外刊视野 ① According to new research from King’s College London, looking at original artworks in galleries may not only inspire you, but also help your body fight illnesses.
② Researchers tested 50 people aged 18 to 40 at the Courtauld Gallery in London. Half of them looked at real famous paintings (such as works by Van Gogh, Manet and Gauguin) in the gallery. The other half viewed copies of these paintings in a common room. All the
participants wore sensors to track their heart rate and skin temperature. They also gave saliva(唾液) samples so that researchers could measure their stress levels.
③ People who saw the real artworks had a 22% drop in cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone. Hormones are special chemicals that send messages to different parts of your body.
④ However, those who looked at the copies only had an 8% drop in cortisol. For the people in the gallery, the body chemicals related to heart disease and diabetes also fell by as much as 30%.
⑤ Dr Tony Woods, who led the research, said it was the first time that scientists had found that art can affect three body systems at the same time. These systems are: the immune system (which helps fight illness), the hormone system, and the autonomic nervous system (which controls things you do without thinking, like breathing). Jenny Waldman from Art Fund (a charity that
supports art) said, “This study proves for the first time what we have long felt—art is really good for you.”
（素材选自 The Week Junior UK）
任务一 阅读理解。
1.（创新考法·行文方式）How does the author develop the passage?
A. By telling stories.
B. By listing reasons.
C. By showing a research project.
D. By comparing different opinions.
2. The underlined word “participants” in Paragraph 2 probably means “
C
”.
A. researchers
B. artists
C. volunteers
D. scientists
3. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Art can help people fight illnesses.
B. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone.
C. Researchers tested 50 people in a gallery.
D. The autonomic nervous system controls breathing.
4. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Looking at original artworks is better for our physical health than copies.
B. Looking at paintings is the best way to keep away from heart disease.
C. All hospitals will start to show famous paintings to patients soon.
D. People with high stress levels should stop visiting art galleries.
任务二 阅读并回答问题(答案不超过10词)。
What do you think of art?
I think art is useful and can make us healthy.
