单项选择题
Drug Overuse
① Nowadays,millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse （NIDA， 1999） shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically.
② NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and become active， contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drags use them in a responsible.
③ Nevertheless， overuse of drugs such as opioids， central nervous system（CNS） depressants and stimulants does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide， particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults， teenagers arid women.
④ Though it may be a surprise to many， the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University， North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population， those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs， 70% were women who had overused medicines.
⑤ Unfortunately， this trend among women does not only affect those aged over. In general， among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative， women are twice as likely to become addicted. In addition， statistics compiled for 12 —17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers， tranquillizers， stimulants and sedatives.
单项选择题
Research Is a State of Mind
For many years there has been much misunderstanding as to just what research is. The popular conception seems to be that there is something mysterious about it， and before any research can be done it is necessary to have expensive scientific apparatus and large， elaborately equipped laboratories. Actually， this is not so. （6） It is a simple， organized way of trying to accomplish something you wish to do—so simple that anyone can do research anywhere at any time.
First， you select the problem you would like to solve， then you list at least ten reasons why it has not been solved. （7） It takes just as much effort to solve a useless problem as a useful one. （8）
After carefully—and I want to emphasize that word “carefully”—selecting the problem and the ten things between you and the solution， you then use the same procedure as in solving a crossword puzzle.（9）In the solution of the remaining obstacles you may need some simple apparatus， but the things you will probably need most are infinite patience and persistence. Few people realize the difficulties of doing any new thing.
Maybe one of the reasons people are so easily discouraged is because of their education. During all our years at school we were examined two or three times a year. If we failed once， we were out. （10）If we are going to make progress， we must learn to fail intelligently so that we won't become discouraged at the 99.9 per cent failure.
单项选择题
True Friendship
Young adult filmmakers all hope to show their works in international festivals like Sundance and Toronto. But what about really young filmmakers who aren't in film school yet and aren't， strictly speaking， even adults？
They are at the heart of Wingspan Arts Kids Film Festival， tomorrow， in a setting any director might envy： Lincoln Center. Complete with "red carpet" interviews and various awards， the festival has much in common with events for more experienced moviemakers， except for the age of the participants： about 8 to 18.
"What's really exciting is that it's film for kids by kids，" said Cori Gardner， managing director of Wingspan Arts， a
nonprofit organization offering youth programs in the New York area. This year the festival will include films not only from Wingspan but also from other city organizations and one from a middle school in Arlington， Virginia."We want to make this a national event."Ms. Gardner added.
The nine shorts to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B. B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. "A lot of the material is really mature，" Ms. Gardner said， talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project， a media arts and leadership-training group. "The Choice is about the history of a family and Master Anti-Smoker is about the angers of second-hand smoke."Dream of the Invisibles describes young immigrants'（移民）feelings of both belonging and not belonging in their adopted country.
The festival will end with an open reception at which other films will be shown. These include a music video and a full-length film whose title is Pressures.
单项选择题
Majored Finance
An increase in students （11）to study economics at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the（12）system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January， according to UCAS， the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A（13）for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath， the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University， said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were （14）crowds of 400， rather than the usual 250.
"There are a large number of students who are not （15）majors， who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary （16）in a way that one hasn't traditionally done，" he added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump， with people's renewed interest in （17）in the public sector （部门） ，which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents （18）schools should do more to teach pupils about financial
matters， and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on， although a （19）of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking， the head of child trust funds， said： "It's possible that one good thing to（20）from the downturn will be a generation that's financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty."
单项选择题
Trying to Find a Partner
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蛎） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.
