Question

Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.

Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(機敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”

Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?

Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:

Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.

Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.

Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.

Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮質(zhì)醇)—a steroid(類固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.

A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.

1.From the study in the text we know that_________________.

A. gum chewers may lack alertness

B. gum chewers tend to be less stressed

C. gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly

D. gum chewers can reduce their anger easily

2.How does gum work to reduce stress according to the text?

A. It works by improving alertness.

B. It works by allowing a 10-minute walk.

C. It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol.

D. It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting.

3.Which one may the author probably agree with?

A. People can crack gum freely when meeting friends.

B. People should be careful when chewing gum at home.

C. People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting.

D. It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you.

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

A. How to chew gum.

B. How to relieve stress.

C. Chewing gum can relieve stress.

D. Why people love chewing gum.

Answer 1

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：這是一篇介紹嚼口香糖減壓的文章。斯威本科技大學的一項研究表明，在實驗室條件下，嚼口香糖可以降低焦慮、提升機敏性、減輕個體壓力。而實驗室條件與真實的辦公室條件是相似的，因此認為研究結(jié)論可以推廣應用。文章同時介紹了該現(xiàn)象的產(chǎn)生原因，給予了一些嚼口香糖的建議。

1.細節(jié)理解題。According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(機敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”斯威本科技大學的一項實驗研究表明，嚼口香糖可以降低焦慮、提升機敏性、減輕個體壓力。故選B。

2.題。In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮質(zhì)醇).部分原因是降低了皮質(zhì)醇的水平。故選C。

3.題。In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.事實上，我認為在會面時不能嚼口香糖，因為這對周圍的人不禮貌。故選D。

4.。文章主要介紹了一項科學研究，該研究表明嚼口香糖可以降低焦慮和壓力感。故選C。

考點：考查科普文閱讀