Depression(抑郁癥)is a serious problem today．Depression causes workers to be unproductive，causing companies and countries to lose billions of dollars．One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread，costly and deadly”．Depression hits one person in five around the world．
Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated，studies show that depression is a problem among everyone。Over any six-month period，between five to seven percent of the world's population will be suffering from a serious depression．
suicide(自殺)rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme，or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large，and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks. People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping，getting up on time，and doing work productively．
Depression，which researchers agree has its origin in the genes(基因)，brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate-making it impossible for employees and managers to work efficiently．
Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese's inability to face it．Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy．  Besides，there is no good treatment，with few specialists available．
“Most patients in China just don't get help，”a Chinese doctor says．“In my hospital．I have to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning，just have time to say “Hello how do you feel？”
In Western countries，people are not afraid to admit that they have depression，but most do not tell it to their boss，because they fear that their boss would fire them．
“In my experience，aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it. Because they feel the most secure about themselves，”an American doctor says．
Hopefully，in the near future，people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment．
【小題1】Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．It is widely believed that everyone may suffer from depression．

B．Depression brings great problems to its sufferers in their life and work

C．Depression is a commonly-existing problem only in rich countries．

D．The poorer and the less educated a person is，the less he will suffer from depression．

【小題2】Compared to normal people，the depressed people are likely to be▁▁▁．

A．very unconfident and often absent-minded

B．easy to avoid being hit by heart attacks

C．working efficiently and productively

D．either weak or lazy

【小題3】Depression becomes more serious in China because of．

A．the understanding of the problem

B．the lack of treatment and doctors

C．their unwillingness to tell it to their boss

D．the doctors' careless work

【小題4】What can we infer from the passage?

A．People are suffering from depression because of the shortage of specialists．

B．The aging bosses around the world dare to say they are depressed．

C．More and more patients will turn to specialists for help．

D．Western people are braver than Chinese people．

Many people have never heard of Mesothelioma and are unaware of its symptoms. Although considered a rare form of cancer, each year the number of cases grows. With the prevalence(流行)of this disease on the rise, it is critical to understand why and how Mesothelioma develops and what courses of action can be taken in the event of diagnosis. The following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers that will provide you with some information on Mesothelioma, and the legal issues surrounding it.
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor found in the mesothelial cells of an organ. The organs where this form of cancer is most commonly found are the lungs, heart and abdominal organs. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the lung lining(組織,膜)and is the most common form of Mesothelioma.
What causes Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos(石棉). Asbestos is often found in building materials used before the mid 1970's. In addition, materials such as pipes, boiler insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles may contain asbestos.
How much asbestos exposure will cause Mesothelioma?
Generally, the probability of developing this form of cancer is in accordance with the length of time you are exposed to asbestos. Also, your health is at risk if your exposure to asbestos is intense. It should be noted that Mesothelioma has a latency(潛伏)period of 20 to 50 years. This means that you may develop the disease long after your exposure to asbestos. On average, people tend to develop Mesothelioma somewhere between 35 and 40 years after exposure.
How quickly does Mesothelioma progress?
The onset of Mesothelioma is quite slow. Patients will begin to experience symptoms such as lower back pain and chest pain. These symptoms may also be accompanied by weight loss, fever and difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, once Mesothelioma develops, it quickly becomes aggressive and treatment must be sought immediately.
Can Mesothelioma be treated?
Doctors are able to use several traditional methods of cancer treatment for Mesothelioma, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Like all forms of cancer, detecting the disease at the earliest stage possible greatly increases the patient's chances for survival. If you have worked in an industry such as construction or suspect that you may have been exposed to asbestos, be alert for symptoms and contact your doctor immediately.
What legal courses of action can be taken?
Anyone suffering from Mesothelioma is entitled to compensation from asbestos manufacturers. Additionally, if you are the spouse or child of someone who has died from Mesothelioma, you are entitled to file a claim and seek compensation.
【小題1】The authors intends to _______.

A．tell the readers how important it is to know more about Mesothelioma.

B．provide more information about Mesothelioma

C．give advice on how tto avoid developing Mesothelioma

D．tell the readers how terrible Mesothelioma is

【小題2】We can learn from the text that _______.

A．Asbestos is to blame for Mesothelioma.

B．Even if a person is exposed to asbestos for a while, he will die soon.

C．All the employees can ask for compensation from asbestos manufacturers.

D．Mesothelioma is a cancer familiar to many people.

【小題3】The following are the symptoms of Mesothelioma EXCEPT ______.

