How to be in high spirits

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I. Your brain power can be (1) ___ by life’s little luxuries according to the scientific findings. It has been discovered that mice who are (2) ___ on popcorn and sweets have up to fifteen per cent more brain cells than mice who are kept in normal laboratory conditions. Being kept in cells full of brightly (3) ___ toys has a similar effect. It is (4) ___ that the same may be true for humans, which possibly explains why children from poorer homes tend to do less well at school and in life generally.

II. Feeling like an underdog can cause (5) ___ to your health. Research showed that workers who feel (6) ___ are significantly more likely to suffer from back problems. Doctors think that one of the greatest health threats comes from negative feelings such as depression or (7) ___, which creates stress hormones and produces cholesterol. It is quite likely that (8) ___ about whether or not you should eat a chocolate bar is doing you more harm than actually eating it.

III. Scientists have known for some time about seasonal affective disorder (SAD): a form of depression (9) ___ by lack of light in winter, which is thought to explain the relatively high (10) ___ rates in countries like Sweden, where in winter days are very short. However, recent research has shown that people working a night (11) ___ in factories can suffer from the same problem leading to stress and depression. The problem can be (12) ___ by illuminating workplaces with lights three times brighter than usual, making workers feel happier and more alert.

10. Выберите подходящее слово из предложенных двух вариантов.

Ways to successful learning

Do you remember how at school certain/common (1) subjects seemed impossible to understand/realize (2)? However much the teacher tried to explain geography, for example, you still did not grasp/seize (3) even the basics/basis (4).

Now some psychologists are suggesting that learning obstacles/difficulties (5) may lie/lay (6) in the way the subjects are presented/proposed (7) rather than being a failure on the part/side (8) of the children.

According to a modern opinion/approach (9), people fall into groups depending on how they learn best – through sight, sound or tactile feeling. For example, a visual/visionary (10) child will learn best through diagrams, an auditory/audition (11) child through spoken words, while a kinesthetic child will benefit/enrich (12) most from practical examples.

It is easy to find out which group your child belongs to. All you have to do is ask him or her a request/question (13), such as “What was your day at school like?” According to this new theory, your child’s response/respond (14) will tell you whether they learn through sight, sound or feeling. This will help you to choose the best learning and teaching strategies/tactics (15).

11. Выберите подходящее слово из предложенных четырех вариантов.