【推荐1】Drug problems

If you're worried about your own or someone else's drug taking or misuse, it's good to know the facts.

Why take drugs?

Drug users don't start using drugs with the intention of becoming addicted. But many drugs contain addictive substances(物质) and even people who use them occasionally can become dependent and need to use them regularly.

Reasons why people start using drugs can include: to escape problems they may be having in other parts of their life, peer pressure and fitting in with another group of people, being curious about the effects of drugs.

If you start to use drugs on a regular basis, or if you become dependent on them, it can affect your family and friends as well as having a serious impact on your own physical and mental well-being.

Drug overdoses can be fatal. You can die instantly from misusing substances and drugs that you can buy over the counters.

Signs of drug abuse and misuse

There is not a common list of symptoms that you can use to tell if you or someone you know is misusing drugs. That's because drug use affects different people in different ways, depending on the type of drugs they're using.

Although anxiety, tiredness and a change in sleeping habits can be signs of drug use, they can also be caused by changes in your body, stress or other problems.

_____________________

Drugs are categorised into three classes based on their overall level of harm. Class A drugs are the most dangerous, however, all the drugs in all three classes are harmful and addictive.

Remember that all drugs are illegal, even Class C drugs like cannabis(大麻烟). If you're caught selling them to other people, or carrying a small amount in your pocket, it's likely that the police will get involved.

If you're found guilty of any of these offences, you may face a fine or time in custody(拘留), with Class A drugs carrying the most severe sentences.

Worried about a friend?

If you think that one of your friends or relatives is misusing drugs, you may want to approach them and talk about it. It's not your responsibility to make them stop, but you can tell them about how their behaviour is affecting your relationship.

If they ask for help with their problem, then it's important to listen and help them find the right information and treatment.

National Drugs Helpline

If you're worried about drug abuse and addiction you can call the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 776 600 for confidential advice—lines are open seven days a week. Calls are free and they won't show up on your phone bill, but you may be charged if you use a mobile.

More useful links

Information about addictions from need to know

Information about drugs, the law and human rights

1. Who is the article for?

A．Parents of drug takers

B．People who are interested in taking drugs

C．The police who deal with drug sellers

D．People who are concerned about drug misusing

2. Which of the following is true according to Part II?

A．All those who abuse or misuse drugs have something in common in symptoms.

B．People who take the same drug are affected in the way alike.

C．Anxiety, tiredness and a change in sleeping habits result from drug use only.

D．You can’t tell exactly whether a person is misusing drugs by symptoms like anxiety.

3. What is the subtitle of Part III?

A．Three classes of drugs.	B．Drugs and the law
C．The impacts of taking drugs.	D．Illegal drugs

4. What can you do if you are addicted to drug use?

A．You can tell your trouble to your friends and find the right treatment.

B．It’s your responsibility to tell your friends so that it will not spread.

C．Pay only a small amount of money to turn to National Drugs Helpline for help.

D．Dial 0800 776 600 to find the information about drugs, the law and human rights.

【推荐2】As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping (录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1. The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

2. Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because _________.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3. By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．are often kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

4. Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．It is important to have the right food for children.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

【推荐3】Various studies have shown that increased spending on education has not led to measurable improvements in learning. Between 1980 and 2008, staff and teachers at U.S. public schools grew roughly twice as fast as students.    1    

Universities show similar trends of increased administration personnel and costs without greater learning, as documented in Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa's recent book Academically A drift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.

A survey shows that 63% ofemployers say that recent college graduates don't have the skills they need to succeed and 25% of employers say that entry-level writing skills are lacking.

Some simplistically attribute the decline in our public education system to the drain of skilled students by private schools, but far more significant events were at work.

Public schools worked well until about the 1970s.    2     It was the underperforming students who were thrown out of public schools and went to private ones.

A prominent reason public schools did well was that many highly qualified women had few options for working outside the house other than being teachers or nurses.     3    

Having such a large supply of talented women teachers meant that society could pay less for their services. Women’s liberation opened up new professional opportunities for women, and, over time, some of the best left teaching as a career option, bringing about agradual decline in the quality of schooling.

