After my brother died in an accident，my mother was very sad．I was only 4 years old at the time，but I still understood the in my mom’s attitude toward safety． ，everything around us was potentially ．
I grew up with a lot of and rules that were meant to me．For example，I was not to walk home from school by myself，even though everyone I knew already did．I couldn’t evening parties or go to summer camp， what if something happened to me?
As I got older，the list of things to got longer．I became a natural ．I was concerned about things like getting cancer，losing my wallet，being caught in car accidents and earthquakes — big and small，real and ．The funny part is that you’d never know it by looking at my life，because I’m constantly myself to do the things that frighten or worry me．In fact，I’ve developed a for myself: If it scares me，then I have to do it once．I’ve done lots of things that would have my mom: I’ve ridden a motorcycle，I’ve traveled alone，and I’ve performed stand-up comedy．
Courage isn’t a natural attribute（品质）of human beings．I believe that we have to practice being courageous．The more I do things that scare me or that make me ，the more I realize that I can do a lot more than I originally thought I could do．
Even though I inherited（经遗传获得）my mother’s cautious ，I’ve also come to believe that fear can be a good thing，if we it．Believing that has made my world a less scary place．
1.A．hint B．change C．scene D．lesson
2.A．Slowly B．Logically C．Fortunately D．Suddenly
3.A．important B．inspiring C．convenient D．dangerous
4.A．restrictions B．considerations C．judgments D．comparisons
5.A．limit B．help C．protect D．train
6.A．allowed B．encouraged C．reminded D．advised
7.A．arrange B．attend C．decorate D．support
8.A．but B．though C．or D．because
9.A．hope B．fear C．count D．bear
10.A．worrier B．dreamer C．adult D．thinker
11.A．ideas B．affairs C．actions D．disasters
12.A．special B．common C．imaginary D．practical
13.A．expecting B．warning C．forcing D．promising
14.A．rule B．form C．case D．hobby
15.A．in all B．at most C．after all D．at least
16.A．threatened B．shocked C．confused D．entertained
17.A．rarely B．quickly C．often D．fairly
18.A．confident B．uncomfortable C．happy D．generous
19.A．nature B．duty C．work D．task
20.A．know B．get C．avoid D．face
We are all faced with challenges constantly in every area of our lives．1.
The truth is that you will have to deal with difficult problems throughout your life，whether it is in your personal life or career．Most of us get really afraid and run away from problems because we don’t want to accept reality．Running away from your problems is the worst thing you can do to deal with the challenges you are faced with．Here are some tips for you on learning how to deal with everyday challenges．
Please bear in mind that you shouldn’t overact when coming across challenges．Overacting to a problem will cause you to make bad decisions．2. Next time you are faced with a challenge，stay calm so you can make smarter decisions．
3. If you cannot accept reality，you will feel very frustrated with your life．Once you can accept reality，you will be able to be calmer and think more clearly about how to get a step closer towards your goals every day．
Many people make a habit of blaming others for all their problems．They fail to take full responsibility for the decisions they have made in life．The more you blame others for the challenges you are faced with，the more you will make people dislike you and not want to be around you．4.
Don’t compare your lifestyle with others．Of course，it is really difficult not to compare ourselves with other people．However，the more often we do that，the more frustrated we will feel．5. The key thing to remember is that you create your own story and success in life．
A．Accept the reality of the present moment．
B．Try to look at change as a positive challenge，not as a threat．
C．There will always be a person that may have accomplished more than you．
D．Our focus may entirely be on how we can deal with the challenge that has come our way．
E．When we are not in control of our emotions，we will make decisions that we will regret later．
F．However，most people have a hard time accepting and dealing with these challenges that arise．
G．As a result，the first thing you should do when faced with a personal challenge is not point fingers at others．
Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK，about half the population．
Joanna Shields，vice president of Facebook Europe，made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London．
She said: "We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK，which we are really excited about．"
Globally，Facebook has more than 500 million registered users，a milestone it hit last summer．Last July，it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users．In the last eight months，it has attracted four million extra UK users，bringing the UK total to 30 million，while in January 2009，Facebook had only 150 million registered users．
Last year，Zuckerberg，Facebook's founder，said it was "almost a guarantee" that the site would hit one billion users．He explained: "If we succeed in innovating，there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people．．．it will be interesting to see how it comes true．"
One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up，before even going to the toilet，according to research．Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night，while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network，a study by Oxygen Media found．
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites，such as newspapers and TV services．
She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis．"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits"，Shields said．
Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was "silly" that Google had recently disabled the feature（特点）which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends．
1.What is Joanna Shields content with?
A．the announcement
B．media conference
C．fast growing registered users
D．the benefits of Facebook
2.Zuckerberg，Facebook's founder，take a more view about the future of Facebook．
A．negative B．optimistic
C．cold D．pessimistic
3.What kind of people are more interested in Facebook according to the passage?
