Passage 2 Directions: Listen to a short passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, listen for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, fill in the blanks with the exact words you hear. When the passage is read for the third time, check what you have written. Moods, say the experts, are emotions that tend to become fixed, (1) ________ an influence on one’s outlook for hours, days or even weeks. That’s (2) ________ if your mood is a pleasant one, but it will be a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry or lonely. Perhaps one of the best ways to deal with such moods is to (3) ________. Sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Modern science offers an abundance of drugs to deal with bad moods. But scientists have also discovered the practicability of several non-drug (4) ________ to release you from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being healthier. So, the next time you feel out of sorts, don’t (5) ________ the drug store – try the following approach. Of all the mood-altering self-help techniques, physical exercise seems to be the most (6) ________ cure for a bad mood. “If you could keep up the exercise, you’d be in high spirits,” says Kathryn Lane, author of Running for Health and Beauty . Obviously, physical activity (7) ________ mood changes. Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercise (8) ________ drugs as a mood-raiser. Physical exertion such as housework, however, does little help, probably because it is not intensive enough, and people usually do it unwillingly. The key is physical exercise – running, cycling, walking, swimming or other sustained activities that (9) ________ the heart rate, increase circulation and improve the body’s use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a (10) ________ session, three to five times a week.