Now， everybody is taking selfies. From your best friend to your favourite pop star， selfies are taking over Facebook and Sina Weibo. The word “selfie” was even named Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. But why do people feel the need to take them? And are they doing us more harm than good?
According to some scientists， humans have an area in their brain that controls social activity. Receiving ‘LIKE’ on a selfie you have posted online can be the same as someone stopping you in the street and speak highly of you on your appearance.
The act of taking a selfie also puts you in a position of power. You are the director and the subject of your own work of art. It helps people feel in control of their appearance and can be a powerful tool.
But can it go too far? Scientists warn that too much time spent on selfies can influence people’s confidence， especially in teenagers. If you are spending a lot of time choosing the perfect selfie clothes， then there could be a problem.
At the same time， posting selfies online can harm your personal relationships. UK studies found that many people find it hard to talk to people who are often posting selfies online.
So next time you want to use your smartphone(智能手机) to take a quick selfie， it may be better to drop it straight back into your pocket.What does the underlined word ‘selfies’ mean?
| A．Pictures of yourself， usually taken by yourself. |
| B．Pictures of your best friends， usually taken by you. |
| C．Pictures of yourself， usually taken by others. |
| D．Pictures of your favourite stars， usually taken by you. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．People like taking selfies. |
| B．Why people often like taking selfies. |
| C．How people take more beautiful selfies. |
| D．What good and harm taking selfies brings to people. |
The writer thinks taking selfies .
| A．is doing us more good than harm |
| B．is doing us more harm than good |
| C．brings us as much good as harm |
| D．brings us only harm |
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the river in front of his house.
In a to dive into the cool river, he ran out through the back door, leaving his shoes and shirt as he went. He dived into the water, not that as he swam toward the middle of the river, an alligator(鳄鱼) was swimming him. Inside the house, his mother was looking out by the window. She saw the two as they got closer and closer. In great fear, she rushed out of the house and toward the water, to her son as loudly as she could.
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a o swim to his mother. It was too. Just as the mother reached her son, so did the ailigator.
From the bank, the mother caught the boy by the while the alligator snatched his leg. Then began an unbelievable tug-of-war (拔河比赛) between the two. The alligator was much than the mother, but the mother wouldn't give up.
A farmer to drive by. He heard the cry, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
After weeks and weeks in hospital, the little boy was in good again. But on his legs there were scars(伤疤) by the animal and, on his arms, there were also scars left by his mother in her effort to hold on to the son she loved.
A newspaper reporter asked the boy he would show his scars. The boy lifted his legs. And then, with clear , he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms, I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mother wouldn't let go. "
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World Sleep Day，organized by the Would Sleep Day Committee of the Would Association of Sleep Medicine since 2008，is held on March 21 every year.
The aim of World Sleep Day is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep. Events involving discussions，presentations of educational materials and exhibitions take place around the world and online.
Sleep quality plays a key role in people’s health. Researchers say that there are a lot of advantages if we always get enough sleep. We can be smarter，thinner，healthier and more cheerful. Also we’re to have better skin，better memories and longer lives. When you lose even one hour of sleep for any reason，it will influence your performance the next day.
In general，adults are thought to need at least eight hours of sleep a night，but a recent survey found that，on workdays，only 21% of them really get a full eight hours of sleep，and another 21% get less than six. For teenagers，a healthy amount is about eight to nine hours per night. However，about 80% of high school students don’t get enough sleep because of their schoolwork or some bad habits.
27% of people throughout the world have sleep problems. Now there are over 80 kinds of sleep disorders，and most people know little about their danger. So，for our good life and work，it’s necessary for us to realize the importance of sleep and try to have a good sleep. How long has World Sleep Day been celebrated so far？
What is the purpose of World Sleep Day？
What will happen if we sleep one hour less than we should？
Why don’t most high school students have enough sleep？
What suggestion will you make about our better sleep？（请自拟一句话作答）
For 21 years，Georges Bwelle watched his ill father traveling to hospitals，which could not offer him all necessary help.
Jamef Bwelle suffered only a broken arm at first，but it finally developed into a hematoma. That would affect him for the rest of his life. Bwelle spent years taking his father to overcrowded hospitals.
It was not easy. They would leave home at 5 a.m. and ran to the hospital to be the first. There were a lot of patients. Some people could die because they were waiting.
The situation hasn’t changed much since Bwelle’s father died in 2002.
In Cameroon，there is one doctor for every 5,000 people while in the United States there is one doctor for every 413 people. And even if they could see a doctor，many Cameroonians couldn’t afford it.
When he saw his father and so many of his countrymen suffer，Bwelle decided to do something about it.
He became a doctor himself.And he started an organization，ASCOVIME. It travels into the countryside on weekends to provide free medical care. Since 2008，he and his group of volunteers have helped nearly 32,000 people.
Almost every Friday，his team jam into vans and travel to villages in need. In each trip they receive 500 people. Patients come on foot from 60 kilometers around the village for free treatment.
