Richard Rodriguez from the United States is a great roller coaster fan．Recently he broke his 15th world record after he spent 104 days riding the world’s largest roller coaster．

    “It got more difficult to ride and ride because of the muscle tiredness，”Rodriguez，a teacher at the University of Chicago，said as he stepped down from the ride in a German park．He spent 10 hours a day on the roller coaster．

    Rodriguez tried to keep himself busy during the rides on the big roller coaster in a southwestern town in Germany．“I read the newspapers…I have fl walkman，I have my cell—phone，SO I try to talk to people and message people during the day，’’he said．

    Although the 42-year-old said he felt sick on the first few days，he said he soon got over the problem．

    “My face hurts sharply and I have a little backache，but I am good．’’

    The “Expedition GeForce” is one of the world’s biggest roller coasters．It measures 62 meters at its highest point．

    On his 95th day on the coaster，after traveling over 25，000 kilometers，Rodriguez had a toothache and was treated by fl local dentist．He went on after that and succeeded in breaking the record．

    Rodriguez celebrated with members of the park staff and his supporters，who had sent him

 postcards and e—mails encouraging him not to give up．

What do we know about Expedition GeForce?

  A．It once ran for 1 04 days nonstop．

  B．It is the one most difficult to ride．

  C．It is most modernly equipped．

  D．It is in a German town．

2．Rodriguez kept on riding that long because ______________.

  A．he wanted to show the world the very best he could do

  B．he was having great fun doing that

  C．the roller coaster can’t stop once it starts running

  D．he was able to live and work as usual on the coaster

3．During the roller coaster ride，Rodriguez——．

  A．kept on working as a university teacher

  B．kept enjoying good health

  C．kept in touch with the world around him

  D．broke his world record 1 5 times

4．When Rodriguez finally stepped down from the roller coaster，he       .

  A．was healthy and strong as usual

  B．was in poor health

  C．was very tired but happy

  D．decided to work as a teacher

5．The new world record was keeping on riding for on a roller coaster．

  A．16 times  B．104 10一hour days

  C．10 hours a day D．over 25，000 kilometers

Let’s do some sleep math．You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday．On Saturday and Sunday，you slept in，getting four extra hours．On Monday morning，you were feeling so bright—eyed that you only had one cup of coffee，instead of your usual two．But don’t be cheated by your energy．You’re still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness，or what experts call “sleep debt”一in this case something like six hours，almost a full night’s sleep．
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get．It’s a shortage that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly sleep．“People get more sleep debt gradually without being noticed，”says William C．Dement，founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic．Studies show that such short term sleep lack leads to a foggy brain，worsened vision，and trouble remembering．Long-term effects include obesity(肥胖)，insulin(胰岛素)resistance，and heart disease．A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that we’re losing one hour of sleep each night——more than two full weeks of sleep every year．
The good news is that，like all debt，with some work，sleep debt can be repaid．Adding all extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up．For the long-term lack of sleep，take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern．
Go to bed when you are tired，and allow your body to wake you in the morning(no alarm clock allowed)．You may find yourself catatonic(有紧张症的)in the beginning of the recovery cycle：expect to have ten hours shut—eye per night；As the days pass，however，the amount of sleeping time will gradually decrease．
So earn back that lost sleep and follow the rules of your innate(固有的)sleep needs. You’ll feel better．“When you put away sleep debt,you become a superman,”says Stanford's Dement，talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested．
53．If rou have short-term sleep lack，you may         ．   
A．put on weight    B．get heart disease
C．hate eating food D．have a poor sight
54．The example of sleep math is used to show         ．
A．in what case you build up a sleep debt
B．in what way you can make up for lack of sleep
C．why you are energetic even without enough sleep
D．why you need six hours’sleep every night
55．By saying the underlined sentence，Dement means that         ．
A．you need a lot of sleep to be a superman
B．you will be in a good state with enough sleep
C．you need to be a superman to repay sleep debt   
D．you will become a superman with more sleep debt
56．What might be the most suitable title for the passage?   
A．How can you keep energetic?    B．What is sleep debt?
C．Can you catch up on lost sleep?D．Can coffee refresh you?

