OpenLettertoanEditorIhadaninte-优题课

You hear the comment all the time: the U.S. economy looks good by figures, but it doesn’t feel good. Why doesn’t ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Wealthy Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97.
The Wealthy Society is a modern classic because it helped describe a new moment in the human condition. For most of history, “hunger, sickness, and cold” threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote. “Poverty (贫穷) was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.” After World War II, the fear of another Great Depression gave way to an economic growth. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbraith, materialism (物质主义) had gone mad and would cause discontent. Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn’t really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unsatisfying. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people wrongly considered government only as “a necessary bad.”
It’s often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich — overpaid chief managers, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people’s incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, people feel “squeezed” because their rising incomes often don’t satisfy their rising wants — for bigger homes, more health care, more education, and faster Internet connections.
The other great disappointment is that it has not got rid of insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As company unemployment increased, that part has gradually become weaker. More workers fear they’ve become “the disposable American,” as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict resulted from poverty, the arrival of widespread wealth suggested utopian (乌托邦式的) possibilities. Up to a point, wealth succeeds. There is much less physical suffering than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, wealth also creates new complaints.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the search for growth cause new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Wealth sets free the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-accomplishment. But the promise is so unreasonable that it leads to many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown. Figures indicate that happiness has not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We’ve simply confirmed an old truth: the seeking of wealth does not always end with happiness.
The Wealthy Society is a book ________.

A．about poverty in the past

B．written by Louis Uchitelle

C．indicating that people are becoming worse off

D．about why happiness does not rise with wealth

According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because ________.

A．materialism has run wild in modern society

B．they are in fear of another Great Depression

C．public spending hasn’t been cut down as expected

D．the government has proved to be necessary but ugly

Why do people feel“squeezed”when their average income rises considerably?

A．They think there are too many overpaid rich.

B．There is more unemployment in modern society.

C．Their material demands go faster than their earnings.

D．Health care and educational cost have somehow gone out of control.

What does Louis Uchitelle mean by “the disposable American” ?

A．People with a stable job.

B．Workers who no longer have secure jobs.

C．Those who see job stability as part of their living standard.

D．People who have a sense of security because of their rising incomes.

What has wealth brought to American society?

A．Stability and security.

B．Materialism and content.

C．A sense of self-accomplishment.

D．New anxiety, conflicts and complaints.

Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.
1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)
Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.
Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.
Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.
2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)
Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.
So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning – he indeed had gastritis.
3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)
This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.
Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.
With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies（疗法）. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.
The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A．present some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize winners did on themselves.

B．list difficulties that scientists went through in order to make important discoveries.

C．explain why some scientists chose to experiment on themselves.

D．introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A．Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure.

B．Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart.

C．Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori.

D．Barry Marshall’s experiment on himself confirmed that most doctors’ belief about gastritis was correct.

The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.

A．a kind of bacteria	B．a kind of stomach disease
C．a new type of therapy	D．a large amount of stomach acid

From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.

A．discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell

B．tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself

C．had his request to experiment on patients denied

D．believed that he was better than doctors at treating cancer

Where can we read such a passage?

A．In a newspaper.	B．In a poster.
C．In a textbook.	D．In a science book.

One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents’ house to feast upon Mom’s wonderful cooking．During the normal dinner chatter, I noticed that my father was slurring （说话含混） his words．No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward．
We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor．
Mom phoned me two days later．“The doctor found a brain tumor （肿瘤）．It’s too large at this point to operate．Maybe they can do something then, but the odds are long．”
Even with the treatment, my father’s condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal．During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him．By this time he had great difficulty speaking．I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her．
Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever．Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background．
On the visit to my parents’ home during what we all know was my father’s last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, “Your father would like to see you alone for a minute．”
I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed．He appeared even weaker than the day before．
“How are you feeling, Dad?” I asked．“Can I do anything for you?”
He tried to speak, but he couldn’t make out a word．
“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you,” I said．
With great difficulty he said, “I love you．”
We don’t learn courage from heroes on the evening news．We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations．In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man．He found it difficult to show emotion．The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life．
Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The writer accompanied his father to a medical examination．

B．The writer’s father got worse after the removal of the brain tumor．

C．The writer’s father had known about his illness before the writer discovered it．

D．The writer was quick to notice the strange condition of his father．

What does the underlined sentence “the odds are long” mean?