    4    Large education bureaucracies and unions came to dominate the landscape, confusing activity with achievement. Bureaucrats regularly rewrite curriculums, talk nonsense about theories of education, and require ever more administrators. The endresult has been that, after all the spending, students have worse math and reading skills than both their foreign peers and earlier generations spendingfar less on education --- as all the accumulating evidence has now documented.

A．They accepted relatively low pay, difficult working conditions, and gave their very best.

B．In fact, until that time, public schools provided far better education than private ones.

C．Achievement tests have failed to truly reflect the quality of teaching.

D．The heavy teaching loads left them little time and energy for family life.

E．Also around that time, regulations, government, and unions came to dictate pay, prevent adjustments.

F．Yet students showed no additional learning in achievement tests.

【推荐1】A native of Florida, U. S. , Hannah Herbst, 17, uses water power to deal with energy poverty. Herbst has risen to fame with the development of BEACON, an ocean energy probe that seeks to offer a stable power source to developing countries by using untapped energy from ocean currents.

She told Teen Vogue , " I was really involved in theater and athletics and I'm still really into those things. When I was in the seventh grade, I was put into a summer camp. The minute I got there I realized that I was the only girl in the program. I wanted to quit at that moment. But my dad told me, ' Just try it. '   I tried it for that day and it changed my life. ”

“At the camp, we started building the robots, which is something I had never done before but many of the boys had, and I realized it was a platform for problem-solving. We were solving simple tasks like how to push a robot off a platform. Learning from my partners as well as online articles about how to program and build was really interesting to me," said Herbst.

Later that year, she received a letter from her pen pal, Ruth, who lives in Ethiopia, and learned that she was living in energy poverty with minimal access to electricity and medical supplies. " I knew that I wanted to do something to help, so I created BEACON, she said.

The device is made from 90% recycled materials easily found throughout the world, including 2-liter bottles and recycled spoons. It costs $ 12 to make and can produce enough electricity to power an LED light. Hannah imagines BEACON being used in developing countries to power pumps for fresh water and she is working on polishing it to get it available to people all over the world.

1. What advice does Herbst most likely give to teens by her camp experience?

A．Quilting to gain more.

B．Giving something a go.

C．Developing various interests.

D．Avoiding favorable conditions

2. What kind of summer camp did Herbst join in the seventh grade?

A．Athletic.	B．Literature.
C．Theater.	D．Engineering.

3. Which words can best describe Hannah Herbst?

A．Energetic and kind.	B．Helpful and creative.
C．Generous and modest.	D．Careful and adventurous.

4. What can we know about BEACON?

A．It is a powerful LED light.

B．It's made without any cost.

C．Its materials are accessible.

D．It has been put on the market.

【推荐2】The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card fraud. Your card information could even be for sale on an illegal website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number or sell the information over the Internet.

Computer hackers(黑客) have broken down security systems, raising Questions about the safety of cardholder information. 25, 000 customers of CD Universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit card numbers were posted on a website after the retailer refused to pay the ransom(赎金) to get back the information.

Credit card firms are now fighting against online fraud. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.

Shop only on secure sites: send your credit card information only if the website offers advanced secure system.

If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The website address may also start with “https: / / ”-the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit card information over the telephone.

Keep your passwords safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.

1. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?

A．A lot of stolen credit cards were sold on the Internet.

B．Fraud on the Internet.

C．Many websites are destroyed.

D．Many illegal websites are on the Internet.

2. What is the meaning of the word “fraud”?

A．Cheating.	B．Sale.
C．Payment.	D．Safety.

3. How can the thieves get credit card information?

A．The customers give them the information.

B．They steal the information from websites.

C．The customers sell the information to them.

D．They buy the information from credit card firms.

4. You want to buy a TV set on a shopping website whose address starts with “http: / / ”. What does this article suggest you do?

A．Order the TV set at once.

B．Do not buy the TV set on this site.

C．E-mail the site your credit card information.

D．Tell the site your password and buy the TV set.

