NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive experiences in nightmares.

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected.

The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. “Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”

But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.

1.The passage is mainly about        .

A. a new medical invention                                            

B. a new research on the pill

C. a way of wiping out painful memories            

D. an argument about the research on the pill

2.The drug tested on people can        .

A. cause the brain to fix memories                                  

B. stop people remembering bad experiences

C. prevent body producing certain chemicals     

D. wipe out the emotional effects of memories

3.We can infer from the passage that        .

A. experts are not sure about the effects of the pills

B. the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories

C. taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health

D. the pill has already been produced and used by the American public

4.Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph?

A. Some memories can ruin people's lives.

B. People want to get rid of bad memories.

C. Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

D. The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.

It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of the current US President. The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a wonderfully written book.” However, he then proceeded to talk about Mr. Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar(说谎者)．

And it seems that he is not the only one. Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In The World Book Day survey, Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The survey lists top ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading. As I’m not one to lie too often, I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books. But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s absolutely outstanding．

Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to. This could be difficult if the conversation became more in-depth!

The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it. It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and so on. But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, they named JK Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and Stephen King. Forty-one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story．

So which books have you lied about reading —if any — and which is your favorite?

1.The main reason why people lie about reading is to __________.         

A．make fun of the listener                  B．impress the listener

C．please the listener                      D．interest the listener

2.The underlined word “proceeded” in the passage probably means“___________”.

A．wanted           B．happened         C．continued         D．stopped

3.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Are You A Book Liar?                     B．Readers Are All Liars

C．World Book Day                        D．Dreams From My Father

Losing a baby tooth can be fun for a kid. You can put it under your pillow and look forward to finding some money there in the morning. And then you can watch your new permanent(永恒的) tooth grow in its place.

But if a permanent tooth falls out, that’s a problem. There isn’t another one under the gum(齿龈)that can replace it. Unfortunately, this happens to some older people. And if permanent teeth fall out-or need to be pulled-an older person might need dentures.

Dentures, known as false teeth, are a set of replacement teeth for any teeth that are missing. There are partial dentures, which take the place of only a few teeth and prevent the others from changing position. If all the teeth are gone, the person would need complete dentures, which replace every tooth in the mouth.

Dentures can cause pains at first and take some time to get adjusted to. They also need special care. They should be brushed daily with a special denture brush and cleanser and soaked in denture solution when not in the mouth.

Dentures are important for older folks because, without teeth, it’s hard to smile, talk, and eat properly. But it can be a little weird if you see someone take out his or her dentures. It can also be strange to see someone, like a grandparent, without dentures in because he or she won’t have any teeth. Try not to make fun of the person because this could cause hurt feelings.

People usually lose their permanent teeth due to periodontal disease, or gum disease, which is caused by bacteria that attacks the gums. Diseased gums aren’t strong and healthy, so teeth can get loose and fall out. Older people often have many cavities(洞)that have been filled over the years, and these fillings can weaken over time, leading to more tooth decay(腐烂).

1.If one of your baby teeth falls out, he or she       .

2.A person wearing dentures      .

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

4.What does the underlined word “weird” mean in the fifth paragraph?

Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.

Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.

Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.

Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.

“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.

He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.

Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.

1.This passage is most likely to be found in _____.

A．a travel guide                          B．a newspaper

C．a textbook                             D．a novel

2.The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.

A．swimming in the river

B．standing on the river bank

C．watching the crocodile

D．fishing in the water

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ms Pethrick?

A．Her eyes were badly poked.

B．She had eight wounds altogether.

C．One of her fingers also got hurt.

D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg.

4.According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.

A．brave                                B．diligent

C．quick                                 D．humorous

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The husband should save the wife

B．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws

C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine

D．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes

It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s DreamsfromMyFather and how it had changed my views of the current US president.The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was，in his words，“a wonderfully written book”. However，he then proceeded to talk about Mr Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all.I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that he is not the only one.Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t.In the World Book Day survey，DreamsfromMyFather is at number 9.The survey lists top ten books，and various authors，which people have lied about reading.As I’m not one to lie too often，I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books.But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one，GeorgeOrwell’s 1984.I think it’s absolutely outstanding.
Asked why they lied，the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to.This could be difficult if the conversation became more in­depth!
The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it.It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen，the Bronte sisters，Charles Dickens and so on.But when asked which authors they actually enjoy，they named J．K.Rowling，Jilly Cooper，and Stephen King (ah，the big sellers，in other words)．Forty­one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story.
So which books have you lied about reading—if any—and which is your favourite?
【小题1】The main reason why people lie about reading is to________.