A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy (摇头丸) can cause serious brain damage and speed up the start of Parkinson’s disease, scientists say. Just two or three Ecstasy tablets can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson’s for the first time.

A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons (狒狒) found that both species suffered permanent damage to key cells, which are lost in Parkinson’s, after receiving three low doses(剂量)of Ecstasy at three-hour periods.

The study is particularly important because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that the widespread abuse of drug might have caused severe damage. “The most troubling result is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinsonism as they get older.”

Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “This study emphasizes the multi-aspect damage that Ecstasy causes to users. We’ve long known that repeated use damages brain cells. But this study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don’t experiment with your own brain.”

Janet Betts, a mother whose teenage daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said, “This comes as no surprise. But people can’t see the effects at first, and they say it won’t happen to them. We’ll see the symptoms later, just as we have with smoking.”

The article is intended to ______.

   A. explain the bad effects of drugs on people’s health

B. warn young people of the risk of taking the drug Ecstasy

   C. persuade people out of such bad habits as smoking and using drugs

D. tell us the links between the drug Ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease

We know from the passage that a low dose of Ecstasy ______.

   A. won’t cause serious brain damage

   B. can permanently destroy one’s brain cells

   C. will result in immediate symptoms

   D. may bring on Parkinson’s at once

Why are squirrel monkeys and baboons involved in the experiments?

   A. Because their brain is similar to human being’s.

   B. Because these animals usually take drugs.

   C. Because these animals will soon get well after the experiment.

   D. Because there is a model in the animals’ brains.

The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably means that ______.

   A. Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995

B. taking drug has the same symptoms as smoking

C. occasional use of the drug can have long-lasting effects on the brain systems

D. people have long known that repeated use of the drug damages brain cells

       TV talk shows dominate daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

       Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as possible. For example, the show takes the forever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.

       Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and the quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.

       Compared with Oprah, the Jerry Springer looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the main idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

       Clear as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middle-class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. The Jerry Springer show, on the other hand, has more of connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drugs. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation (开发,挖掘).

Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are _____.

       A. more popular     B. less interesting   C. more uninviting D. more informal

What is the audience’s reaction to the social problems that Jerry Springer talks about?

       A. They are interested in them.     B. They are not ready to face them.

       C. They are cold to them.          D. They want to get away from them.

Which of the following topics is the most suitable one for the Oprah show?

       A. Cheating.   B. A love story.      C. Mental health.    D. Sex.

From the passage we can learn that the two talk shows _____.

       A. are the only ones of their kind      B. exploit weaknesses in human nature

       C. appear at different times of the day  D. have their own specific viewers

We always want what we cannot have. When we’re young, we want to stay out late, have romantic relationships and be   1  .However, when we're    2 , we want to go back to being young and we   3 the days when we didn’t have to worry about complex love affairs,  4 pressure and money problems.
Young people believe adulthood  5 freedom from parents and schoolwork.When they get older, they feel that   6  is freedom from work pressure and family responsibilities. To  7  this feeling, people say, "The grass is always 8 on the other side of the fence."
As   9 , we like to be like adults but as young adults, we  10  to be young again. We think about staying out late and  11  our own money to spend.Suddenly, we see that love can result in   12 hearts; staying out late makes it hard to get ready for  13 the next morning. We find out that adult life is not as   14 as we thought it would be and suddenly,   15 becomes very scary.
Life is   16  .It gives us time to   17    but also requires us to work. The time will come when we must grow up and we will always look back wishing we  18  being young a bit longer. That time will not come back. It is normal to want what we cannot have but the   19   is that to be happy is to appreciate what we have.That is the first step to grow up.   20   life becomes more complex, we will not regret the time we wasted wishing we were adults.

