Years ago, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to ___21___ the gas, the owner said to me, "How do you feel?" That seemed like a ___22___ question, but I felt fine and told him ___23___.

    "You don't look well," he replied. This ___24___ me completely by surprise. A little less ___25___, I told him that I had never felt better. Without ___26___, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared ___27___.

    By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little ___28___. About a block away, I ___29___ to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel? Was I sick? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little ill. Did I have hepatitis(肝炎)? Had I ___30___ some rare disease?

    The next time I went into that gas station, feeling fine again, I ___31___ what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright yellow, and the light ___32___ off the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis! I wondered how many other folks had ___33___ the way I did. I had let one short conversation with a total stranger change my ___34___ for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was ___35___ feeling sick. That single ___36___ observation had a strong effect on the way I felt and ___37___.

    A little while later I saw how ___38___ the incident was, although on that day when the man had told me how ill I looked, I was ___39___ frightened. I wonder how many other people that man had told they were ill ___40___ he realized that the service station had had a paint job!

21. A. ask for   B. search for   C. hope for   D. pay for

22. A. strange   B. simple   C. common   D. familiar

23. A. this    B. not    C. so    D. such

24. A. made   B. put    C. caused    D. took

25. A. anxiously  B. confidently  C. carefully   D. seriously

26. A. doubt   B. certainty  C. hesitation   D. difficulty

27. A. pale   B. yellow    C. brown    D. colorless

28. A. positive   B. relaxed    C. unconscious   D. uneasy

29. A. pulled over   B. pushed in  C. got across   D. ran over

30. A. taken up   B. picked up  C. referred to   D. recovered from

31. A. made sure   B. thought up  C. called up   D. figured out

32. A. reflecting   B. shining    C. coming   D. falling

33. A. impressed   B. influenced   C. behaved   D. reacted

34. A. idea   B. mind    C. attitude   D. plan

35. A. completely   B. naturally  C. actually   D. easily

36. A. strange    B. careful    C. opposite   D. negative

37. A. did    B. performed  C. acted    D. worked

38. A. annoying   B. funny    C. boring   D. disappointing

39. A. never   B. ever    C. really    D. hardly

40. A. after   B. before    C. until    D. when

Dear Alcohol,

    You've been around forever. I can remember all the pain you've caused for me.

Do you remember the night you almost took my father's life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He's addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn't the only one hurt by you that night.

    Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. "I'm so embarrassed," they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit (呕吐). "I'm sorry," they said when I called taxies for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. "This won't happen again," they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.

Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn't realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it's all your fault.

    I wish you'd walk out of my life forever. I don't want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you've caused. Sure, you've made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you've caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring (引诱) in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

41. What is author's purpose in writing to alcohol?

   A. To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers

   B. To describe the harm alcohol did to his family.

   C. To show how much alcohol can hurt people.

   D. To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people's life.

42. What did alcohol do to the author's father?

   A. It made him crash into two other cars and took his life.

   B. It made him drink too much and he had to get his stomach pumped.

   C. It made him kill two other people when driving.

   D. It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself.

43. The underlined phrase "were intrigued by" is closest in meaning to ______.

   A. were familiar with            B. were interested in

   C. were disappointed with       D. were satisfied with

44. What is the tone of the article?

   A. Critical.     B. Doubtful.   C. Unconcerned.   D. Humorous.

45. What is the main writing technique of the passage?

   A. Making something more noticeable than usual.

   B. Representing something in the form of a person.

   C. Describing something by listing its harmfulness.

   D. Comparing one thing with another to make his point clear.

    Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice-skate backwards with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there' s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.     

Stand Straight

    The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry; this happens to all.

Confidence is What You Need

    The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slope every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris（碎片）because otherwise, you could end up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor (做剪式运动) your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.

Maintain Speed

    Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling (滑浆), that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke (滑动). Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.

Increase Your Speed Now

    Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.

Scull and Be Aware

    While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.

46. According to the text, confidence comes from ________.

   A. constant exercise B. strict coaches C. high speed D. good techniques

47. Which is the right order of ice-skating backwards?

   a. Increasing your speed.   b. Being able to scull with one foot.

   c. Being about to stand straight.  d. Trying some different tricks.

   A. c→a→d→b  B. c→b→d→a C. c→b→a→d D. a→c→b→d

48. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express _________.

   A. one must be brave to learn to ice-skate backwards      

   B. skating and keeping cautious are both important

   C. it's difficult to concentrate when ice-skating backwards

   D. it' s a common thing to hit someone when ice skating backwards

49. The purpose of the text is _______.

   A. to offer some advice on ice-skating backwards

   B. to introduce the culture of ice-skating backwards

   C. to explain advantages of ice-skating backwards

   D. to compare different ways of ice-skating backwards 

    One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. "One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states." said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

    In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions was the 1994 "Toubon law" in France, and the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often considered as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.

    It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the "purity" of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but that has not been a barrier to acquiring superiority and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of the state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.

    The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon- especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new ways of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend.