【推荐3】Are you a forgetful person? You might be able to blame your genes, a new study in the journal Neuroscience Letters suggests.
Researchers from the University of Bonn have identified a variant（变体） on the DRD2 gene that seems to be associated with increased forgetfulness.
Everyone has one of two variants of the DRD2 gene, the difference is just one letter in the genetic code: Some people have the cytosine (C) variant, while others have the thymine (T) variant. The researchers wanted to see how having one variant over another was associated with forgetfulness.
To test this, they analyzed the DRD2 gene of 500 study participants, and also had the participants answer surveys about their forgetfulness (such as how often they misplaced their keys, or forgot names).
Most of the study participants—three quarters of them—had the thymine gene variant, while the other quarter had the cytosine gene variant. Researchers found an association between more forgetfulness problems and having the thymine gene variant of DRD2. Meanwhile, the cytosine gene variant seemed to have a protective effect against forgetfulness.
However, “there are things you can do to compensate for forgetfulness; writing yourself notes or making more of an effort to put your keys down in a specific location—and not just anywhere,” study researcher Dr. Sebastian Markett, of the University of Bonn, said in a statement.
Research has also suggested that some age groups are more forgetful than others. A recent national poll showed that millenials, who were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are actually more likely than seniors to be absent-minded with things like what day of the week it is, where they put their keys and remembering to bring their lunch.
Meanwhile, another study recently published in the journal BMC Psychology showed that men are more likely than women to experience minor memory problems.
1. What do we know about the DRD2?

A．It has two similar variants.

B．Some people don’t have it.

C．It’s bad for people’s memory.

D．Everyone has one of its variants.

2. We can infer from the study that ______.

A．most people have the C gene variant

B．about 75% of the study participants are forgetful

C．people with the C gene variant are more forgetful

D．the T gene variant helps improve people’s memory

3. Paragraph 6 is mainly about ______.

A．the result of study

B．how to avoid the forgetfulness

C．why forgetfulness is normal

D．the influence of forgetfulness

4. Which section of a newspaper is the test most probably taken from?

A．Health.	B．Nature.
C．People.	D．Science

【推荐1】A Wolf in Danger

What is happening to the timber wolf (森林狼) today?

Native Americans and early settlers often went to sleep to the sound of a lonely lullaby (催眠曲). It was the song of the wolf howling in a distant forest. There were many wolves then. One kind was the North American timber wolf.

Wolves are important to the balance of nature because they eat sick and weak animals. In Colorado, people tried to help deer by shooting wolves. But then there were so many deer that many of them starved to death.

The timber wolf is on the endangered special list . Animals on this list are in danger of disappearing from the earth. People drove the wolves away by cutting down the forests to build houses, towns, and highways. Timber wolves are now found only in Canada, Alaska, Michigan, and Minnesota.

This special animal may soon disappear from our forests forever. Then, its lonely howl will never be heard again.

1. Animals that are in danger of disappearing from the earth are called a(n)_______species.

A．endangered

B．living

C．alive

D．lived

2. Wolves help the balance of nature because they _______.

A．are an endangered species

B．eat sick and weak animals

C．no longer live in forests

D．help the farmers

3. At one time, the timber wolf was found _______.

A．in many parts of North America

B．only in Colorado and Canada

C．in towns and cities in Alaska

D．in many parts of Africa

4. Which of the following happened first?

A．People built towns and highways.

B．The timber wolf was driven away from its home.

C．People cut down the forests.

D．Timber wolves are endangered species.

【推荐2】Everyone knows that death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases---clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived (复活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.

Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body's metabolism, cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.

To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey's blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta's heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous (自发的) breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seize d the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.

1. Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “ceased”____________.

A．postponed.

B．prevented.

C．stopped.

D．lengthened.

2. Why do scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer?

A．cool the organism.

B．bring vital cells and tissues back to active life.

C．slow down the body's metabolism.

D．postpone the coming of biological death.

3. How did the scientists put Keta into clinical death?

A．By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood.

B．By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood.

C．By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating.

D．By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing.

4. All of the following indicate that the monkey has almost restored to her original physical state EXCEPT the fact that ___________.

