Almost everyone is afraid of something --- snakes, heights, public speaking and so on.

         It is normal and can even be helpful to experience fear sometimes. In dangerous situations, fear can keep our bodies alert (警醒的) so that we can act quickly to protect ourselves.

         But for some people, fear develops into a “phobia”, which is a strong and unreasonable fear of something. For example, the majority of us feel a little scared when looking down from a tall building. But people with height phobia may have trouble breathing, feel dizzy or turn down a great job just because the company is on the 20th floor.

         Phobias can prevent you from living a normal life. “People with spider phobia would stay out of their home or dormitory room for days if they thought a spider was present,” Katherina Hauner, a researcher at Northwestern University, US, told ABC news. This is why scientists have been trying to find a cure for this disease.

         Since fear comes from experience --- from what we are told, what we see others experience and what happens to us --- some scientists think if they can “rewrite” these unpleasant memories, they might be able to help people overcome their phobias.

         In a study by Hauner and other scientists, participants with spider phobia were asked to first touch a spider with a paintbrush. Seeing that it was not actually dangerous, they then tried touching it while wearing a glove. Finally, they could hold it with their hands.

         Certain medicine has also been found to be helpful. Back in 2010, researchers at the University of Hiroshima, Japan, injected (注射) a special medicine into a fish --- who was afraid of light --- to turn off the fear center in its brain. From then on, the fish no longer feared light.

         While the search for solutions to phobias is making great progress, it’s an open question whether getting rid of fear is good. Some people want to use these methods to make soldiers fight harder in wars by taking away their sense of fear. Dave Smithson of the charity Anxiety UK thinks that’s a bad idea. “It’s fear that prevents us from doing crazy things,” he says. “There’s a name for people who don’t have fear of consequences: psychopaths (精神变态者).

1.The main point of the article is to ___________.

A. show us what kind of role fear plays in our lives

B. discuss if it is good to try to get rid of fear

C. inform us of fear and phobia

D. discuss scientific studies related to fear

2.How does the writer make the meaning of “phobia” clear?

A. By making comparisons.                                     B. By giving examples.

C. By giving data in numbers.                               D. By giving descriptions.

3.Which of the following shows the progress scientists have made in finding solutions to phobia?

A. New medicine can shut off fear centers in animal brains whenever needed.

B. They can use phobias to keep our bodies alert so that we can protect ourselves.

C. They can now reduce the pain which is connected with phobia.

D. They have succeeded in helping some people ignore memories related to phobia.

4.Which of the following would Dave Smithson probably agree with?

A. There is nothing to fear except fear itself.    

B. We should not let fear affect our decisions.

C. Fear is not a completely bad thing.

D. Without fear, everyone would be brave.

Well, Mrs. Evans, I’ve done my best to look after David. I’ve tidied his room up every day, got him a meal together whenever he needed one and made sure he’s always had a clean shirt to put on. It’s not been easy, with two of my own to worry about, as well. David had the best of attention, I must say. But now because I asked him to give up bringing that American friend to his home he has got quite miserable and unfriendly. He comes in at all hours and his behavior---- well, it’s quite hard to put up with---- and it’s all because of this friend. I’m sure he’s a bad influence. You see, David’s a visitor and doesn’t fully understand our ways.

He used to study most evenings. He’s got through quite a bit of work. He did up his room quite nicely, with bookshelves and large posters. He’d ask Mr. Smith and me up for a drink and cheer us up with songs from his country. He’s very good at the guitar, you know.

I don’t want to appear as if I’m running after him, but it’s about time we made it up. I’m sure he’s upset because I told him off. It might be a good idea to take him out for a meal, perhaps even with his friend. I don’t know whether it will do any good but we can try. I’m glad I’ve had this little chat with you, Mrs. Evans, and I’ll let you know how I get on.