A．frequent headache	B．lower back pain
C．chest pain	D．difficult breathing

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Terrible Mesothelioma

B．Mesothelioma is around us

C．Frequently Asked Questions About Mesothelioma

D．Mesothelioma in on the rise

【小題5】If you work in an industry exposed to asbestos, you should ________.

A．give up the job immediately

B．a(chǎn)sk for a rise from your boss

C．file a claim and seek compensation

D．go to hospital and have your body examined

How to eat healthfully can be especially complex for working women who often have neither the desire nor the time to cook for themselves (or for anyone else )．Registered dietitian Barbara Morrissey suggests that a few simple rules can help.
“Go for nutrient－dense foods，”she suggests，“foods that contain a multiple of nutrients.  For example，select whole wheat bread as a breakfast food，rather than coffee cake. Or drink orange juice rather than orange drink，which contains only a small percentage of real juice—the rest is largely colored sugar water. You just can't compare the value of these foods, the nutrient－dense ones are so superior，”she emphasizes.
Morrissey believes that variety is not only the spice of life，it's the foundation of a healthful diet. Diets which are based on one or two foods are not only almost impossible to keep up the strength，they can be very harmful, she says, because nutrients aren't supplied in enough amounts or balance.
According to Morrissey，trying to find a diet that can cure your illnesses，or make you superwoman is a fruitless search.“ As women，many of us are too concerned with staying thin，”she says，and “we believe that vitamins are some kind of magic cure to replace food.”
“We need carbohydrates，protein and fat－they are like the wood in the fireplace. The vitamins and minerals are like the match，the spark，for the fuel，”she explains.“ We need them all，but in a very different proportions（部分）. And if the fuel isn't there，the spark is useless.”
【小題1】From the first paragraph we know that working women________.

A．think cooking is especially complicated

B．do not share the same views with registered dietitians

C．a(chǎn)re busy and not interested in cooking

D．a(chǎn)re likely to eat healthfully

【小題2】Orange juice is different from orange drink because________.

A．it contains only a small percentage of real juice

B．it is natural，nutritious and prepared from real oranges

C．it is largely orange－colored sugar water

D．it produces nothing but calories

【小題3】In Paragraph 4，“a fruitless search” means “____”．

A．a(chǎn)n effort with no results

B．a(chǎn) search for a diet without fruits

C．a(chǎn) research on fruitless diet

D．a(chǎn) diet serving as medicine

【小題4】Many women take it for granted，according to the passage that________.

A．a(chǎn) balanced diet can result in being fat

B．staying thin and healthy are both possible

C．lack of variety in diets leads to staying thin

D．vitamins are some kind of substitutions（代替物）for food

【小題5】By saying “if the fuel isn't there，the spark is useless”，the author means “________”．

A．carbohydrates，protein and fat are enough to support a human life

B．vitamins and minerals are almost of no value

C．carbohydrates，protein and fat are as important as vitamins and minerals

D．without carbohydrates，protein and fat，vitamins and minerals are of no use

After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend’s Liverpudlian accent suddenly becomes too difficult to understand after his clear words on screen; a secretary’s tone seems more rejecting than I’d imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid—hours become minutes, and alternately seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary days.
For the last three years, since I stopped working as a producer for Charlie Rose, I have done much of my work as a tele-commuter. I submit（提交） articles and edit them by E-mail and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England; so much of our relationship is computer-mediated.
If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the blizzard(暴風雪) of ’96 on TV.
But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I’ve merged（融合） with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another node（波節(jié)） on the Net. Others on line report the same symptoms. We start to strongly dislike the outside forms of socializing. It’s like attending an A. A. meeting in a bar with everyone holding a half-sipped drink. We have become the Net opponents’ worst nightmare.
What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair, and clothes and face, has become an avoidance（逃避），a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.
At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to chatter in the background, something that I’d never done previously. The voices of the programs relax me, but then I’m jarred by the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather.　“Dateline”, “Frontline” , “Nightline,” CNN, every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Work moves from foreground to background.
【小題1】Compared to the clear words of her boyfriend on screen, his accent becomes______.

A．unreal	B．unbearable
C．misleading	D．not understandable

【小題2】The passage implies that the author and her boyfriend live in______.

A．the same city	B．the same country
C．different countries	D．different cities in England

【小題3】What does the last paragraph mean?

A．Having worked on the computer for too long, she became a bit strange.

B．Sometimes TV programs give her comfort and even makes her forget her work.

C．She watches TV a lot in order to keep up with the latest news and the weather.

D．She turns on TV now and then in order to get some valuable information.

