Who's in control of your life? Who's pulling your strings? For the majority of us, it's other people-society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this, good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval (赞同) of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix（一剂毒品）, we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted (tired) and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way make a conscious decision to stop caringwhat other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others; we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life.What Oscar Wilde says implies that________.
| A．most people have a variety of thoughts |
| B．we have thoughts similar to those of others |
| C．other people's thoughts are more important |
| D．most people's thoughts are controlled by others |
What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
| A．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom. |
| B．We may lose ourselves to please others. |
| C．We need to pay for what we want to get. |
| D．The price of taking the drug is freedom. |
It can be concluded from the passage that_______.
| A．it's better to do what we like |
| B．we shouldn't care what others think |
| C．we shouldn't change our own opinions |
| D．it's important to accept others' opinions |
The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by________.
| A．analyzing causes and effects | B．providing examples and facts |
| C．discussing questions | D．making suggestions |
This year, the World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 was marked by the theme: “Depression: A Global Crisis”. According to the World Federation for Mental Health and the WHO, depression has moved beyond the medical domain(领域) to become a social problem. Statistics from the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center show that of the 287,000 people who commit suicide in China every year, 70 percent are victims of depression.
“This equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes,” cited CCTV recently. According to the Beijing-based Capital Medical University, the number of depression patients has been on the rise in the past years and now accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the population, more than the global average of 5 percent.
Wang Shaoli, vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a medical center specializing in mental health, said that what makes depression so widespread is that everybody can get it.
“No one is immune to depression,” said Wang. “It has become a social problem because depression kills one’s social capabilities, such as communication, and leads to a negative social mentality.”
According to Wang, depression can be treated with medicine and early psychological consultation. The real problem is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.
“People with mental health illnesses are discriminated against,” said Wang. “So they are reluctant to go to hospital and often keep the pain to themselves, which only makes matters worse.” Only one in 10 depression victims are properly treated in China, according to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
“When people get depressed, it becomes part of their thoughts, making them negative, even desperate,” said Wang. “And the ideas are difficult to change.” That’s why Wang suggests early intervention.
“Normally it takes about nine months to treat depression,” said Wang. “But in most cases, patients drop treatment half way when they feel some progress.”How is Para1& 2 mainly supported when it tells that depression has become a social problem?
| A．By giving data |
| B．By making definition |
| C．By analyzing causes |
| D．By making comparisons |
According to the passage, which of the following are true EXCEPT________ ?
| A．people with depression are more likely to commit suicide. |
| B．the percentage of depression patients is larger in China than that in the world. |
| C．more and more people have been suffering from depression. |
| D．depression can destroy people’s immune system and social capabilities |
People with mental illnesses are unwilling to go to hospital because __________.
| A．the victims think that they will get well soon |
| B．they are discriminated against and don’t want others to know their illnesses |
| C．there are few medical centers specializing in mental health |
| D．there is no way to treat them |
In Wang Shaoli’s opinion, the better way to deal with mental problem is to _________.
| A．force the victims to go to hospital |
| B．keep their pain to themselves when it appears |
| C．keep positive and get early psychological consultation |
| D．more medical centers should be set up |
With the pace of life continuing to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.ople are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
| A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
| B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
| C．they are travelling fast all the time |
| D．they are becoming busier with their work |
According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
| A．not fearing stress |
| B．knowing the art of relaxation |
| C．high sense of responsibility |
| D．having control over performance |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．We can find some ways to avoid stress. |
| B．Stress is always harmful to people. |
| C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work. |
| D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress. |
In Paragraph 3 "such a reaction" refers back to_______.
| A．"making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'" |
| B．"reaction to stress both chemically and physically" |
| C．"responding to crises quickly" |
| D．"losing heart at the signs difficulties" |
What does the author think of stress?
| A．Stress is a bad thing. |
| B．Different people can withstand the same amount of stress. |
| C．A certain amount of stress is not a bad thing. |
| D．Our health will become endangered if we cannot remove stress. |
A person named Bernard Jackson today is a free man, but he has many bitter memories. He spent five years in prison after a jury wrongly convicted (判处…有罪) him of raping two women. At Jackson’s trial, although two witnesses testified that Jackson was with them in another location at the time of the crime, he was convicted anyway. Why? The jury believed the testimony(证词)of the two victims, who positively identified Jackson as the man who had attacked them. The court eventually freed Jackson after the police found the real criminal.
Many factors influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. For instance, witnesses sometimes see photographs of several suspects before they try to identify the person they saw in a group of people. They can become confused by seeing many photographs of similar faces. The number of people in the group, and whether it is a person or a photograph, may also affect a witness’s decision. People sometimes have difficulty identifying people of other races. The questions the police ask witnesses also have an effect on them.