The next morning，the team will do simple operations in a schoolhouse，town hall or home，and work into the early hours of Sunday morning.
On Sunday，the team heads back to the city，tired but proud of their work. They know that their help can make a world of difference to those they help.
For his devotion to his country and people，Georges Bwelle becomes one of the 2013 Heroes voted throughout the world.Jamef Bwelle’s broken arm developed into a serious illness probably because.
| A．he had been hurt too seriously |
| B．he had been taken to hospital too late |
| C．he had not received proper treatment |
| D．he had not followed the doctor’s advice |
Which is one of the problems about medical care in Cameroon？
| A．The country has too large a population. |
| B．Many people are too poor to pay for treatment. |
| C．Doctors generally have too poor medical skills. |
| D．Hospitals are too far away from the countryside. |
We can reach the conclusion that Bwelle and his team are .
| A．patient and confident | B．polite and helpful |
| C．kind and hardworking | D．lively and creative |
The passage mainly tells us .
| A．why Bwelle decided to become a doctor |
| B．what bad conditions Cameroonians are in |
| C．that doctors are badly needed in Cameroon |
| D．how Bwelle has become an admired doctor |
These days haze（雾霾）is around us here and there. In fact，everyone has the power to change their living habits to help reduce it. Many local governments call on their people to take action to make the air cleaner.
Transport is one of the biggest contributors（促成物）to haze. When，where，how，why and what you drive all affect air quality. When one drives to work for one year，he uses as much energy as a bus rider uses in 10 years. So walk or ride your bicycle to work or school whenever possible. If it is necessary，you can use public transport instead of your car. Each person using public transport for a year instead of a car can save nearly a tonne of pollutants，including CO2，from going into the atmosphere.
Carpooling is another way to reduce carbon emissions（排放）.Carpooling is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. It immediately reduces your car’s emissions by half.
What you do inside your living space can have a big effect on the air quality outside it. You can do a lot of things inside and around your home that will help you pollute less and save some money.
A large amount of our energy supply comes from burning coal，another contributor to haze. By cutting down your electricity use，you are cutting down on haze. So you may try to reduce your use of electricity by turning off lights，using your air conditioner wisely during the summer months，or updating some of your electrical appliances to low-energy models. For example，you can use energy-saving lamps that require less energy and last 10 times longer than common bulbs. Which does the writer think should play an important rode in reducing haze？
| A．City cleaners | B．Haze producers |
| C．Local governments | D．Common people |
We can infer（推断）from the passage that the writer thinks .
| A．cars can be used only when people have to |
| B．cars should be given up as soon as possible |
| C．cars must be improved to reduce air pollution |
| D．cars may cause the most serious pollution of all |
We should reduce the use of electricity mainly because .
| A．we can save a lot of money by using less energy |
| B．coal is now becoming rarer and rarer on our planet |
| C．harmful things come out while electricity is produced |
| D．electrical appliances send out something harmful to our air |
Which can be the best title for the passage？
| A．What are causing haze around us |
| B．What you can do to reduce haze |
| C．How dangerous haze is to our life |
| D．How important it is to reduce haze |
Today the word friendship has been used so often that it has lost its meaning. Some jokingly or seriously say that friends are made to be used. It makes me very sad.
True friendship doesn’t mean that when you need your friend’s help，you will treat him to dinner，and when you have to protect yourself，you will put your friends in a difficult situation.
In fact，true friendship is the communication and understanding of the hearts（心）.
True friendship is like water. Compared wish decent wine，water is tasteless，but is of great help when we are thirsty. True friends don’t need to be with each other every day，but are connected in heart every minute.
True friendship is like medicine. Though it is bitter，it cures your illness. True friends give you some suggestions even if they know you would not take. They criticize you when others have a good word for you，not because of envy but worrying that you may lose your cool head.
True friendship has nothing to do with fame，power or money. True friends would often watch you silently far away when you are influential，but come to you whenever you need their help. You’re not his stepping-stone to success，but are his crutch to live through difficulties.
True friends make you complete. Many persons go along with you through your life─your parents，your spouse，and your children，who take care of you and make your life happy. However，you still need someone who understands your thoughts and souls. Without them，you are likely to be unhealthy in spirit.
True friends stay in your heart，rather than at your side；they know you more than yourself，and try to better you.
Once you have found such a true friend，do treasure（珍惜）him. If your true friend disappears，how can you make the sound of your heart understood？The writer feels sad because some people .
| A．don’t understand friendship | B．make wrong friends |
| C．don’t treasure friendship | D．blame their friends |
The writer speaks of water because .
| A．it has no taste | B．it is important to our life |
| C．it is easy to get | D．it stays with us every day |
The underlined word“influential”in Paragraph 5 means“”.
| A．busy | B．quiet |
| C．helpful | D．powerful |
According to the passage，true friends may help you .
| A．enjoy mental health | B．achieve success |
| C．understand them better | D．live a happy life |