NEW YORK: Staying positive through the cold season could be your best defence against getting ill, new study findings suggest.

In an experiment that exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus, researchers found that people with a generally sunny disposition were less likely to fall ill. The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help protect us from the common cold and other illnesses.

Researchers believe the reasons may be both objective – as in happiness improving immune function – and subjective – as in happy people being less troubled by a sore throat or runny nose. “People with a positive emotional style may have different immune responses to the virus,” explained lead study author Dr Sheldon Cohen of Camegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “And when they do get a cold, they may interpret their illness as being less severe.”

Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less likely to catch a cold, but some questions remained as to whether the emotional trait itself had the effect.

For the new study, the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality traits, self – perceived health, and emotional “style.” Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easygoing were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy, tense, and hostile had a negative style.

The researchers gave them nasal (鼻的) drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus. Over the next six days, the volunteers reported on any aches, pains, sneezing or congestion they had, while the researchers collected objective data. Cohen and his colleagues found that based on objective measures of nasal troubles, happy people were less likely to develop a cold.

1．Which is the best title for the passage?

       A．Stay Away from Being Negative                B．Positive or Negative. It’s Up to You

       C．An Effective Medicine for Being Fit. D．Warm People Likely to Keep Cold Away

2．According to Dr Cohen’s research, the reason why some people are unlikely to catch a cold is that          .

       A．their cheerful mood benefits the immune system

       B．they have developed a certain gene against flu virus

       C．they are less likely to have a sore throat and runny nose

       D．they have got a stronger self – confidence in their health

3．The passage is probably written for          .

       A．medical students  B．lead authors

       C．the public                                            D．the volunteers

4．The research is done by         .

       A．getting volunteers in one emotional group and analyzing them

       B．conducting a medical experiment on volunteers of different emotional styles

       C．collecting and analyzing volunteers’ objective nasal production data

       D．having volunteers answer questions on personality, health and emotions

Taking care of unsolved issues of the past will free you to move ahead with confidence. The final step toward putting your past behind so that you can reach for what’s possible is tying up your loose ends. Loose ends are the unsolved relationships that keep you from sleeping worry free at night. You have a loose end if there’s someone you don’t want to run into on a first date or at work. You have a loose end if there’s someone you don’t want to sit next to at a holiday dinner. Loose ends are distracting and have an amazing way of biting you in the bottom at the worst times.

How to Tie Up Your Loose Ends

1．Identify the five people with whom you have the most unsolved issues. These could be past relationships, employers, business partners, friends, family, or co – workers.

2．Contact each of these five loose ends. Invite each separately to a coffee shop or some other nonthreatening, nonalcohol environment. Tell each one that you want to apologize for allowing things to get crossways between you. Some may doubt your intentions, but tell them that you sincerely feel it’s time to clear the air. Ask those who agree to meet to write down any ways they think you wronged them, and you do the same. Tell them to bring this list to your get – together.

3．Show up on time and thank each for being forgiving enough to meet with you. Be an adult here – finger pointing only tears people apart. Remember, your experience may be – and most likely is – totally different from his. Listen to each issue each of them raises and try to see it from their perspectives (視角). Don’t interrupt them when they are sharing. Seek to understand why they have bad feelings toward you. Apologize for each thing they think you did to wrong them (even if you don’t completely agree with his view of the situation).

    After you tie up your first loose end. You’ll want to solve them all. This is hard to explain until you have done it; but once you do, you’ll know what I mean. I learned so much about myself by tying up my loose ends. Most of all, I think this process helped me become a more understanding and patient friend.

1．According to the passage, a “l(fā)oose end” might be caused by someone         .

       A．who keeps you sleeping soundly

       B．who helps put your past behind

       C．who has different life experiences

       D．who prevents you from going forward

2．By telling his own experience in the last paragraph, the author intends to         .

       A．learn more about himself                      B．describe his own personality

       C．make his point clearer                          D．tell something hard to explain

3．The general tone (語氣) of the language in the passage is           .

       A．disappointing       B．exciting              C．critical                D．encouraging

4．The text is mainly written to tell us       .

       A．how to free ourselves from unsolved problems

       B．how to stay away from unsettled problems

       C．when to make an apology to others

       D．why to forgive others who wronged us

請根據(jù)下面提示，寫一篇短文，詞數(shù)不少于50。禮品的名稱可以使用漢語拼音。

Your Australian friend Jim has been in Beijing for quite a few days. He is leaving tomorrow. You have bought him a gift, which is typical of Chinese culture. Now please tell him why you have chosen this gift, and what special cultural meaning it has.

Hi, Jim, here’s a gift for you.                                     .

－May I speak to __________ Professor Black, please?

－Sorry, but he is busy conducting ____________ experiment in the lab right now.

A．the; an      B．a(chǎn); the   C．不填; an      D．the; the

The driver could have survived but he__________ the seat belt. 

A．had been wearing     B．hadn’t worn

C．was wearing           D．didn’t wear

PE will be part of the high school graduation examinations. _________, you will have to be strong and healthy to graduate.

A．After all                  B．As a matter of fact  

C．In other words        D．What’s more

Research suggests some students ______ learn better in single-sex education environments.

A．may  B．would       C．should      D．must

Free and compulsory education is identified as a(n) ________ human right by the United Nations.

A．initial B．fundamental     C．normal      D．independent

The symbol @ was used to show the cost or weight of something __________ it became the standard symbol for e-mails.

A．though      B．since      C．when    D．before

The trip to Australia, originally _______ last week, was finally canceled for the lack of money.

A．made                             B．making           

C．having been made           D．to be made