The Health Benefits of Knitting
A)About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. I agreed to give it a try.
B)My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. But within two Mondays in the group, I was hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting(钩织),and I was on my way to becoming a highly productive crafter.
C) I’ve made countless baby blankets, sweaters, scarves, hats, caps for newborns. I take a knitting project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit still and listen. As I discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now.
D) It seems, too, that I’m part of a national renewal of interest in needle and other handicrafts(手工艺). The Craft Yarn Council reports that a third of women ages 25-35 now knit or crochet. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my friend’s three small grandsons. Last April, the council created a “Stitch Away Stress” campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of The Relaxation Response, says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed stats like that associated with meditation(沉思)and yoga. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rate and blood pressure.
E)But unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to boost my spirits when needed.
F) Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities’ main benefits. Among them is the father of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the baby’s five weeks in the intensive care unit, “learning how to knit infant hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that I felt very helpless. It’s a hobby that I’ve stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic(忙乱的) days, and allow my brain time to solve problems.”
G) A recent email from the yarn(纺纱) company Red Heart titled “Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting” prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting. My research revealed that the rewards go well beyond replacing stress and anxiety with the satisfaction of creation.
H)For example, Karen Hayes, a life coach in Toronto, conducts knitting therapy programs, including Knit to Quit to help smokers give up the habit, and Knit to Heal for people coping with health crises, like a cancer diagnosis or serious illness of a family member. Schools and prisons with craft programs report that they have a calming effect and enhance social skills. And having to follow instructions on complex craft projects can improve children’s math skills.
I)Some people find that craftwork helps them control their weight. Just as it’s challenging to smoke while knitting, when hands are holding needles and hooks, there’s less snacking and mindless eating out of boredom.
J) I’ve found that my handiwork with yarn has helped my arthritic(患关节炎的) fingers remain more dexterous(灵巧的) as I age. A woman encouraged to try knitting and crocheting after developing an autoimmune disease that caused a lot of hand pain reported on the Craft Yarn Council site that her hands are now less stiff and painful.
K) A 2009 University of British Columbia study of 38 women with an eating disorder who were taught to knit found that learning the craft led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their fears and kept them from thinking about their problem.
L) Betsan Corkhill, a wellness coach in Bath, England, and author of the book Knit for Health & Wellness, established a website, Stitchlinks, to explore the value of what she calls therapeutic knitting. Among her respondents, 54 percent of those who were clinically depressed said that knitting made them feel happy or very happy. In a study of 60 self-selected people with persistent pain, Ms. Corkhill and colleagues reported that knitting enabled them to redirect their focus, reducing their awareness of pain. She suggested that the brain can process just so much at once, and that activities like knitting and crocheting make it harder for the brain to register pain signals. Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to keep off a decline in brain function with age. In a 2011 study, researchers led Dr. Yonas Geda at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester interviewed a random(随机的) sample of 1,321 people ages 70-89, most of whom were cognitively(在认知方面) normal, about the cognitive activities they engaged in late in life. The study, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive disorder and memory loss.
M)Although it is possible that only people who are cognitively healthy would pursue such activities, those who read newspapers or magazines or played music did not show similar benefits. The researchers speculate that craft activities promote the development of nerve pathways in the brain that help to maintain cognitive health.
N) In support of that suggestion, a 2014 study by Denise C. Park of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues demonstrated that learning to knit or do digital photography enhanced memory function in older adults. Those who engaged in activities that were not intellectually challenging either in a social group or alone, did not show such improvements.
O) Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and a long life, those wishing to maximize the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded folks. I for one try not to miss a single weekly meeting of my knitting group.
C
学生的答案: ---
c
举一反三
- The Health Benefits of Knitting A) About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. I agreed to give it a try. B) My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout co
- When I was born, my grandfather 1) ________(name) me after a rich man who was famous during his time, and 2)______ (tell) me that all my life, I would love my name. When I 3) _____(be) in elementary school, my teachers only called me by my last name. When I was seven, my father 4)______ (give) me an English name, but I didn’t like my new name — it 5) _______(sound) very strange to me. When I was nine years old, my father 6) ______(change) my English name. I’ve recently changed my name again because I 7) ______ (get) married. To be honest, I would really like a name that expresses my dreams better. Maybe in the future I 8) ______(change) my name again.
- I would like to thank the students who passed through my hands, for it was they who, through the years, helped me to refine my initial hesitant efforts from which the contents of this volume have been developed.
