1 . “The price of books for our students is just getting higher and higher and，combined with the rising cost of tuition，it’s killing these students，”said Peter Jason，a college professor. “Remember，students are one of the poorest groups of people in America. Almost half of them have at least one part-time job. In fact，one of my students has three jobs. And she still manages to have high scores and go to school full-time. ”
Textbook prices are traditionally high. Adding to that problem, many college teachers change textbooks year after year; they either upgrade to a new edition or switch to an entirely different textbook. This further hurts students because if an instructor no longer uses a particular textbook，that book has no resale value.
Dr. Jason decided to make reading a little easier and a lot cheaper for his students by writing his own book on public speaking. “Many books have an increased price because of CD-ROMs，lots of color photographs and pictures. I talked to my students，and many of them，like me，prefer to keep things simple! So，a few years ago，I wrote my own textbook. Compared to most other public speaking books，mine is half the number of pages，and one-third the price. That is，$30 instead of $90. When I wrote a second edition last year，students only had to buy the 35 new pages, For only $7. 00，they had almost a new book. Now my loose-leaf textbook enjoys great popularity among the students. Maybe in the future more writers and publishers will try it. ”
1. What did Dr. Jason say about students at college?| A．They are short of money. |
| B．They need better textbooks. |
| C．They should do part-time jobs. |
| D．They are trying to get high scores. |
| A．To choose cheaper textbooks. |
| B．To write a textbook himself. |
| C．To speak to his students. |
| D．To use old textbooks. |
| A．About 7 dollars. | B．About 30 dollars. |
| C．About 37 dollars. | D．About 90 dollars. |
| A．Dr. Jason’s textbook has CD-ROMs and nice pictures. |
| B．More writers and publishers will write simpler textbooks. |
| C．Dr. Jason teaches public speaking at a college. |
| D．Dr. Jason’s textbook is not well received. |
2 . Hundreds of children are being treated for sleep problems in Wales every year. In some cases，babies，infants (婴儿)and teenagers have been admitted to hospital in north Wales alone.
The Children’s Sleep Charity said many children were suffering from lack of sleep mainly because of technology use. Public Health Wales said sleep was as important to a child’s health as healthy eating and exercise，and children with poor sleep patterns were more likely to be fat.
Statistics obtained (获得) under the Freedom of Information Act by BBC Wales found at least 408 children have been admitted to hospitals across Wales suffering from sleep disorders since March 2013.
Children aged between 0 and 4 made up the highest number of inpatients (住院病人)，with some newborns being treated for sleep-related problems from the day of birth.
Vicki Dawson，who set up the Children’s Sleep Charity (CSC)，said sleepless nights were putting both children and parents in anxiety. “Their weight and growth may also be affected as well as their mental health，”she said.
Teachers said children showing signs of sleep shortage and tiredness in class were a concern as they couldn’t concentrate for long periods.
Psychologist Amy McClelland，of Sleep Wales，saida common problem was that children were “over excited”before bed and that families should get back to basics. “Think 1950s family home. Dinner as a family，read，chat，a film maybe，lights off and then bed. ”She added.
1. What’s the main reason why children are short of sleep？| A．Less exercise. | B．Eating habits. |
| C．Technology use. | D．Sleep patterns. |
| A．Infants. | B．Teenagers. |
| C．Teachers. | D．Parents. |
| A．Chatting and films make children sleep more. |
| B．It is difficult for children to read before bed. |
| C．Being too excitedis good for sleep habits. |
| D．Relaxation has a bad effect on children. |
| A．Ways to Treat Sleep Problems | B．Sleep Problems of Welsh Children |
| C．Sleep Habits of Welsh Children | D．The Problems of Welsh Children |
3 . Keeping secrets is a burden
“Don’t tell anyone”. We hear these words when someone tells a secret to us. But it can be hard to keep a secret. We’re often tempted to “spill the beans(说漏嘴)”，even if we regret it later.
According to Asim Shah, professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, US, keeping a secret may well “become a burden”. This is because people often have an “obsessive and anxious urge to share it with someone”.
An earlier study, led by Anita E. Kelly, a scientist at the University of Notre Dame, US, suggested that keeping a secret could cause stress. People entrusted(受委托的) with secrets can suffer from depression, anxiety, and body aches, reported the Daily Mail.
But with secrets so often getting out, why do people share them at all? Shah explained that people often feel that it will help them keep a person as a friend. Another reason people share secrets is guilt over keeping it from someone close to them. A sense of distrust can develop when people who are close do not share it with each other. “Keeping or sharing secrets often puts people in a position of either gaining or losing the trust of someone,” according to Shah.
He added that talkative people could let secrets slip out (泄露).But this doesn’t mean that it is a good idea only to share secrets with quiet people. A quiet person may be someone who keeps everything inside. To tell such a person a secret may cause them stress, and make them talk about the secret. Shah said that to judge whether to tell someone a secret.
Shah said that to judge whether to tell someone a secret, you’d better put yourself in their position. Think about how you would feel to be told that you mustn’t give the information away. Shah also recommended that if you accidentally give up someone’s secret you should come clean about it. Let the person know that their secret isn’t so secret anymore.
1. What does underlined word “obsessive” mean?| A．Unwilling. |
| B．Confusing. |
| C．Wanting to do something very much. |
| D．Refusing to accept facts. |
| A．It can result in mental and physical problems. |
| B．It can help promote friendships between people. |
| C．It can harm relationships between friends |
| D．It can result in a sense of distrust between friends |
| A．It’s better to share your secrets with quiet people. |
| B．Quiet people suffer less stress from keeping secrets. |
| C．Talkative people are unlikely to keep secrets. |
| D．It’s not a good idea to share your secrets with others. |
| A．Stay away from the person. |
| B．Tell the affected person what happened. |
| C．Exchange a new secret with the person. |
| D．Buy the person a gift as an apology. |
