The reason why science exists is to improve our lives. Sometimes science can ruin our small guilty pleasures we nature to be happier, though. These four little truths are just some of those.
Sleeping with pets is a good way to catch the plague(瘟疫), or some other bacterial infections, as is claimed in the study done in February 2011 in Emerging Infectious Diseases magazine. The study shares a case of a nine-year-old boy whose cat caught the plague and gave it to its owners while they were sharing a bed. A regular visit to the vet can greatly reduce the risk of your pet catching any disease that may infect the owner as well.
A recent study done on 200,000 people has shown that vitamin supplements do nothing to improve our lives, and what is worse—they actively increase our death risk. This conclusion from 2010 was so unbelievable that it made researchers do even more studies. Each study had the same result. People who choose vitamin supplements over fruit and vegetables are the same as people who choose to eat a burger over a healthy salad.
People who use the solarium(日光浴室)experience certain changes to their brains that are very similar to many caused by drug addiction. According to a study, our brain can in fact recognize the difference between the natural UV light and the solarium.
Long exposure to artificial light during the night is directly linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, obesity and depression. Exposure to artificial light before sleeping disturbs the natural biorhythms(生物节奏)of our bodies, which leads to restriction on the hormone(荷尔蒙)melatonin, which is the hormone that helps us fall asleep.
| Title: Four scientific |
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| Passage outline |
Supporting details |
| Sharing bed with your pet is a terrible idea |
*You will probably be infected with *To reduce such risk, you should take your pet to visit the vet |
| Be |
Vitamin supplements actively increase the risk of |
| You can become |
The solarium may bring about changes to the |
| |
*You are likely to *The natural biorhythms of your bodies will be disturbed and you will find it not |
An apprenticeship is a form of on-the-job training that combines workplace experience and classroom learning. It can last anywhere from one to six years, but four years is typical for most. An apprentice spends the majority of the time in a workplace environment learning the practical skills of a career from a journeyman--someone who has done the job for many years. The rest of the apprentice's time is spent in a classroom environment learning the theoretical skills the career requires. Being an apprentice is a full-time undertaking.
One of the advantages of apprenticeship is that it does not cost apprentices anything. The companies that hire them pay for school. What's more, it offers apprentices an "earn while you learn" opportunity. They usually start out at half the pay of a journeyman, and the pay increases gradually as they move further along in the job and studies. Near the end of the apprenticeship, their wages are usually 90 percent of what a journeyman would receive. Apprenticeship also pays off for employers. It can offer employers a pool of well-trained workers to draw from.
Despite the advantages, apprentices are usually required to work during the day and attend classes at night, which leaves little time for anything else. Sometimes, they might be laid off(下岗) if business for the employers is slow.
Once they have completed the apprenticeship and become journeymen, they receive a nationally recognized and portable certification and their pay also increases again. Some journeymen continue employment with the companies they apprenticed with; others go onto different companies or become self-employed contractors.
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
As infants, we can recognize our mothers within hours of birth. In fact, we can recognize the1 of our mother's face well before we can recognize her body shape. It's2how the brain can carry out such a function at such a young age, especially since we don't learn to walk and talk until we are over a year old. By the time we are adults, we have the ability to distinguish around 100,000 faces. How can we remember so many faces when many of us find it difficult to3 such a simple thing as a phone number? The exact process is not yet fully understood, but research around the world has begun to define the specific areas of the brain and processes4for facial recognition.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe that they have succeeded in5 a specific area of the brain called the fusiform face area (FFA), which is used only for facial recognition. This means that recognition of familiar objects such as our clothes or cars, is from6in the brain. Researchers also have found that the brain needs to see the whole face for recognition to take place. It had been7 thought that we only needed to see certain facial features. Meanwhile, research at University College London has found that facial recognition is not a single process, but8 involves three steps. The first step appears to be an analysis of the physical features of a person's face, which is similar to how we scan the bar codes of our groceries. In the next step, the brain decides whether the face we are looking at is already known or unknown to us. And finally, the brain furnishes the information we have collected about the person whose face we are looking at. This complex9is done in a split second so that we can behave quickly when reacting to certain situations.
Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.
“Let’s Talk”：The Free Advice Project
A few weeks ago, I took a walk around Washington Square Park. I met all the usual people：street performers, the Pigeon Guy, a group of guitarists singing in harmony. But off to the side, sitting on a bench was a woman doing something vastly different—giving free advice.
A week or two later, I set up an interview with her and we discussed her project at length.
Lisa Podell, 32, started the Free Advice Project this past May. It began as an experiment；she sat in Washington Square Park for a day with a sign that read “Free Advice” as a simple way to reach out to people. Podell was astonished at the strong response.
Podell admits that she was doubtful at first, but now she describes the project as mutually (相互地) beneficial. People learn from her—but she also learns from them. She says that the majority of those who come to her are dealing with some pretty heavy issues, and they expect her not only to listen, but also provide real answers.
Having worked as a full time teacher and now as an adolescent advisor, Podell believes that talking things out is an important in the decision-making process.
Sometimes, people walk around all day, keeping their problems in their own head and thinking about them in the same way. Podell simply strives to provide people with perspective.
I asked if there is a future plan for the Free Advice Project. Podell said she would like to promote it to each public space in New York, which would be carried out by various volunteers across the city.
It was truly inspiring to meet someone with such a big heart, especially in New York—where it is sometimes very hard to find anybody to listen. (303 words)In what way was Podell different from other people in the park? (No more than 6 words) (2 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________What do people in need expect Podell to do? (No more than 10 words) (3 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________According to Podell, what should people do when making decisions?
(No more than 6 words) (2 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________ How would Podell promote her project in New York? (No more than 15 words) (3 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________________
While there is no widely accepted definition of MOOCs, their key features are open access：they are currently free to participants, no entry qualifications are required, they support an unlimited number of participants and as yet, very few include any form of accreditation (认证).
Currently offered by some famous universities, MOOCs are attractive to people who do not have the financial resources to meet the growing costs of university education, or who do not have formal qualifications. They also allow participants to study at their own pace.
The potential for MOOCs to deliver education is obviously vast-they could be considered as a huge step forwards in widening participation. They also have the potential to provide a unique window on universities that offer popular and valuable courses, they may attract some participants to register for formal fee-paying programmes at the same or other universities and are likely to promote new ways of on-line education.
However, it is still very early days for MOOCs. The quality of the education provision is highly variable, with many courses offering only recordings of lectures, and delivery is particularly difficult in some special fields that require practical classes, research projects or extensive library access. Besides, wider engagement with participants requires very considerable resource. Even limited feedback or examination becomes a major task if there are several thousand students in the class.
Considering the challenges, some people argue MOOCs will soon evaporate (蒸发). But they certainly provide good opportunity for widening higher education, are a means of raising awareness of universities to audiences of tens or hundreds of thousands, and are well worthy of serious consideration. (271 words)
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
[1] Fishing is probably the world's most popular sport. People spend many dollars each year on items like boats and four-wheel-drive vehicles. In addition, they spend money on fishing equipment, bait, fuel and boat repairs. And you can see that fishing can be an expensive pastime. Fishing lovers believe that their hobby is worth it. Others say that fishing is spoiling the environment and that it is a cruel hobby.
[2] Supporters of fishing say that it is a nice hobby. Firstly, of the millions of people who fish for fun, most only catch enough fish to feed their families. They catch fish that are found in large numbers, so there is little danger to the species (种类).
[3] Secondly, recreational fishermen contribute to the economy. They spend money on equipment and other items, and they also spend it indirectly by paying taxes on their equipment and fuel. Those who travel to fishing spots pay for accommodation (食宿) and airfares. This money keeps people in work and provides new jobs each year.
