(B)

Stress: Good or Bad?

    Stress used to be an almost unknown word, but now that we are used to talking about it, I have found that people are beginning to get stressed about being stressed.

    In recent years, stress {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (regard) as a cause of a whole range of medical problems, from high blood pressure to mental illness. But like so many other things, it is only too much stress {#blank#}2{#/blank#} does you harm. It is time you considered that if there were no stress in your life, you would achieve a little. If you are stuck at home with no stress, then your level of performance will be low. Up to a certain point, the more stress you are under, the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (good) your performance will be. Beyond a certain point, though, further stress will only lead to exhaustion, illness and finally a breakdown. You can tell when youare over the top and on the downward slope, by asking yourself {#blank#}4{#/blank#} numberof questions. Do you, for instance, feel that too much is being expected of{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, and yet find it impossible to say no? Do you find yourself getting impatient or {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (annoy) with people over unimportant things? If the answer to all those questions is yes, you had better {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (control) your stress, as you probably are under more stress than is good for you.

    To some extent you can control the amount of stress in your life. Doctors have worked out a chart showing how much stress is involved in various events. Getting married is 50, pregnancy 40, moving house 20, Christmas 12, etc. If the total stress in your life is over 150, you are twice as likely {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (get) ill.

    Stephen Hawking, who tried{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (explain) some of the most complicated questions of life while himself working under the shadow of a poor physical condition, has died at the age of 76.

    He died{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (peace) at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday. The UK's Press Association reported his{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (die), citing (引用) a spokesman for the family.

    “Mr. Hawking and his contribution will be remembered forever, ” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Wednesday. “He was an outstanding scientist and a fighter who struggled against the disease and contributed greatly{#blank#}4{#/blank#}mankind's understanding of science”.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (bear) in Oxford, England on 8 January, 1942, the British theoretical physicist{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (know) for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity, and was the author of several popular science books{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (include) A Brief History of Time.

    His{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (child), Lucy, Robert and Tim, said: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and{#blank#}9{#/blank#}extraordinary man{#blank#}10{#/blank#}work and legacy(遗产)will live on for many years.” They praised his courage and persistence and said his talent and humor inspired people across the world.

    Mr.Brown was tired of living in the big city {#blank#}1{#/blank#} he worked. He wanted to move to the country and live in a house from which he could get to his office in the city early every day. He {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (look) for a house when he saw an advertisement in a newspaper one day. The advertisement said that a suitable house in a quiet area was up for sale {#blank#}3{#/blank#} a reasonable price, and the house was within a stone's throw of a railway station from which there were frequent {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (train) to the big city.

    "That's exactly {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I need," Mr. Brown said to {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (him). So he called the housing agency and arranged to go by train the next day {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (have) a look at the house.

    The housing agent met him at the station and they started walking. It took them at least 15 minutes to get to the house. When they finally arrived, Mr. Brown said {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (angry), "I should be very {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (interest) to meet the man who threw the stone you mentioned in {#blank#}10{#/blank#} newspaper."

    Coffee is an{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(importance) part of Italian culture. I have drunk a lot of it since I arrived here six months ago. The coffee culture in Italy is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(complete) different from that in the UK. In Italy, when you order {#blank#}3{#/blank#} cup of coffee in a cafe, you are presented with a tiny, bitter espresso (浓咖啡).

    Takeaway coffee is very popular among the British, but it is not common in Italy, especially in those {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (area) where there are few tourists. Generally, people in Italy prefer to drink their tiny coffee while they are standing at the bar. For many of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (they), this short break is a part of their day.

    Breakfast in a bar in Italy {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (include) a coffee and a pastry (糕点).Cappuccinos (卡布奇诺咖啡)are very popular at breakfast. A cup of cappuccino is the perfect way of {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(start) the day for me. I think it's nice for people {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (go) to a bar to have a coffee for breakfast before work.

    Finally, a thing {#blank#}9{#/blank#} has been found by me is that coffee in Italy is much cheaper. That means in Italy it is possible to go out for coffee every day {#blank#}10{#/blank#} spending much money.

    Marty is a disabled boy {#blank#}1{#/blank#} suffers from a muscle disease. Sometimes he is too weak {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(run) or climb stairs as quickly as other people. The doctors don't know {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (exact) what is wrong with him. Luckily, Marty has learned to adapt {#blank#}4{#/blank#} his disability. In order to make his life happy and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (satisfy), Marty keeps busy doing things that do not require physical strength. He has friends with {#blank#}6{#/blank#} he can go to movies and football matches and he has lots of pets. He used to dream of one day being a famous football player and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(represent) his country in the World Cup. Even when he is made fun of, he doesn't get {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (annoy). Disabled {#blank#}9{#/blank#}he is, Marty has become stronger and more independent. He never feels sorry for himself and he enjoys as rich and full a life as everyone else.

    He suggests that we normal people should give the disabled {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (encourage) rather than laugh at them.