D
Let’s do some sleep math．You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday．On Saturday and Sunday，you slept in，getting four extra hours．On Monday morning，you were feeling so bright—eyed that you only had one cup of coffee，instead of your usual two．But don’t be cheated by your energy．You’re still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness，or what experts call “sleep debt”一in this case something like six hours，almost a full night’s sleep．
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get．It’s a shortage that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly sleep．“People get more sleep debt gradually without being noticed，”says William C．Dement，founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic．Studies show that such short term sleep lack leads to a foggy brain，worsened vision，and trouble remembering．Long-term effects include obesity(肥胖)，insulin(胰岛素)resistance，and heart disease．A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that we’re losing one hour of sleep each night——more than two full weeks of sleep every year．
The good news is that，like all debt，with some work，sleep debt can be repaid．Adding all extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up．For the long-term lack of sleep， take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern．
Go to bed when you are tired，and allow your body to wake you in the morning(no alarm clock allowed)．You may find yourself catatonic(有紧张症的)in the beginning of the recovery cycle：expect to have ten hours shut—eye per night；As the days pass，however，the amount of sleeping time will gradually decrease．
So earn back that lost sleep and follow the rules of your innate(固有的)sleep needs. You’ll feel better．“When you put away sleep debt,you become a superman,”says Stanford's Dement，talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested．
53．If you have short-term sleep lack，you may___________．   
A．put on weight    B．get heart disease  C．hate eating food   D．have a poor sight
54．The example of sleep math is used to show______．
A．in what case you build up a sleep debt
B．in what way you can make up for lack of sleep
C．why you are energetic even without enough sleep
D．why you need six hours’sleep every night
55．By saying the underlined sentence，Dement means that______．
A．you need a lot of sleep to be a superman
B．you will be in a good state with enough sleep
C．you need to be a superman to repay sleep debt   
D．you will become a superman with more sleep debt
56．What might be the most suitable title for the passage?   
A．How can you keep energetic?    B．What is sleep debt?
C．Can you catch up on lost sleep?  D．Can coffee refresh you?

One cold January evening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America, I went with my father on an oil burner service call. My father was in his forties at that time and I was about twelve years old. He was always working hard trying to support us seven kids. I enjoyed hanging out with him whenever I could — he taught me so much.

We arrived at the call and after walking over snow and ice, we knocked on the customer’s door. A senior citizen opened the door and let us into her very cold home. She was wearing an old, worn-out brown coat that went down to her knees. On her head, covering her gray hair, was an old and worn hat. The home wasn’t furnished very well and was quite dark, except for a single light bulb over the dining room table. Below the light was an older man counting change from several old coffee cans. He looked up at us as we passed by to get to the kitchen where my dad would fix the oil burner. He didn’t say anything. He just looked up at us. He couldn’t speak English, nor could his wife. She only pointed to the kitchen and smiled at us.

After a short while, my father had the heater up and running, and it began to heat their cold home. The lady asked my dad in poor English how much she owed him for fixing the heater. My dad looked around the house and said that he had to go out to the truck and write the bill.

Once in the truck he marked the bill “no answer at home, no charge”, so they wouldn’t be charged for his work. He looked over at me and said, “He was counting his change to pay me. They need their money more than I do.”

As usual, my father taught me something important that time, which was to be kind to the poor.

1.According to Paragraph 1, we know that the writer’s father                        .

2.The description in Paragraph 2 shows that the old couple                        .

3.What can we infer from the passage?

4.The writer’s father didn’t charge for his work because                         .

This week was busier than usual, and I was very tired today. All I wanted to do was to go home and enjoy a bowl of good hot soup.
But when I saw my daughter’s car, I knew that it was Bryan’s night. Since his parents separated, I had tried to have my six-year-old grandson spend a few hours with me at least once a week. I had always tried to make it a special time for him. We did many interesting things; Bryan loved all these activities, and so did I. But today I had to give up our evening. I said how tired I was feeling. “Bryan, I’m sorry. Tonight I don’t feel like having fun or playing games. We’ll have our night together some other time.” I saw the sadness in Bryan’s eyes. He said, “I like soup, Grandma.” I knew he meant “Please don’t send me away. Please let me stay.” I saw the shadow (阴影) in Bryan’s eyes. Something else was changing. Maybe he thought I wouldn’t want to have him come any more — not tonight, not next week, not ever. Finally, I said OK. I was glad to see his eyes light up. After I put the soup on the stove (炉子) and turned on the TV, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, there was a coat over my legs, and the soup was gone. Bryan was on the floor, reading a coloring book and watching a television show at the same time. The poor boy must have been so bored (烦躁的)! When he found I was awake, he ran over and gave me a big hug. “I love you, Grandma,” he said. “Haven’t we had a nice time together?” His big smile and happy eyes told me that this time he meant exactly what he was saying. That was the keyword — together. We had done nothing exciting or special. But we were together.
【小题1】What does the underlined part (in Paragraph 2) mean?