A．her heart beat again.

B．she rejected a penicillin injection.

C．she regained her normal breath.

D．she acted as lively as a healthy monkey.

【推荐3】Here are apps that can help you make a schedule and a budget, take better notes, organize a big project, and stay safe. Check out these apps to get a head-start on being on top of your life!

Flashcards Deluxe

Price: $3.99

Platform: iOS and Android

Flashcards can be a very effective way to study, and Flashcards Deluxe makes creating them very easy. You can input information right into the app, make cards with up to five sides, and even add pictures and sounds to cards. The app can be set to automatically turn of cards that you get correct so you can focus more on the ones you got wrong.

Circle of 6U

Price: free

Platform: Android, iOS

When you're on a college campus, walking home late at night can be frightening. So, make sure to download Circle of 6 U, which helps you feel more secure. Not only does it help you find your location, but it makes communicating with your trusted friends easier. Once you build a network of trusted contacts in the app, it lets you send a pre-edited group message, with your location to all of them in two taps.

CampusBooks

Price: free

Platform: iOS, Android

The CampusBooks app helps you get the lowest price when you're buying or renting textbooks, and helps you get the highest price when you're ready to sell! If you need a book right away, you'll be shown the closest stores and libraries that have your book in stock.

Dragon Dictation

Price: free

Platform: iOS

Dictating homework and emails to the Dragon Dictation app can save you time! You can send your dictation to a text, email, or paste it into any application. The included editor will suggest words, and the app will improve its accuracy over time as it gets to know your voice. It also works in many languages other than English.

1. Which app can you choose for safety concern?

A．Flashcards Deluxe.	B．Circle of 6U.
C．CampusBooks.	D．Dragon Dictation.

2. What can Dragon Dictation do?

A．It can add pictures to your email.	B．It can save your money on books.
C．It can correct your spelling mistakes.	D．It can recognize many languages.

3. Who is the text mainly intended for?

A．Students.	B．Librarians.
C．Businessmen.	D．Programmers.

【推荐1】If you ever find yourself trapped in the wilderness without food, you'll have to figure out how to feed yourself. Many plants in the wild are edible, but many are also poisonous. So it is necessary to learn how to determine whether the plants you find can be eaten safely.

Avoid using this method without careful planning. Some plants can be deadly, and even if you follow these guidelines perfectly, there is always a chance that a plant will make you seriously ill. Prepare yourself for wilderness outings by learning about the local plants, and carry a guidebook to help you identify plants. Even if you are unprepared and cannot find food you know to be safe, remember that, depending on your activity level, the human body can go for days without food, and you’re better off being hungry than being poisoned.

Testing the plant in your mouth is dangerous, so go forward very slowly and carefully. First, hold a small portion of the prepared plant part against your lip for 3 minutes. Do not put the plant in your mouth. If you notice any burning, tingling (刺痛), or other reactions, discontinue testing. Second, place another small portion of the plant part on your tongue. Hold the plant on your tongue without chewing for 15 minutes. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Third, chew the plant and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Chew the plant well, and do not swallow. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Fourth, swallow the small portion of the plant. Wait 8 hours. Do not eat or drink anything during this period except purified water. If you feel sick, immediately throw up what you eat and drink plenty of water. If activated charcoal (活性炭) is available, take that with the water.

1. What’s the meaning of the underlined world “edible” in paragraph 1?

A．Suitable for using as food.	B．Widely spread.
C．Existing in large quantities.	D．Not widely known.

2. What can we know from paragraph 2?

A．Planning is unnecessary when using the method.

B．Not all plants in the wild can serve as food generally.

C．Suffering hunger can be more dangerous than testing plants.

D．Following the method perfectly can ensure safety.

3. Which is the correct order of testing plants in the mouth?
① wait and see ② chew it in the mouth③ put it on the tongue④ put it against lips ⑤ swallow it

A．③④②①⑤

B．④③②①⑤

C．③④②⑤①

D．④③②⑤①

4. Where might the passage come from?

A．A student’s diary.

B．A science report.

C．A guide book for camping.