【小題4】What is the author’s attitude to the computer?

A．At first she likes it but later becomes tired of it.

B．She likes it because it is very convenient.

C．She dislikes it because TV is more attractive.

D．She likes it because it provides an imaginary world.

【小題5】The underlined phrase “coming back out of the cave” probably means______.

A．going back to the dreaming world

B．coming back home from the outside world

C．bringing back direct human contact

D．getting away from living a strange life

Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men’s hearts go into rapid decline（下降） when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women’s longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,” said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
“Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,” said Goldspink. “This is part of the ageing process.”
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman’s heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one’s. “This gender（ 性別） difference might just explain why women live longer than men,” said Goldspink. They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease. “The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart,” said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.
【小題1】The underlined word “l(fā)ongevity” in the second paragraph probably refers to “________”.

A．health

B．a(chǎn)geing

C．long life

D．effect

【小題2】The text mainly talks about ________.

A．men’s heart cells	B．women’s ageing process
C．the gender difference	D．hearts and long life

【小題3】According to the text, the UK scientists have known that ________.

A．women have more cells than men when they are born

B．women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat

C．the female heart loses few of the cells with age

D．women never lose their pumping power with age

【小題4】If you want to live longer, you should ________.

A．exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy

B．find out the reason for ageing

C．enable your heart to beat much faster

D．prevent your cells from being lost

【小題5】We can know from the passage that ________.

A．the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out

B．scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells

C．the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss

D．women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20

Researchers have announced the result of two studies on the health effects of the drug aspirin．One study shows aspirin can sharply reduce the chance that a healthy, older man will suffer from a heart attack．
The study offered two new results from earlier findings, It said taking one aspirin pili every other day helped only healthy men over the age of fifty．It also said aspirin gave the greatest protection against heart attacks to men with low blood cholesterol（膽固醇）levels．
Earlier in the United States began a major aspirin study in the early 1980s．It included 22,000 healthy men doctors．Ail were between the ages of forty and eighty-four．More than 11,000 of the doctors took a harmless pill that contained no drug．The men did not know which kind of pill they were taking．
The doctors who took aspirin suffered 44% fewer heart attacks than those taking the harmless pill．139 men who took aspirin suffered from heart attacks．Ten of them died．239 men who did not take aspirin suffered from heart attacks．Twenty-six of them died．
The researchers said the doctors' study provides clear proof that taking aspirin can prevent a first heart attack in healthy, older men．They said, however, the result does not mean every man over the mage of fifty should take aspirin．They said aspirin couldn't help men who do not eat healthy foods, who smoke cigarettes and who are fat．The researchers said men who think they wou3d be helped by taking aspirin should talk with their doctors first．
【小題1】We may learn that the new use of aspirin is ______．

A．to treat heart disease

B．to reduce the chance of a heart attack in old men

C．to protect old men

D．to reduce the blood cholesterol levels

【小題2】Aspirin can help those who ______．

A．a(chǎn)re older and healthy

B．know how to keep fit

C．a(chǎn)re fat and smoke cigarettes

D．a(chǎn)re suffering from heart attack

【小題3】At last the researchers advised us to take aspirin _____.

A．a(chǎn)s we like

B．with care

C．every day

D．if we are over fifty

【小題4】From the experiment we can conclude that about ______ of people who suffered from heart attacks without aspirin died．

A．7%

B．19%

C．11%

D．44%

In 2030, 42 percent of American adults will be obese, and about one-quarter of that group will be severely obese, a condition that shortens life and wastes large medical expenses, a new study predicts.
Obesity related ailments — diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure — consume at least 9 percent of health-care spending the United States. Some researchers believe the cost may be twice that estimate. Total health spending is about $2.6 trillion a year.
In 2030, 42 percent of people are projected to be obese, and 11 percent severely obese. Obesity is a body mass index , which suggests 85 kg for someone 1.67 meters tall. Severe obesity is 112 kg for someone that height.
Obesity is rising in higher-income men. Severe obesity is increasing in both sexes. It was 6.2 percent in women in 1999 and 8.1 percent in 2010. For men, it was 3.1 percent in 1999 and 4.4 percent in 2010.
It is believed that the obesity rate is closely related to the following factors: the price of gasoline, which discourages walking when it is low; access to the Internet (and other technologies), which encourages long periods of sitting still; and restaurants per 10,000 people, which increases eating out and weight gain when the number goes up.
Urgent measures must be taken to inspire people to exercise more and educate people about better eating habits before too many people will be suffering from being . obese.
【小題1】The word “ailments” in the second paragraph is equal to _______.