Many people believe that police officers are more reliable than ordinary people. Psychologists decided to test this idea, and they discovered that it is not true. Two psychologists showed a film of crimes to both police officers and civilians. The psychologists found no difference between the police and the civilians in correctly remembering the details of the crimes.
Despite all the possibilities for inaccuracy, courts cannot omit eyewitness testimony from a trial. American courts depend almost completely on eyewitness testimony to resolve(决定)court cases. Sometimes it is the only evidence to a crime, such as rape. Furthermore, eyewitness testimony is often correct. Although people do sometimes make mistakes, and convict innocent people, more importantly, eyewitness testimony has rightly convicted a larger number of guilty people.
American courts depend on the ability of the twelve jurors, and not the judges, to determine the accuracy of the witness’s testimony. It is their responsibility to decide if a certain witness could actually see, hear and remember what happened.Bernard Jackson was found guilty and sentenced 5 years’ prison because________.
| A．the victims insisted that he was the attacker |
| B．he admitted the crime of raping two women |
| C．the police discovered evidence leading to his guilt |
| D．the eyewitness proved the victims’ testimony |
The following statements may be the reasons for why sometimes the eyewitness’ testimony is not accurate EXCEPT ________.
| A．the eyewitness is confused by the police’s questions |
| B．the eyewitness is shown photos of many similar faces |
| C．the eyewitness lacks the professional help from police |
| D．the eyewitness can’t identify people of other races clearly. |
An inaccurate eyewitness testimony may lead to________.
| A．the misunderstanding of the case |
| B．the disbelief in the court |
| C．the disrespect for the eyewitness |
| D．the conviction of an innocent person |
Eyewitness testimony is important because ___________.
| A．it can be relied on to detect criminals in all cases |
| B．it is sometimes the only way to resolve court cases |
| C．it is sometimes the only clue for police investigation |
| D．it is more reliable than physical evidences to a crime |
According to the text, we can infer that ________.
| A．eyewitness testimony is valuable, though sometimes incorrect |
| B．police identification is more reliable than that of the ordinary people |
| C．crime victims often fail to give positive identification of the suspects |
| D．the jury relies on the judge than the eyewitness for a decision |
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, you probably know that your house and possessions are increasingly in danger of suffering from great rise in the cases of burglary(夜盗;抢劫) and attack.
Figures show an ever-increasing crime rate, but it is only too easy to imagine "It will never happen to me"．Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen to you and, if you live in a large city, you run twice the risk of being a victim.
Fortunately, there is something definite which you can do．Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easily affordable.
You must remember that owning a burglar alarm is no indication(暗示) that your house is packed with valuable possessions．It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily, so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply．Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us．Postage is free．Also, telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service．It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarm.Anyone who takes an interest in the crime rate will, according to the text, be aware that ___________.
| A．more burglars are being caught than ever before |
| B．people have more possessions to worry about nowadays |
| C．burglars are more at risk than they used to be |
| D．homes are more likely to be broken into nowadays |
It seems that people who live in cities are ____________.
| A．more often victims than those living in other areas |
| B．of the opinion that statistics are wrong |
| C．twice as well as people living in other areas |
| D．of the opinion that burglars only rob unprotected homes |
The article claims that possessing an alarm system will _________.
| A．show burglars that you have something worth stealing |
| B．persuade burglars not to break into your house |
| C．make the burglars' job less complicated |
| D．persuade burglars to try again another time |
In order to find out more information about this alarm system one can _______.
| A．buy a leaflet |
| B．write enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope |
| C．sign a contract |
| D．phone at any time of day or night |
The underlined word "Figures" in the second paragraph can be replaced by “__”．
| A．Pictures |
| B．Fingers |
| C．Numbers |
| D．Mathematics |
In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.
In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms . While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them.
"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning. (铊中毒)"
"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."
"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."
"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."
Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.1The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.
| A．a doctor in Qatar |
| B．Nurse Maitlan |
| C．Dr. Brown |
| D．Agatha Christie |
The baby was sent to London because _____.
| A．she was born there |
| B．the hospitals in Qatar were full at that time |
| C．she was the daughter of a doctor in London |
| D．the Qatar doctors were not sure whether they could cure her |
As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.
| A．had never met this baby |
| B．had spent a long time studying the baby's case |
| C．visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith |
| D．gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone |
It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.
| A．a dangerous pair of glasses |
| B．the water in Qatar |
| C．a harmful substance used to kill insects |
| D．a dead writer |
When the baby was sent to the hospital in London, her case was considered to be _____.
| A．an urgent one |
| B．quite a simple one |
| C．a usual one |
| D．the result of thallium poisoning |