My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.
The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.
（1）A month before the marathon, the author ____________.
| A． |
was well trained |
| B． |
felt scared |
| C． |
made up his mind to run |
| D． |
lost hope |
（2）Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?
| A． |
To acknowledge the support of his teacher. |
| B． |
To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C． |
To show he was not talented in sports. |
| D． |
To share a precious memory. |
（3）How was the author's first marathon?
| A． |
He made it. |
| B． |
He quit halfway. |
| C． |
He got the first prize. |
| D． |
He walked to the end. |
（4）What does the story mainly tell us?
| A． |
A man owes his success to his family support. |
| B． |
A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
| C． |
Failure is the mother of success. |
| D． |
One is never too old to learn. |
Detective Keeling took his client — a good-looking lady into the back yard of the store together. The lady opened a door in the wall and they entered the small room behind the store. They crossed the room to a locked door.
M r. Keeling took some special keys from his pocket. Moments later, one of the keys unlocked the door. The lady went into the store. She said she would hide under the table to keep watch on her husband. Mr. Keeling did not follow her.
The detective went quickly to the policeman’s house. Then the two men hurried to the jewellery store. They looked through the window. The policeman was surprised. He spoke to Mr. Keeling. “I don’t understand. You told me, ‘Robbins took a young woman to a restaurant.’ Where is she?”
“There she is !” said Mr. Keeling. He pointed through the window.
“Do you know the lady with Robbins?” asked the policeman.
“That’s his secret friend,” said Mr. Keeling.
“No! You’re wrong! That’s Robbins’ wife,” said the policeman. “I’ve known her for fifteen years.”
“What ?” the detective shouted. His face became pale. “Who is under the table in the store?”
He started to kick the door of the jewellery store.
Mr. Robbins came to the door and opened it. The policeman and the detective ran into the store.
“Look under that table!” shouted the detective. “Be quick!”
The policeman lifted the cloth and put his arm under the table. He pulled out a black dress, a black veil and a woman’s wig(假发).
“Is this young lady your wife?” Mr. Keeling asked the jeweler. He pointed at the woman.
“Yes! She is my wife !” said Mr. Robbins angrily. “Why did you kick my door? Why are those clothes under my table?”
“Please check all the jewellery in your store, Mr. Robbins,” the policeman said. “Is anything missing?”
Some diamond rings and some expensive necklaces were missing. The missing jewellery was worth ＄800.
Later that night, Mr. Keeling was sitting in his office. He was looking through a big book of photographs. They were photographs of criminals. The policeman had brought the book to the detective’s office. Suddenly, Mr. Keeling stopped turning the pages. He looked at a picture of a handsome young man with a familiar face.
The next morning, Mr. Keeling paid the jeweler ＄800, and then closed his office.At the beginning, the lady was able to go into the jewellery store because ___________.
| A．she went to the back yard and found the way |
| B．she was the owner of the store and had the key |
| C．two men helped her together to enter the store |
| D．Mr. Keeling unlocked the back door to the store |
The young lady who stayed with Mr. Robbins in the jewellery store was actually _________.
| A．Mr. Robbins’ sister | B．Mr. Robbins’ secret friend |
| C．Mr. Robbins’ wife | D．a clever thief |
It can be inferred from the passage that Mr. Keeling cooperated with his client _____________.
| A．so that he could get some jewellery from the store |
| B．because he thought he was helping the lady |
| C．because he wanted to play a joke on Mr. Robbins |
| D．so that he could get a job as a policeman |
The missing jewellery worth＄800 was in fact taken away by _____________.
| A．a young woman | B．a young man | C．a detective | D．a policeman |
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. 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 per cent 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.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 in various ways |
| D．provide little benefit for most depressed people |
In Stafford Lightman's opinion, .
| A．drug companies don't know the negative effect of antidepressants |
| 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 |
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. |
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 |
Preface to the fourth edition
A practical English Grammar is intended for intermediate(中级的) and post-intermediate students. We hope that more advanced learners and teachers will also find it useful.
The book is a comprehensive survey of structures and forms, written in clear modern English and illustrated with numerous examples. Areas of particular difficulty have been given special attention. Differences between conversational usage and strict grammatical forms are shown but the emphasis is on conversational forms.
1. Explanation and examples have been brought up to date.
2. There is now more information on countable and uncountable nouns, attributive and predicative adjectives, adverbs of places, sentence adverbs, cleft sentences, prepositions, conjunctives, modal verbs, perfect tenses, infinitive constructions, the passive, purpose clauses and nouns.
In the fourth edition the main changes are as follows.
3. Some material has been rearranged to make comparisons easier. For example, parts of chapters on can, may, must etc. are now grouped by functions; verbs of liking and preference have a chapter to themselves; suggestions and invitations have joined the chapter on commands, requests and advice.
4. The contents list now summaries every edition heading, and there is a new index containing many more entries references.
In this edition the sign “～” is frequently used to show a change of speaker in examples of dialogue. Note also that although the sign “＝”sometimes connects two words or expressions with the same meaning, it is often used more freely, e.g. to indicate a transformation from active to passive or direct to indirect speech.
We wish to thank all at Oxford University Press who have assisted in the preparation of the fourth edition. We would also like to thank Professor Egawa of Nihon University, Japan, Professor Rene Dirven of Duisburg University, West Germany and other colleagues for their friendly and helpful suggestions.