D．A doctor’ s notebook.

【推荐2】It is a finding which is certain to be hotly discussed. According to the latest research, women are brighter than men. For the first time in IQ testing, psychologists have found that female scores have risen above those of men.

Since IQ testing began a century ago, women have been as much as five points behind. But that gap has been narrowing in recent years and this year women have moved ahead, according to James Flynn, leader of the research.

“In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women have risen but women’s have risen faster,” said Mr. Flynn. “This is a consequence （结果）of modernity, which is making our brains adapt (适应) and raising our IQ.”

One possible explanation is that women’s lives have become more demanding as they multitask (同时处理) between raising a family and doing a job. Another is that women have a slightly higher potential intelligence than men and are only now realizing it.

Mr. Flynn, who will publish his findings in a book, said more data was needed to explain the trend（趋势）. “The full effect of modernity on women is only just starting,” he added.

He compared IQ result from countries in western Europeand from the United States, Canada, NewZealand, Argentina and Estonia. These showed that in westernized countries the gap in scores between men and women had become minimal (最小).

The data for making comparison（对比） was limited and could be carried out for only a few countries. It included Australia, where male and female IQs were found to be almost the same. In New Zealand, Estonia and Argentina, women scored slightly more than men.

Mr. Flynn said, “As the world gets more complex, people are adapting.” He added, “I suspect that the same trends are happening in Britain, although the data is too limited to be true.”

1. What would be the best title for the text?

A．The history of IQ testing

B．The modernity of the world

C．Women overtake men in IQ testing

D．Women are becoming stronger than men

2. On IQ tests in the past_________.

A．women were brighter than men

B．women were as bright as men

C．men were brighter than women

D．men had been five points behind

3. What do we know about the research mentioned in the text?

A．It was led by James Flynn

B．Its results have been published

C．Its results represent the whole world

D．It was started one hundred years ago

4. The text is likely to be found in ________.

A．a story-book

B．a news report

C．a personal diary

D．a history book

【推荐3】Researchers studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, organised by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States and looked at the relationship between coupe of coffee drunk per day, and both total body fat percentage and abdominal or ‘trunk’ fat.

They found that women aged 20- 44 who drank two or three cups of coffee per day had the lowest levels of obesity, 3.4% lower than people who did not consume coffee. Among women aged between 45-69. those who drank four a more cups had an obesity percentage 4.1% lover.

Overall, the average total body fat percentage was 2.8% lower among women of all ages who drank two or three cups of coffee per day.

The findings were consistent whether the coffee consumed was caffeinated or decaffeinated and among smoker/non-smokers and those suffering from chronic diseases when compared to those in good health.

In men, the relationship was less significant although men aged 20-44 who drank two or three cups per day had 1.39% less total fat and 1.8% less trunk fat than those who did not consume coffee.

Around 7 million tons of coffee is consumed globally every year. Dr Lee Smith, Reader in Public Heath at Anglia Ruskin University and senior author of the study, said: “Our research suggests that there may be active compounds in coffee other than caffeine that manage weigh and which could potentially be used as anti-obesity compounds.”

“It could Le possible that coffee, or its effective ingredients could be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce the burden of chronic conditions related to the obesity,” Dr Lee Smith added, “I is important o interpret the finding of this study in light of its limitations-the study was at a specific point in time so trends cannot be established. However, we don't believe that someone’s weight is likely to influence their coffee consumption.”

1. What in coffee mainly influences body fat according to Dr Lee Smith?

A．The caffeine.	B．The decaffeinated.
C．The effective compound.	D．The rich nutrition.

2. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Coffee has less effect on men than women in fat according to the finding.

B．The women aged 20-44 like to drink two or three cups of coffee per day.

C．The researchers found that the coffee consumers preferred caffeinated coffee.

D．Trends will be established to limit people's weights by their coffee consumption.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A guidebook.

C．A novel.

D．A magazine.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Chronic Diseases Related to the Obesity	B．Coffee Linked to Lower Body Fat
C．Coffee Related to Heart Disease	D．Study Discloses the Benefits of Coffee