- 1 Let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m 35 years old, male, single, never been married. I work as an editor at a publishing company. Some of you may think that I’m a loser: an unmarried adult with not much money. But I honestly don’t care about things like that any more. The reason is very simple: I’m perfectly happy just as I am.2 The reason? I got rid of most of my material possessions.3 Minimalism is a lifestyle in which you reduce your possessions to the least possible. Living with only the bare essentials has not only provided superficial benefits such as the pleasure of a tidy room or the simple ease of cleaning, but it has also led to a more fundamental shift. It has given me a chance to think about what it really means to be happy.4 So I said goodbye to a lot of things, many of which I’d had for years. And yet now I live each day with a happier spirit. I feel more content now than I ever did in the past.5 I wasn’t always a minimalist. I used to buy a lot of things, believing that all those possessions would increase my self-worth and lead to a happier life. At the same time, though, I was always comparing myself with other people who had more or better things, which often made me miserable. I couldn’t focus on anything, and I was always wasting time.6 On a usual day, there were books stacked everywhere in my apartment because there wasn’t enough room on my bookshelves. Most I had thumbed through once or twice, thinking that I would read them when I had time.7 The closet was crammed with what used to be my favorite clothes, most of which I’d only worn a few times. The room was filled with all the things I’d taken up as hobbies and then gotten tired of. There were some conversational English workbooks I’d planned to study once I had more free time.8 But by having fewer things around, I’ve started feeling happier each day. I’m slowly beginning to understand what happiness is.9 After what I’ve been through, I think saying goodbye to your things is more than an exercise in tidying up. I think it’s an exercise in learning about true happiness.10 Maybe that sounds grandiose. But I seriously think it’s true.
- Part I: Fill the blanks(注意大小写和单复数正确才得分) Ruby: I’m snowed under with work! I can’t seem to keep up with everything I have to do. You’re always so 1 and efficient. How do you do it? Lan: I’m not always organized and efficient, but I’ve gotten better since I read a book about time management. I use a few 2 tools that the book 3 , which help me to plan and to keep 4 of deadlines. Ruby: Do you think it would help me? Ian: 5 . This is what I do. I keep a to-do 6 of all of the things I need to do. Then, I decide which tasks are high-priority and which have low- priority. I write down the deadline I’m given for the task or I 7 a deadline of my own, and I make a note of the most urgent tasks. Ruby: That seems pretty simple, but how do I keep track of the progress I make on a task? Sometimes things just 8 through the cracks for me. Lan: I do a couple of things. First, I keep my list updated. I check off or cross off those that I’ve done. I also put reminders for myself on my computer to help me with scheduling. It helps me to remember my 9 and to allocate my time better. Ruby: That sounds like a great system. All I need now is some 10 time so I can start doing some time management!
内容
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Boy: I’m going to the school ________________ and I’ll be back in about an hour. Girl: The bookstore? Would you mind ________________ me up a couple of things? Boy: Like what? Girl: A couple of paper notebooks, and a couple of disks for my computer class. Boy: That’s no problem. Just ________________ me when I get back. Girl: I appreciate your help. I have to sit here and study for tomorrow’s test. Boy: No problem. I’m grateful to you for helping me out the other day.
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I like eating out in restaurants. In fact,I eat out once or twice a week. My work keeps me very busy during the day. So sometimes in the evening,when I feel
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Look at me Look at me I am changing Trying every way I can I am changing I’ll be better than I am I’m hoping To 1) ______________ And I know that I can But I need you I need a hand All of my life, I’ve been a 2) _______ who said I could do it all alone How many good friends have I already lost? And how many 3) ______________ have I known? Walking down that wrong road There was nothing I could find All those years of darkness Could make a person 4) __________ But now I can see I am changing Trying every way I can I am changing And I’ll be better than I am But I need a friend To help me 5) __________________ That would be just fine I know it’s gonna work out this time ’Cause this time I am This time I am I am changing I’ll 6) _____________________ now I am changing Yes! I know how I’m gonna start again I’m gonna 7) ___________________ I’ll change my life I’ll 8) _________________ Nothing’s gonna stop me.
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---Would you like to have supper with me tonight?- ____________________________. A: I often wonder what the world will be like in a hundred years’ time. B: About twice a week. C: I’m afraid not. I must go home tonight. D: I learned it on my own during my college.
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I can’t __________ what my life would be like without my family.