[4] Thirdly, fishing is relaxing and fun so it lessens stress. Instead of turning to drugs or alcohol, it is far better to go fishing. People who are relaxed are generally healthier and much nicer to be near ----- except for the smell of the bait!
[5] Those who _________________ say that there are too many fish thoughtlessly taken from rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. This could lead to the dying out of some species. Modern cars and boats mean that people can fish in remote areas of the world, so no place is safe from greedy fishermen who take both males and females, leaving few fish to produce young.
[6] Those against fishing also say that it is a blood sport, which means that an animal must die so that a human can have fun. Many of the fish caught for sport are not suitable for eating, so they are thrown away. Once hooked, fish have no chance of escape.
| 1． |
What is the main idea of the passage? (no more than 4 words) |
| 2． |
According to Paragraph 2, why does fishing cause little danger to the species? (no more than 8 words) |
| 3． |
List 4 items on which people spend their money for fishing. (no more than 7 words) |
| 4． |
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. Those whosay that there are too many fish thoughtlessly taken from rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. |
| 5． |
What does the word "which" (Line 1, Paragraph6) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words) |
Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community, then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?
In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.
Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greed and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating（拥护）any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to behave in a different way due to outside influences.
Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer, either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a friendly relationship.
In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a friendly relationship with others.
Are modern people becoming more selfish?
| Main comparisons |
Contexts |
| In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first |
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| Nowadays, people seem to be more |
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| People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing(谦让的). |
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| People may strive to achieve their own |
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| The author’s understanding |
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| Fierce |
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| The author’s |
A |
Kids in the Kitchen
Some experts serve up some of the factors that make cooking with kids a pleasure rather than a struggle． ．
For obvious reasons, a grown-up needs to be in charge of the stove, sharp knives and electrical equipment．Dr．Colker advises parents to be watchful, even when their kids are involved in relatively safe tasks．The bottom line is to stay close by, and teach your kids to respect basic safety rules．
Leave Time When kids help, you’ll need extra time to teach them some skills．When you're in a hurry, give your kids tasks that don't require much guidance．As they get older and develop more skills, they will become wonderful helpers and even save your time!
Go for Variety
Our experts agree that children can enjoy more than the usual "kid food", such as chicken nuggets and pizza． Sandra K. Nissenberg suggests exploring the produce passage in the supermarket and talking about the unusual fruits and vegetables you find．
Involve Kids in Clean-up and Table-setting
Dr．Laura Colker reminds parents that preschoolers are eager to deal with grown-up tasks．They actually "enjoy the clean-up and table-setting activities", she says．
They may also enjoy setting the table and counting the spoons．
Make Cooking a Learning Adventure
Cooking helps kids develop a healthy interest in the lifelong challenge of eating nourishing （有营养的） , delicious meals．Kids learn about science when they heat or cool a mixture and observe how it changes． And as they wait for the timer to ring, they develop a better understanding of the concept of time．
| A．Most young children can easily handle simple kitchen equipment． |
| B．Cooking with young children requires patience． |
| C．Measuring ingredients teaches kids about fractions （分数）． |
| D．Kids can and should help wash and dry the pots and pans． |
E．Keep an Eye on Safety
F．Stay Equipped
G．To introduce new foods, involve your kids in menu planning and shopping.
Pay Attention to the Organization of an Article.
Check Your Understanding.
Lightning Speed Exercise
Set Aside Time Each Day.
