From hitting the mall with your girl friends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America’s favorite pastimes. For most people, it means some new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend. For others, however, shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime, and in some cases, it is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster. Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive过度的, and out of control. Like other addictions, it basically has something to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one’s impulses冲动. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping. Sometimes this is referred to as “shopholism”. Shopping addiction can damage a person’s life, family, and finances. “No one knows what causes addictive behaviors, like shopping, alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling”, says a professor of applied health science. Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is triggered引发, but no one really knows why.” Individuals will get some kind of high from an addictive behavior like shopping.
What are the telltale signs that shopping has crossed the line and become and addiction? What should a concerned family member or friend look out for when they think shopping has become a problem? The behaviors can signal a serious problem:
·Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry, depressed, anxious, or lonely
·Having arguments with others about one’s shopping habits
·Feeling lost without credit cards — actually going into withdrawal without them
·Buying items on credit, rather than with cash
·Describing a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending
·Feeling guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed after a spending spree(大买特买)
·Thinking obsessively about money
·Spending a lot time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending
“If someone identifies four or more of any of these behaviors, there may be a problem”, experts say. Treating a shopping addiction requires a multifaceted approach. There are no standard treatments for shopping addiction. Medications have been used, but with mixed results. Therapists also focus on cognitive-behavioral treatment programs. There is no quick and easy answer that will immediately cure a shopping addiction, and while treatment is a necessary part of solving the problem, so is behavior change on the part of the addict.
Some basic changes in behavior that will have a big impact on breaking a shopping addiction are recommended:
·Admit that you are a compulsive spender, which is half the battle.
·Get rid of checkbooks and credit cards, which fuel the problem.
·Don’t shop by yourself because most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone you are much less likely to append more.
·Find other meaningful ways to spend time.
And keep in mind that while behavior change is clearly important to recovery, so is reaching out for professional help.(509)The best title of this article is _________
| A．Should We Shop or Not? | B．Shopping Behaviors, Good or Bad? |
| C．Shopping Spree, or an Addiction? | D．The Dangers of Shopholism. |
You should be carefully think about your shopping behavior if you ________.
| A．are angry to go shopping |
| B．lost your credit card while shopping |
| C．are overjoyed and overwhelmingly excited to go shopping. |
| D．count your money while shopping |
Which of the following statement is not true? ________.
| A．Medication will not help to cure a shopping addiction |
| B．No one really knows why people get addicted to doing something which is no good to them |
| C．By the word shopholism, we refers to the impulsive and excessive shopping behavior |
| D．Shopping addiction can turn into a real disaster in one’s life |
The most important way to get rid of the addiction is ________.
| A．use credit card instead of checkbooks |
| B．change one’s behavior as well as seek professional advice |
| C．find somebody else to shopfor you |
| D．go to a doctor for a standard treatment |
A Southampton University team found that people who were vegetarians by 30 had recorded five IQ points higher on average at the age of 10. Researchers said it could explain why people with a higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower heart disease and obesity rates. The study of 8，179 people was reported in the British Medical Journal.
Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970，366 of the participants said they were vegetarians — although more than 100 reported eating either fish or chicken.
Men who were vegetarians had an IQ score of106，compared with 101 for non-vegetarians； while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99for non-vegetarians. There was no difference in the IQ scores between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarians but reported eating fish or chicken.
Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors.
Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians. How-ever, these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.
Lead researcher Catharine Gale said，"The findings that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarians as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why a higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life. ”
But Dr. Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association said，“ It is like the chicken and the egg . Do people become vegetarians because they have a very high IQ or is it just that they are clever enough to be more aware of health issues?" What's the result of the research mentioned in the text?
| A．Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians later in life. |
| B．Children with a higher IQ are less likely to have heart disease later in life. |
| C．Intelligent children tend to belong to higher social class later in life. |
| D．Children with a healthier heart tend to have a higher IQ later in life. |
It was found in the research that __________.
| A．most of the participants became vegetarians 20years after the IQ tests were carried out |
| B．vegetarians who ate fish or chicken were of similar intelligence with strict vegetarians |
| C．female vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians |
| D．vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Intelligence is linked to not just being a vegetarian but to many factors. |
| B．The rate of getting heart disease is linked to your lifestyle. |
| C．The link between a high IQ and being a vegetarian is still uncertain. |
| D．The link between a healthy heart and diet remains to be proved. |
What's the best title for the text?
| A．Get more IQ points! |
| B．Be a vegetarian, please! |
| C．Vegetarian diet cuts heart risk. |
| D．A high IQ is linked to being a vegetarian. |
Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting. But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One studypublished this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 to 15 minutes a day,and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60to 70 minutes a day — which really is pretty much for handwriting.
Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again. Today's thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all，that is why we write.
Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency — writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high school.
