There is nothing else but economy that occupies the minds of Americans at present times of economic crisis（危机）. The statistics on unemployment，housing costs and consumer confidence keep coming and coming，leaving people not just scared to spend money but also very stressed and emotionally exhausted. This stress has an effect on everything，starting with our sleep，mood，physical health，relationships and eating habits.
“Time of economic stress leads to increase rates of depression(忧郁)，”says Dr. Christopher Palmer，director of continuing education at McLean Hospital in Belmont，Massachusetts. “It worsens illness in people who have been constantly depressed. But it also causes new cases of depression. Just the fear of losing one’s job can put people over the edge. ”
And，without any doubt，just depression alone can create a variety of bad health effects.
●Sleep
33 percent of Americans reported that they have lost sleep due to the economic crisis. 26 percent say they are sleeping less than 6 hours per night，which is considered to be at least one hour less than the most favorable 7 to 8 hours recommended by sleep experts.
●Mental health，stress and heart attack
80 percent of Americans reported that last year the economy is a huge source of stress; 49 percent said the situation makes them feel nervous or anxious; 48 percent reported that they feel very sad and have developed depression.
Nearly twice the risk of heart attack or death was found in patients with the highest levels of depression or anxiety. Among those individuals，a 10 percent higher rise of heart attack or death was found in those whose anxiety rose over time.
●Relationships
The chances of violent behavior are nearly 6 times higher for individuals who are left without a job. Workplace stress can lead to domestic violence.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Now Americans don’t dare to spend money.
B. Now all Americans have problems in sleeping.
C. Economy is the most troubling problem for Americans now.
D. Economic crisis has destroyed many American families.
2. How does the economic crisis affect most Americans according to the passage?
A. They sleep fewer than six hours. B. They sleep less tha
n the proper amount.
C. Diseases caused by economy make them sleepless. D. They lose sleep at night.
3. If a person is out of work，he might __________. .
A. become more violent B. get divorced C. get rid of workplace stress D. go mad
4. The best title of this passage is probably______________ . .
A. The World Economic Crisis Is Getting Worse
B. Economic Crisis Affects Our Health
C. Economic Crisis Causes Trouble to Sleep
D. Ordinary People Suffer Greatly in Economic Crisis
5.What does the underlined word “favorable” mean?
A. proper B. perfect C. useful D. fashionable
I decided early in my college years that I wanted to experience living abroad before entering in the real world. During my senior year, while most of my friends were interviewing for “real world” jobs, I was investigating how I could go work in a different country. At that early stage of my inquiry I was pretty open about where to go and what kind of work to undertake. My desire to live abroad was so strong that I was willing to do anything anywhere.
Soon I learned about BUNAC, a program that seemed to be designed precisely for student with such interests. BUNAC offers work visas ( 签证 ) for students or recent graduates to work overseas. Of the six countries available, I chose England because of the language and opportunities for employment.
Two months after I graduated from college I went to Britain. I traveled throughout Europe for six weeks before arriving in London. I got to London on August 24, 1997 with a work visa, but no job or place to live. I have to admit it was pretty scary! The day after I arrived, I experienced my first British holiday --- a Bank Holiday, a national holiday that everything is closed for the day. It wasn’t until my third day that I visited the BUNAC office and I learned all about living and working in Britain, paying taxes, getting health insurance, traveling around Britain, finding accommodations and most importantly, finding a job. I was most scared about finding a job since my financial resources were running low and I needed to get my pay soon.
It turned out that finding a job was not so difficult. The BUNAC program is very well known in London and many employers participate in the program. As a result there are many employers in many different fields to choose from. My job search began when I chose three different business employers and faxed them my resume (简历). That first week I had three interviews. I accepted my first offer working for Merrill Lynch International Bank. The Merrill Lynch office I worked at was in a beautiful, old building located two blocks from Buckingham Palace. The people were nice and the work interesting.
It was easy to adjust to life in London. And there is so much to see that after six months exploring I probably covered only half of what I intended. When the author studied at college she decided _________.
| A．to enter the “real world” after graduation |
| B．to go and work in a foreign country |
| C．to settle in a different country |
| D．to find a job in the home country |
The author chose England because ______.
| A．it is a beautiful country and people there are nice |
| B．England is spoken there and it is easy to find a job |
| C．it is in Europe, not far from her own country |
| D．the BUNAC office is located there |
After the author arrived in London, what worried her most was ________.
| A．getting a job | B．buying health insurance |
| C．traveling around Britain | D．finding a place to live |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Trip to Britain | B．What I Want to Be |
| C．Living in a Different Country | D．My Work Experience |
Holidays
Holiday News
Vacations(空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.
The Snowdonia Centre
The Snowdonia Centre for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are 57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost.
You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.
The world Sea Trip of a Lifetime
Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and travelling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another.
On board the ship, you will be well taken care of . Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home.
During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板)，enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play.
You will visit all the places most people only dream about---from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.
