Reading comprehension

　　Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead．He told of different men and of strange civilizations(文明), broken up by long “dark ages” in between．In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men．In 2, 000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men．

　　However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short－sighted．Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years．But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult．

　　When men and women lived by hunting 50, 000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50, 000 years from now, we may seem as primitive(原始的)in our ideas as the Stone－Age hunters do to us．Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe．These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of．

　　So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons．First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are．If we make the earth a poor place to live because we are careless or greedy(贪婪)or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us．

　　Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves．For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now．So set you imagination free when you think about the future．

Reading Comprehension

　　By now, how the immune system(免疫系统)is affected by stress has been discovered．In one study 　　1　　 500 couples, those who showed very unfriendly behaviour during a 30-minute discussion about marriage problems had lower immune functioning for 24-hour period following the experiment than people who showed less 　　2　　 behaviour．It is not just stress that can do damage．One researcher thought that 　　3　　 the same cold virus was put under two different noses, the person who is depressed or 　　4　　 would be more likely to develop the cold．How can stress and related emotions contribute to poor health?

　　These feelings can cause the 　　5　　 of substances that damage or weaken our immune cells．Negative 　　6　　 can also cause our bodies to produce fewer substances that 　　7　　 help fight off disease．If stress, depression, anger and other negative feelings can make you more likely to get sick, can the 　　8　　 be true?Will you have a stronger immune 　　9　　 and greater health if you are happier, less stressed?Experts believe that the answer is yes．There are studies showing that by 　　10　　 certain mind-body techniques that help reduce stress and improve outlook, cancer patients can live longer．And cancer patients aren't the only ones who can 　　11　　．Research has found that when patients with chronic pain used 　　12　　 therapies and other techniques to 　　13　　 discomfort, they reduced their visits to the doctors by 36％．Relaxation produces better health through deep rhythmic breathing, muscle 　　14　　 and a slower heart rate．When some of the pressure is taken out of the body, the entire immune system will function much better．Relaxation decreases blood pressure and heart rate．That is important because a body that is 　　15　　 under pressure will eventually exhaust．

Reading Comprehension

　　Imagine that Mom and Dad have friends over, and you have to talk to adults all evening．Say the wrong thing and the parents may get mad．But, say 　　1　　, and they'll think you weren't friendly．So, 　　2　　 can you talk with adults?

　　It's 　　3　　．Just ask them questions about themselves．"Many of them like to talk about what they do for a living," suggests psychologist Tim Ursiny, author of The Confidence Plan．

　　Kids can also talk to grown-ups about 　　4　　．Ask what the last good movie they saw was, because people at dinner parties "　　5　　" when the conversation turns to movies, Ursiny says．If a grown-up is 　　6　　 Harry Potter, it's ok to talk about your love for Harry．It's a safe topic, one that both grown-ups and kids can enjoy, so go ahead and talk about whether Dumbledore is really dead．

　　But 　　7　　 the topic of video games．"Adults don't want to hear about your video game 　　8　　 they play it," Ursiny explains．

　　Adults also don't want to hear slang．Don't use language they don't 　　9　　．Ursiny says kids should learn to speak to other people in their own language．

　　　　10　　, most adults aren't into slang, they do remember what it was like to be a kid．Ursiny recommends asking adults what school was like when they were your age．"It might be a fun discussion if you 　　11　　 your 10th-grade experience with theirs．"　　12　　 you chat with your parents beforehand to find out which topics are off-limits(禁区)．

　　Also, don't chat about things that make your parents feel guilty．Don't mention 　　13　　 stuff such as how Dad has been sleeping on the couch, Ursiny says．And don't complain that Mom has been late preparing breakfast．

　　Instead, Ursiny says, kids should try to put themselves in their parents' 　　14　　．Learning how to 　　15　　 that type of understanding might help you out in the future．"The most successful people, can develop a sympathetic feeling for others," he says．