Check Your Progress through Pacing
Speed up When Necessary.______
Most of us can find 15 minutes or half an hour each day for some specific regular activity. For example, one famous surgeon always made it a rule to spend at least 15 minutes on general reading before he went to sleep each day. Whether he went to bed at 10 p.m. or 2:30 a.m. made no difference.______
Nearly all ‘speed reading’ courses have a ‘pacing’ element---some timing device which lets the students know how many words a minutes he is reading. You can do this simply by looking at your watch every 5 or 10 minutes and noting down the page number you have reached.______
Obviously there is little point in increasing your reading speed if you do not understand what you are reading. If you find you have lost the thread of the story, or you can’t remember clearly the details of what was said, re-read the section or chapter.______
Take four or five pages of an interesting book you happen to be reading at the time. Read them as fast as you possibly can. Do not bother about whether you understand or not. After a ‘lightning speed’ of reading, you will usually find that your ‘normal’ speed has increased.______
Most paragraphs in an article have a ‘topic sentence’ which expresses the central ideas. The opening paragraph often suggests the general direction and content of the piece, while paragraphs that follow expand or support the first. The closing paragraph often summarizes the very essence(实质) of what has been said.
请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。请将答案写在答题纸上的相应位置。（每空1词）
The Chinese are very generous(慷慨大方的) when it comes to educating their children. Some parents send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the US or Australia, regardless of how much this costs. Many also want their children to take extra-curriculum activities where they either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is, so parents often spend unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents can see that their children's skills vary; they will usually be skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study effectively. They are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can help achieve this by teaching their children practical skills like cooking, sewing and other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give a child a lot of satisfaction and confidence.
An old machine such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child as a toy may make him curious and arouse his interest. If he will spend hours looking at it, and try to mend it; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. Such activities do more than teach a child to read a book; but rather they teach them to think, and to use their minds. This is much more important than learning by reading a book.
| Title |
How Chinese Parents Should |
| Common practice |
Being Sending them to the best schools or Taking extra-curriculum activities so as to Spending more money than they can afford on education. |
| Bad results |
Children's lacking in self-respect and |
| Suggested |
Teaching their children practical skills, which are of the greatest Cooking. Sewing. Other housework. |
| To make the children hardworking and confident. To enable them to |
阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在短文后的表格中填入恰当的单词。注意：表格的每个空格只填一个单词。
Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment （投资）available in the developing world. Women's education may be unusual territory for economists（经济学家）, but enhancing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics（经济因素）, with its emphasis on incentives, provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived（剥夺）of an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest（投资）in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else's family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school - the prophecy （预言) becomes self- fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy.
Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.
Topic: The significance of female in developing countries
| Opinion |
Educating girls in more |
|
| Families |
From low-income families |
From educated mothers’ families |
| Attitudes |
Girls are of less than boys. |
Development should be for all . |
| There is Girls are made to may at home, housework. |
Girls and boys have chances. |
|
| Significance |
Educating girls |
|
| Educating girls in developing countries is important and rewarding. |
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers(抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
| A．Cold and sick | B．Lucky and hopeful |
| C．Satisfied and cheerful | D．Disappointed and helpless |
From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy_____.
A .solving her problem at the bank B. taking part in various city activities
C learning acting in an evening school D. preparing for the first night showOn her way home the writer_____
| A．lost her wallet unknowingly |
| B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver |
| C．was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife |
| D．found some homeless people following her |
From the text, we can infer that the writer_____
| A．would stop working at night | B．would stay on in San Francisco |
| C．would make friends with cleaners. | D．would give up her job at the bank |
Today, I’m going to share a story with you. A king had a wise advisor ______ best advice for the king was, “Everything happens for the good”.One day the King went hunting and injured
_______ by shooting an arrow at his own foot. He asked the advisor what he thought about the accident. The advisor replied, “Everything happens for the good”. This time the King was really angry and ordered
_________(put) his advisor into prison.
The King later went on a hunting trip _________ the advisor this time. The King was then captured by some cannibals（食人者）. He was taken to the cannibals' camp
_________ he was to be the evening meal for the cannibals. Before putting him into the cooking pot he
_________(inspect) thoroughly. The cannibals saw
________ wound on the King’s foot and decided to throw him back into the jungle. According to the cannibals' tradition, they would not eat anything that was
________ (perfect). The King suddenly realized
________ his advisor said was true. The advisor also escaped death because if he
__________(not be) in prison, he would have followed the King on the hunting trip, and would have ended up in the cooking pot.
