Glaucoma(青光眼)is a major cause of blindness around the world, especially in developing countries. The World Health Organization says glaucoma is a greater public health challenge than cataracts(白内障), because the blindness caused by the latter can be cured after operations.

Glaucoma is a disease that makes people around the world lose their sight, and they usually don’t even know they have the disease until it has permanently destroyed at least 40 percent of their sight. The process is usually so painless and subtle(不明显的), so people don't notice it. Actually, the simplest medical test can discover it.

“It is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. In Hispanics and in African-Americans, it’s the second leading cause of blindness and so is the case in the Chinese and Indians.” said Dr. Alan Robin, a specialist in treating glaucoma. “The glaucoma we see in sub-Saharan Africa is a much more aggressive blinding disease than the glaucoma we see in Americans or even African- Americans in-the United States.” he said.     .

Dr. Eric Fleischer also sees these differences at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. “Pretty much anybody who has ancestors in Africa has an increased chance of developing glaucoma.” Age is another thing that may lead to glaucoma, although people of all ages can get it.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that commonly produce pressure in the eye. An eye is sort of like a watch. And behind the face of the watch, liquid is made. It goes through your pupil(瞳孔)and into the front of the watch between the face and the crystal.There's an area around the edge of the watch that drains(使排出)the liquid. When that drain is blocked, the liquid can't leave the eye as fast as it is produced. The rising pressure within the eye damages and eventually kills the optic(视觉的) nerve. The result is blindness.

Fortunately, if caught early, glaucoma can be controlled. Glaucoma is not curable. But as  researchers worldwide lean more about it, they grow more hopeful that glaucoma can one day be cured or even prevented.

1.In which country is glaucoma the biggest danger to people’s sight?

A.In China           B.In India           C.In the USA         D.In Japan

2.What do the underlined words “these differences”(in Para 4 )refer to?

A.The differences in regions(地区)         B.The cultural differences

C.The differences in age                    D.The physical differences

3.From the passage, we can learn that,            .

A.It is hard for medical tests to discover glaucoma

B.People in developed countries hardly develop glaucoma

C.Glaucoma only causes blindness among old people

D.The research on glaucoma is still going on worldwide

 

(You may read the questions first.)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Theatrical Release Date: July 1, 2011

Studio: Paramount Pictures 

Director: Michael Bay 

Genre: Action︱Adventure︱Sequel︱ Sci-Fi︱ 3D

The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons. The Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a dangerous space race. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft on the Moon and must race against the Decepticons to find its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle. Shockwave, a longtime “Transformers” character, rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: David Yates

Genre: Action︱Adventure︱Sequel︱Fantasy︱3D

In part II, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world evolves into an all-out war. This final adventure continues Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s attempt to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Harry Potter is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring an end to his nemesis.

Winnie the Pooh

Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Don Hall, Stephen J. Anderson

Genre: Sequel︱Family Animation

Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American traditionally animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Based upon the characters of the children’s books Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne and Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, the film features two previously unadapted stories from the original books. 

In the movie, Owl sends the whole gang to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary bad character, and it turns out to be a very busy day for Winnie the Pooh who simply set out to find some honey.

1.Which of the following is not the genre of Transformers: Dark of the Moon?

    A. Action.          B. Sequel.          C. 3D.              D. Fantasy.

2.According to the Movie Express above, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is mainly about _______.

A. a journey of Harry, Ron, and Hermione       

B. high risks of the final adventure

C. an all-out war between good and evil forces     

D. a fear of Lord Voldemort

3.Who might be most interested in the Movie Express of Winnie the Pooh?

   A. Would-be parents.                     B. Families with children.

   C. Writers of children’s books.                 D. Honey lovers.

 

In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞) on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的) satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home. He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids.

The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor.

Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research,which isn't surprising. Her findings shake the very foundation of what we've been raised to believe is true. In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels. But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?

Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose—to work the farm, contribute to the household. Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult. Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well. The National Marriage Project's 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations.

As for those of us with kids, all the news isn't bad. Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who've never had kids. And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify.

1..

 What’s the main idea of the book Stumbling on Happiness?

A. Parents are happier shopping than looking after their children.

B. Once they have children, the couples can never be as happy as before.

C. Compared with their childless peers, parents are leading a sad life.

D. The adding of children at home brings down marital satisfaction.

2..

. What can we infer from Para.3?

A. The Newsweek Poll shows that people think Prof. Simon’s finding is right.

B. Many people can’t accept the fact that they are not happy with their children.

C. It isn’t surprising that Professor Simon’s controversial research made her famous.

D. Simon’s findings are based on the belief passed down from generation to generation.

3..

 What can we learn about American’s families in the past?

A. People had very good parents-children relationship in the family.

 B. Having children could be partly out of some practical purposes.

C. Parents loved their children but they still asked them to work a lot.

D. Children had to work very hard to make their parents love them.

4..

 What’s the author’s opinion about having children?

A. The author doesn’t think having children is a good thing to the family.

B. The author feels children make the life of a family happy.

C. The author thinks parenting can still be rewarding in a certain way.

D. The author believes that parents sacrifice a lot for having children.

 

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