But not everyone masters these skills.Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting.Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is rarely done in elementary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive,which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board,which administers the SAT college admission test. More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay on the test rather than write in cursive. Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?
| A．The students are taught by practicing a long period. |
| B．The letters are repeated many times. |
| C．Handwriting includes two skills. |
| D．To write in cursive is taught first. |
The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means “ __________ ”
| A．easy to read |
| B．complex |
| C．unexpected |
| D．unreadable |
The best title for the passage is __________.
| A．How to improve handwriting in school |
| B．Right or wrong ： the death of handwriting |
| C．Handwriting involves two skills |
| D．Handwriting lessons are on the way out |
The author's attitude towards whether still to learn handwriting in school is __________.
| A．negative |
| B．objective |
| C．critical |
| D．optimistic |
Cell phones with cameras are really a popular way to capture a moment in time, but some “clever” students found another use—capturing tests as a way to cheat.
The Magnolia Independent School District in Montgomery County has added camera phones to a list of electronic devices (器具) students are banned from having at school.
School officials said the move was made as a preventative measure to stop potential (潜在的) test cheaters, since students could use the phones to snap pictures of test questions. Another concern was that students might take inappropriate (不合适的) pictures of classmates to later share or post on a website. Cell phones without cameras are allowed on campus, but must be turned off. Camera cell phones will be taken away from students if found on campus, and disciplinary action will be taken, officials said.
Some students were unhappy to hear about the ban. “I’d be lost without my phone,” said Kendall Paul, a Magnolia High School student. “All my numbers are in it. I’ve never used it to cheat and I don’t know anyone who has at our school, so I think it’s kind of stupid. ” But other students said they saw it all the time at their school.
“You would take a picture of the test and then send it to the next person taking the test,” said Melissa Sparks, a student.
“They would send the question and the answer, or just the number of the question and the answer. It’s quicker that way,” another student said.
Parents often provide their children with cell phones for use in emergencies（紧急情况）and to keep in better touch with them. “My Mom wants me to have my phone with me all the time for emergency purpose. So, it goes with me wherever I go,” Paul said.Which of the following can probably replace the words “banned from having” in the second paragraph?
| A．Forbidden to have. | B．Allowed to have. |
| C．Ordered to have. | D．Kept having. |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Cell phones can’t be taken into the school. |
| B．Students’ parents are in favor of the ban. |
| C．Students have different opinions about the ban. |
| D．Students can use cell phones without camera freely at school. |
What does the writer think of the ban?
| A．The writer thinks every coin has two sides. |
| B．The writer thinks that the ban is right. |
| C．The writer thinks schools shouldn’t invade (侵犯) students’ rights. |
| D．The writer’s opinion is not mentioned in the passage. |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to the fact that _________.
| A．some students cheat in exams |
| B．some students get lost without their camera cell phones |
| C．the School District’s ban is stupid |
| D．some students cheat in exams with camera cell phones |
Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower risk of cancer, saying studies showed a clear link. “Our suggestion is for people to increase their intake (吸入，摄入), through diet or a vitamin supplement,” Dr. Cedric Garland said in a telephone interview.
Garland’s research team reviewed 63 studies, including several large long-term ones, on the relationship between vitamin D and certain types of cancer worldwide between 1966 and 2004. “There’s nothing that has this ability to prevent cancer,” he said, urging governments and public health officials to do more to fortify (增强) foods with vitamin D. Garland is member of a team at San Diego Moores Cancer Hospital that published its findings this week online in the American Journal of Public Health. Vitamin D is found in milk, as well as in some fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses, usually at around 100 international units（IU）a serving. “People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 units per day” Garland said, adding that it was well within the safety guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences.
The authors said that taking more vitamin D could be especially important for people living in northern areas, which receive less vitamin D from sunshine.
“African Americans, who don’t produce as much of the vitamin because of their skin color, could also benefit significantly from a higher intake,” the authors said.According to the passage, people are advised to take more Vitamin D, because ________.
| A．it is nutritious |
| B．it can’t harm people’s health |
| C．it can lower cancer risk |
| D．it is not taken enough every day |
Garland is probably ________.
| A．a health researcher | B．a doctor |
| C．a medicine scientist | D．a public health official |
Which of the following foods can lower people’s chance of getting cancer?
| A．Milk. | B．Fortified orange juice. |
| C．Fortified yogurt. | D．All of the above. |
________ should take more Vitamin D according to the passage.
| A．Asian people | B．African people |
| C．American people | D．Oceanian people |
I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I’m in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those in New York, “I’m having a dinner party” means: “I’m booking a table for 12 at a restaurant and we’ll be sharing the cheque evenly (平均地), no matter what you eat.” In Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They’ll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don’t drink, end up paying even more. But if you try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout: “Where are you going ?” And I cannot say I have somewhere to go because everyone knows I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people’s homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations. In New York, the mix is less striking. It’s like a gathering at Bloomingdatle’s, a well-known department store.
For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery’s, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was, while In New York people would think it was a usual club.What does the word “shot” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Choice | B．Try | C．Style | D．Goal |
What does the writer dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
| A．There is a strange mix of people. |
| B．The restaurants are expensive. |
| C．The bill is not fairly shared. |
| D．People have to pay cash. |
What does the author think of the parties in London?
| A．A bit unusual | B．Full of tricks |
| C．Less costly | D．More interesting |
What is the author’s opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
| A．Easy-going. | B．Self-centered. |
| C．Generous. | D．Conservative |