A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs – leaving her bed for only brief breaks. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.

　　"I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart – kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching (使脱离) herself further from the outside world.

　　Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone.

　　Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers aroused interest in the subject. But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse. The American Psychiatric Association may also consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up, on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web.

    The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the latest survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers. About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling " still occupied by the Internet when offline."

　　"The Internet problem is still in its early stage," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. The problem is not limited to porn (色情) or gambling websites.”

　　“Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but in terms of losses.”said Maressa Orzack. "If it's a loss where you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much."

　　Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior.

　　The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:

　　● Having a sense of happiness or excitement while at the computer.

　　● Longing for more and more time at the computer.

　　● Neglect of family and friends.

　　● Feeling empty, depremssed or irritable when not at the computer.

　　● Lying to employers and family about activities.

　　● Inability to stop the activity.

　　● Problems with school or job.

　　Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene (卫生) and sleep disturbances.

　　“People who struggle with Internet overuse maybe depressed or have other mood disorders.” Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement and fun," she said. “Some people say relief…because they find themselves so relaxed.”

　　Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction."

　　Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention (干预), in which relatives told him he'd gained weight.

　　“There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in with online gaming, ”said Heidrich, now a father of two. People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly “to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check”.

　　Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line:“I have an Internet Addiction.”

　　“I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work, to take care of my home, to give attention to my children,”she wrote in a message sent to the group. “I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my loan and face losing everything.”

　　Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."

1. What eventually made Carla Toebe realize she was spending too much time on the Internet?

　A. Her daughter's repeated complaints.

　B. Tiredness resulting from lack of sleep.

　C. The poorly managed state of her house.

　D. The high financial costs adding up.

2.What is the main idea of para4?

A. A study claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse.

B. The American Psychiatric Association plans to list Internet addiction in its edition.

C. There are heated discussions about negative experiences over internet overuse.

D. There is a growing concern towards internet addiction.

3. According to Professor Maressa Orzack, Internet use would be considered excessive if ______.

　A. it seriously affected family relationships

　B. one visited porn websites frequently

　C. too much time was spent in chat rooms

　D. people got involved in online gambling

4. According to Orzack, people who struggle with heavy dependence on    

the Internet may feel ______.

　A. discouraged   B. pressured    C. depressed    D. puzzled

5. Andrew Heidrich now visits websites that discuss online gaming addiction to _____.

　A. improve his online gaming skills

　B. control his desire for online gaming

　C. show how good he is at online gaming

　D. exchange online gaming experience

6.Which of the following best describes the tone(口吻) of the passage ?

 A. Humorous      B. Ironic       C. Objective      D. Casual

 

完成句子（每题1分，共5分，形式错不给分）

1.After the hurricane ,the whole city lay ________ ________.

飓风过后，整个城市成了废墟。

2.For a period of time he felt helpless and ______  ______.

有那么一段时间，他觉得很无助而且失去信心。

3.The war　_　　　　　　　　　. People cheered and jumped with joy.

战争结束了，人们欢呼雀跃起来。

4.________ _________ __________， you should go there by yourself.

依我看来，你应该自己去。

5.He pretends to be making comment on the drawings,，but ______ _____ __________ ______ __________, he knows nothing about art.

他假装正在对绘画作评论，但是事实上，他对艺术一窍不通。

 

LONDON----Here’s a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be bad for your health. And it doesn’t matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it occurs. Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
　　In an editorial published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin EkblomBak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.
　　While health officials have issued guidelines recommending minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven’t suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
　　"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating(调节) the amount of glucose（葡萄糖） and fat in the body start to shut down.
　　Even for people who exercise, spending long periods of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day — but still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, rather than in a single bout.（一回）
　　Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.
　　"We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad," said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study. "But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior, the better."
　　Figures from a U.S. survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.
　　Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible tooffset those effects.
　　"People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits," Ekblom-Bak said. "But when they’re in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible," she said.
【小题1】What is the best title for the text?

A．Not Sitting Too Much While Working	B．How To Avoid Sitting Too Much
C．Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly	D．More And More People Sit Too Much

【小题2】According to the research,______________.

A．the more time you spend in exercising in a single bout, the healthier you will be.

B．those who often sit too much are sure to grow fat or suffer from a heart attack.

C．regular exercise is effective to get rid of the side effect of sitting too much.

D．you had better not sit for more than four hours in a single bout.

【小题3】How does the danger of sitting too much affect the human body?

A．It results in a higher death risk.

B．It increases glucose and fat in the body.

C．It makes a person unable to exercise long enough in a day.

D．It causes the gene to fail to balance the glucose and fat in the body.

【小题4】In the opinion of Ekblom-Bak, you’d better have a rest in the office by________.

A．sending your friends e-mails

B．having a walk around your office

C．chatting online or playing computer games

D．listening to music with your head on the desk.

阅读理解

　　Malls are popular places for Americans to go to. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called “mall rats”. Mall rats “shop until they drop” in hundreds of stores under one roof.

　　People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations or private security guards. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest areas with waterfalls and large green trees.

　　The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota．It covers 4.2 million square feet. It has 350 stores, eight night clubs, and a seven-acre park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop there every week.

　　The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina, Minnesota．People loved doing all their shopping in one place. More malls were built all over the country. Now, malls are like town centres where people come to do many things. They shop, of course. They also eat in food courts that have food from all over the world．They see movies at theatres. Some people even get their daily exercise by doing the new sport of “mall walking”. Others go to malls to meet friends.

　　In some malls, people can see a doctor or a dentist and even attend church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now residents can actually live in their favourite shopping centre.

(1)Malls are ________.

[　　]

A．large shopping centres which also act as town centres

B．large parks with shops

C．the most popular places American go to

D．town centres

(2)Why have malls become so popular?

[　　]

A．Because people can do everything there.

B．Because people can do many other things besides shopping for all they need．

C．Because people feel safe in malls with police stations around．

D．Because people enjoy the fresh air and can have a good rest there.

(3)Malls have to be large places because ________.

[　　]

A．many people drive their cars to go to malls

B．there have to be some restaurants, clinics and theatres

C．many people hope to do sports in the malls

D．they have to meet different needs for many people

(4)In doing “mall walking” people ________.

[　　]

A．shop until they drop

B．do just about everything

C．walk around the mall as a kind of exercise

D．see movies at theatres