The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen．We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential (潜能) of diet products that we stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us．We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically (身体上)．
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically．On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods．Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale (秤) instead．All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels．
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects, Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results．Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle．
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause．Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients (营养成分)．Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products．Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous．
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them．Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals．Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them
53．One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to ______．
A．try out a variety of diet food B．hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C．pay attention to their own eating habits D．watch their weight rather than their diet
54．In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means_____．
A．losing weight is effortless B．it costs a lot to lose weight
C．diet products bring no pain D．diet products are free from calories
55．Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products _____
A．are over- consumed B．are short of chemicals
C．lack basic nutrients D．provide too much energy
56．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
Motherhood is a career to respect
A WOMAN renewing her driver’s license at the CountyClerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a...”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation... ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate (研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement (声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door. How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?
| A．Cold-hearted. | B．Open-minded. |
| C．Puzzled. | D．Interested. |
How many children does the writer have?
| A．3 | B．4 | C．7 | D．13 |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?
| A．Because she thought the writer did admirable work. |
| B．Because the writer cared little about rewards. |
| C．Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of. |
| D．Because she admired the writer's research work. |
What is the point of the article?
| A．To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B．To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily. |
| C．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. |
If you still know little about the “IMF”, it’s time you started to read about it, for it has been a hot issue of the whole world．
The International Monetary Fund （IMF） is one of the international financial（金融的） institutions, which works for global growth and economic stability．It provides policy advice and financing to members in economic difficulties and also works with developing nations to help them achieve economic stability and reduce poverty．The“ IMF” currently has a near-global membership of 185 countries．
To become a member, a country must apply for it and then be accepted by a majority of the existing members．On joining, each member of the IMF is assigned a quota（配额）, based broadly on its relative size in the world economy．The IMF’s membership agreed in May 2008 on a rebalancing of its quota systemto reflect the changing global economic realities, especially the increased weight of major emerging markets （新兴市场） in the global economy, such as China, India and Russia．
The following diagram gives more information about major international financial institutions．
The main cause of the IMF’s decision to make changes in its quota system is ______．
| A．the shortage of resources | B．global growth and economic stability |
| C．the changing economic situations | D．the need to accept new members |
The main purpose of the IMF is to ______．
| A．prevent the member countries from getting into wars |
| B．collect money from rich countries to help poor ones |
| C．provide assistance to its member countries when necessary |
| D．make sure the world economy develops in a healthy way |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The quota an IMF member country gets depends on the size of the country． |
| B．India together with China is proposing an increase in emergency funds． |
| C．The more money a member contributes to the IMF, the more say it has in it． |
| D．The International Development Association is meant to support developed countries． |
From the diagram we can see the present IMF is most probably under the control of _______．
| A．the US | B．Russia | C．Japan | D．any EU member state |
Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house．A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health．This new theory argues that healing （the process of becoming healthy and strong again） is at our fingertips：we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis．
Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven．They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga，Tai Chi．These waste our time，something that is quite precious in our material world．There is medicine that can kill our pain and x-rays that show us our broken bones．We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide．However, there are some “everyday complaints”such as back pains，headaches，which are treated currently with medicine．When you have a headache，you take an Aspirin；when you cannot sleep，you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these．When you use these pills for a long period，you become dependent on them；you cannot sleep without them．We pay huge amounts of money but never get better．How about a safer and more economical way of healing?When doing Reiki to yourself，you do not need anything except your energy so it is very economical．Also，there are no side effects and it is scientifically explained．
They also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV／AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs．They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine．How can Reiki make these people healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair and weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take．Actually，instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects，you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life，find an emotional balance，leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries．
Some people may still hold that in our material world，everything depends on time．How
would it be possible to find time to do Reiki?In fact，Reiki does not require more than 15 minutes of our time．It is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for the side effects as well．The author's attitude towards Reiki is．
| A．uninterested | B．serious |
| C．positive | D．doubtful |
Which statement does the passage lead you to believe?
| A．Reiki will soon become the most popular exercise around the world． |
| B．Reiki is an effective treatment but not scientifically explained． |
| C．Reiki can make people less dependent on drugs． |
| D．Reiki is a kind of cheap drug but works well． |
How many advantages of Reiki are mentioned in the last two paragraphs?
| A．One． | B．Three． | C．Five． | D．Seven． |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A New Way of Treating Illness． |
| B．Health and Healing at Your Fingers． |
| C．The Advantages and Disadvantages of Reiki． |
| D．The Advantages and Disadvantages of Medicine． |
Tight-lipped elders used to say, "It's not what you want in this world, but what you get．"
Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things．
You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living．If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served．
Similarly, If you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself．In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services．
This account of yourself is actually a general description of your working life and should include education, experience and references．Such an account is valuable．It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal interviews．While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications will pay him to employ you and your abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner．
When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something tangible to sell．Then you are ready to look for a job．Get all the possible information about your could-be job．Make inquiries about the details concerning the job and the firm．Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment．Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking the position you wish for, and keep in mind: Obtaining a job is your job now．What do the elders mean when they say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get．”?
| A．You’ll certainly get what you want． |
| B．It’s no use dreaming． |
| C．You should be dissatisfied with what you have． |
| D．It’s essential to set a goal for yourself． |
A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as ________．
| A．an illustration of how to write an application for a job |
| B．an indication of how to obtain a good job |
| C．a guideline for job description |
| D．a principle for job evaluation |
According to the passage, one must write an account of himself before starting to find a job because ________．
| A．that is the first step to please the employer |
| B．that is the requirement of the employer |
| C．it enables him to know when to sell his services |
| D．it makes him become clearly aware of himself |
When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something______．
| A．specific to offer | B．imaginary to provide |
| C．precious to supply | D．desirable to present |
I had the meanest mother in the whole world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast．When others had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids' also．But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and where we were going．We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath everyday．
The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning．We couldn't sleep till noon like our friends．So while they slept --- my mother actually had the nerve to break the Child Labor Law．She made us work．We had to wash dishes, make beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things．I believe she lay awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us．
Through the years, things didn't improve a bit．We could not lie in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school．Our marks in school had to be up to par．Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks．With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out．
My mother was a complete failure as a mother．Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education．None of us have ever been arrested or divorced．Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country．She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults．Using this as a background, I am now trying to raise my three children．I am filled with pride when my children call me mean．Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the whole world．What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The author is not happy to have such a mean mother． |
| B．The author's mother broke the Child Labor Law to make money． |
| C．The author's mother failed to educate her children to be honest adults． |
| D．The author is strict with her children． |
Why couldn’t the author eat candy for breakfast?
| A．Because she preferred cereal, eggs or toast to candy． |
| B．Because her mother couldn’t afford for candy． |
| C．Because her mother thought it not good to eat candy for breakfast． |
| D．Because her mother had to give candy to the author’s sister and two brothers． |
The author’s mother made her children work because _________ ．
| A．she had trouble falling into sleep． |
| B．she could not keep such a big family without her children’s help． |
| C．she was teaching her children to live by themselves． |
| D．she had no time to do the housework． |