Dear Cary,
I'm writing because I've understood you've struggled with alcoholism （酗酒）．I've been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11．After that, I've been more or less useless professionally - I'm a lawyer - and have had to resien（辞职） from my job because I was discovered passed - out drunk in front of my computer．I've taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat．I can manage about a month without drinking, but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking．After a week or so of heavy drinking,! start having nightmares of people jumping．After that, it's a week of not being able to get out of bed．
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn't make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room．I have been hiding from my family since then．Fortunately they won't be expecting me to come back for a week or so．Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes．
I don't really know what I'm asking you．Cary, I need a way out that doesn't involve causing pain to my family．I'm taking medicine, but' I still have these attacks every few months．If there's alcohol in the house, I can't stay away from it．It seems that this will never end．I'm afraid of what will happen if something bad happens, like a family member dying, or getting fired again．
Thanks for reading．
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．the reason why the author had to resign |
| B．that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
| C．that the author is a lawyer by profession |
| D．that the author is a lawyer and he never gets drunk |
The author writes to Cary in order to _____．
| A．ask for money | B．ask for help | C．offer advice | D．tell a story |
What is the author worried about?
| A． Losing his job | B．Giving up drinking |
| C． Bring pain to his family | D．Missing the conference |
We know from the passage that Cary _____．
| A．is probably a recovered alcoholic |
| B．never suffered from alcoholism |
| C．likes to talk about the details of his life |
| D．is a doctor on treating alcoholism |
Do you enjoy reading? Do you read newspapers or magazines? Chances are, if you do any of these activities, your preschool child is on his way to becoming a reader.
The process of learning to read is complex, and one of the most important things to know is that parents can help their children learn to read.As children have conversations with adults, they hear both new and familiar words and their vocabulary grows.
There are many opportunities for adults and children to talk together, such as when riding in the car or in a bus, doing housework like fixing dinner，or bathing and getting ready for bed. A major part of conversation is listening. When children talk, adults listen and respond.Then children listen and respond，and so the flow of conversation happens.
Have you watched your preschool child pretend to read to his younger sisters or brothers? Have you read his favorite story over and over？These experiences tell children that reading is fun.And when things are fun and they are repeated, your child will see letters. He begins to connect them to familiar words, especially the letters that make up his name.A natural next step for him to take is to write the letters.
When children see parents make a grocery list，they want to use a pencil and paper to make their own list. To encourage these beginning writing activities, have pencils, markers, crayons and scrap paper within your children's reach.
The more children get connected with talking，listening, reading and writing, the easier it is for them to become active readers. While you as a parent have a big influence on these early behaviors, it is important to remember that opportunities for literacy experiences happen when you and your child share in the basic routines(日常生活) of everyday life.The third paragraph tell us that parents can talk with their children________.
| A．during daily routines |
| B．only in quiet places |
| C．in their spare time |
| D．when they are eager to talk |
During the process of learning to read，children may ________.
| A．copy the action of the adults |
| B．prefer to talk with those of their own age |
| C．show no interest in reading at all |
| D．waste a lot of paper and other materials |
When do children want to learn to write?
| A．When their parents ask them to do so. |
| B．When they believe they can write well. |
| C．When they know what they want to know. |
| D．When they can connect letters with familiar words. |
The passage is written to________.
| A．talk about parents' influence on their children's behavior |
| B．encourage parents to set a good example to their children |
| C．advise parents to make reading a part of their children's daily life |
| D．make parents believe in the importance of early reading |
When people want to know about the weather，they usually go to their radios, TVs, newspapers, or to the Internet. However，you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure (压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example, some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp (叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems that they know they won't get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm. You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building. Prestorm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime，rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn. Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature，we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.There will be a storm if birds________.
| A．make more noise than usual |
| B．fly in different directions |
| C．come down from tall trees |
| D．share a piece of bread |
How can birds sense the coming of a storm?
| A．By feeling a drop in air temperature. |
| B．By noticing the change of wind directions. |
| C．By feeling a drop in air pressure. |
| D．By noticing the movements of other animals. |
The BEST title for the text would be________.
| A．Signs of a Storm | B．Drops in Air Pressure |
| C．Animals' Sharp Senses | D．Nature's Weather Signs |
Watching television makes it easier for toddlers (学步的孩子) to kick and scream, according to a US study.Children under two should not watch any TV.The longer they sit in front of TV，the worse their behavior becomes.
Just having the TV on in the background, even if the child wasn't watching it，was also connected to troublemaking behavior although the relationship wasn't as strong, said the researchers.
“Parents should be smart about TV use，”researcher Jennifer Manganello from the University at Albany, New York, said.
“They should limit the time that children use TV, pay attention to the content of TV programs，and consider how TV is used throughout the home.”
The study looked at 3,128 women from 20 US cities who had a child between 2005 and 2008.
While there was some diversity(差异) of education among the women，onethird hadn't graduated from high school.
Twothirds of the mothers said their threeyearold children watched more than two hours of TV a day，and the average viewing time for children was around three hours.On average，the TV was on for about five additional hours on a common day.
After accounting for factors(因素) such as living in a violent neighborhood，scientists also found watching TV was strongly connected to behavior such as hitting others，having angry moods，being disobedient(不服从的)，and screaming a lot.
