Breath of Life 活力呼吸‏

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Breath of Life 活力呼吸

by Rebecca A. Say

Sometimes what you take for granted can have a big impact on your life.
有時你視為理所當然的東西可能會對你的人生有很大的影響。
  If you want to live a better life, stop and smell the roses. Well, not exactly. This common saying means we should slow down and enjoy small moments, but when it comes to health, it means what it says—take a moment to breathe. Breathing comes so naturally to us that we are hardly aware that we are constantly doing it. However, each breath is vitally important to our survival. _(1)_ Regular breaths do this job well enough, but getting into the habit of breathing deeply increases your health substantially. Deep breathing stimulates yourlymphatic system, prevents premature aging, clears your mind, and much more. _(2)_ A basic deep breathing exercise begins by sitting up straight and inhalingfirst to fill your lower abdomen, then middle, and then chest. _(3)_ After practicing these exercises regularly, you will come to a point where you will feel moreenergized and alert throughout the day.
Another benefit of deep breathing is revealed during stressful situations. _(4)_ A simple example of this is when a mother is frustrated with a naughty child. _(5)_ In extreme cases, deep breathing can be life saving, such as when it is used during panic attacks. Those who make deep breathing a practice are better at getting through the attack than those who don’t. Remember if you want an easy way to improve your health, give your lungs an extra workout today.

(A) To get these benefits, set aside a few minutes several times a day for breathing exercises.
(B) The purpose of breathing in medication is to calm the mind and develop inner peace.
(C) Not only does it bring oxygen into our bodies, but it also expels toxins.
(D) In these stressful situations, deep breaths calm people down quickly by expelling built-up carbon dioxide and giving them something to focus on instead of stress.
(E) When exhaling, start by pushing the air out of the lower abdomen, then middle, and then chest as if you were making waves.
(F) Taking a moment to breathe deeply allows her to calm herself down and betterhandle the situation in a positive and teaching way.

  1. 第一題空格應選 (C)
    理由:
    a. 空格前一句有單數主詞 each breath(每一口呼吸),而 (C) 項的主詞為單數代名詞 it,指的就是前一句的主詞 each breath。另外 (C) 項的句子又提到,它不僅可將氧氣帶入體內,又可排毒,此功能即指空格後一句中的 do this job(奏效),三句產生關聯。
    b. 根據上述,(C) 項應為正選。
    大補丸:
    a. expel vt.(從體內或容器內)排出
    Now, slowly expel the air from your lungs.
    現在慢慢地將空氣從你的肺裡排出。
    b. toxin n. 毒素
  2. 第二題空格應選 (A)
    理由:
    a. 空格前一句提到,深呼吸會刺激淋巴系統、預防提早老化、讓頭腦清醒且還有更多功能。而在 (A) 項句子中可得知如何得到這些好處,故兩個句子因為 benefits(好處)一字而形成關聯。
    b. 根據上述,(A) 項應為正選。
    大補丸:
    set aside…  撥出∕留出……
    Tina’s parents try hard to set aside some time every night to sit and talk with her.
    蒂娜的父母每晚都試著盡力挪出一些時間坐下來和她說說話。
  3. 第三題空格應選 (E)
    理由:
    a. 空格後一句提到,定期地練習深呼吸後,你會到達某種境界,讓你整天都會感到更有能量且更靈活。因此可推知空格中的句子可能會提及如何做此運動,而 (E) 項表示,呼氣時,由推擠下腹部的空氣開始,然後中間部位,接著胸腔部位,就好比製造波浪一樣。符合推測且前後語意連貫。
    b. 根據上述,(E) 項應為正選。
    大補丸:
    as if…  猶如……;好像……
    Tom looked as if he were about to pass out after he left the haunted house.
    離開鬼屋後,湯姆看起來好像要昏倒了。
  4. 第四題空格應選 (D)
    理由:
    a. 空格前一句句尾有詞組 stressful situations(充滿壓力的情況)。而 (D) 項句子句首有介詞片語 In these stressful situations(在這些充滿壓力的情況中),故形成關聯。
    b. 根據上述,(D) 項應為正選。
    大補丸:
    a. calm down  冷靜∕平靜下來
    = cool off
    = cool it
    Calm down and tell me everything that happened.
    冷靜下來,把發生的經過一五一十地告訴我。
    b. built-up a. 累積的
  5. 第五題空格應選 (F)
    理由:
    a. 空格前 when 引導的副詞子句有主詞 a mother(一位母親)。而選項 (F) 中有所有格 her(她的),指的就是這位母親,故形成關聯。
    b. 根據上述,(F) 項應為正選。
    大補丸:
    a. handle vt. 處理
    = deal with…
    = cope with…
    I don’t know how to deal with difficult customers.
    我不知道如何應付難纏的客人。
    b. positive a. 正面的
    negative a. 負面的
    The writer got a lot of positive feedback from readers.
    這位作家得到很多來自讀者的正面回應。
    A lack of vitamin D has a negative effect on one’s health.
    缺乏維生素 D 對我們的健康有負面影響。
  1. take for granted…/take…for granted
    把……視為理所當然
    Kelly took it for granted that her parents had paid for her college education.
    凱莉把她父母為她支付大學教育經費這件事視為理所當然 。
  2. have an impact on…  對……有影響
    The war has had an impact on oil prices.
    這場戰爭對油價造成了影響。
  3. be aware + that 子句  察覺∕注意到……
    = be aware of N/V-ing
    Please be aware that we are not responsible for any lost items.
    請注意,我們對於任何遺失物品一概不負責任。
    You should always be aware of your surroundings.
    你應隨時注意自己周遭的環境。
  4. get into the habit of V-ing
    養成……的習慣
    Roger got into the habit of reading one book per week.
    羅傑養成每週看 1 本書的習慣。
  5. substantially adv. 大大地
    These new rules will substantially change our standard operating procedure.
    這些新規則將會大大地改變我們的標準作業程序。
  6. premature
    a. 過早的(本文當作提早的)
    It would be premature to finish the negotiations at this time.
    在這個時候結束談判可能言之過早。
  7. inhale vt. & vi. 吸入
    exhale vt. & vi. 呼出
    If you inhale those toxic fumes, you will get sick.
    你如果吸進那些毒氣,就會感到不舒服。
  8. reveal vt. 顯露
    A nationwide poll revealed different opinions among young voters.
    一項全國性的調查顯示了年輕選民不同的意見。
  9. be frustrated with…  因……感到挫折
    All of us were frustrated with the outcome of the meeting.
    我們都對會議的結果感到很沮喪。

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