阅读理解

　　British male drivers waste nearly six million hours a year lost on the road because they are not ready to ask for directions．

　　Men who are lost wait an average of 20 minutes before giving up and asking for directions, while women only wait 10 minutes before seeking help, according to a study from Royal Automobile Club Direct Insurance．

　　Men even stand a “nogging(唠叨)period” of around 10 minutes from their partner before throwing in the towel and stopping to ask the way, the poll(民意测试)showed．

　　Based on responses from 2000 adults, the survey also showed：

　　Some 64 percent of couples admitted to having arguments over getting lost on the road．

　　Only 27 percent of couples plan their journeys before getting off．

　　Just 36 percent of couples rely on landmarks and road signs of find their destination．

　　One in four couples still write down basic directions on a bit of scrap paper．

　　RAC Direct Insurance product manager Craig Martin said awareness of the problem could improve driving standards．

　　“The anxiety, increased stress level and road rage that can be caused by getting lost are unnecessary distractions on today’s busy roads when motorists need to be alert and able to concentrate,” Martin said．

　　“These problems can easily be avoided if motorists just take a bit more time to plan their journeys,” he added．

　　Martin said new equipment is being fixed in cars．Such as satellite navigation systems is now being used by about one in five drivers．

完形填空

　　I was with my oldest son and we were on the lookout for an open parking space in our jam-packed shopping center．We spotted a(n)　　1　　 one in the next row of spaces, and I drove our van around the turn, all the while hoping no one else would spot it and grab it 　　2　　 I could．And, as luck would have it, a lady was 　　3　　 her shopping cart right in front of us, and it looked like 　　4　　 was getting away from her, filled with bags and cartons of soda underneath．She herself was carrying three extra bags in her hands while trying to push the cart 　　5　　 a strong spring wind, and looked 　　6　　．Suddenly the cart hit a bump and everything fell off．

At that point I felt something sudden in me．I pulled the van into an unloading 　　7　　 and told my son to wait for a moment．I rushed over to her and the 　　8　　 thing she did was to apologize several times．I helped her 　　9　　 everything up, took the extra bags 　　10　　 from her hands, and walked her to her car．She told me she was trying to 　　11　　 home to her son’s thirteenth birthday party and her whole day had been “just one of those days”．I helped her load the 　　12　　, and she stopped and looked at me and just said, “Thank you so much”．I smiled and said, “I am a mother of three and do you think 　　13　　 has ever helped me out? I am just returning the 　　14　　．” She smiled and said, “God bless you” and got in her car．

　　I walked the row over to my van 　　15　　 my son was waiting and had been 　　16　　．“Who was that, Mom?” he asked me．“She was a 　　17　　 too, trying to get home for her son’s birthday party．She needed our help,” I said．And I just knew he 　　18　　 with that clarity children all seem to have．We found a good 　　19　　 and walked together towards the store．As we were walking, my son took my hand．It was the most touching 　　20　　 of all, and I realized more than ever that our children are always watching．

阅读理解

　　One in every five young people has a sleep problem, so you’re not alone; Getting enough sleep has become as important as eating vegetables and exercising regularly．It’s very important for your body．

　　Most young people only get seven hours of sleep each night, when they actually need nine hours．And making up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping in on weekends doesn’t really work．In fact, sleeping late on weekends may actually do you more harm than good, if you have sleep problems．

　　What happens if you don’t get enough sleep? If your sleep problem continues for a few nights, you could suffer serious problems．Lack of sleep can affect learning and memory．Worse, if your sleep difficulties last a long time, that could lead to anxiety or depression(抑郁)．Therefore, you’ve got to have some healthy sleep habits．Below are some suggestions：

　　●GO TO BED AT THE SAME TIME－including weekends, if possible．

　　●WAKE UP AROUND THE SAME TIME EVERY MORNING．When you sleep late just one morning during the week, it may disturb your body clock．This will make it hard for you to sleep that night．

　　●DO SMOETHING REALXING before going to bed．

　　●EXERCISE DURING THE DAY．Don’t exercise right before going to bed．

　　● AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL．Alcohol makes you excited．This prevents you from falling asleep or wakes you up during the night．

　　●DON’T SMOKE．Smoking is always bad for the body．Smoking before bedtime keeps you awake．

　　If trying these tips over a couple of weeks does not help you, speak to your doctor．Do not take any sleeping pills without first asking your doctor．Many have strong side effects．