A．teenagers B．middle-aged people
C．old people D．young people
4.From the passage we know that ．
A．Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system
B．Google didn't allow its users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends
C．Shields refused to admit the power Facebook's referrals could bring
D．Google was always silly
While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy（妊娠期）with my second child，we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana，where Marshall’s family live，to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday．Two days before we were to leave，we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby．Not knowing when this would happen，we decided to continue with our trip．
Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm，you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there．That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time．I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there．I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good，so he went out and got the first one for me．
During that trip，I totally got lost in the book，which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness．In the book，I noticed the name “Seamus”．I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that．I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too．Toward the end of the trip，I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book，which I was pretty excited about．
Soon after we put Jane down to bed，I had started labor（分娩），so I was unable to read．The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours，but Marshall stayed there with me，sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter．I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience．And ever since then，Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books．We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives．
We were sad to have lost the baby，but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption．And we gave this name to our adopted son．Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him，the name fits him perfectly．
1.Why did the writer want a good book during the trip?
A．Because the trip to Louisiana would take a long time．
B．Because she didn’t want to think of losing her baby．
C．Because she had nothing else to do except reading．
D．Because a good book could help her enjoy her trip．
2.According to the story，we can know that the Harry Potter books _________________．
A．made the family’s trip more exciting
B．include five books all together
C．have someone called Seamus in them
D．can help people deal with their problems
3.The writer named her son Seamus because ___________________．
A．she wanted to keep her trip in memory
B．she loved this name very much
C．her son doesn’t have Irish blood
D．it is a perfect name for a boy
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A．Funny Stories of My Family
B．Seamus And Harry Potter
C．How We Got To Louisiana
D．How My Son Got His Name
Those who have suffered from insomnia know the sinking feeling of watching the clock tick．Now a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that lying in bed awake may actually contribute to the problem of sleeplessness．
The study of 79 adults（average age 72）with insomnia aimed to determine whether brief behavioral interventions for insomnia would help．Traditional behavioral therapy（疗法）requires at least half a dozen hour-long sessions with a therapist — a costly commitment many patients either can't make or don't have access to．Other options include sleep-aiding medications or supplements．In the current study，the 39 participants in the behavioral therapy group received a 45- to 60-minute instructing session，plus a 30-minute follow-up session and two 20-minute phone calls．
Doctors offered the following behavioral interventions for improving sleep: reduce time in bed; get up at the same time every day，regardless of sleep duration; don't go to bed unless sleepy; and don't stay in bed unless asleep．
The other 40 participants in the study were given printed educational materials about insomnia，which included the same instructions given to the intervention group，but without the individualized sessions with a therapist．Two weeks later，the latter group also got a 10-minute follow-up phone call．
At the end of four weeks，the behavioral treatment group was significantly more likely to show improvements in sleep than the printed-materials group．By that time，55% of those who received behavioral treatment no longer met the criteria for insomnia，compared with 13% of the group that got educational brochures．
The good news comes at the same time as a report on the health effects of insomnia from the U．K．'s Mental Health Foundation．The report，Sleep Matters，suggests a link between insomnia and poor relationships，low energy levels and an inability to concentrate．Poor sleep has already been linked to depression，immune deficiency and heart disease．
1.What is the meaning of the underlined word “ insomnia”?
A．sleeplessness B．depression
C．heart disease D．immune deficiency
2.What is the disadvantage of traditional behavioral therapy?
A．It can’t help．
B．It costs a lot of money．
C．It requires sessions with a therapist．
D．It includes sleep-aiding medications．
3.How to improve sleep according to the doctor?
A．Lying in bed awake．
B．Get up early every day．
C．Don’t go to bed late at night．
D．Don’t stay in bed if you are not asleep．
4.We can learn from the text that insomnia may cause the following results except________．
A．depression B．concentration
C．immune deficiency D．heart disease
When Josephine Cooper was growing up，she learned the importance of charity from her parents．Although they made a modest living for their family of 10，they insisted on sharing with those less fortunate．
Half a century later，Mrs Cooper became a beloved volunteer at the San Diego Food Bank，where she devoted herself to helping others．She organized and ran a distribution center from a church，helping it become the organization’s largest emergency food distribution center in San Diego．She was one of 25 outstanding senior volunteers in the nation selected and invited to Washington D．C．to receive the award．
“She was the main person who helped us make that program grow,” said Mike Doody，former director of the Food Bank．“She had a way of getting people to work together and to work hard．She was determined and stubborn，but in a good way．She had a good heart．” People knew her as “Grandma” because of her selflessness and her devotion to helping hungry children and families．“She reminded people of their Grandma．” Doody said．
As a widow with a young child in 1979，Mrs．Cooper was helped through a difficult financial time when the Food Bank provided her with groceries．“She dedicated her life to giving back,” said her daughter，Monica Cooper．It wasn’t unusual for a local church to call Mrs Cooper to ask her to aid a needy family．“She would give people food out of her cupboard．Sometimes we would cook a meal for a family living out of their car,” Cooper said．
Although Mrs Cooper was honored to receive the national award for her volunteer work，she said being able to help others was her reward．She died of liver disease and kidney failure，aged 93．
1.The underlined word “charity” in Paragraph 1 refers to ．
A．offering help B．donating money
C．providing services D．showing sympathy
2.Which of the following is true of Mrs Cooper?
A．She died at an early age．
B．She refused the national award．
C．She was kind and devoted．
D．She was not easy to get along with．
3.Mrs Cooper’s story suggests that ．
A．everyone needs a Grandma nearby
B．children are what their parents are
C．a sound mind is in a sound body
D．a mother’s love never changes