For a few thousand, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours. What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?
| A．Choose the holiday in Devon. | B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre. |
| C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008. | D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii. |
In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?
| A．It provides chances of family gatherings. |
| B．It provides customers with good food. |
C．It offers a sports lesson.  |
| D．It offers comfortable rooms. |
What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?
| A．You can have free meals on deck every day. |
| B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places. |
C．You will have chances to watch and act i n a play. |
| D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking. |
If a person tells you that something is “the real McCoy”，he is telling you it is the real thing，not a copy or replacement．There is nothing false about “the real McCoy”．It is the best that can be found．
There are different ideas on how the expression came into common use．Perhaps the most popular story is about a famous boxer，Charles Kid McCoy，a one-time world famous welter-weigh champion．One day，McCoy was having a drink in a bar with a lady friend．A man came up and began to talk to her．He was not a nice man．
McCoy wanted no trouble．He asked the man to leave．He said．“I'm Kid McCoy．”McCoy thought his name was so well-known that he didn’t need to say more．But the man did not believe him．“Oh，yeah?” he said．“Well，if you are Kid McCoy，then I am George Washington!” And he continued to speak to the prize-fighter’s friend in all unpleasant way．
McCoy hit the man with a fist－not hard－actually it was really a light touch．But the man fell to the ground，unconscious．Ten minutes later，when he came to sense，he called out. “That was the real McCoy!” And so，as told by kid McCoy，that was how the expression “the real McCoy” got started．
There are other versions，however．One is that the expression goes back to the days of prohibition（禁止）when it was illegal in the United States to sell whiskey．Although whiskey was against the law，many sold it．And many sold bad whiskey．They were not afraid to do so，because there was so little that anybody could do about it．Buying whiskey，good or had，was as illegal as selling it．
But there was one whiskey dealer who was honest．His name was McCoy．He refused to sell bad whiskey．He sold only the best imported whiskey．His product became recognized as the best．It was called “the real McCoy”．
The expression survived prohibition days and soon became a general term．One way or another，no matter how the expression began，“the real McCoy” is an expression that everyone unders
tands．It means the one and only—the best one．They are indeed words of special praise．What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．It is about the exact meaning of the version． |
| B．It tells how a person gets his name． |
| C．It shows how to tell the real from the false． |
| D．It explains how to find the best． |
In the third paragraph，“the prize-fighter” refers to______．
| A．a champion | B．George Washington |
| C．a fellow | D．McCoy |
Which of the following is TRUE about the days prohibition?
| A．A national law forbade the sale of alcoholic drinks． |
| B．Bad whiskey was not allowed to sell． |
| C．People at that time preferred nothing but whiskey． |
| D．The days of prohibition resulted in MeCoy’s selling wine． |
What is the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．The story of a famous boxer． |
| B．The general use of the version． |
| C．The expression and its story． |
| D．The friendship between an athlete and a seller． |
New 
York Time—A gunman killed eight people at a mall in Omaha this afternoon and then killed himself, setting off panic among holiday shoppers, the police said．
“The person who we believe to be the shooter has died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds,” Sgt． Teresa Negron of the Omaha Police Department said at televised news． “We have been able to clear the mall,” she said． “We don’t believe we have any other
shooters．” The police said that at least five other people had been injured in the shootings．
She did not give the shooter’s identity． “We are still conducting the investigation,” Sergeant Negron said, adding that the city’s mayor, who was out of town, was on his way back to Omaha． She said the police received a 911 call from someone inside the Westroads Mall on the west side of Omaha, and shots could be heard in the background． The first police officers arrived at the mall six minutes after the first call, she said, but by then the shootings were over． It is reported that the gunman left a suicide note that was found at his home by relatives． A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity （匿名） said the note indicated that the gunman wanted to “go out in style．”
The shootings broke the usually banal rou
tine of holiday shopping． The gunman was said by some witnesses to have fired about 20 shots into a crowd． Some customers and workers ran screaming from the mall, while others dived into dressing rooms to hide from the shooter．
Shoppers and store workers were trapped inside the mall, which has roughly 135 stores． Others streamed out of mall exits with their hands raised． President Bush was in Omaha this morning to deliver a speech, but he had left the city by the time the shootings took place． Where did the shooting first come out?
| A．In a newspaper | B．On the Internet |
| C．In TV news | D．In a police poster |
What do the underlined words “go out in style” probably mean?
| A．go out of the mall in particular clothes |
| B．walk in the mall with everybody focused on |
| C．go to a socially event by fashionable means |
| D．stop his life in a impressive way |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Nobody knows why the shooter did so and nothing was found at his home． |
| B．The city’s mayor happened not to be in the city when the shooting took place． |
| C．Police arrived at the mall before the shootings were over and rescued customers． |
| D．The official who showed what the note mean have no request of his own identity． |
We can infer from the passage that ______．
| A．There is only one shooter in this event． |
| B．The shooting created fears among the customers． |
| C．An important holiday is coming soon． |
| D．President Bush came here for the shooting． |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona.
He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child, I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me 
unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as h
e was.
Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I'm delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. | B．He was too proud of himself.. |
| C．He did not love his children.. | D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel________.
| A．nervous | B．sorry |
| C．tired | D．Strict and hare-working. |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More tallkative. |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to .
| A．the author's son | B．the author's father |
| C．the friend of the author's father | D．the café owner |