A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs – leaving her bed for only brief breaks. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.

　　"I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart – kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching (使脱离) herself further from the outside world.

　　Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone.

　　Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers aroused interest in the subject. But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse. The American Psychiatric Association may also consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up, on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web.

    The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the latest survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers. About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling " still occupied by the Internet when offline."

　　"The Internet problem is still in its early stage," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. The problem is not limited to porn (色情) or gambling websites.”

　　“Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but in terms of losses.”said Maressa Orzack. "If it's a loss where you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much."

　　Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior.

　　The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:

　　● Having a sense of happiness or excitement while at the computer.

　　● Longing for more and more time at the computer.

　　● Neglect of family and friends.

　　● Feeling empty, depremssed or irritable when not at the computer.

　　● Lying to employers and family about activities.

　　● Inability to stop the activity.

　　● Problems with school or job.

　　Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene (卫生) and sleep disturbances.

　　“People who struggle with Internet overuse maybe depressed or have other mood disorders.” Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement and fun," she said. “Some people say relief…because they find themselves so relaxed.”

　　Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction."

　　Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention (干预), in which relatives told him he'd gained weight.

　　“There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in with online gaming, ”said Heidrich, now a father of two. People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly “to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check”.

　　Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line:“I have an Internet Addiction.”

　　“I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work, to take care of my home, to give attention to my children,”she wrote in a message sent to the group. “I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my loan and face losing everything.”

　　Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."

1. What eventually made Carla Toebe realize she was spending too much time on the Internet?

　A. Her daughter's repeated complaints.

　B. Tiredness resulting from lack of sleep.

　C. The poorly managed state of her house.

　D. The high financial costs adding up.

2.What is the main idea of para4?

A. A study claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse.

B. The American Psychiatric Association plans to list Internet addiction in its edition.

C. There are heated discussions about negative experiences over internet overuse.

D. There is a growing concern towards internet addiction.

3. According to Professor Maressa Orzack, Internet use would be considered excessive if ______.

　A. it seriously affected family relationships

　B. one visited porn websites frequently

　C. too much time was spent in chat rooms

　D. people got involved in online gambling

4. According to Orzack, people who struggle with heavy dependence on    

the Internet may feel ______.

　A. discouraged   B. pressured    C. depressed    D. puzzled

5. Andrew Heidrich now visits websites that discuss online gaming addiction to _____.

　A. improve his online gaming skills

　B. control his desire for online gaming

　C. show how good he is at online gaming

　D. exchange online gaming experience

6.Which of the following best describes the tone(口吻) of the passage ?

 A. Humorous      B. Ironic       C. Objective      D. Casual

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A Little Hero

A group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy, cutting a branch of a tree with his knife.

"What are you doing here?" asked the captain. "Why didn't you leave with your family?"

　　"I don't have any family," said the boy. "I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting."

　　"Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?"

　　"Not within the last three days."

　　"Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?"

　　"Sure!"

　　In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree.

　　"Look straight ahead," cried the captain, "and tell me what you see."

　　"Two men on horseback - nothing else."

　　"How far away?"

　　"About a mile and a half. They're standing still." ….

　　"They're shooting at me," said the boy. "but don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see..."

　　 A third bullet passed, and the boy was seen to fall suddenly from the tree, dead.

　　"Poor boy!" said the captain, covering the boy's body with a national flag and saying, "He died like a soldier and we must bury him like a soldier."

Soon it was covered with flowers. He gave his life to his country.

【写作内容】

学校最近组织了一次中美学生交流活动，你参加其中的“童年生活”讨论。听完Joe讲的故事“A Little Hero” 之后，你准备写一份发言稿，题目是“After Listening to ‘A Little Hero’ ”，内容要点包括：

1. 以约30个词概括你听完A Little Hero的故事；

2. 然后以约120个词谈谈你的童年生活，内容包括：

(1) 对自己童年生活的感受；

(2) 你的童年以及现在的生活和故事中那位小英雄的童年生活有什么不同？

(3) 作为一位高中学生，你未来的理想是什么？

【写作要求】

1. 在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

　 Qiao is a sixth grader at Yuhui Primary School.He is only 12 years old but has been smoking for three years.Liu,15，is a Junior 2 student at Chicheng No.2 Middle School.He began smoking four years ago.“Smoking is part of my life，” Liu said.Qiao and Liu are not those boys’ real names.But their problem，smoking，is a very real problem.In many countries，smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people.Most smokers start in their teens (years of a person’s age from 13 to 19) or earlier.

　 A study of 8,000 Beijing students last May told us that smoking is a problem for many Chinese kids.More than 21% of middle school students and 6% of primary school pupils said they smoked.

　 “If young people start smoking early，they will probably get addicted to nicotine.And it will be very hard to give up later on，” said a professor.

　 Every year，about four million people die because of smoking.And if people keep smoking，that number will go up to about 10 million a year by 2030，the World Health Organization (WHO) says.So we have to learn and tell others about the dangers of smoking.

1.The sentence “Smoking is part of my life.” probably means “　　　 ”.

　 A.I don’t smoke very often.

　 B.Smoking is very important to me.

　 C.I don’t smoke at all.

　 D.I’m going to give up smoking.

2.What will probably happen if a person starts smoking early?

　 A.He will surely die early.

　 B.He cannot stop smoking.

　 C.It will be difficult for him to give up smoking.　

　 D.He will become lazy soon.

3.The study in the passage shows that　　　　 .

　 A.smoking is a serious problem among Chinese students

　 B.there are more and more smokers in China

　 C.some student smokers have already been seriously addicted

　 D.most of smokers are young students

4.The main idea of this passage is that　　　　 .

　 A.smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people

　 B.many people die because of smoking every year

　 C.WHO asks young people to give up smoking

　 D.nicotine makes people addicted

5.As middle school students，what should we do from now on?

　 A.We should start smoking after middle school.

　 B.We should ask others to smoke outside.

　 C.We should laugh at smokers.

　 D.We should say no to smoking.

For most of the day construction worker Sidney Smith and his brother – in – law Joseph Chambers had been   21  along the banks of Lake Waco with little   22 . Chambers suggested they go home, but Smith　33　　that there were still several hours of daylight　24　　and there was one other place they might try a bit longer before 　25　.

Smith drove his pickup（小货车）a couple of miles along the　26　road to get to the other side of the lake. This road, in the truest sense, was a path wagging in the heavy　27　area. Even with the sun still high in the cloudless sky, the　28　of trees formed a leafy　29　over the road and it suddenly seemed 　30　in the evening.

“A guy could get lost and nobody would ever find him,” said Chambers.

Smith smiled, “We’re　31　there.” He said. A few seconds later, the smile was 　32　　from his face.

“What the hell is that?”

　　He braked to a stop. Less than twenty feet away was what appeared to be a  33 .

　　For several minutes the two men sat in the pickup　34　to decide whether they had happened to　35　someone’s bad practical joke or something far more serious. Smith with his brother-in-law got out of the pickup and 　36　walked towards that thing some distance before them.

It was a young man who was already dead. They had got to tell　37　. Back into the pickup, Smith backed the pickup down the road　38　he could turn around, then　39　back. With the dead young man still on his mind, Smith felt as if he was going to be sick. God, how he　40　　they had given up fishing and gone home early.