A．It takes a long time for Father to recover．

B．There’s little possibility for Father to recover．

C．Father needs love and care from his family．

D．They need a proper time to operate on Father．

The father had never said “I love you” to the writer before because______．

A．he was not used to openly showing his emotions

B．he was not so attached to the writer

C．he thought there was no need to tell the writer

D．he believed in strictness and punishment

What does the writer attempt to tell us?

A．Life is short, so live your life to the fullest．

B．Don’t wait to see a doctor till it is too late．

C．Bravely express your love for your family．

D．We don’t often value health until we lose it．

According to body language expert Robert Phipps, the way people sleep at night actually determines a lot about the type of personality they have. Phipps has identified four sleeping positions that affect personality.
Phipps found that worriers, those who stress the most, tend to sleep in the fetal(胎儿的) position. He found that this is the most common bedtime position, with nearly 58 percent of people sleeping on their side with knees up and head down. The more we curl up(蜷曲), the more comfort we are seeking, according to Phipps.
The second most common position is the log. Sleeping with a straight body, with arms at each side, as if they are standing guard at Buckingham Palace, indicates stubbornness, and these people (the 28 percent who sleep this way) often wake up stiffer than when they went to sleep.
"The longer you sleep like this, the more rigid your thinking is and you can become inflexible, which means you make things harder for yourself," according to Phipps.
Yearner(向往型) sleepers are next on the list. About 25 percent of people sleep in this style — on their side with arms stretched out in front, looking as if they are either chasing a dream or perhaps being chased themselves. Yearners are typically their own worst critics, always expecting the best results, explained Phipps. These people often wake up refreshed and eager to face the challenges of the day ahead.
Perhaps the most peculiar(奇怪的) of sleep styles is the freefaller position. This sleep style makes up 17 percent of the population. They sleep face down with arms stretched out. These people, according to Phipps, feel like they have little control over their life. Not only is this the strangest of sleep styles, but also the least comfortable, and people may wake up feeling tired and have no energy.
In conclusion, Phipps has only one more thing to add: "A good night’s sleep sets you up for the following day and our sleeping positions can determine how we feel when we wake."
Which of the following pictures is the fetal position?

The underlined word "rigid" is closest in meaning to "".

A．stubborn

B．flexible

C．comfortable

D．strange

Which sleeping position indicates that the sleeper tends to seek perfection?

A．The fetal position.	B．The log position.
C．The yearner position.	D．The freefaller position.

Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point C: Conclusion

A clinic in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, works to support the health of people and forests.
Kinari Webb is an American doctor who helped start the non-profit group that operates the clinic. The group is known as ASRI. Dr. Webb says most communities value the local forests, but illegal logging(伐木) was often their only way to earn money to pay for health care. "Villagers know that if they protect the forest, that’s good for their long-term well-being. But if they have no money to see a doctor, they have to do illegal logging," said Dr. Webb.
The clinic is in Sukadana, a village outside Gunung Palung National Park. Each month someone from ASRI visits the surrounding villages to see if they are actively logging or burning land within the park. Communities that do not take part in illegal logging pay about 40 percent less for health care than those that do. Also, the clinic uses a barter system. Patients can pay with things like handmade baskets, labor exchanges, young trees or fruit they grow.
Patients learn about environmental conservation as they wait to register at the clinic. Many of the 70 staff members also help communities learn about organic farming and other ways to earn money. In May, ASRI started a program to identify forest "guardians". These guardians work with the community to try to prevent illegal logging. One of the guardians says he entered the program because ASRI helped his son recover from tuberculosis(肺结核).
The clinic is small, but very busy. However, people did not trust the clinic at first. They wanted to go to the only hospital in the area. Yet its resources are limited and villagers often have to travel more than two hours to get there.
Now, people happily share stories about the clinic. Amelia’s mother is one of them. She started going there when her daughter was eight months old. She says the treatment is good. Dr. Webb smiled when she heard that.
Dr. Webb said: "Health care is an incredible key. And everyone everywhere around knows that we really care and that we are helping save their lives."
A barter system is a system in which.

A．people trade by the exchange of goods

B．patients can receive a free treatment

C．customers pay the goods in cash

D．trees are taken good care of

Kinari Webb set up the clinic for the following purposes EXCEPT.

A．treating the local patients

B．protecting the forests

C．teaching people about organic farming

D．forcing the only hospital out of the area

We can infer that.

A．only a few people went to the clinic at the beginning

B．the clinic is well equipped

C．Amelia’s mother is not satisfied with the medical service

D．the only hospital in the area is of poor service