Psychologists in Britain have said that the last full week of January is the most depressing time of the year, and have labeled the Monday of that week “Blue Monday”, the most depressing day of the year. Mondays are generally seen as the worst day of the week because people feel grumpy(烦躁的) and tired at having to go back to work after a weekend with a different sleep pattern.
There are various reasons why more people feel depressed at this time of year. Many people have unpaid credit card bills for the Christmas presents they bought. As the party season is over, people feel stressed because they have to go back to real life — work and commuting; they may be unhappy with their body image after eating too many cakes, chocolates, and other food at Christmas-time. People may have already failed in their New Year’s plans, such as giving up smoking. The bad weather in January can also contribute to people feeling fed up.
Some companies are taking this quite seriously and offering suggestions for all the staff who are feeling depressed. They hope that helping people as soon as there are signs of depression will keep people from taking time off. Evidence shows that unreasonable managers who contribute to their staff feeling fed up at this time can expect an uncooperative (不合作的) workforce.
However, it’s not all bad! Many people feel optimistic at this time — that things can only get better. Psychologists offer suggestions of how to fight against feeling blue. These include spending 15 minutes doing a “gratitude exercise”, thinking about and writing down what you are grateful for, such as health, family, friends and so on. Taking up a new hobby, doing some exercise, going to bed earlier, eating a healthy breakfast, and listening to some cheerful music are all recommended (推荐) as ways to feel more cheerful.
68. How many reasons are mentioned in this passage for feeling depressed in January?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
69. We can learn from the passage that if we say someone is blue, we mean he is ______.
A. wearing blue clothes B. feeling down
C. very scared D. very worried
70. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Everyone feels depressed during the last full week of January.
B. Many workers leave their jobs during the most depressing time of the year.
C. Some people are not sad in January as they know that all the following months will be better.
D. Psychologists are working hard on how to solve the “Blue Monday” problem.