50. Neville Alexander believes that __________.

   A. mother-tongue education is not practiced in all African countries

   B. globalization has resulted in the economic failure of Africa

   C. globalization has led to the rise of multi-language trend

   D. lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure

51. The underlined word "futile" (in paragraph 2) most probably means " ___________".

   A. workable       B. practical        C. useless        D. unnecessary

52. Why do many English-speaking countries not support the language protection efforts described in the passage?

   A. They have a long history of taking words from other languages.

   B. They want their language to spread to other countries.

   C. They think language protection laws are ineffective.

   D. It reduces a language's ability to acquire international importance.

53. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A. English has taken over fields like public communication and education.

   B. Many aspects of national culture are threatened by the spread of English.

   C. Most language experts believe it is important to promote a national language.

   D. Europeans have long realized the need to protect a national language.

54. The best title for the passage is __________.    

   A. Fighting against the rule of English

   B. Protecting local languages and identities

   C. Globalization and multi-language trend

   D. To maintain the purity of language by law

    Antidepressant(抗忧郁) drugs such as Prozac were viewed in the early 1900's as wonder pills that would remove depressive blues for good. But in the past five years, growing scientific evidence has shown these drugs work for only a minority of people. And now a research journal says that these antidepressants can make many patients' depression worse. This alarming suggestion centres on the very chemical that is targeted by antidepressants-serotonin(血清素). Drugs such as Prozac are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ( or SSRIs). Their aim is to increase the level of this "feel-good" chemical in the brain.

    But the new research, published in the journal Frontiers In Evolutionary Psychology, points out that serotonin is like a chemical Swiss Army knife, performing a very wide range of jobs in the brain and body. And when we start changing serotonin levels purposely, it may cause a wide range of unwanted effects. These can include digestive problems and even early deaths in older people, according to the study's lead researcher Paul Andrews. "We need to be much more cautious about use of these drugs," says Andrews, an assistant professor of evolutionary psychology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

    Previous research has suggested that the drugs provide little benefit for most people with mild depression, and actively help only a few of the most severely depressed. Famous psychologist Irving Kirsch has found that for many patients, SSRIs are no more effective than a placebo pill. A research in 2010 on Danish children found a small, but significant, increase in the risk of heart problems among babies whose mothers had used SSRIs in early pregnancy(怀孕). "The key to understanding these side-effects is serotonin", says Andrews. Serotonin is also the reason why patients can often end up feeling still more depressed after they have finished a course of SSRI drugs. He argues that SSRI antidepressants disturb the brain, leaving the patient an even greater depression than before.

    "After long use, when a patient stops taking SSRIs, the brain will lower its levels of serotonin production," he says, adding that it also changes the way receptors in the brain respond to serotonin, making the brain less sensitive to the chemical. These changes are believed to be temporary, but studies indicate that the effects may continue for up to two years.

    Most disturbingly of all, Andrews' review features three recent studies which, he says, show that elderly antidepressant users are more likely to die earlier than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. One study, published in the British Medical Journal last year, found patients given SSRIs were more than 4 percent more likely to die in the next year than those not on the drugs.

    "Serotonin is an ancient chemical," says Andrews. "It is regulating many different processes, and when you disturb these things, you can expect that it is going to cause some harm."

    Stafford Lightman, professor of medicine at the University of Bristol, and a leading UK expert in brain chemicals and hormones, says Andrews' review highlights some important problems, yet it should also be taken with a pinch of salt. "This report is doing the opposite of what drug companies do," he says. "Drug companies selectively present all the positives in their research, while this search selectively presents all the negatives that can be found. Nevertheless, Andrews' study is useful in that it is always worth pointing out that there is a downside to any medicine." Professor Lightman adds that there is still a great deal we don't know about SSRIs-not least what they actually do in our brains.

    When it comes to understanding why the drugs work only for a limited part of patients, U. S. scientists think they might now have the answer. They think that in many depressed patients, it's not only the lack of feel-good serotonin causing their depression, but also a failure in the area of the brain that produces new cells throughout our lives. This area, the hippocampus, is also responsible for regulating mood and memory. Research suggests that in patients whose hippocampus has lost the ability to produce new cells, SSRIs do not bring any benefit.

55. According to paragraph 2, serotonin, like a chemical Swiss Army knife, can ______.

   A. make many patients' depression worse

   B. cause a wide range of unwanted effects

   C. affect human body and brain m various ways

   D. provide little benefit for most depressed people.

56. We can learn from the text that ______.

   A. the number of patients with depression has decreased

   B. antidepressants can benefit people with mild depression

   C. people have realized that Prozac cannot be used to treat depression

   D. antidepressants may increase the risk of early death in older people

57. In Stafford Lightman's opinion, ______.

   A. drug companies don't know the negative effect of antidepressant

   B. Andrews focused on different things from the drug companies

   C. scientists have found what SSRIs do in the brain

   D. Andrews' research has no medical value

58. Which of the following is TRUE about SSRIs?

   A. They are used to increase the "feel-good" medical in the brain.

   B. They can work even when the hippocampus can't produce new cells.

   C. They create a risk of heart problems in pregnant women.

   D. They are responsible for controlling mood and memory.

59. What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 6?

   A. Andrews' review might not be completely true.

   B. Andrews need to do more research to support his viewpoint.

   C. Andrew doesn't consider drug companies' interests.

   D. Andrews has found one of the disadvantages of the medicine.

60. What is the text mainly about?

   A. The aim of drug companies.  B. The function of SSRIs.

   C. The side-effects of antidepressants.  D. The cause of depression.