The researchers thought that children may see violence on TV，and spend less time on positive development tasks such as reading or playing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no TV at all for children at two and younger，and two hours a day or less for older kids.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children should choose positive programs. |
| B．Watching TV can make children violent. |
| C．Children should keep away from TV. |
| D．Parents should watch less TV. |
What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
| A．Children can watch good programs. |
| B．Children will be affected as long as the TV is on. |
| C．It's OK that the TV is on if children don't watch it. |
| D．Children's troublemaking behavior is mainly caused by watching TV. |
What can be learned about the study between 2005 and 2008 from the passage?
| A．The women studied have different jobs. |
| B．The TV was on for about three hours. |
| C．Most women allowed their children to watch TV. |
| D．Most women studied hadn't graduated from high school. |
Children who spend much time watching TV will ________.
| A．become easily angry |
| B．be influenced by others |
| C．be popular with others |
| D．know more about the neighborhood |
Heroes of Our Time
A good heart
Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship (奖学金)to study medicine—but Coach (教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea.Dikembe became a star in the NBA，and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth，or the duty to share his fortune with others.He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. A friend has said of this goodhearted man：“Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”
Success and kindness
After her daughter was born, Julie AignerClark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipments, and began filming children's videos (录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born，and in just five years her business grew to more than $ 20 million in sales.And she is using her success to help others—producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.Julie says of her new programs, “I believe it's the most important thing that I have ever done.I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”
Bravery and courage
A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train.With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨)，and held him as the train passed right above their heads.He insists he's not a hero. He says，“We have got to show each other some love.”What was Mutombo praised for?
A．Being a star in the NBA.
B．Being a student of medicine.
C．His work in the church.
D．His willingness to help the needy.Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ________.
| A．helpful to his personal development |
| B．something he should do for his homeland |
| C．a chance for his friends to share his money |
| D．a way of showing his respect to the NBA |
What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?
| A．Produce safety equipments for children. |
| B．Make videos to help protect children. |
| C．Sell children's music and artwork. |
| D．Look for missing and exploited children. |
Why was Wesley/Autrey praised as a hero?
| A．He helped a man get across the rails. |
| B．He stopped a man from destroying the rails. |
| C．He protected two little girls from getting hurt. |
| D．He saved a person without considering his own safety. |
Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Oregon, felt her brain go on strike. “I just couldn’t get going in the morning,” she says. “I’d get depressed and gain 10 pounds every winter and lose them again in the spring.” Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs in fall and winter, and she saw the light-literally. Every morning now she turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain into thinking it’s still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work.
Krentz is not alone. Scientists estimate that 10 million Americans suffer from seasonal depression and 25 million more develop milder versions. But there’s never been definitive proof that treatment with very bright lights makes a difference. After all, it’s hard to do a double-blind test when the subjects can see for themselves whether or not the light is on. That’s why nobody has ever separated the real effects of light therapy from placebo(安慰剂) effects.
Until now. In three separate studies published last month, researchers report not only that light therapy works better than a placebo but that treatment is usually more effective in the early morning than in the evening. In two of the groups, the placebo problem was resolved by telling patients they were comparing light boxes to a new anti-depressant device that emits negatively charged ions. The third used the timing of light therapy as the control.
Why does light therapy work? No one really knows. “Our research suggests it has something to do with shifting the body’s internal clock,” says psychiatrist Dr. Lewey. The body is programmed to start the day with sunrise, he explains, and this gets later as the days get shorter. But why such subtle shifts make some people depressed and not others is a mystery.
That hasn’t stopped thousands of winter depressives from trying to heal themselves. Light boxes for that purpose are available without a doctor’s prescription. That bothers psychologist Michael Terman of Columbia University. He is worried that the boxes may be tried by patients who suffer from mental illness that can’t be treated with light. Terman has developed a questionnaire to help determine whether expert care is needed.
In any event, you should choose a respectable manufacturer. Whatever product you use should emit only visible light, because ultraviolet light damages the eyes. If you are photosensitive, you may develop a rash. Otherwise, the main drawback is having to sit in front of the light for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. That’s an inconvenience many winter depressives can live with.What is the probable cause of Krentz’s problem?
| A．An unexpected gain in body weight. |
| B．Unexplained impairment of her nervous system. |
| C．Weakening of her eyesight with the setting in of winter. |
| D．Poor adjustment of her body clock to seasonal changes. |
By saying that Linda Krentz saw the light” (Line 4, Para. 1), the author means that she _______.
| A．learned how to lose weight |
| B．realized what her problem was |
| C．came to see the importance of light |
| D．felt sleepy and blue |
What is the CURRENT view concerning the treatment of seasonal depression with bright lights?
| A．Its effect remains to be seen. |
| B．It serves as a kind of placebo. |
| C．It proves to be an effective therapy. |
| D．It hardly produces any effects. |
What is psychologist Michael Terman’s major concern?
| A．Winter depressives will be addicted to using light boxes. |
| B．No mental patients would bother to consult psychiatrists. |
| C．Inferior light boxes will emit harmful ultraviolet lights. |
| D．Light therapy could be beyond the tolerance of certain mental patients. |