1. Mrs. Smith believes that David is not the cause of the quarrel but that the main cause is __________.

A. Mr. Smith                                       B. too much homework

C. David’s behavior                              D. David’s friend

2. Mrs. Smith wants to make up the quarrel by _______.

A. cooking a meal                                B. inviting David and his friend out

C. running after David                          D. giving them drinks

3. David’s present attitude to Mrs. Smith is ________.

A. unfriendly             B. cheerful      C. very attentive         D. incomprehensible

4. David is ________.

A. an American friend     B. a singer   C. a visiting student             D. Mrs. Smith’s son

There is an old saying：No one thinks he’s a bad driver. Here’s an updated 21st century version: No one thinks he sends annoying (令人烦恼的) e-mails.
But, plenty of us do.
A Princeton University research found that 22 per cent of Americans say e-mail has added to their work pressures and caused misunderstandings. Here’s a guide on e-mail etiquette (礼节) to help you avoid being annoying.
Experts say there are three types of e-mails with different rules-close friends, office and public e-mails.
The close friends e-mail
You can send your lover, your closest friends and your siblings (brothers and sisters) anything, from jokes to “you got to see this!”. But bear in mind that not everyone shares your sense of humour and you may expose them to viruses.
The office e-mail
Don’t add to people’s workload. Keep e-mails short and to the point.
◆Make the subject line factual and brief.
◆Write in clear, concise (简练的) sentences.
◆Provide your name and phone number at the end.
The public e-mail
Occasionally we have to send an e-mail to a group of people. If possible, write your public e-mails with a who, what, when, where structure. For example:
Who: All members of the soccer team
What: Team photo
When: Saturday, March 25, at noon
Where: Playing field 2.
Finally, before you hit “Send”, check the following:
◆Is the e-mail a “flame”? Never send an e-mail in anger, It could stay around forever and haunt (萦绕心头) your professional and personal life.
◆Check the “To” field. Is this really who you want to send the message to?
◆Spell-check the message. Does it have an error that can affect you badly?
68. The writer may want to tell the reader that _____.
A. mails online are often sent to wrong places
B. different e-mails should be written in different ways
C. sending office e-mails is sure to add to people’s workload
D. the public e-mail is usually sent to a large number of people
69. According to the writer, _____.
A. e-mails with some misspellings may hurt the receiver
B. before sending an e-mail, the sender should ask someone to check it
C. jokes sent to a close friend online sometimes may be harmful
D. about 80％ of Americans like sending and receiving e-mails
70. If an e-mail is a “flame”, the sender of it must be very _____ at the moment.
A. angry                         B. excited              C. worried                     D. disappointed

“ I’d like to be at a healthier weight , ” a friend told me . “ But we just don’t have the money to buy expensive diet foods and there isn’t enough money to join a gym .” Many people feel that way—that a healthy diet and exercise plan is out of reach because of their high cost . Don’t lose hope ! We’ll be looking at ways to make healthy choices without spending too much money .
First you don’t need to buy the expensive pre-prepared “ diet foods . ” Back in the early 1970s when I started housekeeping , 90% of the food I bought was ingredients . Very few things were preprocessed（预处理的）. Now 90% of the food you find in the store is quick food . That’s a bad thing .
Quick foods like boxed “ just add hamburger ” meals have had the fiber removed to make them faster to prepare . Take a look at the label on that box . It often has low numbers listed under “ fiber ” because fiber takes longer to digest . If the low fiber meal is digested , the result is that your body begins to store fat . Besides , your body is short of nutrients（营养物质）. You will be driven to eat more to try to make up for the low quality of the food you are eating .
And then there are the chemicals the producers add to the quick meals to make them palatable . If not , the stuff would taste like cardboard and you wouldn’t enjoy it . However , these chemicals certainly aren’t good for your health .
What’s the answer ? Buy whole ingredients and give up the expensive , low nutrition , processed foods . Do the cooking yourself and you will have control over what is in your food —and it will cost less , too .
【小题1】People who find it hard to get a healthier weight think        .

Well, Mrs. Evans, I’ve done my best to look after David. I’ve tidied his room up every day, got him a meal together whenever he needed one and made sure he’s always had a clean shirt to put on. It’s not been easy, with two of my own to worry about, as well. David had the best of attention, I must say. But now because I asked him to give up bringing that American friend to his home he has got quite miserable and unfriendly. He comes in at all hours and his behavior---- well, it’s quite hard to put up with---- and it’s all because of this friend. I’m sure he’s a bad influence. You see, David’s a visitor and doesn’t fully understand our ways.
He used to study most evenings. He’s got through quite a bit of work. He did up his room quite nicely, with bookshelves and large posters. He’d ask Mr. Smith and me up for a drink and cheer us up with songs from his country. He’s very good at the guitar, you know.
I don’t want to appear as if I’m running after him, but it’s about time we made it up. I’m sure he’s upset because I told him off. It might be a good idea to take him out for a meal, perhaps even with his friend. I don’t know whether it will do any good but we can try. I’m glad I’ve had this little chat with you, Mrs. Evans, and I’ll let you know how I get on.
1. Mrs. Smith believes that David is not the cause of the quarrel but that the main cause is __________.
A. Mr. Smith                                       B. too much homework
C. David’s behavior                              D. David’s friend
2. Mrs. Smith wants to make up the quarrel by _______.
A. cooking a meal                                B. inviting David and his friend out
C. running after David                          D. giving them drinks
3. David’s present attitude to Mrs. Smith is ________.
A. unfriendly             B. cheerful      C. very attentive         D. incomprehensible
4. David is ________.
A. an American friend     B. a singer   C. a visiting student             D. Mrs. Smith’s son