C
WHAT do you do when you feel lonely? Hide yourself away and spend your time reading, watching TV or walking around?
    You might think that feeling lonely is just like feeling happy, sad or scared – that it’s just one of your various moods (情绪). That is true. However, if you let yourself be lonely for too long without dealing with it, you could be making a serious mistake.
Doctors have known for some time that feeling lonely is bad for the mind. It can lead to mental（心理的）health problems such as depression（抑郁）,stress and reduced confidence. “Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, it’s not about being physically alone,” Lisa Jaremka, scientist from Ohio State University, US, told Live Science in January. But there’s growing evidence that not having friends is connected with physical illness as well.
In 2006, for example, scientists studied 2,800 women who had cancer. They found that those who had few friends or family were five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts. Also, even healthy people had a better chance of falling ill if they felt left out by others, according to the BBC.
The results have scientists thinking that loneliness might hurt the immune system（免疫系统）, which protects the body from diseases.
Hoping to prove this theory, Jaremka and her research team put volunteers through a stress test. During the test, volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech in front of a group of stony-faced people. The researchers found that volunteers who said they were lonely in their daily lives felt more stress during the test. And their blood samples showed that all the stress had managed to cause harmful changes to their immune system.
“Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor（慢性增压器）--- a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time,” explained Jaremka, who led the study.
The number of people suffering from loneliness is increasing all over the world. However, solving the problem is easier said than done. It won’t work to just “tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you”, said Jaremka. “ We need to create support networks.”
64．If people feel lonely for a long time,                 .
A．they won’t feel happy anymore    
B．they are more likely to fall ill
C．they will find the feeling goes away by itself 
D．they are more mentally harmed than physically
65．What was the purpose of the stress  test carried out by Jaremka’s team?
A．To find out how people fight diseases.
B．To prove loneliness hurts people’s immune systems.
C．To see how people’s emotions change when they give unprepared speeches.
D．To find out the relationship between loneliness and stress.
66．What makes scientists think loneliness makes the body worse at fighting diseases?
A．Growing evidence of mental problems linked to loneliness.
B．Some research results about the relationship between cancer and loneliness.
C．Some studies showed that people who suffered from loneliness fell ill or died more easily than those who didn’t.
D．Different results after comparing healthy conditions of people who suffer from loneliness and those who don’t.
67．We can conclude from the article that     .
A．loneliness has become the No 1 killer in the world.
B．loneliness is increasing due to advanced technologies.
C．lonely people lack the courage to make friends
D．much more work needs to be done to fight loneliness
                              
D
Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders.
68．How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?
A．It determined the exact amount of time needed.  
B．It took longer to finish the research.
C．It involved more people.
D. It was led by just two researchers.
69．What can we conclude from the findings of the study?
A．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”.
B. Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health.
C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect.
D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill.
70．According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
    A．stressed, inactive people     B．office worker
C．youth offenders            D．women and children
71．What is the main problem discussed in this article?
A．Physical well-being.        B．Mental illness.  
C. Outdoor exercise.        D. Harmony with nature.
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