Why do people drink too much, eat too much, smoke cigarettes or take drugs? What’s to blame for all the bad behavior? Most people would say that, while these self-destructive (自我毁灭的) acts can have many root causes, they all have one obvious thing in common: they are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist them.

According to a recent study, however, if you really think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you into trouble.

Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they never, ever start out that way.

Just getting past those first horrible experiences actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.

These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.

1.What do most people think causes bad behavior?

A．Being forced by others.                   B．Enjoying their first experiences.

C．Not having enough will power.              D．Following the examples of their friends.

2.The author mentions his experience in the third paragraph to prove ____.

A．will power helps develop bad habits sometimes

B．drinking beer is harmful to the health of teenagers

C．self-control should be developed when one is young

D．everyone can be challenged by different temptations

3.In the last paragraph, the author stresses that ____.

A．without self-control, no one can succeed

B．applying self-control correctly is important

C．bad habits don’t always lead to bad results.

D．people can develop wisdom from bad behavior

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My First Sip of Beer                      B．Do You Have Will Power ?

C．Will Power Benefits Us                   D．Dark Side of Self-control

Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (处理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．                                                                                  

Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．

Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．

A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

     B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

     C．these computers did not come onto the market

     D．these companies did not need to use this new technology

According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work

   over the last ten years is __________．

   A．the saving of time and money   B．the use of computers in small companies

   C．the wide use of word processors       D．the decreasing number of secretaries

It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word

   processors _________．

   A．some secretaries will lose their jobs

   B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

   C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased

   D．the British companies will make less money

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor

   B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors．

   C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years．

   D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses．

It can be concluded from the passage that ________．

   A．safety screens are of poor quality

   B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health

   C．more and more British offices will use word processors

   D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages

最近的一份调查表明中国青少年的体质明显下降，青少年的健康问题日益受到社会的关注。请根据下列提示，以“The health of Chinese youngsters—a big concern”为题，写一篇100词左右的英语短文。

    1．现状：青少年体质明显下降，有许多诸如肥胖、近视等健康问题；

    2．原因：作业负担过重，睡眠不足，缺乏锻炼；

    3．建议：改革现行教育制度，减轻学生负担，使学生有更多睡眠和锻炼的时间。

参考词汇：肥胖 obesity  近视short-sightedness  改革 reform

The health of Chinese youngsters—a big concern

________________________________________                                         

SHANGHAI - Health experts in Shanghai are calling for more protection for young children as the latest research shows about half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke.

About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in families, 50 percent in public places, and almost 6 percent on public transportation, shows a research released by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center on Tuesday.

"Not only adults but also children and newborn babies are at risk for the adverse effects of passive smoking," said Tang Jingyan, a doctor at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

"Actually, those young children whose bodies are still growing and developing are more sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke."

Research has shown that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke will suffer from more colds, coughs and sore throats, and they are more likely to suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia and will have a higher risk of developing cancer.

Doctors even suggested that children suffering passive smoking are more likely to have behavioral problems and may not develop mentally as quickly as their peers．

Other research by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center has found that more than 80 percent of child patients in the center live in a smoke-filled household, where one or both parents smoke．

"Though doctors have stressed the harm of passive smoking over and over, it is still hard to reach a totally 'smoke free' home," said a pediatrician named Zhang Yiwen, noting that parents are often tempted to smoke even though they have learned the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

China has 540 million people suffering from passive smoke, 180 million of them younger than 15．The age of smokers is also getting lower, earlier reports said.

"There are more young smokers than before．You can see young people wearing a school uniform and carrying a schoolbag light a cigarette on the street．Some of them are even female students," said Jing Xingming, a professor of children's developmental behavior at the center.

"Children like to imitate adults, especially their parents．If parents often smoke at home, it is very likely children will develop a smoking habit, which can cause a vicious circle," Jin said.

Reports from the Ministry of Health said China has about 350 million smokers, of whom 15 million are underage smokers．Also, around 40 million of the country's 130 million children aged between 13 and 18 had tried smoking, and 15 million had become addicted to tobacco.

What is the main idea of the passage?

       A．About half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke.

       B．Experts are calling for more protection for youngsters from smoking.

       C．More and more youngsters are picking up the habit of smoking.

       D．Smoking does great harm to the health of the youngsters.

What kind of the youngsters most possibly develop a habit of smoking?

       A．Children of non-smoking mothers. B．Children of non-smoking fathers.

       C．Children of heavy smokers.    D．Children from some smoking centers.

Which of the following disease may not be connected with secondhand smoking?

      A．Cancer.     B．Behavioral problems.     C．Sore throats.       D．Coughs.      

The underlined word “vicious” in the last paragraph but one most probably means ___________.

       A．complete  B．simple      C．great D．bad

What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．About 80% of the children in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center smoke heavily.

       B．About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

       C．About 540 million people are heavy smokers in China.

       D．Children aged between 13 to 18 are more likely addicted to smoking.

1.

The use of health supplements such as multivitamin tablets has increased greatly in the western world. People take these supplements because advertising suggests that they prevent a range of medical conditions from developing. However, there is concern that people are consuming worryingly high doses of these supplements and the European Union (EU) has issued a directive that will ban the sale of a wide range of them. This EU directive should be supported.

2.

Research suggests that people who take Vitamin C supplements of over 5000 milligrams a day are more likely to develop cancer. This shows how much damage these health supplements do to people’s health. A spokesman for the health supplement industry has argued that other research shows that Vitamin C supplements help prevent heart disease, but we can dismiss this evidence as it is from a biased source.

3.

Science fiction of the 1960s and 1970s predicted that pills would replace meals as the way in which people would get the fuel they needed. This, it was argued, would mean a more efficient use of time as people wouldn’t have to waste it preparing or eating meals. The EU directive would help prevent this nightmare of pills replacing food becoming a reality.

4.

Peop0le already take too many pills instead of adopting a healthier lifestyle. For example, the consumption of painkillers in Britain in 1998 was 21 tablets per year for every man, woman and child in the country. People do not need all these pills.

5.

Some might argue that the EU directive denies people’s right to freedom of choice. However, there are many legal examples for such intervention when it is in the individual’s best interests. We now make people wear seatbelts rather than allowing them to choose to do so. Opposing the EU directive would mean beneficial measures like this would be threatened.