"Humans should not try to avoid stress
any more than they would shun food, love or exercise." said Dr. Hans Selye, the
first physician to document the effects of stress on the body. While here's no
question that continuous stress is harmful, several studies suggest that
challenging situations in which you're able to rise to the occasion can be good
for you. In a 2001 study of 158 hospital nurses, those who faced
considerable work demands but coped with the challenge were more likely to say
they were in good health than those who felt they couldn't get the job
done. Stress that you can manage may also boost
immune(免疫的)function. In a study at the Academic Center for Dentistry in
Amsterdam, researchers put volunteers through two stressful experiences. In the
first, a timed task that required memorizing a list followed by a short test,
subjects believed they had control over the outcome. In the second, they weren't
in control: They had to sit through a gory(血淋淋的)video on surgical procedures.
Those who did go on the memory test had an increase in levels of
immunoglobulin(免疫球蛋白)A, an antibody that's the body's first line of defense
against germs. The video-watchers experienced a downturn in the
antibody. Stress prompts the body to produce certain stress
hormones. In short bursts these hormones have a positive effect, including
improved memory function. "They can help nerve cells handle information and put
it into storage," says Dr. Bruce McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York.
But in the long run these hormones can have a harmful effect on the body and
brain. "Sustained stress is not good for you," says Richard
Morimoto, a researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois studying the
effects of stress on longevity (长寿),"It's the occasional burst of stress or
brief exposure to stress that could be protective.
"(325w)
单选题
The passage is mainly about ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解答此类题目的方法通常要点击短文首段或各段的段首句。但有时也可能需要点击一下首段或结尾段的段末句。这样不难发现首段的最后一句话为短文的主题句，句子中心意思是“although continuous stress is harmful，challenging situations can be good for you”(虽然持续的压力对人有害，但具有挑战性的情况可能对你很有好处)。句中的challenging situations和continuous stress相对，即为选项[A]中的manageable stress。接下来三段的段首句都是围绕压力与人的关系这一中心从不同的方面支持论点的。第三段首句中的Stress that you can manage…也可以转述为manageable stress。
单选题
The word "shun" (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题题点的句是“Humans should not try to avoid stress any more than they would shun food，love or exercise”这句话中的shun一词。该句的含义为“就像不能躲避食物、爱情或锻炼一样，人们谁也躲避不了压力”。句中any more than连接相同的结构，Humans should和they would对称，avoid stress和shun food，love or exercise对称。把相应的词义和对称结构加以分析，即可推断，shun和avoid同义，即stay away from。由此可知，本题属于语义理解题。解答此题的关键在于对短文首中对应句相关词语和结构的理解，重点在于理解avoid stress和shun food内容相关，not…any more than…这个结构等同于no more than…，意思是“和……一样不……”。
单选题
We can conclude from the study of the 158 nurses in 2001 that ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】题句中的they指代的是158名护士中那些who faced considerable work demands but coped with the challenge，即面对大量的工作却能够妥善应付挑战的护土们。将其大意转述为doing challenging work，并把in good health转述为be good for one's health，即可推断出选项C为正确答案。故本题应屑指代关系与相关词义判断题。
单选题
In the experiment described in Paragraph 3, the video-watchers experienced a downturn in the antibody because ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】第三段中介绍了two stressful experiences，答题时就要区分清题干中提到的是哪种 stressful experience。细读原文中即可发现相关信息。通过video和antibody可知题干说的是第二种情况。把句中的weren't in control转述为beyond their control，就等于说“其后果是控制不了的，”即可推断处答案为选项B。故可知本题属语义转换题。
单选题
Which of the following is Dr. Bruce McEwen inclined to emphasize by saying "But in the long run these hormones can have a harmful effect on the body and brain"?
单选题
What does the author imply to the readers according to the passage?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】通读全篇，知道作者的观点既不是要人们在毫无压力的情况下工作生活，也不能在持续压力的情况下工作生活，而对于偶尔的压力爆发，则被视为是对人体有益的。本体属于隐含暗示题。做这种题时，应特别注意原文语气的转折。考虑要全面。因为选项B．stress hormones have lasting positive effects on the brain和选项C．International ocean shipping constitutes a highly significant aspect of world economic and political relationships．The rapid growth in world trade and the emergence of new national entities in the last 30 years have further emphasized the role of international shipping．short bursts of stress hormones enhance memory function的意思原文中都有。但这里问的是作者说But in the long run these hormones can have a harmful effect on the body and brain这句话的含义，而不涉及其他。故答题时，要注意针对性。