Without any hesitation, he said, “I’d be better off dead.” Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.According to the first paragraph, what the author’s friend said made the author feel ______.
| A．puzzled | B．heartbroken. | C．frightened | D．hopeless |
By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.
| A．he is always ready to help his friend. |
| B．he hardly spares time to help his friend. |
| C．he has no good excuse for refusing his friend. |
| D．he is not good at communicating with his friend. |
From the passage we learn that the author’s friend ________.
| A．had a happy childhood but everything changed later |
| B．wanted to share his story but no one listened. |
| C．took it for granted that he was made fun of |
| D．was always of sad appearance |
What does the author learn from his experiences?
| A．How to make a big difference to others. |
| B．The importance of encouragement. |
| C．How to get rid of depression |
| D．The necessity of security |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already. It can be learned from the passage that stars today________.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
| A．Sincere. |
| B．Skeptical. |
| C．Disapproving. |
| D．Sympathetic. |
Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problem, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风）within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” (良好）quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.The text mainly discusses the relationship between .
| A．heart problems and air quality |
| B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking |
| D．heart problems and fatty food |
The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means .
| A．relatively high |
| B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low |
| D．extremely high |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
| B．The EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
| C．Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking, |
| D．Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to .
| A．inform |
| B．persuade |
| C．describe |
| D．entertain |
L1PITOR
| ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor is a prescription medicine．Along with diet and exercise，it lowers “bad，’cholesterol(胆固醇)in your blood．It can also raise “good” cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors，including family history of early heart disease，high blood pressure，age and smoking. |
| WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ．People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise · Adults and children over l0 Who should NOT take LIPITOR： ．Women who are pregnant，may be pregnant，or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ．women who are breast-feeding．Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. · People with liver(肝脏)problems |
| POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ．Muscle(肌肉)problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏)problems，including kidney failure ．Liver problems．Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it． Call your doctor right away if you have： ．Unexplained muscle pain or weakness，especially if you have a fever or feel very fired ．Swelling of the face，lips，tongue，and／or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing · Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： · Muscle pain · Upset stomach · Changes in some blood tests |
| HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR DO： ．Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor. ．Try to eat heart-healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ．Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ．If you miss a dose(一剂)，take it as soon as you remember.But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose，wait．Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’t： ．Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. ．Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
What is a major function of Lipitor?
| A．To help quit smoking. |
| B．To control blood pressure. |
| C．To improve unhealthy diet. |
| D．To lower "bad" cholesterol. |
Taking Lipitor is helpful for .
| A．breast-feeding women |
| B．women who are pregnant |
| C．adults having heart disease |
| D．teenagers with liver problems． |
If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should
| A．change the amount of your next dose |
| B．eat more when taking your next dose |
| C．have a dose as soon as you remember |
| D．take the next dose at your regular time |
Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
| A．Face swelling. |
| B．Upset stomach. |
| C．Kidney failure. |
| D．Muscle weakness. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To teach patients ways for quick recovery. |
| B．To present a report on a scientific research. |
| C．To show the importance of a good lifestyle. |
| D．To give information about a kind of medicine. |
Millions of people die of hunger in southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely paid no.
“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified（GM，转基因的）crops. Just last week, EU（欧盟）member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US.
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed（杂交） plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other.
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species. They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
“If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods,” said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai. “We are putting new things into food which haven’t been eaten before. The effects on the immune system（免疫系统） are not easy to predict.”
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops. We learn from the passage.
| A．people have discovered that GM foods will do harm to human health |
| B．millions of Zambia people die of eating too much GM foods |
| C．people are still not sure if GM foods will do harm to human health |
| D．genetic material added to plants will damage our bodies sooner or later |
What does “in two minds” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Unsure |
| B．Worried |
| C．Likely |
| D．Careless |
The following statements is NOT true about GM foods?
| A．It is produced from plants added genes from other species. |
| B．GM foods can have special characteristics. |
| C．GM foods will affect people’s immune system. |
| D．GM foods have been produced since 1970s. |
Adult Basic Education (ABE) and GED Preparation
Task
The Adult Basic Education Department serves a huge population of learners. Our task is to teach basic skills and help learners to get more knowledge to function effectively as a family member, citizen, worker, and lifelong learner in a changing world.
Description
ABE is a non-credit program of self-improvement designed to improve basic skills for students who are of different educational levels. Development of reading, writing, and math skills are paid special attention to, as well as life skills, employability, and technology. Students without a high school diploma（文凭）also have the opportunity to prepare for the GED exams in the five subject areas: writing, social studies, science, literature, and math.
Prerequisites（条件）
ABE classes are open to anyone 18or over who desires to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills at the pre-college level. Students who are 16 or 17 must first obtain an official release（释放）from high school before attending class.
To be accepted, students must attend an Educational Planning Session. During the Educational Planning Session students will be given an overview of the ABE programs as well as PCC policies, fees, etc, Students will also have their reading, writing, and math abilities assessed（评估）during the Educational Planning Session. The results of their assessments will help the teachers develop individual programs of study for students to guide them toward their personal goals. Students needing special help must get in touch with the Office for Students with Disabilities (503-977-4341) at least two weeks before the session is held.
Courses
ABE 0741: Beginning Literacy
ABE 0742: Beginning
ABE 0743: Intermediate I
ABE 0744: Intermediate II
ABE 0745: Secondary I
ABE0746: Secondary II (Includes preparation for the GED Test.) The ABE Department serves an aim to .
| A．provide learners with basic knowledge and skills to fit in with society |
| B．help learners successfully get a job in a changing world |
| C．offer diplomas to those who fail to finish secondary education |
| D．provide students with opportunities to prepare for the GED exams |
A 17-year-old is not accepted to ABE classes only because he .
| A．is below 18 |
| B．can’t offer a high school diploma |
| C．has left school without official permission |
| D．is assessed as poor in learning performances |
What is the Education Planning Session intended for?
| A．An assessment of students’ basic skill levels. |
| B．Helping students be better at the four basic skills. |
| C．Finding out whether they can be accepted to ABE classes. |
| D．Providing special help to disabled students. |
Different courses are offered to different students according to .
| A．their own choices |
| B．the assessments during the Education Planning Session |
| C．their performances in school |
| D．how much they pay for the courses |