A．Diabetes

B．Heart disease

C．Kidney failure

D．Diseases

【小題2】If a man aged 35 is about 1.65 meters tall and weighs 65 kg, he is
probably _____ according to the passage.

A．Obese

B．Severely obese

C．Normal

D．Overweight

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following facts contributes to the obesity rate?

A．People are used to eating out in restaurants.

B．People do not have free access to the Internet.

C．The price of gasoline is going up steadily.

D．The number of higher-income women is on the increase.

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food．What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
【小題1】According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?

A．Those who often take exercise.

B．Those who often watch television.

C．Those who often have meals at home.

D．Those who often walk to school.

【小題2】The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because

A．their parents often cook meals for them

B．they are too busy to go out and play

C．they can' t choose what to eat

D．there are too many fast food shops around

【小題3】The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.

A．forcing

B．guiding

C．driving

D．moving

【小題4】The main purpose of the text is to _________.

A．tell a story

B．provide facts

C．give advice

D．compare opinions

If your recurring(經(jīng)常性的)dreams are worrying you，you can rest assured and needn’t worry．Psychologists say in the vast majority of these cases，this is just the mind’s way of dealing with stress and conflicts，problems and concerns．It’s a good thing．
They call be surprisingly vivid and real，or fragmented and weird．They can be comforting or frightening．Our dreams can tell us a lot about what we are really thinking．Dreams give us an x-ray of our unconsciousness(潛意識)．They tell us，particularly when we are at life’s passages or turning points．
Lisa Oppenheim had the same dream whenever she was about to move to a new home or a new city．It’s always just a feeling of needing to stay safe．Experts say disturbing dreams often occur around major life events．For Lisa，it was moving．For others，it can be marriage or divorce，the death of a loved one or pressure at work．
Doctor Siegel has studied the meaning of dream for nearly 30 years．He believes stressful or upsetting dreams can be a sign of what’s buried deep inside our minds．
He said．“Dreams are important to survival．They are crucial to the balance of our psyche(心靈)．They help us work out problems that we’re having every single day．They go to the cutting edge of what’s stressful，what’s bothering us and what we’re working out in our lives．Dreams can guide us and in order to find that guidance，to find that deep source of wisdom that’s in our dreams every night，we need to pay attention to our dreams．”
But many dreams are scary and horrible．How can we understand these nightmares? Doctor Siegel says they are reflecting especially intense emotion or unresolved conflict．The stronger the emotion in the dream，whether it’s pleasure or fear，the likelier the dream is to be important．
Knowing what your recurring dreams or nightmares mean can be liberating．Some nightmares can be a sign of serious psychological problems，such as post-dramatic stress disorder．If they are extremely disturbing or violent or the cause of severe anxiety，you should see a professional therapist(治療專家)．
【小題1】By saying “Dreams give US an x-ray of our unconsciousness,”  the author means that dreams

A．do harm to our mind	B．show us our real mind
C．solve our stress in mind	D．give us a turning point in mind

【小題2】People will have recurring dreams when they_______________．

A．1ive with great pressure or have great events

B．do the same things all their lives

C．move to a new home or a new city

D．a(chǎn)re comforted or frightened

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to Doctor Siegel?

A．Dreams play a very important role in the world’s balance．

B．Dreams help us find out the problems we need to solve．

C．We should pay attention to every dream we have．

D．Only the dreams with pleasure are important to us．

【小題4】How should we deal with the recurring nightmares?

A．We should remember them because they are important to us．

B．We can ignore them since they are just reflecting our emotions．

C．We need to take some sleeping pills to stop this serious problem．

D．We should see a psychological doctor if they are seriously disturbing

【小題5】The purpose of the passage is_________________．

A．to introduce a variety of dreams

B．to offer some advice on avoiding nightmares

C．to compare recurring dreams with nightmares

D．to ease our anxiety on recurring dreams

There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?  

A．Laughter is good for health.

B．Laughter can make you become old quickly.

C．Laughter helps to reduce pain.

D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.

【小題2】The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “         ”.  

A．delays

B．prevents

C．increases

D．reduces

【小題3】Why do doctors hold laughter clinics? 

A．Because they want to earn more money.

B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses.

C．Because they want to improve their patients’ health.

D．Because they want their patients to laugh more.

【小題4】According to the author, we should __________ in our life. 

A．laugh as much as possible

B．watch more funny films

C．smile all the time

D．spend time in the laughter clinics

【小題5】What would be the best title for this passage?  

A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health.

B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.

C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.

D．Laughter is the best medicine.