【小题1】
A.comfortableB.dependentC.politeD.independent
【小题2】
A.defeatedB.olderC.marriedD.confident
【小题3】
A.likeB.forgetC.missD.regret
【小题4】
A.jobB.studyC.ageD.health
【小题5】
A.createsB.showsC.limitsD.means
【小题6】
A.adulthoodB.childhoodC.parenthoodD.neighborhood
【小题7】
A.reduceB.experienceC.describeD.understand
【小题8】
A.thinnerB.greenerC.yellowD.colorful
【小题9】
A.researchersB.adultsC.teenagersD.elders
【小题10】
A.decideB.wishC.returnD.stop
【小题11】
A.makingB.worrying aboutC.havingD.showing off
【小题12】
A.healthyB.ambitiousC.excitedD.broken
【小题13】
A.breakfastB.schoolC.workD.exercise
【小题14】
A.richB.busyC.poorD.easy
【小题15】
A.loveB.lifeC.careerD.future
【小题16】
A.longB.fairC.shortD.beautiful
【小题17】
A.studyB.thinkC.liveD.play
【小题18】
A.stoppedB.imaginedC.enjoyedD.tried
【小题19】
A.reasonB.resultC.truthD.dream
【小题20】
A.WhenB.IfC.UnlessD.Before


Millions of young people are writing blogs. Millions of others are reading them. The word "blog" is a short way of saying Web log.
Many popular Web sites now offer free, easy ways to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. Web sites called "Facebook" and "MySpace" are some of the most popular blog sites for young people. Many young adults use their blogs to write about daily activities and events in their lives. They also provide a place for people to write their ideas and opinions and how they think of others’ ideas.
Blogs offer young people a place to show their writings and feelings. They can also be helpful to connect young people with others. But blogs can become dangerous when they are read on the Internet by millions of people all over the world.
Recent studies show that young people often provide their names, age and where they live on the Internet. That may not be safe for them. This personal information puts them at risk of being searched out by dangerous people who want to hurt them. Many students do not know about privacy and are surprised to learn that adults can read their personal daily records easily. Students can also get into trouble when they put information about others on their blogs. 
As a result, many schools have banned the use of blogging web sites on school computers. Many schools have also begun teaching parents about the web sites. Parents should know what their children are doing online and should read their blogs to make sure they are not giving out private information. One way to keep away from these problems is to use programs so that blogs can be read by "friends only." people can read the website only if they know a secret word chosen by the blogger.
60. "Facebook" and "MySpace" are ________.
A. school subjects                               B. computer programs
C. school online BBS                          D. blog sites for young people     
61. Blogs may be dangerous because________.
A. they get in the way of studies         B. they are not allowed for school students
C. surfing the Internet is bad for eyes D. personal information can be found in blogs easily
62. This passage is mainly about _________.
A. the safety of children’s blogs         B. how to search the internet
C. students’ behavior at school             D. communicating with parents at home
63. According to the passage, many schools help children avoid blog problems by doing
everything EXCEPT________.
A. teaching parents about the web sites
B. asking students to use programs to refuse strangers
C. telling school students not to make any net friends
D. stopping students from blogging on school computers   
64. You can enjoy your blog safely if________.
A. you write your blog at school
B. use a secret number for friends to enter your blog
C. your parents have little knowledge about websites
D. you show all your writings and feelings in your blog

 

You’re in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:

  “I can’t believe it—a Lorenzo Betrolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn’t it beautiful?And it’s a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome”.

  They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It’s nice and the price is right. You’ve never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So,you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes.

  Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool,the product seems cool,too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.

  Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don’t pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation—consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don’t trust ads.

  So advertising agencies hire young actors to “perform” in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative.“Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing”.

  However,one might ask what exactly is “real” about the young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater. Advertising executives (主管) would say it’s no less real than flu ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don’ t know a conversation you overhear is just a performance.

1. The two attractive young women were talking so that they could _______.

A. get the sweater at a lower price            B. be heard by people around

C. be admired by other shoppers              D. decide on buying the sweater

2. Lorenzo Bertolla is _______.

A. a very popular male singer                         B. an advertising agency

C. a clothing company in Rome               D. the brand name of a sweater

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company.

B. The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by ads.

C. Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it’s too direct.

D. Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Two Attractive Shoppers                     B. Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters

C. Ways of Advertising                                 D. Undercover Marketing

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网