampton Court. We rate this as one of the best attractions in Europe. A whole succession of kings and queens have added to Henry VIII’s original palace. There lie a fantastic park (by Capability Brown) and gardens (including the famous maze), and Tudor kitchens and one of the last remaining Real Tennis courts. Lots of free (once you've paid the admission) guided tours, some in costume, by people who know and love the place. It's also surrounded by a series of parks and makes a great destination for a bike trip — train out (30 minutes from Waterloo), bike back (12 miles) along the river. We prefer it to the Tower of London — you'll probably want to visit both, it knocks the spots off Buckingham Palace.
3) The River. Walk along the South Bank from Tower Bridge to Lambeth. The best of London is spread out for you: The Tower of London & Tower Bridge, The Houses of Parliament, Lambeth Palace (residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury), Shakespeare's Globe theatre, Both Tate Galleries, St Paul's Cathedral, The South Bank Centre, The Temple, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Somerset House. (A 2 hour walk if you don't stop for long). Or you can take a boat out to Greenwich, the Thames Barrier or the Dome.
4) Westminster Abbey. Where they crown Kings. An unreasonable admission charge (should really be free or voluntary donation), but a masterpiece anyway. If you get bored of waiting in the queue, or packed down by the crowds, hurry yourself off to the City where there's more square space of historic church, and empty.
5) The Theatre. It'd be a crime to visit London and not take in a show. Londoners have been passionate about theatre for centuries. Not only is the quality high, but the price is low - one third the price of Broadway. Classical Music and Opera is of a similarly high standard and low price.
1.A foreign student studying the history of British Royal Family would most probably prefer the tour of _______.
A.Westminster Abbey
B.Tower Bridge
C.Somerset House
D.Hampton Court
2.The underlined statement “when Parliament is sitting” in paragraph 2 refers to the time _______.
A.when the Parliament is not officially in session.
B.when the members of Parliament are debating over a hot issue.
C.when the Parliament is staying idle for repairs.
D.when the members of Parliament are taking a break after some exercise
3.Where do you think one can probably meet with a man as a guide wearing the eighteenth century royal clothing?
A.In Lambeth Palace.
B.In Buckingham Palace.
C.In Hampton Court.
D.St Paul’s Cathedral.
4.Part of the reasons why Londoners are fond of theatre is that they enjoy _______.
A.the criminal drama plots
B.the inexpensive admission
C.the Classical Music and Opera
D.the scene of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre
A lesson in caring
It was a cold evening and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora did. She wasn’t even four, but she _______ at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, _______ we take him home?”
I don’t remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden_______feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her _______, whether it was _______ in flight or children playing. But now she was noticing _______ and beggary.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and _______ it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I _______us up. Nora was _______ about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how ________ our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to ________ myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge to turn ________. The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this? ________, we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She ________us right over.
The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed. ________ inside, I saw that the apartment belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged, I walked home in tears.
Professionals call such a(n)________“a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities, I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something ________that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and ________clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve ________ her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has ________ more?
1.A.waved B.glanced C.pulled D.aimed
2.A.Would B.Can C.Need D.Must
3.A.general B.funny C.heavy D.curious
4.A.world B.part C.eyesight D.area
5.A.insects B.animals C.plants D.birds
6.A.coldness B.suffering C.illness D.ignorance
7.A.delivered B.returned C.devoted D.posted
8.A.held B.hurried C.signed D.lined
9.A.casual B.sorry C.astonished D.excited
10.A.creative B.valuable C.shocking D.simple
11.A.warn B.stop C.allow D.push
12.A.back B.away C.up D.out
13.A.Therefore B.Obviously C.Also D.Still
14.A.called B.promised C.invited D.helped
15.A.Although B.Once C.Because D.Though
16.A.stay B.visit C.adventure D.challenge
17.A.fair B.famous C.difficult D.enjoyable
18.A.collect B.make C.order D.wear
19.A.let B.made C.watched D.noticed
20.A.benefited B.increased C.tried D.seized
My parents aren’t _______ me going abroad for education, fearing that I'm too young to take care of myself.
A.in charge of B.in favor of C.in need of D.in praise of
—You couldn't have chosen any present better for me.
——_______.
A.Oh, don't complain about a gift B.I'll give you a better one next time
C.I'm glad you like it so much D.Oh, nothing much
