Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made．In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I would almost always get up late the next morning．

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early．On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher．So I set out to become a habitual early riser．But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep．Eventually some sleep research showed me that I was using the wrong strategy．

The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier．It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.

There are two main schools(流派) of thought on sleep patterns．One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day．The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up．However, I have found both of them are wrong if you care about productivity．If you sleep at set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough．You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep.

If your sleep is based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need．Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times．

The solution for me has been to combine both methods．I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time．So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 am), but I go to bed at different times every night — sometimes at 9:30pm, and other times at midnight．Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11 pm．

 However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning is my way．If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.

According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ____.

      A．people who stay up until the next morning.

      B．people who get up early in the morning.

      C．people who feel sleepy in the morning.

      D．people whose productivity is the highest in the morning.

Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?

      A．Because he / she wanted to form the habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

      B．Because he / she had found that his / her productivity was higher when he / she got up early.

      C．Because he / she wanted to see which of the two main schools of thought on sleep patterns was right.

      D．Because he / she was told the high relationship between success and rising early.

The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ____.

      A．going to bed after midnight．        

       B．getting up early occasionally.

      C．pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping.

      D．asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits.

The passage is mainly about ____。

      A．how to become an early riser．       

       B．how to have good sleep.

       C．wrong strategies for getting up early.

       D．main schools of thought on sleep patterns.

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.

These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate. But there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We've talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”

At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.

Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.

Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers' imagination and creativity, thousands of young people's pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.

How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?

A. Many young people asked them to do it

B. They did it just for pleasure

C. They thought out the idea by chance and imagination

D. They did it in order to honor pirates

Why are the holiday become more and more popular？.

A. You can have fun and relax yourself freely.

B. young people can exchange ideas and dreams on the day

C. young people can have fun and be relaxed.

D. you can play the role of the pirate in the movie on the day

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday.

B. Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday

C. Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, a lot of people realize their pirate dream.  

D. The holiday has been popular since the birth of it.

According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?

A. It has a long history.  

B. It is a wonderful and instructive holiday.

C. It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves. 

D. People can make their dream come true on this day.

Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage？

A. Can you talk like a pirate?

B. Young people’s pirate dream

C. John Baur and Mark Summers

D. September 19th ,—a day in honor of pirates

Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made．In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I would almost always get up late the next morning．

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early．On those rare occasions when I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher．So I set out to become a habitual early riser．But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep．Eventually some sleep research showed me that I was using the wrong strategy．

The most common wrong strategy is this: you assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier．It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail．

There are two main schools（流派） of thought on sleep patterns．The first is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day．The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up．However, I have found both of them are wrong if you care about productivity．If you sleep at set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough．You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep．

If your sleep is based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need．Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times．

The solution for me has been to combine both methods．I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time．So I always get up at the same time （in my case 5 am）, but I go to bed at different times every night — sometimes at 9:30pm, and other times at midnight．Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11 pm．

However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning is my way．If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own．

According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________．

       A．people who stay up until the next morning

       B．people who feel sleepy in the morning

       C．people who get up early in the morning

       D．people whose productivity is the highest in the morning

Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?

       A．Because he / she wanted to form the habit of going to bed early and getting up early．

       B．Because he / she wanted to see which of the two main schools of thought on sleep patterns was right．

       C．Because he / she had found that his / her productivity was higher when he / she got up early．

       D．Because he / she was told the high relationship between success and rising early．

The passage is mainly about ________．

       A．how to have good sleep  

       B．how to become an early riser

       C．wrong strategies for getting up early     

       D．main schools of thought on sleep patterns

“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.

“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson said.

Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she understood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”

This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.

Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.

“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.

Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.

“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”

What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

   A. To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.

   B. To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.

   C. To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes.

   D. To analyse the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far.

According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.

   A. schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence.

   B. children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now.

   C. those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school.

   D. children are learning more about guns from educational issues.

Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?

   A. Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago.

   B. The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools.

   C. Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves.

   D. Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie.

What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?

   A. A kind of costume.                           B. A real gun.

C. A toy weapon.                               D. A kind of plastic.

Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I hardly went to bed before midnight, and I would always get up late the next morning.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity (效率) was always higher. So I set out to become a habitual early riser. But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep. Eventually some sleep research showed that my strategy was wrong.
The most common wrong strategy is this: supposing you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools (流派) of thought on sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. However, I have found both are wrong if you care about productivity. If you sleep at fixed hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake.
My solution is to combine both methods. I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time. So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 a.m.), but I go to bed at different times every night.
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning are my ways. If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.
【小题1】According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________.