People who enjoy a dream-filled sleep are better at recalling information and making links between facts when waking. But recharging with a shallow (小睡) offers no such mental improvement, the research suggests. The results of the study added to the growing body of evidence that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is very important to the brain’s ability to form strong memories.
An average night's rest includes four or five spells of REM sleep, but these bursts tend to be lengthier towards the end of the night. This means adults getting less than the recommended seven to eight hours a night -- and therefore inadequate REM sleep -- may be damaging their mind's ability to memorize: Although REM sleep is not classified as a type of deep sleep, it is only reached after the brain has passed through deep sleep stages.
In the recent study, participants were shown groups of three words and asked to find another word that can be associated with all three words. They were tested once in the morning and then given the same task again in the afternoon. In between, some were allowed a nap with REM sleep, some a nap without REM sleep, while the others had a quiet rest period. The quiet rest and non-REM sleep groups didn't improve, but the REM sleep group improved on their morning performance by an average of almost 40 per cent. Dr Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher at the University of California who led the study, believes the formation of connections between previously unassociated information in the brain occurs during REM sleep.
It is believed that sleep acts as a sort of mental filing system, enabling the brain to sort relevant information from useless information. This process may take place as memories are removed hem one art of the brain to others.
| Title |
REM Sleep |
| The result of the study |
Rapid Eye Movement sleep is of great importance to the brain's ability to |
| The of the study |
◆ associated with all three words. ◆The same task was given to participants ◆ The quiet rest and non-REM sleep groups showed no ◆ The REM sleep group almost 40 per cent. |
| Dr Sara Mednick's |
Connections between previous unassociated information in the brain are |
| Conclusion |
Sleep acts as a sort of mental filing system, enabling the brain to abandon useless information and keep the information. |
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Stress Management—Learn to Relax With Self Hypnosis
Self hypnosis(自我催眠法)is one of the best known and most effective techniques for relieving stress and anxiety. It’s easy to learn and you can do it anywhere. This is a simple exercise that you can do at any time of the day. All you need is 10 minutes to yourself.
The first few times you practice the following technique, it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re relatively calm to begin with. After you’ve practiced several times, you’ll be able to achieve the same deep relaxation, even if you are feeling stressed or tense.
Get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Then simply close your eyes taking a few moments to unwind(放松).
Now take a long slow deep breath, hold it as long as you comfortably can, then slowly release the breath allowing your whole body to relax with the air breathed out. Repeat this more than twice and notice how you relax even further with each breath.
Now, imagine our standing at the top of a set of 20 steps and each step will take you further into a deep state of relaxation. Then, as you count backwards from 20 to 1, imagine that you are moving down to the next step. With each number, notice that you are going deeper, becoming even more relaxed , feeling calm and at ease.
This is the most important step! Take some time to enjoy this relaxed state. Some people find that by this time their breathing has become slower and their body may feel either very heavy or every light or it may even feel like it’s tingling. It’s different for everyone so just pay attention to any changes and allow yourself to enjoy that state of deep relaxation.
Then when you are ready to awaken, count up from one to five, with each number just instruct yourself to become more alert, more awake, feeling more refreshed. When you reach five, open your eyes and remember to give your arms and legs a little shake to reorient(适应)yourself.
While you’re experiencing the benefits, you’ll find that you become more and more relaxed each time you go through the exercise. To get the most of this technique it’s recommended that you practice at least once each day for 21 days. Then use it as often as you like and whenever you’re feeling stressed or anxious.
Learn to Relax With Self Hypnosis
| If you want to |
||
| Before practicing |
While practising |
After practising |
| Make sure you are calm first. |
●Get into a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, and then close your eyes to relax ●Breathe slowly but ●Imagine ●Take some time to focus |
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| The |
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