London, November 1985 A.J.T., A.VMThe grammar book mentioned in this passage is not suitable for __________.
| A．a middle school teacher | B．a college student |
| C．a senior high student | D．a primary school student |
According to the passage, we know that this grammar book ___________.
| A．compares modern English with old English |
| B．gives a large number of examples to reduce difficulty |
| C．attaches more importance to conversational forms |
| D．pays little attention to strict grammatical forms |
Which of the following statements about the changes is TRUE?
| A．This book keeps up with the latest usages of the American English language. |
| B．This edition offers more information about pronouns. |
| C．One particular chapter discusses verbs like “care, like, love, hate, prefer, wish”. |
| D．It’s not easy for us to find the information we need in this book. |
When you see this line in the book, “Did you get a ticket? ～Yes, I managed to get one”, we can understand that _______.
| A．the two parts before and after the sign “～”mean the same. |
| B．the topic is changed in the part after the sign “～”. |
| C．the second speaker repeats what the first speaker says. |
| D．the two parts before and after “～”are said by two different people. |
The common Chinese greeting of “Ni chi le ma?” may soon be replaced by a new greeting: “Have you cleaned your plate?”
Over the Spring Festival holiday there was a big effort to get people to curb their habit of ordering too much food in restaurants because a lot of that food ended up being wasted. Holiday eaters were urged to “clean their plates” and were asked to take leftover food home in “doggy bags.”
The impetus behind the campaign was the startling government statistic that over 200 billion yuan is spent every year on food that ends up in the garbage bin. And in the midst of all this waste, statistics show that 128 million people are living below the poverty line and going hungry.
The “clean your plate” campaign is part of a worldwide effort to stop precious food from being wasted. The United Nations estimates that $1trillion (yes, that’s a very big number) worth of food is wasted each year. Most of that is lost during food production and transportation, but a significant percentage is attributed to waste by consumers. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a campaign called “Think. Eat. Save.” to make people aware of the problem.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing is an ambassador for UNEP and she encouraged people to upload pictures of their “clean plates” to show their support for the program. Thousands of people responded and demonstrated that they had a clear conscience to go along with their full stomachs.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, is also urging people to be less wasteful and he told Party members to cut back on extravagant holiday banquets and to be more careful when spending the people’s money.
For some, though, Xi Jinping’s and Fan Bingbing’s admonitions don’t go far enough. Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist, caused a stir by saying that wasting food should be treated as a crime. (Jail time for leftover chicken feet!?)
If not a crime, wasting food is certainly a sin and it goes against what Xi Jinping calls, “the Chinese tradition of being diligent and thrifty.” Having a “clean plate” is just a traditional and responsible thing to do. Which statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Over 200 billion yuan is wasted every year on food around China. |
| B．It’s quite common for Chinese people to order more food than they need in restaurants. |
| C．It’s universally acknowledged that wasting food is a crime. |
| D．Fan did something to promote people’s awareness of saving food. |
The underlined word “admonition” is closest in meaning to “ ”.
| A．demonstration | B．indication | C．warning | D．criticism |
What’ the best title for the passage?
| A．Food is important. |
| B．Have you cleaned your plate? |
| C．Jail time for leftover chicken feet!? |
| D．Wasting food is a crime. |
It is 4 o’clock in the early morning. Everything but the computing room on the campus of the university appears as quiet and misty as the mysterious hell. In the computing room, 30 students with sleepy eyes, sit still at their desk, beating the dirty and worn keys. Staring at the colorful screen, they tap continuously for hours. For the other parts in the world, it might be in the middle of the night, nevertheless here time represents nothing. It is an entirely enclosed field. These young computer “hackers” are tracing a sort of stimulus (刺激), a drive so exciting and absorbing that it ignores nearly anything else in their lives and becomes the focus of their being. They are addicted (上瘾的) computer programmers. Some of these students have been glued to the console (电子设备的操纵台) for no less than twenty hours even with no break for meals or rest. Some have been sleeping on sofas and chairs in the computing room, trying to struggle for a few moments’ rest but hating to get too far away from their addicted machines.
It is not necessary for most of these students to be at the computing room in the middle of the night. What they are working belong to no assignments. They remain there because they desire to be — they can not resist the attraction of the computers.
Furthermore, they are in groups instead of being alone. There are hackers at computing rooms all over the country. In the unimaginable way, they focus on nothing but computer. They escape from schooling and live beyond friendship; they might have difficulty being employed, choosing to travel from one computing room to another. They may even give up personal health.
“There is one hacker in my memory. We actually had to lift him away from his chair to feed him and arrange him to rest and sleep. We truly worried about his health,” says a computing science professor at California University.
Professors of computer science are nowadays paying more attention to this hacker phenomenon and are on the watch for future hackers and more and more severe computer addicts. They believe firmly that hackers are not simply resulted from the close relationship with a machine. It is the result of social relationship with the attractive thinking machines, which are becoming nearly universal.
| A．students working on a program |
| B．students using computers to amuse themselves |
| C．hard-working computer science majors |
| D．students deeply fascinated by the computer |
| A．Most of them are top students majoring in computer programming. |
| B．For them, computer programming is the only purpose for their life. |
| C．They can stay with the computer at the computing room for nearly two days. |
| D．Their love for the computer is so deep that they want to be near their machines even when they sleep. |
| A．the hacker phenomenon exists only at university computing rooms |
| B．it is not very easy for the “hackers” to find friends or jobs |
| C．university computing rooms are expecting outstanding programmers out of the “hackers” |
| D．the hacker phenomenon is partly due to the lack of the computing rooms |
| A．positive | B．disgusting |
| C．worrying | D．admiring |
| A．The Charm of Computer Science | B．A New Type of Electronic Toys |
| C．Future Computer Programmers | D．Computer Addicts |
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