Retirement should be time of joy and freedom. However, for some people retirement comes with feelings of depression , which makes life difficult for them. Retirement is a major life change. Even good changes usually involve some kinds of loss. When you retire, you find yourself lacking whatever working used to provide. That could include, for example, 1. knowing you're working for society, 2. getting admiration from your skills, 3. having "aha" moments when you solve problems, 4. having people to socialize with, and 5. simply having a place to go and a reason to get out of bed every day. For most people, there's a financial loss, too. Also, retirement age is a time when a lot of people have to deal with losing their parents or having serious health problems of their own. Because of all these, retirees are more likely to get depressed. Depression is very harmful. First, depression can make physical health problems worse. Second, _ because it can make people angry. Third, it's hard to get much done when you're depressed. What can we do to overcome the feelings of depression? First, do all the things that help depression in general: drink enough water, exercise, talk to friends, have a hobby, laugh, and spend time in nature. If you feel depressed more often than not, it's probably time to talk to a doctor about your feelings. Second, it's important to keep busy and get out of the house when you can. Make specific plans with friends. Take a class Volunteer. Or just make sure you start each day with some kind of goal. Third, try to focus on what you've gained by retiring. Think about what you may have now that you wished you had before you were able to retire. For example, days that are less stressful, a chance to rest and take better care of your body, more time for your family and yourself. To write, to start a hobby and to learn something new are all new possibilities. Finally, tell your story. You've lived a long time and you become an oral historian each time you talk with someone about your... What would be the best title for the passage? A) Depression and Retirement B) Depression During Retirement Is Harmful C) Reasons for Depression During Retirement D) How to Overcome Depression During Retirement
D
(Question)
Weddings in the United States vary as much as the people do. There are church weddings with a great deal of fanfare ; there are weddings on mountain tops with guests barefooted; there have been weddings on the ocean floor with oxygen tanks for the guests. But many weddings, no matter where or how they are performed, include certain traditional customs. Before a couple is married, they become engaged. And then invitations are sent to those who live nearby, their close friends and their relatives who live far away. When everything is ready, then comes the most exciting moment. The wedding itself usually lasts between 30 and 40 minutes. The wedding party enters the church while the wedding march is played. The bride carrying a bouquet enters last with her father who will "give her away". The groom enters the church from a side door. When the wedding party is gathered by the altar, the bride and groom exchange vows . It is traditional to use the words "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." Following the vows, the couple exchange rings. Wearing the wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand is an old custom. After the ceremony, there is often a party, called a "reception" which gives the wedding guests an opportunity to congratulate the new couple. The car in which the couple leaves the church is decorated with balloons. The words "Just Married" are painted on the trunk or back window. And then the couple go in their honeymoon. Which of the following statement is NOT true? A) In the United States, there are different weddings. B) Americans seldom send invitations to others when get married. C) At the reception, guests usually give their wishes to the new couple. D) Americans usually wear rings on the fourth finger of the left hand.
(Answer)
B
Question: There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala , a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty. He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please. When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly. Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma... While Daae was in Paris, he never went out of doors because he was _ . A) always sleepy B) so homesick that he fell ill C) too busy teaching his daughter D) willing to be locked up with his daughter
Answer:
B